JOSI

"Shall we dance?"

Josi is led to the dance floor where the rest of the crowd is. As they sway to the slow tune, Idris takes it upon himself to regard Josi once again, as if he hadn't already done so before the ball. But Josi allows him. After all, she lives off his admiration.

Even behind his mask, she can tell he's entranced. Perhaps from the velvet dress she'd chosen to wear, because the masquerade mask she currently has on doesn't leave much room for her looks. From the way his hand rests on her waist, she can tell the rest of the crowd has become a prop, and that she exists as the only thing essential in his line of sight.

"What's on your mind?"

Josi scans the crowd, meeting some of the faces present. "Everyone here has a life of their own. They each have their own problems, things that make them happy, destinies to live out. And when they leave here tonight, they will return to that same life."

Idris shakes his head. "I don't believe in destiny."

"I do. I think we all have a set destiny from the day we're born. Some end in fulfillment and content." She looks him in the eye. "And others end in misfortune."

"Then do you believe meeting me was fate?"

Josi smiles. Calmly. "Very much so."

Idris returns the smile, seeming content with her answer. He spins her around once more as the music begins fading. And finally the dance comes to an end. The ballroom shifts back into place with people striking up conversations once again. Only business matters occur in those chatters, because as Josi was informed only days before the event, this is a party for families well versed in the mafia. It's all been organized to create friendships. But how legitimate really are those friendships?

There was even a charity event earlier that evening, where items rarer than just diamonds were auctioned. And amongst those items was a girl who was made to be viewed like the rest of those objects. It seems every attendee has gotten accustomed to the idea of betting on a human being, because unlike the rest of the items, the girl was the most sought after. Simply for the beauty she possessed.

Josi couldn't watch, so she'd stepped away. A room full of criminals whose conscience have long since withered. Who knows what else they'll start auctioning? Could be more than just a living human being.

A couple of those criminals come looking for Idris. Josi has seen them at the estate a handful of times. Members from the Favero family-much smaller but loyal to the Verdonnis. They reserve their greeting for Idris and Idris only, and don't even spare Josi so much as a look. Then they engage in some conversation apparently too private for her ears.

"I'm going to step away for a bit." Idris tells her once the chatter catches a break.

"Then I'm going to go talk to the sculptures in the corner." Josi waves him goodbye.

Now to get a head start on her visit's true purpose. But before that, she spots a girl by a table in the midst of some phone call. She'd noticed her once that evening-or better yet, she'd noticed her interest in Croff. She seems around Josi's age, perhaps just a year younger now that Josi is taking a closer look. Wouldn't it be nice lending a helping hand?

Josi waits until the girl is done with the call before joining her at the table. She starts off with a compliment. "I'm in love with your dress. Where did you get it?"

The once skeptical atmosphere shrivels when the girl receives the flattery. She smiles. "It was made by my family's tailor. My mother didn't like it. I guess I did a good job not listening to her."

Josi sighs. "Parents. They need to learn that their children are capable of making up their own minds."

"That's what I said!" The girl laughs.

Josi joins her until it all finally settles down. "I'm Josita, by the way." She sends a hand out.

The girl meets it. "Ines."

Now Josi shoots for the target. "So. I couldn't help but notice you staring at Croff."

Ines looks lost, until Josi clarifies. "The tall handsome man in the long coat." She gestures at Croff in the distance.

"Oh, so that's his name." Says Ines with a timid smile.

Josi nods. "He's a looker, isn't he?"

"He really is. But I'm not so sure if I should go up to him."

"You know, he likes you."

Ines's face lights up like a tree on Christmas day. "Really?"

"Yes, it's so obvious. I really shouldn't be saying this because he would kill me. But I thought you deserved to know."

"Wait," Says Ines. The skepticism has returned. "How do you know?"

"He guards my boyfriend." Josi points at Idris this time who's still in a conversation with the Faveros. Then she gives Ines a smile much more reassuring. "I think you should go for him, Ines."

This is all the assurance Ines needs. She gives Josi a nod, as though her mind has been made, then heads towards where Croff is standing guard. And now Josi's job is done.

Next on her agenda is persuading the one person that will either make or break her journey towards revenge. The Caméléonne.

~《¤》~

CROFF

Croff's presence at these balls is for a single reason only. Security. One can never be too careful even within the safety of this grand party, which, according to the sponsors, is "Neutral territory". Still he keeps watch. Mostly over Idris, but also over the ballroom in its entirety.

He stalks around the perimeter, watching as mafia socialites in sheep's clothing conduct business. Some are there for the fun of it, but he doesn't meet many. Now as the slow dance number disperses and the room is back to its chattering atmosphere, Croff — unintentionally, as he believes — spots Josi after she's separated from Idris. She finds a seat somewhere close to the wall and begins a conversation with a girl he's seen before on one of his security trips around the ballroom.

That evening started off heavy. He'd spent part of it pretending Josi's appearance had no effect on him, and the other hoping he wasn't too transparent in front of Idris. But now that Idris is nowhere in sight, Croff allows himself this chance.

Josi is alluring where she is, covered in that same black dress that made his head turn, though discreetly. The same smile that won him over. The same beauty that was once only Idris's to appreciate, but has now also become his duty. How did he land himself in this much trouble?

The conversation between Josi and the girl seems to have met its end, because the girl leaves her seat and begins making her way towards . . . him. Meanwhile, Josi heads for the exit leading to where the dens are. But before she does so, Croff catches the smile she gives him, and with the girl now in front of him, he can tell exactly what that smile was for.

Croff is hit hard in his gut by a wave of frustration. He does not want the company of anyone else but the woman he knows he can't have. As ironic and foolish as it is, he can't help it. And the fact that Josi herself sent that very company his way serves as an insult to his turmoil.

Croff has had enough. He turns the girl down, offers an apology, and heads for the exit in pursuit of Josi. He finds her in the fourth den he searches, still so beguiling in that dress of hers. He does not allow himself time to be captivated, however. He's disconcerted.

"What the hell was that?"

Josi just stares at him, seemingly oblivious. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb." He tells her. "You sent that girl after me, didn't you?"

"Oh, you mean Ines. She really liked you." Once again, the smile. "I thought you two would get along well."

Croff frowns. Her choice of naivety only furthers his restlessness. There she is in front of him, seemingly unaware of the field trip she sent him on, while he's been fighting off the feelings he knows he shouldn't harbor. It's frustrating — being the only one of two so torn apart by this new development. He could choose to keep the truth away from her, because it's the smarter choice. It's the most reasonable. But has his mind been any more rational lately? Not by a long shot.

Croff isn't sure how — perhaps he blanked out and only regained consciousness after it happened — but his lips are now on Josi's. The only voice of reason he had left has shriveled up and vanished, and now all he can think about is the warmth behind her lips.

It doesn't even occur to him that Idris isn't too far off in the ballroom. He doesn't think about the fact that Josi and Idris are in a relationship either. It all fades to black, locked up in some corner of his mind, overridden by the temptation known as Josita Cade.

Croff ends the kiss after mere seconds. Josi, however, decides she won't allow things end there. She grabs his collar and brings him right back to where he was those seconds ago-fixed to her lips — and continues the kiss he started. Croff doesn't even think twice. He slips his tongue in, and when Josi meets it with her own, the heat coursing through his body skyrockets. He feels like he's in a dream. Too good to be true. That he would be granted this act of intimacy in reality is rewarding.

Croff tastes his own desire before he tastes Josi. This is what he's been craving. Cravings can make one lose control. And that's exactly where Croff is headed. He picks Josi off the floor and sits her down on a table, still so engulfed by her lips, so submerged within the pleasure she brings him.

He's desperate to move in deeper, as Josi's taste has turned him into a starved man. But Josi will not be bested. Her fingers become entangled in his hair, now as lost in the kiss as Croff himself. It's in this moment that the gravity of the situation truly hits him. Lust so strong, he has no will to resist.

When the kiss finally ends, Croff is sent tumbling off cloud nine and back to reality, like the morning after an ugly hangover. Except the headache in this case is a tingling sensation. "You bit my lip."

Josi looks him in the eye with that same smile. "I tried biting both."

Croff has to peel his eyes away from her to manage the beating in his chest, and even then, the thumping persists. He's not sure what's worse: the fact that he enjoyed the kiss or the fact that he wants more of it. He could go further if the situation were any different. If the situation were any different, he would have moved past just a kiss. He would have tasted her skin, savored the saline taste down to her breasts—

Croff pulls the fire alarm and shuts his mind down instantly. He grows sick not from the thought, but from the fact that he enjoyed it. Croff truly is trapped. There's no exit from this maze.

Contrast to Croff's mental turmoil, Josi is all smiles. She sits there on the table completely at ease, as if the kiss they just shared is trivial. As if it were normal. How can she be so relaxed? Heaven forbid Idris finds out his most trusted bodyguard and girlfriend just shared a kiss. It isn't the consequences Croff thinks about. It's the disappointment and betrayal on Idris's face.

With defeated resolve, Croff carries what's left of his self-worth and heads for the door. He will bury these newfound feelings for Josi and put it all behind him. He will steer clear of his boss's girlfriend, something he knows he should have done ages ago, but went against his better judgment and is now reaping the consequences.

But with how captivated he is by her, will he be able to follow through? Croff finds he can't answer that question.

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