Shadow of Deception

eight of his final words, "Be careful who you trust," clung to her like a second skin, a constant, unsettling reminder of the precarious position she found herself

a master of manipulation, a man who saw every move before it was

t sent shivers down her spine: She was now a piece on

il within her, her phone buzzed in her pocket, a jarring interruption. Noah. She

his voice laced with a mixture of r

st the cool, polished steel of the elevator,

ftened, a subtle shift in tone that

then whispered, her voice barely audible, "He made it cle

m, heavy with unspoken dread,

o stop playing b

to break

wealth. Ava stepped out, her heels clicking against the polished marble floors, the sound echoing in the vast, empty space. She could fee

atching, his gaze a cons

lt powerless before, but Xander had a way of making people feel like they had no choice but to fall in line, to bow to his will. She poured herself a glass of wine, the

he kno

led to be a neighbor, too de

rest object-a heavy crystal vase, its weight reassuring in her trembling hands-before approaching the door, her moveme

eyes. An aura of menace that radi

of his polished, well-dressed soldiers. This was somet

nch, her voice tight with

oily, but devoid of warmth. "And a man who thin

uckles white. "If you're here on Xander'

spine. "Xander isn't the only powerful man in this city, Miss Sincla

ng that seeped into her bones. This wasn't a

r of steel, her voice sharp and

evealed his teeth, stepping back, his eyes linge

eals cost more than mone

ut, the sound echoing in the silence of her apa

the periphery, a reminder that the game she was playing was f

apartment. If she was going to survive this, she had to show Xander-and

art, transforming he

kind of event where billionaires rubbed shoulders, exchanged veiled threats, and whispered about deals that would shake the world. Ava wal

ide, eyes turned, drawn to

ly burned, their inte

rling in his hand. He looked like he owned the world-and maybe he did. But what unsettled Ava the most was

ately toward another man-someone powerful, rich, and, more importantly, not Xander-and let her fin

passed through his eyes, a momentary la

ed away, his grip on her wrist fir

em, a dazzling display of wealth and power, but all she could focus o

His voice was deceptively soft, a low

of defiance, refusing to

is control, before snapping back up, his eyes dark and

w, her voice lac

isn't trying

sound, stepping closer until there was barely

ss as I am, Ava. He'd break

ing him an offer," she whis

nst her jaw, a slow, deliberate touch that sent a shive

m not yours to share," she

or a moment, she thought he might kiss her, but instead, he leaned in just enou

ce laced with a dark promise. "Because once

won a battle, a small victory in a la

the subtle power plays and veiled threats, before he

: You should hav

d, a chilling pre

a message that made

t your apartment. Hope

ed home, her apartment now feeling like a trap. The moment she stepped insid

she opened it, her

te, the crimson stain a star

ere w

rested against black velve

ing sound that echoed in th

y, her voice barely a

per that sent shivers down her spi

alked toward her bedroom, the silence suffocating, the air thick with unspoken threat. She

nked i

scre

d in her own clothes, a knife stabbed through its c

ic skin, a single wor

U

her chest heaving

ng her, sending cryptic messa

violating her sanctuary, pl

-this was only the beginnin