#burjkhalifaparty

[yvonne-rutherford]

Holy Water Cannot Help You Now

Location: Burj Khalifa

Day 1 into Day 2 of the party

Mentions: @cassandra-acton

Yvonne sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at the phone in her hand. The screen was lit up with Cassie Acton's contact information and all she had to do was hit dial. So why was she frozen like a damn deer in the headlights? From the moment Félix propositioned her, she had clarity on the path forward, a luxury that had eluded her for years. 

If she was being honest with herself, deep down in the part of her brain she was trying to ignore, she knew the real reason she was frozen. Once she made this call, there was no turning back. This was betraying her family, betraying her father, the man she'd wanted nothing more than to impress for her entire life. But, she had to look out for herself and for Maddie's future. Besides, what loyalty did she owe Andrew Rutherford? He was the one responsible for so much of this mess, wasn't he? He was the ones who brought the Russians to London, and that made him at least partially responsible for Amir's death, right? The bitter lump lodged in her heart that was only growing by the day mused that maybe this would finally get his attention on her.

The shower stopped and Yvonne knew it was now or never. If she didn't make this call now there was no telling if the courage would remain the next time she had a moment to herself. Standing up, she walked over to the half empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the table, took a swig straight from the bottle, and hit thee call icon before she could chicken out.

"Hey, Cassie. I want to talk when I get back from Dubai. It's about….well, everything I know about my family. My schedule is wide open so just, let me know when you're free. Thanks."

Her hands were shaking as she hung up and tossed her phone back onto the hotel bed. It was a miracle she could keep them steady enough to pour herself a glass and down it in one go, just in time for Félix to walk put of the bathroom, his shirt still unbuttoned and a look of genuine concern on his face.

"Is everything okay?" His voice was level as he walked towards her. When he was in arms reach, Yvonne wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and leaned up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Yeah, I just had to make a phone call. Now, where were we?"

[yvonne-rutherford]

Location: Burj Khalifa

Night 1 of the party

Was sitting alone, nursing a drink and moping the best way to spend her sister's birthday party? No, not at all. Was Yvonne doing it anyways? Yes, yes she was. Part of her knew her foul mood was her own fault. She'd been the one to pick the fight with Gideon when she should have just walked away after breaking up things between him and Melissa. And yet, she still stood by the things she said even as she admitted they weren't delivered in the most…. productive way.

She was about to pack up and call it a night, when a man sat down in the empty seat of her table and placed a drink in front of her. "You look like you could use this."

It took a moment for the recognition to kick in, but Yvonne vaguely recalled Spencer introducing her to a few MPs earlier in the night, including one Felix Rodriguez who was now sitting directly across from her with a damn smirk that had no right to be as sexy as it was.

She looked at the glass for a moment before accepting it with a polite smile, decidedly ignoring the way his smirk grew as she did. "Mr. Rodriguez, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The man lifted his own glass to his lips before answering. "Please, call me Félix. It's a party and you're sitting here all alone. So really I should be the one asking you what you're doing." He paused, leaning back in his seat. "Though judging by that fight with your brother, I have a few guesses "

The groan left Yvonne's lips before she could help herself. Why had she been so stupid? Of course news would travel, even if the contents of the fight were still mercifully quiet. She looked back up from her glass and found not judgment, but what she could almost swear was concern hiding just behind the amusement on Felix's face.

"Guilty as charged. I guess it's not really a party if someone doesn't have family drama. And yet, it's still not in the top ten worst parties I've ever attended."

She pushed her now empty glass to the side and picked up the one offered to her. Glancing down she didn't see any residue or smell anything off with it. A quick sip didn't reveal any weird tastes and she took a proper drink before setting it back on the table, her eyes never leaving Felix's gaze. "So, what's the real reason you're sitting here, Félix?" Now that the warmth of the alcohol was starting to settle in, a grin was slowly spreading across her own lips and she leaned forward to brace her forearms against the table..

"You're a quick study, I'll give you that." Félix reached up to loosen his tie before continuing on. "I figured we could be mutually beneficial to each other, Yvonne." His smirk had shifted from a mere expression of amusement to something resembling the cat who had the canary exactly where he wanted it. "And you really did look like you could use some company. But, this party is a little too loud for my liking. What do you say we go talk somewhere a little more…private. "

Yvonne took another drink, pondering his offer. It was growing clearer by the day that she didn't have a clear path forward within the family. She'd blown her chance to work her way up through the King's years ago and even after several years in London she had no contacts to help boost her way up. And with Lara set to take over after Andrew, any future she did forge would no doubt stall. But being connected to an MP? And one on the Cabinet? Now that was a path she could work with. And as for his double meaning, well he certainly was easy on the eyes. So who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

She stood up and offered her hand to him. "Lead the way, Félix."

[yvonne-rutherford]

@drrutherford

Finding privacy in the crowded party was difficult, but eventually Yvonne found a relatively empty terrace where they could talk. Since she interrupted Gideon's fight with Melissa, her arm had been firmly looped through her brother's, guiding him away from the chaos. The desert air was hot on her skin as she released her grip on him and let her gaze drift out over the fountain. She drew in a deep breath and turned back to look at her brother, her gaze stern.

"What the hell were you thinking? Picking a fight with Melissa in the middle of the party? And what was that about denying her pain medication? For someone who claims to be uninvolved, you just can't resist getting involved, can you?"

[yvonne-rutherford]

Yvonne attends Adriana Amaro's 33rd birthday

[yvonne-rutherford]

Location: Omar, Burj Khalifa Date: August 4th, 2023 @mobscene-starters

The party was lush and opulent, exactly what Yvonne expected from Adri. It was almost disorienting, with something new every time she turned around. While she was no stranger to the party lifestyle of the rich and famous, she'd never taken to it the way her sister had. And while the Omar room wasn't quiet, the pool at least offered a respite from the sheer chaos of the rest of the party.

Yvonne sank down into the water until she was submerged up to the neck, leaning her back against the wall and letting her eyes drift shut for a moment. The water lapped peacefully at her skin, until another person's movement sent ripples and splashes through it.

"How long do you think we'll be washing glitter off of ourselves after this? My best is that it'll be at least a month."