Chapter 2 A Mask of Fire

The masquerade lights blurred into soft halos behind her as Seraphina-no, Vera-held Adrian Daemon's gaze across the glittering ballroom. It was a look that spoke of ghosts, of secrets wrapped in silk and sharpened with vengeance. She had dreamt of this moment for seven long years. The music swelled again, a haunting waltz echoing beneath the gilded dome, but her focus narrowed into a single tunnel: the way Adrian's jaw clenched, how his hand stiffened on his glass, the flicker of recognition that passed across Liliana's heavily made-up face.

For a heartbeat, they were twenty-five again - caught in that moment when the wedding fell apart, when betrayal had its first taste of blood. But now she wasn't the girl they'd gutted. She was the woman who had clawed her way back from the ashes. "Vera Dae," Adrian said slowly, voice edged with disbelief. "Is that really you?" She turned slightly, the corner of her red-painted lips curving upward. "We've never met," she said, swirling her vodka in the crystal glass. "But I've heard of you." "Don't play games, Seraphina," he snapped under his breath, stepping closer. "What the hell are you doing here?" "Enjoying the view," she said coolly, taking a sip. "Though it's hard not to notice how... small the empire looks from up here." Liliana blinked, confusion warping her features. "It is you... You look-" "Alive?" Vera offered. "You sound disappointed." Adrian's face twitched. "You disappeared after Sebastian died. Everyone thought-" "I had the decency to mourn," Vera interrupted, her tone clipped. "You, on the other hand, were vacationing in Mykonos three days later." He tried to sneer. "You're not going to get far with bitterness, sweetheart." "Who said anything about bitterness?" She leaned closer, her voice low enough only he could hear. "This is strategy. And I always finish what I start." Before Adrian could respond, a host called for attention at the podium. The room's golden light refocused, the attention drifting from the confrontation like a shifting tide. Vera stepped away without another word, leaving the bitterness of her perfume and her promise lingering in the air. One Week Earlier - Rome The Dae Group headquarters was a steel-and-glass monolith overlooking the Tiber River, its angled architecture designed to reflect both transparency and dominance - a subtle irony Vera appreciated. Her personal office occupied the top floor, flooded with light and shadow depending on her mood. As she stood before the window with a file in her hand, her assistant, Cassian Voss, entered without knocking. "You have the latest acquisition," he announced, placing a red folder on the glass desk. "Our team closed on Helios Industries this morning. It was the final piece of Adrian's former biotech branch." Vera didn't smile - not yet. "What's the debt load?" "Minimal," he replied. "We negotiated leverage based on legacy liability. Adrian doesn't even know we're the buyer yet. We used the Virelli shell company." She opened the folder, scanning the numbers with practiced precision. Seven years of silence, of whispers and ghost names, had finally brought her to this moment. "Send word to the Venice team," she said. "We'll debut Vera Dae at the gala. It's time to unmask." Cassian raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?" She finally looked up, eyes like obsidian flame. "Let them see what they created." Present – Venice The rest of the masquerade unfolded like a dream dipped in poison. Every whisper that rippled through the room included her name now. The reclusive billionaire. The woman who rose from nowhere. The one who spoke eight languages, survived two assassination attempts, and refused every magazine interview. Vera Dae. She allowed herself one dance - with Cassian, who arrived fashionably late in a raven-black suit and silver mask. They danced in perfect rhythm, drawing attention for their fluid grace. "Adrian's already making calls," Cassian murmured as he turned her. "He wants to confirm your identity." "Let him," Vera replied, eyes scanning the room. "He'll find nothing but rumors." "Liliana looks like she saw a ghost." "She did." Vera dipped with ease, catching Adrian staring again. "And ghosts don't forget." Cassian guided her back into a slow circle. "Do you want to pull the trigger tonight?" "Not yet. I want to see how deep the rot goes. He's partnered with others-Renzetti, Komarov. I want them all exposed before I take the final shot." "Strategic patience," Cassian said approvingly. "I always liked that about you." She arched a brow. "Liked?" "Still do," he murmured with a wink, and they spun into the crowd once more. Later that night, Vera slipped away from the crowd into the private lounge above the ballroom. Her mask still on, she moved like a shadow through the velvet hallways until she reached a quiet alcove. Inside waited someone she'd summoned earlier - Felix Thorn, her contact in the European finance world and an informant who had once served as Adrian's compliance officer. He stood as she entered, offering a deep bow. "Ms. Dae." "Report," she said, removing her mask at last. Felix handed her a USB drive and a printed dossier. "Inside, you'll find details of the Cayman accounts. Adrian funneled funds stolen from Alaric's original merger through untraceable corridors. But he got careless this year. Greedy. There are emails between him and Liliana coordinating the movement of offshore money and evidence of falsified shareholder documents." Vera's fingers tightened around the file. "Anything on my father?" she asked quietly. Felix hesitated. "Not yet. But I believe he had foreknowledge of the Daemon takeover plan. I'm tracing an encrypted message sent from his private server to Adrian hours before your wedding." Vera's jaw clenched. Seven years hadn't dulled the betrayal. But it had sharpened her resolve. "I want full decryption within forty-eight hours," she said. "If we find what I think we will, Edwin Alaric's name will burn alongside the rest." Three Days Later – Zurich The Dae Group's legal team operated like elite assassins. Each move was quiet, clean, and lethal. In the Zurich office, Vera met with Li Mei, her head of international litigation. "You have everything?" Vera asked. Li Mei nodded, placing thick binders on the table. "We've filed injunctions in three jurisdictions. If Adrian tries to sell any more shares, we'll block him. He's leveraged his current holdings to fund a merger with ArkenTech. That deal collapses tomorrow." "And Liliana?" "She's tried to launder money into a wine estate in the south of France. It's under our name now." Vera exhaled. "Good. Send her a bottle. Include a note: 'From the vineyard you stole. Cheers.'" Li Mei chuckled. "Savage." "No," Vera said, standing, her tone like tempered steel. "It's justice." Back in Venice On the final night of the gala series, Vera stood atop the balcony of her private suite, overlooking the Grand Canal. The moon's reflection shimmered like liquid silver. Cassian joined her quietly, holding a glass of champagne. "You did it," he said. "Adrian's empire is hanging by threads. One more nudge and he'll fall." She turned to him. "Then let's give him that nudge." "How?" She smiled. "Invite him to dinner." The Invitation The envelope was black, sealed with a gold phoenix. Adrian opened it in his hotel suite, eyes narrowing at the simple line inside: "One last chance to explain before the world sees you for what you are. – V." Liliana hovered behind him. "Are you going to ignore it?" "No," he said grimly. "I want to know what she's after." He didn't know it would be the last dinner he'd eat with dignity.

End of Chapter Two