Celeste
I adjust the lace trim of my dress, my pulse steady despite the gun pressing against my thighs.The underground club is drowning in whiskey-scented smoke, the laughter of criminals bouncing off its velvet-lined walls. All thanks to my powerful Businessman Father or I should say Foster Father that I am here in this club. I was trained for this moment for years—becoming a ghost, slipping into the underbelly of the world without leaving a trace. It all seems normal and mundane to me now. But today I am here for a business negotiation with him. For whom I have spent 6 months in training just to study him and his world.
Adrian Russo. The only one that I have my eyes for today. My target. Mine to conquer and mine to destroy.
He is the heir to the most powerful crime syndicate on the East Coast, he is known for his ruthlessness, his mind being sharp as a dagger. He is also the one person who could lead me straight to the operation's heart.
I have studied his files for months, memorised the way his empire moves, the way his enemies fall before him. If he senses your betrayal you are dead. No, questions asked or raised. He is the billionaire in New York city beneath whom the business world lies. But, only a few know that beneath him also the mafia of entire New York City lies.
I have studied him for months yet looking at him and meeting his gaze suddenly makes me feel like i know nothing about him. He starts walking up to me and his gaze still on me.
As Adrian strides toward me, his expression remains unreadable, but there's something in his gaze—something assessing, almost amused.
I know that look. He's sizing me up. Weighing whether I am a threat or a plaything.
I steel my nerves, keeping my stance confident, my mask in place. This is what I trained for.
"Hello, Mr. Russo," I say, lifting my chin slightly, forcing myself to maintain eye contact. "My father couldn't make it to the party, so I am here instead. Hope you don't mind."
A slow smirk tugs at his lips, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"Celeste Carter," he murmurs, my name rolling off his tongue like a secret he already knows too well. He tilts his head slightly. "You're bolder than I expected."
My pulse stutters for a fraction of a second—but I don't let it show.
Does he suspect something? Or is he just playing with me
"I'm sorry for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Russo," I answer, keeping my chin up, my posture unyielding.
A flicker of something—amusement? Challenge?—crosses his face before disappearing just as quickly. He steps closer, the scent of expensive cologne and something darker filling the space between us.
"Apologies are for the weak, Ms. Carter." His voice is low, edged with something dangerous. "Tell me, are you?"
"I don't know, you tell me, Mr. Russo?" I reply with a playful smirk, tilting my head slightly as I meet his gaze head-on.
A ghost of a smirk tugs at the corner of Adrian's lips, but his eyes remain unreadable—dark, calculating. He steps closer, the space between us shrinking, the air thick with tension.
"Careful," he murmurs, voice smooth like silk but edged with something sharp. "Flirting with fire only gets you burned."
I hold my ground, keeping my smile in place despite the way my pulse quickens"I am fire, Mr. Russo," I say, my voice steady, unwavering. "I don't get burned—I do the burning."
For a fleeting moment, something flickers behind his gaze—amusement? Interest? Or a warning? But before I can decipher it, he leans in just enough to lower his voice
Adrian's smirk doesn't falter, but his eyes darken—calculating, testing. He steps closer, his presence commanding, the weight of his gaze pressing against me like a challenge.
"Is that so?" he murmurs, voice laced with curiosity, as if he's debating whether to play along or call my bluff.
For a moment, I think he's about to retreat, but then—he lifts a hand, tracing an invisible line through the air between us. A slow, deliberate motion.
"Fire," he muses. "It destroys everything in its path... but it also consumes itself if it burns too long."
His fingers stop just inches from my wrist. "So tell me, Celeste Carter—are you here to burn me, or are you already burning yourself?"
"To burn you" I say playfully but I know that is what I am here for.
TO BURN HIM AND HIS EMPIRE TO ASHES.