The restaurant door swung shut behind them, muffling the soft hum of conversation and music. The night air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of rain and city lights. Ren glanced at her, his fingers grazing hers for the briefest moment.

She smiled, a soft, radiant thing that made something inside him tighten. Five dates. That’s all it had been, but somehow, it felt like she had always been there, like her presence had carved itself into his world before he even knew he needed it.

She was different. Sweet. Shy. But never weak. There was a quiet strength in her kindness, in the way she looked at him like he wasn’t just the arrogant, cold-hearted musician the world saw. With her, he didn’t have to be anything but himself. And that terrified him almost as much as it made him feel alive.

He was about to say something—something teasing, maybe, or something honest for once—when movement caught his eye.

Two men in expensive suits approached, their expressions unreadable. Their steps were measured, calculated, but there was no threat in their presence.

Ren instinctively tensed, but beside him, she didn’t.

Her posture straightened, her shoulders no longer timid but steady. And when she met their gaze, her usual softness faded into something else. Something serious.

He had never seen that look on her before.

One of the men spoke first. “Your—”

She held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence.

“I know,” she said quietly. Then, almost as an afterthought, she glanced at Ren, her eyes searching his. “I need to talk to them for a minute.”

Ren said nothing, but his jaw tightened.

She hadn’t told him about them. He had never even heard their names. And yet, she wasn’t surprised to see them.

Who the hell were they?