Anya was in shock. A party? With him? At Oleg Kravtsov's house? The man who was her enemy was now asking her to pretend to be his lover. The idea was crazy, dangerous, and completely terrifying. But she saw the chance in his eyes. He wasn't just using her. He was giving her a choice, a way to be a part of his world, not as a victim, but as a player.
"A date?" she asked, her voice a small whisper. "Why?"
He looked at her, his stormy eyes serious. "Kravtsov has his spies everywhere. He's been trying to get inside my company, to find my weak spots. He's been watching me for a long time. I need him to think I have a new weakness. Something he can use against me. He needs to think I'm in love with someone. Someone he can use to hurt me."
Anya's mind spun. He wanted to use her as a bait. A trap. A way to get Kravtsov to show his hand. It was a terrible idea, and a very smart one.
"But I'm just a student," she said, her voice full of doubt. "He'll know. He'll know I'm not a part of your world."
He gave her a small, tired smile. "That's why you're perfect. He'll see you as a new weakness. A girl from a different world. He'll think he can get to you, that you're easy to break. He'll think he can use you to get to me."
He looked at her, his gaze intense. "But he won't know you. He won't know you're smart. He won't know you're strong. He won't know you have secrets of your own. And he won't know that you're playing him just as much as he's playing us."
Anya's heart was a drum against her ribs. It was a dangerous game, a game of life and death. But she had been a victim for too long. This was her chance to fight back.
"I need to look the part," she said, her voice now firm and clear. "I can't go to a party at Kravtsov's house in a student's clothes."
Lex nodded, a flicker of something that looked like approval in his eyes. "I know. My people will take care of everything. They'll get you a dress, shoes, everything you need. They'll make you look like a queen."
The next day was a whirlwind. A team of women came to Lex's house. They were all business, all silent. They took her measurements, they did her hair, they painted her nails. They were preparing her for a war, but they were doing it with makeup and expensive clothes.
She was given a beautiful red dress, a color of fire and danger. It clung to her curves, and it made her feel strong, powerful, and a little scared. The shoes were high, and the jewelry was a flash of diamonds and gold. When she looked in the mirror, she didn't see the student from the bad family. She saw a different person. A queen. A warrior. A player in a dangerous game.
Lex watched her from a distance, a cold, hard look on his face. He didn't say a word. He just looked at her, a silent king looking at his pawn.
When it was time to go, he was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a black suit, and he looked like a god of power and darkness. He held out his hand. His touch was cold, but firm. It was a promise, a silent agreement. We are in this together.
The car ride to Kravtsov's house was silent. Anya's mind was racing. What was her part in this? What was she supposed to do? What if he found out? What if he saw through her act?
She turned to Lex, her voice a whisper. "What do I do? What do I say?"
He looked at her, his stormy eyes intense. "You say nothing. You just smile. You just look at me. You look like you're in love. You look like you can't live without me. He'll see that. He'll think it's real. And he'll think you're the key to my weakness."
He looked at her, a strange, serious look on his face. "And you have to look out for something. Something that's not right. Something that doesn't fit. You have a talent for that. Use it."
They arrived at the house. It was bigger than Lex's, a fortress of white stone and bright lights. The music was loud, and the people were beautiful. They were the rich and the powerful, the people who owned the city. Anya felt a terrible sense of being an outsider, a girl who didn't belong.
Lex held her hand, his grip tight. He walked through the crowd, a king in his own world. People looked at them, their eyes full of surprise and interest. They all knew he was a cold man. They all knew he didn't have a woman. They all knew that this was a new thing. A new weakness.
Oleg Kravtsov met them at the entrance. He was a big man, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He looked at Anya, a long, assessing look. His eyes went from her face, to her dress, to her hand in Lex's. He was a predator, and she was a target.
"Lex," he said, his voice a low growl. "You brought a little friend. A pretty one. I didn't know you had it in you."
Lex's face was a mask of cold control. "She's not a friend, Oleg. She's mine."
Kravtsov laughed, a low, ugly sound. "Anya. A pretty name. Where did you find this little flower, Lex? In a garden?"
Lex's grip on Anya's hand tightened. "She's not a flower, Oleg. She's a lioness. You should be careful how you speak to her."
Anya just smiled, a small, cold smile. She looked at Lex, her eyes full of a fake love. She played her part. She was a lioness. She was a warrior. She was not a victim.
Kravtsov's eyes went from Lex to her, a small, cold light in them. He was thinking. He was planning. He had found what he was looking for. He had found Lex's weakness.
The party was a blur of noise and people. Lex kept her close. He would whisper in her ear, things about the people, things about his business. He was teaching her, training her, making her a part of his world.
They walked through the party, and Anya watched. She looked for the small things. The things that didn't fit. She saw a man, a big man with a long scar on his face, talking to Kravtsov's wife. She saw a small box, a black box, being handed to another man. She saw a lot of small, hidden things.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the other side of the room. A waiter had dropped a tray of glasses. Everyone turned to look. And in that moment of chaos, Anya saw it. A small flash of silver in Kravtsov's hand. He was holding something, something shiny. He quickly put it in his pocket, but Anya had seen it. It was a small, round button, with a symbol on it. A symbol of a bird.
Lex saw it too. His eyes went hard and cold. He looked at Anya, a quick, silent look. He knew she had seen it. He knew she had found something.
The party went on, but the mood was different. Kravtsov was smiling, but it was a cold, sharp smile. He knew he had them. He had seen their plan. He had seen their weakness. He thought he had won.
When they left, Lex's hand was a steel clamp on hers. He didn't speak in the car. He was thinking. He was planning.
Back at his house, he walked to a small table and poured two glasses of scotch. He gave one to Anya.
"The bird," he said, his voice low. "Did you see it?"
Anya nodded. "A small button. On his hand."
Lex drank the scotch in one gulp. "It's the symbol of my biggest rival. A man I thought was dead. A man who wants to destroy me. Kravtsov is working with him. He's a part of a bigger plan."
He looked at her, his stormy eyes full of a new kind of respect. "You found it, Anya. You were right. You were my best chance."
He looked at her, a long, searching look. "This is not a game anymore, Anya. This is real. You are a part of my world now. And I won't let anyone hurt you."
He took her hand, his fingers tracing a line on her skin. He leaned in, his lips just a breath away from hers. "You're a part of me now, Anya. My weakness. And my strength."
And then, he kissed her. It was a soft kiss, a slow, gentle kiss. It was not like the first time. It was not about need or violence. It was about a strange, terrible connection. A connection that was born in darkness, but that was now blooming in the dangerous light of his world. A kiss of a king to his queen. A promise of a war, and of a strange, new love.