Silent Agreements – Part 1
In this city, silence is not innocent in its time; sometimes it carries the breath of an impending catastrophe. In the eyes of those who whispered the name Blackwood, there was not fear, but caution. Because we were not fearless, we were calculated. Looking at myself in the mirror, my expression was as calm as ever, but something fundamentally changed. Something will happen tonight. I don't yet know what it will be, I only feel that wherever I step, my past and my future will meet at the same door.
The weight of the dress on my shoulders wasn't from the fabric; it was a familiar feeling provided by Blackwood. People were looking, but not really seeing. Their eyes were on me, not their intentions. The crystal lights of the hall made everything seem cleaner, more innocent, but I didn't know this game was standard. Brilliance was for hiding secrets. I tightened my grip on the champagne knife. On nights like these, the smallest detail could become the biggest mistake.
"If you loosen your grip a little, you won't be afraid of the glass," Elena said, appearing there. The hesitation in her voice didn't belong to this place; it was, as always, her own separate self. I didn't look at her, but the edge of my life stirred subtly. Elena was the only person who couldn't speak, even in the midst of a storm. I had learned to survive in silence, she in speaking. Yet, we both knew how to lose.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the room changed. It was hard to describe; there was no creaking of a door, no loud noise. Only the years, the lies you had told me over the years, left a cold warning run down my spine. When I looked up, my gaze met his. Adrian Moretti. There are moments when it's possible to recognize someone you've never met at first sight. This was it. He wasn't looking; he was measuring. And for the first time, I was investigating how this night interested me in far more detail than I had imagined.
This night was no ordinary gathering. The Blackwoods weren't invited; they were called. And if the Morettis were coming somewhere, it was either for a deal or a war. I could feel the line forming in the middle of the room. Who's on whose side, who owes whom, who's planning to betray whom… Everyone wasn't laughing, but no one was comfortable. Because tonight was the night the balances would be redrawn.
Adrian Moretti wasn't alone. The woman there made it clear from the moment she entered. She had her arm around his more than necessary, her laughter a little too loud, and her gaze lingered especially on me. Her beauty was undeniable; well-groomed, self-assured, and the kind who wanted to be different. But beneath the beauty was something impatient. A restlessness, a hunger for attention. Her voice softened when she spoke to Adrian, but hardened when she looked at him.