I went back to my apartment, heart still running a marathon between Asael's kiss and A's memories..
The moment I opened my door, I froze.
A white lily lay on my table.
Again.
Beside it, a small handwritten note...sharp, elegant handwriting I'd begun to recognize in my nightmares and… fantasies.
"Tonight 7:30
7 Star Heaven club.
Come to me, my ruin."
My stomach flipped.
On the bed was a dress.
A breathtaking blue party dress...
dark sapphire, silky, with a sinful neckline that whispered murderous elegance. Definitely expensive.
Definitely trouble.
And definitely from him.
My panic surged like a wave.
Too much happening...too many feelings...
I sat on the edge of my bed, holding my head.
What am I doing?
Who am I becoming?
But if I ever had to choose between them…
I had to know the truth about this psycho first.
Because I didn't know him.
Not really.
Only pieces
A mask, a touch, a kiss, and a chaos he wraps around me like a blanket.
After that one night stand, I hadn't seen his face properly.
Didn't know his real name.
Didn't know why he cared.
So if I'm going to destroy myself,
I want to know whose hands I'm falling into.
Tomorrow is a holiday...no college...no worries..
So tonight
Just me and the monster who keeps bringing lilies.
I freshened up, forced my brain to calm, forced my heart to shut up.
Then I opened the box again.
The dress was gorgeous.
Like something that belonged to a woman who had no fear.
The necklace...his necklace...glimmered beside it.
Tonight, I wasn't wearing it out of fear.
Tonight, I wanted answers.
I put on the dress.
Blue like midnight.
Cleavage dangerously visible.
And for the first time…
I didn't look like prey.
I looked like someone walking willingly into the dark.
It was 7:25 p.m.
I stood outside 7 Star Heaven Club, shivering more from nerves than the evening breeze.
The place was ridiculous...golden glass walls, luxury cars sliding in like a movie set, VIP-only entry. No band, no entry.
Of course, I had no band.
So I waited.
And waited.
And with every second my irritation climbed up my throat.
"Where is that fucking psycho…" I muttered under my breath, hugging my arms.
That was the exact moment a warm hand slid around my waist from behind.
A lean body.
A familiar scent.
A voice that wrapped around my spine like velvet dipped in danger.
"Hey, gorgeous… my ruin.
Sorry for making you wait."
My breath hitched.
I didn't need to turn..
my body already knew him.
But I still turned.
God...!!
He looked like sin wearing a tux.
Black suit, obsidian buttons, hair styled messily perfect, and the mask...
a sleek black half-mask covering his eyes, making him look like a forbidden festival prince.
He held out a matching mask for me.
"Tonight's theme," he murmured, brushing a thumb over my cheekbone. "Wear it."
My knees almost forgot their job.
I put on the mask with trembling fingers, trying to act normal, like I wasn't currently on a date with a stalker who kissed better than oxygen.
He casually offered his elbow.
Like some gentleman straight out of a royal romance
except he was absolutely not a gentleman.
I hooked my hand into his, and his fingers tightened, warm, possessive.
We walked together toward the entrance.
He flicked out a black VIP Elite Card...
I swear it looked like it cost more than my entire apartment.
The guard straightened like his spine was about to snap.
"Evening, sir," the guard saluted. Saluted.
Who the hell gets saluted at a club?
I blinked. Hard.
Who is this man?
Power. Money. Influence.
He had it all in his palm and still chose to sneak into my room, bring noodles, and kiss me like I was oxygen.
We stepped inside, lights scattering across his mask
and he leaned close, lips brushing my ear.
"Stay near me tonight, Elina.
I don't want to break someone's bones accidentally."
A shiver ran through me.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Interest.
Inside the club, music pulsed like a heartbeat...
neon lights slicing through darkness, bodies grinding on the dance floor, perfume and alcohol mixing in the air.
But we didn't dance.
He didn't even ask.
Instead, he tugged me by the wrist gently but firmly, weaving me past the crowd, down a hallway lit in red.
I thought he was taking me for a drink or… something normal.
Of course not.
He pushed open a door I hadn't even noticed...a hidden entrance behind black curtains.
Inside was a round table.
Five men sat around it.
All masked.
All powerful-looking.
And on each of their laps sat a woman
kissing them, touching them, moaning softly as if this was a normal Saturday night.
My stomach dropped.
What the hell had I walked into?
I felt his fingers tighten around mine, sensing my fear before I even showed it.
"Relax, darling."
His voice was low, calming, terrifyingly confident.
Like he knew exactly what chaos was in my head.
When we stepped inside, the room froze instantly.
One of the men...gray wig, expensive suit...snorted.
"You're late, Mr. Alfredo."
So that's his name?
Alfredo.
It suited him...sharp, dangerous, addictive.
He walked me to his seat and guided me to sit beside him, not on his lap like the other girls.
It was deliberate.
A statement.
I barely settled before he switched into another person...
cold, commanding.
"Let's start," he said, voice slicing through the silence. "Roman, did you collect the data on the hospital involved in the organ trafficking?"
Organ trafficking?
My throat dried instantly.
What?
What is this?
What did I just hear?
My hands trembled under the table, and his thumb instantly began stroking my palm...
a silent message:
Don't panic. I'm here.
A young man with brown hair-Roman...stepped forward.
"Yes, A. Everything you asked."
Before he could continue, the old man who greeted us earlier smirked and said:
"So, Alfredo… what are you offering us today? That pretty blue chick?"
He tilted his head toward me.
I didn't even get time to breathe before
CLICK.
A gun was pointed directly at his forehead.
Alfredo's voice was velvet-wrapped murder.
"Say anything about my woman again, Mr. Moran…
and your next meeting will be in hell."
Moran's face turned ghost-white.
"S...sorry… I didn't know..."
"You know now," he said coldly.
Was I supposed to feel afraid?
Or proud?
Both.
Definitely both.
Roman placed a bag on the table.
When he opened it, I almost fainted.
Not money.
A mountain of money.
One by one the masked men handed over files-names, dates, hospital records…
And right on top..
the name of my medical college hospital.
Doctors' names.
Organ prices.
Upcoming trafficking schedules.
My lungs forgot how to work.
After the last man finished, someone muttered,
"That's all we have, Mr. Alfredo. Now… let us enjoy our time."
Alfredo nodded, whispered something to Roman, handed over the files, then rose and gently pulled me up with him.
My knees wobbling.
My brain screaming
Elina...,NOW you know too much. Congratulations...! Run...!!
But then he tugged me away from the meeting room toward the dance floor.
His hand slid around my waist.
He turned me into him like a slow dance.
"Elina," he murmured, "I wanted you to see who I am."
One step closer.
His breath on my cheek.
"Tell me," he whispered, "what do you think now?"
I swallowed hard.
"Y-you… you're involved in organ trafficking."
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
"Elina, my sweet innocent Elina…"
He leaned down, lips brushing my ear.
"Yes, I'm involved. But not like you think."
I stared at him, breath shaking.
He tightened his hold on my waist.
"I'm involved… to expose organ traffickers. To destroy their networks. To protect victims. To burn the entire operation from the inside."
My heart stumbled.
"I'm not a good man," he whispered.
"But I'm not a monster either."
I didn't even know what I felt anymore.
Fear?
Awe?
Relief?
Attraction?
All of them tangled so tightly they hurt.
My eyes suddenly burned
tears spilling despite everything.
He noticed before I did.
He immediately pulled me close, leading me out of the dance floor, down a quiet corridor.
The music faded behind us.
He cupped my face gently...almost worshipingly..
and kissed my tears.
"They're precious, you know," he murmured against my cheek.
And that was it.
I broke.
Because no one had ever cared for my tears.
No one.
He whispered, "Did I do something wrong?"
I shook my head.
I stared at him with wet eyes, heart betraying me completely.
His jaw clenched.
"Don't look at me like that," he warned.
"I'll lose control."
"Why hold control?" I whispered.
That was all he needed.
He grabbed me
pulled me against him
and kissed me deeply, fiercely, like he'd been starving for centuries.