The sun was setting over City X, casting long, amber shadows across the manicured lawns of the Mariposa estate. From the outside, the villa was a masterpiece of modern architecture, all glass, white stone, and sharp angles, but to Ruby Mariposa, it felt like nothing more than a very expensive prison.
She stood by her bedroom window, her fingers tracing the cold surface of the glass. Beyond the high perimeter fence, she could see the city lights beginning to flicker to life.
It was a distant, buzzing world that felt thousands of miles away despite being right at her doorstep.
Downstairs, the heavy silence of the house was broken by the sound of car tires on the gravel driveway. Ruby watched as a sleek sedan pulled up. That would be her brother, Steve.
He didn't live at the estate anymore, a decision he had made years ago that had caused a permanent rift with their father, but their mother, Elena, had a way of guilt-tripping him into coming home for the occasional family dinner.
Ruby sighed, turning away from the window. She hated these dinners. They were performances, carefully choreographed shows where everyone pretended the Mariposa name wasn't built on a foundation of secrets.
She moved toward her vanity, picking up a small, silver locket she had kept since she was a child. She didn't open it. She didn't need to.
Inside was a faded memory of a time before the world turned gray, before 'duty' and 'security' became the only words that mattered in this house.
She caught her reflection in the full-length mirror. At twenty-two, she was striking, with a sharp, shoulder length bob that framed a face that was often too honest for her own good.
She was dressed in a simple silk dress, the kind of "appropriate" attire her father expected, but underneath the grace was a restless energy.
She had spent years convincing her father to let her take self-defense classes, arguing that as the daughter of the Director of National Intelligence, she was a target.
Marcus had eventually agreed, thinking it was just a hobby to keep her busy. He didn't realize that she had taken it to heart, training until her knuckles were bruised and her muscles ached, finding a strange peace in the physicality of it.
It made her feel strong and like she could control something.
"Ruby? Steve is here. Your father is waiting," her mother's voice called from the hallway.
Elena Mariposa was a woman who had mastered the art of being invisible in her own home. She was beautiful, but it was a faded, fragile beauty.
She spent her days managing the household and attending
charity events, enjoying the immense wealth and status her husband provided while carefully avoiding any topic that might disturb the peace.
Ruby loved her, but she couldn't stand to look at her for too long. Her mother was a roadmap of the life Ruby refused to lead.
"Coming, Mom," Ruby replied, slipping the locket into a drawer.
The dining room was a grand, hollow space dominated by a mahogany table that felt like it spanned a mile.
Marcus Mariposa sat at the head, the literal and figurative center of their world. As the Director of National Intelligence, he was one of the most powerful men in the country. He was the man who saw everything, knew everything, and controlled the flow of information that kept the nation safe.
To his right sat Steve. At thirty one, her brother was a successful businessman in his own right, having carved out a path in the private sector that had nothing to do with the military or police forces.
It had been a bitter pill for Marcus to swallow. He had wanted a successor, a son to carry on the Mariposa legacy in the security sector, but Steve had flatly refused after a massive fallout ten years ago. Now, they existed in a state of cold, mutual tolerance.
"I heard your company's latest acquisition went through, Stephen," Marcus said, his voice deep and authoritative as he cut into his steak. "An interesting choice. I didn't think you had an interest in logistics."
Steve didn't look up from his plate. "The market is moving that way, Father. It's better to own the pipes than the water running through them."
"A businessman's perspective," Marcus said, though it sounded like a slight. He took a sip of his wine before his expression darkened. "I wish you showed as much interest in the city's stability.
There are rumors of a new force moving in the shadows. Something organized. It's not just small time gangs anymore. There is a presence that feels... different. Disciplined."
Ruby kept her head down, focusing on her meal, but her mind was racing. Her father didn't talk about 'rumors' unless they were serious enough to keep him awake at night.
"The police are hearing whispers of underground activities that go beyond the usual thing," Marcus continued. "There is a team operating out there – highly trained, untraceable.
They move like ghosts and hit with military precision. And then there is this new giant, Vanguard Industries. They've appeared out of nowhere with a multimillion-dollar footprint. Tech, high-end motorcycles, security hardware. They're taking over the market in City X as if they've been planning it for a decade."
"Vanguard is a legitimate multinational, Dad," Steve said, finally looking up. His eyes were tired, the skin around them tight with stress. "They have a reputation in a dozen other countries. Their arrival is a good thing for the economy."
"Legitimacy can be a very effective mask," Marcus countered. "I'm not worried about their tax returns. I'm worried about the timing. This 'force' appears in the underworld just as Vanguard sets up its headquarters? It's too coincidental.
Someone is building a throne in this city, and they're doing it right under our noses."
Ruby looked at her father. "Is that why you've doubled the security at the gates? Because of a coincidence?"
Marcus turned his cold gaze toward her. "I've doubled the security because I know how this world works, Ruby. When a new predator enters the territory, everyone else is at risk. You are not to leave this estate without an escort for the next few weeks. Is that understood?"
Ruby felt the familiar spark of rebellion flare in her chest. "I have self-defense training, Dad. You signed off on it yourself. I'm not a child."
"You are my daughter," Marcus snapped. "And in this city, that makes you a target. End of discussion."
The rest of the dinner was spent in a suffocating silence. Ruby watched her brother, wondering what he was really thinking.
Steve looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. He had always been her protector when they were kids, the bridge between her and their father's intensity.
But ever since the 'incident' ten years ago, Steve had become distant, a man haunted by a ghost he wouldn't name.
Late that night, after the house had finally settled into an uneasy sleep, Ruby moved into action. She had no intention of following her father's orders. The more he tried to lock her in, the more she felt the need to breathe the outside air.
She swapped her dress for a pair of dark, slim-fitting trousers and a black leather jacket that made her feel more like herself.
She checked her reflection, tucking her short brown hair behind her ears. She looked lean, capable, and entirely different from the girl who had sat at the dining table.
She grabbed her keys and a small canister of pepper spray – not that she thought she'd need it, but it was a habit.
She knew the security rotations better than the guards did.
She had spent hours watching the camera feeds from her laptop, finding the blind spots where the lenses reset. She slipped out of her balcony, using the sturdy trellis she had reinforced herself, and dropped silently to the grass. Within minutes, she was over the side wall and walking toward the street where she had pre-arranged a ride.
She didn't want to go to a typical college bar or a loud dance club. She wanted somewhere quiet, somewhere where the people were as anonymous as she felt.
She told the driver to take her to The Grotto, a high end, underground lounge located in the basement of an old stone building in the city's historic district.
It was a place for the wealthy to hide, where the lighting was low and the drinks were expensive enough to keep the riff-raff out.
As she descended the stairs, the cool air of the lounge hit her, smelling of expensive leather and aged oak. The music was a slow, pulsing jazz melody that felt like a heartbeat.
Ruby made her way to the bar, ordering a gin and tonic. She took a seat on a velvet stool, leaning back and finally letting out a breath she felt like she'd been holding all day.
She scanned the room, enjoying the dim light. There were a few couples in the corner booths and a group of businessmen talking in hushed tones near the fireplace. It was exactly what she needed.
And then, she felt it.
It wasn't a sound or a movement, but a sudden shift in the atmosphere, like the air had grown heavy.
She felt a prickle of awareness on the back of her neck, a sensation of being watched that was so intense it made her hand tremble slightly as she reached for her drink.
She didn't turn around immediately. She used the mirrored backsplash of the bar to scan the room behind her.
He was sitting in a booth in the far corner, almost entirely swallowed by the shadows. He was alone, a glass of dark amber liquid resting on the table in front of him.
He wasn't wearing a suit; instead, he wore a dark, high-necked sweater that emphasized the broadness of his shoulders. He sat with a predatory stillness that commanded the space around him without him having to say a word.
Even in the dim light, she could see his eyes. They were fixed on her with an intensity that felt like a physical weight.
Ruby felt a strange, dizzying jolt of electricity run through her. There was something about the way he sat, the tilt of his head, the sharp line of his jaw that felt hauntingly familiar.
It was like a word on the tip of her tongue that she couldn't quite remember, or a dream that faded the moment she woke up. Her heart began to drum against her ribs.
She knew she had never met this man – she would have remembered someone with that kind of presence – yet her body seemed to recognize him in a way her mind couldn't.
He didn't look away. Most men would have blinked or turned their gaze when caught staring, but he simply continued to watch her, his expression unreadable and cold.
There was a darkness to him, an aura that her father would have recognized instantly as a threat. He looked like power personified, the kind of man who didn't ask for things but simply took them.
Ruby should have been scared. She should have gotten up and walked out of the bar, back to the safety of her high-walled estate.
But the self-defense classes hadn't just taught her how to fight; they had taught her how to read people. And as she looked at this stranger, she didn't see a common criminal. She saw a mystery that she was suddenly curious about.
She took a slow sip of her drink, her eyes meeting his in the mirror. She didn't look away either. She wanted him to know she wasn't some fragile heiress who would break under a hard stare.
The man raised his glass a fraction of an inch, a silent, mocking toast that only she could see. He didn't smile. If anything, his gaze grew even more intense, as if he were memorizing every line of her face, every flicker of emotion in her eyes.
She didn't know who he was. She didn't know that he was the leader of the very 'force' her father was keeping an eye on, or that he had spent the last ten years building an empire out of the ashes of his father's life. She didn't know that his return to City X was a death sentence for her family's reputation.
All she knew was that the air in the room had changed. The suffocating boredom of the Mariposa estate felt like a lifetime away. Looking at him, she felt a dangerous, magnetic pull that terrified her and thrilled her all at once.
The man in the shadows didn't move to approach her. He didn't have to. He had already marked her, and as Ruby stared back at him, she knew that her world was never going to be the same again.
A/N: Hey everyone, if you enjoyed the first chapter please do well to add the novel to your library. And please comment and drop reviews to let me know what you think, it'll be very good motivation to me. Thank you.