Chapter 3: The Truth Revealed

Scarlet POV

He knows.

The realization hit me the moment his gaze locked with mine across the dimly lit room. I’d seen that look before—the sharp glint of recognition, the flicker of understanding followed by the inevitable fear. But with Kai? There was no fear. Just intrigue.

And that was dangerous.

I stood by the window, staring out at the endless city lights. They always made me feel untouchable, like I owned this world and everything in it. But tonight, under his unrelenting gaze, I felt exposed. Vulnerable, even.

“You knew who I was this whole time.” His voice was calm, steady, but I could hear the underlying challenge.

I didn’t turn to face him. Instead, I let the silence stretch, a trick I’d mastered over the years to unnerve anyone who dared to question me. “And you didn’t?” I finally replied, my voice soft, measured.

“I had my suspicions,” he said. I could hear him shift in his seat, the faint creak of leather betraying his movements. “But this? You being her? The Scarlet Vayne? That part caught me off guard.”

I turned then, my eyes narrowing as I studied him. He sat so casually, like he wasn’t in the presence of one of the most dangerous people in the world. Like he wasn’t in the lion’s den. “You seem remarkably calm for someone who just uncovered the truth.”

He smirked, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Should I be scared?”

“Most people would be.”

“Most people aren’t me.”

God, he was infuriating. That smirk, that maddening confidence—it made me want to either punch him or… something else entirely.

“You don’t understand what you’ve walked into,” I said, stepping closer. My heels clicked against the floor, each step deliberate, calculated. “This isn’t a game, Kai. You don’t get to play with me and walk away unscathed.”

His eyes never left mine as I approached. If he was intimidated, he hid it well. Too well. “Maybe it’s not a game to you,” he said, his voice low, steady. “But to me? It’s starting to feel like one hell of a challenge.”

I froze, my heart pounding against my ribs. I hated how calm he was, how he seemed to see right through me. “Intrigue is dangerous,” I warned. “It’s what gets people killed.”

“And fear is what keeps people alive,” he countered, standing now, closing the distance between us. He moved with a confidence that was almost reckless, but there was something measured about it too. He stopped just short of me, his presence overwhelming. “But you? You don’t seem like someone who respects fear.”

I hated how close he was, how his words seemed to strip away my defenses. He was right—I didn’t respect fear. I’d built my empire by crushing it, by proving to the world that I was untouchable.

But with him standing there, looking at me like he could see every crack in my armor, I didn’t feel untouchable.

“You think you know me,” I said, my voice quieter now, almost a whisper.

“No,” he replied, his gaze unwavering. “But I think I’m starting to.”

The words hit me harder than they should have. For years, I’d buried myself beneath layers of power, control, and ruthlessness. No one got close enough to see the person underneath.

And yet, here he was, standing inches from me, acting like he already had.

“You have no idea what you’re doing,” I said, my voice sharper now, desperate to regain control. “Walk away, Kai. Before it’s too late.”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down. Instead, he smiled—a slow, infuriating smile that sent a jolt of something I didn’t want to name through my chest.

“Not a chance,” he said simply.

I wanted to scream, to push him away, to remind him who I was and what I was capable of. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Because for the first time in years, someone had gotten under my skin. And I didn’t know what scared me more—that he’d done it, or that I didn’t want him to stop.

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