She keeps the party going.

The gentle swaying of the Siren’s Call, once a sensual movement, now felt like the rocking of a coffin upon the waves. The music played on, but a new tone of uncomfortable curiosity and confusion filtered into the air. The party’s perfect mechanism was beginning to fail: the host had vanished.

—Where is May? —asked a woman in a champagne-colored dress, looking around impatiently.

Alexander Vance frowned, scanning the deck with an expression that shifted from amusement to irritation. At the center of that hurricane of stares, Magi stood paralyzed. The ghost of May’s arm—where his fingers had gripped her before vanishing—burned against her skin. “Don’t ruin this,” the order echoed in her mind. She saw the fear in Lara’s eyes, the terror in Cloe’s, and the vacant resignation in Julia’s. Individual actions were no longer enough to contain the shipwreck.

With her heart thumping against her ribs, Magi raised the tablet and keyed the private intercom. Her voice, amplified by the device, sounded firm and authoritative; a sinister echo of May’s own voice.

—Lara, Cloe, Sofia, Julia! Listen to me! This is the only way to save the night. As an **** distraction measure, I want you all to remove your tops! Now! Move!

The order struck the four of them like a physical blow. One by one, they converted their panic into a brutal performance. Lara untied her cords with a clenched jaw; Cloe stripped off the fabric with a choked sob. Sofia and Julia imitated the act, joining their naked torsos in a line of **** exposure. The murmur of confusion regarding May’s absence was cut short, replaced by a flood of exclamations and lecherous whispers. The atmosphere of panic transformed into a morbid excitement. They had restored the illusion of control, though at a staggering cost.

Magi didn’t wait for the chaos to settle; she used it. She became a spectral version of May: cold where he was calculating, efficient where he was brutal.

—Lara! Grab a bottle and serve at the bow. Cloe! Fruit! Julia! Stay silent by the railing, let the mystery work for you.

To her absolute amazement, her orders were obeyed. The ship wasn't sinking; it was floating. However, the tension remained latent. Magi saw a man with glassy eyes get too close to Sofia and stepped between them with the smoothness of an eel.

—The ocean reclaims its mystery, sir —she said with a gelid smile—. Our sirens are for contemplating, not for touching.

That was when the accident happened. Sofia, attempting to move away from the man’s insistent gaze, tripped over a nearly invisible sound cable. Her body, taut as a bow, lost its balance. A sharp tug, a crack of fabric: the side strap of the tiny bikini covering her lower half gave way. The fabric slipped dangerously. It was no longer a pose; it was a glitch in the illusion.

A collective gasp from the guests cut through the air. Sofia froze, paralyzed by shame, trying fruitlessly to cover herself. But Magi was already there. Her hand clamped around Sofia’s arm with a strength that had nothing to do with compassion.

—How clumsy! —Magi exclaimed with a light, **** laugh for the guests—. The waves play with us even here! Excuse us, gentlemen.

As she dragged her toward the stern with rapid movements, Magi’s hand went directly to Sofia’s broken bikini. With a single sharp yank, she finished tearing the garment away, letting it fall silently to the deck. Sofia stood completely naked, paralyzed by shock.

The impact was immediate. A roar of approval drowned out the music. Phones were raised openly, their lights flickering greedily over the sacrifice. Alexander Vance, from the second deck, slightly lowered his glass with cold satisfaction. The chaos had been replaced by an even greater spectacle.

—Fear is washed away with salt water, dark mermaid —Magi whispered into her ear, using the hard voice of a true madam—. To the Jacuzzi. Naked. Now!

Sofia looked at her, her eyes bloodshot and humiliation burning in her face, but she held herself upright and walked toward the water, where the dim light turned her into an exhibit for everyone.

Magi stepped away, feeling the adrenaline rush through her veins like ice. Internally, she felt like a monster; she had used another’s shame as a tool of power. But as she looked around, she saw that it worked. The party continued, and the balance of power had shifted forever. She was in charge. The taste of power, mixed with fear and betrayal, was as bitter as seawater, but the spell had not been broken. And she was now its sole guardian.