Cinderella was drawn to the ballroom by the presence of a heart with such a powerful soul-connection.

As we stepped inside, my hand rested on Alexander's arm; he could see how anxious I was by the way I gripped his forearm.

The ballroom was full of beautiful women wearing gowns that anyone in the world would die for. "That's my father," Alexander observed his surroundings.

I look up to where his eye spun and saw a copy and paste of Alexander in the centre of the ballroom, he whispers.

His father had women all over him, and you could tell he relished the attention. Alexander was the complete polar opposite of him.

From being shut down, mute, and isolated. His father was the complete antithesis; he craved women and attention. Alexander requested two glasses of champagne from the server and passed one to me.

Then his father's gaze fell on mine, and he began to push people away. I clench my fist, "Stop, and don't show your fear. He detects it." Alexander cautions me.

"Ivanov! How are you doing, my friend?" His father shakes Alexander's hand, unaware that he is shaking the hand of his son, whom he believes is dead. Alexander was astute enough to simply nod his head before slamming me up against him. "Don't be concerned; I would never steal your wife. Unless I choose to. Mrs. Ivanov, it's a pleasure."

"The same for you, Mr Solonik." As he kisses the back of my hand, I smile.

"You look great, and I hope you have a good time tonight." "Find me if you need a quick fuck," he says into my ears as he approaches me. As he passes right past me to meet others, my eyes widen. Alexander's eyes darkened as I looked up at him.

"This plan is stupid." Alexander whispers.

"No, it isn't. Let's just get this over with."

"We have to dance; Ivanov always dances with his wife at every ball." I nod my head, slipping my hands into his as he leads us up to the dance floor.

He gently presses his right hand onto my lower back as I rest my right onto his shoulder whilst holding my left, the orchestra continues to play, and I breathe in. Knowing damn well I could not dance. "Step onto my feet." Alexander whispers.

"What?"

"You're dress covers your feet, step on my shoes." Is he being serious? I press my feet onto his, he hold me tighter as he begins slowly moving.

"Am I not hurting you?" Alexander looks me in the eyes, my chest raises at how close we were. People we slowly surrounding us, however, with Alexander in my hands-it felt as if no one existed. It felt as if it was just me and him.

A tear falls from my eyes, "Nova..." Alexander warns me.

"You're breaking my heart, Alexander." Our noses were brushing against one another, he presses his forehead onto mine.

"I know Nova, but this is for you-I'm doing this because I love you."

"By hurting me?" Alexander shakes his head.

"By protecting you."

I glance down at his lips, Ivanov was known for the sexual chemistry.

I press my lips against his, my hands slipping around the back of his head.

My fingers slowly digging into his hair, my stomach bursts with butterflies and my heart explodes into flowers. Alexander does not push my away, instead he deepens the kiss.

Others join the dance floor, and we become lost in the moment.

We slowly separate, Alexander closes his eyes. Then opens it to see something, he slowly pulls me away and nods for me to initiate my part of the plan. He steps away from me and head to get a drink, I brush a finger across my lips and turn to look for his father.

I notice Vladimir looking at me and decide to make my move on walking towards him. He excuses himself from his guests and reaches me. "Mrs Ivanov."

"Mr Solonik," I whisper.

He looks around, "please let us go to my office, shall we?"

My heart breaks open my chest and I nod as he takes my hand into his arm and leads me to the office. I catch Alexanders eyes as he gives me a slight nod, Vladimir opens his office door and allows me in first before closing it behind him.

"A drink Mrs Ivanov?"

"No thank you."

"You know, I used to live in New York before I came back to Russia." He pours himself a glass of Vodka, before adding exactly two ice cubes.

"Oh, is it?"

"Yes, I used to have this neighbour who wrote an awful book." He breaks out chuckling, he's talking about my mother. "She revealed my name, a name the police have been looking for."

Vladimir slowly over towers me and pushes me against the desk, he steps between my legs.

He lifts my chin to meet his eyes and smirks, "she had this daughter-Nova Johnson." He ripped of my mask and threw it to the ground; I gasp from the burn it gave my skin before looking at him. "You think I would not recognise you? I remember you as clear as day," his fingers stroke my face.

"I-" His hands come into touch with my face, causing a blistering feeling across my cheeks as I collapse to the ground from the pressure. I see him going to attack me before he's flung across the room, and I glance up to see Alexander unleashing four punches in a succession.

Vladimir grabs Alexander's collar and throws him against the shelf, his father's face already bleeding. "Alexander!" Vladimir's eyes widen as he realises what I've just said, and I yelled it too.

I grasp my mouth in shock.

Alexander stands up and throws an upper hook before slamming his father against the shelves. "A-A-Alex? You're alive?" His father coughs out.

His father calls him Alex.

That's why...

That's why he hates it.

Alexander throws another punch, his father sinks to the ground in shock. "You're supposed to be dead." He croaks out, blood spitting out of his mouth as Alexander lifts him by the neck and off the floor.

Vladimir's eyes widen as he wraps his hands around Alexanders wrists, "guess I came back from the dead." Alexander whispers as he takes out a gun from his back pocket and pushes it against his heart before pulling the trigger.

Blood splatters everywhere and Alexander drops his father's body slowly, it sinks to the ground.

Alexander stood there for five minutes, I stand and grip onto the table as I await for him to move but he just stared at his father's body. "This-it can't be this easy..." He whispers. "It-It can't be this easy..." He tucks the gun back into his pocket.

"Alexander..." Alexander storms out of the office, I hurriedly rush after him and close the door behind me. He pushes past people, until he reaches for the exit.

I slip of my heels and kick them to the side as I chase after him, "Alexander!"

He reaches a black car and pulls the door open, "get in the car Nova and leave."

"No! I don't want to leave you, I love you, Alexander."

"Get in the fucking car Nova."

"No! I love you; I love you that it hurts me Alexander! I know you feel the same." He shakes his head, letting my arm go before walking away. "I don't want this deal, Alexander! I love you!" His back faced me as he walks back up the stairs of the mansion. "Alexander!"

I begin to walk after him before a loud gunshot goes off.

I pause on my steps and Alexanders head turns around as his eyes widen, it did not feel like anything at first. I'm being honest. I thought it was the feeling of my broken heart. I did not even notice it until I look down and pressed my hands against my stomach and pulled it away to see my hands filled with blood.

My eyes widen, and the memories of the little boys bloody hands locked into my mind as I stare at Alexander who seems to be running towards me in slow motion.

Blood pours out of my mouth and slowly-I drop to my knees

My body collides with the concrete ground, "Nova!"

My mother warned me about the neighbours.

I never had the chance to see the moon through my window, I never had the chance to be a rebel teen and sneak out because of the screws.

All because of that neighbour.

She made sure I would never see the neighbour that lived there.

Everyone in the neighbourhood wanted them kicked out for no reason, they were never seen, never heard of and they never open their door. They never left their home. It was almost as if...no one lived inside that house?

But-only I saw the little boy who lived there.

That little boy held me in his arms and pressed down onto my wound.

He did something I couldn't do for him.

Hold him.

I looked into Alexanders blurry blue eyes.

They were the colour of a clear blue sky seen through a broken prison wall, a perfect raindrop on a blue aster, and a river rushing to join the great ocean.

"Nova, please I love you..."