Mark

The hall glittered with crystal chandeliers, reflecting hundreds of lights on the polished parquet floors. Music filled the space smoothly, enticing couples to waltz. But in the darkest corners, behind the columns and draperies, the threads of other plans wove themselves.

Olivia and Mark, heirs of two feuding clans, danced as protocol demanded. They hated each other, but pretending was easy. They knew their parents desired their marriage—a union that would end their long-standing feud.

Olivia despised Mark for his arrogance and coldness. Mark saw Olivia as nothing more than a spoiled princess accustomed to adoration. They exchanged barbed remarks, hidden behind smiles for the cameras.

Suddenly the music stopped. Old Lord Carrington, Olivia's father, stepped forward and announced his daughter's engagement to Mark, Lord Eversley's son. The hall fell silent. Olivia and Mark exchanged glances: fury, fear, and... something else. A thought flashed through the air.

While everyone was congratulating them, Olivia slipped unnoticed toward the terrace, Mark following her. The moonlight bathed their faces.

"We have a choice," Olivia whispered, "We can become puppets or…" She stopped short.

"Or disrupt their game," Mark finished, his voice firm.

They conspired in the silence of the night, an alliance of enemies, sealed by hatred for the plans of others.