She knew about the hacker. She knew about the trace. She knew about the bar. And instead of fighting the game, she had stepped into it and let Kai believe everything was unfolding exactly as planned. She followed every thread he pulled, not because she was lost, but because she wanted him to be confident. And that certainty was now cracking.
Because the laughter in her eyes told him something unmistakable. This didn't look like a woman who had been caught. This looked like someone who had allowed herself to be cornered just long enough for the other player to relax.
Kai Arden was known for master plans. For never miscalculating. For always being ten steps ahead. But tonight, sitting face to face with Alina, he felt something he hadn't felt in years. Doubt. She had turned his own strategy against him. Made him believe he was in control. Made him think he was winning.
And only now that she was smiling, relaxed, unafraid, did he realise the truth. He hadn't trapped her. He had walked exactly where she wanted him to. One step ahead. Always. And for the first time, Kai Arden understood something far more dangerous than attraction. He had underestimated her. And that was a mistake no one ever made twice.
''It was never your plan...'' The words didn't come sharply. They didn't come loud. They came steadily. "...It was always mine… from the start." Alina's voice didn't tremble. Not even slightly. She stood there, relaxed yet unyielding, like someone stating a fact rather than delivering a threat.
Kai looked up at her. Really looked. For the first time since the night began, his eyes searched her face not to predict, not to calculate, but to understand where exactly he had lost control.
"I'm not an idiot, Kai," she continued, her tone almost amused. "That I'd believe someone would give me a million-dollar phone through a lucky draw coupon."
She tilted her head, a faint crease forming between her brows, mockingly thoughtful. "Seriously," she added. "A lucky draw?"
Kai exhaled under his breath, jaw tightening. A mistake. A rare one. He dragged a hand over his face, fingers pressing briefly against his temple. "It was a bad idea," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "A lucky draw coupon…" The regret tasted bitter.
Alina smiled, not wide, not mocking. Controlled. Satisfied. She stepped closer. The distance between them shrank to something intimate, dangerous. Her heels clicked softly against the floor, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent VIP room.
"This phone," she said, lifting it slowly, "is custom-made." She turned it around deliberately, giving him time, forcing him to see it. The engraved *A* on the back caught the dim light.
Kai's gaze fixed on it. Recognition hit instantly. "You'd obviously get notified about the delivery," Alina went on, voice smooth. "And how careless of you, Kai… not deleting the delivery message."
Her hand dipped into her clutch. Then, she pulled out another phone. His phone. "Is this yours?" she asked calmly, holding it up between her fingers.
For a split second, Kai didn't move. Then instinct took over. He reached out and snatched it from her hand, his grip tight, almost aggressive.
"How did you—" His voice broke off. "How did you get this?" Disbelief cracked through his composure.
Alina shrugged lightly. "Poor," she said, clicking her tongue softly. "You're too slow." She watched the words land.
"You're not as clever as I thought you were," she added, each syllable measured, precise, thrown back at him like a mirror.
Kai's eyes darkened. "When?" he demanded. "When did you take it?"
"When you were helping me wear the mask," she replied simply. "It was in your pocket."
His brows furrowed. "Since when did you become a pickpocket?"
She laughed. Not loud. Not careless. A warm, confident laugh that carried no fear at all. "Oh, Kai," she said lightly, "that's not the gift."
That made him pause. "What gift?" he asked slowly.
Alina leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. "The one from me… to you."
Kai unlocked his phone, fingers moving automatically, eyes scanning the screen. A notification. Video file. His thumb hovered for half a second. Then he tapped. The screen lit up. And everything stopped. The footage was clear. Too clear.
It showed him in the VIP room with Vale, standing close, speaking casually, his body angled just right. Then, His hand moved. Subtle. Practiced. Mixing powder into Vale's drink while distracting him with conversation. Kai's blood drained from his face. Colour left him so fast it was almost visible.
His jaw tightened. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. He slammed the phone down onto the table with a sharp sound.
"What the hell is this?" he snapped, voice low but edged with fury.
Alina didn't flinch. She calmly pulled her own phone out and placed it on the table beside his. Then she turned both phones face down. Side by side. Their backs touched. *K A*. Now the initial has been completed
"What are you trying to do?" he asked sharply. His calm was slipping now, threads unravelling under pressure.
"I'm just trying to hand a criminal over to the police," Alina replied coolly.
Kai scoffed. "Oh, hello—Vale didn't die."
"I know," she said instantly.
He froze.
"Because if I can take your phone," she continued softly, "I can also switch the powder from your pocket." Her smile returned slowly and deliberately.
Confusion slammed into him. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded, running a hand through his hair. His thoughts were colliding now, no longer clean, no longer ordered.
"Don't get confused," Alina said gently. "I'll tell you everything."
She took a seat opposite him, crossing her legs with composed elegance. "The powder you mixed wasn't light," she explained. "It was a high dose, that's why Vale still hasn't woken up."
Kai's head snapped up. "What?"
His breath hitched. "Are you insane? He hasn't woken up yet—he needs to be in the main hall. Everyone knows he's with me. If something happens to him, the blame comes to me."
"I know, baby," Alina said softly, using his own tone against him. And that was when it hit him. Hard.
"I have the cure," she added calmly. Silence.
Kai leaned forward. "Then give it to me. Now."
"Not that easily," she replied.
His eyes widened. " Now What?"
"I have a condition," she said.
"What condition?" he asked, voice tight.
Alina leaned back, studying him, the man who always controlled the room, now sitting rigid, trapped in uncertainty. Her eyes softened just a little. The smile faded not into cruelty, but into something deeper. Something final.