The night was thick with rain, its rhythmic drumming against the tall windows of the old manor blending with the low hum of jazz floating through the hall. Masks of every shape and shade cloaked the faces of the elite, men and women moving like shadows, their identities hidden behind velvet and silk, laughter muffled beneath the weight of their secrets. Then I saw her. She moved through the crowd like smoke, dark and elusive, dressed in a shimmering gown that seemed to catch the light in all the right places. Her mask, a delicate lace that clung to her skin, revealed just enough to ignite the imagination, but concealed the most important parts: her eyes. Only her lips were exposed, painted in a shade of red that felt both dangerous and inviting, like a whispered secret. The kind that could get a man killed.
