SHADOWS OF VELVET AND FIRE.

I wasn't supposed to be here. My plan for the night was simple;study ,rest and prepare for my morning shift at Eclipse corporation. But my cousin Lila had other plans. One minute i was safe in the house after my everything shower, and the next she was dragging me into an uber with the kind of argument i couldn't fight. " You need fun before you turn into a full-time corporate zombie." Twenty minutes later we were stepping on the rooftop of The Aurelia, the most expensive bar in Valleria. Glass walls, golden lights, a skyline that made the city feel endless. It smelled like money, power and people who created problems just to feel alive. Not my usual place. But the moment i entered, something changed—a subtle tension in the air, like someone's eyes were already on me. Not threatening Not creepy but intentional, focused. I followed Lila to the bar. She ordered shots. I ordered an Expresso martini. That's when I felt a stare so solid and unmoving like someone was reading me without touching me. I lifted my eyes and froze. He sat alone in the darkest corner of the rooftop lounge — a man who didn't blend in with the others. He wasn't loud, he wasn't surrounded by friends nor was he flirting with anyone. He was just watching..... watching me. The black shirt stretched over broad shoulders, rolled up sleeves revealing strong forearms ,a silver ring on his thumb catching the low light ,dark hair and a jaw you could trace with one finger. But it was his eyes that did: calm, focused and too observant. It felt like he knew me. I looked away quickly, but the damage had already been done. My purse fluttered in my throat. Moments later the bartender sets a drink in front of me. "I didn't order this," I said with a frown. "It's from that gentleman," he said, nodding towards the corner. The stranger didn't smile, wave or try to charm me. He just lifted his glass slightly — a quiet invitation. I told myself to ignore it. I told myself to stay seated. But something about him… felt inevitable. Lila had already disappeared into the crowd. She knew what she came outside for. ... Fun The drink sat untouched. My heart beat a little too fast. And before I could stop myself… I was walking toward him. He didn’t adjust his posture. He didn't pretend to be surprised. He simply watched me approach like he’d been expecting it.“Sit,” he said softly, his voice deep and steady. I should’ve walked away. I should’ve cared that he felt dangerous. But I sat.“Why me?” I asked, trying to sound casual. He studied me for a slow, unnerving moment. “You don’t fit in here,” he said finally. “You look like you’re trying to disappear.” I swallowed hard. “I’m not.”“Everyone who comes here is hiding something.” His gaze dropped briefly to my lips. “Some are better at it than others,” my breath caught. He didn’t ask my name. He didn’t offer his.He just leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear.“You’re too quiet for a place like this. Too soft. I noticed you the second you walked in.” Heat curled low in my stomach.I shouldn’t like that. But I did. Conversation slipped easily. Drinks disappeared. I laughed more than I expected. He watched with an intensity that stripped my defenses. When he stood and offered his hand, I didn’t think. I just followed. Down the hallway. Into the elevator. For crying out loud he could be planning to sacrifice me ...but I still followed. To a room on the tenth floor — expensive, quiet, dim. The moment the door closed, he pulled me into him. His mouth on mine. His hands gripping my waist. Back arching as my body recognized him before the mind did. It didn’t feel reckless. It felt inevitable. He handled me like I were something fragile and valuable at the same time — soft whispers against my neck, slow kisses, warm touches, a low “You feel too good” murmured into my skin.I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t want to. Not then. Because at that moment, he felt safe in a very dangerous way. Damn, I was worried about being sacrificed. Well, maybe my insides..... But the next morning… He was gone. No name. No number. No trace. Only the faint scent of his cologne on the pillow and the memory of his hands on my hips.I tried to laugh it off and pretend it didn’t matter. But deep down, I knew:This wasn’t just a one-night mistake. This was the beginning of something dark. Something real. Something I wasn't prepared for. And the night everything went wrong? It wasn’t last night. It was today. I just didn’t know it yet.