Chapter 3 A Dance with the Shadows

The note sat on Aria's desk, untouched since she had opened it the night before.

She had barely slept.

Every sound in her apartment had felt magnified—the creak of the wooden floorboards, the hum of the refrigerator, even the distant wail of sirens outside. Knowing that The Phantom had been in her home had set her nerves on edge. She had checked every door, every window, every possible point of entry.

Nothing.

Not a single sign of forced entry.

Which meant he hadn't broken in—he had walked in.

That was the part that unsettled her the most. He was confident. He had control.

And he wanted her to know it.

Now, as she sat in the precinct, the note still in front of her, she tried to push away the irrational feeling that she was being watched.

Because maybe she was.

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Voss!"

Detective Ethan Carter stood over her desk, arms crossed. "You look like hell."

Aria shot him a glare. "Good morning to you too."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, his gaze flicking to the envelope. "What's that?"

Aria hesitated. For a moment, she considered telling him. Ethan was her partner, and he had always had her back. But something in her stopped her.

This was between her and The Phantom.

"Just a lead," she lied, tucking the note into her case file. "What's up?"

Ethan frowned but didn't press. "Forensics confirmed something interesting about the explosion."

Aria straightened. "Go on."

Ethan pulled out a file and dropped it on her desk. "The bomb wasn't meant to take out everyone. It was targeted."

She flipped through the pages. "Meaning?"

"The blast was designed to ensure only key players didn't make it out," Ethan said. "Everyone else? A distraction."

Aria's stomach tightened. The Phantom hadn't just erased evidence—he had orchestrated a precise elimination.

This wasn't some reckless move to disrupt the arms deal.

This was calculated. Controlled.

Her grip on the folder tightened.

"Where's Matteo De Luca?" she asked.

Ethan sighed. "Missing."

Aria's pulse spiked.

Missing didn't mean dead. It meant he was either on the run… or someone had gotten to him first.

And she had a damn good idea of who that someone was.

Killian's Game Continues.

Killian Dante sat in his office, overlooking the city through floor-to-ceiling windows.

The skyline glittered beneath him, a kingdom he ruled from the shadows.

A phone vibrated on the desk beside him. He picked it up, reading the message that had just come in.

"Matteo De Luca has been handled. No loose ends."

Killian smirked. Of course there weren't.

He set the phone down and leaned back in his chair, his mind shifting to more interesting matters.

Aria.

He could picture her now—her mind racing, her stubborn determination driving her forward despite knowing she was heading straight into his web.

She was magnificent.

But she was still resisting.

He had spent years guiding her from a distance, but now, the distance was no longer enough.

It was time to push her further.

Killian opened the drawer beside him, pulling out a black envelope embossed with gold. Inside, a single invitation rested on thick, elegant paper.

A masquerade. One she wouldn't be able to resist.

If she wanted to get closer to The Phantom, he would let her.

But on his terms.

The Invitation.

That night, Aria entered her apartment with her gun drawn. Paranoia had settled into her bones.

She checked every room, every shadow.

Nothing.

But as she turned back toward her desk, her breath caught.

A black envelope sat neatly in the center.

Her heart pounded.

She knew who it was from.

With steady hands, she picked it up, carefully sliding out the card inside.

Gold lettering gleamed under the dim light.

"Midnight Masquerade – An Exclusive Event."

Below, a handwritten note.

"Come find me, Detective. – K"

Her fingers tightened around the card.

This was it. An invitation into his world.

She should turn it in. She should call Ethan. She should treat this as evidence.

But she wouldn't.

Because she wanted to go.