The Silencer

I didn’t know what it was with this excruciating feeling I had when our eyes met. I can’t clearly describe what it was, but I can’t deal with this now, and especially not here, and definitely not with him. But he was captivating; his black and grey curls made him like a primitive god. I remembered something I read years ago. Erebus means deep, absolute darkness, and in ancient Greek mythology, the place of darkness in the depth of the Earth, a passage to Hades, while Erebus himself was the son of Chaos and brother of Night. Oh my God i have breached protocol. Everyone told me to watch out, and everyone told me not to let my eyes meet his. I should keep a low profile, for God’s sake. No one must know. No one must know. His name is Drako Erebi, and he was the monster that you didn’t want to wake up. His name is only whispered, his world is sharp and full of edges, and if what I heard is true, then I had to get out. NOW.

It’s supposed to be just a meeting. I was supposed to be just the consultant, because of his status, we couldn’t send anyone else. The instructions were always the same. Go and sit at the faraway table. He will already be sitting there, so give him the envelope and talk to him about the plan. Don’t hesitate, don’t talk too much, don’t ask questions, just say the script that was given, that is what I would say if someone else came in my position. I couldn’t think that it would be that difficult. “Ground yourself. Re-engage the mask. Composure is the only weapon you have left,” I kept saying to myself.

This was not my first job. I love my job. I am built for it. I built the entire network on my own. My name stands out for professionalism, security, clarity, and toughness—until him. I was the best goddamn fixer you could find. One look from him, and every bit of my training evaporated. I felt like a green recruit on her first day, struggling to keep the blood from rushing to my face and exposing the fact that, for the first time in a decade, I was rattled. “If you have a problem that should be silenced, covered, or hidden, you call me, and I will fix it, no questions asked. I have trained numerous boys and girls; the script is always the same, and the wardrobe is always the same. For the guys, just a black suit with a white shirt. For the women—myself included—the uniform is a black dress: clinical, modest, yet unmistakably feminine. It’s not a costume; it’s a deterrent.“, and of course, our shoes must be high heels.

My name is only whispered when you know that anyone else would fail; my name is like a silencer in front of the gun—Nova Aetherly. Everyone knew that when the ticking bomb is about to take off, you should call me. I am the Fixer. I am the Silencer that absorbs the kick; he is the blast that levels the building. And I was standing right at ground zero.

I smoothed the fabric of my black dress, a uniform of silk and steel that had always felt like armor. I knew the power of the high heels—how they forced a certain posture, a certain click-clack of authority on a marble floor. I had taught my girls that the wardrobe was their shield. But sitting across from him, I felt like I was a fragile porcelain with all the cracks open.

He didn’t follow the script. He was different. He had this vibe that you couldn’t tell if he was a saint or the devil himself.

“Nova,” he said. My name felt different in his mouth—less like a whisper of salvation and more like a fuse being lit.

“I am here to facilitate the transition, Mr. Drako. Let’s get to the point,” I said, forcing the ice back into my voice. “The plan in the envelope is foolproof. If you follow the timeline, the fallout will be next to zero.”

“I don’t care about the fallout,” he replied.

The air in the cafe felt thick. I was supposed to be the professional. I was supposed to be the one in control. But as he watched me—hungry, patient, and entirely aware of the blush I was fighting—I realized the terrifying truth.

I hadn’t come here to fix a problem. I had come to meet my match.

“Mr. Draco, you are staring. My face isn’t part of the contract. I am not the deal; the deal is in the file. Read it carefully; everything you’ll need is in there. It is a solid plan. It is your best and only choice.”

“Everything about you is part of the contract,” he replied.

I looked up right in his eyes, intending to shut him down with a cold glare, but the heat in his gaze caught me off guard. It wasn’t just lust—it was recognition. A deep, terrifyingly familiar possessiveness that made my lungs feel two sizes too small. My mind searched every file, every face I’d ever cleared or silenced in twenty years of work. Nothing fit. And yet, the way he tilted his head, just a fraction of an inch... it made my skin prickle. But I couldn’t figure out why.

“I don’t like being watched like a specimen under a microscope,” I said with my voice raised a little bit.

“Then you’re in the wrong business, Miss Nova. A Fixer spends her life in the dark. Eventually, someone is going to turn on the lights.”

I should have left, but I stayed against my better judgment. He was a client with a warning, and I had to hold my ground.

“Read the script, Drako,” I managed to say, though the ‘ice’ in my voice was beginning to melt. “Follow the instructions. That’s all this is.”

“For now,” he said softly, his voice a promise I wasn’t sure I wanted him to keep.

I didn’t say anything else, I wore my sunglasses, I took my purse and left, I didn’t look back even for a second. When I finally got in my car, I left a breath so deep that I felt it in my stomach. The Four Pillars