Sea of Temptation ; Simon Riley.

Chapter 14.

Silence stood over the two of them, no one dared to speak a word, their eyes were locked in an intense gaze and she wasn't planning on looking away. "Your mask and earpiece." He was the first one to break the ice as he handed her the same mask and tiny earpiece he was wearing already.

Without saying a word, she took them from his grasp and wore them, making her way towards the door of their room.
A small smirk formed on his lips and he followed behind her.

The ride to the Villa was silent, Scylla stayed in her corner as she rehearsed the plan through the comms with Kate. Ghost could feel her tension, her anxiety, she was going to be the one leading this mission and he couldn't blame her, but she wasn't completely alone since he was going to be there with Soap and Gaz, guests coming separately.

"How do I recognize Arseni?" Scylla asked quietly through the comms, picking on her red polished nails. "I'm watching him through the cameras, he's wearing a green velvet suit with a black mask, he stands out the most so it's not hard to loose his tracks." Kate responded, like always she was calm and collected.

"If he approaches you it's better, just keep on your mask and your profile low so he doesn't suspect anything."

"Copy." Scylla responded after heaving out a sigh.

Ghost shot her a glance and bobbed his head, "Remember: you're Lydia and I'm Andreas, wife and husband. Stay sticked to me at the start of the ball then we can part ways." He reminded her of the plan, she returned his look and nodded her head in approval.

The Range Rover finally went through the gates of the Villa, the path to the main entrance was surrounded by tall trees and lanterns, flowing then to the main square where a fountain stood at the center. Luxurious cars were in lines, waiting for their turn to reach the main staircase and drop off the guests.

An orchestra could be heard coming from the Villa, the ball had already started and they came just in time. The only thing that could be heard in the car was Scylla taking deep breaths, slowly, to soothe her nerves, something about the event felt so wrong, her guts were screaming right at her yet she just ignored them.

Finally, the car pulled up by the staircase and a gentleman opened the door for them, Ghost was the first to step out, then falling into the act he fished out a hand for Scylla to take.

She forced a smile and finally got out, helping herself with his support. Her gown shone under the bright lights of the place, making her stand out the most, like a gorgeous ruby. Her sweet scent filled the air around them, the workers there couldn't take their eyes off of her breathtaking figure.

"May I have your names and invitations, please?" The gentleman asked, checking the guests on the paper list in his other hand. "Mr and Mrs Harrison." Ghost replied while taking out from the internal pocket of his suit two red invitations.

She stole glances at him and only now she realized how handsome he looked that night, behind all the gears and balaclava was hidden an attractive man.
Yet she still had to figure him out.

Once they were good to go, she instinctively hooked an arm in his, walking up the stairs slowly and carefully to not trip on her steps, the clicking of her heels echoed in the air.
As they passed through the big doors, the hall was packed with guests already, elegant suits, gowns, laughter, clicking of flûtes, orchestral music, everything was too extravagant for her tastes.

Scylla cleared her throat and stopped a waitress, grabbing a flûte of champagne to drink down the nervousness. Ghost's head turned to her and she arched a brow, "Lydia, you know that you mustn't drink." The way her fake name rolled down his tongue, such in a teasing tone, made her almost choke on the drink. "Honey, it's just champagne." She immediately put on her fake act, fueling the tease further, and it seemed to amuse him as a corner of his mouth lifted up in a small attractive smirk.

"Watcher to Ghost, I need you to find Arseni and check on his position to me, can you do that?" Kate's voice suddenly oozed from the earpiece, making Scylla flinch from the scare.

He eyed the woman next to him and sighed, before hooking an arm around her waist, dragging her gently to the dance floor where some couples were dancing. "Hey.. what–" She got cut off when he spun her around and rested his hands on her tiny waist, giving it a light squeeze.

Automatically, her hands went to his shoulders, she had to raise her head to look at him because of the huge height difference. Their eyes locked into an intense gaze as their bodies swayed slowly to the orchestra's rhythm.

His gaze trailed down to her red lips, he felt attracted like a magnet, the urge to lean in and claim this prohibited fruit was huge, maybe faking to be a couple was a nice excuse to do so, but who wanted to deal with her stubbornness after the mission?

His eyes flickered away and started to scan the surroundings, until they fell on a green velvety suit among black ones. Andrei was greeting a few of his friends, laughing as if he wasn't Makarov's accomplice. "At the entrance." Suddenly Ghost muttered, catching Scylla's attention.

"Alright. Be careful, that man is as dangerous as Vladimir." Kate responded quickly.

With a sigh, Ghost turned back to Scylla and a small grin plastered across his face. His movements were so quick, he spun her around the dance floor, making her gasp in surprise, and gripping her body securely, he dived her down in a romantic way.

Her hair hung in the air, her blue eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted. His husky cologne filled her nostrils from the closeness, their noses were barely touching.

They were so caught up in the moment that they haven't noticed all eyes were on them, including Andrei's, who seemed amused and intrigued by the woman in Ghost's arms.