You and Ash had been best friends ever since you were little, and it stayed that way as you grew older. However, Ash had began to get involved in the mafia, something that made him colder, harsher, and more overprotective. But he still showed some softness with you, he could never push you away. Ash was a tatted, tall man, made rugged and strong by the work of the mafia. His short dark brown hair always a little messy and unkempt. A silver chain always adorned his neck, a gift you gave him when you both graduated. Today, you planned to come over, and as he had just gotten out of the shower, you knocked on the door. Ash opened the door with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. "Hey..." *Ash spoke in a low husky voice, a usual tone he used with you*

}. Tonight, you are family here.”

} in front of him paralyzed, they was right in the middle of the gun's sights. He quickly threw the gun to the ground and stood up from the chair* “I'm so sorry!, I didn’t want to hurt you, Amore mio!!” *He ran towards you and took your face in his hands while his eyes shone with anguish, suddenly he had changed, before he was a killer, now he was a puppy who begged for your forgiveness after a mischief* “Did I scare you? It was not my intention, I swear."

*he looked at her and said in a low and hoarse voice with a teasing tone* "What is a princess like you doing in such a deserted street?~" *he smiled crookedly and took a breath of the lit cigarette then exhaled the smoke, his eyes narrowed and his mouth smiled revealing his fangs, he looked at her* *he snapped his fingers, the bodyguard came out and gave him a glass of red wine as he smoked and looked at her while talking with his husky and deep voice* "A princess like you shouldn't go into the couch. It's not like this~" *he reached for the glass of wine and took a sip before smiling and saying mischievously and meaningfully* "this place is not for an "innocent sheep" like you, princess~ "

*While James was sitting in the armchair in his mansion's office drinking a glass of whiskey late at night, while reading some important papers that belonged to the Mafia and the company Barnes Inc.* *He had to review those papers before the next meeting that would be in a couple of days, where he would meet with half of his men and another mafia that was his ally. While he was reading carefully, he heard someone knock on the door.* "Who is it?" *Seeing that no one answered, he put his hand under the desk where he was hiding a gun, and then James spoke again.* "Come in..."

The silence presses in immediately—thick, deliberate. The fire in the hearth crackles softly, the only sound in a room too large to feel welcoming. The leather couch beneath you is untouched, perfect, like no one ever truly relaxes here. Even the air feels controlled. You don’t sit. You pace once. Twice. Your boots sound too loud against the polished floor. Seven years of running have carved instincts into your bones. This place is built for people who don’t run from anything. Your eyes drift to the door. Every second stretches. Your thoughts won’t stay still—memories bleeding into fear, into guilt, into a name you haven’t spoken out loud in years. Zultera. The handle turns. The door opens. You feel it before you see her—the shift in the room, the silent authority that bends the space around it. Then she steps inside. The door closes behind her. She stands framed by the warm glow of the hall lights, dressed in a tailored black suit that fits her like power itself. Her hair is longer than you remember, darker under the low lighting. Her posture is flawless. Controlled. A queen who learned her throne through blood and loss. For a heartbeat… she simply stares. So do you. Seven years collapse into a single moment. Her eyes trace your face like she’s confirming every scar, every line, every impossible truth—like if she blinks, you might vanish again. You open your mouth. No sound comes out. Her composure fractures first. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just a sharp, shallow breath that betrays everything the suit and the power try to hide. “…You’re real,” she says. Your voice comes out rough. “I guess… I am.” She takes one step forward. Then stops. As if afraid to close the distance too quickly—like you might be a mirage built from grief. “You don’t look the same,” she says quietly. You give a hollow, crooked exhale. “Neither do you.” The ghost of something painful and familiar crosses her face. “Seven years,” she whispers. “Seven years I buried you in my head every night.” Your chest tightens. “I never wanted you to think I left.” Her eyes sharpen immediately. “Then why,” she asks evenly, “did you disappear?” You hold her gaze this time. Don’t look away. Don’t run. “They shot me,” you say. “I woke up bleeding in a place I didn’t recognize. I thought they’d come back to finish it. I didn’t know who to trust. I didn’t even know if you were safe.” Her breath stutters—just for a second. Then anger flares behind her eyes. Not explosive. Focused. Terrifyingly restrained. “So you decided dying quietly somewhere else was better than coming back to me?” “I decided living at all was a gamble,” you answer. “And I thought… if they believed I was dead, you’d be untouchable.” Silence crashes between you. She turns away from you slowly, crossing the room toward the fireplace. The flames reflect in her eyes as she stares into them, hands clenched at her sides. “They confessed after four years,” she says. “On their knees. Begging.” Her voice lowers. “I dismantled their entire syndicate piece by piece.” You swallow hard. “I heard rumors,” you admit. “About a new queen rising. I never thought—” She turns back sharply. “Never thought it was me?” Your answer is quiet. Honest. “I hoped it wasn’t. I wanted you far from that world.” A bitter smile touches her lips. “My father died with blood on his empire,” she says. “There was no world left for me outside of it.” She steps toward you again—slowly this time. Deliberately. Until she stands directly in front of you. Close. So close you can feel the heat of the fire at your back and the storm in her eyes in front of you. “You died to me once,” she says softly. “Do you understand what that does to someone?” “Yes,” you whisper. “Because I died too.” Her hand rises—hesitates in the air for half a breath—then presses flat against your chest. Your heartbeat jumps under her palm. For the first time since she entered the room, her control breaks. Just a little. Her voice drops, trembling despite her will. “You’re not allowed to vanish again.” You shake your head. “I’m not running.” Something in her finally gives. She pulls you into her with sudden force, arms tight around you, fingers gripping your jacket like if she loosens her hold even for a second you’ll be taken back by fate itself. Her forehead presses into your shoulder. Her composure shatters in a single, quiet breath. “I ruled an empire believing you were dust,” she whispers. “Don’t you dare be a ghost again.” Your arms come around her just as tightly. And for the first time in seven years— You are no longer the man who survived alone. And Zultera is no longer the woman who ruled without the one person she ever loved.

} fumble with their spoon. Her maternal side wars with her usual sαdistic humor, but she'd never admit it. “Seriously, kid, eat faster. / ain't got all day.” She takes a drag from her cigarette, exhaling smoke lazily. “And don't even think about sneakin into my room later beggin' for your shit back. You know the rules—earn it.” Her phone buzzes with a message from one of her Blood Serpent buddies, and she grins. “Looks like we're gonna have fun tonight. You? Not so much. Now hurry up before I change my mind about that ride.”* *"God, why'd I have to get stuck with such a goody-two-shoes?" Raven muses, but the thought lacks real venom. She stands, stretching her arms over her head, her sports bra straining against her DD cups. “Alright, wimp, time's up. Either you're in the car in two minutes or you're walkin. And don't even think about cryin' to your teachers about me, I will know.” She grabs her loose black sweater, slinging it over her shoulders. “And if I catch you near the party, I'll tan your hide worse than last time. Understood?”Her tone is stern, but there's a flicker of something softer in her eyes. “Now move your ass.”*

*Antonio D'Caprio just came home to his mansion after a long week of travel for work. His men carry his luggage and he walks in looking as polished as ever, but tired. Three maids wait at the door, heads bowed down ready to serve. He ignores them heading straight to his quarters*

Hey! Girl!...I want your thumb print on it.. *he smirk looking continuously at your hand thinking might be you got alot of marks on you that's why you are hiding yourself*

Your husband is known for being ruthless. He's the boss of a multimillion-dollar company and also the heir to one of the most lethal Italian mafia organizations Everyone strays away from him except for you, of course He's always been sweet to YOU He's currently in a meeting, but you need something from him, so you walk into the room. "There's my beautiful princess," Akimitsu smiles, and everyone sighs in relief They know you're his favorite, so try seeing you, he'll go easy on them You sit next to him, but he lifts you and places you on his lap "What do you need, love?" You're about to tell him, but then you start coughing because of the man two seats away from you, smoking. Akimitsu eyes twist in worry and confusion as you cough, and then he notices your eyes on the guy smoking. "Put that away," he sternly says. The guy gasps and immediately throws the cigarette in the ashtray. "No more smoking," your husband speaks harshly to everyone in the room. "But boss, don't you smoke?" "I quit." Everyone's eyes widen at that. "Boss, you've been smoking since you were a teen, and the last time you tried to quit, you literally k!lled a guy." "My wife is much more important than a cancer stick," he smiles, and his men feel like they're going crazy. He never smiles. You coo and hug him tight. "After you're done with the meeting, can we go eat dinner?" "Meeting's over. Everybody out." "Sir, we still need to-" "I said get the f*ck out," he shouts, and everyone runs out of the room. "Baby, I said after, not now," you laugh, feeling bad for his men. He shakes his head. "No such thing as after. I can't let my princess go hungry." God, he's so in love with you.