The office always felt different at night. Quieter. Softer. The walls that carried footsteps and phone calls during the day now held silence. Only the soft hum of the air conditioner and the faint city lights from the windows broke through.
Luna liked it this way. The silence made her sharper. More dangerous.
She stood in front of the mirror in the restroom, carefully reapplying her lip gloss. It wasn't necessary, but it was part of the plan. The reflection staring back at her didn't look like the girl who lost everything years ago. Tonight, she looked like a woman in control. And that was exactly who she needed to be.
Adrian Cole thought he was just finishing a long work week. He didn't know tonight would be the first move in the game she had been planning since she was seventeen.
She smoothed her hair back, checked the small recording device hidden behind the flower vase on the corner table earlier that day, then walked toward his office.
Adrian was still at his desk when she stepped inside. His tie was loose, sleeves rolled up, his eyes fixed on the documents in front of him. The soft yellow light from the desk lamp framed him in a way that made him look less like the intimidating CEO everyone saw, and more like a man who forgot what rest felt like.
"You're still here," she said lightly, closing the door behind her.
He looked up, surprised, then relaxed when he saw her. "And you're still here too," he replied. "Shouldn't you be at home by now?"
She held up the two cups of coffee in her hands. "I thought you could use a break. You've been at it all day."
His mouth curved slightly. "Thoughtful of you."
"It's what good assistants do," she teased softly, walking closer to set the coffee on his desk.
For a moment, their hands brushed as he reached for the cup. She didn't move back. Neither did he.
Luna leaned against the edge of his desk, acting casual. Inside, her heart was beating faster—not from nerves but from the rush of being in control.
"You work too much," she said quietly.
"That's what this job takes," Adrian replied. "You'll learn."
She tilted her head. "Maybe. But everyone needs a little distraction sometimes."
Something in his expression changed. Not much. Just a flicker. He leaned back in his chair, studying her like he was seeing something he hadn't noticed before.
"Is that what you're here to be, Luna? A distraction?"
She smiled, a small, deliberate one. "Maybe."
Her voice was soft but steady. She didn't stumble over words. She didn't blush. She wanted him to look at her and see someone dangerous wrapped in silk.
He exhaled slowly. "You shouldn't play games with people like me."
"Who said I was playing?" she whispered.
Across town, Lila paced their living room. She'd seen the way Luna looked when she left the house earlier—lip gloss too perfect, top too daring for an ordinary work night. Luna wasn't just staying late to file reports. She had that look again. The one she used to have when their father was alive. The one that meant trouble.
Lila picked up her phone, then set it down again. Calling Luna wouldn't change anything. Her twin never listened when her mind was set. But a deep, uneasy feeling sat heavy in her chest. She didn't trust this plan anymore—not the way Luna was enjoying it.
Back in the office, the tension between them grew thicker with every second. Adrian tried to focus on his work, but Luna moved closer—not in a rush, just slow, quiet steps that made the space between them feel too small.
She walked behind his chair, leaned down just slightly, and pointed at a graph on his laptop. "This isn't balanced. If the numbers drop again, the board will question it."
Her voice was close to his ear. Her perfume wrapped around him, light and sweet but distracting. He turned his head slightly to respond, and suddenly, their faces were inches apart.
He didn't pull away. Neither did she.
"You're observant," he said quietly.
"I'm good at paying attention to details," she whispered back.
Her breath brushed against his skin. It wasn't innocent. It wasn't meant to be.
"Why are you really here?" he asked after a moment.
She straightened slowly, meeting his eyes. "Maybe I like working with you."
"Or maybe," he said, standing to his full height, "you like testing me."
She gave a soft laugh, low and controlled. "Maybe both."
The office felt smaller now. The city lights through the glass windows painted faint silver lines across the floor, making everything look softer, more intimate. Adrian stepped closer without even realizing it. His hands were still at his sides, but the look in his eyes wasn't professional anymore.
And Luna knew she had him.
This was the moment she had imagined—Adrian Cole standing too close, looking at her like she was trouble he couldn't quite resist. Her heart wasn't supposed to skip, but it did. Just once. And that annoyed her.
She sat on the couch in the corner of his office, crossing her legs slowly, letting the silence pull him in. "You've been staring at those reports for hours," she said softly. "Sit. Take a break."
Adrian hesitated for half a second, then joined her. The air between them grew heavy, charged with everything unspoken.
Luna shifted slightly, turning to face him. She let her fingers rest lightly on his knee—not too much, just enough. He didn't move away.
"You shouldn't look at me like that," he murmured.
"And yet," she replied, her voice like silk, "you're still looking."
His jaw tensed. His hand brushed against hers, almost like a reflex. And in that quiet, Luna felt something shift—not in him, but in her. She hated it. She didn't plan to feel anything. But her pulse was louder than it should've been.
She pushed the thought aside.
Above them, the hidden camera blinked once. Quiet. Watching.
When she finally left the building, the night air hit her skin like cold water. She wrapped her arms around herself, walking slowly toward the street. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass doors—sharp, steady, victorious.
Step one was complete. Adrian Cole was letting her in, without even realizing it. Soon, she'd have everything she needed to break him.
But beneath the thrill, something small and unwanted lingered—a tiny piece of doubt she couldn't shake off.
Across town, Lila lay awake, staring at the ceiling. She didn't know what Luna was doing at that very moment, but deep down, she could feel it. The game had started. And when Luna started a game, someone always got hurt.
She just didn't know who it would be this time.