🎭 Chapter 10
Midnight struck with a haunting chime that echoed through Grangehall's halls like a funeral bell. The Winter Masquerade—meant to be glamour and mystery—had begun to rot at the edges.
The guests, now emboldened by darkness and champagne, began removing their masks. Slowly. Almost ceremonially.
Each drop of silk or porcelain revealed faces Seraphina hadn't seen in years.
Faces that had once applauded her family.Faces that had signed her father's ruin.Faces that now smiled again—like vultures waiting for a second feast.
She clutched the silver phoenix mask in her hand, her knuckles white. Beside her, Lucien stood motionless, his expression unreadable, jaw tight with restraint.
From across the ballroom, Evelyn watched her. Calm. Composed. As if this entire show was her orchestration—and perhaps it was.
⚖️ The Ledger and the Lie
Ivy stood at the edge of the room, heart pounding against her ribs. She held the folded parchment close, almost crumpling it in her sweaty grip.
The ledger.It was proof. Names. Dates. Signatures.It confirmed everything Evelyn had said… and more. It not only showed the falsified documents used to destroy the Langley fortune but also exposed those within the Atrium who had profited from it.
But the man in the silver mask had promised something too:A fresh start.A new identity.A safe life for her brother.
The ballroom felt like a battlefield. Seraphina stood tall, glowing in defiance. Lucien was already drawing battle lines in his mind. Evelyn played a deeper game.
Ivy was the only one who hadn't picked a side.And time was out.
She stepped forward. The noise faded around her. She reached Seraphina—and handed her the ledger.
Seraphina blinked. "What's this?"
"The truth," Ivy said. "All of it. Do with it what I couldn't."
And then she walked away.
💥 Trigger
Lucien took the ledger and flipped through the first few pages. His eyes narrowed.
"It's all here," he muttered. "Everything."
Evelyn joined them, her lips tight. "Now you understand why I let myself die."
Before Seraphina could respond, a sudden scream tore through the ballroom.
Then—bang.A gunshot.
Glass shattered. Guests ducked. The chandelier trembled from the force.
Seraphina dropped to the ground, Lucien shielding her with his body.
Evelyn didn't flinch.
From the mezzanine above, a figure in a deep blue coat and bronze half-mask stepped forward, aiming a silver pistol.
His voice rang out, cold and familiar.
"I told you the ashes wouldn't be enough, Seraphina."
She looked up—eyes widening.
"Gideon."
Her former fiancé.The man who had vanished after her father's death.The man who had once said he would burn the world if she ever betrayed him.
💔 Betrayal in Blood
"You all thought I'd stay silent," Gideon said, walking slowly down the grand staircase, the gun never wavering. "While you rebuilt your empire on the bones of mine."
Evelyn stepped forward, calm. "Put the weapon down, Gideon. You're not ready for what comes next."
"I don't take orders from ghosts," he spat.
Seraphina stood shakily. "Gideon, if this is revenge—"
"It's justice."
"No," she said softly. "It's cowardice."
He faltered. For just a moment. Then he aimed—not at her—but at Ivy, who had just returned to the edge of the ballroom.
Lucien moved fast—pulling his concealed weapon and firing.
The sound cracked the air.
Gideon staggered back, blood blooming through his coat.
But as he fell, he smiled.
"You're too late," he whispered.
And then he was gone.
🩸 The Aftermath
Blood stained the marble.
Guests screamed and scrambled. Guards arrived seconds too late.
Lucien holstered his weapon, trembling just enough for Seraphina to notice.
Evelyn crouched beside Gideon's body. "He was just a pawn. There's a larger move coming."
Ivy was pale, shaking. "I—I didn't know…"
Seraphina pulled her close. "You did enough. You chose right."
She held the ledger up. "Now we fight properly."
Lucien looked at her, face unreadable. "This changes everything. If we go public, the Atrium won't just come for you. They'll come for all of us."
"I'm not afraid," she said.
"Good," Evelyn whispered. "Because this was just their opening act."
🕯️ End of Chapter 10