The casino pulsed with life that night. Lights flashed from every corner, glasses clinked against marble counters, and laughter mixed with the low hum of deals being made in whispers. Some people came for a good glass of gin. Others came for sex. And some—like Xavier and his circle—came for business that was never meant to see daylight.
Xavier sat deep in the VIP lounge, drinking himself numb. His mind replayed the same scene over and over—Blue destroying his most profitable operation. The sale of women and girls who had tried to leave the sex trade. Girls who begged to walk away. Xavier never allowed it. Instead, he sold them off as sex slaves to powerful businessmen and politicians who paid obscene amounts to keep their secrets buried.
Now it was gone. Burned to the ground.
Blue sat on the couch across from him, watching the frustration simmer in his eyes. To her, it sounded like music. She almost smiled—until she felt another pair of eyes drilling into her like daggers.
She turned slowly.
Lisa.
The woman was now dressed in sweatpants, but the hatred in her stare burned hotter than anything in the room. Blue responded with a warm smile, then casually scooted a little closer to Xavier on the couch they shared.
They were in a private VIP room filled with Xavier's friends. Just them, Blue, and Lisa.
"I kill to vent," Blue said casually, turning to Xavier. "What do you do?"
Xavier nearly spat out his beer. He choked violently, coughing as the liquid went down the wrong pipe. Blue calmly handed him a glass of water, patting his shoulder until he finally caught his breath.
"Are you always this crazy?" he whispered sharply. "Someone might hear you."
Before Blue could respond, one of Xavier's friends leaned forward with a grin.
"Hey, Xavy," the man laughed, pointing at Blue. "You never told us you got yourself a girl."
Another voice chimed in from across the table.
"He got laid just days ago," Derek said proudly.
The room erupted in laughter.
"Really? Finally! Our boy blossomed!" the first friend shouted, and everyone burst into laughter.
Blue leaned back comfortably and joined the joke without hesitation.
"Oh, he was hungry," she said dramatically. "I didn't sleep the whole night. And when I finally did and woke up, my spine still hurt."
The table exploded with laughter again.
Xavier stared at her, stunned by how boldly she played along. This woman had destroyed his empire hours ago, and now she sat here joking with his closest friends as if nothing had happened.
And the strange thing?
They liked her. He did too, more.
He had never imagined himself with another woman. Not since high school. His girlfriend had died back then, and he loved her deeply—so deeply that he vowed never to date again.
Yet here was Blue.
Fierce. Dangerous. And somehow magnetic.
Against his better judgment, Xavier relaxed and joined the laughter filling the room.
The only person who wasn't enjoying the moment was Lisa.
She sat alone in the corner, silent, her eyes burning holes into Blue's back.
Her mind replayed the humiliation from earlier. She had run Xavier's trafficking operation while he spent his nights here at the casino. And tonight, the woman sitting comfortably beside him had destroyed everything.
Worse than that…
She had unleashed fifty sex-starving men on her.
Lisa tried not to think about it. But the memory looped in her mind like a cruel movie, always ending with the same image—
Blue was standing there with that bright, satisfied smile.
The smile Lisa dreamed of wiping off her face forever.
Her grip tightened unconsciously around the paper cup in her hand.
"Hey, hey… take it easy on the cup."
Lisa jerked out of her thoughts. Blue was looking straight at her.
Only then did Lisa realize the paper cup had crumpled in her fist.
"When I plan to kill someone," Blue continued warmly, "I don't plan. I just kill. So why don't you get on with it?"
She smiled as if she had just told Lisa that her flowers had arrived.
Lisa's fists trembled.
"I will make you pay for what you did to me," she spat. "My father is a police officer. I will make sure you rot in prison for raping me and killing fifty people."
Blue's eyes narrowed with curiosity.
"Wait… is your father Detective Wayne?"
Lisa froze.
Blue tilted her head.
"The missing Detective Wayne?"
Lisa's confusion deepened. How did this woman know that?
Blue nodded slowly as realization dawned.
"Oh… that explains it," she murmured. "Like father, like daughter."
The amused smile that followed pushed Lisa past the edge.
But before she could react, Blue stood up and casually walked out of the room.
Lisa watched her go, shaking with rage.
Blue stepped into the main casino bar. The place was still crowded, smoke and music filling the air. Men leaned against the counter with expensive suits and cheap intentions.
Despite wearing nothing more than black jeans, boots, and a fitted black top—her coat now gone—she still drew attention.
Her long curls cascaded down her back, and her ocean-blue eyes carried the kind of gaze that made people feel like she could see straight through them.
She sat down at the bar.
"Soda water. And a gin."
The bartender stared at her in confusion.
Blue sighed.
"I need soda water in one glass and gin in another. Do you need that carved into your forehead?"
She examined her fingernails casually.
"Oh… I've been cooking lately. My nails are dull," she added thoughtfully. "But I left my knife in my coat."
The bartender swallowed nervously.
"Y-your membership card," he stammered.
Blue waved a dismissive hand.
"Put it on Xavier's account."
She slid onto a nearby stool. A voice spoke beside her.
"You really scared the hell out of that guy."
Blue turned.
And for the first time that night, her heart skipped.
The woman beside her froze as well.
"Paige?" the woman whispered in disbelief.
Blue blinked.
"What?"
"Paige… are you—" The woman's voice broke, tears forming in her eyes.
Blue studied her carefully. Whoever Paige was, she must have looked exactly like her—except for the eye color.
"I'm sorry," the woman said quietly. "You're a copy of my best friend who died years ago."
Blue gave a polite smile that barely reached her eyes.
"Oh… yeah. I totally understand," she said softly. "I'm Blue."
"Natasha," the woman replied, wiping her tears. "I… I should go. I'm sorry."
Natasha hurried away, leaving her drink half-finished on the counter.
Blue watched her disappear into the casino crowd, her expression suddenly thoughtful.