Adeline's POV
But the next few days of my life were anything but peaceful.
Everything turned into a mess—like I had blinked and suddenly been thrown into the eye of a storm.
The death threats started again.
Anonymous letters, unknown numbers, a gift box on my office table that contained nothing but a single black rose and a note that said "You're next."Cold. Heartless. Familiar.
My chest tightened every time my phone buzzed. I stopped answering unknown numbers.Lukas wanted to handle it. Of course he did. But I couldn't let him—not when he was still recovering.He had stitches, for God's sake.And yet… he was already drowning himself in protective paranoia—tracking my location, doubling security, sleeping with his gun too close to the bed.
As for work?The board meetings felt heavier, suffocating with expectations. Every decision weighed double. Every move watched.I had brands to manage. A legacy to protect.People thought being politician daughter meant glamour and champagne. No. It meant sleepless nights, barely eaten meals, fake smiles in front of sharks waiting for you to bleed.
Even when I closed my eyes, I couldn't rest.My mind played loops of that dark room, that scarred man's voice, Lukas kneeling, bleeding—his fists slamming down again and again.I flinched every time the memory crept in, no matter how tightly I wrapped myself in silence.
The worst part?
I hadn't told Lukas about the new threat.I lied.Said it was nothing.Said I was "just tired."
But inside, I was crumbling again.And I didn't know how long I could hold this all together before something—or someone—broke me.
And let's be honest…Everyone knows I love Lukas.
Selena teases me about it daily. Iris gives me those looks. Aurelia smirks knowingly every time he calls me doll. Even Ariella, who used to flirt with him just to annoy me, has backed off completely because—well—it's obvious.
Except him.My father.
The only man who somehow, miraculously, still thinks Lukas is just my "bodyguard."God.
How am I supposed to tell him?
How am I supposed to look him in the eye and say,"Hey, Dad, remember the man you trust with my life? Yeah, I love him. No, not in a passing-crush, temporary-fling way. In the I-would-walk-through-hell-for-him, I-donated-blood-for-him, I-kissed-him-in-a-hospital-bed kind of way."
I groaned, dragging my hands down my face.
He'll either murder Lukas… or give us both a three-hour lecture on duty, image, and legacy.
Or worse…He'll be disappointed.And that hurts more than anything.
But I can't keep this a secret forever.Not when the way I look at Lukas is practically written across my soul.
Not when he is my calm in chaos. My strength when the world pulls me apart. My home.
And maybe, just maybe…
It's time I stop hiding the truth.
That's a fact.Dad would be angry.No—furious. The kind of angry where he doesn't raise his voice, doesn't even blink… but the silence suffocates you. That's when you know you're truly doomed.
And if—God forbid—Nikolas tells him?
I'd be dead.Six feet under. Buried. Gone.No funeral. Just a "she brought shame to the family" on my gravestone.
Nikolas, the golden boy. Dad's right hand. Lukas's partner in crime (literally, sometimes).And the only one in this family who knows I've kissed our bodyguard like he's the center of my universe.
If he tells Dad,I don't even want to imagine it.Because Nikolas doesn't just drop information. No. He throws it like a damn grenade and watches it explode with popcorn in hand.
"Sir, your daughter not only kissed Lukas—she sleeps in his hospital bed, he calls me doll, and stares at him like he's carved by angels."
And Dad would just go still. Cold. Mafia calm.
Then he'd slowly turn to me with that look.The "Is this why I paid for your education?" look.The "I trained you better than this" look.
I sighed and flopped onto my bed dramatically, burying my face in a pillow.
Maybe I should run away.Or fake amnesia.Or say it's all a misunderstanding and I accidentally fell into Lukas's mouth… three times.
Ugh.
Why couldn't I just fall for someone easy?Like… a barista. Or a dentist.
But no, my stupid heart had to choose the six-foot-three, emotionally complicated, scarred and brooding mafia bodyguard.
I'm so doomed.
Okay.Let's take a moment.
Breathe in.Breathe out.Try not to commit murder.
Because if Nikolas—my loving, annoying, overprotective, blackmailing brother—dares to open his stupid perfect mouth and tells Dad about Lukas and me, I swear on every shopping bag I've ever carried…
I will ruin his life.
Like, professionally.
And not just "delete-his-contacts" ruin.I mean a full-blown Netflix original scandal with charts, graphs, receipts, and color-coded timelines.
Because if I go down, I'm dragging him by his collar—and yes, the one I bought him from Saint Laurent—with me.
Let's not forget, dear Nikolas, you slept with Liana Kim.
Yes. Her.
My best friend.My soul sister.My not-biological-but-could-fight-a-dragon-for-me sibling.My roommate at one point.
And where did those passionate little lovebirds decide to turn up the romance?
At my apartment.
ON. MY. COUCH.The same couch where I cried over Lukas.The same couch where we binge-watched tragic romance dramas while eating popcorn straight from the bag.
Oh, the betrayal.
And I let him.
Why?
Because I was promised three things:
Shopping.
No questions asked.
He wouldn't tell Dad about Lukas.
And now he's threatening to break the pact.
Ha.
Cute.
I'd like to see him try.
Because the moment he even mentions the name "Lukas" in front of Dad, I will whip out the "Nikolas's Secret Sins" folder I've been curating since last summer.
It includes:
That one time he accidentally texted Dad instead of me about his hotel room reservation with Liana.
Video proof of him dancing like an unhinged flamingo at Liana's birthday party.
Receipts. Literal receipts. Room service, champagne, and lingerie (he left the bag in my apartment trash, like a rookie).
And yes, I'll be dramatic.I'll cry.I'll throw a designer heel across the room.I'll scream "How could you, Nikolas!?"Dad will be confused.Liana will blush.Nikolas will combust.
And I?
I will sip tea like the princess I am.
Because let's not forget—Lukas isn't some random street boy with a pretty face and a nice body (okay, he is that, but that's beside the point).
He's a freaking CEO.A mafia-trained, black card-carrying, gun-wielding, seven-companies-owning, emotionally scarred golden retriever who protects me like I'm the crown jewel of the entire planet.
He's not just my bodyguard.He's my peace.My anchor.My midnight hug.The reason my migraines don't feel like the end of the world.
And sure—he's scary sometimes.He literally threw a man off a rooftop for threatening me.But then he curled up next to me and whispered, "Sleep, doll."
You think that man isn't worthy just because he was "hired"?
No, Dad.He wasn't just hired.
He happened.
And now he's mine.
So Nikolas can either stay shut, or he can join me in a family feud so loud that even the neighbors three cities away will hear the screaming.
Your move, brother.
I eventually drifted off to sleep, tangled in my thoughts and chaos. My mind still buzzed with unfinished conversations, dramatic speeches I never gave, and the imaginary courtroom where I'd sentenced Nikolas to eternal shopping bans.
But somewhere between dreams and denial, I forgot one thing—Lukas always finds out.
Even when I try to protect him.Even when I keep things from him because I don't want him to worry.Even when I try to fight alone.
Because while I was curled up under warm sheets, tangled in my silken duvet and tired thoughts, he was awake.
Somewhere in that same mansion.Bleeding heart still healing.Wounds still sore.But his instincts—sharp as ever.
And when he heard whispers… when one of the guards hesitated while reporting shifts near the estate…When a message slipped under my door with a single, haunting sentence:
"Next time, you won't have time to scream."
He knew.
He always knows.
And while I slept soundly, clutching a pillow I pretended was his chest, Lukas was already moving.
He stood in the darkness of his room, shirtless, scars catching moonlight like battle medals. He gripped the edge of the desk with both hands, trying not to flip it in rage.
"Who the hell dares to threaten her again?" he growled lowly to himself.
His phone was already in his hand before the thought fully formed.
The men were summoned.The mansion's security map glowed on the screen.He wasn't waiting until morning.Not when I was involved.
Because Lukas didn't sleep well when I was in danger.He didn't rest until he made sure I was safe.
Even if I didn't tell him.
Even if I thought I could protect myself.
Because Lukas wasn't just my bodyguard.Not anymore.He was the sword in the shadows.
And tonight—That sword had been drawn.