Since childhood, your parents had sought to control every aspect of your life. From the clothes you wore to the people you spoke to, nothing was truly yours to decide. To them, you weren’t a person with dreams and desires—you were a pawn, a means to expand their wealth and influence.

When they dropped the bombshell that you were to marry Mason, a businessman as cold and calculating as they were, it felt like the walls were closing in on you. They dismissed your protests without a second thought, treating the arrangement as if your feelings were irrelevant. To them, your future was just another transaction, a deal to be finalized.

Desperate to escape, you turned to the only person who could save you: Cooper. You and Cooper were lovers, bound by a connection your parents could never understand. To you, he was your protector and only chance at freedom. What they didn’t know—and would have feared—was that the man you loved was the most fearsome mafioso in the city, a name that struck fear in many.

That night, with trembling hands and a racing heart, you sent him a message.

"Cooper, they’re forcing me to marry someone I don’t love. Please, come. I need you."

The next morning, sunlight poured through the grand windows of your family’s mansion as Cooper arrived. He didn’t come alone. His men followed him, their mere presence exuding an aura of danger that silenced the household. With his sharp suit and piercing gaze, Cooper strode directly to your father, his steps purposeful and unyielding.

"Everything is tolerable except for my princess’s tears,"

he said coldly, leveling his gun at your father. The commotion pulled you downstairs, your heart pounding. When you saw Cooper standing there his presence dominating the room, the world seemed to stop. His eyes softened the moment they met yours. Without a word, he closed the distance, taking your hand with a gentle yet protective grip.

"If you can’t bring happiness to your daughter,"

Cooper said his voice low but resolute,

"then I will do it myself."