CHAPTER IV
The Masquerade Before the Kill
Nexa's Point of View
Malti and Jenny were relentless.
Like two sculptors working on broken stone, they hovered around me — brushing, adjusting, correcting — trying to mold me into something I had no desire to become.
"A little softer with your words," Malti said as she dabbed a hint of blush onto my face.
Jenny added, "And maybe stop glaring at people like you're deciding how to kill them."
They were giving me a makeover — not just on the outside, but inside too. Or at least, they were trying.
According to them, I needed to "appear normal," "act polite," "blend in."
Not for fun. Not for fashion. But for the mission.
Because this time, I wasn't just going to kill.
I was going to infiltrate.
Malti tied back my hair and looked at me in the mirror. "You're beautiful, Nexa. You just hide it behind too much rage."
Jenny, sitting cross-legged near the wardrobe, nodded. "You need to keep your temper in check. Especially around Aurora."
There it was — her name again. The thorn in my mind. The storm in my calm.
Aurora.
I stared at my reflection. Softer clothes. A warmer look. A slightly gentler version of myself.
But under the mascara and the charm they forced on me…
I was still Nexa. Unforgiving. Unrelenting. And now, beautifully disguised.
Because the mission ahead wasn't easy.
I was going after one of the most dangerous vampires in existence — a being so powerful, his name was spoken only in whispers across magic circles. A creature whose presence bent shadows, whose thirst was never for blood, but for chaos.
And guess who his next obsession was?
Aurora.
Of course.
She had become his fixation — just like she was mine.
The vampire was planning to reach out to her soon, maybe even manipulate her, use her, destroy her. But before he could make his move, I had to strike first.
And to do that…
I had to get close.
Very close.
I had to become her ally. Her confidante. Her shadow.
I had to be there when he made contact.
And when he did… I would kill him.
Fast. Brutal. Without mercy.
And once he was gone — once his blood soaked the soil and his power no longer echoed through the night — I would turn to Aurora…
And end her too.
I didn't hate her anymore.
But I couldn't let her live.
She stood in the way of everything.
This fake friendship I was about to build — this mask of warmth and loyalty — it wasn't real.
It was a blade.
And I planned to plunge it deep.
They say to kill a monster, you have to become one.
But I've been a monster for a long time now.
The difference is — this time, I'll be smiling while I do it.
Let the masquerade begin.
Let the hunt begin.
Let her trust me.
Because the moment she does…
She's already dead.
The Birthday Call
I had barely absorbed half of what Malti and Jenny were trying to teach me — how to speak like a normal person, how to carry myself like someone who didn't want to stab every living soul in the room — when my phone buzzed.
Dad.
Of course.
I sighed and picked it up.
"Nexa," his voice came through, smooth, commanding as ever. "Where are you? My friends are arriving for the party — your birthday party — and you're nowhere to be found."
Birthday.
Right.
As if that word still held any meaning for me.
I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to sound less cold than it wanted to be.
"I'm coming, Dad. I'll be there."
Click.
He didn't ask how I was.
Didn't ask what I was doing.
Didn't ask if I was okay.
He never does.
My father… Omega.
Feared by many. Respected by all. He walks through the world like a king among insects — unshaken, unbothered, unreadable.
People fall over themselves just to greet him, to offer him favors, to be acknowledged by him.
He's the man who teaches others how to live with discipline and structure. The Chief Minister. The unbreakable spine of order in this chaotic world.
But to me?
He's a stranger with my last name.
There was a time — a very real time — when I needed him.
Not as a leader, not as a disciplinarian, but simply… as a father.
A man who would sit beside me when my heart was breaking.
Who would listen when I spoke.
Who would hold me when the darkness inside me felt unbearable.
Instead, I got silence.
Indifference.
A mother too busy playing the perfect wife. A father too obsessed with appearances and authority.
And me — just a shadow slipping through their grand halls.
They weren't there when I needed them most. And that broke something in me.
Not with fire, not with fury — but with absence.
Now when they try to talk to me, when they attempt to care — all I feel is bitterness.
Like they're doing me a favor.
Like I'm some obligation they're now checking off a list labeled "parenthood."
But I don't need their favors.
I don't want their efforts.
I'm not a duty. I'm not a burden.
I go to see them, yes. I attend the parties, I show up when expected —
Not because I love them anymore.
But because I respect them.
And there is a difference.
The love I once had for them?
It's gone.
It died quietly, long ago — somewhere between the nights I cried alone and the days they forgot I existed.
Now, I wear this face like armor. Now, I give them politeness, not affection. Now, I listen — but never open up.
Because they don't get to call themselves my safe space anymore.
They were the ones who made my life hell.
And they don't even realize it.
The Ones Who Walk Beside Me
I asked Malti and Jenny to come with me.
Not because I needed a crowd — but because I couldn't bear the idea of standing alone in that towering, luxury mansion my father calls home.
That place… it's beautiful on the outside — all glass walls and marble floors, lined with velvet curtains and golden chandeliers. But to me, it's hollow. A stage. A trap of expectations I've never belonged to.
It echoes with silence even when it's full of people.
And I didn't want to face that silence alone tonight.
So, I turned to the only two people who make me feel like I still exist outside my own pain.
Malti.
She's a witch — powerful, impulsive, and occasionally terrifying.
But beneath her fiery spells and sharp tongue, she has a heart that knows how to fight for people she loves.
She's the kind of friend who doesn't ask questions — she picks up the dagger and fights beside you before you can even explain.
She's not just my friend. She's my crime partner. My chaos twin. My shield when the world feels too sharp.
And then there's Jenny.
The quiet one.
The one who always watches, always understands — even when I'm trying to hide what's breaking me.
She knows everything about me.
Every secret. Every nightmare. Every monster I've ever become.
But still, she pretends.
Pretends she doesn't see the shadows in my eyes. Pretends she doesn't notice how cold I've become.
Not out of ignorance — but out of love.
Because she knows that sometimes, the greatest kindness is letting someone believe they're still whole.
To me, she's not just a friend.
She's the echo of my silence.
The only one who's ever stood beside me in my darkest hours and didn't flinch.
So I brought them both.
Because tonight, I needed more than just company.
I needed reminders that somewhere, beyond the walls of discipline and judgment and forced smiles — I still belonged to something real.
Something that felt like home.
And even though I was heading into a space where everything about me felt wrong — at least I wouldn't be doing it completely alone.
To be continue....