His Dangerous Favourite

Serah's POV DAMN! If I were a man, I would marry myself so fast. God… this dress! When last did I dressed up in front of a mirror, I looked like some goddess! The way this red lace clings to my skin… ughhh, wine red lace gowns, I love'em! That slit is insane! I swear it almost kisses my hip. If I saw myself walk into a room, I would drop everything and f*cking stare. And this masquerade mask? It’s the cherry on top. Mysterious. Sexy. The kind of woman nobody can read.  But that’s the point! Okay. Breathe Serah. Focus.  It’s not about looking good tonight. It’s about what I came for. The CRIMSON MERCY DIAMOND NECKPIECE. The one hidden in Xavier Auguste’s most secure vault. According to Dante, nobody has ever gotten close to that vault. But I will today. I have to. I’ve studied the security. Every inch and every blind spot. I Know where the cameras are. I know how to walk past them, like an unseen ghost. God, I’ve done this a hundred times. Why are my palms sweaty? What if tonight is the night it all blows up? The night I finally get caught? I hate that thought. I hate it more because it’s not going away. Dante would say I’m thinking too much again. That I’m letting fear crawl in. He always told me to trust my gut. But… What if my gut is wrong this time? I can’t fail this one. Not after everything he taught me. I owe him this win. Ughhhh! Why is my chest banging? Okay. Calm down Serah. Breeeeathe. In…hmphhhhhh out… phewwwwwww. Nope. This s**t doesn't work. I pick up the mask again. Put it on. Tie it tight. Grab my silver clutch purse. Look at myself one last time in the mirror. Good! Time to go! … The car door opens, my sharp heels click on the ground first. I step out slowly like I'm used to this life, like I belong to the elite class. I fling back my long brown wavy hair, then stood for some seconds looking up. Château de Auguste Mansion. Of course it’s massive. One of the biggest and finest in Milan. Of course it looks like something out of a royal fantasy. Too perfect. Too polished. It just screams, “I have more than you, and I want you to know it.” I stare up at it for a second longer than I should. Tall gates. Marble stairs. Lights designed around it like jewelry around a neck. Ughhh. Rich people and their obsession with showing off. I step through the entrance with quiet confidence. My heels tap against the floor, slow and steady. And am I getting the stares? Yassss! Nobody would walk pass this beauty without stealing some glance. The inside is even more ridiculous. Crystal chandeliers. Velvet curtains. Art I’m sure would cost more than a small country. Xavier Auguste is sure not a small man. And the people?  Everyone in this ball smells f*cking expensive. Like sin and greed. Drinking. Dancing away. Laughing like the world  belongs to them.  It kinda does. A masked waiter stops in front of me. Tall and Handsome. Left hand thrown behind him. He serves me a slight nod offering a glass of champagne. I smile just enough and take it of course. I know I look like I belong here. That’s the trick I always pull. Hmmmmm, delicious! If this wine was poison I'd still drink it. I sit at a corner table. My mind is not exactly here for drinks. It’s watching. Scanning. Calculating. I trace the edges of the room with my eyes. Two exits.  One hallway leads to the east wing, I already crossed that off, there's too many guards. The main stairway is probably a dead end. Too obvious. The tiny entrance behind the statue, hidden near the east pillar. That's the one! Most people wouldn’t notice it, but I’m not most people. I found it when I blended in with the event planning crew three days ago. That tiny entrance leads to the old wine hall, then through a maintenance hallway then straight to the vault corridor. Timing is everything. But right now? I just have to wait. Look pretty. Blend in. My eyes drift back to the crowd. Rich men in suits and golden masks. Women dripping in diamond jewelry I'm sure they didn't buy themselves. Everyone pretends to be mysterious behind their masks, but it’s all the same underneath. Greed. That’s what I see. Greed. Privilege. Power. They don’t care who they step on. They take and they steal and they swallow everything from the weak. And smile while doing it. That’s why I do what I do. I like to see them burn in agony, I like to see them lose what's precious to them. Just like they did to my family. My fingers tighten slightly around the glass. It's Almost time! I slide past the marble statue. Left turn. Ten steps, then turn right. Just like I rehearsed it three days ago. There it is! the staff corridor. No one looks this way. They never do. I walk like I belong. Like I’m supposed to be here. My shoulders are straight, mask tight, eyes forward. The hallway is quiet. Cold, very empty. Just the way I like it. I passed the silver food carts, the folded chairs, the crates. Everything exactly how I remembered it from my event planning visit. These rich arseholes don't pay attention to hidden places, they only show off! I reach the back utility door. Fingerprint scanner, keypad, camera above successfully deactivated. I smile to myself. They really think this is secure? Scuffs. I pull out my device from the slit in my thigh. Tiny, flat, matte black, Custom-coded. I slide it into the scanner port and tap twice. The lights blink, Red... Red… then Green, then my sigh of relief! Welcome, Ghost! The female AI voice greets me. Dante named the tool “Ghost” Said it fits me. We've passed the hard step, the keypad is easier. They use birthdays too much. Xavier’s mother’s, I’m sure of it. I press the numbers and the lock clicks open. And we’re in! In here, the air is warmer. Clean red rug sprayed on the floor must be the reason for its warmth. I pull off my heels, barefoot now, this moment is delicate. There are lasers! My heart thuds. Two motion sensors. I crouch low and breathe deep. One slide across the floor, Pause. Wait for the sensor to blink. Then roll. Dante would be proud. I reach the vault door. It's just a tiny silver and steel door, two people can't walk in at the same time. I press my palm to it. The lock system is old tech mixed with new. Fingerprint? My device takes care of that. One scan. The door opens slowly. And what’s behind it is a thick and still kind of silence. I step in. Xaviers Auguste’s private vault! I wonder what Dante's face would look like when I come back with his stuff. No piles of gold, no giant safe. Just shelves. What’s on these shelves? Paintings. Real paintings. Old books with golden edges. A diamond brooch that once sat on a dead queen's throat. A Fabergé egg. Emerald rings that could pay for a country. Then I see it! In the glass case, center of the room. Blood red f*cking diamond neckpiece! It’s tiny shelf is lit like it’s the only thing in the vault. The diamond choker. I walk closer, slowly. If a woman wore this, and you stare from afar, you would think her throat had been slashed and tiny drops of blood coming down the wound. What an absolute masterpiece! I stared at it. They call it the Crimson Mercy neckpiece. A one-of-a-kind artifact from a lost empire. The legend says the diamonds were pulled from the crown of a murdered empress. Christ! It must be worth $50 million. Maybe more. I almost forget to breathe. Focus, Serah. I check the case. Infrared sensors, glass-pressure detection. Thank God I saw that!  If I touched that shelf without deactivating it, the alarm would start blaring off, announcing to everyone that Serah Saint-clair is in the vault! Of course. I open my pouch. Pull out my heat neutralizer. I wrap it carefully around the glass. Place my chip scanner on the side. Tap. Tap. The alarm’s off. I slid the glass open and slowly reached in. My fingers brush the jewels. It’s heavier than it looks. Warm from the heat of the light inside its shelf. I lift it gently. God, it’s perfect! I press it to my chest just for a second, imagining how it would look on me. Like royalty. I quickly open the pouch sewn into the lining of my dress To slip it in. “Your audacity is really impressive, isn’t it, young lady?” Uuuuuuhhhhh! That was the longest, jumpscare gasp of my entire f*cking life! I freeze. The voice is deep! Masculine! Cold! The choker slips from my startled fingers and falls. Clink! It hits the floor. My stomach drops with it. My mouth still wide open I spin around, slowly. My heart’s in my throat. My chest rising too fast. Who… How…?