His pain clung to the air like smoke — thick, choking, and impossible to ignore.
"I know you're kind," he whispered, "but don't disturb your kindness for someone like me."
That sentence broke something in me.
Because I'd never seen someone so cruelly convinced he didn't deserve softness.
He looked away after saying it, like the truth was uglier than anything he'd ever done. But I couldn't look away. I couldn't stand the way he was distancing himself — not from guilt, but because he was scared of being seen.
I stepped closer, my heart pounding like it might rip through my ribs.
His breath hitched when I reached for his face — his jaw clenched under my fingers, but he didn't move.
Those dark eyes, usually unreadable, now swam with stormy regret.
My other hand rested lightly on his chest — I could feel his heartbeat, wild and chaotic under my palm.
I stood on my toes. He still didn't move.
So I kissed him.
Softly, at first. Just a breath shared between broken souls.
His lips were still — almost in disbelief — before he gave in, like he was drowning and I was the only air he could find.
The kiss deepened slowly, heartbreakingly slow. Not rushed. Not violent.
But aching.
A low sound escaped from him — barely a breath, but full of years of restraint collapsing.
His hand moved to my waist, unsure at first, then tighter, like he needed to feel if I was real. My fingers slid into his hair, tugging gently as I pressed myself against him. His body was warm, solid, and trembling just slightly under my touch.
There was no space left between us. Just skin, heat, and unspoken truths.
I could taste the anger he carried. The loneliness. The hunger to be loved and the fear of it all disappearing.
His mouth was no longer hesitant — it was hungry now. Not lustful… starved.
But even in that desperation, he was gentle.
His hand slid up my back, over the fabric of my dress, fingers splaying wide like he was memorizing me — like he never wanted to forget this moment.
And God… neither did I.
My breath hitched when he kissed down the corner of my jaw, my head tilting back as his lips traced a line to the base of my throat. I gasped — not because it was new, but because it was him. Every touch felt like a confession.
"Adeline…" he whispered, barely audible.
I shivered.
It wasn't just a kiss anymore. It was surrender. It was him giving me the truth in the only way he knew how — not with words, but with his lips, his hands, his trembling restraint.
He pulled back, just barely, and looked at me.
Our lips were swollen. My chest rose and fell like waves crashing. His eyes were darker now, not from desire… but emotion.
"You don't know what you're doing to me," he said.
I smiled, tears threatening again. "Then tell me."
"I can't," he breathed. "Because once I do… I won't be able to stop."
I didn't move. I didn't blink.
I just said it.
"Maybe I don't want you to."
For a moment, everything stood still.
No air. No sound. Just the space between us vibrating with a thousand unspoken emotions.
His gaze dropped to my lips again. This time, it wasn't hesitation that stopped him.
It was restraint. A storm ready to break.
"Don't say things like that," he muttered, his hand tightening slightly on my waist. "Not when I'm barely holding myself together."
"Then don't," I whispered. "Don't hold yourself together. Not with me."
Something in him broke open — beautifully, painfully.
He kissed me again.
But this time, it wasn't gentle.
It was desperate.
It was months… years… of suppressed emotion. Of fear, longing, and unspoken love finally ripping free.
His lips moved over mine with an urgency that made my knees weak. I clung to him like he was the only thing tethering me to the ground. His hands were everywhere — my lower back, my sides, cupping my face like he was afraid I'd vanish.
I gasped when he pulled me even closer, my body pressing into the hard planes of his chest. There was no space anymore. Just fire.
He whispered my name like a prayer between kisses. Over and over.
"Adeline… Adeline…"
And when he finally pulled away, just barely, his forehead pressed against mine.
"I've never wanted anything this much," he said, his breath shaky. "But I don't want to break you. I don't want to destroy the one good thing I've ever touched."
"You won't," I whispered. "Because I see you, Lukas. Not the monster. Not the mafia. Just you."
He exhaled like those words both healed him and broke him.
"I don't deserve you," he murmured.
"But I'm still here."
The confession wasn't like something out of a movie.There were no violins, no perfectly spoken words, no dramatic pause followed by cinematic kisses under the rain.
But it was real.
It was healing.
In that kiss… in his broken voice… in my trembling hands pressed against his heart — I felt something shift inside me.Like two wounded pieces finding their way toward each other.
After that night, we didn't speak much. Not about what happened. Not about what we were becoming.But the silence between us… it wasn't heavy.
It was comforting. Like a soft blanket wrapped around two people who had seen too much and were finally allowed to rest.
He would pass by and our eyes would meet — and I'd feel that warmth again. That strange calm in the middle of chaos.We sat together for meals sometimes, barely talking, but never needing to.
And just like that…
I had forgotten about her.
The woman who haunted my thoughts… whose eyes once followed me in dreams. The ghost who made me question my past and my safety.
Now, my thoughts were full of him.
His quiet presence.The way he always sat beside me like he was protecting me even from the world's air.The scar on his back that once scared me but now made my heart ache.The softness in his eyes that he tried so hard to hide.
Maybe I was foolish. Maybe I was naive.But in those days of soft silence, I let myself believe — just for a moment — that peace was possible.
That maybe… monsters could love too.And girls like me could fall for them.
It was a fine evening, the kind that made the sky blush in shades of lavender and gold.We had just returned from a formal meeting — one where I had spoken to a local MLA about our recent fundraiser. My words were poised, my posture perfect… but inside, my mind still carried the weight of him. Lukas.
Now, I was on the terrace of Selene's villa, surrounded by the girls. The evening breeze tugged gently at our hair as laughter spilled into the air, warm and familiar.
Selene was lying on a lounge chair, legs tangled in a blanket, a faint smile on her lips. For once, she hadn't tripped or knocked anything over all evening — we teased her about it.
Then, out of nowhere, she said it.
"So… I met my new CEO today," she said, stretching the sentence like a secret she wasn't sure she wanted to share yet.
We all turned to look at her.
"His name's Ares Navarro," she said softly — but there was a spark in her eyes that didn't go unnoticed.
Iris raised an eyebrow. "And why do you sound like you're saying the name of a Greek god?"
"Because he looks like one," Ariella smirked. "That's why."
Selene flushed but didn't deny it.
"He's… intimidating," she continued, twirling her fingers in her lap. "Not in a cruel way, but in a 'I've-seen-too-much-and-I-don't-speak-unless-I-have-to' kind of way."
"I like him already," Ariella said, popping a grape into her mouth. "Sounds broody. We love broody."
"Don't romanticize it too quickly," Iris added. "Sometimes that silence comes with a darkness you can't fix."
Selene nodded slowly. "I don't want to fix him. But I can't lie — there's something about him… I don't know. Like he's carrying the world on his shoulders, but he still holds the door open for everyone."
Her voice went quiet for a moment.
And I saw it.
That small, flickering light in her — the start of something unspoken, something she probably didn't understand herself yet.
Just like me.
Just like him.
"I'm going to be working with him closely," she murmured, almost to herself. "He's my direct superior, and the company's going through a huge restructuring. Everyone either respects him or fears him. Sometimes both."
"Selene," I said gently, my voice wrapped in experience. "Be careful."
She looked at me. "I know. But isn't it strange? Sometimes you meet someone and just… feel something. Even if it makes no sense."
I wanted to tell her I understood. That I had been there. That I was there.
But I just smiled, and let the silence answer for me.
But then Ariella, in her usual playful tone, shifted the conversation back—"Oh please, Selene. No CEO can beat our Lukas."
She leaned back, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers."I mean… that man is something else. Tall, broody, jaw carved like a Greek statue, and that voice? Ugh, don't even get me started."
The girls giggled.
My stomach twisted.
It was subtle at first—just a flicker of something low in my chest. A warmth? No. A heat. An irritation.No.Let's be honest.
It was jealousy.
Let's accept it.
Because the image of Ariella describing Lukas like that made something uncomfortably tight in my chest. I looked down, trying to focus on the drink in my hand, ignoring how I gripped the glass just a bit too hard.
"He's like a walking mystery," Ariella continued, smirking. "Wouldn't mind unwrapping that."
My throat dried. I forced a smile. "You mean our bodyguard?"
She gave me a playful nudge. "Oh come on, Addy. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. That man's a full-course meal. Too bad he doesn't even look at anyone."
My cheeks warmed.He does.He looks at me.
I didn't say it aloud.
But I couldn't stop the way my mind spun with memories — of the way Lukas's eyes found mine even when I wasn't looking… the way he'd held me, kissed me… the pain behind his confession. The way he told me I was the one who saved him.
He wasn't a mystery to me anymore.He was pain, hidden in silence. He was a past soaked in blood and a future that still scared him.
I got up quietly, muttering something about needing air.
No one stopped me.
And as I stood by the edge of the balcony, letting the wind slap my face and wake me up, I breathed out the words that clawed at my heart.
"I'm falling for him."
It was terrifying.Because this time, I knew.
It wasn't just attraction. It was emotion. It was him.
I had not told them.Not even a hint.Not that Lukas was more than just my bodyguard.Not that the man they joked about… was the man whose lips had kissed mine, whose arms had held me like I was something fragile and precious.Not that I was already his. And he... mine.In ways I couldn't even begin to explain.
I took a slow sip of my drink, trying to calm my heartbeat, trying to keep my expression neutral.
"By the way…" Iris tilted her head, blinking at me with her usual curiosity."Where's Lukas? Haven't seen him since we got back."
My spine straightened just slightly. But I kept my tone light, hiding everything that roared inside.
"Caught some work," I replied casually. "You know how he is."
It wasn't a lie.But it wasn't the full truth either.
Because Lukas wasn't just working.He was probably somewhere… planning, watching, protecting. Living in shadows.A mafia king masquerading as my protector. A man made of both fire and ash.
And the worst part?
They had no idea.
They still thought Lukas Volkoff was just the broody, silent bodyguard who drove me crazy with his silence.Not the man who had bled for me.Not the man who had whispered broken memories against my lips.Not the man I kissed with trembling hands and a heart that ached for him.
I bit my lip and stared at the phone screen.
No message. No call. Nothing.
But I trusted him.
Even if the silence was starting to drive me mad.
My friends knew something was up. And not in the "oh-she's-having-a-cute-crush" way. No. This was full-blown "she's-hiding-a-whole-boyfriend-or-maybe-an-illegal-lovechild" energy.
And of course, they made a plan.
It started when Selene "accidentally" spilled her iced coffee on my lap.
"Oops," she blinked with the fakest innocence known to mankind. "You should probably go change... oh wait, where's Lukas? Isn't he usually the one drying your tears... or thighs?"
"SE-LENE!" I shrieked as the girls around me broke into hysterical laughter.
"That's it," I said, standing up and grabbing a tissue, "I'm leaving."
"Oh no no," Ariella grabbed my wrist dramatically. "You SIT and explain everything. And don't even think of lying. I know your fake-casual face."
"What fake casual face?"
"The one you're making right now," Iris deadpanned, her arms crossed like she was judging me on a reality show. "You've been acting like a girl in love… or a girl in denial… or both."
I turned to Aurelia for help. Bad decision.
"You blink differently when you talk about Lukas now," she added. "It's like... blink-blink 'I want to have your babies' instead of blink-blink 'ugh, I hate my bodyguard.'"
"I HATE YOU ALL," I shouted, dramatically collapsing onto the couch.
"AND SHE'S IN LOVE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," Selene yelled, throwing imaginary confetti in the air.
"Give. Us. Details," Ariella said, scooting closer like a gremlin ready to pounce. "On a scale from 'he looked at me' to 'he railed me into next week'—where are we?"
"Ariella!"
"Okay okay—fine. But are we talking forehead kisses or like... choking with consent?"
I covered my face with a pillow and screamed into it.
"Did he confess first or did you? Was there tongue? Was there groaning? Did you cry? Did he cry?"
"GUYS!" I yelled, trying to breathe between my laughter and horror.
Iris leaned in, too calm, too composed. "So where is lover boy now? Hiding in your closet? Under your bed? Naked in your bathtub?"
I peeked over the pillow. "He caught some work."
"Oh, you caught some work, alright," Ariella winked. "Was it shirtless? Was there sweat? Was it sinful?"
"God, stop—my ears are bleeding," I muttered, trying not to smile.
"Oh don't play coy now," Selene said, wiggling her brows. "Next time we see him, I'm asking him myself."
"NO YOU'RE NOT."
"Ohhhh possessive," they all chorused in demonic harmony.
I looked at them all—laughing, yelling, bouncing on the sofa like kids who just learned their friend had a crush for the first time—and my chest actually hurt… from laughing too much.
Maybe I was falling for a dangerous man.Maybe I was hiding a forbidden love.But this chaos?This madness?
These girls were my realest ride or die.
God help Lukas when they meet him together.