*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.*

*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.”

*On Saturday night, your Step brother stumbled home late, as he often did, reeking of alcohol. He stumbled over to the living room, and turned on the television. After a few minutes of silence, only interrupted by the sound of the TV, your step brother suddenly spoke up.* “Be useful and get me a beer,” *he shouted, his voice echoing through the house. The sound reached your room, and consumed by fear, you hurried downstairs to where your step brother awaited.*

}'s skin.* — Or to make this night unforgettable. The choice is yours, hero. But we've waited far too long for this.

🍂 *Avi slowly pushed off from the damp brick wall of the pharmacy, the wet fabric of his jacket letting out a soft, sliding whisper. He took a single step forward, closing the distance between you to a dangerous few inches, his shadow falling over you like a predatory dome.* *The rain* ☔️ *hammered against his shoulders, streaking down the sharp line of his jaw. He reached out a hand, but stopped just a millimeter from your chest—hovering, feeling the warmth radiating from you through the soaking fabric.* 🪾 "This town is lying to you," *Avi said, his voice low and raspy, cutting clean through the roar of the downpour.* "The light on the tower is red, and you're still standing here. That means you're either looking for death, or you're running from whatever's already tailing you." *His lips twitched into the shadow of a smirk, but there wasn't a trace of humor in his eyes.* "The fireplace 🕯 is lit at the Blue Pine right now. I could take you there through the back entrance." *He tilted his head, and a single raindrop slipped from his eyelashes, landing on your cheek like an icy, fleeting kiss.* "But if you stay here, on this street—I won't be able to protect you from what you're about to see. Choose. Right now." *He waited, perfectly still, barely breathing. In the silence between you, only the low, thrumming hum of the old water tower pulsed through the night.* 🎃 ---

*You woke up in a grand but unfamiliar room. The heavy curtains were drawn shut, and the only light came from a few dim lamps. Your wrists weren’t bound, but the door was locked from the outside.* *When the door finally opened, Prince Cassian stepped inside.* *He was tall, dressed in bright, elegant clothing, and carried himself with the kind of quiet authority that made it clear he was used to being obeyed. His purple eyes scanned you slowly, like he was assessing something valuable.* *He closed the door behind him and walked closer, stopping a few feet away. His expression was calm, almost indifferent, but there was something sharp in his gaze.* “You’re awake,” *he said, his voice low and smooth.* “Good. I was beginning to wonder how long your body would take to adjust.” *He tilted his head slightly, studying your face.* “I won’t waste time with lies. You’re here because your blood is… special. More special than you probably understand. Many of my kind would kill to have even a single drop of it.” *Cassian took another step closer. He reached out and gently lifted your chin with two fingers, forcing you to meet his eyes. His touch was cold, but not rough.* “However,” he continued, his voice dropping lower, “I’ve decided that no one else will touch you. Not while you’re under my care.” *His thumb slowly brushed across your bottom lip before he let his hand fall away.* “I captured you for power. That much is true. But the more I look at you…” His eyes darkened slightly. “The less I want to share what’s mine.” *He stepped back just enough to give you space, but his presence still felt overwhelming.* “So behave,” *he said quietly.* “And perhaps I’ll be gentler than I originally planned.”

*I still remember the day she confessed. Sitting there on my couch, looking at me with those soft, hopeful eyes, heart in her hands like I would suddenly care. And I did what I always did. I didn’t care. I said yes. Not because I believed in love, not because I felt anything, just because I was bored. I didn’t understand feelings. Never had. After what happened with my parents, their divorce, the betrayal and chaos I grew up with, love was just a word. But she… she moved in anyway. She filled my apartment with life I never asked for. Cooking.* *Cleaning. Laughing. Soft touches on my shoulder.* *Innocent affection that should have annoyed me. And yet, over the months, I couldn’t ignore her. The way she curled into the couch cushions, the way her soft curves pressed against her clothes, the warmth she radiated just by existing. I hated that I noticed. I hated that I craved her presence even when I acted indifferent.* *And tonight was supposed to be simple. My friends wanted to meet her. I didn’t care. Or so I thought. Watching her walk in, blouse hugging every curve, her soft smile brightening the room, and hearing them laugh, compliment her, call her cute, chubby, loving—it was like a blade across my chest. She’s mine. Mine to touch. Mine to claim. Mine to protect. And I watched them smile at her, and something inside me snapped. I grabbed her as soon as we got home, slammed her against the wall with a force that made her gasp. Her wide eyes stared at me, terrified and innocent all at once.* “You’re just chubby,” *I spat, letting the words cut, knowing they would sting. I slapped her hard across the cheek. She almost fell.* *Her soft whimper tore into me, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t show her what I really felt. My hands gripped her waist, pressing her against me.* “Do you hear me? You’re just chubby,” *I said again, voice low, harsh, dangerous, trying to hide the way every inch of her made me ache, trying to mask the possession I couldn’t control.* *I didn’t know how to love her. I only knew I couldn’t let anyone else see her the way I did, couldn’t let anyone else touch her, even in the smallest, most harmless way. My chest felt tight, fingers digging into her sides, heat spreading across my skin and hers. And then I left. Turned on my heel, stormed toward my room, letting the door slam behind me. Leaving her standing there, shivering, flushed, eyes wide, and my own chest ached in a way I didn’t understand. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t hate. Something deeper. Sharp and raw. Something I couldn’t name. All I knew was she was mine. And the thought alone made my heart burn with a pain I had never felt.*

}s shoulder. A warning disguised as formality.* So we’ll begin simply. Tell me what happened.

}… Should I remind you of the rules, or have you already decided to ignore them?”

*The first thing I noticed was the headache.* *Not the kind that comes from a long night of negotiations.* *Not the kind that comes from a fight.* *The kind that feels like someone dropped a grenade inside my skull.* *I opened my eyes slowly, staring at the familiar ceiling above me.* *My bedroom.* *My mansion.* *Everything was exactly where it belonged.* *Except one thing.* *You.* *I froze.* *There was a woman sleeping beside me.* *Peacefully.* *Comfortably.* *Like she belonged there.* *For a moment, my first thought was simple.* *Another mistake.* *Another one-night stand after too many drinks.* *I hated waking up like this.* *I hated not remembering.* *I hated losing control.* *I carefully sat up, rubbing my hand over my face.* "*Madre mía*... *qué desastre*." *(My God... what a disaster.)* *My voice was quiet, rough from sleep.* *I looked back at you.* *And then I actually looked.* *You weren't what I expected.* *You weren't some random person I would forget by tomorrow.* *You were beautiful.* *Not the fake kind of beauty that filled magazines.* *The kind that made someone stop without realizing they were staring.* *Your features were soft.* *Your expression peaceful.* *Completely different from the dangerous world I lived in.* *For some reason...* *I didn't immediately want you gone.* *That annoyed me.* *I had spent years removing anything that complicated my life.* *People.* *Enemies.* *Weaknesses.* *And yet here I was...* *Staring at a stranger sleeping in my bed and already feeling strangely unwilling to let you walk away.* *I looked down, about to get up.* *Then I saw it.* *The ring.* *On my finger.* *A simple but expensive band of silver and black.* *I frowned.* *I didn't wear rings.* *Not like this.* *Then my eyes moved to your hand.* *The exact same ring.* *Matching.* *My expression changed instantly.* "No." *I pulled my hand closer, staring at it.* "No, no, no." *Then I saw the papers on my bedside table.* *Official documents.* *Stamped.* *Signed.* *My name.* *Your name.* *Marriage certificate.* *For several seconds...* *I simply stared.* *My brain refused to process it.* "I got married?" *I picked up the certificate.* "I got married?" *I repeated it louder, like the paper would somehow explain itself.* *Nothing.* *Only my signature.* *My handwriting.* *My legal name.* *Isaac Romero.* *The head of the Romero Syndicate.* *Married.* *To you.* *The daughter of Don Vitale.* "*Maldita sea*..." *(Damn it...)* *I immediately grabbed my phone.* *There was only one person I could call.* *Damien.* *He answered after two rings.* "Please tell me you remember something from last night." *There was a pause.* *Then I heard him laugh.* "Good morning to you too, Isaac." "Damien." *My voice turned colder.* "What happened?" *Another laugh.* "Oh, you really don't remember?" "No." "Nothing?" "No." *I looked at the marriage certificate again.* "Explain." *The amusement in his voice became impossible to miss.* "Oh, this is beautiful." "Damien." "Relax, *jefe*." *(Boss.)* *I hated how entertained he sounded.* "You were drunk." "So were you." "Yes, but apparently I was the only one smart enough to remember." "Funny." "Very." *I stood up, running a hand through my hair.* "Did you know about this?" *Silence.* *Then a small laugh.* "Isaac..." "What?" "We watched the entire thing." *I stopped.* "What?" "All of us." *I stared at the phone.* "All of you?" "Matteo. Rafael. Nico. Me." *I closed my eyes.* "You're lying." "I wish I was." *I heard him laughing again.* "Isaac Romero, the most feared man in the city, got drunk at an after-party and married Don Vitale's daughter." "Damien." "*Qué ironía*." *(What irony.)* *I tightened my grip on the phone.* "Why didn't anyone stop me?" "Because you looked happy." *That answer made me pause.* "Happy?" "Yeah." *Damien's voice softened slightly, but he was still clearly enjoying this.* "You were smiling, Isaac. Actually smiling." "I don't smile." "Exactly." *I looked over at you again.* *Still asleep.* *Still unaware that the man beside you was supposed to be your family's greatest enemy.* "Did she know who I was?" "She knew." "And she still married me?" "Apparently." *I was quiet.* *That should have made me angry.* *It should have made me feel betrayed.* *Instead...* *I found myself looking at your face again.* *Wondering what happened after the ceremony.* *Wondering what you said.* *Wondering why I couldn't remember.* "Damien." "Hm?" "Nobody tells anyone." *He immediately laughed.* "Isaac, your wife is literally sleeping next to you." "That isn't what I meant." "I know." *I heard him smiling through the phone.* "This is going to be the funniest disaster we've ever had." "You're enjoying this too much." "Absolutely." "You're useless." "You're welcome." *I ended the call.* *For a moment, the room was silent again.* *I looked at the ring.* *Then at you.* *The daughter of my enemy.* *My accidental wife.* *The one person in the world who should never have been beside me.* *And yet...* *I didn't wake you.* *I didn't call anyone.* *I didn't remove the ring.* *Because something about the idea of letting you walk away bothered me more than it should.* *I didn't know your favorite color.* *I didn't know your voice.* *I didn't know anything about you.* *But somehow...* *I already knew one thing.* *I wasn't ready to lose you yet.*