The enormous ballroom was alive with laughter, chatter, and shimmering lights. The Marlowe Foundation's charity event appeared to be the center of the universe that night, with affluent attendees striding beautifully and exchanging curious smiles. Tiber and Cassandra stood on stage in the center of the audience, looking out at their visitors with confidence.
"And that," Tiber stated in his speech, looking out at the crowd with an obvious smile, "is our great mission: to touch the lives of those who are less fortunate, to create new opportunities for those in need. Thank you for your support, which has enabled all of this."
Cassandra stood by him gracefully, beaming in support of her husband despite her broken heart. She held her breath silently, swallowing the misery she was experiencing.
Tiber gave her a little smile. "You look beautiful tonight, Cassandra," Tiber said softly as he peered down, his voice deep yet frigid.
Cassandra's gaze remained fixed. "I know my role, Tiber," she said quietly, a harsh tone barely hidden beneath her grin. "I know exactly how to support you... before them."
Tiber suppressed a tiny laugh. "You're very reliable, as always."
Their chat came to an end as applause rang out. Cassandra nodded slowly and strode off the platform with a solid stride. Ivy stood with Nikolai toward the edge of the room, still bitter from their defeat.
"Ivy, I don't want to hear any more promises," Nikolai stated coldly. He shot Ivy a piercing glare. "The project is over. Tiber managed to bend and destroy me, and you want me to believe we can recover from this?"
Ivy smiled gently, attempting to control Nikolai's rage. "You underestimate the might of a loyal ally, Nikolai. Tiber may have won this time, but the game isn't finished. The next project might be yours."
"I'm not a child, Ivy," Nikolai muttered, his expression filled with disappointment and despair. "Do you think your comments will help me forget my defeat? This defeat is heartbreaking."
"Trust me," Ivy replied coldly, grabbing Nikolai's arm to draw his attention. "I am not just making promises. I know the ways that will lead Tiber and his foundation astray. You just have to be patient."
Nikolai snorted before roughly releasing Ivy's grip. "Do you know what? You speak like Tiber. Full of promises and big intentions. And yet, I'm still standing here, in the dumps."
Nikolai walked away, seeking privacy in the center of the ballroom. That's when he noticed Cassandra in a quiet corner, sitting alone with a practically empty wine glass in hand. His steps slowed, and he observed Cassandra from a distance, appraising the woman who appeared weak. Cassandra recognized Nikolai's presence and slowly gazed up at him, her eyes fading. Her smile was faint and vacant.
"Nikolai..." she whispered, stammering slightly, her eyes sparkling with unfathomable intensity.
Nikolai stared at her for a bit before moving closer. "Cassandra. Are you... OK?"
"Okay?" Cassandra gave a quiet, bitter laugh. "Oh, I'm so okay... standing next to the man who ruined everything in my life, on this big stage, pretending to support him."
"I don't know what happened... but I think we have something in common, Cassandra," Nikolai said softly.
Cassandra glanced at him with fatigue in her eyes. "No, Nikolai. This wound is different. You merely lost the project. While I... I lost everything."
There was a moment between them, an encompassing hush as Cassandra peered blankly into her glass before swallowing.
"I wish I knew the answer," she responded quietly and firmly. "Why did we come here... was it all worth fighting for?"
Nikolai gazed at her with curiosity. "Maybe you'll uncover the solution someday, Cassandra. Or perhaps it will come to you."
His comments appeared to hang in the air, and Cassandra simply nodded slowly, as if she were in another universe. Nikolai glanced at her again before going on, leaving Cassandra alone in a corner of the sparkling ballroom. However, something in Cassandra's eyes made Nikolai even more curious. It's as if she carries a secret, a story waiting to be told—a power that he's slowly realizing he possesses.
Their conversation continued until they were both so drunk they didn't realize what they should have kept inside. In a quiet corner of the crowded charity hall, Cassandra stared at Tiber, her vision blurred by alcohol. His face was full of power, arrogance, but to Cassandra it was nothing more than a mask that faked happiness. Tiber - the man she knew so well, but now felt so strange.
"Funny, huh... that guy," Cassandra murmured, her voice a little shaky. "Look at him there, smiling like a guardian angel... when he's nothing but a master liar. Thinking of himself... only himself."
Nikolai, standing next to her, heard every word with his head bowed. He nodded, perhaps too loudly under the intoxicating influence of the wine.
"You know, Cassy, people like that always believe they are untouchable. Too high, too strong... until they forget that the foundation is fragile," he added in hushed tones.
Cassandra drew a deep breath, her lips forming a cruel smile. "Look at us now, Nik. Just a shadow... a shadow of who we wished to be."
Nikolai smiled cynically and gazed out at the audience. "There are women... women I think of," he said, his voice scratchy. "Women who may have been given too much... to the point of greed."
He chuckled, but there was no warmth; only bitterness. Cassandra glanced at him, half smiling, half inquisitive. "Greedy... yeah, I know about it. It's never enough, right? Always hungry for more, higher, and stronger."
Nikolai nodded, as if in their inebriated, hateful world, they had finally found someone who got it. "In the end, Cassy, they're parasites. They steal... they consume till nothing remains. And we're just watching."
Cassandra sipped her remaining drink and returned her gaze to Tiber, giving a short, sardonic chuckle. "You know, Nik... maybe one day they'll eat themselves."
Nikolai smiled softly, his eyes filled with unsaid malice. "Let's see, Cassandra... let's see how much longer they can hold out up there before the fall comes."
***