Chapter 1: The Forbidden Ember

Please, don't do this!"

—my own voice crashed against my ears like a horrific scream. 

Everything around me was pitch black, as if I were sinking into a bottomless abyss.

"Mom, save me! He's destroying me!"

​I was thrashing my limbs, but a pair of hands as hard as stone pinned my wrists above my head. At the touch of those hands, an ice-cold shiver ran down my spine.

"No, don't touch me! No, no—no!"

​Suddenly, the piercing sound of an alarm snapped my eyes open. I was panting, my chest heaving rapidly like a blacksmith's bellows. Beads of sweat gathered on my forehead, rolling down to sting the corners of my eyes.

​It took a few seconds to realize that I was safe in my bed in my small Quebec apartment. It was only a nightmare, the kind that has been stealing my afternoon naps and nightly peace lately. 

Ugh! 

These nightmares are no longer just dreams; they are like a dark shadow from my past that wants to consume me bit by bit.

​I got out of bed. Looking through the window, I saw that the Quebec sky was intensely grey today, giving an early warning of snowfall. I stood before the mirror. Seeing my pale face and disheveled hair, I could hardly recognize myself. 

"Get it together, Sophia," I whispered to myself. Tonight, I have to go to that mysterious 'Black Maze' party.

​Standing before the mirror, I began to apply my makeup with great care. I covered the dark circles under my eyes with concealer and painted my lips a deep, dark red—as if it were an invitation to a bloody war.

​Today, I chose an outfit I never dared to wear before. A black, tight lace dress that displayed every curve of my body with a shameless sense of ownership.

The back of the dress was completely open, and the clicking sound of my heels boosted my confidence. I know that there are only two ways I know to calm this restlessness, this burning within my chest—intense physical pleasure or a glass of stiff alcohol.

​When I reached that underground palace, it was crowded with masked people. The slow jazz music and the scent of expensive perfume gave the entire ballroom a magical feel.

Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my purse. My best friend, Cassie, was video calling.

​"You brat! You're going to set all of Quebec on fire today!"—Cassie shouted.

She turned her camera the other way. A well-built man was holding her from behind. Cassie said, laughing, "I'm hooking up with a hot guy; it's going to be a long night, Sophia. Did you find someone too?"

​I sighed and said, "Ugh! I wish I were in your position! But the prey here is much more abundant, and I’ve just started. 

Talk to you later," I said as I tucked the phone into my purse. Cassie was always braver and more wild than me.

​Right then, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I felt someone watching me. He was standing in a corner amidst the crowd.

Dressed in a black tuxedo, with a silver mask on his face. But his grey eyes, hidden behind the mask, were measuring every inch of my body like a fierce predator. Lucas Valentine.

The city’s most mysterious billionaire, whose name is linked to a thousand dark secrets. I didn't look away; instead, I challenged him with a defiant gaze.

​Ten minutes later, as I was heading toward the bar counter, Lucas skillfully blocked my path. The scent of expensive oakwood and tobacco emanating from his body brought a forbidden intoxication to my breath.

He said nothing; he just placed one hand on my bare back. At the touch of his fingers, a thousand volts of electricity surged through my body.

​He led me away from the crowd to a secluded balcony.

Outside, a blizzard had begun. Between the gusts of snow beyond the glass and the heat of Lucas’s body inside—I was losing myself. He was flirting with me; his words were smooth as silk, yet contained a primal thirst. 

He was trying to turn the whole thing into a cat-and-mouse game. But I wasn't in the mood for games today. Those nightmares inside me were tearing me apart.

I needed release.

​I took a condom directly out of my purse and handed it to him.

The foil pack crinkled under the pressure of my fingers. Lucas paused, a moment of surprise in his eyes.

I looked into his eyes and said, "I am a very busy woman, Lucas. I don't have time for this romantic acting.

Can you extinguish this fire within me?"

​Lucas ripped off his mask in one motion. Seeing his strong jaw and sharp nose, my breath caught.

Without a word, he slammed me against the window glass. I pulled the skirt of my dress up over my waist and climbed directly onto him.

Lucas’s powerful hands gripped my hips as hard as iron. He pulled me deep into himself.

​"Ugh! Sophia... you're so tight!"—he groaned in a low voice in my ear. His hot breath pierced the skin of my neck like fire. 

Outside the window, the intensity of the blizzard increased, while inside, the friction of our bodies was giving birth to a new history.

The leather sofa creaked beneath us as I rode him frantically. My nails dug into his broad shoulders, and Lucas devoured me like a hungry monster.

​At one point, he gave a possessive surge into my body, the intensity of which made me scream. "Just like this... only for me!" He nipped a small bite below my neck.

Eventually, his searing, lava-like ultimate satisfaction overflowed into me. I had never met a man before who could give me pleasure so intensely, so inhumanely.

​After it was all over, we lay in each other’s arms for a while. The stormy wind outside had calmed down.

But when I returned to my apartment by taxi, the trace of excitement faded, and a strange melancholy consumed me.

​As soon as I returned home and closed the door, a piece of white fur rushed to my feet. 'Snow'. My only love, my pampered blue-eyed cat.

​I picked him up. 

Burying my face in his soft fur, I let out a long sigh. "Mommy had a very big day today, Snow... and she made some serious wrong decisions today," I murmured in a tired voice. 

Snow touched my cheek with his tiny paw as if comforting me. Kicking off my heels, I collapsed onto the sofa. The soft cushions swallowed me in a forgiving embrace.

​I closed my eyes, but Lucas's deep voice was still ringing in my ears... "Your release is in my hands, Sophia." Lucas's full voice was still hammering in my ears. 

As I was drifting into a daze with my face buried in the sofa cushion, there was a sound at the door.

​At first, I thought it was a gust from the blizzard, but no. Three rhythmic and heavy knocks. Who could come to this secret address in the middle of the night? Snow, frightened, jumped from my lap and began to hiss.

​I walked to the door with unsteady feet. Looking out through the door lens, my heart turned cold and withered. 

There was no one outside, but hanging from the door handle was an expensive black envelope. With trembling hands, I cracked the door an inch and pulled the envelope inside.

​Opening the envelope, a gold chain slid out with a small pendant hanging from it—the exact same pendant I saw in my nightmare! Inside the envelope was a small note with only one line written:

"The night has only just begun, Sophia. I knew you couldn't stay away from my touch for long. Look out the window."

​My heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment. I ran and pulled back the window curtain. Across the street, under the neon lights, stood that black limousine. 

The car window was rolled down, and from the darkness, two grey eyes were glowing, staring directly at my window.

​Lucas Valentine knows my home! He knows where I live! Does that mean today's meeting wasn't a coincidence? Am I about to become the victim of a terrifying web?