Chapter-1 Interesting Encounter

On a peaceful night in New York City, a particular farmhouse was lit up not because of the electricity, but because of the fire it was set on.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gunshots echoed in the forest, making sleeping birds fly away as a man dressed in black walked out, his strides screaming danger and terror.

"Is it dealt with?" He looked at the group, who nodded their heads.

A few more men came out of the house after lighting it on fire and walked toward their cars in long strides, trying to keep up with their leader.

Crunch! Crunch!

The dangerous man in the middle, who was busy wiping his bloody hands, looked up when he heard the shuffling at some distance.

His face wasn't clear in the dark, but anyone familiar with the famous gangs of New York City could immediately guess who he was.

He was none other than Vulcan.

"I think we have an intruder here," Vulcan said in his bone-chilling voice, and the guys immediately ran towards the forest to see who it was.

Grabbing the man who was spying on them, they looked at Vulcan for further actions, who just made a shooting sign from his hand, and before that man could do anything, protest, or cry for help, they shot him straight in the chest, the sound of silencer guns echoing in the silent forest.

While all this was happening, a girl who was returning home after partying hard with her friends was hiding in the bushes.

Her chest was heaving up and down because of her ragged breathing as she gulped, trying her best to calm her heart.

She knew better not to make a noise or not only her identity would be revealed, but she also might not get to see the morning sun like that man who got caught.

With her hands placed over her mouth, her heart pounding against her ribcage and her legs pressed close to her chest, she sat there waiting for them to leave.

It was a bad idea. She should've known about it.

When she was returning from the club, she lost her way back to the city. So when she noticed some light at some distance, she thought she might ask for help from people.

Her mother always warned her about these things. Never roam the roads alone at night, not to mention seek a man's help at night in an unknown area.

She never thought she would learn her lesson soon. The first time she sneaked out to have some fun with her friends, she was now standing in front of the gangs. It looks like she should start listening to her mother sometimes.

She huffed slowly before twisting her body to look back at where the gang members were.

The men were now sitting inside the cars one by one, and she almost had a heart attack when the man who looked like their leader paused and looked in her direction, making her hide herself behind the tree again as her heart that was starting to calm down started pounding again.

The fear of getting caught clouded her mind.

‘Please, God. Don’t let him catch me,’ She wished in her head with her eyes shut.

As she continued her praying, she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the screeching of tires. She tilted her head to look at the leaving cars, the car with their leader catching her attention.

She wasn't able to see what the leader looked like, but his vibes when he came out of that farmhouse after doing god knows what was something she won't be able to forget soon.

After sitting there for around thirty minutes and making sure no one was coming for her, with shivering hands, she finally called her friend to come and pick her up.

~~~~

"Hey, don't tell me you really fell asleep in the middle of the lecture again," David nudged her gently, and she opened her eyes before blinking away the haziness.

The same incident. It was the same incident one month ago. She has been dreaming about that night constantly since then.

"Aaliyah, you really need to get over this habit of zoning out in class. You are going to land yourself in serious trouble because of it. Miss Johnson was lenient enough to not say anything because she ran a ppt, but not everyone would be like that." Ashton came to her seat as he ruffled her hair like a kid, and she sighed.

"Anyway, are you guys coming to the masquerade party in the Dream High Club?" Henry jumped into the conversation, and Momo glared at him before sighing.

"We will, but what about Aaliyah?" Momo looked at Aaliyah with pity, and Aaliyah grinned.

"You know, people invented this beautiful scenario called sneaking out of the house," Aaliyah smiled, and Ashton chuckled at her exaggeration.

"Her mom is on the night shift again. She will just sneak out of the house. All she has to do to keep her sister shut is -"

"- Model for her new Black Rose collection that her company launched," Aaliyah completed Ashton's sentence, and all of them chuckled at her expression.

"You know, you are probably the only girl who has a problem with this. If you ask any other girl here, they will happily take off their clothes and - mmmm" Momo's words were cut short when David covered her mouth.

"Woman! Can you please think before you speak? You are becoming vulgar with each passing second," he pulled her ears gently.

"Ouch! I was going to say they would take off their clothes and wear what Aaliyah’s sister prepares. What the hell even goes in your dirty mind?" Momo pushed him away, and David coughed with red cheeks, making everyone shake their heads at their banter.

After five hours~~~

"Uh, that was close," Aaliyah sighed when her sister passed by her room.

Collecting her dress, Aaliyah looked down from the windowsill before opening it gently. Sometimes her skills with combat come in handy, don't they?

Only if she weren't wearing a dress, things would've been easier for her. Aaliyah groaned and was about to jump from the window of her room when she felt a presence behind her.

"You know, you can just use the main door. It's not like I didn't see you the first time. You already know the payment to keep my mouth closed," Katherine, her sister, spoke, and Aaliyah gritted her teeth.

"There's no way I am going to wear one of those uncomfortable dresses," Aaliyah growled, and Katherine clapped.

"Well, I guess you are choosing the hard option. The one where I snitch you to the mother and tell her how you were eloping in a dress to attend some sleazy club party and didn't even listen to me. I wonder what she will confiscate this time." Katherine grinned at her younger sister, and Aaliyah clenched her fists.

"Last time, it was your favorite game, wasn't it? I wonder if it will be your punching bag or gloves this time? Or maybe grounding?" Katherine kept going on about the punishments, and Aaliyah sighed loudly.

"Why did I even bother to argue with you? Fine, I will do as you say. Just keep your mouth shut, yeah?" Aaliyah walked out before waving at Ashton, who was waiting for her out of her house.

Her original plan was to go out without getting noticed by her sister, and then she would just come back late and say she was with Momo. But her plans failed, and she would end up like a clown again.

"I see you are coming from the front door, which can only mean one thing. You got caught, no?" Ashton grinned, and Aaliyah rolled her eyes.

"Just drive, will you?"

After 40 minutes, they were finally standing inside the club, where various men and women were already roaming in dresses and with beautiful masks on their faces.

"Let's dance the night away," David hooted, and everyone chuckled.

"Aaliyah, don't wander off too far. Call me immediately if you sense any danger. I will always be near you. I heard from Dad that there might be some gang members here," Ashton cooed in her ear so that the others wouldn't hear, and Aaliyah widened her eyes slightly.

"And you are telling me this only now?" Aaliyah raised her voice before looking around and pulling him into the corner.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Hey, don't get so worked up. It's just a possibility. Besides, can you tell a gang member isn’t in the regular restaurant you visit? There's nothing to worry about. I will always be near you," Ashton patted her shoulder, and she sighed before going to the bar.

As she sat at her table, she turned to her side, the man beside her catching her gaze.

He was probably one of the few people wearing a complete face mask, exposing only his eyes.

And God forbid, how beautiful those eyes looked in the dim light of the club.

It was something that Aaliyah realized sooner about herself. She always has a thing for eyes. Whenever she meets someone, the first thing she notices is their eyes.

"Do you find me a handsome, pretty lady?" The guy asked, bringing her out of her daze, and she blushed hard before looking away, making him smile.

"Would you like to dance with me?" The guy asked, and Aaliyah smiled before nodding and placing her hand on his.

"You know, beautiful girls like you shouldn't agree to dance with any random man. Some might turn into creepy stalkers," The man said, and Aaliyah smiled again.

"Well, I happen to be in love with the stalkers," Aaliyah flirted back, and though she couldn’t see his smile, his crinkled eyes indicated he was smiling.

If his eyes were so beautiful, how beautiful would his face be? The cotton mask was doing no justice to hide his chiseled jaws.

Aaliyah thought when the man pulled her a little closer, his gaze not leaving her for a second.

"Let's go, Aaliyah. Our teacher is here. We can't get caught. Why is Riverhood so close to these clubs?" Ashton grumbled from behind her before pulling her away from the man, who looked at the leaving figure with an interesting smile.

"Those were some nice moves, man. Have you decided on what to do while you are here?" Dimitri, the man's friend, asked from behind, and Dominic turned around with a smile.

"Didn't I tell you? It's the best profession where no one will get suspicious of me. And guess what? I think I met a few students already," Dominic turned around before something caught his eye.

It was the bracelet that the girl, Aaliyah, was wearing.

"Interesting," He mused before smiling, placing the bracelet in his pocket.