Mask

The Beautiful Illusion

If there was hell on earth, it probably looked like this one.

Except in hell, I would not be wearing Valentino couture.

The Croft estate's ballroom had been transformed into a cathedral of decadence, an endless sea of white marble floors reflecting the glow of a hundred golden chandeliers, crystal candelabras taller than men, and roses. God, the roses. Thousands of them in ivory and blood red, cascading from the ceiling like we were inside some twisted Eden.

I wore a gown custom-made for me by Valentino, ivory silk so soft it looked poured over my skin, its bodice hand-stitched with gold leaf embroidery, delicate crystal chains dripping across my shoulders like jewelry. A gown designed to say: Yes, I am untouchable. Yes, I am the Angel they say I am.

My mother had spent hours on my hair, a soft, intricate bun threaded with tiny pearl pins. My lips painted the faintest rose. My skin glowing like it belonged to porcelain.

I looked like an angel.

And I'd never felt more like prey.

The night began with the formal ceremony.

The ballroom's center had been cleared for a massive stage where Klaude and I stood before our parents, the Croft and Montesque dynasties framed like royalty for their public crowning.

It wasn't an engagement party.

It was a coronation.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur Croft's deep voice echoed as the guests rose to their feet. "We welcome you to witness the union of two of the greatest legacies this world has known."

The applause was deafening.

Flashes went off.

Click. Click. Click.

Klaude reached for my hand and kissed it like a perfect gentleman. But the press couldn't see how his fingers dug into my skin, like he was reminding me I wasn't going anywhere.

VOGUE:

"Croft & Mclane Engagement Party Stuns the World, A Wedding-to-Be That Redefines Power."

FORBES:

"A Marriage of Empires: Klaude Croft & Anastasia Montesque Host the Most Anticipated Engagement Party of the Decade."

HELLO! MAGAZINE:

"The Angel & The Devil – Society's Most Talked-About Pairing Dominates the World Stage."

It was suffocating.

Dancing with tycoons. Laughing with politicians. Accepting fake congratulations from people who hated me.

And then she arrived.

Olivia.

She walked in wearing liquid gold, a gown that clung to her every curve, hair loose in perfect waves, her beauty weaponized like it always was.

The whispers started immediately.

Even Klaude's grip on my hand tightened for just a second.

"Interesting choice of guest," I said through gritted teeth.

"She invited herself," Klaude replied smoothly, like he'd rehearsed it. "And I don't say no to... friends."

"Friends," I repeated, my smile as sharp as glass. "How generous of you."

His gaze flicked to me, that smirk tugging at his lips again. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, fiancée."

"I'm not jealous."

"Liar."

By the time the waltz ended and the public congratulations were over, my skin was buzzing with claustrophobia.

I slipped away, out onto the balcony overlooking the glittering Croft gardens. The night air was cold, sharp, a small mercy on my overheated skin.

I closed my eyes. Just breathe.

But of course, I wasn't alone for long.

"You always run when things get too real."

His voice slid through the dark like smoke.

I turned. Klaude stood in the doorway, the moonlight making his black tuxedo look almost sinister. He didn't look like a man at a party.

He looked like a predator.

"I'm not running," I said coolly.

He stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "Then what are you doing, Anastasia? Hiding?"

I folded my arms, more for armor than warmth. "I needed a break from playing your perfect angel."

He chuckled, low and dangerous, moving closer. "That mask cracks more every day."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes, you do."

His hand came up, slowly, until his fingers brushed my jaw, tilting my face toward him. "The way you looked at Olivia tonight. That wasn't angelic. That was envy."

"I wasn't—"

"Jealousy looks good on you," he interrupted, smirking. "Makes you real."

I shoved his hand away. "You're disgusting."

"Maybe. But you're not much better, are you?"

His words sliced through me because they hit somewhere dangerously close to truth.

Klaude leaned in, so close his lips almost grazed my ear. "You think you're light, Anastasia. But I see the shadow. And the thing about shadows..." His breath was warm against my skin. "...is they always win."

I hated the way my pulse pounded.

I hated the way part of me didn't want to push him away.

"Go back inside," I whispered.

He lingered for a second longer, his smirk returning as he stepped back. "Soon."

And then he left me there, shaking, but not from the cold.