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Chapter One: The Girl in the Glass Room
The city was always alive. Lights flashed, music echoed, and people moved like shadows under the tall buildings. Evelyn Cross stood by the window of a rooftop bar, holding a drink she hadn't touched. She watched the city lights, her face calm but her mind far away.
She didn't like places like this
evelyn--"too noisy, too fake, too full of people hiding behind smiles."
Her friend Lila came up beside her.
Lila ---
"You're not even pretending to have fun," she teased.
"I tried. I wore heels," Evelyn said, her voice dry.
Lila laughed. "Just stay one more hour. Please."
Evelyn sighed and followed her down the stairs. The lights got dimmer, the music louder. They passed a door with a red symbol and entered a darker room. It felt colder, heavier—like secrets were hiding in the air.
That's when she saw him.
A man sitting alone in the corner, dressed in black, watching the room like he owned it.
He did.
His name was Damien Vale.
Evelyn didn't know who he was, but when he looked at her, it felt like he could see everything. His eyes were calm, like he already knew what would happen next. And when he smiled, it wasn't kind—it was a warning.
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Evelyn looked away first.
She didn't know why her chest felt tight or why it was suddenly hard to breathe. Maybe it was his stare—too calm, too direct, like he was used to getting what he wanted.
She turned back to Lila, who was already pulling her toward the bar.
"Come on, let's get a drink. You need to loosen up," Lila said with a grin.
Evelyn followed, still feeling his eyes on her.
Across the room, Damien Vale watched the girl in the glass room. She had the kind of face you didn't forget—soft features, but eyes that had seen too much. She wasn't like the others. She didn't flirt. She didn't fake smiles. She didn't even seem interested in being here.
That made her interesting.
He leaned toward his head of security and spoke quietly. "The girl. Find out who she is."
The man nodded and left without a word.
Back at the bar, Evelyn sipped her drink slowly, pretending to enjoy herself. But her eyes kept drifting back toward that corner. He was still there. Still watching. And somehow, that scared her more than if he had disappeared.
Later that night, when she finally stepped outside to leave, the cold air hit her skin like ice. She took a deep breath.
That's when she noticed something.
A black car across the street.
Windows tinted. Engine running.
She hesitated, then turned to walk the other way.
From inside the car, Damien watched her leave. Quiet. Alone. Careful.
He smiled.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
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Evelyn didn't sleep that night.
She couldn't stop thinking about the man at the club. His eyes. The way he looked at her—like she was a puzzle he already knew how to solve. She told herself it was nothing. Just some rich guy who liked to stare.
But deep down, she knew better.
The next morning, she walked into her newsroom with coffee in one hand and her camera bag in the other. The office buzzed with voices and ringing phones. Her editor, Marcus, waved her over.
"You've got a package," he said, pointing to a small black box on her desk.
Evelyn frowned. She wasn't expecting anything.
She opened it slowly.
Inside was a single silver USB drive and a white card with one sentence written in sharp black ink:
"Let's continue where we left off. – D"
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked around, suddenly nervous.
She plugged the drive into her laptop. One file. A video.
It was footage of her. From the night before. Walking through the club. Talking to Lila. Standing by the window.
Filmed from above.
Someone had been watching her. Closely.
Her hands shook slightly as she shut the laptop.
Damien Vale wasn't just watching her anymore.
He was warning her.
Or inviting her.
She didn't know which one scared her more.
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