Dinner was set at the very top of one of Dubai's most luxurious skyscrapers—floor-to-ceiling glass walls revealing a glowing city skyline bathed in golden light. A soft, humming jazz melody drifted in the background, calm and elegant.
But beneath the beauty, my heart pounded with unease.
I followed Levi in silence, my heels clicking lightly on the marble floor. The private elevator had opened into a grand dining hall—chandeliers dripping with crystals, a long dining table adorned with tall white roses, golden plates, and flickering candlelight. Every detail screamed wealth. Excess. Power.
His family was already seated.
They rose at our arrival.
Levi's father, tall with streaks of gray in his slicked-back hair, nodded politely. His mother smiled—poised, polished, calculating. Beside them sat two cousins I hadn't yet met, both dressed in black. They looked like they belonged in a magazine. Or a courtroom.
"Aurora," Levi said softly beside me, "meet my family."
I offered a quiet smile. "It's lovely to meet you."
His father raised a glass. "To new beginnings."
I lifted mine slowly, clinking it with his, and whispered, "To truth," though even I wasn't sure why I chose that word.
We sat. The table was already set, plates of imported meats, dishes with names I couldn't pronounce, wine older than I was. I tried to eat, but my hands trembled slightly. Everything looked perfect… but the air felt wrong.
"So…" Levi's mother began, her gaze fixed on me. "You must be enjoying the attention. The castle. The press. My son doesn't bring just anyone into his world."
There was a sweetness to her tone, but it was like licking honey off a blade.
I gave a small, rehearsed smile. "I'm grateful. Truly."
She leaned in slightly, fingers resting on her glass. "Do you love him?"
I blinked, caught off guard. "I....."
"Of course she does," Levi interjected smoothly, cutting me off. "And that's all that matters."
Silence fell—a beat too long.
Then one of the cousins chuckled and sliced into his steak. "I'm sure she does," he said, voice dripping with something unspoken. "The castle helps."
Laughter rippled around the table, the kind that didn't quite reach the eyes.
Gold cutlery clinked against fine porcelain. Wine glasses gleamed. I sat straighter, trying to play my part. But the undercurrent was sharp.
Threats, veiled in politeness. Danger, wrapped in silk.
Just as dessert arrived. Rich, dark chocolate laced with raspberries. Levi's mother stood and gently tapped her glass.
"I brought something," she said, smiling. "A gift."
She stepped away and returned moments later with a box. Crimson velvet, tied with an antique gold ribbon. As she placed it in front of me, something in my stomach twisted.
I reached out slowly. My fingers brushed the lid.
Levi's hand tightened around his wine glass.
"Go ahead," his mother urged sweetly. "Open it."
I undid the ribbon carefully, deliberately.
The lid came off.
Inside was something I couldn't immediately comprehend. A white cloth, soaked through with red. Blood. And nestled within it… a necklace. A shattered locket.
I stared, numb. The metallic scent hit me next.
My breath caught.
"Do you recognize it?" she asked, tilting her head. "No?"
I shook my head, unable to speak.
"Pity," she said softly. "It belonged to someone very dear to you. Before she disappeared."
Levi stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.
"That's enough," he snapped.
His mother only smiled, sipping her wine as if nothing had happened.
But something had.
Something I didn't yet understand.
My hands trembled under the table. I stared at the blood-stained locket, trying to swallow the panic rising inside me.
Levi leaned in and whispered just for me. "Ignore her. She's playing games."
I didn't know what—or who—to believe.
My eyes remained fixed on the necklace, the bloodied chain. It did look familiar. But from where…?
Where had I seen this…?
I struggled to reach back in my mind for answers.
"Are you alright?" Levi asked quietly, touching my arm.
I nodded slowly.
But I was lying.
The room quieted again. Everyone focused on their food.
Everyone except Levi's mother, whose gaze remained sharp and fixed on me.
And just as I gathered myself to confront the moment, another coincidence shattered the silence.
---
The door opened.
It was Sam.
Levi's best man at the wedding. tall, refined, quietly elegant. I'd never held a real conversation with him, but he always felt like a calmer, gentler version of Levi.
He rushed into the dining room, gasping for air.
It seemed he hadn't yet noticed me.
Caught between breathlessness and urgency, he finally formed the words:
"The procedure didn't go as planned. Subject No. 7 is about to collapse."
His voice echoed across the room.
For a second, silence covered everything.
Everyone turned toward Sam. still breathless, tense.
Then, he noticed me. Or perhaps remembered me.
Because the moment our eyes met, he immediately apologized.
"Forgive my intrusion," he muttered quietly, and stepped out of the room.
Cold slammed into the air.
If I had felt uncomfortable earlier…
Now, it felt like I was seated in hell surrounded by the devil and his cabinet of demons.
There were no words to express what I felt fear. Curiosity. Discomfort. All crashing in at once.
I quietly ate, trying to ignore the weight of their eyes burning into my skin.
And there, in that moment, I realized something.
Something horrifying.
But I dared not ask questions.
---
As dinner wound down, Levi guided me toward the exit, his hand gently pressed against my back. He didn't speak until the elevator doors closed behind us.
"What happened back there," he said quietly, "Forget it. It wasn't meant for you."
"Then who was it meant for?" I asked, eyes locked straight ahead, my voice barely steady.
He paused.
Then looked me dead in the eye.
His jaw clenched.
"You'll understand… with time."
That was his first lie.