LOCATION: CROSSTECH PENTHOUSE — LIVING AREA — 12:03 A.M.
Raven returned late.
Not late enough to raise suspicion—but late enough for her bones to feel the weight of secrets carried in heels too high.
The penthouse lights were dimmed, reacting to her presence with soft glows along the walls. A symphony of quiet tech sighs. Everything looked untouched. Pristine. Like no one had moved in hours.
But he had.
Aiden Cross stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other swirling a glass of something aged and cruel. The skyline danced in his reflection—silvered shadows wrapped in power.
"I didn't hear you come in," Raven said lightly, voice honeyed with exhaustion.
He didn't turn. "That's because I didn't want you to."
She stepped forward, measured, trying not to let the adrenaline from The Glass Garden still humming in her veins show.
Aiden finally looked at her—eyes sharp, unreadable. Then he smiled. That subtle, surgical thing he did when he was deciding how to cut.
"I got you something."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a black velvet box. Opened it.
Inside, nestled like a secret on display, was a necklace.
Sleek. Elegant. A thin chain of obsidian microfiber alloy, holding a teardrop pendant of iridescent glass. Minimalist, futuristic. Beautiful.
Deadly.
Raven didn't reach for it.
"What's the occasion?" she asked.
Aiden tilted his head. "Do I need one to gift the woman I love?"
Love. That word always felt like it came prepackaged from him—gift-wrapped with intent, lined with knives.
She took the box. Let her fingers brush the pendant.
It was cool. Too cool.
And it hummed.
"I had R&D cook it up for you," he added. "Fully integrated. No latches. Once it's on, it syncs to your vitals."
She raised an eyebrow. "To what end?"
He stepped closer now, lowering his voice like this was intimacy, not interrogation.
"To track your heartbeat," Aiden said smoothly. "So I know when you're lying."
A pause.
He let it hang there like a noose.
"Don't worry," he added, smiling just enough to make it worse. "It's discreet. Barely a blip. Most people won't even know it's there. But I will."
Raven nodded slowly.
She didn't ask if she had a choice.
Because they both knew she didn't.
She slid the necklace on.
And just like that—it closed behind her neck with a soft click.
Aiden leaned in. Brushed a kiss just beneath her jaw, where the pendant now rested like a microchip against her pulse.
"I always like hearing your heart," he murmured. "It tells me who you really are."
Raven didn't flinch, but her pulse betrayed her anyway.
He lingered—fingers brushing skin. Then, just as quickly, he stepped away.
"Oh," he added, reaching the doorway, "and clear your schedule tomorrow night."
"For what?"
"There's a gala," he said. "Investors. Press. High society. You'll be dazzling."
"And if I say no?"
He smiled, not unkindly.
"You won't."
The door shut behind him with a click softer than any threat.
But it echoed louder than most.
---
LOCATION: CROSSTECH GALA — SKYDOME ATRIUM — THE NEXT NIGHT
They dressed her like power incarnate.
Velvet black dress. Diamond cuffs. Eyes that glittered like war plans under mascara. Raven descended the glass staircase into the atrium with practiced grace—and the kind of silence that precedes a detonation.
Every executive and influencer turned to look. The cameras drank her in.
Aiden was waiting by the central podium, one hand holding a tumbler of something expensive, the other tucked neatly in his jacket pocket. When he saw her, he smiled.
Not the charming one. Not the one from investor calls or public appearances.
The real one. The wolf's grin.
She walked to him, ignoring the whispers.
"Aiden."
"Sophia." His gaze moved over her like a biometric scan. "You look… familiar."
"Comes with the job."
"Indeed. But you wear it better tonight."
A pause. A sip.
"May I?"
He extended a hand.
She nodded. Let him lead her to the dance floor.
---
LOCATION: DANCE FLOOR — MOMENTS LATER
They moved like ice across silk—too smooth to be safe. Each step a negotiation. Each spin a veiled demand.
Aiden's hand stayed respectfully at her back. His voice didn't.
"You've been busy," he said softly.
"I've been CFO."
"Mmm." He leaned closer, eyes sharp. "Except you're not."
Raven's breath caught.
"You're not Sophia Blake. Not really. Not anymore."
She looked up, expression unchanged.
Aiden's smile never touched his eyes.
"I knew the moment you stepped into her body like it was a boardroom. She moved like someone drowning. You move like someone waiting to strike."
Raven's mask didn't slip—but her knuckles whitened against his palm.
"I've seen people lie to survive," he murmured. "But it's rare to see one try to become the lie."
The music swelled.
And then, just like that—he spun her once more, then drew her back in.
His lips brushed her ear.
"I know everything."
Raven pulled away—barely—but Aiden let her go like he'd already won.
Applause echoed as the music ended.
And she stood there in the spotlight, applause on her skin, betrayal burning behind her ribs.