14/06/2025
âTHE ORCHID DEALâ
Location: A secluded villa on Lake Como, Italy
The villa shimmered in moonlightâits marble floors glowing under Murano chandeliers, its balconies opening to the still waters of Lake Como. Hidden behind high hedges and a gate coded in Russian, it was a sanctuary for the wealthy and wicked. Tonight, it hosted something... delicate.
Lux Monroe stepped out of the vintage Riva boat, stilettos clicking against the dock. Clad in a black silk halter dress that clung to her like scandal, she exhaled slowly, eyes sweeping the villa with calculated grace. She wasnât here for wine or roses. She was here for him.
They called him âThe Orchid Collector.â A European financier turned ghost banker, Gustav Keller was the whisper behind many vile rumors. He hid his appetite behind foundations and private galleries, masking depravity with philanthropy. And tonight, he was hosting an âart acquisitionâ that wasn't on any museum's ledger.
âMs. Monroe,â a man in gloves greeted her at the marble steps. âMr. Keller is awaiting you in the west salon.â
âIâm sure he is,â Lux murmured, her voice velvet wrapped around a razor blade.
She floated through the villaâevery movement choreographed to hypnotize, distract. Men paused their conversations. Security cameras swiveled slightly. The walls bore ancient frescos, but beneath the art and opulence, Lux smelled rot. Not literal, but moralâa stench she was here to bury.
She entered the west salon to find Gustav Keller sipping cognac, his posture relaxed in a velvet smoking jacket. He looked like every other billionaire who thought the world was his chessboard: smug, pale, and rotting from the inside.
âAh, Lux Monroe.â He smiled. âIâve heard about you. You collect people like I collect orchids.â
Lux poured herself a drink without asking. âThen youâve heard wrong. Orchids donât scream when you pluck them.â
Gustav laughed too loudly. âYouâre... sharper than expected.â
She walked past him, fingers brushing a glass sculpture. âAnd youâre predictable. But you do have exquisite taste in dĂ©cor.â
He smirked. âI hope youâll find my collection even more exquisite. Shall we talk business?â
She turned slowly. âLetâs.â
They descended a secret staircaseâan elevator disguised as a wine rack carried them into a dim chamber below the villa. It was part vault, part gallery, partâprison. Behind one-way glass were rooms disguised as âexhibits.â But Lux saw what they really were: holding pens. Framed innocence. Stolen futures.
He gestured toward the glass. âThese are tonightâs acquisitions. Pure, untouched. Private collectors across three continents are ready to bid. But Iâd rather deal with you first, Lux. I have a feeling youâre more... hands-on.â
Her stomach coiled, but her face remained a Mona Lisa. âTempting,â she said, voice as smooth as silk dipped in poison. âBut I never bid blind. I prefer... a demonstration.â
Gustav blinked. âA demonstration?â
She moved closer, letting her fingers trace the collar of his jacket. âIf youâre offering me trust, letâs make it mutual. Show me the source. Let me see the âinventory.ââ
Gustav hesitated.
âDonât tell me the Orchid Collector has cold feet,â she purred.
He gave a smug little nod and unlocked a steel door with his biometric ring. As the vault opened, Luxâs pupils narrowed. Inside was a single roomâred velvet walls, marble floor. And a terrified young girl no older than ten, trembling in a chair.
âAmerican,â Gustav said proudly. âFlown in through private channels. Untouched.â
Lux stepped inside. The door shut behind her.
âJust a few minutes. Let me know if she fits your taste.â
As Gustav turned to leave, Luxâs expression hardened. The girl looked at her with wide, glassy eyes.
âShh,â Lux whispered, kneeling. âWhatâs your name?â
âC-Cleo.â
âOkay, Cleo. Iâm getting you out of here. But you have to be brave for two more minutes.â
Lux reached into her heel and removed a blade no longer than a sewing needle. Elegant. Lethal. She slipped it into the seam of her dress, then tapped her wrist twice. A silent beacon pulsed beneath her skin.
Upstairs, Gustav Keller poured another drink, unaware that every server, every boat staff member outside, and the "bodyguards" at the gate were Interpol agents planted months in advance. Lux hadn't come aloneâshe never did. But she needed Keller to open that door himself.
Two minutes later, Lux emerged from the room alone, smoothing her hair.
âSheâs... exquisite,â Lux said softly.
Gustav chuckled. âShall I arrange transport?â
âNo need.â
He blinked. âWhat do you mean?â
Lux smiled. It was not flirtationâit was the smile of a wolf in a silk dress.
âI mean... sheâs free. And so are all the others. You, however... wonât be going anywhere.â
Before he could react, his glass exploded. Red dot on his forehead. Then voicesâloud, hard, multilingualâboomed through the villa as floodlights bathed the night in white.
Gustav spun toward the window. Sirens. Tactical boots on marble. One of the walls crumbled open, revealing Interpolâs child exploitation task force in full armor.
Lux stepped beside him, lips at his ear. âYou thought I was another buyer. But I donât buy monsters, Gustav. I bury them.â
He turned, face ashen. âYou... bitch.â
She laughed. âTakes one to spot one.â
A female agent cuffed him as Lux walked away, hips swaying like a metronome in a slow jazz song. As she reached the dock, Cleo was already wrapped in a thermal blanket, sipping juice beside a medic.
Lux knelt again, kissed her hand, and whispered, âYou're going to be okay now. I promise.â
The girl nodded, her fear dissolving for the first time in days.
As Lux boarded the boat, a reporter snapped her photo from a distance.
âWho is she?â one officer asked.
The Interpol commander shook his head. âNo one knows. We just call her... the Orchid Widow.â
Lux turned one last time toward the burning villa and lit a slim, silver cigarette.
âBeauty should be protected,â she said, blowing smoke into the night. âNot bought.â
And with that, the boat slipped into the darkness, just as the stars broke free above the lake.
[THE END]
Lux Monroe will return. And monsters will never see her coming.