Sua stepped into her most exquisite dress, her heart racing. Tonight wasn't just any date, it was a high stakes encounter with her wealthy boyfriend.
Her eyes drifted to the glowing screen of her phone, rereading his text…..
"Let's meet today. I have something important to discuss with you."
A confident, practiced smile curled her lips. She leaned toward the silver shards of a broken mirror propped up in her cramped room, meticulously painting her lips. Finally, she threw on a shimmering jacket just as the sky began to bruise with the chill of the season.
"He's going to do it...."
she whispered to her reflection.
"He's going to propose under the year's first snow!!"
She descended the stairs, the rhythmic click clack of her elegant heels echoing through the narrow alleyway. To her neighbors, she was a vision of untouchable affluence a girl who had escaped their grit for a life of glamour. They watched her with burning envy, unaware that Sua was a master of illusions.
Every stitch of lace, every designer logo, and every golden buckle was a clever counterfeit. Only her beauty was authentic, the rest was a house of cards.
A taxi pulled to the curb at the edge of the main road.
"The City Restaurant, please."
she directed, her voice echoing the poise of the woman she pretended to be.
Upon arrival, she saw him standing like a statue at the entrance.
"Hey, you should've waited inside…"
Sua began, reaching out to him.
He didn't move. Instead....
he rolled his eyes, a heavy sigh of irritation escaping his lips!
"We aren't here to eat!!! Did you forget? I told you we had things to discuss!!"
The warmth drained from Sua's face….
The festive lights of the restaurant suddenly felt blindingly harsh.
"I just thought... since we were meeting at a restaurant..."
He let out a sharp, mocking laugh that cut through the cold air.
"Sua, honestly! I'm done. I can't bankroll your lifestyle anymore. These designer demands, the constant spending... it's exhausting."
Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating. This wasn't a proposal, it was an execution.
"And one more thing!"
he added, his voice devoid of pity.
"I'm actually here for dinner with my new girlfriend…! I only called you here because it was convenient to break up with you on my way to a real date."
He turned his back on her, disappearing into the golden glow of the interior.
Sua stood paralyzed. Through the expansive glass windows, she watched him slide into a booth. She saw him laugh, saw him touch another woman's hand, and saw the ribbon wrapped gift boxes on the table.
Then, the snow began to fall. Fat, white flakes landed on her shoulders.
Around her, the city erupted in joy couples pointing at the sky, children cheering for the first snow of the year. Sua remained motionless until a thin veil of white began to cover her fake furs.
Blinded by a sudden rush of tears, Sua turned to flee, only to collide squarely with a broad, firm chest.
"Oh! I'm so sorry... how embarrassing."
she stammered, wiping her eyes and looking up. Her breath hitched. Standing before her was a man with features so sharp and refined he looked like he'd stepped off a runway.
His gaze dropped to her feet, a curious smile playing on his lips.
"You know,"
he said smoothly..
"our company only manufactured two pairs of those specific heels. One was gifted to the Prime Minister's wife, and the other was sold to a private collector. I suppose you must be that lucky woman."
Sua's blood ran cold…..
The heat of a thousand blushes rushed to her cheeks.
No, no, no...
of all the people in the city, why him?
Before she could invent a lie, a slurred, venomous voice erupted from behind. Her ex boyfriend stumbled out of the restaurant, his breath reeking of expensive wine.
"Lucky? She's not lucky!!"
he sneered, pointing a finger at Sua.
"She bought those with my money! She seduced me just to get those shoes!"
Sua turned, her shame turning into a cold, sharp clarity….
"Actually….."
she said, her voice trembling but loud.
"the money you gave me wasn't even enough for the sales tax on the originals. These are knockoffs. Just like our relationship."
The ex boyfriend froze, his mouth agape, until his new girlfriend emerged and ushered him away in quiet disgrace.
Sua turned back to the stranger, her head bowed. The facade was gone.
"I am so sorry…"
she whispered.
"I bought the knockoffs because I loved the design, but I could never afford the truth."
The man tilted his head, a soft, genuine smile softening his expression.
"It's a pity."
he murmured, stepping closer.
"The design looks far better on you than it ever did on the Prime Minister's wife. You deserve the original, not a shadow of it. How about I gift you the real pair... as a sweet gesture…..?"
Later…
The limousine pulled up to a monolithic black tower.
Vane led her inside, his presence commanding silence from the security guards who bowed as they passed.
They entered a private, vault-like room. Vane turned to her, his expression sharpening into something predatory.
"You realize, Sua, that wearing those counterfeits is a crime against my legacy. I could have you sued into a debt you'd never pay off in ten lifetimes."
Sua's breath hitched….
Tears, real this time, pricked her eyes.
"I never had a choice! I lived in the dark, surrounded by people who only see what you wear, not who you are. I just wanted to feel... like I belonged for once. I didn't know it would end like this."
Vane watched her, his eyes flashing a brief, unnatural amber.
"Belonging is a cheap sentiment. Let me show you what it means to own."
He pressed a hidden panel, and the walls slid away to reveal a gallery that defied logic.
The clothes didn't just hang, they seemed to breathe. Fabrics shimmered with the iridescence of dragon scales, and silks moved like liquid moonlight.
He walked to a central pedestal where a pair of heels rested. They were made of a material that looked like frozen starlight, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic glow.
"These haven't been released….."
Vane whispered, kneeling to slide them onto her feet himself.
"In fact, they don't belong to this world's market at all….."
As the shoes touched her skin, a rush of power surged through Sua. She felt taller, faster, and terrifyingly beautiful.
Vane stood up, his stature seemingly growing as the shadows in the room deepened. He leaned in, his breath cold against her ear.
"You look exquisite, Sua. Like a queen of the underworld. I can give you all of this. Not just these shoes, but garments woven from shadows, jewelry forged in the hearts of dying stars things humans haven't seen since the Fall."
He traced the line of her jaw with a finger that felt like ice.
"In exchange, you will do something for me. You will be my 'Consort of Illusions.' You will walk among the elite, the powerful, and the corrupt, and you will collect the one thing more valuable than any designer label.. their secrets. I provide the luxury, you provide the souls. Do we have a deal?"
The air in the vault grew heavy…
the scent of ozone and expensive cologne mixing into something intoxicating and terrifying.
Sua took a step back.. the starlight heels clicking against the obsidian floor with a sound like shattering glass.
"Their... souls?"
she whispered, her voice trembling….
"Vane, what does that mean…?
I'm just a girl who wore the wrong shoes. I don't understand what you're talking about."
Vane didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he began to circle her, his movements fluid and predatory. A slow, dark smile spread across his face a smile that felt far too manipulative for a human.
"You're a master of lies, Sua."
he murmured, stopping right behind her.
"But you should know better than to try and lie to me. I know the taste of a dishonest heart."
He leaned down, his voice vibrating in her very bones.
"Your mother... she's so proud of her hardworking daughter, isn't she? She thinks you spend your days at a prestigious office, earning an honest living to keep her fed and the lights on."
Sua froze. The blood drained from her face...
"How do you...?"
He spoke
"I know that every cent you give her is stained."
Vane continued, his eyes now glowing with a faint, hellish embers.
"I know you took money from desperate men, playing on their desires just to survive. You've been trading pieces of yourself for a long time, Sua. I'm simply offering you a better exchange rate."
He gestured to the room around them.
Suddenly, the luxurious clothes began to shift a gown made of literal phoenix feathers ignited in a soft, heatless flame, and a necklace of black diamonds began to hum with the screams of a thousand winds.
"Getting the souls is simple!"
Vane said, stepping back into her line of sight.
"The elite of this city have grown bored. They want power, they want youth, they want things that money cannot buy. I provide those things. All I need is a beautiful, convincing face to deliver the contracts. You are already an expert at pretending to be something you aren't. Why not get paid in stardust instead of counterfeit copper?"
He held out a hand, his shadow on the wall behind him flickering into the shape of great, tattered wings.
"Think of your mother, Sua. Do you want her to find out the truth? Or do you want to give her a life where the truth no longer matters because she is draped in gold?"
The moment Sua placed her hand in Vane's, the air in the vault didn't just grow cold it ceased to exist.
As her skin touched his, a searing heat erupted from their joined palms. Vane's smile widened, no longer mimicking human warmth, but glowing with the satisfaction of a trap finally sprung.
"Wise choice, little liar."
Vane whispered.
Suddenly, the floor beneath them dissolved into a swirling vortex of ink and gold. Sua tried to scream, but the sound was swallowed by a sudden, booming thunder that didn't come from the sky, but from the very foundations of the universe.
Above them, the ceiling of the skyscraper vanished. The modern lights were replaced by a celestial, blinding white eye that tore through the fabric of the dimension. The God himself was watching.
A voice, ancient and terrible, echoed through the room
"ONE OF LIGHT AND ONE OF DARKNESS, BOUND BY A DECEPTIVE TONGUE. THE CONTRACT IS WITNESSED. THE FATE IS SEALED."