The ballroom of House Delacroix was wrapped in chaos after the union party collapsed into accusations and hidden threats. Yet somewhere above the chandeliers and scandalous glances, a helicopter landed on the floating terrace.
From it stepped Elira.
25.
Height: 5'8".
Hair: Frosty silver with midnight streaks.
Profession: Unknown.
Eyes: Hollow—like someone who's seen too much and forgot what mercy is.
Attitude: Calm, distant, with a smirk that makes both kings and monsters pause.
Flaws: Emotionally numb, obsessive, manipulative.
Known only by one title:
The Girl with a Graveyard for a Heart.
She descended the stairs like a requiem, every step like a gunshot wrapped in silk. Her black dress clung to her like shadows, and no one dared speak.
Except Ochieng.
Ochieng: "You're not supposed to be alive."
Elira: "You're not supposed to remember me."
But he did.
She was the reason he never looked at anyone the same way. The reason he never trusted soft hands again.
She was also the first girl he ever loved.
And maybe… the first to betray him.
---
In a garden glowing with moonlit orchids, Kael met with Amira Zuri, age 27, an investigative journalist and daughter of a forgotten prime minister. Skin like bronze, eyes like rebellion, she wore her heels like weapons and her secrets like perfume.
Amira: "I found a list."
Kael: "A list?"
Amira: "Names of girls. All who were in 'The Eden Protocol.' One of them is missing."
Kael leaned forward.
Amira: "Her name is Elira. She was the girl they tried to erase."
---
Meanwhile, at the edge of the city, inside the high-stakes Moonfire Casino, Tobias Kain, 38, the enigmatic trillionaire known for owning oceans and scandals, raised a glass of sapphire gin.
Tobias: "I bet ten million that Ochieng doesn't survive the next 72 hours."
Across from him sat Seraphina Monroe, 31, former princess, now queen of secrets. She was dressed in an emerald suit with black gloves and no smile.
Seraphina: "Then you clearly don't know the boy with fire in his blood."
Tobias (smirking): "I know. That's why I placed two billion on Elira."
---
As the feud between the De La Veras and the Omari Dynasty intensified, new players entered the scene:
Cleo De La Vera, 22, known as the Porcelain Devil, with an angel's face and a serpent's charm.
Leon Omari, 28, tactician, heir to black-market empires, feared even by his own kin.
They met at a masked gala in Ivory Town.
Cleo: "Shouldn't we be enemies?"
Leon: "We are. But enemies can still dance."
As they moved under golden lights, each step was a deception.
Each glance—a weapon.
They both knew what neither said aloud:
They were falling.
Into hate.
Into lust.
Into danger.
---
Back at Ochieng's apartment, beneath the trapdoor of the piano room, Aurora found another chip.
She hesitated. Inserted it.
This time, it was a lullaby.
Sung by a woman.
His mother.
> "Sleep, my fire-born child.
The stars bow to your pain.
One day they'll kneel to your name."
Tears welled in Aurora's eyes.
Aurora (whispering): "They made him forget everything. Even love."
She turned. Elira stood behind her.
Elira: "Good. Because love is his weakness."
---
In the final scene, Ochieng stood in a hidden graveyard on the outskirts of Silvertown. Wind howled. The air was laced with lilac and blood.
He found it:
> Elira Morane.
1999–2020
Beloved daughter. Lost soul.
But she was standing beside him. Alive. Breathing.
Ochieng: "What are you?"
She took his hand. Placed it on her chest.
Elira: "I'm what you buried. I'm the lie they told you. I'm the reason they fear you."
Then she smiled.
Elira:
"And I'm not done yet."
---