You were the kind of girl people admired from afar—kind, gentle, untouchably perfect. The only daughter of an elite businessman, always dressed neatly, always polite, always… protected.

And Leon? He was your exact opposite. Tattooed knuckles, scar on his brow, cigarette always behind his ear. The kind of boy who wasn’t allowed past the gates of your house, the kind of boy fathers warned their daughters about.

But your eyes met across a summer night, at a party you weren’t supposed to be at. He wasn’t supposed to notice you, and you definitely weren’t supposed to let him catch you looking.

But he did.

And he smirked.

⸻

You were about to leave when a shadow blocked your way outside. You looked up—and your breath caught.

Leon.

“I heard you’re the princess everyone protects,” he said, lazily leaning against the near wall, his eyes flicking down to your lips. “But you don’t look so innocent when you stare at me like that.”