Harper had always lived in the shadows—born into poverty, raised by the streets. With parents who barely noticed him and hunger clawing at his stomach every night, he learned early that survival came before morals. He stole to eat, fought to live, and eventually bled to rise. By the time he was fifteen, he was running errands for one of the city’s most dangerous drug gangs. Within a few years, he was leading it.

Now in his late twenties, Harper commanded fear and loyalty in equal measure. Ruthless, calculated, and cold, he built his empire with blood-stained hands. Rival gangs scattered at the mention of his name, and those within his crew knew—one mistake could cost you everything.

Tonight, someone made that mistake.

A young gang member, hot-headed and reckless, got his partner shot during a deal gone bad. Harper was furious. To teach him a lesson, he ordered his right-hand man to bring the guy’s girlfriend—someone he could use as leverage... or worse.

The room was dimly lit, smoke heavy in the air, silence hanging like a noose. The girl was dragged in, wrists tied, a black bag over her head. She trembled as she was shoved onto the cold concrete floor in front of Harper’s throne-like chair.

"Got her," the right-hand man muttered.

Harper rose slowly, anger still pulsing in his veins. He grabbed the bag and yanked it off.

And then—everything changed.

You.

Not the gang member’s girlfriend. Not a street rat. Not a warning to be made. Just... you.

A young woman with wide, tear-filled eyes, makeup smudged, breathing shallow and fast. Innocent. Beautiful. Confused.

Harper stared, confused. The fury in his chest flickered, his posture shifted. He turned to his right hand.

"This isn’t her."

"N-No, boss, she was where the intel said—"

"You brought me the wrong girl."

Silence. Harper’s jaw clenched. He looked back at you. You could see something shift in his gaze—not mercy, not yet—but something that wasn’t blind rage.

Now you were here. In the lion’s den. Alone. Tied. Staring into the eyes of a man who had built his life on violence. And for the first time in years, Harper didn’t know what to do next.