VEE @banksilla
no rizz, just seductive eyes, a pretty face and multiple personalities

KEI @keiotic.mats
The funniest thing about haters is that they’re still technically fans. Just very committed ones.

VICKY @vic.torious
I’ve been described as a ‘heartless villain’ and a 'little shit’, but I prefer… 'has alternative ways of having fun’

X
#1

─ the gala was never the real disaster { creighton, rhys & verity }

in ARCHIVE 16.05.2026 21:37
von Verity Jean Banks | 736 Beiträge
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on a break Nicht angegeben
charactersong ఇ sports car by tate mcrae

Normally, Verity would have hated everything about this — absolutely everything. The ridiculously oversized ballroom of the Banks Foundation gleamed, as always, beneath warm golden lighting, as though someone had decided to drown all of Seattle in champagne, open to anyone and everyone. The light reflected off crystal glasses and polished marble floors, and somewhere there was always a storm of camera flashes, making sure Seattle’s upper class got photographed for every single one of their good deeds. Everyone here was trying to look as generous and important as possible because even if all of this served a good cause, it was still all hypocrisy. And right in the middle of it stood her, Verity — and God, yes, she hated at least eighty percent of all this. The charity was the only reason she had actually shown up tonight. Well, that and the fact that she couldn’t exactly leave Rhys and Chey alone. What kind of sister would that make her? But she hated the attention, hated how she had been standing in this room for two hours greeting people she didn’t even know, people who most likely knew everything about her. The press constantly calling her name just to get a decent picture. The one thriving most in all of this, however, was undeniably her mother. Vivienne loved events like these and somehow managed to turn even a charity auction into something revolving entirely around the Banks family. A major social event, because politicians, entrepreneurs, influencers, media outlets.. they were all here. And somewhere in the middle of it all was her father, auctioning off two vintage cars from his collection. The vehicles were displayed like the works of art they were, illuminated atop a small platform while people practically surrounded them in reverence. Everyone here seemed to fulfill some sort of role, including the Banks siblings. Chey was responsible for networking and charming important people, Rhys was meant to play the role of the charismatic heir, and Vee? She was basically part of the welcome committee.
The champagne-colored dress flowed softly over her slender body, elegant and simple while still somehow eye-catching. Her blonde hair fell in loose waves over her narrow shoulders as though she hadn’t put any effort into it, despite every detail obviously being perfect. And even though she looked like someone who wasn’t searching for attention, she attracted it anyway. “Thank you for coming.” Then a smile. “It’s really good to see you again.” An acknowledging smile. “The cars belong to my father, yes. They’ll be auctioned off tonight.” And another meaningless smile. Total bullshit, all of it just a fake facade — but at least for a good cause. Again and again, she glanced toward her twin, who was speaking to sponsors with effortless elegance, while Rhys already looked like he was about to strangle the next photographer who asked him for a picture. God, it was so unfair. Why was he allowed to look even remotely unfriendly while she had to smile the entire time?
The next waiter who passed by was suddenly one champagne glass lighter because there was no way she was surviving this evening sober. As if trying to escape the situation for a moment, she asked Anastasija to greet the new guests on behalf of the Banks family, mostly to make sure Rhys didn’t actually murder someone. With graceful steps, she walked toward him before pressing the champagne glass into his hand and exhaling dramatically. “I think you need this more desperately than I do,” she commented, her voice carrying obvious disdain for the entire spectacle. “Do you think Mom will ever get tired of this?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer. Her gaze then deliberately shifted toward Chey, who genuinely looked like she was enjoying all of this. Maybe she really was just a younger version of Vivienne Banks. “And I’m afraid we’re eventually going to lose Chey to all of this,” she added somewhat dismissively, even though she didn’t truly mean it. She leaned lightly against her older brother, as though she could somehow draw strength from the support, while letting her gaze wander across the crowd. More and more unfamiliar faces filled the ballroom — people she vaguely recognized and others she had never seen before. Ana greeted everyone who entered, and Verity had never been more grateful that her supposed cousin was in Seattle. She only watched her for a moment before suddenly noticing a silhouette appear in front of Anastasija, one Verity recognized far too easily before her mind even fully processed who it was. As hopeless as it sounded, she would probably recognize him among thousands of people. Oh fuck. Was he seriously doing this? Ana had just greeted him, and he moved deeper into the ballroom as though he was deliberately heading straight toward her and Rhys. Holy shit, let me repeat that: was he seriously fucking doing this? “Uh.. Rhys..” she tried desperately to buy herself time. Why had she even told Creighton about this event? What the hell was wrong with her? Normally she would never sacrifice her brother in any situation, but right now there was no other choice. So she seized her opportunity the moment the next photographer passed by, grabbed him by the sleeve, and practically shoved him directly in front of Rhys so that, as an added bonus, the relatively tall man completely blocked his view. “My brother would absolutely love to take some pictures with a few of our guests. Would you mind handling that? That would be incredibly kind of you,” she asked the photographer with an angelic expression, and of course he immediately took the bait. She shot Rhys an apologetic look before waving over one of her mother’s old friends and wildly gesturing for her to take pictures with him. Naturally, the woman was instantly thrilled. Rhys had a talent for being ridiculously.. let’s call it popular with their mother’s friends.
After diffusing that situation, at least temporarily, she focused on the next one. God, fuck. How was she supposed to fix this now? She obviously couldn’t throw Creighton out. She had briefly lost sight of him before spotting him again near the entrance, standing in the shadows. He looked so.. normal among this crowd. Almost as though none of the luxury surrounding him impressed him in the slightest. Which was probably true, if she was being honest. And even though the sight of him alone was enough to make her heart pound wildly inside her chest again, her shock that he had actually shown up was even greater. Did he seriously want to risk Rhys seeing him again? She immediately felt her body tense — a mixture of irritation, nervousness, anger, and something she refused to name because acknowledging it would make all of this infinitely more dangerous. Without really realizing it, her feet carried her toward Ana. She thanked her absentmindedly for holding down the fort and told her she’d have to survive a little longer because Verity needed to handle something quickly, before very obviously disappearing in Creighton’s direction. Ana knew about the drama, after all. Besides Nikova, she was the only person Verity truly confided in about all this. Her focus was so fixed on Creighton that she didn’t even notice he was almost looking past her when she approached him. Where was he even looking? Or who? But that suddenly seemed secondary.. assuming she wasn’t imagining things. Since he still didn’t seem to acknowledge her when she stopped in front of him, she deliberately stepped directly into his line of sight and God, yes, way too close again. She instantly caught the familiar scent of his cologne and hated how her pulse quickened all over again. “Have you completely lost your mind showing up here?” Without waiting for any reaction whatsoever, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along with her. And yes, that harmless touch alone was already a mistake; it was too warm, too firm, too familiar. But she clenched her jaw and dragged him through the crowd, past guests and waiters she still smiled politely at, before pulling him into one of the narrow side hallways. And even after they got there, she still didn’t let go, as though her body subconsciously refused to. “What exactly is your plan here? That Rhys sees you and kills you in front of the entire city?” Only then did she let go of him, immediately running a hand through her blonde hair in frustration. “And honestly, he’s going to kill me too. I’m way too pretty to die this young, Creighton.” She crossed her arms over her chest, more to calm herself than out of defiance, but the fact that he still said nothing only made it worse. Either he was completely distracted, or this time he was genuinely looking straight through her as though she wasn’t even there. So she swallowed hard and really looked at him, another mistake. It wasn’t just the fact that he was standing way too close, but that looking at him reminded her he was far too.. handsome for this world. And far too calm. And God, she hated that calmness almost as much as she hated how much she wanted it. “You know damn well you shouldn’t be here. You don’t belong in this world at all.” It was a sentence she never actually wanted to say, even if it wasn’t entirely untrue. “This.. I..” She pressed her lips together into a thin line before lowering her gaze slightly. “That’s not what I meant, but you know yourself this is going to become a complete disaster if Rhys sees you here.” She didn’t need to say the unspoken addition of “with me” out loud. That part was obvious. Just like it was obvious that she was incapable of staying away from him whenever he was nearby. It was almost like she was a moth constantly searching for his flame. She was so focused on controlling her breathing and the chaos in her mind that she didn’t even notice how close she was standing to him, let alone the stare burning into her back from Rhys’ direction.








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Audrey: How could you two possibly get into this much trouble in one day?
Romeo and Verity, looking at each other and answer in sync: It didn’t take us the whole day, don't play dumb.
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emeralds on the run Brooklyn Jung, Verity Jean Banks