Just Once

Chapter23-Sofia

Zayden didn't move.

He stood there, his hands loose at his sides, his expression unreadable even as my knife pressed against his ribs. He should've been furious. Shocked. Betrayed. But instead, he looked at me with something that almost resembled amusement.

As if he had expected this.

As if he had been waiting for it.

A slow smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, and a dangerous glint flickered in his dark eyes.

"But you thought you were the only sly fox here," he murmured.

A sliver of unease crept up my spine.

I kept my face blank, my grip steady. "What are you playing at, Zayden?"

His smirk deepened. "That's the question, isn't it?"

Before I could react, his hand moved—lightning-fast, knocking my wrist just enough to loosen my grip. The knife clattered against the marble pavement as I took a sharp step back, reaching for my gun instead.

But the moment my fingers brushed against the handle, I felt it.

A sharp click.

My own gun, pressed right under my jaw.

Zayden had moved behind me in an instant, his grip firm yet infuriatingly controlled. His breath was steady against my skin, calm, assured, as if this had been his plan all along.

My pulse pounded.

He had outplayed me.

But this wasn't over.

"Careful, darling," he murmured, his voice deceptively soft. "You wouldn't want to make any sudden moves."

I forced a smirk, despite the cold metal against my skin. "You won't shoot me."

His fingers flexed against the gun. "Won't I?"

"You still don't know the full picture." I turned my head slightly, just enough to meet his eyes. "And you hate not knowing."

Something flickered in his gaze, but he didn't lower the gun.

I exhaled slowly. "Think, Zayden. If I wanted you dead, I could have ended this long ago. But I didn't."

His jaw tightened. He was listening, even if he didn't want to.

"I know you, Zayden. I know how you operate. And I know you're too smart to pull the trigger without being absolutely sure of the consequences." I angled my chin slightly. "So, tell me. Are you sure?"

A tense silence stretched between us.

Then, slowly, Zayden lowered the gun.

But he didn't step back.

Neither did I.

Our faces were inches apart, our breaths mingling in the cold night air. The weight of everything between us—the lies, the betrayals, the unspoken truths—hung heavy.

"You still haven't answered my question," I murmured. "What are you playing at?"

Zayden studied me for a long moment. Then, he tilted his head, his smirk returning—calm, controlled, but laced with something else.

Something dangerous.

"You'll see soon enough, Petal."

And just like that, the game had shifted again.