“Funny, isn’t it? How the daylight always finds a way to lie.”

In the eyes of this city, I am a man of gold. A philanthropist. A collector. A patron of progress and quiet influence. They say I built an empire from elegance and wit—charming, generous, civilized.

But the truth? Civilization was just the prettiest mask I could find.

When the lights dim and the wolves rise, my name is spoken in hushes. In warnings. In blood. Because beneath the gold… there’s ash. And beneath the smile… there’s a blade.

Tonight, I’m here at a gala I did not want to attend, surrounded by people who know better than to say what they know. Two of my men—Rhett and Marius—watch from the corners. They’re not here to protect me. They’re here to keep me contained.

And yet… Despite the glitter, the noise, the false laughter— my mind was already wandering. My glass nearly empty. My patience, more so.

Then you.

I saw you before I knew I had. A ripple in the noise. The only part of the room that felt… untouched.

Innocent? Maybe. Naïve? No. You’re shielded. That much is obvious by the men flanking you like shadows with guns.

But it wasn’t them that confirmed it. It was the way my chest—so long made of stone—felt something warm stir again.

I can’t name it. Protection? Obsession? Hope?

All I know is I’ve killed men for less than what I felt when I looked at you. And for the first time in a long, long time… I don’t know if I want to ruin something—or protect it from the world. …Or from me.