ᴄʀɪᴍꜱᴏɴ ᴠᴏᴡꜱ ||ᴋ.ᴛʜ||

⁵ᡣ𐭩

I V A N O C    A L Y N A

I watched Taehyung disappear into the crowd, my heart hammering against my chest. Every nerve in my body screamed for me to leave, but I couldn't. Not yet. I had to figure out what was going on, who to trust, and how to protect myself.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, the cold bubbles doing nothing to soothe my nerves. Luka was mingling with his business associates, the mask of the charming host firmly in place. No one in this room knew what he was really like.

But I did.

His words echoed in my mind. *"We discard her."* He had no intention of keeping me safe, no intention of letting me have any real freedom. I was a pawn in his game, and Taehyung... he was the wildcard.

I glanced at the door leading to the garden and slipped out quietly, hoping for a moment to collect myself. The air was crisp, the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass filling my lungs as I tried to calm down.

But it didn't last long.

Footsteps crunched behind me, and I turned sharply, my breath catching in my throat. A tall figure stepped out from the shadows. Taehyung.

"Running away already?" His voice was low, teasing.

"I needed air," I replied, my voice steady despite the panic rising inside me.

He moved closer, his eyes gleaming under the dim garden lights. "You don't seem like the type to back down easily. Or am I wrong?"

I straightened my shoulders, refusing to let him see my fear. "You think you know me, but you don't."

His lips curled into a smirk, and for a brief moment, I saw something in his eyes-something dangerous. But also something human, something real. "You're right. I don't. But I'm good at reading people, Alyna. And you... you're a mystery."

I laughed, though it came out more bitter than I intended. "A mystery? More like a prisoner."

His gaze sharpened, and for a second, I saw a flicker of something-was it pity? Concern? Whatever it was, it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "You think Luka's the one holding the chains? Think again."

I blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Taehyung stepped even closer, until there was only a breath of space between us. His voice was a soft whisper, but it carried the weight of something far more ominous. "Luka isn't the only one you need to be wary of. Everyone around you is playing their own game, Alyna. Including me."

My heart dropped. There was no way out. I was trapped in a web of deceit, surrounded by people who only saw me as a means to an end. I needed help, but who could I trust?

"Then what do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes boring into mine. "I haven't decided yet."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing in the garden, the weight of his words pressing down on me.

K I M   T A E H Y U N G

As I walked back into the ballroom, the sound of laughter and music filled the air, but all I could think about was Alyna.

She was different from anyone I had ever met. Most people in my world were predictable-driven by greed, fear, or ambition. But Alyna... she was something else. She wasn't playing the game because she wanted to. She was being forced into it, just like me.

And that made her dangerous.

I found Luka near the bar, surrounded by his usual sycophants. He glanced at me as I approached, his smile never faltering.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, raising a glass in mock salute.

I nodded, my face carefully neutral. "Your sister's an interesting one."

Luka chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "She is, isn't she? But don't let her fool you, Taehyung. She's not as innocent as she looks."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Luka always thought he knew everything, that he was the puppet master pulling all the strings. But he didn't see the storm brewing right under his nose.

"She's smart," I said, keeping my tone casual. "Might be harder to control than you think."

Luka waved a hand dismissively. "She'll fall in line, just like everyone else."

I didn't respond, but inside, I knew Luka was underestimating Alyna. She wasn't going to fall in line easily. And part of me... part of me didn't want her to.

As the night wore on, I found myself watching Alyna from a distance. She moved through the crowd with grace, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape.

She was trapped. Just like I had been.

And that thought unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

But this was just the beginning. Luka had plans, and so did I. Alyna was at the center of it all, whether she knew it or not.

And as much as I tried to keep my distance, there was something about her that drew me in.