The Heir's obsession Chapter 33: Another Weekend

Chapter 33

JULIAN POLE

Days are running fast.

The halls at school were loud again. People laughing, lockers slamming, soone playing music from a speaker they probably weren’t supposed to have. Everything looked exactly the sa, and sohow, I didn’t fit in it anymore. Not like before.

I sat through classes I didn’t care about, nodded when teachers called my na, and tried to focus when I caught myself zoning out. It didn’t work. My brain kept drifting to one person.

Jace.

It’s stupid, I know. He hadn’t called, hadn’t texted.

And now he quit. And I didn’t even know about it.

He’s the devil.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he looked at before he left. Like he wanted to say sothing but didn’t trust himself to.

By Tuesday, I’d morized the silence.

By Wednesday, I stopped expecting a text or a call.

Who am I kidding? A call from him is a luxury.

I’m going insane. But my friends are keeping busy. Luka brought snacks during lunch, Rico made fun of my hoodie collection, and they both made sure I ate. But they weren’t dumb. They could see I was just... there. Existing.

"You okay?" Luka asked one afternoon, watching stab at my mashed potatoes like they’d committed a cri.

"Yeah," I lied.

He frowned but didn’t push. He knows I’ll talk when I’m ready. Or maybe he’s just tired of hearing the sa lie every ti.

When Thursday rolled around, Mom went back to work. She kissed my forehead that morning and said, "I’ll be at the hospital if you need anything."

That was all the permission I needed.

After school, I decided to go see her. Mostly because I needed an excuse to see if Enzo was around. Maybe he’d tell sothing, anything, about Jace. I didn’t even know what I was expecting. A clue? A sign? Maybe just a voice that said he was okay.

The hospital slled like sanitizer and stress. The kind of sll that makes your brain rember too many bad things.

Sigh.

Mom was in her scrubs, sitting at the nurse’s station when I walked up. Her face lit up the second she saw .

"Jules! What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to see you," I said, and that wasn’t a lie. "And... uh, maybe Enzo too. Is he around?"

Her smile faltered a bit. "Enzo? No"

"But he told specifically that he was going to this big dinner in Queens this Saturday. You know those fancy charity galas." She laughed lightly.

"I think he knew you would co looking for him." She paused

"I’m alright" I said before she asked

She nodded

After we talked for a bit, I hugged her and left. I didn’t go straight ho, though. I sat on a bench across the street for a while, staring at nothing, my brain spinning faster than I could keep up with.

A dinner. In Queens. Jace would be there.

It wasn’t even a question.

Now how the hell was I supposed to get in?

Stupid right? Yea I know. But I don’t like waiting.

Marco

Why didn’t this plan cross my mind?

I’d barely spoken to him since the hospital, but he’d always been... decent. And if there was anyone who could get close to Jace, it was his little brother.

So, I texted him.

: Hey, can we talk?

He replied instantly

Marco: Sure. Is everything okay?

: Not really. Can you et?

Marco: Yeah, I’m free. Sending the location

We t at a small café near campus. He looked surprised to see but didn’t say anything right away. Just nodded for to sit.

"Okay," he said after a sip of his drink. "What’s going on?"

"I need your help."

His eyebrows went up imdiately. "That sounds dangerous already."

"It’s not," I said quickly. "At least, not really."

He tilted his head. "Julian."

"I just need to get into this dinner in Queens this Saturday."

He blinked, then actually laughed. "You’re kidding."

Of course he knew

"I’m not."

"Julian, that’s a private event. My dad’s hosting it."

Oh. That’s why he knew.

"That makes it even better, since you are the inner man."

"There are bodyguards, caras, a guest list—"

"I don’t care." My voice ca out sharper than I ant. "Please, Marco. I need to see him."

That shut him up.

He stared at for a long ti. I could tell he wanted to say no, but there was this flicker in his eyes. Sothing that looked a lot like pity. Or maybe understanding.

Finally, he sighed. "You’re insane, you know that?"

"I’ve been told."

He rubbed his temples. "Fine. You didn’t hear this from , okay?"

I nodded, my heart already hamring.

"I’ll get you a pass. There’ll be servers wearing masks for the fundraiser the. Sothing about anonymous generosity, I don’t even know. You’ll blend in. But, Julian..." His tone shifted, serious now. "If my dad sees you, it could get ssy."

I swallowed hard. "I know."

"Okay." He leaned back. "I’ll text you the details tomorrow. And, uh... good luck, I guess."

"Thanks man"

He smirked. "You’re crazier than my brother. That’s saying sothing."

I shrugged.

Friday ca fast. Too fast.

Thanksgiving break started on Friday, which made things easier. I told my parents I’d be staying over at Luka’s for the weekend. Sothing about a small friends’ dinner. They didn’t question it. Why would they? Luka’s basically their son.

That night, I packed a small bag. A change of clothes, the server outfit Marco managed to get , and my sketchbook. Because I still couldn’t go anywhere without it. The uniform was simple. Black trousers, white shirt, a vest, and a mask that covered the upper half of my face. I stared at it for a while, running my fingers along the edges.

I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore.

But I had to see him.

Saturday evening, I caught the 6:15 train to Queens. The city looked different that night. Brighter sohow, like it was mocking for chasing sothing I probably shouldn’t.

I watched people on the train. Couples leaning into each other, a kid asleep on his mom’s shoulder, a guy typing furiously on his laptop. Everyone had sowhere to be. Soone to et.

And ? I was chasing a ghost in a suit.

The train rattled through tunnels, and my reflection stared back from the window. tired eyes, nerves, determination.

"You’re insane," I whispered to myself.

So insane.

When the train stopped at the Queens plaza station, I stepped out into the cold night. The air felt like it was biting my face. I pulled my jacket tighter and started walking toward the venue Marco texted earlier. A grand hall with tall glass walls and lights that looked like stars trapped inside.

I could already see the cars pulling up. Sleek, expensive, the kind of vehicles that didn’t belong anywhere near my reality. n in suits, won in gowns, and laughter that sounded fake even from a distance.

At the back entrance, a few staff mbers were lined up, checking nas and passes. My palms were sweating when I handed mine over. The woman barely looked at before nodding and waving in.

I slipped inside with the rest of the servers, heart beating so loud it drowned out the music.

We waited in the kitchen, all lined up like soldiers in borrowed uniforms. The head server was pacing back and forth, running through the rules.

No eye contact with guests, no lingering, no talking unless spoken to. Pretty much, "pretend you don’t exist."

Opposite of what I’m going to do.

The kitchen was chaos in slow motion. Steam from the ovens fogged up the glass, and the air slled like butter, truffle, and sothing sweet baking in the corner.

Chefs were shouting orders. Trays of crab cakes, mini quiches, and shrimp skewers sliding down the counter. Soone brushed past with a platter stacked with tiny steak bites and toothpicks sticking out like flags.

My palms were sweating inside the gloves, and the mask on my face made it harder to breathe.

Every few seconds, a new scent cuts through the air. Garlic, wine sauce, roasted duck, and sothing fruity from the dessert table

The head server clapped his hands. "Positions, people. Smile, but not too much."

Trays of champagne flutes started passing down the line. I grabbed one and tried not to shake. My heart was going nuts, but it wasn’t fear. It was because I knew who I was here for. Sowhere out there, my professor was pretending to be his father’s perfect son again.

I straightened my tie, adjusted the mask, and followed the others out.

The ballroom was ridiculous. Chandeliers, a live orchestra. Everything slled like money and perfu.

I moved through the crowd with my tray, offering glasses I didn’t care about, smiles I didn’t an. I was serving, yeah. But my eyes were looking for sothing else.

Soone.

And then I saw him.

Standing near the main table, dressed in black, his posture straight but his eyes distant. Aiko stood beside him, smiling at so guests. He nodded politely, saying all the right words, but I could see it. He wasn’t there. Not really.

Sothing in my chest twisted so hard it almost hurt.

I clutched the tray tighter, trying not to make a scene.

He looked older sohow. Colder. But still him. Still the man who once kissed like he was starving for air.

I didn’t know if I wanted to run to him or punch him.

Instead, I just stood there. Anonymous behind my mask. Watching him laugh at sothing Aiko said.

The music swelled, people started clapping, and I finally forced myself to move.

One step. Then another.

If he looked my way, if he saw . God, I didn’t even know what I’d say.

But I needed him to see .

Not as a student. Not as a kid.

Just as soone who never stopped choosing him.