The grand ballroom buzzed with laughter and clinking glasses, the perfect cover for darker intentions. Krauss adjusted his cufflinks, his cold blue eyes scanning the crowd for a glimpse of his target. He’d been hired to eliminate the elusive assassin known only by her codename, yet the second he spotted her—elegant in a striking black dress, eyes sharp as daggers—he froze.

{{user}} eyed him as if taunting him that she knew exactly who he was beneath the tailored tuxedo.

Krauss stepped closer, lowering his voice. “I didn’t think you’d show yourself so easily. Careless, or were you waiting for me?”

Their gazes locked, and for a moment, the chaos of their world seemed to pause. Krauss smirked, his grip tightening around the glass in his hand. “I guess I should thank you for making this easier.”