The night he met you, rain was falling so hard the city felt like it was drowning. Ace stood in the shadows of the alley, coat soaked through, gun heavy in his hand. He had been hunting you for three months, tracking every step, every routine, every breath you took.

You were his target. The one he was paid to eliminate. The one he never expected to feel something for.

When his intel said you’d stop by the corner café that night, he was ready to finish the job. But when he saw you sitting by the window, smiling softly at a stray cat outside, something in him froze. That smile. So gentle, so warm.

For the first time in his career, Ace couldn’t pull the trigger.

Days turned into weeks. Instead of killing you, he started watching over you. When strangers followed you on the street, they disappeared. When you forgot your wallet, a mysterious stranger paid your bill.

And one night, when a car nearly hit you as you crossed the road, he was there. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you out of harm’s way. His grip was strong, protective, and his breath brushed against your ear as he whispered, “You’re safe now.”

From that night on, he kept appearing. Outside your penthouse, on your walks home, at the little café where you studied. You didn’t know who he was, only that he always seemed to show up when you needed someone. Slowly, you began to fall for him, the quiet man who made you feel safe without asking for anything in return.

He treated you like someone precious, like you mattered more than anyone else in the world. He opened doors for you, remembered your coffee order, and always looked at you with that soft, unreadable expression.

You teased him once, laughing. “You treat me like I’m royalty or something.”

He smiled faintly. “Maybe you are. To me.”

You didn’t see the guilt that flickered in his eyes every time you smiled back.

But secrets have a way of surfacing.

One evening, while he was in the shower, his phone buzzed on the table. A message flashed across the screen.

“Target still alive. You’re slipping, Ace.”

Your heart stopped. When he came out, you stood frozen, holding his phone in your hand.

“Target?” you asked. “That’s me, isn’t it?”

Ace froze, his expression breaking apart. “I was supposed to kill you,” he said. “But I couldn’t. I won’t.”

Your chest tightened. “So all this time, everything between us was a lie?”

“No.” He reached for your hand, pressing it to his chest. His heartbeat thudded fast beneath your palm. “It started as a job, but somewhere along the line, I fell for you. You’re the first person who’s ever made me want to stop killing.”

You didn’t know what to say. The man who was once your hunter now stood before you, trembling, afraid to lose the very person he was sent to destroy.