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The Entrance
The massive oak doors swung open, and Gabriella stepped in. She didn't just walk; she prowled like a lioness entering a clearing for the hunt. She wore a dress of midnight silk that clung to her like a second skin, the fabric shimmering like oil on water. Every eye in the room turned, but she only had eyes for one person.
Raina stood across the ballroom, frozen like a marble statue. Her designer gown was cream, but her soul was anything but pure. The fake smile she had been wearing for the guests vanished. Raina leaned toward a shadow behind her, whispering urgently, "She's here. Watch her closely. Don't let her out of your sight."
Gabriella glided through the crowd, stopping mere inches from Raina. She leaned in, her voice a husky, dangerous silk against Raina's ear.
"Congrats, Raina," Gabriella breathed. "Enjoy this. It's the last bit of happiness you'll ever have."
Raina's face contorted. She lunged to push Gabriella away, but Gabriella was faster. She stepped back with a mocking chuckle before Raina's hand could even graze her sleeve.
"I can predict my enemy's every move," Gabriella said, her eyes flashing. "You can't catch me." She pulled out her phone, the screen glowing. "Only a few minutes left, Raina."
"You're out of your mind," Raina hissed, her voice trembling. "You can't do anything here."
Gabriella's gaze swept the room, landing on three men in sharp black suits standing by the pillars. "If you're so sure, why did you hire them to check me?" She flipped her hair, a sharp, cold movement. "I see the fear in your eyes, Raina. The same fear I saw when you were chasing him to kill."
"I didn't!" Raina whispered, her face turning a frantic red. Gabriella didn't answer; she simply smiled—a sharp, jagged expression—and walked away.
Shadows and Ghosts
As Gabriella moved toward the buffet, the three guards trailed ten steps behind. She sensed them, sighing at their lack of subtlety. But then, her heart hit the floor.
In the food area, Jake was standing there. Her ex-boyfriend. Beside him, Elizabeth was clinging to his arm like a parasite, whispering in his ear. Gabriella felt a surge of raw, burning pain, but she masked it instantly with a scoff.
"Gabriella?"
She turned to see Felix. He looked normal, calm, but his eyes were searching hers. "What are you looking at so intensely?" He followed her gaze to Jake. "Is that...?"
"We broke up," Gabriella said, her voice devoid of any emotion, as cold as the ice in the drinks.
"That was fast," Felix muttered, surprised.
"Who knows what happen next," she replied, grabbing a glass of deep red wine. She tilted it back, drinking deeply.
Felix raised an eyebrow, pointing a finger. "That's a strong vintage, Gabriella. Can you handle it?"
"You don't know my capacity," she said, but as she spoke, her eyes began to blink rapidly. She shook her head, her balance swaying. Just as her knees buckled, Felix caught her, pulling her into his chest.
"I'm okay..." she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned into him.
Felix acted quickly. He set their glasses down, slung her arm over his shoulder, and navigated her through the side exit to a private suite. He laid her gently on the plush bed.
"Thanks... for rescuing me from the fire," Gabriella murmured into the pillow.
Felix froze, his eyes lingering on her face for a second too long, lost in the moment. He shook himself out of it, stood straight, and walked to the door. He signaled a room service girl. "Watch her carefully. If she needs anything, call me."He walked out.
Far down the hallway, the three guards watched him leave. They pulled out their radios. "Target is down. She fainted. The room is secure."
The moment the door clicked shut, the "unconscious" girl on the bed vanished. Gabriella sat bolt upright, her eyes sharp and clear. There was no wine in her system—only adrenaline.
She called...and looked toward the balcony. "You can come in now. Be careful."
Few minutes later....Door opened...It was Dona,she winked. Gabriella stood up, her face turning into a mask of cold steel. She reached into her bag and handed Dona a Tab.
"Do you remember the plan?"
Dona nodded, but her hand trembled as she took the device. "Wait... I don't understand. Why the act? Why pretend to faint?"
Gabriella's lips curved into a dark, predatory smile.
"When our enemy believes everything is under their control," Gabriella whispered, walking toward the door with lethal purpose, "that is the biggest opportunity we have to destroy them."
She stepped out into the dark hallway, leaving Dona standing in the silence.
The Secret Exchange
Up in the shadows of the secluded balcony, far from the buzzing crowd, Gabriella stood alone,her eyes tracking every movement on the stage below. A calculating smirk touched her lips.
Suddenly, a rough hand clamped over her mouth. Before she could fight back, she was dragged into a narrow, dark alcove. The man released her and pulled off his hat.
"Ajax?" Gabriella gasped, her eyes narrowed. "You?"
"We have no time," Ajax said, his breath hitching. "Just listen."
Gabriella scoffed, the memory of his past betrayal stinging like salt in a wound. "Why should I listen to you? You're nothing to me."
"I know you're pissed," he hissed, pressing a small, matte-black pendrive into her palm. "But this isn't the time for a grudge."
Gabriella's heart hammered against her ribs. "Is this...?"
"Yes," Ajax said solemnly. "The same one Raina snatched from you."
"Are you planning something behind my back?" she challenged. "Why are you giving this to me instead of Lara? We aren't even friends."She raised one of her eyebrow.
Ajax looked at her, his gaze softening for a split second. "Because I believe in you, Gabriella."
For a moment, Gabriella's icy exterior melted. She stared at the drive—the key to everything. Before she could speak, Ajax vanished, leaping over the side railing and disappearing toward the service lifts.
Behind a nearby pillar, Jake watched the entire exchange. His knuckles turned white as he slammed his fist against the stone. "So you protected him ?" he muttered, his voice dripping with jealousy. "Is he that important to you, Gabriella?"
On the opposite side of the balcony, Dona stood trembling. Erica, leaned in close, whispering like a snake. "See? You didn't believe me when I showed you the photo. Ajax likes Gabriella. Your own best friend is stealing the man you love."
"Stop it," Dona choked out, her eyes filling with tears.
"Look at them," Erica pushed. "She's taking everything from you."
"I said STOP!" Dona cried out, turning and rushing toward the exit.
Erica watched her go with a wicked grin until a voice spoke behind her. "Did it work?" It was Jake.
Erica held up a photo. It showed Ajax and Gabriella in the dark, their faces dangerously close as he caught her from falling. "Coincidence is a beautiful thing," Erica whispered. "A couple taking selfies by the pool caught this 'jackpot' in the background."
Jake looked at the photo, his eyes darkening. "Good. Dona was Gabriella's backbone. I want those ties cut. I want her alone."
"But Jake," Erica said, her smile fading into worry. "They exchanged a pendrive. Is that Evidence against Raina? You said it was safe."
"It is with Raina," Jake snapped. Jake hesitated, "Wait....Let's ask to Raina." He started run.
They rushed back into the crowd just as the music reached a crescendo. On stage, Felix was sliding a diamond ring onto Raina's finger. The applause was deafening—until the giant LED screen behind them flickered to life.
The celebratory montage vanished. In its place, a graining video of a rooftop appeared: Brighton Wisdom,but didn't played yet.
The room went silent. Raina's hand began to shake. Felix stared at the screen, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Erica, get to the room and check that Tab !" Jake hissed. "I'm going backstage!" Erica went. When Jake saw the big screen,he whishpered "Oh shit! ".
Raina's phone buzzed in her hand. A message from an unknown number:
Do you wanna play?
As the video played on big LED screen, two silhouettes running toward the ledge—faces still blurred—Raina frantically typed back: NO.
The video stopped instantly. A new message appeared:
Then come to the hotel rooftop. No lifts. Use the emergency stairs. NOW.
Raina looked at the ring on her finger, then at the screen, her face white as a sheet. Felix grabbed her arm. "Raina? What's happening? Where are you going?"
Raina didn't answer. She ripped her hand away from her fiancé, threw her silk train over her arm, and bolted from the stage toward the stairs.
In parking Lot
The cold, damp air of the Royal Hotel parking lot bit at their skin, but the heat between them was rising. The rows of luxury cars stood like silent witnesses under the flickering yellow streetlights.
Dona's breath came in ragged gasps, her heels clicking sharply against the concrete as she chased him down.
"Ajax!" she screamed.
Ajax stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, his face a mask of confusion. Before he could speak, Dona was in his space, her eyes fierce and burning with a pain she couldn't hide. She grabbed his jacket, forcing him to look at her.
"I saw everything," she hissed, her voice cracking. "I saw the exchange. Why did you give that pendrive to Gabriella yourself? I told you I would be the one to give it to her! Why did it have to be you?"
Ajax looked down, his gaze dropping to the oil-stained pavement.
"Do you love her?" Dona's eyes were now rimmed with red, a single tear threatening to fall. "Is that it? Ajax! She loves Jake. She's always loved Jake!"
Ajax finally looked up. His face was straight, his voice eerily calm. "I know she loves Jake. And no, Dona... I don't love her."
Dona blinked, her grip loosening slightly. "What?"
"I don't love her," Ajax repeated, the honesty in his voice cutting through the air. "But... I do have a crush on her."
A tear finally escaped Dona's eye, trailing down her cheek like a broken promise.
"Yes," Ajax said softly. "We can't always help who we have a crush on. But I'm not a fool. I know the difference between a crush and real love. I'm not trying to take her from anyone."
"Then why?" Dona whispered, her heart shattering. "Why did you reject me?"
"I already told you the reason, Dona," Ajax said. He looked at her, his expression softening into something like pity. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. You and Gabriella... you're my friends. I don't want to lose either of you because of these messy feelings. Can't we just be friends?"
Dona let out a hollow, bitter scoff. She wiped her face, her eyes turning cold as she looked at the man who had just dismantled her heart in a parking lot.
"I don't think I can be your friend, Ajax," she whispered. "Not after tonight."
Ajax's eyes locked onto hers, the silence between them growing heavy and suffocating. Neither moved. Neither spoke. The distant sound of a siren echoed in the city, but in the shadows of the Royal Hotel, the bond that held them together was snapping, one thread at a time.
On the Rooftop
The wind howled at the peak of the Royal Hotel, whipping the air into a frenzy. The rooftop was a vast, open expanse of cold concrete, surrounded by a low stone railing that felt like the edge of the world. Far below, the city lights twinkled like fallen stars, oblivious to the storm brewing above.
Raina burst through the heavy metal door, her lungs burning. Her cream engagement dress, once pristine, was now torn at the hem and stained with the sweat of her frantic climb up the emergency stairs. She panted heavily, her chest heaving as she scanned the darkness.
"Where are you?" she screamed into the wind. "I'm here! Stop the video!"
Silence. Only the low hum of the hotel's cooling fans answered her.
Then, a flash of lightning ripped across the purple sky, illuminating the rooftop for a split second. Raina gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.
There, perched precariously on the very edge of the stone railing, stood a figure. It was Gabriella. She looked like a dark angel against the storm, her dress fluttering violently in the wind.
Without a word of warning, Gabriella jumped down from the railing, landing gracefully on the concrete with the silence of a cat. She stepped into the light, her face a mask of terrifying, icy calm.
Raina rushed toward her, her face contorted with rage and desperation. She reached out as if to choke the life out of her. "Who the hell are you?" Raina shrieked, her voice breaking. "Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?"
Gabriella didn't flinch. She leaned in closer, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her lips—a look of pure, satisfied revenge.
"I'm his friend," Gabriella whispered, her voice cutting through the thunder like a knife. "I'm the best friend of the man you killed,Your ex-lover."
Raina's eyes widened until the whites showed, her entire body beginning to tremble as the realization hit her like a physical blow.
"Is that... you?" Raina whispered, her voice trembling with a terror she could no longer hide.
Gabriella's smirk deepened, but she didn't answer.Both eyes locked as the sky exploded with another flash of light.
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To be Continued.....
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