It came to Kira’s curious mind—the memory, hazy but persistent, began to resurface. That night. The first time she met him. The first time their paths crossed in such an unusual, unforgettable way.
Her heart thudded as the fragments pieced themselves together. A party, bright lights, her best friend Eva by her side. She was younger then, pure-hearted, her soul untouched by betrayal or disappointment. She’d been the kind of girl who believed in kindness, in helping others even when it didn’t benefit her. That night, she remembered seeing him—Cooper. Alone. Cornered. Vulnerable.The memory sharpened.A group of masked men had closed in on him. Something inside her screamed to act. Instinctively, without thinking, she grabbed him by the collar, crashed her lips against his, and held him in place. Her kiss was desperate, innocent, and selfless—a shield.She didn’t know back then that kiss would change everything.She had marked the faces of tIt came to Kira’s curious mind—the memory, hazy but persistent, began to resurface. That night. The first time she met him. The first time their paths crossed in such an unusual, unforgettable way.Her heart thudded as the fragments pieced themselves together. A party, bright lights, her best friend Eva by her side. She was younger then, pure-hearted, her soul untouched by betrayal or disappointment. She’d been the kind of girl who believed in kindness, in helping others even when it didn’t benefit her. That night, she remembered seeing him—Cooper. Alone. Cornered. Vulnerable.The memory sharpened.A group of masked men had closed in on him. Something inside her screamed to act. Instinctively, without thinking, she grabbed him by the collar, crashed her lips against his, and held him in place. Her kiss was desperate, innocent, and selfless—a shield.She didn’t know back then that kiss would change everything.She had marked the faces of t
When Eva entered instead of Kira, Cooper's gut clenched. Something was wrong. The shift was too subtle for most to notice—the slight hesitation in her step, the awkward way she held the cupcake tray—but Cooper noticed. He had worked here nearly two months, and he knew Kira's style by heart. Her baking had a distinct signature—light, aromatic, always with a hint of cinnamon and citrus that lingered.Eva’s cupcakes were good, but they lacked that soul. And when she handed him one, his suspicion spiked. He took a bite, careful to hide his reaction. The flavor was off. It was... too sweet, and the texture was slightly dense. He knew that Kira would never make that mistake.He stared at Eva for a moment longer, watching her closely. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.Something isn’t right.He made a mental note and excused himself, walking quickly toward the back of the café. He started searching—storage rooms, staff-only areas, the restrooms. Nothing. A
Cooper hadn’t seen Kira all day, and something about that didn’t sit right with him.She should have been here by now.She was never late—not for anything that involved him. Ever since she entered his life, Kira had this habit of keeping her promises. She was responsible, sharp, punctual to a fault. So where was she?His brows creased as he stepped out of the room, his heart hammering harder with each passing second. He felt off—as if something important had slipped through his fingers and he didn’t know what.“She should’ve been here already,” he muttered to himself, grabbing his phone for the tenth time in an hour.Still no response.Cooper didn’t waste another second. He called one of the vendors next to Kira’s restaurant, hoping for a clue. A woman picked up.“Hello?”“Yes, hi—this is Cooper Hale. I’m looking for Kira. She was supposed to be here a while ago, but I haven’t seen or heard from her.”
It continued like that. When Eva had successfully locked Kira inside storage room, ensuring there was no network or internet connection, she took a deep breath, a wicked glint flashing in her eyes. Kira’s muffled banging on the door behind her was drowned by the sound of her hurried steps down the hallway."Sorry, sweetheart," Eva muttered under her breath with a smirk, brushing her curls from her face. "I can't let you ruin this for me."She grabbed Kira's beautifully arranged cupcake box and quickly replaced it with her own, nearly identical box. She tossed Kira’s box into the trash with a swift flick of her hand, ignoring the way her heart pounded in her chest."Showtime," she whispered.When she stepped into the lavish hallway of Cooper’s family estate, her heels clicked confidently against the marble floor. A composed smile adorned her lips, but her stomach twisted with nerves. What if someone noticed the switch? What if Cooper didn’t believe
Kira didn’t know what to do.Her breath came in ragged gasps as she paced the small, suffocating room, arms wrapped tightly around herself like a barrier against the panic threatening to consume her. Should she sit? Stand? Cry? Scream? Her body trembled from the rush of adrenaline, her legs barely holding her weight as confusion and fear tangled in her chest like barbed wire.She had been shouting—no, screaming—for help for the last fifteen minutes. But nothing. No response. No sound of footsteps. No movement outside. Not even an echo.She paused, chest heaving, eyes darting to the heavy wooden door that had sealed her in. It was like it had swallowed her voice whole.“Is this door bulletproof?” she muttered under her breath. “Soundproof?” Her voice cracked with disbelief.Nothing made sense.Who the hell was that woman? That stranger with the cold eyes and smug smirk who had shoved her in here and taken the cupcake box
Kira blinked twice, frozen in place as the familiar chime of the restaurant’s entrance bell echoed through the air. She glanced up from the counter, her hands still sticky with icing, and her heart dropped to her stomach. There, standing as if nothing had happened, was Eva—her childhood friend, the same girl who had vanished months ago without a word, leaving behind broken promises and radio silence.Eva strolled in casually, her designer bag hanging effortlessly from her shoulder, her curly brown hair bouncing as if mocking the tension hanging in the room. She wore a lavender sundress and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She walked like someone returning from a short break, not from months of abandonment.Kira’s heart pounded as she stared at her. How dare she? How dare she walk in here like everything was fine?“Hey, Kira,” Eva greeted, voice light and airy, as if they’d just seen each other yesterday.Kira didn’t move. Her face, usuall
Now back in Kira’s shop, the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon lingered in the air, mixing with the faint hum of early morning jazz playing from the tiny radio on the counter. Kira was already hard at work, her apron dusted with flour, her auburn hair tied into a messy bun, and a determined look stamped on her face.Yet, beneath that focus, her mind wandered to Cooper—the man who had rushed out the night before with barely an explanation. She’d barely slept, tossing and turning, replaying the moment over and over in her head. Why had he left in such a hurry? What had he seen or remembered?Still, this morning, Kira felt lighter. Something had changed. The dark cloud that hovered over her shop for weeks had finally cleared. The bad reviews that once swarmed the internet like angry bees had disappeared. Her name, once dragged through the mud, was now climbing the ranks again. Her bakery had not only survived—it was thriving. The orders were pouring in, customers wer
Initially, Cooper couldn’t believe his ears. His jaw clenched, his fingers curling into fists against his sides as he stared at his grandmother with disbelief. She sat there, calm and composed on the velvet couch, her silver hair pulled back into a neat chignon, her eyes piercing into his like twin daggers of wisdom."We need to make peace with the Martinez family," she said again, her voice calm but firm. "Edward Martinez and I have come to an agreement."Cooper's voice cracked as he retorted, "You made peace? With Edward Martinez? Grandmother, they are our rivals. Our enemies!"The room felt colder suddenly. Tension slithered into the air like smoke. Cooper’s heart thudded with anger, but he swallowed it. He always tried to keep his temper in check when he was with her. No one disrespected Grandma Marlene, not even the city's most feared Mafia boss—Cooper himself.Marlene rose slowly, her silk gown trailing the floor. Her elegant presence exuded
In a secluded, undisclosed location, where shadows seemed to breathe and the silence was almost suffocating, a dimly lit room reeked of stale cigarette smoke and power. A man, cloaked in a heavy aura of authority, sat relaxed but stern on an aged leather chair. He puffed smoke from his cigarette with a face void of empathy, the flickering embers casting fleeting red glows across his angular jawline. His eyes, cold and calculating, remained fixed on the man kneeling before him.The kneeling figure, clearly younger, trembled slightly as he kept his head bowed, sweat trickling down his temple. His posture screamed submission, but his clenched fists betrayed a swelling frustration."You useless idiot!" the seated man barked, slamming his palm against the wooden armrest. The sound echoed like a gunshot.The younger man flinched."You're messing with Mr. Cooper! Do you even understand what that means? He's not the kind of man you play games with. He's a