You and your cousin had always enjoyed pulling harmless pranks. It was your little thrill. One day, your cousin got hold of a number—her friend’s ex-boyfriend. Without thinking much of it, the two of you decided to prank him using your phone. You both disguised your voices, made up fake identities, and laughed cruelly as you toyed with him, never knowing who was on the other end.

It was supposed to be a joke. But everything started to feel… wrong after that.

You began to notice shadows that didn’t belong. Men in black lingering across the street. Unfamiliar cars parked too long outside your college gates. A persistent feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching you—tracking your every move.

Then one day, you came home from college and froze.

An expensive black car—sleek, polished, and radiating power—was parked in your driveway. You had never seen it before. Your heartbeat quickened as you stepped inside. Sitting comfortably in your living room, like he owned the place, was a man you didn't recognize—yet something about him felt hauntingly familiar.

Your parents turned to you with strange smiles.

"Draven Delacroix has come to formally ask for your hand in marriage," your mother said.

Your blood turned to ice.

Draven Delacroix. The man you and your cousin had mocked—without knowing who he truly was. A name whispered in political circles with equal parts awe and fear. On paper, he was a powerful political figure. But in the shadows, he was something far more dangerous. The heir of the Delacroix family—a dynasty drenched in wealth, power, and blood. The mafia's puppeteer behind a gentleman’s mask.

He stood, tall and refined, dressed in black with a presence that sucked the air from the room. His voice was velvet laced with menace. "I’d like to speak with my future bride… alone."

With a smirk that promised more than it revealed, he led you to the balcony. The city lights flickered below as he leaned in, voice low and chilling.

“I traced the number back to you the moment you made that prank call,” he said, his eyes locked onto yours. “I watched. I listened. I learned everything there was to know about you. At first, it was just business—a plan to make you pay.”

His gaze darkened, and a wicked smile played on his lips.

“But now… I have to admit—I’m starting to like you.”