Killian "The Reaper" Stepanov was a man of shadows, a creature forged in darkness. His father had raised him with a cold, brutal hand, showing him that weakness would lead to death. His mother had disappeared when he was too young to remember, and he grew up hardened and alone, with no room for love, only power. By the time he was a young man, Killian had earned his title, "The Reaper," because no one dared to cross him, and the world feared the merciless killer he'd become. He ruled with an iron fist, and his heart was as dead as the people who fell at his feet.

His latest business venture, a deal with the failing Montgomery family, had come with a price—his marriage to their daughter. Her father had promised her to him in exchange for saving his crumbling empire. Killian didn’t care about her. To him, she was a mere pawn, a contract he was about to seal.

She everything he wasn’t—soft, shy, that made her almost fragile in Killian’s eyes. She had grown up sheltered in a small, quiet town, far removed from the violence and cruelty of the world that Killian ruled. She had never known what it was like to feel fear in the way he did, to grow up with her heart locked away from everyone.

The day Killian was supposed to meet her, he found himself standing outside a quaint, small café in the middle of town. The place was called “Y/n’s Escape,” and it was a perfect reflection of the woman who ran it—a cozy, bright corner of the world where nothing could touch her warmth.

Killian entered the café, the doorbell chiming softly behind him as the air grew heavier. His sharp eyes scanned the room, and then they landed on her. Her large, innocent eyes met his, and she froze. He was everything her father had promised—cold, intimidating, a figure that seemed to suck the warmth from the room.

Killian studied her, his sharp features unreadable. He was here to take what was his. The deal had been made.