LOGINThe silence that followed my question was logical. I saw the cogs turning behind Saga’s dark eyes. The tactical genius I had spent ten years fighting beside knew I was right.I was the Ronway syndicate's most lethal blade, a woman who could dismantle a room of armed men in under thirty seconds. If I actually wanted Sapphire dead, she wouldn't be sobbing just on the floor. Her throat would already be crushed.Doubt flashed across Saga's face.Sapphire curled her fingers into Saga’s expensive shirt, pressing her face against his chest. "Saga... she's terrifying me. She looks like she wants to finish what she started."The microscopic crack of logic in Saga's mind instantly sealed shut, plastered over by his blind need to be a savior. The doubt was replaced by a roaring, irrational fury. "Drag her out," Saga ordered, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Take her down to the holding cells."The half-dozen armed guards in the room exchanged nervous, darting glances. These were me
The morning sun offered no warmth, only a reminder that I had survived the night. Day one:Nine days left until I leave Ronway Shadow, but right now, every second was an eternity of fire.Lying face down on my mattress, I gripped the bedsheets. The burning scars crisscrossing my back throbbed with a relentless rhythm, synced to my heartbeat. The painkillers had worn off hours ago, leaving me fully submerged in the raw reality of what ten years of absolute loyalty had earned me.The authoritative click of designer heels echoed in the corridor. My bedroom door swung open, followed by a sharp gasp that sucked all the oxygen from the room."Rose!"I cracked one eye open. Shrota stood in the doorway, her usually immaculate composure completely shattered. She dropped her oversized tote bag onto the floor, the thud masking the slight tremor in her hands as she rushed toward the bed."How can Saga be so cruel to you?" Shrota’s voice broke, her eyes tracing the blood-soaked bandages sti
Before I could react, the ten guards surrounded me. Heavy hands clamped onto my shoulders, my wrists, the back of my neck. They forced my knees onto the floor.I could have fought them. Beating ten standard guards was child's play for me. I could have snapped the wrist of the man holding my right arm, swept the leg of the one on my left, and had a gun aimed at the center of the room in under three seconds.But I didn't. I let them hold me down, my heart shattering into microscopic shards."Saga?" I stared at the back of his head, my vision blurring with furious tears. "At least give me a reasonable explanation for my punishment! I blocked your path for one second!"Sapphire shifted on the couch. She reached out with a delicate hand, gently resting her fingers over Saga’s knuckles."Saga, please... It wasn't her fault at all. If only she would've called the doctor in time, I wouldn't have been in so much pain... But she must have been busy doing something else, so she ran away. I
Hospital:The scent of alcohol and iodine hit my senses long before I opened my eyes.My head throbbed with a dull ache, a heavy pressure wrapped tightly around my skull. Bandages! I shifted slightly on the firm mattress. This wasn't a standard hospital ward. It was A VIP suite.I forced my heavy eyelids open.A man was sitting casually in a velvet armchair beside the bed. And he was, without a single doubt, the most striking human being I had ever laid eyes on.It wasn't just the physical perfection of his features—the aristocratic cheekbones, the straight noble slope of his nose, or the messy dark hair that fell perfectly across his forehead. It was the aura radiating off his body. He wore an white shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up to the elbows, exposing forearms corded with lean muscle. He looked relaxed, entirely at ease, yet my trained instincts screamed that I was in a cage with a sleeping apex predator.He had the unmistakable gravity of a man who ruled in the
The word echoed off the vaulted ceilings. Fiancée. Fiancée. Fiancée."She is gentle, she is kind, and she is the light of my life. So I demand that every single one of you look after her, respect her, protect her with your lives."The applause was thunderous. But underneath the roaring clapping, a vicious current of whispering began to spread like a virus through the crowd. The very same people who had parted for me moments ago were now closing in, their eyes filled with mocking pity and cruel amusement."Oh, how embarrassing," a diamond-draped heiress whispered loudly, deliberately standing close enough for me to hear. "Did you see the enforcer's face? She actually thought he was talking to her.""Pfft," another socialite sneered behind her champagne flute. "An orphaned street rat has the audacity to fantasize about being Mrs. Ronway. How incredibly funny. Delusional."I stood rooted to the spot, my entire body turning to ice. The blood drained from my face."Look at what sh
That evening, the atmosphere in my private suite was electric."Wow, Rose!" Claire, the estate's head stylist and my closest confidante clasped her manicured hands over her mouth. "Even dressed in strict formalwear, you still brighten the entire room. You look like a queen."I giggled as I stood before the mirror, taking in the reflection. I wasn't wearing a dress. The box Saga had left on my bed contained a flawlessly tailored, midnight-black silk suit. The trousers hugged my curves perfectly, flaring slightly at the ankle, while the deep-V velvet blouse underneath hinted at femininity beneath the severe masculine cut of the jacket. It was a power suit. It was the armor of a true partner in crime.I twirled. "Do I look good, Claire? Honestly?""Yes, my girl," Claire beamed, stepping forward to adjust the lapel. "Mr. Ronway is going to have a hard time letting you out of his sight tonight. With an outfit like this, matching his aesthetic so perfectly? He must be getting ready







