Lara Mehta had always known that this day would come.
She never feared death.
The gold-embossed envelope is the invitation that only two women could receive every year. It was neatly wax-sealed and stamped with the symbol of the 'Black Widow Society' with a crimson hourglass.
It was a bloody play, one would live as new matron and the other in a body bag, dead.
Lara traced a finger on the invitation slowly and thought Kaira Verma had surely received the same invitation.
Kaira Verma, her biggest rival for years.
Lara Mehta and Kaira Verma are the two most powerful women in the Widow's ranks, always taunted each other, always waited for the day when only one of them could remain and become the "Matron".
Tonight, it was finally happening!

The Society:

The Black Widow Society was built solely on a single principle: "POWER BELONGS TO THOSE WHO TAKE IT".
Every single year, a new Matron was chosen. Two contenders played in the Widow's Game, but only one contender survived.
The method of eliminating the other contender was left to them: poison, a knife to the throat, or a planned accident. The society did not give a damn on how the game was played, only one thing was mattered to them that it ended with only one woman standing as 'A New Matron'.

Lara and Kaira had spent their lives preparing for this.
The game would begin at midnight.
The play wasn't simple at all! They would be locked inside the Ravenshade Manor, an estate filled with secret passages, hidden weapons, and surveillance cameras in plain sight.
No constraints.
No rules.
No mercy.
Only one could win and become the "Matron"

11:57 PM- Ravenshade Manor

Lara arrived at the manor just a few minutes before midnight. She wore a pretty, sleek black gown, her hair was tied up, and a knife was strapped to her thigh.
Kaira was already waiting inside the hall, dressed in a deep crimson gown and looking way more stunning.
"You look stunning, darling," Kaira purred. "Almost a shame I'll have to kill you tonight."
Lara smiled calmly and said. "The feeling is mutual."

The clock finally ticked at midnight, and a chime rang through the manor.
The game had barely begun.

The Game begins:

Lara wasted no time. She moved as fast as possible through the halls of the manor and was desperately looking for an advantage - a weapon, a hidden passage, anything that could turn the odds in her favor and she could win the title of new matron.

But the Universe had planned something else because Lara Mehta found a body.
Matron Maya Rajvanshi, the current leader of the black widows, was lying dead on the grand staircase of the manor.
Blood was pooling beneath her head.
Lara was in shock; her pulse pounded. Hell. This was not part of the game. The Matron was never supposed to die.
The rules had changed.
Behind her, Kaira whispered, "Well... that's unexpected."
Lara turned at her and wondered, "Was this Kaira's doing? Had she killed the Matron to shift the game in her favor?"
Fuck.
But Kaira's expression wasn't smug, it was cold and calculating.
"This wasn't me darling," she murmured. "Well, if this wasn't you, then we have a problem."

They both stood in silence.
If the matron was dead before the game had ended, then the society would not see 'them' as contenders. They would be 'suspects.'
And in the Black Widow Society, betrayal meant execution!
"If someone wanted us both eliminated," Lara said slowly, "killing the matron would be the easiest and fastest way to do it."
Kaira nodded at her. "Well, whoever it was, they've turned the game against us. and if we don't find out who did it before sunrise....... "
"We'll both be dead."

For the first time in their long rivalry, Lara Mehta and Kaira Verma were forced to work together.
Well, the game had taken an unexpected turn.

1:30 AM- Searching the Manor

The manor had dozens of rooms, hidden corridors, secret passages, and compartments where someone could be hiding. Practically, the 'murderer'.
As Lara checked the study for clues, "I don't trust you," she muttered.
Kaira smirked. "That's wise."
They searched Matron Maya's body for clues, and to their surprise, her phone was missing. So was the ring that marked her as the head of the society.
"No doubt she has been killed to steal the ring," Kaira realized. "They are trying to take power for themselves."
Lara exhaled. "This wasn't just a murder".
"This was a coup."
And the real question was 'who'?

3:00 AM

The answer came sooner than they had expected.
As Lara and Kaira moved towards the manor's room, the lights suddenly cut out.
A gunshot rang through the halls. Lara grabbed Kaira by dragging her behind a marble column as bullets hit through the walls.
"God, this is fucking dramatic," Kaira muttered.
Lara's mind raced. Someone has set them up. Someone has been waiting for the right moment to finish both of them.
She was utterly shocked when she saw him.
Victor Ahuja.
The Black Widow Society's fixer. A man who cleaned up messes and who worked for the next Matron.

"Well, beautiful ladies," Victor called out, stepping in front of them. "I was hoping you'd kill each other, but I guess I'll have to finish the job myself."
He raised his gun at them. Lara and Kaira moved at the same time.

Lara immediately grabbed a shard of broken glass from the floor and slashed Victor's leg. He stumbled, and Kaira followed up, twisting his wrist until the gun fell.
Before he could even react, Lara grabbed the weapon and aimed it at his heart.

"Who the fuck sent you, Victor?" she demanded.
Victor chuckled, blood was dripping down his leg. "You already know the answer."
Lara's stomach twisted. She knew who it was. There was only one possible culprit.
Margaret. The widow who had always been third in line, the one who had always wanted the Matron's seat but had never been strong enough to claim it.
Until now.

Margaret made one fatal mistake! She forgot that 'enemies can become allies."

Kaira glanced at Lara. "So? Tell me, shall we finish him off?"
Lara hesitated for a second. But then she pulled the trigger.
"I killed him. That's what queens do. We survive."
One shot. One fucking final move.
And
Checkmate.

EPILOGUE: A NEW MATRON

It was sunrise, and the Widow's game was over.
They survived.
Lara and Kaira returned to the society, bringing Victor's body and the truth with them.
Margaret was arrested, and the ring was returned.
The society needed a new leader. When the time came to choose a matron, Lara and Kaira only exchanged one look.
"We both won this play," Kaira said.
"Yes," Lara agreed. "But I play for keeps."
She wanted to rule.
Lara took the ring.
And the Black Window Society belonged to her.

A New Matron Rises!

Lara Mehta became the new Matron.
The deadliest woman in the room.

In the end, Lara whispered,
"Power doesn't belong to the one who plays the game, but it belongs to the one who survives it."

When Lara turned to leave the hall, Kaira whispered from behind, "One day, I'll come for that ring darling" she smirked.
Lara smiled. "I'll be waiting."