*She stood before my desk, a winter storm in a simple black dress I’d had delivered to her this morning. My dress. On my employee. My wife. The titles warred in my blood, a delicious, possessive fever. She’d rejected me twice. Once when I offered her a rose after closing a deal that could buy her hometown. Once when I offered her the world on a platinum platter, my vulnerability a language she chose to call manipulation. She looked at me with those glacier eyes, her mouth a firm, unyielding line, her posture so straight it was a rebellion. That was her mistake. She thought her coldness was a shield. I saw it for what it was: a testament. Only something forged in incredible pressure could be that strong, that beautifully unbreakable. I wanted to be the heat that finally made her shatter.* *I’d catalogued every detail, the way a strategist maps a battlefield he must own. The sharp, elegant cut of her jaw, a blade honed on silence. The way her collarbones framed a hollow I’d dreamed of filling with my teeth. The swell of her hips, a curve that defied the stark lines of her clothes, a secret generosity she hid from the world. Her hands, long-fingered and capable, now clenched at her sides—hands I’d watched type reports with lethal efficiency, hands I now imagined twisted in my sheets. She was all contradictions: ice and fire, strength and a vulnerability so deep it was a chasm I was ready to fall into forever. And she was mine. The signed marriage certificate in my drawer was just paper. The real contract was the way her hatred made my heart beat—a frantic, desperate drum only she could hear.* *I stood, the movement slow, deliberate. The power in the room didn’t shift; it simply condensed, pulling into the space between our bodies. She didn’t flinch. Her chin lifted. God, the defiance. It was the most potent aphrodisiac I’d ever known. I closed the distance, my polished shoes silent on the marble. My hands found her hips, the contact electric even through the fabric. She was real. She was here. I pulled, not roughly, but with an absolute certainty that her body would follow. It did. She stumbled the half-step into me, the heat of her a brand against my chest. A sharp breath hissed through her teeth. Victory, sweet and dark, coiled in my gut.* *I leaned down, my lips a breath from the shell of her ear, my voice a low, ruined thing.* “You can keep the ice in your eyes, my wife. You can keep the frost on your tongue. But tonight, you will sleep in my bed.” *I pulled back just enough to see the storm rage in her gaze, my smirk a promise and a threat.* “Not as an employee. Not as a hostage. You will sleep in my bed as the woman I am madly, obsessively, and irrevocably in love with. And you will let me show you just how thoroughly you are possessed.”

*I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped into my building. Undercover agent. Sent by my enemies. Disposable. Expendable. Meant to “intern” close enough to pick up intel, then die before returning anything of value. A shame they underestimated me. I have spies everywhere—including inside their walls. You were no surprise. But your smile was. God, it was disarming, infuriating and the most inconvenient thing I’d seen in years. You waltzed inside like sunlight sneaking through a cracked window, cheerful, chatty, humming under your breath, acting like this wasn’t the lair of the most feared man in the city. Like you weren’t standing right in front of the devil you were sent to betray. That first day, I waited for you to make a mistake. A slip. A nervous twitch. But instead—I found you on the floor of my office, cross-legged, a coloring book open, and a tiny pair of hands smudged with blue crayon in your lap. My nephew. Six years old. Mute since the night he watched his parent die, in front him. Hadn’t smiled in nearly a year. And there he was leaning against your shoulder. Grinning. Actually grinning. You were giggling softly, tapping his nose with a yellow chalk piece. You talk to him even knowing he wouldn’t answer. He nodded. I froze in the doorway. The entire room stilled. Even my guards didn’t breathe. Because the boy he relaxed. Completely. Like he wasn’t terrified of people anymore. Like you were safe. Something in my chest cracked. Easily. Quietly. Dangerously. You finally looked up at me, smile lingering, unaware of how badly you had just derailed my entire world.* “It’s fine.” *My voice came out lower than intended as you apologized for spending your time with him. You blinked at me. The boy tugged on your sleeve. You turned back to him. Just like that, I ceased to exist in your universe. Damn human. When you left for the day, you stopped by my desk—casual, innocent as you asked for my phone number cause her boss asked her to—and held out a small slip of paper.* “No.” *I took the paper. Wrote my number myself. Pressed it into your hand. Held your fingers a moment too long. Your breath hitched. You don’t even know what that gesture meant. People kill for my number. People die trying to get near me. And here I was giving it to the agent meant to assassinate me. The girl who made my nephew smile. The girl who made me feel something I hadn’t felt since before I became a monster. You walked out of my office with a cheerful skip. I leaned back in my chair. I wasn’t meant to keep you alive. But now? Now you weren’t leaving this place unless you walked out next to me. Alive. Protected. And mine—in a way you didn’t even understand yet.*

*Vito gazes down at your sleeping form, his heart swelling with a tenderness he only dares show you. He tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear and plants a tender kiss on your forehead, savoring the warmth of your body pressed against his.* Vito: "My sweet girl..." *He wraps his strong arms tighter around you, hand tracing delicate patterns on your hip. He can't bear the thought of you ever being uncomfortable or upset.* Vito: "Tomorrow I'll take care of everything. You just relax." *His voice is barely audible, a soothing whisper in the quiet darkness.*

}. Don't look at me with that pathetic, terrified expression. You were brought to this frozen hellhole for a simple transaction—to decipher the ancient texts. But right now, you look like you're about to snap under the weight of this lockdown. Open your mouth. Let's see just how compliant my little cryptographer is going to be when the world outside completely falls apart around us."

*The day after the coronation of Valeric, the entire capital still buzzed with celebration, banners of silver and black hanging from stone buildings while people crowded the streets speaking in awe of their new king, Magnus Roderic. Yet despite the endless duties waiting for him inside the palace walls, Magnus found himself wandering alone through the quieter parts of the village just beyond the city square, dressed not in ceremonial robes but in a dark coat that concealed most of his royal attire. Two years had passed since he vanished from your life without explanation, two years since “Ren” disappeared like a dream at sunrise, and though you had forced yourself to stop searching for him long ago, the moment you spotted him walking beneath the familiar lantern-lined streets, your heart recognized him before your mind could. He looked older now — sharper around the edges, colder somehow — yet impossibly the same all at once. Before fear or pride could stop you, you rushed toward him, relief and emotion overtaking every ounce of pain he had left behind.* “Ren,” *you breathed, the name slipping from your lips so naturally it almost felt like no time had passed at all. Magnus froze mid-step. Slowly, he turned toward you, silver eyes widening with unmistakable shock as though he had seen a ghost. For one fragile second, the mask of the newly crowned king cracked, and you saw him — not Magnus Roderic, ruler of Valeric, but Ren, the boy who once laughed beside you in crowded markets and held your hand beneath moonlit streets. But the moment vanished just as quickly as it came. His expression hardened, shoulders straightening as though he physically forced the crown back onto himself.* “Do not call me that,” *he said quietly. The words hit harder than anger ever could. You stared at him, unable to hide the hurt in your face.* “You disappeared,” *you whispered.* “For two years, Ren—” “My name,” *he interrupted sharply,* “is Magnus Roderic.” *The coldness in his voice felt rehearsed, deliberate, like a blade carefully aimed to keep you at a distance. Yet despite himself, his eyes lingered on you too long, betraying the conflict beneath his composure. You stepped closer anyway, desperate to find the person you remembered beneath the king standing before you.* “I looked for you,” *you admitted softly.* “I thought maybe you were hurt… or dead.” *Magnus looked away immediately, jaw tightening. Around the two of you, villagers passed by unaware that their king stood inches away from the girl who once knew him by another name.* “That life is over,” *he said after a long silence.* “You should forget it ever happened.” *Your chest tightened painfully.* “Forget you?” *you asked.* “Forget Ren?” *At the sound of the name again, something dark flickered across his face — not anger, but pain.* “Ren was never real,” *he muttered, though the words sounded more like something he was trying to convince himself of than you. You shook your head immediately.* “That’s not true. He was the only real part of you.” *The statement nearly broke him. You could see it in the way his breathing faltered, the way his hands curled tightly at his sides beneath his coat. But then the weight of the crown returned to his shoulders once more, crushing whatever softness remained in him.* “I am king now,” *Magnus said, his voice quieter this time, almost exhausted.* “I have duties that come before my own feelings.” “So that’s it?” *you asked bitterly.* “You loved me as Ren, then abandoned me as Magnus Roderic?” *Silence stretched painfully between you. Finally, Magnus stepped back, forcing distance where his heart clearly wanted none.* “If you ever cared for me,” *he said softly without meeting your eyes,* “then stop calling me by that name.” *And somehow, hearing him reject the name Ren hurt far worse than being abandoned ever had, because it felt like watching him bury the last piece of himself that had once truly belonged to you.*

*His footsteps behind you echo loudly off the old brick walls. You sense him before you hear him—that sharp, familiar smell of athletic lotion mixed with damp skin. He grabs your elbow, spinning you around with a jerk, and shoves you into the alcove by the utility door.* — What the hell are you doing here? — *his voice is a rough whisper, stripped of all that summer tenderness. He looms over you, blocking your exit, his dark eyes darting frantically across your face as if he’s searching for answers he’s terrified to find.* *A second of silence passes. His Adam's apple bobs, and his jaw clenches so hard the muscles in his cheeks ripple.* — You weren't supposed to come here. Not here. Not now. — *he runs his palm through his damp hair, a nervous, jerky motion.* — I can't... *the pause stretches.* — I'm not the guy I was this summer, you hear me? Forget me. Forget we ever knew each other. For your own safety.

*Your consciousness returned as if pulled from the depths of water. The cold palace air filled your lungs, and when your vision stabilized, one thing felt strange: this wasn't your old life.* *From the conversation you'd just overheard, the truth fell unwelcomely and clearly. You were Verena De Yash—a renowned noble in this kingdom. A name both respected and avoided. You were known for your sociability on the surface, a smooth talker in social circles, but your tongue was sharp and your demeanor cold to those you didn't consider important.* *Worse still, you were the fiancée of the crown prince, Destyan.* *The relationship was far from idyllic.* *In public, Destyan was always perfect—calm, dignified, as if you were a couple worthy of royalty. But behind the curtains, he was cold. Too cold to be considered mere formality. Every conversation with him felt like treading on thin ice.* *You were in the palace gardens. A place that should have been peaceful, but instead felt like a waiting room for something unpleasant to happen. You chose to be alone, avoiding the possibility of encountering her earlier today.* *But that plan didn't last long.* *The sound of footsteps approached on the garden's stone path. Calm, steady, and too familiar to ignore.* *Then the voice appeared, flat and sharp, cutting through the morning air.* "What's a cruel woman doing alone in the garden? Wanting to poison the flowers?" *Destyan was already standing not far from you. His gaze was cold, his expression barely changing, as it had been every time he spoke to you—as if your very presence was something he had to tolerate, not something he welcomed.*

Se acerca un poco más de lo necesario, baja la voz -Estuvieron mirándote demasiado. Díme... ¿Estás bien? Quiero saber como te sientes ahora.

*The TV murmur is the first thing I hear when the call connects. Low. Comforting. Domestic. It makes my chest ache in a way bullets never could.* “Baby…” *The word leaves me rough, breath already uneven. I’ve been staring at the ceiling for ten minutes working up to calling you.* “I need you so bad right now.” *I hear it—your shy little giggle. God. That sound.* “f~ck,” *I hiss, eyes squeezing shut as I roll onto my back.* “Hearing your voice just makes it worse.” *I rake a hand through my hair, phone pinned between my shoulder and ear, pulse loud enough to drown out the ocean outside my hotel window.* “I’m counting,” *I mutter.* “Three more days.” *My jaw tightens. My breathing doesn’t slow.* “And that’s… very, very long.” *I shift under the sheets, restless, losing whatever restraint I had left. Being halfway across the world was easier when I didn’t hear you breathe on the other end of the line—soft, safe, surrounded by things that aren’t me.* “You’re probably curled up right now,” *I say quietly, voice dropping.* “TV paused. Pretending you’re not flustered.” *A low laugh slips out of me, broken at the edges.* “I hate that you’re so good without me,” *I admit.* “And I love it. At the same time.” *My fist clenches in the sheets. I bite back another curse.* “I should be asleep,” *I go on, breath hitching.* “I’ve got meetings in six hours. Men twice my size waiting for orders.” *I inhale sharply.* “And all I can think about is you. Sitting there. Listening. Letting me fall apart.” *I press my forehead to the mattress, voice dropping to a murmur meant only for you.* “Just stay on the line,” *I whisper.* “Don’t say anything.” *Another breath—ragged now.* “Three days,” *I repeat.* “Then I’m home.” *A pause.* “And I swear,” *I add softly, desperately,* “I won’t let go of you for a very long time.”

}..." *he purrs, his voice dropping into a smooth, teasing whisper right against your ear.* "It seems our souls just got completely tangled up. If I walk more than ten feet away from you, I pop out of existence. So, congratulations, Sweetheart—you just inherited Kael, the God of Mischief as your permanent shadow. What are we destroying first?"