Chapter 2

Meanwhile, in a far more secluded corner of the club, where dim lights barely reached and privacy was enforced by sheer authority, several men in tailored black suits stood like immovable statues. Their sharp gazes scanned the surroundings relentlessly, forming an invisible barrier around the man seated at the center.

This man was Kaiser Castillo.

Unlike the lively chaos that defined the rest of the club, his section was steeped in quiet dominance. He sat back against the leather couch, one arm resting casually along its edge, a glass of untouched liquor before him. 

Business associates spoke around him—numbers, deals, acquisitions—but none of it registered. His full attention was fixed on a single spot across the club… Elena.

From the moment she stepped onto the dance floor with her friends, the world around Kaiser seemed to dull into insignificance. Among the crowd, among flashing lights and swaying bodies, she stood out effortlessly—as if she belonged to a different realm entirely.

His mind drifted back to the first time he had seen her.

He had been seated in the back of his car, the engine still running, when she walked into the club earlier that evening. She was laughing then, her voice light and melodic, mingling with the chatter of her friends. That sound—soft, feminine, unguarded—had pierced through him in a way nothing ever had.

He hadn’t expected to see her again.

Yet now, watching her stand confidently among her friends, giving a heartfelt speech, something within his cold, fortified heart cracked. For the briefest moment, it skipped—betraying him.

Kaiser found himself frozen, his gaze tracing her unconsciously. Her long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back, catching the light with every movement. Her lips—pink and delicately heart-shaped—curved into genuine smiles that stirred something dangerously unfamiliar within him. Her skin looked impossibly smooth, her curves subtle yet undeniably alluring.

This was new as it was also unsettling.

In all his years, Kaiser had never felt such an intense pull toward a woman. Desire, yes—plenty of that. But this… this was different. It was deeper, possessive and final.

In that moment, a single thought anchored itself firmly in his mind.

“She will be mine.”

“How long do you plan on staring at her like that?”

A voice cut through his thoughts.

Marcel—his closest friend, most trusted subordinate, and the only man bold enough to speak to him without fear—arched an eyebrow as he followed Kaiser’s line of sight.

Kaiser didn’t respond. His eyes never left Elena.

In all the years Marcel had stood by his side, he had never seen him like this. Kaiser was many things—ruthless, calculating, detached—but nostalgic or entranced?

It was both intriguing and deeply unsettling.

They had been in the middle of a business discussion, yet Kaiser—normally razor-sharp during such conversations—had been visibly distracted.

“Does it bother you,” Kaiser finally said coldly, “that I prefer looking at her instead of your face?”

Marcel scoffed lightly. “Not at all. If anything, I’m relieved cos whenever you stare at me like that, I feel like I’m standing in front of the Grim Reaper…….It’s terrifying.”

Kaiser’s lips curved faintly. “Keep talking carelessly, and I might consider reaping your soul tonight.”

Unfazed, Marcel took a slow sip of the whiskey he had been swirling. “This is the first time I’ve seen you genuinely infatuated with a woman,” he said thoughtfully. “At least… this much.”

It was true.

In the past, women had been nothing more than fleeting indulgences to Kaiser, just temporary distractions to satisfy physical needs. There had never been attachment, never curiosity, never intent beyond the moment.

“Since you’re clearly interested,” Marcel continued, leaning back, “why not send one of the boys to bring her over?”

Kaiser’s expression darkened instantly.

“Don’t compare her to those women you mingle with,” he said sharply. “She is different.”

Marcel’s eyebrows arched upward as he would never have believed that he would witness the day Kaiser would defend a random lady. “Different how? Dude, you don’t even know who she is so how can you tell that she is different..”

The air between them turned heavy.

Kaiser slowly turned his head, fixing Marcel with a lethal glare.

“I’m not saying she’s a bad person,” Marcel added quickly, sensing the shift. “I’m just warning you not to get carried away. High expectations often lead to disappointment……Trust me.”

Kaiser let out a low, humorless chuckle. “And I’m supposed to trust someone with such terrible taste in women?”

Marcel smirked. “At least I have experience. Last time I checked, you had zero.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Kaiser replied calmly. “Because It's settled. I like her.  I'm going to make her mine and I will get her myself.”

Marcel stared at him, stunned before bursting into laughter.

Kaiser was feared by many. His stoic presence alone was enough to make people retreat instinctively. Aside from his grandmother, Marcel knew he was one of the closest people Kaiser allowed near him.

Kaiser never cared. Solitude suited him.

But this—this sudden resolve to approach a woman on his own was unexpected.

Still, Marcel knew better.

“Kaiser,” he said carefully, “I admire the confidence, but you should sit this one out. Let me handle it. If you really want her, allow someone with experience to do the talking.”

Kaiser turned to him slowly, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “My lack of experience is irrelevant. I have always obtained everything I desire—regardless of the difficulty.”

A faint, dangerous smirk crossed his lips.

Then his eyes returned to Elena. Watching her move, laugh as she danced —his resolve hardened. Whatever it took, by any means necessary, she would belong to him.

Marcel felt a chill crawl up his spine.Before he could speak again, Kaiser rose abruptly from his seat.

“Where are you going?” Marcel called out in a surprised tone.

“She’s on the dance floor,” Kaiser replied simply, already walking away. “This is my opportunity.”

“Kaiser—” Marcel desperately called out, but it was too late.

Kaiser didn’t look back.

“Fuck it,” Marcel muttered under his breath, downing the rest of his drink in one go.