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The clock struck 7:00 PM. The mountain air had turned into a biting chill, and the sky was a bruised indigo. Gabriella walked down the winding path toward the base of the mountain, her mind a chaotic storm. She was still reeling from the lock she'd seen at the summit—Felix & Jane.
She wore her chic denim jacket pulled tight against her, her boots clicking softly on the gravel. Beside her, Felix walked with a casual, predatory grace, his hands in his pockets. But his eyes—sharp as a hawk's—were scanning the thickening shadows.
Out of the darkness, a figure emerged. A stranger, face hidden behind a black tactical mask, moved toward them with a rhythmic, terrifying speed. Gabriella was lost in her thoughts, unaware of the predator closing in.
Felix's eyes narrowed into slits. He saw the glint of steel—a serrated hunting knife clutched in the stranger's hand.
"Gabriella!" Felix barked.
Before she could even turn her head, Felix moved. In one cinematic blur, he grabbed her waist, spun her around, and pulled her flush against his chest. The world tilted. Gabriella's breath hitched as she found herself pinned to his solid frame, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Felix's hand moved to the nape of her neck, his fingers gripping her hair in a fierce, protective hold. He buried his face against her shoulder, shielding her, but his eyes stayed over her shoulder—deadly, cold, and vibrating with a terrifying fury.
With his other hand, Felix caught the stranger's wrist in mid-air. The sound of bone nearly snapping echoed in the quiet air. Felix's grip was like molten iron. The stranger gasped, the knife slipping from his numb fingers. Felix snatched the blade out of the air with lightning speed.
Seeing the battle lost, the masked figure ripped his arm away and vanished into the pitch-black woods.
"Felix?" Gabriella whispered, her voice trembling. She was trapped in his embrace, completely unaware that a blade had been inches from her spine.
Felix didn't answer immediately. He tucked the knife into the inner lining of his midnight-blue jacket, hiding it perfectly. He let her go, his expression shifting from a killer to a flirt in a heartbeat.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice breathless and confused.
Felix stepped forward, his eyes dark and unreadable. Gabriella took a step back, her heels hitting the dirt. He smirked—a sharp, mocking twist of his lips.
"I don't like our dates to be bland, Gabriella," he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous velvet. "It should be..." He leaned closer, his face inches from hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. "...something more interesting."
Gabriella froze, caught off-guard by the sudden shift in energy. A strand of her hair blew across her face in the breeze; Felix reached out, his fingers brushing her skin with a ghost of a touch as he moved it away.
Overwhelmed, Gabriella stumbled back, her boot catching on a rock. She braced for the fall, but Felix's hand shot out, locking around her waist and pulling her back upright.
"Do you think falling is a better option than getting close to me?" he mocked, his eyes dancing with a dark light.
Gabriella didn't reply. She couldn't. She wrenched herself free and rushed toward the car, her cheeks burning with a mix of rage and an emotion she refused to name.
Felix watched her walk away, the suave smile staying on his face until she slammed the car door shut.
The moment her back was turned, his smile vanished. He turned toward the woods where the stranger had disappeared. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife he'd snatched.His phone chimed...it's a message from unknown number. Felix read it lower voice only he could hear " You can't rescue her next time".
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The Bloody Evidence
The morning sun hit the living room floor, but Gabriella felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. She was curled up on the sofa, mindlessly flipping through channels, when the doorbell rang. A courier stood there with a thick, plain envelope.
"For Gabriella," he said. She signed for it, her heart starting to thud against her ribs. She ripped the seal open, and a single high-definition photo slid out. Her eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat. The world seemed to tilt.
The Secret in the Frame
Couple of Hours later, the atmosphere had shifted from a quiet morning to the glittering, suffocating noise of a Luxury Grand Party. The ballroom was a sea of crystal chandeliers and expensive perfume. Dona looked stunning in a shimmering cocktail dress, but her face was pale as she stared at the photo Gabriella held.
Gabriella was dressed to kill in a floor-length night blue silk gown, her hair pinned back in a sharp, elegant style. But her eyes were cold, reflecting none of the party's light.
"Why is he there?" Dona whispered, her voice shaking.
"I can't believe my own eyes," Gabriella replied, her voice a dangerous, low vibration.
The photo was chilling. It showed Raina standing over a lifeless body—Kevin. Her hands were stained a deep, horrific crimson. But standing just a few feet away, partially hidden in the shadows of the alleyway, was Jake.
"If I'm not wrong," Dona hesitated, looking around to ensure no one was listening, "Jake was there the night Raina killed Kevin. He's behind the murder too, isn't he?"
Gabriella scoffed, a sound of pure, jagged pain. "You're half right. Jake is there... but I know him. He doesn't have the heart to kill someone. He must have found Raina right after she did it."
"But that means he helped her!" Dona countered. "He helped a murderer get away with it. How could he do that?"
"He would do anything to save his 'bestie,'" Gabriella said, her nose turning red as she fought back tears of betrayal. Her voice sounded tired, worn down by years of lies. "I'm the fool. All this time, I believed him. I loved him. And the whole time, he was silently protecting her, even though he knew Kevin was my best friend."
Dona grabbed Gabriella's hand. "Please, calm down. People are looking."
They stood in the corner of the crowded hall, two girls in beautiful dresses carrying a secret that could burn the building down. Gabriella looked Dona dead in the eye, her expression hardening into something unbreakable.
"I'm sure he didn't kill Kevin," Gabriella whispered coldly. "But he's just as guilty for the cover-up. Now, there's only one question left."
Gabriella tucked the photo into her clutch bag, her fingers brushing against the cold silk. She scanned the room, her eyes landing on the VIP section where the elite were laughing over champagne.
"We have to find out who sent these pictures to me," Gabriella said.
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The Queen's Arrival
Suddenly, the crowd erupted into chatter. A matte-black luxury limousine pulled up to the entrance. The door opened, and Raina stepped out. She looked breathtakingly elegant—and dangerous. She wore a plunging crimson velvet dress with diamonds dripping from her neck, looking every bit the "hot" billionaire heir everyone expected.
Gabriella didn't flinch. She watched from above as Raina bathed in the attention. Bianca stepped forward, hugging her daughter tightly. But as Raina's eyes scanned the crowd, they stopped dead on the balcony.
Raina's smile vanished. Her face turned to ice. For a heartbeat, the world stopped as their eyes locked—a battle between fire and stone.
"Why is she here?" Raina hissed into her mother's ear, her voice trembling with sudden agitation.
"She represents Gabriella Enterprises," Bianca replied calmly. "She's here on behalf of her father. Ignore her."
"Ignore her?" Raina scoffed, her fury rising. "She's here to ruin my day, Mom! She's the girl who humiliated me in front of the whole school!"
"She can't do anything here," Bianca warned. "Stay calm."
Raina began her walk through the center of the ballroom, accepting bouquets and shaking hands with business tycoons. Every step she took brought her closer to where Gabriella stood waiting at the foot of the grand staircase.
As Raina approached, Gabriella's mind flashed with a haunting movie of the past: Lara falling from the roof... the knife striking Kevin's hand... the pool of blood.
Gabriella's face was a mask of cold, beautiful silence. Raina reached her and extended a hand, a fake, mocking smile returning to her lips.
"Hi, Gabriella," Raina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Gabriella reached out as if to take her hand, but at the last second, she pulled back. The crowd gasped as Raina's hand hung in the empty air. Before Raina could snap, Gabriella lunged forward and pulled her into a tight, sisterly hug.
To the photographers, it looked like a reunion of old friends. But inside the embrace, the temperature dropped to zero.
Gabriella leaned into Raina's ear, her voice a jagged, deadly whisper.
"Do you really think I'd let you live your life after you killed Lara? No. As I told you before... you will die by my hand."
Raina's eyes froze. A paralyzing terror took over her body.
Gabriella pulled back, a sweet, innocent smile on her face for the cameras. She turned and walked away, leaving Raina standing like a statue in the middle of her own celebration.
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To be Continued...
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