Chapter 493: Dancing with Knives in a City of Mirrors
The night sky over Vespera City burned with fireworks as black-tinted limousines curved around the golden gates of the infamous De Noir Mansion—home to the world's deadliest union of power, lies, and masked alliances.
The event?
A masquerade thrown only once every ten years.
Invites? For the richest, most feared, and most deceiving.
Inside the ballroom, chandeliers dripped crystal, violins screamed seduction, and faceless dancers twirled to haunting waltzes.
Ochieng stood by the grand mirror, dressed in obsidian—his mask of silver flames glowing beneath the dim light. Behind him, Kael, Aurora, and Amira spread out among the guests, all aware that tonight… someone would die.
Enter Isla Faelore, 26, heiress to the billion-dollar gemstone cartel, dressed in blood-red silk, with diamond tears hanging from her lashes.
She was trouble wrapped in elegance—beautiful, sarcastic, and driven by a hunger for chaos.
Her eyes found Ochieng.
Isla: "They say you're the fire no one can tame."
Ochieng (without turning): "And you look like you collect broken hearts like trophies."
Isla: "Only the ones worth millions."
Their banter sparked interest—and jealousy—from a few masked beauties, especially Sahara, 24, a Moroccan-French supermodel, ex of Tobias Kain, and dangerously obsessed with Ochieng.
In a hidden corridor lined with ancient mirrors, a secret ceremony was underway.
One by one, chosen guests were asked to stand before a cursed mirror and speak a truth no one else knew.
When Elira's turn came, the mirror shattered.
Glass flew.
Blood spilled.
And in the reflection, her eyes glowed like molten silver.
Elira (whispering): "He was never supposed to remember me… but he did."
The elders watching gasped. The name "Eden Protocol" trembled from one of their lips before he was dragged into the shadows.
Back in the ballroom, the games had begun. Not just dancing—but coded whispers, rigged competitions, and "temptation rounds" where partners were swapped and seductions crafted.
Aurora was paired with Rafael Mendez, 29, a tech mogul and master manipulator.
Kael danced with Noelle, 23, a mysterious girl with scars on her back and a necklace containing the Omari sigil.
Ochieng was stolen by Isla again.
Isla (leaning in): "Want to make everyone jealous?"
Ochieng: "Already are."
But just as the music reached its climax, screams shattered the mood.
A masked man had collapsed, bleeding from the mouth. His fingers clutched a single note:
"You danced with the wrong heart tonight."
Far from the party, a dark revelation tore through the De La Vera family mansion.
Cleo De La Vera, locked in her room, had discovered letters hidden inside her late mother's violin. Letters detailing the existence of a secret twin, stolen at birth… and sold.
The name?
Amira Zuri.
Now everything made sense. The same eyes. The same thirst for truth. The hatred her family had for Amira wasn't just political—it was personal.
Cleo (to herself): "She's my sister. And I've been trained to destroy her."
Meanwhile, Tobias Kain, fresh from losing five billion in a private bet, met with a cloaked woman in a rose-lit temple by the river.
Woman: "The bloodlines are awakening. You must choose a side."
Tobias: "I've already chosen."
He turned, revealing who he was talking to:
Gloria Raventide, 28, former top beauty across the kingdoms, now reborn as a powerbroker between underworld dynasties. Her new look—short raven hair, amber eyes, and a venomous smirk—could crumble empires.
Gloria: "Then let's burn everything down and start over."
Back at the masquerade, Ochieng and Elira found each other under the moonlit balcony.
No words. Just silence. Heavy. Breathing. Close.
Ochieng: "Even after all this… I still want to know who you are."
Elira (softly): "Then kiss me, and see if you survive."
He did.
And for a second, the world paused. But behind them, the reflection in the glass didn't show Elira.
It showed a different girl, bleeding, crying, and reaching out—begging Ochieng to remember.
And just like that, the mirror cracked again.