Author’s POV
The Swan mansion had always been a place of power.
Every conversation held weight. Every decision carried consequence.
And this noon, the atmosphere in the main sitting room felt heavier than usual.
Mr Swan sat at the head of the room, a glass of scotch in his hand, his expression thoughtful.
Mrs Swan sat beside him, composed as always, while Vanessa and Lucas occupied the seats across from them.
A large screen glowed softly on the wall.
Displayed on it were photos that had shaken the entire underworld.
Cassian Knight and Isabelle Quinn were officially engaged.
"The Knights and the Quinns..." Mr Swan muttered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "I didn’t expect them to move this quickly."
Lucas leaned back slightly, his brows drawn together. "It changes everything. It will shake the entire structure—territories, shipments, influence. Whoever stands close enough will reap the benefits."
Mr Swan nodded; Lucas’s words weren’t an exaggeration.
The Knights controlled power and the Quinns controlled influence.
Separately, they were already dangerous.
Together?
They would be untouchable.
Mrs. Swan also nodded slowly. "Once that alliance stabilises, the balance in the underworld will shift. Anyone who isn’t aligned with them will be forced into submission or wiped out."
Silence followed her words.
Because everyone in the room understood what that meant.
"We can’t stay neutral," Mr. Swan said finally. "Not this time."
Vanessa’s lips curved slightly. This was exactly the opportunity she had been waiting for.
"Then we shouldn’t," she said smoothly. "We should establish a relationship with them before everyone else starts lining up."
Lucas glanced at her, then at the screen again.
Cassian Knight.
The man was famed for his aloofness and cruel methods. He was the real power behind the Knights—cold and calculating.
He wasn’t someone they could approach lightly.
"You think he’s that easy to access?" Lucas asked.
Vanessa smiled, her smile slow and calculating.
"No," she said. "But his fiancée might be. Women talk. A friendly approach from the future Mrs. Lucas Grey might loosen her tongue. We learn their weaknesses, their plans... and we make ourselves indispensable."
Her gaze lingered on Isabelle’s face on the screen.
She looked soft and refined. Nothing like the girls who were exposed to the underworld.
At least that’s what she’d seen.
Mrs. Swan tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest. "The Quinns have kept their daughter out of the spotlight for years. There isn’t much information on her."
"Which makes her the easiest entry point," Vanessa replied.
Lucas tilted his head slightly. "And you plan to just... befriend her?"
Vanessa let out a soft laugh. "If that’s what it takes."
She paused. "After that afternoon when we ran into Mr Knight and saw how intimate they were, I’ve been paying attention to news regarding her. And from what I saw, I bet she is timid."
Mr. Swan studied her for a moment before nodding. "Then we’ll give you the opportunity."
Vanessa’s eyes flickered with interest. "How?"
"A public event," Mrs. Swan said calmly. "Something they can’t easily refuse without drawing attention."
Lucas straightened slightly. "Our engagement party."
The room went quiet for a brief second.
Then Vanessa’s smile deepened.
That worked perfectly. Imagine the high and mighty Cassian Knight attending her engagement party... How jealous would her friends and other elite families be?
Even that miserable Yvette would be turning inside her grave.
"It’s in a week," Lucas added. "Inviting them would be natural. Strategic."
Mr. Swan nodded once. "Then it’s settled. We invite the new couple to Lucas’s and Vanessa’s engagement party next week. A public celebration—neutral ground, plenty of eyes watching it. It will look like goodwill, but we’ll use it to build bridges... or find cracks."
Vanessa smiled and leaned back, looking satisfied. Everything was aligning. "Perfect. I’ll make sure everything is flawless."
As the conversation shifted to the engagement party details—guest lists, security, and the menu—Vanessa’s gaze returned to the screen.
To Isabelle.
The woman who would now stand beside the ice king. The woman the whole of Pearl City and the underworld would recognise as the queen of his empire.
How lucky to be born in the right family!
She studied her more carefully this time.
The shape of her face.
The curve of her lips.
The softness in her eyes.
And then something clicked.
Vanessa’s expression froze.
Just for a second.
Lucas’s gaze flicked to her briefly. He noticed the stillness. But he said nothing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward.
There was something about Isabelle’s face.
Something... familiar.
Her gaze sharpened.
No... That wasn’t possible.
But the more she looked, the more the resemblance grew. It wasn’t obvious, but it was enough to disturb her.
Isabelle reminded her of someone she hadn’t thought about in days.
Yvette.
Vanessa’s fingers tightened slightly against her lap.
No... Yvette was dead.
She had made sure of that. Hadn’t she?
Her mind flickered back to that night.
She stared harder, heart hammering. The girl in the photo looked exactly like the broken, bloodied thing the guards had carried out of the torture chambers.
She had watched the guards carry Yvette’s limp form away.
The way everything had fallen perfectly into place.
How her father had ordered that they dispose of the body in the woods for wild animals to feast on or leave her to rot.
Yet here was a girl who could have been Yvette’s twin—alive, polished, and standing on the arm of one of the most dangerous men in the underworld.
Vanessa’s eyes slowly returned to Isabelle’s face on the screen.
Her chest felt tight.
For the first time in a long while...doubt crept in.
What if something went wrong?
What if there had been a mistake?
However, her expression didn’t change, the smile on her face intact.
She needed to know exactly how her father’s men had disposed of Yvette’s body... and whether that body had truly stayed dead.
She needed to be sure.
"I’ll handle the invitation," she said lightly, standing up.
No one questioned her.
Why would they?
Vanessa Swan never acted without purpose.
As she walked out of the room, her mind was already racing ahead.
She would revisit that night. Quietly. Thoroughly.
She would trace every step and confirm every detail.
Because if there was even the slightest chance that Yvette wasn’t dead...
Then everything would collapse, and Vanessa Swan did not lose.