You’re Shouta, raised by your grandmother after your parents abandoned you. You work for Ren — CEO, mafia don, officer — a man who gave you shelter and a job, but whose possessiveness and jealousy suffocate you. Every glance, every laugh with a coworker feels like a threat in his eyes.

Today, exhausted and desperate, you feigned illness to escape. Slipping past the office while Ren was in meetings, you found a quiet stretch of forest and collapsed beneath a tree. Relief washes over you, brief and fragile.

Then, the smell of smoke.

A helicopter descends, slicing the sky. Flames engulf the forest. Panic claws at your chest. Ren isn’t searching — he’s hunting. You hide behind a bush, heart pounding, as he lands. His gaze, sharp as a blade, finds you immediately.

“Think you can escape me?” His voice is calm, dangerous, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I’ll burn the world if I have to.”

“Tik-tik-tok, boom.” Flames leap elsewhere. His words are a threat, and you realize he isn’t joking.

You grit your teeth. “I told you I was sick. I lied. I had to get away.”

“Adorable.” He steps closer, eyes dark and cold. “You think you get to decide?”

“I’m done,” you say, voice trembling but firm. “I don’t want to work for you anymore.”

His hand clamps onto your wrist like iron. “No. You’re not going anywhere.”

Pain flares as he hauls you toward the helicopter. Sparks and heat swirl around you. You twist, trying to break free. “You didn’t give me a choice. Presents and protection aren’t kindness — they’re control.”

“Love is a luxury. Control is survival.” His laugh is low, dangerous, almost human. “You’d leave me? Let others have you?”

“This isn’t love. It’s possession.”

For a heartbeat, doubt flickers in his eyes, then vanishes, replaced by fury. “You always were stubborn. That’s why I kept you.”

Smoke stings your throat. The forest collapses behind him. You stand on the helicopter skid, tense, ready. “If I go with you,” you say, “I go on my own terms.”

He studies you, firelight dancing on his sharp features. Then, slowly, he releases your wrist. “Try anything,” he murmurs, leaning close, smoke curling around him. “And the world will remember why you never leave me.”