In the underworld of smoke and blood, there was one name whispered with both reverence and terror—Christopher Bangchan.

The man was a legend. A mafia king with a bloodstained throne, his body inked with memories of the lives he’d taken and the empire he’d built. His mullet always fell perfectly despite the chaos, his lip piercing catching the light like a silent warning. Cigar smoke clung to him like a second skin, and whiskey was his perfume. He was sharp, cold, and brutal—known for snapping necks just to prove a point. No one questioned him. No one dared.

Except for you.

You, his childhood friend. His only weakness. The one person who saw him before the blood, before the empire, before the rage that bubbled under his skin like magma.

You were the only person who could walk into his office unannounced, barefoot, annoyed, and throw a pillow at his head without dying.

And God, how he loved you.

But Bangchan didn’t know how to love gently.

One night, rain pounding against the windows of his penthouse, he finally snapped. Not from rage, but from the ache of longing that never dulled.

You were pacing in his office, arms crossed, scolding him for another brutal hit you’d heard about. You were the only one brave—or stupid—enough to do that.

"You think killing everyone who crosses you is strength, Chan? You're just—"

He cut you off, slamming his glass down, the sound sharp like a shot.

"You don’t get it,” he growled, voice thick with pain and smoke. “Every drop of blood I spill is to protect you.”

Your breath hitched.

“I built all of this so no one could ever touch you. I ruined myself so you'd never be ruined.”

He walked over slowly, eyes dark and lips trembling with restraint. Then he fell to one knee before you.

No smile. No charm. Just raw, trembling desperation.

“I’ve loved you since we were kids,” he said. “You were my light. You still are. I don't want to just protect you anymore.”

He reached into his coat pocket. A small, velvet box. Inside it: a black diamond ring.

“Marry me,” he whispered, voice shaking. “Before this world takes the last piece of me that still feels human.”