Chapter 15: Shadows of Control

The grand ballroom shimmered under the glow of chandeliers, a world of power and privilege where every smile was calculated, every conversation a subtle negotiation. Skylar moved through the crowd, playing her role perfectly, but her mind was elsewhere.

It was on him.

Chris.

She had spotted him earlier—standing near the balcony doors, a glass in his hand, dressed far too casually for an event like this. While every other man wore finely tailored suits, he wore a simple black button-up with sleeves rolled to his elbows and dark slacks that were neat but not luxurious. He didn't look like a guest.

He looked like staff.

Yet something about him didn't fit.

When she had asked what he was doing here, he had shrugged it off with an easy answer. "I work here. Just one of my side jobs."

But Skylar couldn't let it go.

Chris had moved through this event with a quiet confidence, not the uncertainty of someone serving elites, but the ease of someone who belonged among them. And then there was the way Damian Kingsley had looked at him earlier—not like he was a worker, but as if he was trying to place him, as if something about him didn't add up.

Skylar turned slightly, her gaze sweeping the room until she found him again.

This time, he wasn't alone.

A man stood beside him. Tall, with sharp features and an air of command that rivaled even her father's associates. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, his posture straight, his expression unreadable.

Chris leaned in slightly as the man spoke to him.

Skylar narrowed her eyes.

Who was he?

Before she could take a step toward them, her mother's voice pulled her back.

"Skylar, dear, Damian has been waiting for you."

She forced a polite smile and allowed herself to be led away, but her thoughts remained on Chris.

Something wasn't right.

And she intended to find out what.

---

Elsewhere in the Ballroom

Chris adjusted the tray in his hands, blending seamlessly with the other workers carrying drinks and clearing tables. To everyone in this room, he was just another staff member—a student picking up extra cash.

And that was exactly how he wanted it.

Ethan, the man beside him, observed the room with sharp eyes. He wasn't just here as an elite. He was here for Chris.

"You're playing a dangerous game," Ethan muttered under his breath.

Chris smirked slightly, setting an empty glass onto a passing tray. "I play to win."

Ethan exhaled, shaking his head. "Skylar is onto you."

Chris' eyes flickered toward her across the ballroom. She was dancing with Damian Kingsley, but her gaze wasn't on her partner—it was on him.

"She doesn't know anything," Chris said simply.

"But she will if you keep tempting fate," Ethan countered.

Chris didn't respond immediately. He had spent years mastering this balance—hiding in plain sight, controlling everything from the shadows.

Skylar was sharp, but she was playing a game she didn't even know existed.

He glanced at Ethan. "Let her wonder. It won't change anything."

Ethan chuckled. "You always were a stubborn one."

Chris smirked, then lifted a tray from a nearby table, slipping effortlessly back into the role of a worker.

Because as long as the world believed he was ordinary, he held all the power.