Chapter 51
Lina's POV
Saturday afternoon, 5 PM.
The dress Luca had sent over hung on the wardrobe door, covered by a translucent dust bag.
I unzipped it. The deep blue satin flowed with a soft arc of light under the lamp.
The skirt had three layers of tulle, very similar to the one I'd seen in the shop yesterday, but the neckline was cut more precisely, and the waistline was gathered just right.
Next to the dress was a pair of matching low-heeled shoes. A sticky note was attached to the shoebox with a line of text: "These shoes suit you well. The heels aren't high, won't impede movement."
I stared at the words "won't impede movement" for two seconds, and the corners of my mouth unconsciously turned up a little.
I folded the note and put it in the nightstand drawer, placing it together with the card that read "A gift for a good girl."
After changing into the dress, I pinned the silver rose brooch to the left side of the neckline in front of the mirror—right over my heart, exactly the same as when I wore my school uniform.
The deep blue satin made the dark silver petals look especially serene. The needle-point-sized thorn on the stem glinted with a trace of cold light under the lamp.
I let my hair down. The ends fell right at my shoulder blades, covering those scars of mine.
To be honest, the person in the mirror looked very unfamiliar—not that ordinary student in school uniform with a backpack, not that Red Rose in combat gear holding a knife, but more like a combination somewhere between the two.
At 5:40, Maggie sent a message saying she'd arrived.
I put my phone in my pocket and left the room.
Passing through the living room, Cecelia sat on the sofa adjusting the shoulder straps of her dark green gown.
She looked up and saw me. Her fingers paused for a moment.
"You look beautiful," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, her tone no different from usual.
"So do you," I said.
This wasn't just politeness. The dark green gown with her perfect makeup made her dazzling and eye-catching even just in the apartment. I guessed she would only look more radiant standing under the ball's lights.
Except tonight she wasn't going to dance—she was going to complete a performance, using the script Dmitri had written for her, acting out the final scene for Luca.
The elevator arrived.
Cecelia and I walked in together. Neither of us spoke again.
The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected our two figures—deep blue and dark green, silver rose and green ribbon.
Two chess pieces, two disguises, silently riding in the same elevator toward the same destination.
The school auditorium had been decorated completely differently. All the crystal chandeliers were lit, warm golden light spilling onto the parquet floor. The champagne tower was stacked three tiers high. Long tables against the walls were laden with pastries and fruit.
Student council officers in matching dark red vests guided people to sign in at the entrance. Other officers handed out programs beside the sign-in desk.
Maggie stood waiting for me at the auditorium entrance, wearing that pink three-tiered tulle dress, her hair pinned up with a row of pearl clips.
The moment she saw me, her mouth fell open. Then she grabbed my wrist and pulled me under the lights to spin me around.
"I knew it! I knew it!" Her voice rose at least half an octave. "Deep blue is killer! Mr. Luca has such great taste—wait, he gave you this, right?"
"Yes," I said, my ears warming slightly.
Maggie didn't continue interrogating me about Luca. She just looked at me again, then smiled so wide her eyes curved into two crescents. "Let's go, let's go! Fred's already inside!"
Then she lowered her voice to add with a hint of smugness, "Yesterday I slapped three tickets down in front of him. He was stunned for about five seconds, then said 'Actually I was already planning to invite you.' Can you believe it? He said he was already planning to invite me! Men!"
"Mm, I believe it," I said, then was unceremoniously dragged into the dance floor by Maggie.
Music played softly. The crystal chandelier's light cast rotating circles of light and shadow in the center of the dance floor.
Maggie's hand rested on Fred's shoulder. He was so nervous he moved both his left side limbs together and stepped on her skirt hem twice. Each time she was stepped on, she couldn't help but laugh and lower her head to say it was okay.
I stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching them spin, watching the champagne tower's bubbles quietly rise, watching unfamiliar classmates in small groups taking selfies with their phones.
Everything looked like a perfect, normal school ball. All shadows were temporarily shut out beyond the auditorium's lights.
But I knew the shadows were there, and slowly approaching.
Standing at the edge of the dance floor, I swept the second-floor viewing platform with my peripheral vision.
Luca's people were already in position. A man in black casual wear leaned against the platform railing, posture relaxed, holding an untouched glass of champagne. Like me, he had an almost invisible micro-earpiece in his ear.
Another stood beside the emergency passage entrance, also in casual wear, looking down at his phone, but positioned precisely to block the only path from the back kitchen passage into the auditorium.
Next to the main entrance, a third person was mixed among student parents and board members, smile appropriate, holding a glass of orange juice, his gaze slowly sweeping over every passing face.
Cecelia stood beside the champagne tower, holding a silver tray with two freshly poured glasses of champagne.
What was added to that champagne wasn't rage drug but vitamins. The real drug had already been replaced.
She knew, I knew, Dmitri didn't know—at least not yet.
Static crackled in the earpiece, followed by Luca's voice.
"Team A in position. Team B departing in five minutes. Your end?"
"Normal," I replied.
"Good. Proceed as planned."
I picked up the champagne glass Cecelia handed me and took a small sip. Bubbles burst on my tongue, icy and slightly sweet.
The next second, my peripheral vision caught a figure that shouldn't be here.
At the emergency passage entrance at the back of the auditorium, a figure in a dark blue hoodie flashed and disappeared outside the door.
Stud in the right ear, slender build, extremely rapid stride.
It was him. Alessandro's informant.
But he shouldn't be here tonight.
Luca's security deployment had the auditorium surrounded like an iron barrel. Verona's people couldn't possibly infiltrate—unless they were already inside.
That meant before the ball started, when student council officers were setting up the champagne tower and hanging banners, he had already hidden inside the auditorium, avoiding all entrance checks.
I set down the champagne glass. When Maggie spun in my direction while dancing, I told her "going to the restroom," then followed in the direction that figure had disappeared.