ðð©ð¢ð±ðµð¦ð³ ðð: ððð ððððð ððððððð
The night was alive with chaos.
Lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating the sharp silhouette of the mansion against the storm. The rain slammed against the glass, a relentless rhythm that only made the silence inside more unbearable.
A storm was raging outside.
And an even deadlier one was brewing in this very room.
The scent of burnt cinnamon and spiced amber clung to the air, Taehyunâs signature fragrance now mingling with the rich smokiness of the whiskey he had abandoned. The glass lay shattered at his feet, shards reflecting fragments of golden light.
His fingers curled into a fist. A slow inhale. His shoulders squared.
He was calculating.
His mind moving like clockwork, ticking off every possible outcome, every move his enemy could make.
Jisoo stood at the door, his usual composed stance betraying the slightest unease. His grip on the gun at his hip was tight, his knuckles white.
"Itâs him," he said finally, voice just above a whisper.
A single name.
A name that should have meant nothing.
But the moment it left Jisooâs lips, the energy in the room shifted.
Something cold. Something lethal.
Taehyun's grip on the desk tightened, the tendons in his hand flexing. His pulse, once slow and measured, now beat like a war drum.
Jae.
I sucked in a breath.
Taehyun went completely still.
Not the kind of stillness that meant shock. Noâthis was something more dangerous. A quiet storm before the wreckage.
"You brought him here?" Taehyunâs voice was deceptively calm.
Jisoo shook his head. "No. He came for her."
His head turned toward me.
The moment the words sank in, Taehyunâs body moved before his mind could catch up.
His gaze snapped to mineâsharp, possessive, a silent warning.
I felt it before he even spoke.
Mine.
I pulled against my silk restraints, my pulse hammering so hard it drowned out the storm outside.
Taehyun took one slow, measured step toward me. His gaze flicked to my wristsâred, raw from struggling against the fabric. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
"You think," he murmured, voice low, softer than it should have been, "he can take you from me?"
The air thickened, so heavy I could barely breathe.
I forced my chin up. "Maybe he already has."
Wrong move.
His smirk was slow, dark. Wicked.
He yanked the silk loose with one sharp tug.
I barely had a second to react before he grabbed my wristânot harsh, but firm enough that my breath caught.
His thumb brushed over the raw skin, gentle.
His next words were anything but.
"Youâre mine, sweetheart." He pulled me in closer, our bodies flush. His scent wrapped around me, warm and dark, laced with something deeper. "And I donât share."
A loud crack of thunder shook the walls.
And thenâa gunshot.
My entire body jerked.
Taehyun didnât even flinch.
His hand was already moving, reaching for the gun tucked beneath his belt. Effortless. Merciless.
"Stay here," he ordered, his voice a blade. "If you move, Iâll make you regret it."
And then he was gone.
---
ððððððð: ððð ððððð ðððððððð
The storm swallowed Taehyun the moment he stepped into it.
Rain pounded against his shoulders, soaking through his crisp black shirt, making it cling to his body like second skin. His steps were slow, deliberate, every movement echoing a deadly rhythm.
Jae stood in the courtyard.
The smirk on his lips never wavered.
His gun was tucked lazily into the waistband of his jeansâtoo casual. Like this was a game.
Taehyunâs grip tightened around his own weapon.
"Youâre late," Jae called out over the rain. "Did I interrupt something?"
Taehyun didnât answer.
He didnât need to.
His silence was the answer. The threat.
Jaeâs smirk widened.
His eyes flicked upâto my window.
I froze.
A slow exhale left Jaeâs lips.
"There she is."
Something in Taehyun snapped.
I saw the moment it happened.
His fingers flexed around the gun. His entire frame coiled with tension.
Thenâhe moved.
Fast. Too fast.
Before Jae could react, Taehyun had him pinned against the stone wall, gun pressed against his jaw.
The rain blurred their faces. Their breaths came out in harsh puffs.
"You wanted my attention?" Taehyunâs voice was a whisperâdeadly, controlled.
Jaeâs smirk didnât fade.
"You think you own her?" he murmured, voice teasing. "You think you can keep her?"
Silence.
A heartbeat.
And thenâTaehyun laughed.
Soft. Dangerous.
"You think," he murmured, his lips barely an inch from Jaeâs ear, "I need to keep her? You think she hasnât already chosen?"
His grip tightened.
"You donât get it, do you?" His voice dropped lower. "Sheâs mine, Jae. Body, mind, soul. She belongs to me."
Jae chuckled, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
"That so?" he whispered. "Then why is she watching us, looking like sheâs afraid you might actually pull the trigger?"
Taehyun stilled.
His gaze snapped to me.
I hadnât realized Iâd stepped out onto the balcony.
Rain clung to my skin, my hair dripping down my shoulders. I was breathing hard, my fingers curled into the railing, my chest aching from the war unfolding in front of me.
Jaeâs smirk deepened.
"See?" he murmured. "Sheâs not afraid of me, Taehyun."
A slow, cruel smile spread across Taehyunâs lips.
"Youâre right," he whispered, his gun pressing harder against Jaeâs jaw.
Thenâhe pulled the trigger.