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But Arkane handled it well. “Why are you sorry?” he asked, calmly eyeing him. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would you?”

Killian laughed his high-pitched laugh once again. It was eerily grating and somewhat annoying.

“But then,” Arkane said slowly, a slight smirk shadowing his lips. “That’s impossible. How could a man like you ever touch my family?” His poised, condescending tone implied the clear hierarchical power between the two men.

Killian’s laughter flatlined. There was nothing smug about him now. If he thought he could stroke a man like Arkane, he thought wrong. But I had a feeling the two men were already acquainted with such dialogues and loved to try it out time and time again. Interesting dynamics for someone from the other side of their world to witness.

“Is that a dare, Kane?” Killian asked with a sly smile. “You know how much I love to prove wrong.”

“Is that all?” Arkane asked instead, taking a sip of his drink like he was already done with the conversation.

“Should I need a reason to speak to my dear cousin?” Killian asked, coyly. “You must remember that I do have a remarkable piece in my possession. Some might say it could even determine your fate.”

The slight twitch of Arkane’s fingers against my waist gave away his irritation, but he didn’t lose his composure. “Then why haven’t you?” Arkane asked. “Determined my fate already?”

Killian laughed his annoying laugh once again. “Don’t try me, cousin, don’t try me,” he said, and with that, he walked away. Harvey Walters scurried behind him with a heavy frown.

Whatever was going on tonight, it was apparent that they didn’t like Arkane’s presence here.

“So cousin, huh?” I asked dryly, side-eyeing him.

“Yes.” Arkane smiled. “More like the bane of my existence.”

I shook my head, and before I could say anything, the host’s voice boomed through the air, lighting up the stage as the rest of the room dimmed and hence the autciton commenced.

Not long after, “Kiara,” a brilliant twenty-four-carat diamond in the shade of a rare, one-of-a-kind, luminescent gray, was sold for thirty million dollars to the highest bidder, as if it were a sport. One second, the patrons were gushing over its beauty, envious of the hand that got to own it, and the next, everyone went back to drinking and socializing like it was just another day.

“It’s almost as if they forgot what they came for,” I whispered to Arkane. “Like Kiara didn’t matter at all.”

The pretentiousness in the air was obvious. It was something I really didn’t like. Playing a part was never my strongest forte. I didn’t know how to pretend or fake. I was rather blunt and honest, and preferred a simple life as a librarian while I quietly worked nights to restore righteousness. There was no question during my Valerian initiation that I was to be an assassin. In any other division, I would’ve failed terribly.

I thought Arkane would be like these people, but although secretive, there was something raw and real about him.

Arkane scoffed with a tilt of his chin. “Of course, Kiara didn’t matter. They do this every week with the next best thing.”

“I thought she was beautiful, Kiara. I’ve never seen a diamond that color in real life.” I sighed. The sparkle of the cut was still a vivid picture in my mind as my eyes glazed over the supercilious crowd. “I don’t know how you do it. Only a couple of hours of this and I already want to sleep.”

He laughed, drawing a few shocked eyes. The motion made the scar on his lips almost look scarily beautiful. “Didn’t you sleep on the yacht like a baby?”

I shrugged. “I like to sleep,” I said as Arkane led me out to a private courtyard balcony reserved only for us, with Mikhail diligently shadowing us. Soon, all the guests gathered for the fireworks show. Well, all except for Killian Glen and his entourage, who hadn’t moved from the table they had occupied on the other side of the ballroom. It looked like the fireworks didn’t interest them one bit.

“What’s he planning tonight?” I asked Arkane, curious. I had a feeling we were here for more than just to catch Harvey Walters off guard.

Arkane simply smiled at me, and I frowned, ready to ask him what was going on when flashes of colorful lights caught the side of his face, followed by the sound of crackles. My eyes lifted to the sky to watch the dark canvas lit by fireworks. I’d never seen such an elaborate display of fireworks before. It looked like a thousand stars burst open and were now falling upon us. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Something warm covered my shoulders, and my eyes slid to Arkane, draping his jacket over me. “You looked cold,” he whispered, but remained right behind me, adding more warmth than his jacket, and I didn’t complain.

In silence, for the next five minutes, we watched the fireworks show, with Arkane by my side and his jacket on me. It was almost as if we were a great distance away from the outside world. For a moment, it all felt nice. It felt more than nice.

Soon after the fireworks, the guests were ushered inside for dinner, but we lingered in the same place as the courtyard emptied.

“I’d say we cut this party short,” Arkane said. “Unless you want to stay.”

I shook my head. Despite all the questions brimming in my mind about the real reason we were here tonight, I said, “I’m good to go.” My eyes strayed to Harvey Walters. At least I accomplished what I came here for. Harvey Walters was busy talking with a bunch of boastful men at his table, while frustratingly yanking at the bow tie around his neck like it was getting hard for him to breathe. Good, I thought. He did spare us some disdainful looks all night, but other than that, he kept to his side of the room, busy kissing Killian’s ass. In his head, it was probably a bad night— only he still doesn’t know how bad.

“I got everything I came here for,” I whispered.

Arkane raised a brow at my statement but didn’t voice his question as he spoke something to Mikhail before returning to my side. “We’ll leave in five minutes,” he announced.