Chapter 18 Eighteen
The rest of the charity ball dragged on longer than Mira expected.
It didn’t feel like hours at first.
It felt like a repetitive boring movie.
Smiles she didn’t trust. Handshakes that lasted too long. Conversations that sounded polite but meant nothing. Everyone in that room spoke in layers Mira couldn’t fully understand
Rich people's lives were absolutely boring, she realized.
It was the worst circuit show she could think of.
Performers.
They laughed at things that weren’t funny. They agreed to things without saying yes. They smiled even when their eyes didn’t match their mouths.
And Salvatore… he was the best performer in the room.
She watched him from a distance most of the time.
He moved through groups as he belonged everywhere at once.
A joke here. A light laugh there. A hand on someone’s shoulder like they were old friends.
Then when she’d blink— his face would go blank again when no one was looking directly at him.
It kept happening.
Like switching masks.
Very smoothly done.
By the time it reached late afternoon, Mira had stopped counting hours properly.
9 a.m. became meetings.
Meetings became speeches.
Speeches became more about standing around pretending to understand conversations about donations, politics, and fake charity plans no one actually cared about.
She stood beside Antonio most of the time.
He didn’t talk much either.
Just watched.
Obviously used to this.
Mira leaned slightly toward him once during a break.
“How long does this usually last?” she asked quietly.
Antonio didn’t look at her.
“Until it’s over.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is here. So wait it out until it’s over.” He said firmly
That was the end of that.
By 6 p.m., her feet hurt.
By 7 p.m., her patience was gone.
By 8 p.m., she was done pretending to care.
When Salvatore finally left the event, Mira took a deep breath of relief
People stood aside as he walked out Mira couldn’t tell if it was out of respect or out of fear.
Mira followed behind with Antonio.
The ride back to the mansion was silent.
No music. No conversation.
Nothing
Only the hum of the engine and the city lights passing by outside the window.
Mira leaned her head slightly against the seat, staring out.
Her thoughts were messy.
Too many images of him smiling.
Too many moments where he felt like two different people in one body. And she couldn’t shake it off her mind.
Salvatore didn’t speak the entire ride.
Not once.
When the car finally stopped at the mansion, Mira got out slowly.
Her body felt heavier than when she left.
The mansion looked the same.
Too quiet. Perfectly eerily breathtaking.
Salvatore stepped out and walked in first without saying a word..
Antonio followed.
No one said anything to her.
No “goodnight.”
No well done.
Nothing.
Mira stood outside for a second longer than necessary.
Then she exhaled sharply.
“Assholes,” she muttered under her breath.
And walked in.
Inside, the mansion was so dark. She wondered why the lights were all off.
She took out her phone and switched on the torchlight and walked down the hall to her room.
Once she opened her door and stepped inside, she took a deep breath finally letting her shoulders drop a little.
Taking a seat on the bed she switched off her touch and dialed Anna.
It rang twice.
“It’s late Voss,” Anna answered immediately.” Learn to call when I’m not asleep.”
Mira rolled her eyes. “ I would have if I had the chance to do that.”
“Whatever speak” Anna said impatiently
“You won’t believe the kind of day I had.”
“I don’t remember telling you to share my details about your day.. If it’s nothing about Corvin I’m not interested.”
“He gave a speech today,” Mira said.
A pause.
“A speech?” Anna asked confused
“At a charity ball.”
Anna went quiet for a second.
“And?”
Mira hesitated.
“…He was funny.”
That got silence.
Then—
“Funny?” Anna repeated.
“Like… actually funny,” Mira said, rubbing her forehead. “He smiled. He joked. People laughed like he wasn’t—like he wasn’t him.”
“Like he wasn’t what?”
Mira paused.
“…Like he wasn’t dangerous.”
Anna exhaled sharply.
“His a murder suspect do you expect people to run when they obviously need something from him. .”
“I know,” Mira said quickly. “Thats not the only problem. It didnt real. It felt like… switching personalities. One second he’s laughing, the next he’s charming, the next he’s—”
“Cold,” Anna interrupted.
Mira stopped.
A small silence passed.
Then Anna’s voice softened slightly.
“You’re getting too close to him.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Anna said. “Don’t read Corvin Mira.. get the evidence we need and don’t do anything else. I might not like your annoying ass but I don’t want you dead either.”
Mira didn’t respond to that.
She leaned back slowly on the bed.
The room felt too quiet again.
“I’ll be careful,” she said finally.
“You better.”
The call ended.
Mira dropped the phone beside her.
For a moment, she just sat there staring into blank space … Then she pushed herself up.
“I need a shower,” she murmured.
She stepped into the bathroom … Steam filled the space slowly as the water ran.
Mira stood under it, letting it wash over her face.
Trying to reset her mind.
But the image of Salvatore smiling kept coming back.
It got under her skin. In an eerie way, she couldn’t explain
When she finally stepped out, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked back into the room.
Still half thinking. Still distracted.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes were fixed on the bed. Something sat on her bed.
At first, her brain didn’t register it.
Then she moved closer.. and she froze
A bird…. Dead. Bloody. Lying on her bed
Her eyes dropped further.
A photo was beside it.
A printed picture.
Of her …. At this evening's charity ball.