— ELLA —
It was night by the time I got home. The apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that made my thoughts louder than they should be. I sat on the couch with my knees pulled to my chest, staring into the dimness while Ace's words echoed in my mind, sharp and persistent, like a match dropped, leaving me alone in the smoke.
Reconciliation
The word felt like a blade twisting slowly between my ribs. I tried to think of everything I knew about Sylus, and the list was shorter than it should have been for a man who slept beside me, who touched me as if I belonged to him, who looked at me with that unbearable restraint that made me feel as if I were standing too close to a locked door. He worked as an assistant to an investor. That was the story, the neat and polished version of him. He lived in the company flat, in a place so expensive it should have felt like comfort. He had a view of the city and never seemed to see it. And then there was the way he looked at everyone else, so calm, so composed, so dangerously still that people leaned toward his certainty without realizing it. His demeanor was cold enough to make others fall in step with him, cold enough that no one questioned his authority. But with me...
With me, he was different.
There was a tenderness in him that never quite matched the mask he wore for the world. It showed in the way he touched me like I was fragile, something precious. Losing me wasn't just inconvenient... it was unthinkable. He couldn't afford to let me slip through his fingers, let alone walk away.
As if I mattered.
As if he loved me enough to cause his ruin.
That thought lingered the longest. Not fear. Not doubt.
Possession.
A soft, twisted satisfaction settled low in my chest every time he looked at me that way. I knew what that meant. I understood what it did to people when they believed they had found something they could not live without.
And I liked knowing I had become that for him.
The thought should have disgusted me. Yet it made something in me go still with pleasure.
"Who even was Sylus?"
The question stayed with me, heavy and intimate, like a secret pressed against my skin.
Then there was Ace. I looked down at the coffee cooling in front of me, the surface dark and still, and let my reflection blur in it. Ace had been too observant, too precise. His amber eyes hadn't just looked at me...they had searched me, testing for fractures, flinches, or the smallest betrayal of the reaction. He had a mind that never stopped moving, one that noticed everything and trusted nothing.
I knew men like him.
I had spent too long studying people's emotional structures to be fooled by charm or concern. I had practiced smiles and tones, how to use them so naturally that I was beyond the part of shifting the mask. I understood how bodies revealed what mouths hid. I knew the tremor before a lie, the pause before a confession, the tiny shift in the eyes when someone thought they were in control.
A flicker in someone's eyes.The slightest pause before they answered.The way their shoulders relaxed the moment they felt seen. People became surprisingly easy to understand once you knew what they wanted.
Most weren't really after love or validation. They just wanted someone to notice them, to feel important, even if it was only for a moment.I learned early how to become that person. How to mirror them until they mistook familiarity for connection. How to say exactly what they longed to hear. How to make them believe I understood them better than anyone else ever had. And they always gave themselves away.
I understood motive like other people understood the weather. I could read desire before it became action. Suspicion before it turned into accusation. Fear before it even had a name.
And if I wanted to, I could wear innocence like silk and make someone believe I was harmless until they realized I had been observing them from the start.
But for me,
"Love was a luxury I had never been able to afford."
Not until him.
Not until the mere thought of Sylus being harmed could turn something dark and violent inside me, something cold and focused, into a quiet, dangerous ache.
"The idea of my most treasured person being hurt over something trivial, by some insignificant insect daring to reach for what was mine, almost made me laugh."
And then I did.
A smile touched my lips before I could stop it. A soft chuckle escaped as My tongue pressed briefly against the inside of my cheek, that familiar little gesture of amusement sharpening the moment into something almost wicked. I tipped my head down and buried my face in my palms.
Fuck....
Look what he has turned me into.
Murder over a possibility. Not even out of anger or vengeance but because getting rid off the problem would just be so much more efficient. The very thought should have disgusted me, but instead I found myself thinking of the logistics of it all.
How hard would it be? How long would it take before someone would find out? Would it not be easier if I just made it look like an accident?
I find myself laughing again, only this time it is not as loud, as hectic, maybe. Hopefully, I will not have to get my hands dirty. It would be such a waste, you know? After all, insects are stupid creatures that could not understand that they were trespassing on forbidden territory till it was too late. Till the predator snapped his jaws shut around their little insectile frames.
I trace idle patterns on the rim of my coffee cup with a finger, my smile never leaving my face. Violence was a choice for everyone else, it seemed.
But for me,
it was just another tool in the arsenal.
Sylus belonged to me, in the most basic, fundamental sense of the word.
Not the possessive, childish kind, the one where your heart twists painfully at the mere thought that he might be with someone else. But the other kind, the one that whispered in your ear that there was no possible world that existed for you without him in it.
That if protecting him meant staining my hands in the process,
"Then red would be the colour I would wear gladly and proudly and elegantly."
I picked up my phone and called Selene. Soon enough she answered her familiar voice cut through the silence. "Hey, bbg?" A small smile crept onto my lips.
"Hey." There was a pause before she said, with a hint of humor, "What's up? You don't usually call out of the blue." I brushed off her comment.
"Want to meet for dinner?"
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
A moment later, I could hear her smile.
"Well, cool. Give me twenty minutes. Our favorite diner?"
"Sure." The call ended. For a moment, I stared at the dark screen of my phone before setting it aside, just like that. It felt almost like my mind hadn't been in a darker place just moments before. I finished my coffee in one gulp, letting the bitter warmth settle before standing up.
A few minutes later, I changed into something comfortable a soft top and flared leggings. Nothing too flashy. Nothing that drew attention. Just something that felt like me.
I added some lip tint, leaning closer to the mirror as I blended it in.
The girl in the reflection looked calm. Normal.
Almost innocent. I tilted my head slightly, examining my own reflection. As I smiled.
"Perfect."
I grabbed my phone and purse, slipped on a pair of flats, and stepped outside. The night air welcomed me with a gentle coolness. The city moved with its usual rhythm. I walked down the street, music playing softly through my earphones, letting the melody drown out the noise in my head.
Walking down the road, I finally reached my destination. The diner was warm inside when I arrived. The glass windows glowed softly against the cool night outside. Selene was there before me, as expected. She leaned on the table with her phone in hand, stirring a straw through a drink she hadn't touched. When she saw me, her face lit up.
"There she is." I slid into the booth across from her, putting my purse beside me. "You came fast." "Obviously." She grinned. "You sounded too normal on the phone. That made me suspicious."
I gave her a flat look. "I am always normal." Selene blinked once, then laughed. "That was a lie, and you know it." A small smile crept onto my face before I could stop it.
The waiter came by a minute later, and we ordered without much thought her usual, mine too, because neither of us wanted to pretend we were adventurous when we were hungry.
For a while, we talked about nothing important. Her coworker who couldn't stop flirting with the manager. The ridiculous price of coffee these days. A video she had seen online that made her laugh so hard she nearly snorted in public.
I let her talk. It was easy with Selene. She didn't ask questions like she was trying to pry into my life. She simply filled silence with warmth until it stopped feeling empty.
"That top suits you," she said after a moment, glancing at me over the rim of her glass. "You look nicer than your usual." "It's a basic, but thanks." I sipped my drink. She laughed again, then leaned forward a little. "So. Dinner was your idea. That means something is going on."
I reached for my water. "Can a person not invite their friend out to eat?"
"No."
"Rude."
"True." Her eyes narrowed playfully. "Now tell me what happened." I held her gaze for a second, then looked away first. Selene noticed everything, but unlike most people, she didn't try to use it against me. That was why I could tolerate her. That was why I trusted her enough to sit here and act normal.
"Nothing happened," I said at last. Selene hummed. "That tone means the opposite."
I smiled faintly. "You always say that." "Because I am always right." I let out a quiet sigh, almost a chuckle, and took a sip of water. The food arrived then, steaming and familiar, and for a few minutes, the conversation paused while we ate. There was something comforting about it: the clink of cutlery, the low murmur of the diner, the way the night outside kept moving while we sat in our little corner, pretending the world was simple.
I took a bite, letting the taste set and melt into my mouth.. "Well…" I swirled the ice in my soda, listening to it clink against the glass. "Something did happen."
Selene leaned back, crossing her arms. "I knew it." "But before that…" I looked at her. "Have you ever heard of Ace Desmond?"
Her reaction was instant. "Ace?" she repeated, her brows drawing together. "As in Ace Desmond?" I nodded slightly. "You know him?"
"I know of him." She frowned, clearly surprised. "He used to be close with Alex. They were friends years ago."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She nodded slowly, studying my face as if trying to figure out why I was asking. "I only met him once. He barely spoke. Just stood there, observing everything." She paused. "Kind of intimidating, honestly."
That sounded about right. "He has those amber eyes, doesn't he?" she continued. "The kind that make you feel like he's already figured you out before you've even introduced yourself."
A faint smile crossed my lips.
"Exactly."
Selene tilted her head. "Why are you asking about him?" I took another sip of my soda before answering, letting the silence linger.
"What happened between him and Sylus?"
The smile disappeared from Selene's face. "You mean... you don't know?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking." She looked away for a moment, absentmindedly tracing circles on the rim of her glass. "I don't know the whole story," she admitted. "Alex never liked to talk about it."
"What do you know?" She exhaled quietly. "Just rumors."
"Rumors usually start somewhere. There is no fire without a spark."
"They do." Another pause settled between us. "I heard they were close once," she said carefully. "Not just acquaintances. Real friends."
I stayed silent, letting her continue at her own pace. "Then... something happened."
"What kind of something?"
"I don't know." She shook her head. "One day they were practically inseparable. The next…" She hesitated. "Ace refused to hear Sylus's name." I watched the condensation slide down my glass. "No explanation?"
"None that I ever heard." She met my gaze again. "Alex only said that whatever happened... it wasn't the kind of betrayal people forgive."
Betrayal.
Interesting. "And Ace?" "He changed." Her voice softened. "Alex said he became... colder. More guarded. Like he stopped trusting people altogether."
I rested my chin lightly on my hand. "That doesn't narrow it down." Selene let out a small, humorless laugh. "No. It doesn't." The conversation lingered there until she leaned forward, studying me more closely.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You're going to anyway."
She ignored my comment.
"Why are you suddenly asking about Ace Desmond?"
I met her gaze without blinking. "Because today…" I said evenly, "he told me if he wanted to reconcile with Sylus."
Selene froze. Her fingers tightened around her glass. "He... what?" "He thinks he deserves another chance with Sylus."
Her eyes searched mine, disbelief gradually shifting to confusion. "That doesn't make any sense." "I thought so too."
"If Ace is saying that..." she murmured more to herself than to me, "...then either he knows something no one else does…" She looked at me again. "…or something has changed."/
"I declined the offer to help him host a surprise party for Sylus...." A sigh escaped while Selene just looked at me. "Right call. Would have been a hassle." She took another bite, munching down the simmering frustration."Right..." The conversation drifted after that.
We talked a little more, nothing serious. We covered work, schedules, and the usual meaningless chatter people use to keep the night easygoing. Selene had a meeting early in the morning, and I had a shoot ahead, so we left before the diner got too loud and the city outside grew colder.
It was just past eleven when we stepped out. The night was still around us, the air cool and quiet, and the streetlamps cast pale gold on the pavement. Selene was saying something next to me when my heels hit the sidewalk around the corner, and in an instant, someone grabbed my wrist.
"What the—"
I turned sharply.
A man stood in front of me, swaying slightly. He reeked of alcohol. His eyes moved over me with a lazy hunger that made my stomach churn.
"What is a young beauty like you doing alone this late?" he slurred, grinning. "Need some company?"
Disgust shot through me, clear and instant. I stepped forward, my face hardening into something colder than indifference. My eyes locked onto him with the flat, unreadable look of a winter lake. "None of your business." I stepped over his shoe without hesitation, grinding down hard enough to make him hiss.
He shoved me back. "You bitch—" The word barely left his lips before his hand dove into his coat and pulled out a knife. The blade caught the light. He pointed it at me with a shaking, drunk hand. "A bitch like you needs to be taught a lesson."
He lunged. I moved before the blade could reach me, twisting aside so his swing hit nothing but air. My voice came quiet and edged with venom.
"Aish....." Then I drove a kick into his wrist. Sharp into bone met force his grip broke instantly, and the knife fell with a sharp clatter on the pavement.
He cursed, stumbling back, but I was already there. My heel hit his shin, then his ribs, hard enough to make him gasp. He reached for me again. I turned instinctively, searching for something, anything to use.
The man took that half-second. He slammed me against the wall, hard enough to take the breath from my lungs. The knife came up again, its cold edge dangerously close to my face. My hands shot up and closed around the blade. Pain exploded, sharp and hot as the metal dug into my palm. Blood rolled down my fingers and dripped onto the pavement below, dark and quick. A creepy smile crept up his face as I drove my shoulder into him, pushing with all my strength. He staggered back just enough for me to escape. My gaze flicked to the brick wall next to me. I grabbed a loose brick from the edge, hurling it in the air with speed, about to hit him straight.
My whole body froze as I felt someone's hand gripping my wrist from behind, stopping me mid-air. "Who—" The word died in my throat, his grip was firm, controlled, familiar in a way that made the air in my lungs feel thin.
I looked over my shoulder; Sylus was standing there. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes turned cold in that quiet, deadly way that meant someone had made a terrible mistake. His gaze moved over my bloody hand, then to the man in front of us, and finally settled on me, filled with a depth of fury so restrained it felt worse than shouting.
For one suspended second, none of us moved, then Sylus stepped forward. The man barely had time to blink before Sylus caught him by the collar and slammed him into the wall with enough force to crack the brick behind his head.
The drunk's face lost all color. Sylus didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"Motherfucker." his voice dripped with venom. "You thought pulling a knife on a woman made you brave?" Sylus asked, his voice frighteningly calm.
He looked terrifying, like that calm, precise, and absolute. I stared at him, my bleeding hand still hanging at my side, my pulse thundering in my ears for a completely different reason. The drunk man stayed silent as Sylus shoved him into the wall, hoisting him up as his feet dangled, panic clear on his face as he struggled. In that moment, Sylus looked something far more dangerous. Pinning him to the wall, his one hand gripping hard on his neck and the other punching his face. I was counting as an unknown satisfaction settled down in my chest after seeing the bloody scene before me. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight- and a half.
By then the guy had passed out, his blood staining Sylu's hand as he threw him down like he was a piece of crap. Turning towards me, his eye softened as he walked up, reaching my hand, which had been bleeding. "Are you okay?" he murmured, his voice so low and soft, a total flip of what I had just witnessed. But even now, with violence in the air and blood on my skin, the only thought in my mind was
"He came."
Before I could stop myself, a slow smile appeared on my face. Of course he did. He looked confused by my smile. His brows knit together slightly, confusion flashing across his otherwise blank face. His eyes met mine, resting on my smile as if trying to figure out why I was looking at him that way.
"...What's wrong?" he asked softly. I held his gaze. Then, almost absentmindedly, I tilted my head. "Tell me something." His expression remained unchanged.
"What?" My smile deepened, small and unreadable.
"Would you be willing to kill someone for me?"