ODETTE / OPHELIA'S POV
It's raining.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The window of my room is foggy, a shawl wrapped around my shoulders, eyes unsettled as they trace the cloudy dark sky, my mind calmer than it has ever been in a very long time.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am no longer considering what consequences I might face based on what I have known and what I might know in the future, because my actions have already changed the course of events.
Rhys's network has done its job of spreading the rumours.
Both the Natheniel and Dimitri families have taken the bait. And Kayros is angry.
I blink slowly, my gaze unfazed by the tension freezing at the back of my head.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand—once, twice, thrice.
However, I stand there still and unmoved.
It's either from Blackwood Intelligence or something related to the work I have given Ivy to do—looking into the underground illegal gamble house run by the Dimitri family.
Words are swirling around regarding Isabella and Kayros's engagement, spreading like wildfire, and about how Isabella Dimitri was always the better option than Ophelia Blackwood.
A small, bitter smile plays on my lips. The heaviness in my chest carries the weight of his betrayal and the grave of the hopes I once dared to nurture for decades.
Knock.Knock.
The butler enters, followed by five maidservants carrying a red silk gown, emerald jewellery, and countless makeup accessories. My eyes trace the soft folds of the red silk that will be sitting on my skin in a while.
The butler bows his head slightly."Please get ready for the auction. Master will be waiting for you in the car by 7 PM."
I say nothing, but the silence in the air is anything but comforting for everyone present in the room.
"So, I'm getting taken to the closed-door underground ball this time?" I say without any hint of excitement the butler must have been expecting from me. Yeah, for Ophelia this would have been a big deal, but for me…
It's about survival.Revenge.
The Underground Auction—or the so-called Κατάβασις, Katavasis—is one of the major auction events that takes place every four years, right under a secret luxurious mansion situated at the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Each great family pulls out their best items for sale—mostly illegal and expensive.
So surely, all the main characters will be present there, and most likely… Kayros himself will be present with Isabella, his new woman hanging around his arm.
My chest burns with pure envy and something more—something that hurts a lot more than I would like to admit.
I slip into the bathtub as the maids' soft hands begin giving me a full royal bath, starting from waxing to everything else that transforms the messy me into someone I can't even recognize in the mirror.
Bold red lipstick. Smokey eyes that accentuate my hazel-green eyes. An emerald necklace resting coldly against my collarbone. Makeup that feels light yet heavy enough to change my facial expressions from soft to something fierce and sharp.
I get downstairs, my heels clicking softly against the carpet. Rhys is already dressed in a black suit, his eyes looking even more blank than mine—like a man who has decided to bury something very precious to him.
His eyes meet mine."You don't seem excited."
I don't bother dismissing his assumption about me not enjoying it, because it's absolutely right.
"There is nothing to be excited about."
Rhys just nods, quietly adjusting to my behaviour better than I would like to give him credit for.
Outside, it's chilly. It rained a while ago—the smell of wet earth and fresh air fills my lungs. My gown flutters with each step.
Raphael Blackwood stands before the black Rolls-Royce, dressed in a grey overcoat and a grey tailored suit, almost similar to Rhys's—just in different colours.
He looks every bit the patriarch of one of the most powerful neutral families. He looks at me from top to bottom, a silent understanding passing between us as all three of us get inside the car.
According to the rules, one of the main family members must stay behind at the estate in case any danger falls upon the one joining the auction; the main security will be dispatched instantly.
The car glides smoothly through the streets. Nobody speaks a single word until Father decides it's necessary to break the silence I was finding peaceful.
"Kayros will be attending the auction with Isabella."
My jaw tightens instinctively.
Of course, I had guessed. He just didn't have to shove it in my face.
"What?" He tilts his head, almost too innocently for someone whose brain probably works even more sharply than Niccolò Machiavelli's.
"It's almost embarrassing how much you are enjoying all this," Rhys mumbles, narrowing his eyes at Father, who just shrugs.
"I am just giving you the information that you might need in that moment and place."
I say nothing else.
The car stops in front of a helicopter, and we take the private route that leads directly to the helipad of the mansion where the auction will take place.
From the air, the city at night looks like twinkling stars.
Finally, we reach our destination at the outskirts of Edinburgh. The air feels different—almost dangerous, almost like a warning.
The mansion unfolds before my eyes, and it almost surprises me how, in the middle of nowhere, deep in the woods, this massive mansion with 128 rooms and underground chambers was built centuries ago. Surrounded by rose gardens and a massive body of water, under the clear starry night, it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.
Rhys hands me a black lacy mask."Wear it."
I tie the mask around my face, covering most of my features, just like everyone else entering the mansion through the secret door hidden at the back.
It's dimly lit, smelling like something that can only be described in one word—
Black money.
Thick and congested, drenched in expensive perfume.
The valet leads us through the back entrance. Father walks ahead of me and Rhys, his broad shoulders casting shadows on the floor. Something about the Blackwoods always makes me wonder how everyone carries such different auras that can't be ignored.
"We are twenty feet underground now. Please proceed carefully from here."
The valet announces as we step into the underground lift—glass and steel, silent except for the hum of the machine.
The valet's eyes remain steady. No checking of who might be behind the masks.
And the moment we step out of that closed-off space, the luxurious auction stage exposes itself to our sight.
The auction stage sits in the center, with private booths arranged in a circle around it across nine levels. A massive chandelier made of jewels hangs silently above.
Expensive gowns flutter with every step of the women walking around, each wearing masks that conceal their identities. Rhys whispers something to one of the security guards following us inside. Father takes his designated seat.
And then my eyes land on the very person I once saw my future with.
Standing on the top floor, right above my head—blond hair styled back, catching the golden light, a white mask doing nothing to hide his sharp, handsome features that still take my breath away.
He looks down.
And our eyes meet.
The memory of what we once shared shakes me to my core. My grip tightens around my handbag, even though I swore not to give away any reaction.
Kayros Natheniel looks down at me like a king who has no doubt of emerging as the winner—arrogance worn as naturally as breath.
Yet instead of showing how broken I am, I lift my wine glass toward him.
The red silk curtains of the auction house make everything darker, more sinister. Kayros's blue eyes turn stormy with emotions nobody but him can name.
And for a brief moment, I think—if he says sorry…
Maybe I would forgive him.
But instead, a woman appears beside him—long silver hair, a matching white mask covering half her face, doing nothing to diminish her beauty.
It feels like a knife stabbing into my chest—a terrible, raw ache of seeing the man who was supposed to be yours standing tall and unfazed beside another woman, as if you never meant anything at all.
Isabella Timofey shines brightest in her silver gown and silver hair against the dark maroon theme of the auction house.
People whisper.
Some talk about how perfect they look together. Others wonder how one should never get on the wrong side of either the Natheniel or Dimitri families.
I give Kayros a smile, and his shoulders stiffen slightly.
What was he expecting?Me crying and begging?
No.
He started this.
I'm just adding to his play.
The bell rings, and with it, the auction begins.
"Welcome to the Katavasis."