The elevator doors closed with a soft chime, sealing Aelina into a box of glass and steel.
She hated it.
Too clean. Too cold. Too… tight.
Still, she stood tall, eyes forward, hands steady, even as the elevator soared upward into the heart of Kael's empire.
The moment the doors opened, a tall woman with clipped heels and a sleek ponytail stepped forward. "Miss Aelina, Mr. Kael is expecting you."
Of course he was.
She was led through an open-concept office, where polished floors reflected the city skyline. Everyone here wore sharp suits and sharp expressions. They all looked… controlled. Powerful. Dead inside.
And every eye turned to her.
Some curious. Some hostile. Some amused.
Aelina ignored them all.
---
Kael's office was at the very top. Massive windows stretched behind him, a throne of glass and steel. He stood at the far end of the room, staring at the city like he owned it.
Maybe he did.
She didn't knock. Just walked in.
He turned, slow and deliberate. "You're early."
"I'm not used to waiting."
A flicker of something passed through his eyes—approval, maybe.
"You don't have to do anything today," he said. "Just observe."
She crossed her arms. "And if I get bored?"
"Then you can leave. You're not my prisoner."
"Could've fooled me."
He smirked. "If you were my prisoner, Aelina, you'd know it."
Her pulse jumped.
She hated how easily he could get under her skin.
The day passed in flashes.
Kael led meetings with people who wore designer suits and venomous smiles. He barked instructions in three languages, read contracts like battle plans, and never once raised his voice—but everyone obeyed as if their lives depended on it.
It was... fascinating.
He was brutal. Efficient. Brilliant.
And yet, when she sat beside him, he always poured her tea first. Always asked, "Are you comfortable?"
A contradiction in motion.
At noon, he dismissed the staff and walked with her to a private lounge.
There, he finally asked, "Why did you come?"
She blinked. "You invited me."
"You could've said no."
"I did."
He laughed. Not cruel—genuinely amused. "And yet here you are."
She stared at him for a long moment. "Maybe I wanted to know why you were watching me."
He didn't deny it.
Kael set his teacup down slowly. "You're not from here. You don't understand how dangerous this city is."
"I lived in the wild for eighteen years. I think I know danger."
"Survival is different from strategy."
"And you think I need you to teach me?"
"No," he said, voice low. "I think you need someone to remind you that even wolves can starve when they're alone."
That hit her deeper than she expected.
That evening, she left the office alone. He offered to drive her back. She refused. And as always, he didn't push.
But halfway down the block, a car screeched to a stop beside her.
Four men got out.
Not in suits.
Not smiling.
City shadows with knives in their pockets.
Aelina stepped back, instinct roaring to life. The street was nearly empty, the sun just dipping behind the buildings.
"You shouldn't walk alone, pretty girl," one of them grinned.
She didn't answer. Didn't blink.
Her hand slid into her coat, fingers brushing the blade she'd carried since she was ten.
The leader stepped forward.
And suddenly—he froze.
Kael's voice came from behind them.
"I strongly suggest you turn around."
The men spun.
Kael stood calmly in his dark coat, alone, hands behind his back.
But his presence filled the street like a silent storm.
One of the thugs laughed. "You serious, pretty boy?"
Kael didn't move.
He just looked.
And the temperature dropped.
Not literally, but it felt like it.
The kind of cold that lived in your bones. The kind that whispered, run.
The leader flinched.
Kael took a single step forward.
The men ran.
No threats. No raised voice. No fight.
Just Kael.
He turned to Aelina, expression unreadable.
"I told you. This city bites."
---
Back in her apartment, she dropped her coat on the floor and sank onto the bed.
She should be angry. Embarrassed. But instead… she was unsettled.
Not because of the men.
Because of him.
Kael didn't react like other men. He didn't leer, didn't beg, didn't explode.
He was ice and fire wrapped in silk.
And worst of all—he made her curious.
---
Elsewhere, Kael stared at a black-and-white photo of the four men from earlier. His security team had already identified them.
Street rats.
Hired by someone higher.
He frowned.
Someone had known where she'd be. Someone was watching.
Which meant she wasn't the only one in danger.