Raven's POV :
The mansion felt too quiet.
Too cold. Too his.
Every wall echoed with Kairus' voice, his touch, his gaze like it still lingered in the air. And maybe it did. Maybe that's why I needed out.
The city felt different today.
Like the air was holding its breath.
I walked through the narrow street near the bookstore I liked, hands buried in my coat pockets, chin tucked down to avoid the wind. It wasn't cold. But there was a strange chill threading through my spine, like I was being watched.
Still, I kept walking.
I needed space.
Kairus hadn't texted since morning. Not that I expected him to. But after the way he left—his fingers on my jaw, his voice low, promising he'd come back—I thought maybe…
Whatever.
I was barely two blocks from the bookstore when the growl of engines cut through the silence.
Three black cars.
Sleek. Silent. Dangerous.
They moved too smoothly, surrounding me like a pack of wolves, hemming me into the narrow stretch of sidewalk. I froze.
And out stepped a man.
Tall, sharp-boned, grey hair swept back neatly and eyes sharp. He looked like Kairus—but older. Scarier. More calculating.
His gaze swept over me with clinical interest, like I was a puzzle he already knew how to solve.
"You must be Raven," he said smoothly.
I didn't drop my guard.
"And you are?"
He smiled.
Not kindly.
"Leonid Vasiliev," he said, voice thick with the weight of old power. "Kairus' father."
My stomach twisted.
Leonid walked forward without fear, hands behind his back like a king surveying a battlefield.
"I see why he's distracted," he added. "Pretty. Smart. Fire in the eyes. Dangerous combination."
"I didn't ask for compliments."
"And yet, you wear them well."
He gestured toward the open car door. "Walk with me, if you don't mind. I'm not here to hurt you."
Every instinct screamed at me to refuse.
But I nodded once and slid into the car beside him, eyes never leaving his.
The door shut. The engine purred.
He didn't speak for a moment. Just studied me with unsettling calm.
The air turned heavier.
"I wasn't expecting visitors."
"And I wasn't expecting my son to sign a marriage contract with an underground boxer." He leaned back,"But life is full of surprises, isn't it?"
His gaze roamed over me like I was being dissected.
"You fight well, from what I've seen. Impressive grit. But grit doesn't last in our world, Raven. It burns fast."
I didn't reply. I didn't flinch.
Leonid continued, voice almost thoughtful. "It's funny. He's always had trouble with color. Said the world looked like ashes most days. But then he started seeing shades of you everywhere. That's when I knew something was wrong."
He watched me carefully. "You think this is love? Don't fool yourself. My son doesn't fall. He calculates. Obsesses, maybe—but that's not the same as love. Once this little deal of yours is over, he'll do what he does best."
I clenched my jaw. "And what's that?"
Leonid's smile sharpened. "He'll do what he does best... Erase liabilities."
Silence hung between us like a blade.
Then I spoke. "Whatever happens between us… it's our business. Not yours."
I turned away. His words coiled like smoke in my lungs.
But I wouldn't let him see it.
I reached for the door handle.
Leonid didn't stop me.
I stepped out, slamming the door behind me.
I didn't look back.
But his laugh followed me down the street—low, amused, and terrifyingly sure.
The street was quiet again.
But my mind wasn't.
"He's always had trouble with color. Said the world looked like ashes most days. "
I kicked at a loose stone on the sidewalk, jaw tight.
What the hell does that even mean?
Trouble with color? Was that some metaphor? Or was he just literally colorblind?
And why the hell would that be linked to me?
The way Leonid said it… like I was some kind of exception. Like I somehow shifted the way his son saw the world.
"He started seeing shades of you. "
My pace slowed.
Shades of me. What a load of bullshit.
I rubbed my temples, exhaling sharply.
This is why I hate rich people. They talk in damn riddles like the rest of us weren't born with brains.
What does any of that matter anyway?
So what if Kairus is using me?
It's not like we're in love or anything.
It's just a contract.
I married him because of my brother's debt. Simple.
After a year, we won't even see each other again.
It's clean.
Uncomplicated.
"He'll do what he does best.... Erase liabilities. "
The words curled like ice around my spine.
No matter how many times I tried to brush it off, that line kept scraping at my insides.
"He'll toss you aside. "
Why did that sting?
Why did it feel like it was already happening, like I was already halfway out the door and didn't even know it?
I clenched my fists.
No. I wasn't going to spiral over some power-drunk father's warnings.
I pushed through the mansion gate.
The warmth hit first.
Then the scent—cigars and expensive cologne.
I paused.
He was home.
I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, and—
Kairus was on the couch.
Casual. Composed.
One arm slung lazily over the backrest, a cigar between his fingers, smoke curling like silk around him. His suit jacket was undone, collar loosened. But his eyes—
His eyes were locked on me.
And they were not lazy.
He stood.
Slow. Controlled.
A lion in a room full of shadows.
He crossed the room before I could speak, his body radiating that quiet, terrifying confidence that made it hard to breathe.
And then—his fingers were on my chin.
No—lower.
He traced my bottom lip with his thumb, feather-light, like he owned every inch of me and didn't need permission to prove it.
He leaned in, voice thick with something darker than smoke.
"Where'd you go without telling me, babochka? "
His breath brushed my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
I swallowed. "Needed air."
He hummed. Almost like a purr.
"Hmm. Seems like you had a visitor."
My pulse jumped. He hadn't asked. He knew.
Of course he knew.
His grip shifted—firmer now. His gaze sharpened.
He was watching me unravel.
And enjoying every second of it.
I jerked my face away, pushing at his chest.
Harder than I needed to.
His hand dropped, but the intensity in his eyes didn't.
"I said I needed air. I don't owe you an explanation," I snapped.
His brows rose, amused.
But I wasn't done.
"I don't care if you had a hundred cameras tracking me—where I go, who I see, it's none of your business. This is a contract, not a leash."
He tilted his head, smile curling at the edge—sharp and slow.
Like a predator letting its prey think it got away.
But I didn't wait for the snarky reply brewing in his throat.
I spun on my heel, walked straight to my room, and slammed the door hard enough to shake the walls.
Let him stew in it.
Let him know I wasn't some fragile girl who'd fall apart under his gaze.
But still…
My heartbeat was a drum in my ears.
And on the other side of the door, I heard him chuckle lowly.
Then the faint click of his lighter.
A pause.
And a single, quiet command wrapped in smoke and power:
" Mikhail....Bring her. "