Chapter 5

Ezebels pov

The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself. Pale skin, dark circles, hollow eyes-nothing about me screamed strength. But I was done hiding.

If this was a game, I would play to win.When I walked into the main hall, Dario was there- leaning back in his chair, cigarette in hand, two guards flanking him like shadows. His cold eyes flicked up to meet mine.l didn't flinch.Instead, I stepped forward and said softly, "Do you need anything... sir?"There was a pause-subtle, sharp. I saw the flicker of curiosity.he didn't answer. Just watched me.Measured me.And I knew then:He noticed the shift. Now, the game had truly begun.

DARIOS POV

She walked in differently today.Same face. Same voice. But something in her had shifted. She stood taller. Spoke smoother. And when she looked at me--it wasn't fear.It was calculated.

I've seen this before. Women pretending to fall into line. Trying to bait power with charm. But Ezebel?

She wasn't trying to seduce me for survival.She was testing me.Tempting me.Interesting.I didn't answer her. Just stared. Let her wonder if the bait worked.

She wants to play a game? Fine.But I don't lose.And if she's trying to manipulate me-she better be ready to bleed.

She returned that night with nothing more than a towel in her hand-pretending to clean, but her presence filled the room like smoke.she moved slowly, deliberately.Bending, pausing. Every gesture controlled.

I watched from my chair. Silent. Waiting.She didn't speak.She didn't have to.Her hand brushed the edge of the desk near me, fingertips light like a whisper. She straightened and looked at me-eyes unreadable, but burning with something more dangerous than fear.

Temptation laced with intent.it wasn't submission.

It was a challenge.She thought she was seducing me.

No.she was provoking me

And I was letting her.for now.

EZEBEL'S POV

My fingers brushed the desk near him. He didn't flinch. He never did.But I saw it-his jaw tightened, the flick of his gaze dropping for half a second.It was working.

The room was quiet, thick with tension. The only sound was the soft brush of my slippers against the polished floor. I wasn't here to clean-not really.

Every movement was a calculated risk. Every breath a test. I was walking straight into the lion's den... but this time, with my head held high.I reached his desk and pretended to arrange a few scattered papers.

That was when I saw it.A pistol.Black. Heavy. Just lying there.Loaded or not, it didn't matter. My fingers itched with instinct, but I kept my hand far from it, my expression blank. I couldn't afford to let him know I'd seen it,and it's not like this is my first time seeing him with a gun.Instead, I ran my hand lightly across the surface of the desk, keeping my touch soft, my posture unthreatening.

I could feel his gaze on me, drilling into my back like he was trying to read my mind.My heart was racing, but my face didn't show it. I leaned forward a little-just enough. A pause. A glance. I made him look. Let him wonder what I was doing.But I was watching him too.

He didn't speak. He never did when he was calculating. But I caught the shift in his shoulders, the flicker of something primal in his eyes.

He noticed me. Really noticed me. Not as a prisoner. Not as a servant.As something else.And I was letting him.Because if I could earn his attention, could earn his trust. And from trust..came access.

I stepped away from the desk, careful not to let my eyes fall on the gun again. I looked at him once-brief, steady-then turned and walked out.I didn't need a weapon.I was becoming one.

DARIO'S POV

She thought I didn't notice.But I saw her eyes flicker-just once-toward the pistol on my desk. And just as quickly, she looked away.Smart girl.That moment told me more about her than any word she's ever spoken. She saw the gun. She thought about it.And she made a decision.She chose restraint.Not weakness-restraint.

She walked out like she owned the room. Not with arrogance, but with something colder. Sharper.with Purpose.I leaned back in my chair, the ghost of a smirk tugging at my mouth.

Ezebel wasn't just playing innocent anymore. She was strategizing.Becoming something more dangerous than a victim. And I liked it.But that didn't mean I trusted her.

If anything, it made me more alert.The more interesting she became, the more I needed to control the game.l've broken stronger people than her.But something about Ezebel made me hesitate.

Not because I cared.But because her fire... reminded me of my own.

I glanced down at the gun again.I wouldn't move it.

Let her keep seeing it. Let her keep wondering if she could take it.Let her dream of killing me.

Because if she ever tried-I'd be ready.

And the game... would truly begin.