Chapter 2 - The Secret Inside Meridian Club
I had never seen a room become silent so quickly.
One second, the Meridian Club had been filled with the sound of expensive conversations, crystal glasses, and quiet laughter from people who believed they were untouchable.
The next second, every person in that room was frozen.
Because Cassian Voss had stopped pretending everything was under control.
And that was the first time I realized something.
The most dangerous man in the city wasn't afraid of enemies.
He was afraid of what was coming next.
"Lock every exit."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that made everyone move faster.
Cassian's security team immediately spread throughout the dining hall. Doors closed. Guards checked every corner. Guests were escorted away from the center area while confused employees stood against the walls.
I remained where I was.
Still holding the broken edge of my serving tray.
Still wearing the same black uniform I had put on that morning, thinking my biggest problem would be remembering table numbers.
Now there was a dead man on the floor, five unconscious attackers around me, and the most powerful man in the building was staring at me like I was the only person he couldn't understand.
"Your name," Cassian said.
I swallowed.
"Priya Sharma."
"How long have you worked here?"
"Four hours."
His eyes narrowed.
"Four hours?"
I nodded.
He looked at the gun on the table.
Then at me.
"You noticed six armed men before my own security team did."
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know what to say.
I didn't want attention.
I didn't want questions.
I just wanted to finish my shift and go home.
But people like Cassian Voss didn't let things disappear.
Especially things that saved their lives.
One of his men approached him.
He was older, probably in his fifties, with a scar running along his jaw.
"Mr. Voss, we searched the body."
Cassian turned.
"What did you find?"
The man hesitated.
That hesitation changed the entire room.
"Nothing normal."
He placed a small black device on the table.
"A communication transmitter."
Cassian looked at it.
"Who was he talking to?"
"We don't know."
"Find out."
The man nodded and walked away.
I thought the danger was over.
I was wrong.
Because Cassian looked back at me.
"How did you know?"
The question sounded simple.
But it wasn't.
I knew exactly what he meant.
How did a waitress recognize trained assassins?
How did I move before his guards?
How did I fight like someone who had done it before?
I looked away.
"I paid attention."
His expression didn't change.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No."
That answer surprised him.
For the first time, his face showed something close to curiosity.
"You don't seem very afraid of me."
"I should be?"
Most people would have lowered their eyes.
Apologized.
Trembled.
I didn't.
Not because I was brave.
Because fear had stopped controlling me years ago.
Cassian studied me carefully.
Then he stepped closer.
"You know who I am?"
"Everyone knows who you are."
"And you still walked toward a gun?"
I looked at the weapon sitting on the table.
"I saw someone about to die."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Something changed in his expression.
Not softness.
Not trust.
Something else.
Recognition.
Like my answer reminded him of something he had forgotten.
Before he could say anything, one of his guards rushed back into the room.
"Mr. Voss."
Cassian turned.
"We found something."
The guard held a small envelope.
"It was hidden inside the attacker's jacket."
Cassian took it.
There was no name.
No address.
Nothing.
Just a symbol drawn on the front.
A black circle with a thin line through the middle.
The moment Cassian saw it, his expression changed.
"You know that symbol?" I asked before I could stop myself.
He looked at me.
"You shouldn't ask questions you don't want answers to."
The warning was clear.
But before I could respond, he opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
Cassian looked at it for only two seconds.
Then his hand tightened.
I saw something I never expected.
Pain.
Real pain.
Not the controlled expression of a billionaire.
Not the cold face of a man everyone feared.
Just a man seeing something he wished he could forget.
"What is it?" one of his men asked.
Cassian didn't answer.
He handed the photograph over.
The guard looked at it.
Then immediately looked away.
I couldn't see the picture clearly.
But I saw enough.
It was a woman.
A young woman.
And beside her was a little girl.
The guard lowered his voice.
"Impossible."
Cassian took the photo back.
"Everyone leaves."
The order was immediate.
His men looked confused.
"Mr. Voss—"
"Now."
Nobody argued.
Within seconds, the dining hall emptied.
Except for me.
Cassian noticed.
"You too."
I nodded and started walking away.
Then he spoke.
"Wait."
I stopped.
He looked at me.
"You saved my life."
I said nothing.
"I don't know why."
His voice became quieter.
"But someone tried to kill me tonight because of something connected to that photograph."
I looked at the image in his hand.
"Who is she?"
His jaw tightened.
"Someone who died ten years ago."
The answer sent a strange feeling through me.
Because the woman in the picture didn't look like a stranger.
Not to me.
I couldn't explain why.
But something about her face felt familiar.
Before I could say anything, the lights suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire club went dark.
A second later, emergency lights turned on.
Red.
Low.
Warning lights.
Cassian immediately moved.
His hand went inside his jacket.
The room changed again.
The danger wasn't gone.
It had only been waiting.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
I almost laughed.
After everything that happened, he still thought I was someone who needed protection.
Then I heard it.
A sound from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Confident.
Someone wasn't trying to hide.
Someone wanted to be found.
Cassian's guards moved into position.
Weapons raised.
The footsteps stopped outside the private hallway.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody moved.
Then the door handle turned.
Slowly.
The door opened.
And a woman stepped into the red emergency light.
Cassian froze.
Because he knew her.
"That can't be..."
The woman looked directly at him.
May you like
Then at me.
And whispered my name.
