Hours earlier....
From the balcony above the ballroom, chaos stood with a glass of untouched wine in his hand, the mask of a charming host still fixed effortlessly on his face. To the crowd, he was serene, untouchable, the man who owned the night. But his eyes... they had been fixed on her.
Kashi Saints.
He had watched the unraveling from start to finish, the bold tap on Damian's shoulder, the venom flung at the secretary, the desperate grip, Damian's shove, and finally... the champagne soaking into her gown.
The whispers of the crowd had been delicious. He had hosted this ball for power, for leverage, but what he got was better. The Saints heiress, undone in front of the world. Damian Gray, the man who irritated him the most, proving himself a fool by humiliating his fiancée to be so publicly. And Natalie? She was nothing. A distraction. A pawn.
Chaos let the faintest smile tug at his lips behind the rim of his glass. He didn't need to interfere, not yet. This was exactly what he wanted.
Let her fall, he thought, his eyes following Kashi as Zarri rushed to drag her from the ballroom. Let her break. Only when she has nothing left will she see who truly stands above them all.
He set his glass down on the marble ledge, gloved fingers tapping once, measured. His gaze shifted briefly to Damian, who was still posturing with the secretary clinging to him like a prize. Pathetic.
"Enjoy your victory while you can, Gray," Chaos murmured under his breath, a soft laugh following the words. "Because soon enough, it won't be the world at your feet... it'll be me at your throat."
As the orchestra played again and the party carried on, Chaos melted back into the shadows of his empire. He had time. He could wait.
And when he came for her, Kashi Saints would not just notice him. She would need him.