The city slept, but the streets were alive with whispers of fear.Hadia moved through the night like a phantom, her black coat flowing, heels clicking on wet cobblestones.She was untouchable. Merciless. A queen of shadows.
And yet… every heartbeat carried a memory of him.Zain.
He had followed the trail — every hint, every shadow, every whisper led him closer.Tonight, he didn't just want to see her…He wanted to face the truth of what she had become, and what he still felt.
They met at the abandoned theater, the stage still echoing with forgotten applause.Hadia stepped from the shadows, dagger in hand, eyes cold and lethal.
"You shouldn't have come," she said, voice a mixture of warning and temptation."I'm not the girl you loved. I'm the storm now."
Zain took a step forward, letting the rain soak his hair, letting the thunder echo around them."I don't care what you've become.I don't care about the storm.I care about you.And I won't leave until I know you're mine… even if it kills me."
Hadia's eyes flickered.She wanted to laugh — or cry — or strike him down.Instead, she let a smirk play on her lips.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
"No," he whispered, stepping closer, voice rough and low."Because I can't quit you.Not now. Not ever."
For the first time, the walls she had built around her heart cracked.The mafia queen, the deadly phantom, the woman who had faked her death…She was trembling.
Zain's hand brushed hers — a single, dangerous touch.Her pulse skipped.Her dagger wavered.Her heart betrayed her.
The silence broke with the sound of boots on the stage.Ahil's men had tracked them down — unaware of the storm they had walked into.
Hadia's eyes narrowed."Perfect timing," she whispered, lethal grin curling her lips."Let's remind them why no one crosses the Crimson Masquerade."
Steel clashed. Bullets whizzed. Shadows danced.Zain fought beside her, their movements synchronized, hearts pounding, bodies brushing in ways that neither could ignore.Enemies? Lovers? Neither label fit anymore.They were fire and flame, chaos and desire intertwined.
When the dust settled, Ahil's men lay defeated.Hadia leaned against a pillar, breathing heavily.Zain stepped close, fingers brushing wet strands of her hair from her face.
"You're insane," she whispered, voice soft, almost vulnerable."Maybe," he replied, voice low and rough, "but I've been waiting for you my whole life."
Her lips trembled — temptation, desire, and danger all rolled into one."You're reckless," she breathed."And maybe… that's exactly why I… can't stay away."
Rain poured outside, drenching them, washing the blood and chaos around them.And in that storm, two hearts once torn apart began to beat together again, dangerous and unstoppable.