The hallway stretched before me like a golden path. Ornate lamps along the walls cast a soft, warm light, giving everything its own kind of magic. Deep red velvet covered the walls, embroidered with golden accents, and the air smelled of heavy perfume and fresh champagne. It was its own world. Power, influence, wealth—everything gathered here, and for a moment, I was one of them. The sharp click of my heels echoed faintly on the polished marble floor, and I felt the eyes of strangers as I stepped into the ballroom. Fleeting. Judging. But never truly seeing. Perfect. My bodyguards moved with discipline, forming an invisible barrier around me, cloaking me in an aura of authority and distance. The ballroom unfolded before me like a living scene, a stage where everyone was trying to play the lead. Chandeliers sparkled like stolen stars, their light catching on the crowd, who mingled in elegant laughter and empty conversation. Waiters in pristine tuxedos moved silently through the room, trays balanced with sparkling glasses. I reached for one, my fingers wrapping around the stem with the elegance I'd only ever worn like a costume. The champagne slipped down my throat, calming me. I'd made it. Now I only had to be Miss Lee. To enjoy the evening. A smile here. A nod there. The voices around me were just static, but I listened anyway, moving seemingly aimlessly through the room. No one noticed the way I scanned the crowd. I was here to enjoy myself—but my true goal never left my mind.
And then I saw him. Jhio.
He stood at the far end of the room, surrounded by guests who clung to his every word. He had that presence—the kind that filled a room without trying. And he looked so damn good.He wore a perfectly tailored black suit that fit like a second skin. The fabric shimmered slightly beneath the chandeliers, elegant without being ostentatious. His shirt matched the suit—black—only the narrow collar broke the darkness, matte anthracite, just a subtle contrast that only emphasized his own style. No tie. No bowtie. Nothing to ruin that cold, controlled perfection. His skin was flawless, like porcelain—yet warm, alive. A contradiction in itself. Shadows clung to his cheekbones. His lips were narrow, still. No smile. But it was his eyes. God, his eyes. Dark as the night, full of secrets that stayed unspoken. They didn't just look at you—they stripped you bare. Dug through your surface and pulled out the desires you didn't even admit to yourself. One glance and you felt your mask start to slip.His hair was slicked back, like he hadn't even bothered, but I knew better. Nothing about him was ever accidental. Every detail was a decision. Even the exact shade of his hair.But it wasn't just how he looked. It was the way he stood. Hands in his pockets. Head tilted just enough. That rare smile—barely there—was more a challenge than an invitation. He wasn't attractive. He was a gravitational pull. A black hole that swallowed all the light around him and left you with no choice but to focus on him. Breathing near him felt harder. Like he'd claimed the air itself and only allowed you just enough to survive. Jhio wasn't a person. He was a presence. A whisper in the dark of a world that pretended to be bright.
And I couldn't look away.
I took another sip of champagne, letting the chill of it ease over my tongue as I watched him. It was like the world had taken a step back. Not that he'd seen me. He didn't need to. I had seen him. I soaked in everything he showed. Did these nameless, clueless faces even know they were dancing on invisible strings? Strings tangled around his fingers—tight enough to control, loose enough to keep them blind.
Around us, the world of the rich and beautiful continued to burn—fake laughter, clinking glasses, shallow talk that hung in the air like smoke. But for me, none of it existed. Jhio moved through the crowd like he owned it. Not like a king—admired—but like a shadow. Something that touched you before you even noticed it was there. His movements were fluid, maybe rehearsed, but they still felt real. And then—amidst all the glittering, empty chaos—it happened. A look. Brief. Barely longer than a blink. But it was there. His eyes brushed over me. Stayed just a second too long. And then moved on.
Like he'd seen me. Really seen me. And then decided he hadn't.
My breath caught. I didn't know if it was the heat of the room or the cold that moment sent through me. A shiver crawled over my skin. My heart—faster now, even though I willed it not to.Was it a coincidence? Or had he—No. I pushed the thought away. But it stayed. Whispering at the back of my mind: He saw you.
I set my glass down. Forced my face into calm. But my pulse was betraying me. Something about that moment felt different. It wasn't just the glance. It was how he'd looked through me—like he'd touched the darkest corners of me and recognized them.Jhio was now standing with a group of men—one shook his hand, the others laughed. His face was still. Calm. That perfect smile on his lips, just like the rest of him. But I couldn't stop wondering—was it all real? Or was something darker lurking just beneath, just as hungry as me?
"More champagne, Ma'am?"The voice pulled me back. I nodded, took the new glass with a polite smile. My hand trembled—just barely. But I felt it. And if I noticed, he would too, if his gaze found me again.
"You're here, Jhio," I whispered, barely a breath. "You don't know it yet, but so am I."
The night was winding down. The guests were moving slower now, drunk on champagne or their own vanity. Laughter faded. Conversations dulled. The golden spectacle began to dim.Jhio had moved to a quieter corner. A few people around him—it looked intimate, familiar. But I saw it. The slight tension in his shoulders. The tired weight behind his movements. It wasn't just the event. I knew it. It was the endless performance he gave. For all those who thought they knew him. Who saw themselves as special. How foolish. He could replace them in a heartbeat. And they'd never see it coming.
I knew it was time to go. Time to let go of the borrowed mask I'd worn tonight. But I couldn't resist. One last look. Just one.I moved through the room. Set my half-full glass on a passing tray. Slipped through shallow conversations toward the exit. Every step was deliberate. Every smile, calculated. And then I was outside. The night air hit my flushed skin like ice. A sharp contrast to the suffocating opulence inside.I pulled my shoulders in. Felt the cold slip through the thin fabric of my dress. And smiled.That feeling—it was the moment the curtain falls. When the adrenaline starts to fade.
I walked to the car. My driver was waiting. He opened the door."Did you have a good evening, Ma'am?" he asked, with no curiosity in his voice.I nodded. Slid into the seat and let myself sink into the leather. The city lights passed by in a blur—like dreams not yet real.
At home, I closed the door quietly behind me, as if I could lock the night outside. My shoes were the first to go, left abandoned like pieces of the role I'd played. I paused in front of the mirror. The woman staring back at me was still me—and yet not. Dark eyes. Shadows beneath them. Red lips, now smudged. A slow smile spread across my face. I pulled the wig off. Freed my own hair. Let the pressure fall away with it.
I changed. In pajamas now, I sat before my laptop. My finger traced the outline of his face on the screen."Do you remember me?" I whispered. Words meant for no one but me. A dark, sweet thought.He didn't know it yet—but our worlds were already intertwined.
I left the screen on. His image flickering softly in the room.My eyes drifted to the bag where I'd kept the invitation. Not for its use—but for what it meant. I stood. Took it out. Pinned it to the board hidden in my closet. Far from prying eyes.He stared back at me a hundred times over. And I added the card to the shrine.Jhio.
His name was a whisper in my mind.And in the silence of my room—alone with his images—I felt it. That quiet, intoxicating certainty:
We were already part of the same game.
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Another mask has fallen.But the game?It's just beginning.Thank you for being here — we continue tomorrow. 🖤