Chapter 15.

566 17 11
                                    

Her eyes
were full of stars.

EVERYTHING around Scylla dissolved, it was just him and her, faces so close, his scent filling her nose, his arms holding her body safely

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

EVERYTHING around Scylla dissolved, it was just him and her, faces so close, his scent filling her nose, his arms holding her body safely. She looked straight into his eyes and she could feel herself melt away, an unknown warmth expanding through her chest. "Gh– Andreas." She whispered under her breath.

A grin formed on his lips and he quickly pulled her body back up, before grabbing her hand into his and planting a soft kiss on the back of hers. Suddenly, she felt shy, a side of her that no one ever saw, "Honey, I need to go to the restroom." She excused herself before dashing away, grabbing the side of her dress to slightly lift it up so she wouldn't trip on it.

Her chest rose and fell quickly, what the hell just happened? It was just an act, remember. She kept on repeating in her mind. Panicked, she barged in the restroom and a few ladies inside eyed her suspiciously, "Oh, I'm so sorry." Scylla gave them a small nod before positioning in front of one of the mirrors.

Her cheeks were flushing a light veil of blush, what happened on the dance floor caught her completely off guard and she damned Ghost for it. He was pushing this act too far.

Taking deep breaths, she calmed down and was ready to return to the main hall. "Watcher to Scylla, how is it going?" Kate suddenly spoke. She felt embarrassment rose upon her, knowing that Kate was keeping an eye on them the whole time a probably saw them dancing so close.

"While you were dancing I saw Arseni looking at you, he will probably go for it, he's a sick bastard without limits." She added with a warning tone, meaning that Scylla had to be extra careful from now on.

*

Right after Kate warned me, I got out of the restroom, assuring that I didn't look like a tomato anymore. Walking back to the hall, the guests seemed many more than before and Ghost was nowhere to be seen, so I decided to blend in and grab another flûte of champagne from a passing waitress.

As I made my way through the crowd, a masculine voice spoke from behind me, and it felt directed to me, "Mein Gott, pretty lady, may I disturb you for a moment?" His thick accent seemed pretty much Austrian.

Instantly I turned around, only to face a chest, but when I raised my head I met a pair of blue eyes, lighter than mine. His face was hidden by a black mask covered with feathers of the same color, his blonde hair fell slightly on his forehead, like a messy look. He looked absolutely stunning, even with a mask.

But how tall was he? Surely over 6'.

"Good evening." I gave him a slight nod as a greeting and flashed him a small smile, hoping that he would just walk away and let me be. I needed to get this mission done.

"May I have this dance?" He offered his hand to me, which I wanted to cut off for wasting my precious time. "Oh, es tut mir leid, I'm looking for my husband." I blurted out, luckily I learnt many languages, it was a step forward.

"I'm not taking no as an answer." The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, forming a sweet smile that almost melted me. I forced a smile to return his and let out an exaggerated sigh, "Okay." I placed my hand in his and he brought me to the dance floor, once again.

An arm snuck around my waist and pulled me closer to him – suddenly my corset felt too tight, the room too hot, he was too close to me and I couldn't stand it. I had no idea why I felt this way with everyone, I just wanted my own personal space. "You're the prettiest lady here." He whispered while I placed my hands on his chest, awkwardly. He was a tower compared to me and I couldn't reach his shoulders.

"Thank you, if my husband ever finds us, he might kill you." I forced a nervous laugh and raised my gaze to look at him. Having him this close allowed me to take a better look at his face, my guts were screaming out loud that this man was too odd. "I can handle that." He flashed me another smile before grabbing my hand and letting me do a small spin, my gown expanding and shining as I did so.

His face lightened up at the view and he pulled me back to him, "What's your name, pretty lady?"

"Lydia. Yours?"

"König."

My eyebrows shot up, that was the strangest name I've ever heard. "Scylla, how copy?" Ghost's voice oozed from the earpiece, making me jump from the scare. "Scheiße, are you alright?" König asked, his tone laced with worry.

I nodded my frantically and slightly pushed his body away, "I have to go." I gave him an apologetic look but before I could even walk away, he grabbed my wrist to stop me. "Can I atleast have your number?"

I scoffed and pulled my wrist back, "I'm married." I lied and finally walked away, leaving him there. That was a big mistake from me, I had to keep my profile low and not attract a man, I mustn't mess up the mission at all costs.

When I thought I found a secluded area to respond, another masculine voice called out to me. Clearly directed at me, since I was the only one at the balcony.
"New faces are quite rare in my balls." The deep voice was laced with a thick russian accent and I immediately knew who it was.

Kate warned me about him. Arseni stood behind me, with a smug look on his face. His mask was lifted to his head, a long scar traced from his eyebrow to his eye, giving him an intimidating appearance. I didn't even know how to reply, his words could take on different meanings. "Good evening. I suppose you're the host," I leaned my back against the railing of the balcony, folding my arms to my chest.

"It's such a wonderful ball, I'm glad my husband was invited with a plus one." I flashed him a smile, even if deep down I wanted to just throw him a knife and knock him down – though we needed intel from this bastard.

His lips turned into a disgusting smirk, I hoped that Laswell and Ghost were listening to our little conversation, this was heading somewhere bad and if so, I needed absolutely back up.

"I know I do, wealth does wonders." He opened his arms and laughed sarcastically.

"Tell me, little ruby. Why are you all alone here?" With slow steps, he approached my spot, my chest was tightening up. When it came to facing men all alone, I instantly felt weak, powerless, helpless. Just like that little poor child.

The more I tried to push away my past, my traumas and memories, the more they came back.

I gulped down my nervousness, my knees were trembling and luckily my gown was long. "I was looking for my husband and I got lost." I simply replied and straightened my posture, before taking a few steps towards him.

"So, just a curiosity. What are you celebrating? I heard that you tend to throw parties like this when something goes successful." I tried to switch the subject, hoping to gain some intel, but I knew he wasn't that stupid.

"Thanks to a client.. let's say profits." He limited himself to reply, his eyes now scanning my figure head to toe. My stomach scrunched with disgust, "And I hit the jackpot tonight too. What would you do if you find the most beautiful gemstone?" His question made his intentions very clear.

"Leave it alone at its beauty." My voice came out trembling. He took steps closer until the closeness made me feel his strong cologne.

"I would take it and make it my own." A mischievous grin formed on his lips.

Sea of Temptation ; Simon Riley.Where stories live. Discover now