The air in Louis’s office was stifling, heavy with unspoken tension. His team shuffled nervously around him, presenting reports he didn’t bother to read. His mind was elsewhere-back at the gala, where the masked woman’s presence had ignited a fire in him he couldn’t extinguish.
“Sir?” One of his men cautiously stepped forward. “We’ve gone through all the footage, but we couldn’t identify her. Whoever she is, she knew how to stay under the radar.”
Louis leaned back in his chair, his face shadowed by the dim light. “Keep looking. Someone like her doesn’t just appear without leaving a trail. I want every resource focused on this. No excuses.”
As the team scrambled to leave, his phone buzzed on the desk. It was Liam. Louis hesitated before answering.
“Speak.”
“You’re not the only one asking questions about her.” Liam’s voice was sharp. “Ezekiel’s men are all over the city, digging for answers. Whatever you think you saw, Louis, it’s not possible. Daisy is gone.”
The name hit him like a blow to the chest. He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. “I know what I saw,” he growled, hanging up before Liam could argue.
Across the city, Ezekiel Chen sat in his dimly lit study, his fingers tracing the edge of a glass of whiskey. He hadn’t touched it. His mind was too clouded.
He had watched her for hours at the party, memorized every movement, every subtle shift of her body. The burns on her hands, the way she held herself-how could it be anyone else?
“She’s alive,” he muttered, the words sounding foreign even to him. “But how?”
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. One of his men entered, his head bowed low.
“We’ve searched, sir. No records, no leads. Whoever she is, she’s a ghost.”
Ezekiel’s eyes darkened. “Then find her shadow,” he ordered coldly. “I don’t care how long it takes.”
Natalie paced the length of her lavish apartment, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The gala had unsettled her, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.
The way Louis and Ezekiel had reacted-like they’d seen a ghost-made her stomach twist. And now, whispers were circulating, rumors of a mysterious woman tied to the underworld.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Cain.
“We have a problem,” she said without preamble.
Cain’s laughter was dark and mocking. “When don’t you? What is it this time?”
“There was someone at the party,” Natalie hissed. “Someone important enough to rattle Louis and Ezekiel. I want you to find out who she is and take care of it.”
Cain chuckled. “Always cleaning up your mess, aren’t I? Fine. But this time, it’ll cost you more.”
Natalie hung up, her nails digging into her palm. She wouldn’t let anyone take what was hers-not again.
Daisy sat silently in her dimly lit room, the reports from the gala spread out in front of her. She had watched the chaos unfold from a distance, every reaction, every move.
Louis’s face haunted her the most. The way his eyes had locked on her, burning with recognition-it made her chest ache in a way she couldn’t afford.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“They’ve taken the bait,” one of her allies said as they entered. “Both Chen and Devereaux are scrambling.”
“Good,” Daisy said, her voice cold. “Let them chase shadows. It’ll keep them occupied.”
The ally hesitated. “Are you sure about this? You’re playing a dangerous game.”
Daisy looked up, her expression unreadable. “Danger is all I’ve ever known.”
The night deepened, and Louis stood on the balcony of his penthouse, staring at the city below. His phone buzzed again.
“We’ve spotted her,” one of his men said. “She was seen entering an abandoned warehouse on the west side. Alone.”
Louis didn’t wait for more details. He grabbed his coat and left, his mind racing.
At the same time, Ezekiel received a similar call. His reaction was swift and calculated, his car speeding through the city streets.
When they arrived, they found the warehouse empty, save for a single note left on a rusted table.
“You’re not ready for what’s coming.”
Louis crumpled the paper in his fist, his eyes burning with fury.
Ezekiel stared at the note, his jaw clenched. “It’s her,” he muttered under his breath. “I know it’s her.”
As the two men locked eyes, the unspoken tension between them threatened to ignite. Neither was willing to back down, both determined to uncover the truth-no matter the cost.
The sound of distant footsteps interrupted their standoff. They turned, their weapons drawn, only to find the warehouse empty once more.
The shadows swallowed them whole, leaving nothing but the echo of their suspicions and the weight of a mystery they couldn’t ignore.
—
The game had just begun.