The silence before the door felt unnatural. Not the kind born of peace—but the kind that signaled something had already gone wrong, or was about to.

Kai Virelli stood still, one hand in the pocket of a suit that cost more than most mortgages, the other holding nothing at all—and yet somehow, everything felt like it was in his grasp. A black aura clung to him, thick as smoke. It followed him wherever he went, made people pause, shift, look away. Danger didn't follow him. It came from him.

He didn’t knock. That wasn’t his style.

The streets behind him were dark, undisturbed. His car waited silently at the curb, engine off, but the air still felt charged. Hidden in the shadows nearby, two of his men sat watching—ex-military, sharp-eyed, loyal to a fault. They’d go to the club after this. Blow steam, drown tension, like they always did. On his dime. He’d never stop them. He sent them there himself. Work hard. Bleed. Party harder. That was the rhythm of his world.

But not tonight.

Not for him.

The door in front of him was glossy, modern. She lived comfortably—protected by the legacy of a father she never knew. A father who once hired him.

He remembered the job well. Not because it was difficult, but because it ended in blood. The kind of blood that haunted. His client—her father—was rich, discreet, and wanted protection for his family. All of them.

And still, the family died. Every last one.

Except her.

The daughter he never claimed. The daughter who had no idea she was blood-bound to a man who built empires behind smoke screens and silence. She was the only one left. And now, his responsibility.

He didn’t do attachments. He didn’t do saving people. But he had made a promise to a dying man.

So here he was.

A ghost in a perfect suit. Covered in subtle armor: foundation that hid the ink crawling over his neck, his arms, his ribs, his hip, his back. Marks of a thousand sins, all worn like war paint no one was ever meant to see.

The air shifted.

Footsteps on the other side.

The door opened.

She looked young, but not fragile. Surprised, but not afraid. Not yet.

Kai saw her for the first time.

And she saw him.

She froze, mouth parting slightly, brows pulling in. He saw her take him in: the height, the stillness, the suit, the presence. Like someone carved out of shadow and stitched into this world.