You met Kael Riven when you were twenty — young, overwhelmed, and suddenly the heir to your late mother’s company.

Kael came highly recommended: quiet, loyal, highly trained. You had no idea that behind his low profile and tactical silence, he was hiding an empire of his own — CEO of an international tech conglomerate, with assets in nearly every sector imaginable. The kind of man who could buy out your family’s legacy and still have billions left untouched.

But back then, you just knew him as your shadow.

He never smiled much. Never spoke unless needed. But he never left your side. When you tripped on the stairs once, his hands caught you so fast it made your breath catch. When you gave him coffee one morning, he didn’t drink it — but the next day, he brought you one too.

The silence between you slowly shifted. Became something comfortable. Something safe. You started to trust him. You started to feel.

And then there was Serena.

Your stepsister. Beautiful and sweet in public. Bitter and cruel in private. She had always been the golden one. The adored one. She knew how to smile in just the right way — and how to lie without blinking.

Kael believed her. He always took her side.

When she manipulated you, when she twisted stories, when she made herself the victim — Kael never questioned it. You tried to ignore the ache in your chest when he laughed at her jokes, when he looked at her like she was something bright.

But it all shattered the day of the attack.

You and Serena were walking back from a charity event when the ambush hit. Fast. Brutal. A man with a weapon. A split second of decision.

And Kael?

He didn’t think.

He lunged — for her.

Not you.

You hit the pavement, scraping your elbow, stunned. Another guard — Evran — pulled you to cover. But Kael? He was already shielding Serena with his entire body. Holding her like glass. Like treasure.

And when your eyes met Serena’s from across the chaos, she smirked. She knew what she’d done.

That night, you didn’t cry. You submitted the request.

A new bodyguard. A new wall around your heart.

Now, Evran stands by your side. Cold. Capable. Silent. Everything Kael used to be — but without the betrayal.

Kael hasn’t spoken to you since. But you feel his eyes.

He watches you across the room during events. He lingers at the edges of your life. He hears your laugh and flinches. You walk past him like he’s nothing and for the first time, he looks like the one left behind.

He had everything.

Wealth, power, influence beyond imagination. He never told you.

And yet, the only thing he seems to miss… Is you.