T.S.Noir

  I arrived at the manor and was greeted by Sebastian “how was your day sir?” I answered while removing my jacket “I just wasted 10 million dolrs to a failing company just so that ter tonight a certain girl is going to call me” Sebastian smirk “so they took the bait huh sir. well, I think we can get still get by, it just 10 million dolrs right sir. the important thing is Sabrina believes that he is the one preying on you. so, what’s your strategy sir?” I smiled widely “I’m going to py the role of a school boy Sebastian, I will show her how naive I am, I’m going to pretend to be a hopeless romantic”

  Not an hour passed after that conversation, My phone was ringing with an unknown number on dispy, but I knew who it was, I answered the phone “Hello Sabrina”

  Sabrina's voice purred through the phone, the sound of her husky ughter sending a shiver down my spine. "Hello, Leon," she purred. "I must say, that was... unexpected, handing out that much money so casually."

  "Ah, Sabrina," I replied smoothly, "when it comes to investments, I always go big or go home." I tried not to wince at my own words; I needed to maintain my pyboy persona.

  "Is that so?" Sabrina chuckled. "I'm intrigued. Tell me, Mr. Bckwood, what else are you willing to... invest?"

  I felt like growling with frustration. Her voice was so different then when we met at the ga. I loathed pying these mind games, but I knew it was necessary to get close to Sabrina. "Well," I drawled, affecting a seductive tone, "that depends on the return I'm expecting on my investment." Sabrina giggled into the phone. "I do love a man who appreciates a good... ROI," she said suggestively. "So, what did you have in mind?"

  "I was thinking, that maybe we can talk about it with some coffee. I want to borrow that brain of yours on getting some of my other investment in order”

  Sabrina's ughter tinkled through the phone like a thousand shattering mirrors. "I'd love nothing more than to... discuss our investment opportunities," she purred. "Shall I come to your pce or do you want to sweep me off my feet with a night on the town, Mr. Bckwood?"

  I hesitated for a moment, weighing my options. I needed to maintain control of the situation but also wanted to ensure that Sabrina felt like she was in the driver's seat. "I'll send my car for you, Mrs. Greensky," I finally said, injecting fake longing into my voice. "I insist on treating such an important... client."

  "Oh, Leon," Sabrina cooed, "you're slicker than I thought." She gave me her address and hung up without waiting for my reply.

  I smmed the phone down on the receiver and took a deep breath. I hated pying this game, but I reminded myself that this was all part of the pn. With any luck, tonight would bring him one step closer to exacting my revenge on the woman who had torn my heart apart.

  I send my car to pick Sabrina up, I arranged the meeting at a private restaurant.

  I walked into the dimly lit restaurant, the atmosphere heavy with the weight of unspoken secrets and hushed whispers. The soft strains of jazz drifted through the air, mingling with the scents of expensive colognes and perfumes. I had chosen this pce for its discretion as much as its ambiance, ensuring they would blend in with the city's elite while still maintaining a modicum of privacy.

  I spotted Sabrina before she saw me, her regal form cd in an emerald green gown that clung to her curves like liquid sin. My jaw clenched as I reminded myself that she was just a prey, not the other way around. Sebastian materialized at my side, holding out a gss of the finest wine money could buy. I accepted it with a curt nod and moved to greet my unwitting target.

  "Sabrina," I drawled, extending a hand as cold as ice. "You look... exquisite." The words tasted like bile in my mouth, but her broad smile told me she'd swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker.

  That night we talk, Sabrina continuously flirted with me, and I kept humoring her. I talked to her like she is the only one that matter that night and listen to carefully to every word she said, I asked Sabrina on her opinion on leading a company, on investment, and on life. Sabrina Initially with a wall around her became really interested in the conversation. we both had a good time; Sabrina seems to forgot her early aim because she was swept up in the conversation. Getting swept up in the conversation making the both of us forgot about the time. It’s past midnight.

  As the night wore on, the conversation ebbed and flowed like the tide, drifting from business to philosophy and back again. I found myself entranced by the way Sabrina's eyes would light up when she spoke about her ambitions, her frustrations, her desires. It was both intoxicating and repulsive, this glimpse into the mind of the woman who had orchestrated Li's destruction.

  "And what about you, Leon?" Sabrina purred, sipping her third gss of wine. "What drives you? What keeps you awake at night?"

  Leon felt a shiver run down his spine. This was his opening, the perfect moment to lower the proverbial bde. But for a split second, I hesitated. In that momentary pse of focus, I saw a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes, a reminder that she too was just another pawn in a cruel game she had no control over.

  “You I hope, one day” I smiled. Sabrina's eyes widened, her own dam of emotions teetering on the edge of spilling over. In that brief instant, I saw through her carefully-constructed facade and glimpsed the lonely woman behind the mask. It was a fleeting moment, but it was enough to cause a flicker of doubt in my heart.

  Stifling my qualms, I stood up and offered her my hand. "Care to take a walk?"

  Sabrina hesitated for a moment before accepting my hand, the return of her practiced smile firmly in pce. "Why not? I could do with some fresh air."

  The balcony of Bckwood Tower offered a breathtaking view of the cityscape below, its twinkling lights casting a kaleidoscope of colors against the inky sky. The cool night air licked at their faces as we leaned over the railing, each lost in their own thoughts.

  "Quite a view, isn't it?" Sabrina broke the silence first, her voice devoid of emotion.

  "It is, it’s beautiful” I said it while looking at Sabrina, even though all my dialogue was all calcuted in my mind, but this particur sentence seems honest for once.

  Sabrina's composed facade momentarily faltered, her expression softening for a brief moment before she regained control. "Why, Leon Bckwood, I didn't take you for a romantic." She chuckled, but there was an undertone of vulnerability in her voice that didn't escape me.

  I didn't miss the slight tremor in her voice, the tell-tale sign that I have struck a chord. "I'm full of surprises, Sabrina." I knew the game they were pying, and I have to admit, there was a part of me that found it thrilling. To be so close to the woman who had shattered my world and yet, she was none the wiser.

  Sabrina shifted her weight uncomfortably, a rare show of unease from the usually poised woman. "I..." She trailed off, at a loss for words for once. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she tried to regain control of the situation.

  “It’s te I should take you home Sabrina” Sabrina seems to lingers and doesn’t want to end the night “It’s okay, I’m going to call you every day, we can still spend so much time together. but tonight, has passed it times, you are still a married woman, and I want to do this right” Before the car pick Sabrina up I gently kiss her cheek “goodnight Sabrina” which she Replied “goodnight Leon”

  Masquerading as a man consumed by desire, I leaned in close enough to feel the heat of her breath on my cheek, my pulse pounding in my ears like the steady march of time running out. "Sabrina," I whispered, lowering my voice to a seductive whisper, "you intrigue me."

  Her pupils dited ever so slightly, and I knew I have her. The game was afoot. Over the next few weeks, I wooed her with an intoxicating mix of attention and distance, showering her with extravagant gifts and then vanishing for days at a time without a word. I would send her cryptic messages, piecing together a twisted fairytale of misunderstood love and loneliness that mirrored her own twisted fantasies.

  ??

  T.S.Noir