Floor 68.

XXII. - Men of War.

"Are you okay, Sady?", the man asked, a hint of concern in his voice. The two young people were both swaying on Hurts' song, Devotion. Sady's eyes were glued on her brother who was dancing with a slim brunette. After Anthony Matthews announced his son's engagement, she was struck just like everybody else. One look at her brother was enough to make her realize all this was nothing but a pathetic masquerade played by their father. She should've known he had a hand in this; he was an obnoxious person and as Thunder always said, they were both merely pawns to him.

She rose her eyes to Chace and tried to smile at him. "Yes of course I am", she lied at which he frowned in discontent.

"Liar", he pointed out, intensely looking at her. The girl in oxblood just shrugged her shoulders before resting her head on the man's chest. Silence fell on them as they continued to move along the music. Sady felt her heart aching at her brother's sight; he looked miserable, sad and in pain. Twenty-one wasn't the age to get married; he still had places to go and people to meet. But he was cursed, being Anthony Matthews' son.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sady?", Chace demanded again, the friction of his hand on her back getting more intense. His companion looked at him and smiled, nodding but she knew she wasn't fooling anyone with that smile, especially someone like Chace whom she was around everyday.

"Aren't you a master in camouflage", the man breathed in a low tone with a stern expression before interrupting their dance. Sady gave him a look of incomprehension, seeing him fetching his pockets.

"What are you doing?", she demanded, her voice scarcely audible. Chace handed her his car keys before motioning at the exit with his chin.

"Get to you room, change and wait for me by my car", he commanded with an imperious tone. Sady's eyebrows puckered as she hesitatingly took the keys. "I'm taking you away from this mess". He cast a warm smile on her before slightly pushing her away, gesturing towards the exit. Sady glanced one final look at her brother before discreetly leaving the Poseidon Hall just as the song ended and people gathered around the fiancée. Chace smiled at himself before taking few steps towards Cihangir who was by herself, seemingly absentminded.

"Where's Duke?", he asked stopping by her. The brunette rose her eyes towards him and gave him a little smile.

"I don't know, he just took off", she murmured before crossing her arms on her chest.

"Good because I need to talk to you", he said, offering her his arm, which she accepted. The quarterback guided her outside the Poseidon Hall and stopped by the elevators.

"He's not taking the SAT test", Chace uttered in a clear voice, at which Cihangir frowned. "I need you to knock some sense in his mind". The brunette backed herself against the wall and sighed in weariness; this was the wrong time. How could she talk to Duke about his future after everything that happened tonight? She practically drove him away with her scared attitude. She knew the way she reacted was wrong in so many ways but Duke kissed her. Her best friend kissed her and she kissed him back just before telling him there was someone else. He was hurt, she saw it in his gaze and it pained her to be the one to cause him such distress. She knew that from now on, everything between them will be so different; he wasn't just going to embrace the fact that she rejected him; he was Duke Hart after all and every girl wanted a piece of him so why not her?

"Cihangir?", Chace whispered, frowning at her silence. "I tried talking to him but you know Duke, he doesn't listen", he added with a sigh.

"What makes you think he'll listen to me?", the girl demanded finally raising her eyes at him. Chace smirked before shrugging his shoulders.

"He'll listen to you because he loves you", Chace replied with a smile at which Cihangir frowned in anger.

"Everybody should stop saying that!", she glared in exasperation, taking few steps towards the Poseidon Hall before Chace's hand clutched hers.