THE BILLIONAIRE FAKE BRIDE

Rias pov What my life is about now is to take what was stolen from me back. Nothing else matters than that, not even being scared or trying to survive. That is why I am sitting in a place like this wearing a dress that's way too expensive for me, holding a glass of drink that I do not want to drink from and staring at a man who should not be in my life. Silas Vane is his name. From across the room he looks just like people say he is. Rich, powerful and completely in control. The more I watch him the more I think that something is not quite right. He does not seem to be enjoying himself. Even though the music was loud, the lights were wild. People are dancing like they are weightless but he just sits down there. He has a glass of liquor in his hand but he is not drinking it. His eyes are fixed on the glass like he is trying to see something at the bottom that he cannot quite reach. Two women are leaning in close to him laughing and touching him. He does not react. He does not even seem to notice them. That is good. It means he is distracted. That can work to my advantage. I adjusted the strap of my dress. Try to calm down. My heart is beating fast and I need to focus. I remind myself what this is really about. It is not a game, it is not exciting, it is a risk. If I fail tonight my father will not get another chance. That thought helps me to calm down and focus. I look down at my reflection in the glass table next to me. I look calm. Inside I am a mess. I see a storm brewing inside me. The Blue Sovereign is here. I need to get it. It is a collection of twelve diamonds. It is enough to stop the auction. It is enough to give my family something that was taken from us. It is enough to save my father. I put the glass down and stood up. The movement feels loud like the whole room will turn and stare at me. But no one notices me because I look like I belong. A man steps in front of me smelling like whiskey and bad decisions. He smiles at me. I do not smile back. I just keep walking. Then the air. I hear a voice. "I said, get out, " the voice says. It is low and sharp. It cuts through the noise. I do not need to look to know who it is. But I later did anyway it was Silas vane. Something about him has changed. The stillness has gone. The women around him freeze for a moment before they leave. His guards step in. Take them away. Silas does not watch them go, he just stares at his glass. Like nothing matters. Nothing exists. I turn away because that is not my problem. My problem is what he has taken from me. I walk towards the section keeping my pace steady. The guards at the entrance barely look at me because I look like I belong. I am another woman in a place where women like me are meant to blend in. The door opened. I step inside. The noise drops behind me. Silence presses in. My heels echo against the floor and each step feels louder than it should. I am heading for Suite 125. I check my phone quickly just to make sure. Then I slip it away. The hallway has no guards, no cameras and that should have stopped me but It does not. I tell myself it is because men like him are arrogant; they believe no one would dare to try anything. I reach the door. For a moment my hand hovers over the handle. Not because I am scared. Because of what comes after. There is no going back once I step inside. I push the door open. The room is just what I expected. My eyes move quickly taking everything in. Then they land on the bedroom. I move towards it now quieter. Then I see it. A silver case sitting on the bed out in the open. My breath catches it too easily. The pull is stronger and I move towards it. I reach the bed and my fingers touch the case. It is cool, smooth and real. I opened it. For a moment the world disappears. The Blue Sovereign is inside seven diamonds that shine like they have their light. That is not all but enough. They are cold, sharp and perfect. They demand to be seen. I picked one up. It feels heavier than it should, like it carries more than value. Like it remembers where it came from. I slip it into my purse. Then another. My hands are steady now. In and out just like I planned. I reach for the third. That is when I hear the voice. "You're a clumsy thief, little bird " the voice says. It comes from behind me too close. Everything inside me goes still not because I am scared. Because I am aware. I do not move away, I let the moment stretch. Then I slowly turn. Silas Vane is standing in the doorway watching me. He does not look surprised that this is the thing that feels wrong. No anger, no confusion, no shock. Quiet certainty like this is how the night was always going to end. My fingers tighten around the diamond still in my hand. I do not drop it, I do not step back. If I do I will lose before anything even begins. He pushes away from the door. Walks towards me slowly measured every step controlled. The distance between us disappears faster than I expect. The air changes with him warmer and heavier. I can smell the liquor on him now. His eyes are clear. too clear. His gaze drops briefly to my hand. Then lifts back to my face. Something shifts in his expression, not recognition, something deeper. Something that does not make sense. My pulse. I hold his stare. If this is where everything ends I am not going to look His hand moves fast. He catches my wrist before I can react. He pulls me forward. My back hits the edge of the desk behind me. The impact knocks the breath out of me for a second. I do not make a sound. The diamond slips from my fingers. Hits the floor. Neither of us looks at it, we just stare at each other. His grip is not rough. It is firm, certain. I try to break it. But I cannot. His thumb brushes lightly against my skin like he is testing something. Not controlling, but confirming. My breath catches once but it is enough. Because his eyes change, not towards me towards someone "Violet, " he says. The name lands between us, heavy wrong. I do not speak, I do not correct him. Because something, in the way he says it tells me he is not asking he already believes it. At that moment I understood something I did not plan for. This is not a theft anymore. I did not just walk into his room. I stepped into something more dangerous and walking out is no longer guaranteed.