Y/N'S POV

Four years. It had been three years since I last set foot in New York. The city I went to for love. The city where I spent some of the most beautiful moments of my life. The city where I experienced the most devastating heartbreak. I sat in the leather backseat of a luxurious limo, gliding through the glistening streets of the city that never slept. I stared numbly through the tinted window. My eyes were fixed on the passing landscape, yet I only saw the images of him... of us together. The mere thought of him made my body shiver. The thought of actually meeting him was even worse. My stomach was tied in a knot.

How will he react when he sees me?

What if I want to throw myself into his arms when I see him?

Fours years. Supposedly enough time to forget. Enough time to fill my heart with hatred. Yet I still couldn't forget his face. I couldn't forget the way my heart used to skip a beat whenever I saw him. I could swear whenever I closed my eyes, I could still feel his touch lingering on my skin. How his fingertips teasingly brushed over my bare skin. The way his lips felt against mine. I saw him, and I felt him in every second of my existence.

Goddammit. I shook my head to clear it. I tried to dispel the haunting thoughts of the man I was supposed to loathe. I glanced past the driver's arm and through the front window. We'd arrived. I squeezed my purse in my hands and took a deep breath. Collecting my strength.

"Miss." The driver opened the door, offering his hand to assist me.

"Thank you." I smiled softly.

The car door slammed shut. I tossed my thick, dark waves, adjusting the Venetian mask adorning my face. Its ruby-red shade matched the high-split dress with a brush train and sequined see-through sleeves. My choice of attire was not by chance. On the contrary. It was meticulously planned. Red symbolizes blood and peril. Like the dangerous game I was about to begin this evening. It was also a color of passion and sexuality. I wanted to exude the aura of a seductress. A temptress. A strong, independent woman who could have any man falling at her feet. I wanted to command attention. Especially his. To reignite the fiery passion that was running high while we were together. Remind him that I was once a rose that had awoken an insatiable lust within him. Maybe he had not loved me, but I was sure, in his twisted, possessive way, he lusted after me. I wanted to use that against him.

I swayed through a dazzling ballroom. The venue was breathtaking, decorated with shimmering ornaments in black and gold shades. All the influential, filthy rich figures one could think of were present. All dressed up, their faces disguised under enigmatic Venetian masks. My gaze wandered around in search of that one special person whose sight could stop me in my tracks. Stop the world from turning around. Him. Five Hargreeves. The man who I hated with every fiber in my body. The man who still owned my heart.

Then my eyes met his, and my heart stopped beating. It became harder to breathe. The world around me seemed to freeze. He was there. Just a few steps away from me. His deep green eyes were still as hypnotizing. I kept glancing back at him, tilting my head just enough to steal glimpses from over my shoulder. He was surrounded by his family, but I could only focus on him. I only saw him. He looked exactly like that night when he crashed my engagement party. Still so dangerous. So irresistibly handsome. In an instant, all the memories came crashing back. If it wasn't for Five, I might've ended up marrying a man I didn't love—a man chosen for me by my father, a man who had been cheating on me with some other woman. Five said he was my savior that night. In a way, he was. What a shame his intentions weren't genuine, and he turned out to be the villain of the story instead—my undoing, my personal kryptonite. I took another look at him. Forget what I said. He was way more alluring than I remembered. How could someone be so perfect? How could such a dark, devilish man be so heavenly? I noticed a dark stubble he didn't have before. It suited him.

Focus, Y/n.

Never breaking eye contact, I walked towards him. My moves were slow and sultry. Seductive. He stood still as if mesmerized. His gaze was stuck on me. His expression was unreadable. Nothing new. This man had always been like a mystery to me. An unsolved puzzle. An impossible-to-decode enigma. I'd die to know what was running through his mind. Certainly, he was surprised to see me. Did his heart skip a beat like mine did? Or perhaps, he was glad his catch came straight to the devil's claws. His enemy's daughter. His target. A task gone wrong.

Finally, I reached them. The Hargreeves. My heart rumbled like a hummingbird. I thought it would tear my bones and spring out of my chest. The anxiety was hard to bear. But I tried to keep a poker face. Not to show even a trace of emotions. I smiled mischievously, watching all of their faces go snow-white pale.

Except for Diego's face, his lips quirked into a satisfied grin.

"Luther. Klaus. Allison. Viktor. Claire, my lovely niece," Diego said as I reached his side. He reached for my hand, his eyes glimmering with twisted triumph. I was the trophy he desperately wanted to shove into his brother's face. "Five," he said last. A menacing grin twisted his bow-shaped lips. His hazel eyes fixed on his brother. "Let me introduce my fiancée." Diego threw an arm around my waist, pulling me close.

Five's teeth gritted. His temples pulsated. "Is this some goddamn joke?" His low voice sent a shiver down my spine. His gaze bounced between his brother and me.

"Joke?" Diego's tone couldn't have sounded more sarcastic. "Did you hear that, babe?" He stressed the pet name. Five's gaze turned black. Wrathful. His gaze followed Diego's hand moving lower on my body. Another shiver swept my body.

Wasn't this what I wanted? To stir the twisted jealousy in him, the anger. Then why do I feel uneasy like this?

"What are you doing, Diego?" Viktor's tone cut through the tension. He was beaming with confusion.

I cast a glance at the family, then at Five. They are all as confused as they were furious.

"What?" Diego angled his head. "Can't I marry the woman I love?"

"Love?" Five cocked his head, staring into my eyes with such intensity a cold shudder raced through me. "Please, we all know this isn't about love."

"You may think whatever you please, brother, but it is about love. I've fallen in love with Y/n, and she, with me."

"You don't love her." He leaned towards his brother. "You can't love her like I do."

My heart rate accelerated. Why would he say something like that? Why would he act as though he still loved me? Was that yet another one of his devious tricks to mess with my head?

For a second there, I doubted everything I believed about him and his desire for his wicked vengeance. He reacted to the news of the engagement as if he was jealous. Not possessive as if he owned me. It was as though he was hurt because he was about to lose the woman of his life. Or perhaps, it was because now I was untouchable for him. Now, he could not execute his revenge. This family had a rule that they did not touch their family members, no matter what. And by marrying Diego, I would turn into one of them. A Hargreeves. Off-limits for Five.

"Fuck it," Five growled. He shoved past his brother, forming a barrier with his muscular frame between his brother and me. "We need to talk."

Our gazes locked. I could feel his heavy breath meshing with mine.

Oh, god.

As much as I didn't want to let his presence affect me, I couldn't avoid it. I melted in his gaze. His deep green-colored eyes were so easy to drown in. My heart started racing. All the memories, his touch, and his kisses came flooding back. The inevitable happened. I was scared of him. I knew he could kill me without batting an eye. Then why was I so damn attracted to him?

"We need to talk, Y/n." His tone was low, his jaw tightening with each word.

I couldn't stop questioning whether it was all merely a hoax. Whether he just played his part. Because if he did, he was a darn good actor. "We have nothing to talk about."

Diego tried to break through the wall Five had built between us. Five stretched his neck, turning to him. "You don't get to decide what I do with my woman."

I could tell the words made Diego's blood boil. His hands clenched into fists. "Yours?" he scoffed. "She is my woman now." His eyes landed on me; his cheeks sucked in. He attempted to walk past Five, but Five pressed his hand against Diego's chest firmly.

"She was mine. She is mine. And she always will be mine," Five said in such a calm, composed manner as if it was not up for question. His tone was husky as ever but dangerously low. His gaze was firmly stuck on his brother. "I assure you of that."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Diego seethed.

"I know exactly what you're doing, Diego." His green eyes darkened. "Don't get in my way, or I'll burn this place to the ground right this fucking second. Along with you and your wicked ambitions."

Diego's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Five turned to face me again, pointing his head toward the exit. His eyes fixed on mine.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I was determined to stand my ground, but Five didn't bother.

"Well. I'll just carry you instead."

The next thing I knew, he threw my body over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing, casually carrying me toward the exit. The room filled with gasps, but he didn't seem to care. He never did. I yelled at him, punching his back repeatedly, trying to ignore the chills his touch shot through me.

"Five, maybe you should just-" Klaus tried to cut in.

"Stay out of this Klaus." Five said with a cold tone, not even looking turning back to Klaus.

He carried me outside. The valet was already standing by, extending the keys to his car with a respectful nod. I hated the power Five had over people. I noticed that the moment he merely directed his gaze toward the exit, the valet had already sprinted to bring his car.

But then again, it was Five, the second most significant participant of the event, right after the rest of his family.

Five slid me into the passenger seat of his Bugatti with practiced ease. The door locked. Then I watched him circling to the driver's side with searing anger. And we drove away, the image of Diego descending the stairs in the side-view mirror.

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Question Of The Day!!

"How is everyone's day went today?

Mine: Mine went surprisingly very well. I got tons of homework finish early and got to post the new chapter of The Makeup, which you just finish right now :)

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Words Written:
1970