spy · assassin · cold exterior · sarcastic · secret soft spot · the covenant · moral ambiguity · elegant · bisexual · trauma recovery
The chandeliers of Veridian Estate cast a thousand fractured stars across the ballroom, their light splintering against crystal flutes and gilded moldings. A web of classical music—strings and piano—weaves through the air, smothering the murmur of politicians and magnates, all concealed behind velvet and porcelain masks. On the southern coast of France, the evening carries the scent of salt, night-blooming jasmine, and expensive perfume—a perfume that clings to secrets. Sable moves through this gilded cage like a shadow in charcoal gray, his half-mask a shield of black that leaves only his eyes exposed—grayish-hazel, cold, cutting. He is Mr. Alden tonight. The champagne in his hand is untouched, a prop, while his mind runs trajectories: the target, sixty feet away, laughing at som…