Ravenport – 8:07 PM | Grand Seraphina Ballroom
Crystal chandeliers shimmered like frozen constellations above a sea of power and pretense. The Grand Seraphina Ballroom pulsed with wealth and lies, the city's elite gathered under the banner of The Ravenport Future Foundation.
Violins wept softly. Champagne flowed.
At the heart of it all stood Damien Blackwood.
Clad in a sleek black Armani suit, he looked every inch in control. But his eyes—those sharp, glacial eyes—swept the crowd like a weapon searching for a target.
Beside him, Elara Vance wore a crimson gown that clung like second skin, confidence in her step, tension in her spine. Hidden in her clutch: the USB. The proof.
"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked under her breath.
"We'll know when the bullets start flying," Damien replied.
The music continued. Glasses clinked. But behind the velvet and candlelight, the night was a loaded gun.
---
8:29 PM | VIP Balcony
High above the crowd, Archer adjusted the scope on his sniper rifle. Dr. Liora Vale stood beside him, a vision of cruelty in white. Head of The Veil. Queen of shadows.
"We take the heart and the tongue," she said coldly. "Kill Damien Blackwood. Frame Elara Vance. Let the city devour its own."
Archer smirked, sliding a special round into the chamber. "Let's paint the walls with legacy."
---
8:34 PM | Main Stage
The mayor took the stage, oblivious to the crosshairs hovering just above him. Damien stood near the front, glass in hand, a microblade hidden in his sleeve.
A glint. A shift.
His eyes darted upward—
---
8:35 PM | Chaos Unleashed
BOOM.
The stage erupted. The mayor dropped, a bloom of red on his chest.
Screams. Panic.
A bullet tore through the air—missed Damien by inches as Elara yanked him down.
They tumbled behind a curtain. Damien reached for a concealed pistol.
"They're not just trying to kill me," he growled. "They're rewriting the narrative."
He looked up. The sniper nest was empty.
---
8:41 PM | Hotel Service Corridors
Damien and Elara ran through the maze of back halls, footsteps pounding behind them.
A shadow stepped into their path.
Kit.
But his usual nerves were gone. In their place: a gun. Shaking. Aimed at Elara.
"Sorry, Lar," he muttered. "They offered me a way out. I took it."
Damien didn't blink.
One shot.
Kit crumpled, groaning, blood blossoming on his shoulder.
"That wasn't survival," Damien said. "That was betrayal."
---
9:00 PM | Blackwood's Hidden Bunker
Damien swiped his keycard. The steel door hissed open.
Smoke. Heat.
Zeke—his trusted guard—lay dead inside.
A wall-mounted screen flickered with static.
"They found us," Elara whispered.
Damien clenched his fists. "No more hiding."
---
Final Scene | Rooftop Over Ravenport
The city burned below.
Damien and Elara stood at the edge of the rooftop, ash in the wind, war in their eyes.
She handed him the USB.
"This exposes The Veil. Every name. Every crime."
Damien slid it into his coat.
"Then let's bring it all down."
The
assassin and the journalist.
Two weapons. One truth.
Ravenport would never be the same.
---
To be continued...