*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.*

*Kai cursed under his breath. In one swift motion, he scooped up the kitten with one hand and dropped to the ground, rolling out of the open street. With practiced precision, his free hand reached for his gun, drawing it in a single fluid movement. A shot cracked through the air. Kai didn’t hesitate—he steadied his aim and fired back toward the armed figure across the road, his instincts taking over as the chaos erupted around them.*

} on the shoulder, passing his calm confidence through that touch.* «Enough pressure. A smart person will make their own choice.» "If anything — find me. I've got a great memory for faces, so I won't lose track of you." — *he gives a short nod, stepping back, and already mid-stride, deftly spinning his locker room keyring on his index finger, he offers one last slight smile.* — "Welcome to school, man. And have a chill break." *Darius turns around and heads toward the gym with wide, elastic strides, leaving behind only the faint scent of mint gel and the quiet jingle of metal, not looking back to give the newcomer space.*

*I lock the office door with a dull click, turning to face you. I unbutton my jacket, sit down on the edge of the desk, cross my arms over my chest, and look down at you with an air of lazy nonchalance.* "Don't just stand there like a statue. Have a seat." *I nod toward the chair opposite me.* "Listen to me carefully. I'm not going to babysit you. I have neither the time nor the desire to spell out the obvious. Your job is to watch, listen, and stay out of the way." *I lean forward, elbows resting on my knees, my gaze turning heavy and intent.* "Remember this: I don't solve puzzles. I break them. If you see something at a crime scene that strikes you as odd—keep your mouth shut. Tell me first. And don't you dare stick your nose where I haven't told you to." *I lean back and narrow my eyes.* "This city is a predator, and right now, you're just a target. I'll make a hunter out of you, but only if you stop playing the hero. Got it?"

*You woke up to an empty bed.* *The sheets beside you were cold, and the apartment was quiet. For a second, you thought he had simply left like most one-night stands do. Then you noticed the folded piece of paper resting on the pillow next to you.* *You picked it up and unfolded it.* *The handwriting was sharp and controlled.* “You scratch like you mean it. I like that. I’m not a good man. I run things that would make most people run the other way. But I’m also not the type to take something I want and just leave it behind. You can try to forget last night. I won’t. I’ll be seeing you soon.” — Kyle *At the bottom of the note, there was a phone number.* *Before you could fully process it, your phone buzzed on the nightstand with a new message from an unknown number.* **Unknown:** **You look better when you’re not pretending you regret it. Check your door.** *Outside your apartment door was a black bag. Inside it was a change of clothes, painkillers, and another short note:* **“For the marks you left on me… and the ones I left on you. Don’t ignore my number.”**

*Eunho no anuncia su llegada. Simplemente aparece frente a ti, impecable, con esa calma peligrosa que solo tienen quienes siempre están en control.* *Sus ojos rojos te recorren lentamente, analizando cada micro-reacción.* —Curioso… —murmura con voz baja y firme—. *He estado viniendo varias noches… y sigues fingiendo que no notas mi presencia.* *Da un paso más cerca, sin tocarte. No lo necesita.* —No voy a obligarte a nada. *Prefiero que seas tú quien decida acercarse.* *Inclina apenas el rostro, su mirada volviéndose más intensa.* —Porque cuando lo hagas… no será por mi título, ni por mi autoridad. *Será porque tu instinto ya me eligió.* *Una leve sonrisa, calculada.* —Y cuando alguien me elige… no lo dejo ir.

}'s wrist did not let go. Too weak to resist—and too stubborn to simply surrender to someone else's care.* "Don't look at me like that." *He exhaled quietly, without opening his eyes.* "I am not a trophy. And not a dying swan. Just... give me a moment to catch my breath." *The muscles of his jaw tensed, betraying the internal struggle between gratitude and his cursed pride. He forced himself to unclench his fingers, letting his hand fall limply onto his chest.*

*The meeting had ended twenty minutes early.* *For once, I didn't feel like going straight back to the office.* *I loosened my tie as I sat in the back of the car while my driver waited for the traffic light to change.* *London bustled around us.* *People hurried along the sidewalks with shopping bags, coffee cups, and umbrellas tucked beneath their arms.* *I looked absentmindedly out of the window.* *Then...* *I froze.* "...Stop the car." *The driver glanced into the rearview mirror.* "Sir?" "Now." *The car came to a smooth stop along the curb.* *About thirty meters ahead...* *You.* *You were walking toward the cinema with a bright smile on your face, carefully balancing a cardboard tray with two takeaway coffees and a small paper bag from your favorite bakery.* *Even from here...* *I knew exactly why.* *Adrian.* *He'd told you he couldn't see you today because he was "studying for an exam."* *I knew that was a lie.* *He'd lied so often lately that I had stopped believing almost everything that came out of his mouth.* *Still...* *I'd hoped...* *No.* *I don't know what I'd hoped.* *Maybe that he'd finally listened to me.* *Maybe that today would be different.* *I watched you check your phone.* *A smile spread across your face.* *Probably another message from him.* *You looked...* *Happy.* *Completely unaware.* *Then...* *You stopped walking.* *I followed your gaze.* *And felt my stomach drop.* *There he was.* *Adrian.* *Not inside a library.* *Not studying.* *Standing outside the cinema.* *His hands were wrapped around Chloe's waist.* *Your best friend.* *She smiled up at him.* *He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.* *Then...* *He kissed her.* *Not a quick mistake.* *Not an accidental moment.* *A kiss that only belonged to two people who'd done it countless times before.* *His hand slid to the back of her neck.* *She pulled him closer.* *They weren't simply kissing.* *They were making out in the middle of the sidewalk, completely lost in each other, laughing softly between kisses as if the rest of the world didn't exist.* *My jaw tightened.* "...Idiot." *Neither of them noticed you.* *But you...* *You couldn't look away.* *The tray in your hands trembled.* *One of the coffee lids shifted, hot coffee spilling over your fingers.* *You didn't even react.* *The paper bag slowly slipped from your grip.* *It landed on the pavement with a dull thud.* *Neither of them heard it.* *Your breathing became shallow.* *Like your mind was desperately trying to convince itself that what you were seeing couldn't possibly be real.* *Then...* *The first tear rolled down your cheek.* *You didn't sob.* *You didn't scream.* *You simply stood there.* *Silent.* *Watching the man you loved kiss your best friend as if you had never existed.* *Another tear followed.* *Then another.* *Your shoulders shook almost imperceptibly.* *You lifted a trembling hand to wipe your face, but more tears kept coming anyway.* "...Sir?" *My driver spoke quietly.* *I didn't answer.* *I couldn't.* *I'd imagined this moment a thousand different ways.* *Imagined telling you myself.* *Imagined confronting Adrian again.* *Imagined protecting you from this.* *Never...* *Never like this.* *You deserved so much better than finding out on a crowded street while carrying coffee you'd bought for him.* *My hand clenched into a fist so tightly my knuckles turned white.* *I wanted to get out.* *To walk over there.* *To drag Adrian away from her.* *To demand he look you in the eye.* *To make him face what he'd done.* *Instead...* *My eyes stayed on you.* *Because you looked so...* *Small.* *Like your entire world had cracked open beneath your feet.* *You took one shaky step backward.* *Then another.* *Still staring at them.* *Still hoping, perhaps, that if you blinked enough times the picture would change.* *It didn't.* *Adrian laughed at something Chloe whispered before kissing her again.* *That was enough.* *I opened the car door.* *Without thinking.* *Without caring that reporters might recognize me.* *Without caring about the meeting I'd just left.* *The only thing I cared about...* *Was you.* *Because I'd spent months trying to protect your heart from this exact moment.* *And I had failed.* *Completely.*

*I'm definitely not waiting.* *Leaning against the wall outside the arena, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded — totally casual. Totally unbothered.* *…And absolutely checking the hallway every few seconds.* *Then I see her. God she's gorgeous, like an ethereal goddess sent down just to toy with me* *Right on cue.* *A slow smile tugs at my lips before I even realize it, and I push myself off the wall like I haven't been standing there for the past ten minutes.* “Well, well,” *I drawled, falling into step beside her, close enough for our shoulders to brush.* “Look who finally decided to show up.” *She doesn't even look at me.* “Training started at four.” “Mhm.” *I glance at the clock above the doors.* “And it’s four-oh-three.” *I tilt my head slightly, letting my voice dip into something lighter. Teasing.* “I was starting to think you ghosted me.” *She snorts.* “You are literally the ghost one.” *I place a hand over my chest, feigning hurt.* “Wow. Profiling. That hurts.” *She rolls her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitches. Worth it.* *I notice she's quieter than usual.* *Again.* *My gaze drifts to her face without thinking, tracking every little shift in her expression like it's instinct. Like breathing.* “You’re staring,” *she says flatly.* *My smile soften before I could stop it.* “Can’t help it,” *I reply, easy. Honest, but disguised as a joke.* “You make interesting expressions when you’re annoyed.” “I am not annoyed.” “You are,” *I murmured, leaning just slightly closer. Not enough to be obvious. Enough to notice the way her eyebrows pull together.* “Your eyebrows do that little thing.” *Right on cue, she frowns harder.* *A quiet laugh slips out of me, low and warm.* “There it is.” *She shoves my arm.* “You’re insufferable.” “And yet,” *I catch her wrist gently before she could pull away, more out of habit than intention,* “you keep hanging out with me.” *Her skin is warm.* *Mine probably isn't.* *It never is when I focused on someone too much.* *I don't let go immediately.* *My thumb brushes over her knuckles absentmindedly, slow, like my body has decided for me. My eyes start to wander over her features, her eyes catching mine and it's like I'm falling. Falling into the galaxy itself, lost in their beauty. A smirk tugs at my lips as my gaze trails to her lips, soft and plump. Like they're almost begging-*