ᴄʀɪᴍꜱᴏɴ ᴠᴏᴡꜱ ||ᴋ.ᴛʜ||

⁴ᡣ𐭩

I V A N O C    A L Y N A

Paranoia wash over me. The note was cryptic, unsettling, and all too familiar, like the whispers that had been haunting me. My heart raced as I stared at it, trying to make sense of the words.

"Don't trust him."

Who? Taehyung? Luka? Ryker? It could be anyone, or it could be everyone. The walls of the mansion felt like they were closing in on me, each shadow hiding a potential threat.

I picked up the note, my fingers trembling. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the ink smudged slightly at the edges, as if written in haste. My mind raced with possibilities. Was this a warning? A message from an ally, or a trap meant to confuse me?

I crumpled the note in my hand, feeling the overwhelming urge to scream, to lash out, but I couldn't. The walls had ears, and I was never alone here. With Luka's power looming over me and Taehyung's arrival looming closer, I knew my every move was being watched.

I glanced out the window again, looking for the mysterious figure who had warned me before. He had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, but his warning still echoed in my mind. *"You're in danger."*

The truth was, I had been in danger long before Taehyung's name was ever mentioned. This life, this gilded cage, was a trap in itself, and no amount of luxury or pretended security could mask that.

Tomorrow night would be a test, a confrontation with the unknown. Taehyung was coming, and I had to be ready-not just for him, but for whatever game Luka was playing. But deep down, I knew that no matter how much I tried to prepare, I was already too far gone. Trust was a weapon in this world, and I had none left to give.

The shadows whispered again, but this time, I ignored them. I needed to survive, and to do that, I had to play the game better than anyone else.

The note slipped from my fingers, falling to the floor like a forgotten secret. Tomorrow would bring chaos, but for tonight, all I could do was wait.

I couldn't afford to break again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting a golden glow over the room. But even that light couldn't warm the cold dread that filled me. I had to meet Taehyung tonight. The man who was supposed to be my future, who already felt like my doom.

I dressed carefully, pulling on a simple black dress that clung to me like a second skin, making sure I looked perfect. Luka would expect nothing less. I didn't want him to know that my hands were trembling or that my heart was pounding in my chest like a trapped bird.

Tonight, I would see him again. Taehyung. The man with the cold, calculating eyes and the smirk that sent shivers down my spine.

I walked through the mansion halls, my heels clicking against the marble floors. My footsteps echoed in the vast emptiness, as if the walls themselves were whispering my fate. As I neared Luka's office, I could hear voices-Luka and Ryker, his right-hand man.