Chapter 𝟐: A Dress, A Dagger, & a Diamond Lie

The problem with masquerade balls wasn’t the lace masks, the suspicious champagne, or even the tuxedos hiding glocks—it was that Alexandra Vale hated pretending.

And tonight, she had to pretend she was in love.

“Try not to look like you're planning my death,” Ash Rivera whispered, offering his arm as they approached the grand staircase of the gala. His black tuxedo was tailored to perfection, his jaw sharp enough to cut glass. He looked like danger wrapped in charm. It made her uncomfortable. Not because he was handsome—but because it almost looked natural.

“We’re supposed to be engaged,” he added, when she didn’t respond.

She took his arm begrudgingly, fingers resting on his sleeve like a woman trying not to leave fingerprints on a murder weapon. “We’re supposed to get in, get the intel, and get out. Don’t over perform.”

Their heels clicked against the marble floor as they entered the ballroom—a sea of elegance, lies, and encrypted secrets. Politicians. Black market investors. Arms dealers. Anyone with enough money to hide their sins in velvet-lined pockets.

And tonight, Alexandra and Ash were Alexis and Ashton Black, elite heirs from an imaginary dynasty. The perfect cover.

Or so they thought.

An elderly man with too-white teeth clinked his glass onstage, microphone in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen! We have among us tonight a very special couple—Alexis and Ashton Black. True heirs. Be sure to make them feel welcome.”

Alexandra’s entire spine stiffened.

Ash leaned closer. “True heirs?”

“I never gave them that intel,” she hissed.

“I didn’t either.”

They locked eyes.

This wasn’t just a mission anymore. Someone had laid this cover story for them—down to the names. And that meant someone knew.

The host, a corpulent billionaire named Aldric Kass, approached with a grin and two flutes of champagne.

“To legacy,” he said, handing one to Alexandra.

She smiled tightly. “To secrets.”

“Indeed,” he chuckled. “You’ll find tonight… full of them.”

Ash reached for the flute, subtly switching it with his own as Alexandra pretended to sip. She caught the move. Slick. Almost… caring.

Kass clapped Ash on the shoulder. “If I were you, young man, I’d hold on tight to this one. That family name—powerful, dangerous.”

“Trust me,” Ash said smoothly, “I’m very attached.”

Behind her mask, Alexandra fought a frown. There was something in Kass’s tone. Like he knew exactly who she was. Not the fake cover. But the real Alexandra Vale.

He couldn’t know. Right?

They had a mission to complete.

And a guest list to infiltrate.

The ledger they needed—a digital record of Chimera's buyers—was said to be stored in Kass’s private office. Surveillance showed a retinal scan, a fingerprint lock, and a failsafe: a pressure-plate-triggered alarm.

So naturally, Ash smiled when they reached the hallway.

“This is where the fun begins.”

“You mean the part where you make noise and I clean up after you?” Alexandra muttered.

“Exactly.”

The hallway was clear. She reached for the security panel while Ash kept as look out. Her fingers danced over the device, bypassing codes.

“Fifteen seconds before the laser grid resets,” she warned.

Ash slipped inside the office first. She followed.

The room was exactly what you'd expect from a man who built an empire selling war: gaudy, over-decorated, filled with relics of destruction. Alexandra spotted the safe immediately—hidden behind a painting of Napoleon. How original.

She was mid-hack when her earpiece buzzed.

“Multiple hostiles,” Noah’s voice crackled. “They’re heading for you. Someone tipped them off.”

“I’m almost there,” she muttered.

“Forget ‘almost’—they’re on the stairs.”

Suddenly, Ash grabbed her arm. “Time’s up.”

She had just enough time to extract the data drive before the door burst open.

Ash fired first—rubber bullets, non-lethal. Alexandra kicked a guard into the wall, then flipped over the desk.

“There’s too many!” she yelled.

“We go out the window,” Ash shouted, already aiming at the glass.

“You’re insane!”

“Compliment accepted.”

He shot the window. Glass rained down like crystal snow. Without waiting, he pulled her close and leapt.