No One’s POV

Before Viella could step back inside, the balcony door clicked shut with a heavy thud. She didn’t even turn around, merely raising her eyebrows at the reflection in the glass.

"It isn’t very gentleman-like to stop someone from leaving, Mr. Elias," she said, her voice mocking. "But then again, I never counted you as one."

Elias let out a low chuckle. He stepped into the moonlight, his shadow fell across the floor. "So we meet again, Viella~"

Viella turned around slowly, crossing her arms. She met his gaze with a smirk. "Indeed we did. Did you miss me?"

"Indeed, a lot," Elias replied, his voice dropping to a whisper. "To the core that I want to stab you once again... just so I can bring back my Vivien." He leaned in, his eyes searching her face for even a flicker of shock or a twitch at the mention of that name.

Viella didn’t flinch. Instead, she let out a dry laugh. "So you already know that stupid girl’s name. I do have to say, you’re quite a genius, aren’t you?"

Elias’s jaw tightened. He didn’t buy the act. "Or should I say... you’re the one who is a genius for playing out Viella’s role so perfectly?"

"Then I guess I deserve the ’Best Actor of the Year’ award, you know," she quipped, her eyes sparking.

Suddenly, Elias’s hand shot out, slamming against the stone railing and trapping her between his arms. He loomed over her, his face filled with cold fury. "Too bad you won’t be here to receive it."

"And what gives you that confidence?" Viella asked, her smirk never leaving her face. "The book? Or the dagger? Oops... you don’t have either of them anymore." She started laughing. The sound echoing in the cold night air.

Elias’s eyes became ice cold. For a second, he looked like he wanted to reach out and strangle her, but he forced himself to stay calm.

"Don’t be such a fool," he hissed, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "This world is written by me, so things will happen however I want. And you’ve pissed me off real bad, you know, Viella. I wanted answers from my Vivien, but you took that chance away from me."

Viella stopped laughing and leaned forward until her face was inches from his.

"Let me guess..." she whispered, her voice back to cold tone. "You wanted her to submit to you? Well, let me tell you a secret, Mr. Elias. Whether it’s me or her... neither of us will ever submit to you. Neither of us will ever be your plaything"

"Then I will take that as an answer. I assume you’re declining my offer." Elias smirked as he stood up straight, his cold aura returning. "You better keep your eyes open today. Because a great rejection comes with a great price. I hope you won’t regret your decision today."

He reached out, his fingers freezing as he fixed a stray strand of her hair, giving it a light, mocking kiss before he turned and walked out, leaving the balcony in silence.

The breath Viella had been holding finally came out in a long exhale. She leaned against the railing, her knuckles white as she looked at the silver moon shining outside.

Meanwhile, Dante took Alina to a private guest room and ordered a maid to bring her some fresh clothes.

Alina looked at him with a pitiful, watery expression. "Lord Dante... there’s no need. It’s okay, I can manage... I don’t want to be a trouble to you," she whispered. As she spoke, she "accidentally" tripped, falling right into him.

Dante caught her firmly. Alina’s heavy, sweet perfume filled his senses, but his face remained same. Alina looked up, searching for any sign of desire or affection in his eyes, but she found nothing. Her hands clutched his expensive suit as he steadied her.

"Careful," he said simply.

She nodded shyly. Just then, the maid returned carrying a folded cloth. "We are sorry, my Lord... we were only able to find this on such short notice."

Dante dismissed her with a sharp nod. "Change into this," he told Alina. As he turned to leave, she quickly caught his sleeve.

"Lord Dante... are you really going to marry her? I know I have no right to ask, but-"

"Don’t bother yourself with unnecessary troubles," Dante interrupted, cutting her off before she could finish.

Alina’s heart overjoyed. He didn’t say yes! She smiled instantly and nodded obediently. Inside, she was squealing with joy. As she entered the changing area, she pulled out her phone and frantically texted Elias: "Dante isn’t going to marry her!"

A second later, her phone buzzed. It was a reply from Elias - a Joker meme with the word "YOU" written across it.

Alina frowned, her face flushing with annoyance, and ignored the text. She quickly changed into the provided dress and stepped out.

The moment Dante saw her, he started coughing, turning his head away.

Alina rushed up to him, her face full of concern. "Are you okay?! Lord Dante?"

He nodded quickly, brushing her hand off his arm. "I’m fine. I have something important to attend to now. I must go."

He left the room in a hurry, almost as if he couldn’t stand to stay a second longer. Alina, confused, turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror.

"AHHHHHHH!" She screamed at her reflection. The maid had brought a neon-green, puffy-sleeved dress from the 80s with giant polka dots and a frilly collar. It looked like a clown costume. She looked absolutely hideous.

Viella watched from a safe distance as Dante practically bolted out of the guest room. A second later a high-pitched horrified scream echoed through the door.

Viella smirked, the sound of Alina’s soul leaving her body being music to her ears. She turned to the maid standing in the shadows nearby and pulled a thick roll of cash from her bag.

"Excellent work. The ’80s polka-dot disaster was an inspired choice," Viella said, handing over the bills. "Here, this is your payment for being so... ’resourceful.’"

The maid’s eyes widened at the amount, a bright grin spreading across her face as she tucked the money away. "You’re really kind, my lady! If you ever need another emergency handled, just let me know." She bowed deeply and left the hallway, humming happily to herself.

Viella turned her gaze back to the closed door of the guest room. The smirk on her face vanished replaced by a cold face.

"You annoyed me so much, Alina..." she whispered to the empty hallway. "The shoes, the acting, the constant hovering around my property... it’s time for you to pay back everything. And we’re only on the first installment."

With a flick of her emerald skirts, she turned and walked away.

_________________

Lily lay perfectly still on the cold concrete floor, her breathing shallow. She had faked the fainting the moment the chloroform touched her face, holding her breath just long enough to fool the "waiter."

They had dragged her to a secluded storage area far from the main ballroom. Where no guests were allowed to wander.

She kept her ears sharp, listening to the heavy boots pacing nearby.

"Yes, boss, we took care of everything," a gravelly voice said into a radio. "The girl is out cold. Our men have taken their positions around the ballroom. Snipers are set. The moment the signal drops, we move."

Lily listened silently.

"Yes, boss. We’re just waiting for your word. She won’t know what hit her."

The footsteps moved slightly further away as the guard continued his report. Lily didn’t waste a single second. She felt the rough hemp rope biting into her wrists, but they had made one fatal mistake, they hadn’t searched her thoroughly.

With a subtle movement of her fingers, she reached into the hidden pocket of her inner skirt and pulled out the small knife.

She didn’t make a sound as she began sawing through the thick fibers of the rope.

Scritch.

Scritch.

The final strand snapped. Her hands were free.

She didn’t stand up immediately. She rubbed her wrists to get the blood flowing, her eyes scanning the room. She was in a basement storage unit. The guard was standing by the only exit, his back turned to her as he laughed at something his "boss" said over the radio.

Lily gripped the hilt of the dagger, her eyes glowing with fury. "You’re right about one thing," she whispered to herself, her voice threatening. "She won’t know what hit her... because I’m going to kill you all before you even get close."

_______________

Lucian kept moving through the crowd, his eyes scanning every corner. It was definitely odd. Lily was too professional to just vanish without a word. Suddenly, he bumped into someone.

"Who-" Alina’s annoyed voice snapped, but the moment she saw it was him, her tone shifted instantly. She straightened her back and bowed slightly, trying to look graceful despite the situation.

Lucian didn’t have time for her annoying drama, but then his gaze dropped to her dress. He stared at the neon-green, puffy monstrosity for three seconds before he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he walked right past her.

Alina’s face turned as red. She stomped her foot in rage and stormed off in the opposite direction.

Lucian wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Damn, that alone was worth the trip," he muttered. But as his laughter died down, his eyes caught a man moving suspiciously toward the service corridor. Hmm. He hummed to himself and decided to follow at a distance.

The man met up with someone else, and together they headed toward the restricted basement area. Lucian’s eyebrows furrowed. This place is closed off for the party. Why are they going over there?

His gaze sharpened as he slipped into the shadows, following them into the dimly lit hallway. Suddenly, a furious shout interrupted the silence.

"You little bitch! How dare you! Catch her! Kill her if needed!"

Lucian rushed to the corner to check, but he stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t expect what he was seeing.

In front of him was Lily, but she wasn’t the usual maid anymore. She was taking on both men at once like a professional. She swung her leg in a high kick, knocking one man completely off his feet. Before the second one could even raise his gun, she stepped into his space and stabbed him with a small dagger.

Lucian stood behind a marble pillar, his jaw slightly open. He watched her every move that didn’t belong to a normal maid.

"Well... well..." Lucian whispered to himself, the amusement in his voice replaced by a curiosity.

"It seems like I discovered something quite interesting today..."

A dark smirk played on his lips as he turned back toward the main hall, pulling his phone from his pocket. He didn’t look back at the bodies or the girl. He had seen enough to know she didn’t need a savior.

He dialed a private number, the ringing echoing softly in his ear until a gravelly voice answered on the other end.

"I want you to check someone’s background. Total deep dive - financials, aliases, training records. Everything," Lucian commanded.

He paused, glancing at the heavy basement doors one last time before walking away with his hands in his pockets

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TO BE CONTINUED