"He didn't know me. But his soul remembered the woman he burned."
NYRA VORA
The music was soft jazz, but my heels made sharper sounds.
Click. Click. Click.
Every step I took echoed louder than the last.
Eyes turned. Mouths whispered. Diamonds dimmed.
But I didn't stop.
I walked into the marble ballroom wearing a black satin slit dress, the kind that demanded attention and promised danger. A low neckline. A red choker. Hair pinned tight like a crown.
"Miss Nyra Vora?" the announcer at the entrance said, barely keeping his breath.
The room paused for a heartbeat. Then resumed.
I scanned the crowd.
Found him.
Ravian Singhania.
In a grey suit, whiskey in hand, surrounded by socialites and investors. Still polished. Still cruel beneath the charm.
For a moment, he didn't look my way.
Until he did.
His glass stilled mid-air. His head tilted slightly.
Eyes locked with mine.
And the world went quiet.
He stared.
Not in recognition.
But obsession.
"Yes, Ravian. Look at me. Feel me. Choke on the ghost you created."
He took a slow step toward me. Then another.
Kray appeared beside him. Same sharp smile. Same predator's grin.
But even he blinked, looking at me like a painting that made his bones ache.
Kray: "Who the hell is that?"
Ravian: "I don't know... but I've seen those eyes before."
My lips curled.
I turned away.
Let them chase.
KAI
By my side. Black suit. Black tie. Blank expression.
"He's looking at you like a drug he forgot he was addicted to," Kai murmured.
"Good," I replied. "I want to overdose him on guilt."
"Ready for step two?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm going to make him fall in love with me all over again." I smirked. "Then I'll remind him who I am."
I made my way to the champagne bar. Another pair of eyes followed me there—not Ravian's.
Leo Vale.
Golden boy billionaire. Casual blazer, tousled hair, pure mischief wrapped in silk. He leaned on the marble and offered a glass.
Leo: "You walk like you're already bored of this party."
Nyra: "That's because I am."
He chuckled. No pressure. Just spark.
Leo: "Then let's change the narrative, mystery girl."
But Ravian reached me first.
His hand brushed my shoulder. His voice was velvet and knives.
Ravian: "I don't believe we've met."
I turned slowly. Let my eyes rake his face like I didn't remember the pain, like I didn't feel the ghost of that glass under my feet.
Nyra: "I don't believe in introductions. If someone matters, they'll return."
He looked stunned for half a second.
That same faint tremor in his pupils—just like the night he stabbed me.
"Who are you?" he asked, almost whispering.
I leaned close, let my breath kiss his neck.
"Someone you'll never forget… this time."
And then I walked away.
Leaving him still. Shaking.
LATER THAT NIGHT
I stood alone on the balcony.
The moon was high. The air cold.
Kray stepped beside me. Not arrogant—curious.
He stared at me too long.
Kray: "You feel... familiar."
I met his gaze.
Nyra: "Familiar things are dangerous. They remind us of what we tried to bury."
He smirked. But his smile didn't reach his eyes.
Kray: "You remind me of someone I once destroyed."
Nyra: "Then maybe she's back."
🥀 End of Chapter 4