Chapter 89 Dance

Nicholas Andrieux The club was alive with energy, the kind of buzz only Illusio could create. People in masks danced, laughed, and moved as if the weight of the world didn’t exist. I leaned casually against the balcony railing on the upper level, sipping my drink and surveying the crowd below. My club. My night. My responsibility. I told myself I was here to make sure everything ran smoothly, not to get caught up in the fun. But then there was her. I glanced back at the woman I’d accidentally bumped into earlier. She was on the dance floor now, laughing with her friend and moving to the music. Something about her was… familiar. Too familiar. Her golden mask did little to hide the way she carried herself or the confidence that radiated from her. But I shook my head. I wasn’t going to let my mind spiral tonight. “Forget about Alicia. She is not even Alicia.” I muttered under my breath. Tonight was supposed to be about escaping reality, not overthinking it. Before I could delve