Aria lingered in the stairwell for a moment, gripping the note as if it might somehow reveal more than its ominous message. The words echoed in her mind: The real danger isn't ahead of you—it's behind.
She turned again, scanning the dimly lit space, but the stairwell remained empty.
Whoever the second man was, he was gone. And yet, the weight of his presence still clung to the air, as if he'd left behind something unseen but felt.
Aria exhaled sharply and straightened. She had wasted enough time chasing shadows—now it was time to expose them.
Slipping the note into her clutch, she strode back toward the ballroom, her heels clicking with determination. The music, the laughter, the clinking of glasses—it all felt too normal, too artificial after what had just happened.
She spotted Damian near the bar, speaking with a woman she didn't recognize. His body language was casual, but she knew him well enough to see the tension in his shoulders.
He sensed something too.
As if feeling her gaze, he turned, excused himself, and walked toward her. "Well?" he murmured. "Did you find your mystery man?"
"Two of them," Aria said quietly, slipping beside him as if they were merely enjoying the party. "One left me a warning. The other left me a challenge."
Damian's expression barely changed, but his hand tightened around his glass. "And you're still breathing. Impressive."
Aria shot him a look. "Not the time."
"Right." He swirled his drink before setting it down. "And what did they say?"
She hesitated before murmuring, "That I'm looking in the wrong direction. That the real danger is behind me."
Damian's gaze sharpened. "Behind you?"
Aria nodded, her mind working fast. "I need to figure out what they meant. Someone close to me—"
Her words cut off as she caught movement in the crowd. Logan Hale.
He had reappeared, looking as polished and smug as ever, chatting easily with investors as if he hadn't vanished mysteriously earlier in the evening.
Damian followed her gaze. "Well, there's one snake who's never too far away."
Aria didn't respond. Logan was dangerous, yes—but she already knew that. If the warning was about an unseen threat, then who else could it be?
Before she could dwell on it, Russell Pierce reappeared, his earlier nervousness replaced with a stony expression. He approached her with purpose, ignoring Damian entirely.
"We need to talk," Russell said under his breath.
Aria arched a brow. "I thought you told me to stay out of this."
"I changed my mind," he muttered. "Meet me outside in five minutes."
And then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Damian sighed. "Are you seriously considering—"
"Yes," Aria said firmly.
He groaned. "Of course you are."
Five minutes later, Aria slipped out onto the balcony, the crisp night air cooling her skin.
Russell stood near the railing, hands braced against the metal, his posture tense.
She walked up beside him. "Talk."
Russell didn't turn immediately. When he did, his expression was grim. "You want to know who's pulling the strings?"
Aria's breath caught. "You know?"
Russell hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "I know enough. Enough to tell you that whoever left you that note wasn't lying. You're focusing on Logan, on the wrong people."
Aria folded her arms. "Then tell me who I should be looking at."
Russell opened his mouth—then froze. His entire body went rigid, his face draining of color.
Aria barely had time to react before he grabbed her wrist. "Go," he hissed. "Now."
A chill ran down her spine.
And then, behind her, a voice she knew all too well spoke softly.
"Leaving so soon, Miss Vance?"
She turned slowly, pulse hammering.
Logan stood in the doorway, smiling. But his eyes—they were cold. Calculated.
And in that moment, Aria knew.
She had been looking in the wrong direction all along.
The silence stretched as the weight of his presence settled over the balcony like an iron grip. Russell had gone still beside her, his fingers twitching at his side as if debating between fight or flight.
Aria forced herself to remain calm. "Logan," she greeted coolly, as though his sudden appearance hadn't unsettled her. "Didn't expect to see you out here."
His smile widened a fraction. "That makes two of us. Imagine my surprise when I find you sneaking away for a private conversation with Pierce here." His gaze flicked to Russell, assessing, predatory.
Russell took a sharp breath. "I was just leaving."
Logan hummed. "That would be wise."
Aria watched as Russell hesitated for half a second before stepping past Logan, shoulders tight as he disappeared back inside. That alone told her everything she needed to know—Russell was afraid. Not just wary, but genuinely terrified.
Logan took a slow step forward, closing the distance between them. "You've been busy tonight, haven't you?"
Aria tilted her head. "Is that a problem?"
His eyes glinted. "Depends. You've always been ambitious, Aria. But ambition without control? Dangerous."
She refused to let him rattle her. "Control is an illusion. But I'm sure you already know that."
Logan chuckled, the sound low and knowing.
"You think you're untouchable, don't you?"
She met his gaze head-on. "No. I think I'm unstoppable."
The amusement in his expression didn't fade, but something darker lurked beneath it.
"Careful, Aria. You don't want to make an enemy of me."
Her lips curled into a smirk. "I think we both know that line was crossed a long time ago."
Logan studied her for a moment longer, then exhaled a slow breath. "Very well. Play your game, if you must." His voice dropped slightly, barely above a whisper. "Just remember—some games end with checkmate. Others end with a broken board."
With that, he turned and disappeared back inside, leaving Aria standing in the cool night air, pulse racing.
She had expected threats. She had expected manipulations. But what she hadn't expected was the way Logan had spoken—as if he wasn't just warning her but waiting for her next move.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.