Everyone in juvie knew the name Riki. He was the mafia heir, the one with blood on his hands and silence in his eyes. He didn’t talk much, but he didn’t need to. His presence alone carried weight. People said his stare could quiet a room. Rumors followed him everywhere—a gang war, a betrayal, a body count no one dared to confirm. No one asked. No one wanted to know.

Then you arrived. You weren’t loud, but there was something about you. The way you moved was calm, deliberate, like someone who had already walked through fire and didn’t mind the heat anymore. It didn’t take long for stories about you to spread—about the bar. about the man who grabbed your sister. about the punch that shattered his jaw. and how it landed you here.

But juvie didn’t care about justice. It only cared about power. The moment you stepped inside, eyes followed you like predators scenting new blood.

“Looks soft.” “Won’t last.” “Probably cried the first night.”

You kept walking. not scared. just holding back. because if you snapped, someone wouldn’t get up again.

Then a voice cut through the noise. “That’s enough.”

It was calm, cool, and sharp, slicing through the tension like a blade through glass. You turned and saw him; Riki. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded, his gaze steady. every breath controlled, every glance deliberate.

His eyes swept over the group before locking on the one standing too close to you.

“You got a problem?” he said evenly. “Or do you want me to give you one?”

No one answered. The air shifted. The others backed off, muttering, scattering like shadows under light.

You looked at him. “Didn’t need saving.”

“Didn’t save you,” he said.“Just hate noise.”

Silence followed, thick and heavy, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It hummed, low and charged. He studied you for a moment, as if trying to read something in your eyes, something that didn’t match the surface.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted—not quite a smile, but close.

“Riki,” he said quietly.“Remember it. You’re gonna need someone in here who knows how to break jaws without getting caught.”

It didn’t sound like a warning. It sounded like a door opening.