No One’s POV

Lily slipped back into the main hall, her expression once again back to normal She scanned the crowd until her eyes found Viella.

Viella was standing near the center of the room. She had a small satisfied smile on her lips as she watched the scene nearby. Lily’s gaze followed her lady’s eyes and landed on Alina.

The girl was standing in the middle of a circle of whispering guests, looking absolutely laughing stock. Every time Alina tried to hide behind a pillar, someone would point and giggle. Her embarrassed face was truly a sight to behold.

Lily felt a rare spark of amusement. Seeing her lady so happy and genuinely enjoying her little game with Alina made Lily hesitate. She had meant to rush over and warn her about Elias and his plan but she stopped herself.

Not yet, Lily thought, I won’t ruin her moment of joy just yet.

Instead of approaching Viella, Lily melted into the shadows of the ballroom.

Viella’s eyes swept the room and landed on Lily. Her gaze narrowed. What is she doing standing over there? Lily’s posture was too rigid, her eyes moving into the wave of people. It looked normal to everyone else, but Viella knew her better.

She started to move toward Lily to question her, but a figure stepped directly into her path.

Elias stood in front of her a smirk playing on his lips.

"Would you mind sparing me a dance, Miss Viella?" he asked, extending his arm with mock.

Viella didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes drifted a few meters away, where Dante stood. He was deep in conversation with an older businessman, but his gaze was locked onto them, tracking every movement.

A smirk built up on Viella’s lips. She looked back at Elias and placed her hand firmly in his.

"I suppose one dance won’t kill me, Mr. Elias."

Elias’s smile widened, pulling her toward the center of the dance floor as the music started.

Nearby, the man talking to Dante watched the scene with a judgmental hum. "Isn’t that your fiancée, Mr. Dante? It’s quite offending for her to offer the first dance to another man right in front of you, especially when this party is meant for the both of you." He was practically pouring gasoline on a fire, waiting for Dante to explode.

Dante didn’t seem bothered. He calmly took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving Viella as she swirled in Elias’s arms.

"My fiancée can do whatever she wants," Dante said, his voice dropping to a low, lethal tone. "I trust her enough to know she won’t run away with another man." He added the last part with a cold glint in his eyes that made the businessman’s blood run cold.

The man felt the sudden shift in the atmosphere and let out a nervous cough, quickly brushing the topic aside. "Ah, of course. A strong foundation of trust. Very admirable."

On the dance floor, the music swelled, but the air between Elias and Viella was frozen. Elias pulled her a bit closer, his hand firm on her waist.

"Are you finally interested in me, or just trying to make someone jealous, hm, Viella?" Elias purred, his voice dripping with mock charm.

Viella didn’t miss a beat, her feet moving in perfect rhythm despite the tension. "Making someone jealous isn’t my type of thing, you know. And about being interested in you... hmm... Viella isn’t so easy to be swayed by people’s looks."

Elias’s smirk widened as he leaned in, his face inches from hers. "So you’re basically saying I have beautiful looks, isn’t it?"

"Looks can be deceiving, and you prove it right all the time," Viella countered, her voice cold. She met his gaze with a look that said she saw right through his mask.

Elias’s expression darkened for a split second, the playfulness vanishing.

"Yet I failed to deceive you... Why not just be my puppet? You could live your life happily in this world forever, without all this struggle." He hissed.

"You wish," Viella snapped.

With a sudden, graceful movement, she pushed him away mid spin. Before Elias could reach for her again, she dodged and slid into the arms of another man, continuing the dance without missing a single step.

She left Elias standing alone for a heartbeat in the middle of the floor, his ego bruised in front of the entire crowd.

From the edge of the ballroom, Dante watched everything. He didn’t move, and he didn’t speak, but the glass in his hand was gripped so tightly his knuckles were white. The cold glint in his eyes was screaming possessiveness.

Dante reached out and took Alina’s hand, leading her directly toward the center of the dance floor. Alina blushed, her heart racing as she tried to ignore how ridiculous she looked.

The rest of the guests exchanged glances. It was a bizarre sight. The two most powerful fiancés in the city were dancing with different partners, yet their focus wasn’t on the people in their arms.

Dante and Viella moved side-by-side, their eyes locked in a silent battle. Every time they spun past each other, the air seemed to crackle with tension.

Dante’s gaze was like a predator’s, never leaving Viella’s face, while Viella matched him with a mocking smirk that told him exactly how little she cared for his "revenge" dance with Alina.

Meanwhile, Lily ignored the drama on the dance floor. Her eyes were fixed on the higher balconies.

Finally, she saw him

There stood a man with a tray, definitely looking suspicious. In an instant, Lily walked toward him. Because of the dance, the lights were dim, providing the perfect cover. Before anyone could even blink, she placed her hand over his mouth and smacked his neck with a crack.

He fainted instantly. With her other hand, she caught the falling tray before it made a sound, then dragged his limp body into the shadows and killed him right there.

But she wasn’t done yet.

The Second Man was positioned near the grand curtains, reaching for a gun hidden in his vest.

Lily appeared behind him. She didn’t give him a chance to breathe. She plunged her dagger into his heart from behind and held him upright until he stopped twitching.

The Third Man was near the drinks table was about to drop something into the wine. Lily bumped into him "accidentally," her hand moving fast as she stabbed a needle into his pressure point. As he collapsed, she caught him and steered him toward a storage closet, finishing the job behind closed doors.

The Last One was up on the balcony, aiming a small crossbow at the dance floor. Lily climbed the back stairs in seconds. She wrapped a wire around his throat and pulled until the light left his eyes, tucking his body behind a marble pillar.

One by one, the threats were erased.

Then, the music stopped and the dance ended.

The ballroom lights brightened, revealing the crowd once more. Lily stepped out from the side, calmly dusting off her hands and smoothing her clothes. She looked over at Viella and offered a small smile.

Viella caught the look and felt a sudden chill. It was odd for Lily to smile.

One thing no one noticed was Lucian’s eyes... they were fixed on Lily the entire time, observing every silent kill and every professional movement. His eyes were filled with a dark interest, like he had just found a rare diamond. Then, a vibration in his pocket interrupted his focus. He stepped deeper into the shadows and answered.

"Speak."

"Boss, someone tried to break into our estate," a voice reported urgently from the other end.

Lucian’s eyes instantly became cold, "Finish them off. Leave no one alive."

"Yes, boss."

The call was cut shortly after, but Lucian didn’t return to the party immediately. He looked back at Lily, a smirk playing on his lips. This night was getting more exciting by the minute.

Meanwhile, the dance had finally ended. Dante roughly let go of Alina’s hand, his gaze darting across the room. He tried to approach Viella, but she was currently testing his patience to the limit. Leaning against a marble pillar, laughing and drinking with another man.

Dante’s knuckles turned white. He wanted to end everything right there, to grab her and stop all this stupid acting, but his head of security interrupted him. Dante looked at the man with pure annoyance.

"Boss," the man whispered, leaning in close.

"We have found some bodies in the restricted areas. It seems someone just killed them.

There’s an assassin in here."

Dante’s eyes immediately fell on Elias, who was busy flirting with a group of noble ladies.

"Investigate it right now! Find out who they were and who cleared them out!" Dante hissed.

The men nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

Dante looked back at Viella, forcing his breathing to slow down. He adjusted his cuff and calmed himself. Just a little bit more, he thought, his eyes burning with a possessive fire.

Just a little bit more, and this drama will finally come to a bloody end.

Viella caught his stare and raised her glass in a mocking toast.

Then she finally looked at her watch. The second hand was sweeping toward the twelve. The exact moment her challenge to Dante was set to expire. With a winning smirk, she stepped toward the stage and took the microphone. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"I would like to take everyone’s attention. Thank you all for coming to tonight’s party. It is a huge night for me and my fiancé, after all... right, darling?" Viella said, walking right up to Dante.

Alina watched in silence, her heart pounding. Is she trying to show off their bond to mock me? she wondered bitterly. Elias leaned against a pillar, his eyes glinting with pure interest, waiting for the bomb to drop.

Viella cleared her throat, her voice steady.

"We have all played our parts tonight. But a good story needs a fitting end," Viella began, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. "For a long time, I believed I belonged by Dante’s side. But standing here tonight, I realize that some hearts simply aren’t meant to be caged. I look at Dante, and then I look at Alina... and I see a perfect match. A hero needs his saint, not a troublesome rich lady."

A gasp rippled through the room.

Marcella immediately pulled out her phone, recording the scene with a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t wait to show their parents the chaos their youngest daughter was causing.

"So, in front of all of you, I am officially breaking my engagement and canceling the wedding," Viella announced, her voice ringing.

"I refuse to play the role of the villainess in your love story any longer. Dante, you are free. Go to her."

The room fell into a stunned silence. Suddenly, a pang of sympathy hit the guests. The evil lady they had whispered about all night was stepping aside with a dignity they never expected.

Dante stood deathly still, his face an unreadable. Alina listened with deep suspicion, her eyes darting between the two. What new game is she playing?

Meanwhile, Lucian was nowhere to be found, having long since slipped away to deal with the rats at his estate.

One thing no one noticed was a man in the far gallery, the barrel of a suppressed pistol pointing directly at Viella’s heart.

Viella noticed the glint of the scope. She saw the red dot, but she kept speaking, her smile never leaving her face. She knew damn well that nothing will happen to her. No one can kill her but that dagger.

"I wish you both a life as ’perfect’ as you deserve," Viella finished, dropping the mic with a thud.

Suddenly the power was cut off. Leaving everyone standing in dark.

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TO BE CONTINUED