MasukThe scent of residual whiskey and the tension in the lobby of *Il Paradiso* seemed to evaporate, replaced by an awkward silence. Luna—or Aurora—remained seated on the velvet sofa, her breath hitched behind her Venetian mask. Her wistful eyes stared straight ahead at Vanessa’s hand, which was still perched on Richard’s arm. A strange pang, a stubborn kind of jealousy, suddenly flared up in her chest. Richard, noticing the tension in the girl before him, gradually released Vanessa’s grip on his arm with a cold yet firm movement. He took a step forward, intending to confirm the intuition that had been nagging at his instincts since earlier. However, before Richard could speak, Luna’s wrist was suddenly pulled by Rubby, who panicked upon seeing the strange atmosphere around them. "Luna, let’s go through the back door now! Big Brother Nicholas must have sent a team of bodyguards to pick us up," Rubby exclaimed, halfway dragging her best friend up from the sofa. Aurora, terrified that h
. The man in the satin shirt approached Luna again, who was now cornered near the background pillar. His eyes flashed wildly staring at Luna's slender, sweating neck. "Let's see the face behind this stupid mask, Sweetie," he hissed, his dirty fingers reaching forward, getting ready to touch the surface of Luna's neck skin. Luna closed her eyes tightly, her body trembling violently holding back tears of intense fear. *God... please help me...* *Thud!* A highly hard raw punch suddenly landed right on the jaw of the man in the satin shirt, creating a horrific cracking sound. The drunk man's body was sent flying, falling on top of the stage floor, dragging several drink bottles until they shattered into a mess. Luna opened her eyes with a gasp. In front of her stood a man with a sturdy frame, his chest heaving up and down holding back an anger that exploded crazily. Richard Calloway stood with a fist that was still hardened, his pair of eyes staring fiercely toward the starving men a
A single sapphire-blue spotlight shot down from the ceiling, slicing through the darkness of the main hall and locking onto Luna's slender silhouette in the center of the stage. The strain of violin instrumental music mixed with the plucking of a harp flowed slowly, creating an atmosphere that was both mystical and tense. Luna took a deep breath behind her Venetian mask. The next second, her body began to move. The maroon silk fabric wrapping her beautiful frame fluttered gracefully as she contorted her waist with a flexibility that was nearly unbelievable. Her footwork was so light, spinning and leaping like a single feather toyed with by the night wind. The movement of her slender fingers curved through the air, drawing the attention of hundreds of pairs of eyes that were now totally hypnotized by the charm of the mysterious dancer. The rowdy whispers of the audience suddenly fell silent, replaced by glances full of passion and admiration caught in their throats. However, that ma
111 Aurora wiped the seeping tears behind her mask with a trembling fingertip. She took a deep breath, exhaling the pain that clogged her chest before turning her body and stepping quickly toward the changing room. Every single inch of her steps felt heavy, overshadowed by past sins that continued to corrode her conscience. The forbidden relationship she had once gone through with Ethan, and how her body was surrendered to Richard's arrogance, became a thick wall that stripped away her worthiness to return. In her noisy head, that reality kept spinning, reminding her that staying away was the only way of salvation for all of them. Meanwhile, in the corner of the lobby that was still enveloped by the remnants of tension, Audrey gently squeezed the handkerchief in her fingers. She stared at Ethan's face which still implied deep sorrow, trying to divert the man's attention from the destructive vortex of the past. "Ethan, let it go. Don't torture yourself continuously like this," Audre
110 Luna's hurried footsteps created a subtle friction against her maroon silk fabric, slicing through the dim silence of the *Il Paradiso* lobby. She bowed her head as deeply as possible, pressing her arms to the sides of her body while praying in her heart that the pair of eagle eyes in the corner of the sofa would not shift toward her. However, destiny seemed to enjoy playing with human fears. Just as the heel of Luna's shoe passed the boundary of the shadow of the velvet sofa where Ethan sat, the young Calloway man suddenly straightened his back. Something invisible—perhaps a highly dense weave of memories or simply the familiar sweet vanilla aroma left in the air—jolted Ethan's central nervous system. "Wait!" Ethan called out, his voice hoarse yet powerful, breaking the thumping beat of the music echoing from the inner room. *Thump.* The world seemed to stop spinning for Luna. All the joints in both her legs suddenly froze as if cemented to the marble floor of the lobby. Her
108The thick aroma of freshly brewed Arabica coffee beans wafted out, filling every corner of the spacious Calloway Holdings CEO's office. Ethan sat leaning back in his executive chair upholstered in black leather, massaging his temples which felt like they were throbbing intensely due to the pile of report files that had greeted his eyes since the early hours of the morning. He let out a long sigh, and then his fingers moved to press the intercom button at the corner of the desk."Audrey, come into my office right now. Please provide breakfast for me," Ethan commanded, his voice sounding flat and hoarse, implying extreme fatigue.From the other side of the speaker, his secretary's voice could be heard replying obediently. "Understood, Sir. I will prepare it immediately."Meanwhile, at the main residence of the Calloway family, the atmosphere was no less busy. Richard stood near the large window of his study, staring straight toward the vast lawn of the mansion whi
The hotel ballroom was filled with golden light from the massive chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Classical music flowed softly between the conversations of the guests crowding the room. Women in sparkling gowns and men in expensive suits walked around laughing elegantly as if their world
Aurora still felt awkward as Richard held her hand while leading her down the mansion stairs. The man’s fingers were warm and calm, a complete contrast to Aurora’s heart, which had been beating uncomfortably inside her chest the entire time. The white dress she wore felt far too expensive for her o
“So the man you were talking about back then...” Ethan’s voice sounded low and full of anger, “was my Daddy?”Aurora froze.Her wrist was still trapped in Ethan’s grip, which felt tighter with every passing second. The pain began spreading up to her elbow, but Aurora did not try to pull away. She o
The man’s steps stopped right in the middle of the staircase.His gaze, which had initially been flat, slowly turned sharp as he recognized Aurora’s face. His jaw tightened, while the hand that had casually rested in his pocket slowly clenched into a fist.“Aurora...?” he muttered softly, almost in







