I WANT AGAIN..

A Storm in the Ballroom

The crystal chandelier casts a golden glow over the elegant assembly, where ladies and gentlemen exchange pleasantries, their smiles hidden behind fans and champagne glasses.

The music of a quartet fills the air, wrapping the room in a soft harmony.

Darkos Valebridge enters the grand salon, looking detached, a glass of brandy in hand.

His tall stature and dark presence contrast sharply with the liveliness of the evening.

His jet-black hair falls slightly over his forehead, and his piercing gaze sweeps across the crowd with a touch of boredom—

Until he sees her.

Ophélia Sinclair is spinning on the dance floor, her radiant smile lighting up her face.

Dressed in a midnight blue gown embroidered with silver, she seems to be dancing with the entire world

—carefree and breathtaking.

Every movement, every laugh, every sway of her body tells a story of freedom and defiance.

A shiver runs down Darkos’ spine.

He has never felt such a raw attraction before.

She is different—too wild, too untamed.

And yet, he can’t look away.

Ophélia immediately senses the weight of his gaze.

As she twirls, her eyes lock onto his.

The intensity in them makes her smile—a playful, almost provocative smile.

Without hesitation, she steps off the dance floor and walks toward him, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

— Lord Valebridge,

She greets him with a slight tilt of her head, her voice laced with teasing sweetness.

— I didn’t know you attended such social gatherings.

— Lady Sinclair,

He replies smoothly.

— I didn’t know dancing could be such a formidable weapon.

She raises an eyebrow, amused.

— That depends on the opponent,

She murmurs, running her fingertip along the rim of his glass.

The challenge is set.

Darkos, always in control of himself, is surprised to feel the pull of her game.

Ophélia dances with words as effortlessly as she dances on the floor—with a confidence that leaves no room for indifference.

— If you’re so skilled, then show me,

She dares, extending her hand toward him.

He hesitates for a fraction of a second.

Then, in a rare impulse, he takes her hand and leads her onto the floor.

And as they dance, gazes linger, breaths shorten.

They barely speak, yet every movement, every touch, every exchanged smile vibrates with an electric tension.

Darkos already knows it’s too late.

Ophélia Sinclair is not a woman one forgets.

She is a storm.

And he is being swept away.

---

A Sudden Awakening

I wake up with a jolt.

I let out an annoyed sigh.

I haven’t had this dream in years.

It seems that every time I’m in this city, I’m forced to relive the entire story of Darkos and Ophélia Sinclair.

As if it were some kind of warning.

Honestly, the whole Darkos and Ophélia thing reminds me a little of me and Banks.

I don’t know why, but that’s exactly the feeling I get.

The sound of my little brother’s snores pulls me out of my thoughts.

I sit up and glance around.

Yeah, this is definitely my room.

And that is definitely my little brother sleeping in my bed.

I roll my eyes and, without hesitation, shove him off.

He crashes to the floor like a bag of bricks.

With a groggy groan, he sits up.

The moment he sees me, his expression goes blank, as if he instantly understands.

— I don’t even want to know…

— Yeah, me neither. Now get out of my room. It’s already morning.

— Yeah, yeah… Mom.

He mutters, settling comfortably on the floor.

I sigh, getting up.

On my way to the bathroom, an idea crosses my mind.

I fill a bucket with cold water.

Moving quietly, I approach him—

And dump it all over his head.

His hangover vanishes instantly as he jerks awake, drenched and furious.

He glares at me, murder in his eyes.

— I’m telling Mom.

He storms out, while I’m doubled over, laughing so hard I’m crying.

— Tell Martina to bring a mop while you’re at it!

I barely manage to get the words out between my gasps for air.

My phone vibrates, pulling my attention away.

— Where the hell are you?? The trial is about to start—hurry up and get here!

I smirk as I read the message.

Humming to myself, I head to the shower.

— I have a feeling today’s going to be a great day…

---

Banks Ross – Flashback

I was about eleven when I met Leo.

Long story short—he caught my interest immediately.

At fourteen, he was already a real computer genius.

And I needed someone like him on my team.

Troy had been in town for a year by then and had already joined a crew.

Leo was part of it, too.

But that wasn’t my problem.

I had already decided—I was stealing Leo from that crew.

He was going to be mine.

Granted, my “crew” only had one other person in it at the time.

But that was beside the point.

To get Leo on my side, I had a simple plan:

Challenge him.

Leo loved challenges.

And I was about to give him one I knew I could win.

— Mom, I’m heading over to Mom Hilary’s for a bit.

— Okay, sweetheart. Don’t be late for dinner tonight… Oh, and if you could pick up Promise on the way, that would be great.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond.

Promise.

I couldn’t stand that girl.

You’ll see for yourselves.

Remember my very first crush? The one I had when I was three?

Yeah.

Promise is the daughter of my childhood crush—

The illegitimate daughter of the husband of my mom’s best friend.

Personally, I preferred Ways, the legitimate daughter.

We were the same age.

And we both hated Promise.

Grabbing my bag, I left to find the driver, making sure he knew we were heading to Violet’s house—Mom’s best friend.

I barely stepped inside before calling out:

— Good afternoon, ma’am, I greeted politely.

— I’m here to pick up Ways and Promise.

She greeted me warmly with a kiss on the cheek before calling for her daughters.

As soon as they arrived, Ways flung herself at me.

Promise, on the other hand, walked past me without so much as a hello and climbed into the car.

Ways said goodbye to her mother, and together, we headed to Hilary’s house—our next stop.