Chapter 4: The first meeting 10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZz8jvxHFFT
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“Madam, you look so pretty,” Mara whispered, eyes gleaming with pride.
“Thanks, Mara,” Irina replied with a soft smile.
Her dress shimmered like stars spilled across midnight, clinging to her slim figure in a way that made her look both regal and rebellious. Her long silhouette, wrapped in golden silk and gray lace, moved like art in motion.
“Let’s go, ma’am,” said Mara.
Downstairs, Celeste’s voice echoed through the hall.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8gUo6ZdJ4
“This girl will make us late.”
Everyone was already waiting by the grand staircase. Irina stepped down gracefully, each movement deliberate and elegant. Her presence silenced the room. Stephen, her stepbrother, glanced up and blinked — once, twice — unable to hide the disbelief on his face.
“I’m sorry I got you all late,” Irina said quietly. Celeste gave her a long, judgmental look, eyes trailing from head to toe.
“Yeah. You did,” Celeste muttered.
Victor, Irina’s father, looked at her with a hint of something softer.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZuGBAG1rO
“What do you think, Dad? Do I look good?” she asked, gently.
He passed her a small, reluctant smile.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKB2bijiWIX
“Okay… let’s go,” Stephen cut in coldly.
They got into two cars — Stephen and Irina in one, Celeste and Victor in the other.
When they arrived at the House of Hale, a mansion bathed in golden light looked like something out of a fairy tale. The kind that begins beautifully… but ends in fire.
As Irina reached for the car door, Stephen stopped her.
“Wait… allow me,” he said softly.
Irina blinked, caught off guard. Without a word, he opened the door and offered his arm. She hesitated, then took it.
Inside, the main hall was full of people and extravagance. Chandeliers twinkled like frozen stars. Stephen leaned close and whispered:
“Don’t go anywhere without me, okay?”
Irina nodded, though her eyes were already searching… for him — Wanston Hale.
Irina didn’t belong at parties like this. Everyone’s eyes were on her, not with kindness, but with curiosity. She looked too good. Too untouched. A porcelain girl dropped into a world of wolves.
Stephen disappeared into his circle of friends.
“Just wait here,” he said, placing her in a corner.
She stood there, alone, air growing thinner by the second. No familiar faces. No way out.
She slipped outside.
The garden was silent, moonlight bathing the roses. Irina looked up at the stars, breathing deeply. Just a moment of peace...
Until she felt it.
A shadow behind her. A presence.
She turned and crashed into him.
Nikolai Hale.
Sharp jaw. Dark hair. Stormy grey eyes that pinned her like a secret.
He towered over her, dressed in all black, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Watch where you’re going, little missy,” he said, his voice deep, silky, and laced with something dangerous.
Irina’s lips parted, but no words came. Her voice abandoned her.
“It’s dangerous,” he murmured, stepping closer.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9jLzk7aYJ
“To be outside… when everyone else is inside.”
“I was just getting fresh air,” she managed, straightening her back.
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
“Hmmm. If that’s the case... allow me to walk you back in, little missy.”
“I’m not a little missy,” Irina snapped, annoyance rising, brows furrowed.
She stormed past him. He chuckled softly behind her.
“Little Missy,” he whispered.
Irina stormed inside, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floor. Her cheeks burned.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5icW5npJM
"What does he think he is?" she muttered to herself.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeO1fRl0MA3
"Calling me little missy… who even talks like that?"
Before she could catch her breath, a strong hand gripped her arm.
“Where did you go?” Stephen hissed, his voice low but furious. He yanked her closer.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFNY7yxj38
“I told you not to wander off!”
Irina’s eyes widened — more from the pain than the words.
But before she could respond, another hand intervened — firm and unshakable.
“She was with me,” came a deep, cold voice.
Nikolai Hale.
He pulled Irina gently but protectively to his side, his jaw clenched, eyes sharp.
Stephen blinked.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAGNRDimEW
"You—what?"
Tension crackled like electricity in the space between the two men—until a smooth voice cut through the moment.
“Brother,” Wanston said, stepping in with a charming grin.
He glanced between Stephen and Nikolai, amused.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnXPeXWAGV
“What are we doing? Having a stare-off?”
Nikolai barely acknowledged him, though his jaw loosened a little.
Then came the sound of another voice — older, more grounded.
“You must be Nikolai, right?” Victor said, walking toward the group with a pleasant smile.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6dPOl9WvS
“My, my. You’ve grown into quite the young man. I barely recognized you.”
Nikolai stood still, unreadable. No smile. No expression. Just silence.
And then—
“And what do we have here?” Wanston asked, turning toward Irina.
His eyes sparkled mischievously as he offered his hand.
“You must be Irina, right?”
She looked at him with wide eyes, a little unsure, a little dazzled — but managed a small, polite smile.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP7sqpV2KR
“Yes.”
Then Nikolai spoke again, voice low and rough.
“So… you're Irina.”
He said it like a discovery. Like her name meant more than it should.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXO3eCkHyci
His eyes didn’t leave hers.
Nikolai leaned in, his voice a velvet whisper against the shell of her ear.
“But for me… you’re Little Missy.”
His lips curled into a smirk as he drew back, eyes gleaming with mischief and challenge.
Irina narrowed her eyes at him, her mouth parted in disbelief. No one ever talked to her like that. And yet, something about the way he said it… sent a strange heat rushing through her veins.
Something worse.
Before she could react, a smooth voice broke the tension.
“Irina?” WanstonHale stepped forward, grinning with that charming ease only he could pull off. He took her hand gently, bowing his head just slightly. “You look so… young. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Irina blinked, startled by the compliment.
Before she could respond, he was already leading her away.
“Come,” Wanston said, his hand warm and confident. “Dance with me.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScTfSMxOXG
The orchestra played a slow, haunting waltz. Around them, couples twirled like painted figures in a music box.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8IykXna4t
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