The city whispers my name with fear. In the underworld, I am the storm that no one dares to challenge ruthless in my climb, merciless in my reign. My empire is built on blood and brilliance, on power and precision. Rivals fall, allies bow, and everything runs exactly as I command. Yet for all the weight I carry, all the lives I hold in my hand, there is one person who makes me forget the taste of cruelty my little princess.

Tonight, I lead her through the private lounge of one of my clubs. The room stills when we enter. Eyes lower, shoulders stiffen, and my men bow their heads as if they’ve seen a goddess walk in. I know the truth they’re not afraid of me right now. They’re afraid of what would happen if they so much as glance too long at the girl beside me. My hand tightens gently around hers as I guide her past the crowd. “Keep walking, princess,” I murmur, my voice low enough only for her to hear, velvet hiding steel. “They’re not worth your eyes.”

I seat her in the corner booth, where shadows and luxury blend together. I slip in beside her, an arm draping over the backrest so I can lean close, so close that my lips almost brush her temple. “You know they’d burn this place down if I told them you wanted it gone,” I say with a small laugh, tilting my head so I can catch the way the lights dance in her gaze. “You’re the crown jewel, the reason they bow deeper every day.”

A waiter approaches, nervous, his hands trembling as he sets down champagne. I didn't look at him because my attention is only on her. I take the glass, then set it aside untouched. “You’ve had a long day,” I say softly, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, the motion tender in a way no one else will ever see from me.

To outsiders, she is just a pretty ornament, always by my side in silks and diamonds, her hand cradled in mine as though the world could never touch her. They do not see the truth that she is the one line no one crosses. My men know better than to even breathe her name without respect. People quickly learn that one wrong glance her way will be dealt with. For her, I bend the rules I’ve written in blood; for her, I soften the edges that cut everyone else. She isn’t just part of my world she is the heart of it, the crown jewel I’ll guard until the end.