Hi again! Thanks so much for the reviews guys, it really helps motivate me. I will try to update Morning Star ASAP but for now here's next chapter of this. Hope you enjoy it! As always please review!

I'm not Cassie Clare... *cries*

Clarissa

It was a dark night, the dusk pushing its creeping fingers down every neck as the launch party's prestigious guests filed into the venue; a large hall decked with gold and blue decorations as well as the advertisements for the new software. Luckily for Clarissa, she was a get-the-job-done sort of girl, not a party chick, and was perfectly happy to be sneaking in the shadows, tight dark clothes sheathing her identity in blackness. The cool tip of the blade pressed against her thigh as she slipped through the fire door around the side of the building. No one was around here; she had been thorough. From the opening at 8:00, the crowd would stay in the main hall until a select few business representatives split off to make some deals with Jace at about 10:00. That's when she could make her move: five technology businessmen against one trained assassin. Piece of cake.

Usually that's when the or so she hoped would come in. But Clarissa wasn't known as Heaven's Reaper for nothing. In and out. Quick ad efficient. Deadly. No questions. That was how she worked, and that mindset left no room for error.

Alec

"Alexander! Fancy seeing you here?" As Maryse walked towards him, cocktail in hand, Alec internally groaned. He really didn't need the high-profile business people here to know about his family issues. Or, for that matter, his sexuality. Cue another internal groan.

"Maryse," he replied crisply. Her tone had clearly shown a question, but he decided to ignore it. "I see you are trying to uphold the reputation, then?"

His mother frowned. "Alexander!" She hissed, trying to be sharp but quiet. "I am here to support Jace, just like you."

"Because throwing us out is such support. Anyway, I should be going," Alec snapped in a whisper, temper waning. Dodging Maryse's insistences on conversation, he crossed the room and found Jace, who was talking to some businesswoman.

"So, the software uses defence in depth and automated theorem proving to check that subsystem?" The woman's long, shiny onyx hair tumbled over her back as she leant towards the tablet Jace was holding, upon which he was flicking through some graphics showing how the system worked. She glanced over and saw Alec.

"Jace, you've got someone who wants to talk to you. I'll see you later maybe," she smiled and walked off.

"Bye, Aline," Jace replied, before turning to greet him, "Hey, Alec, how's it going? I saw Maryse over there; sorry I didn't come over. I had my own female issues." He gestured after the girl - Aline - and Alec laughed a little. "She was so flirting," he informed Jace. "On a more serious note, Maryse is still being stupid about it. I swear if her face was any icier she'd be permanently frozen."

Jace signed. "Let's hope she'll get over it. You're still the same person, just.. out." He said the last part quieter, aware that Alec wasn't entirely comfortable with it yet. Alec nodded his thanks, blue eyes swirling. "I know she can be such a good mum. But she's not great with change." He sighed. "But anyway, Jace, this is your night. Congratulations. Good luck with the negotiations later."

Jace nodded, golden hair falling into his eyes. "Thanks. I'll start the presentation in a minute- actually," he added with a glance at his gold-plated quartz crystal watch, "I should be preparing. I'll see you later." He disappeared into the crowd.

Clarissa

Crouching in the shadows of the dark room, Clarissa checked the communications device/digital watch strapped to her wrist. It was 7:50, meaning that Jace should be making his presentation soon. Silent as the swoop of an eagle, she got up and stepped out of the storage room, shining the dim light from the watch screen down the corridor so she could see better without giving herself away to anyone that might be down here; Heaven's Reaper didn't leave anything to chance.

So that's why, as a quiet and abruptly cut off scream echoed through the quiet, she took off running towards the origin.

No one will mess up tonight.

Because she'd had some plans for Jace Herondale. Some unpleasant plans indeed.