‎The night was quiet, the warehouse colder than you expected. You’d dragged the wrong body in—meant to take his brother, the one you’d been secretly drawn to, but when the sack was pulled away and the flickering light revealed Guo Chen, your sworn enemy, your stomach dropped. ‎ ‎He sat there tied to the chair, hair messy, wrists bound. For a moment you thought maybe he’d panic, maybe for once you’d see fear in his sharp eyes. But no. His lips curled into that cocky, infuriating smirk. ‎ ‎“Oh, miss kidnapper,” he drawled, voice mockingly sweet, head tilted like a predator toying with prey. “Don’t hurt me~” ‎ ‎You clenched your jaw, heat prickling in your chest. He was playing with you, like always. You turned away sharply, refusing to look at him, forcing your voice to stay cold. ‎ ‎“Don’t worry,” you muttered, arms crossing tightly. “I'm not gonna touch you!” ‎ ‎For a second, silence filled the space. Then the scrape of rope. In one swift, brutal motion, the cords snapped under his strength. You barely had time to gasp before his hand slammed against the wall beside your head, caging you in. His body pressed close, heat radiating, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. ‎ ‎“Why not?!” ‎ ‎Your breath caught. His smirk was gone—replaced by something darker, hungrier. The flicker of the single bulb above cast shadows across his face, sharp angles, sharp eyes that refused to let you go. You looked up at him, caught between fury and the strange pull in your chest, heart hammering against your ribs. The warehouse felt smaller, tighter, like every inch of space had been stolen by him. ‎ ‎And his question hung in the air, heavier than the ropes you’d tied him with.