A soft sound at the door.
We both look.
Leo and the tiger cub peek their heads in through the gap, their eyes big and round, their fluffy faces filled with curiosity.
I freeze.
They take a cautious step forward but stop just inside the room. Not a sound. Not a growl. Just... watching.
Tiny ears perked. Big paws silent.
My chest tightens painfully.
God, they're... adorable.
The tiger cub tilts its head. Leo blinks slowly at me like a shy child. My lips part, but no sound comes out.
A flicker of something warm passes through me before I smother it.
No. No. No. I won't love anything that he loves.
Even if they're animals.
Even if they're cute.
Even if they look at me like I'm their lost sibling.
"I love animals," I whisper, more to myself. "But not yours."
They stay still. Quiet. Almost respectful.
I blink.
"…They're more well-mannered than their owner," I mutter under my breath. "Or... their father?"
Leo lets out a small yawn and sits down gently. The tiger cub stretches its paws forward like a tiny prince waiting for permission.
I stare at them in disbelief.
"Are they... trained in royalty or something?" I whisper.
Taehyung watches silently, his expression unreadable.
But I can feel it—that small shift in the air. The tiniest crack in my armor.
I glance at the spoon still on the bed. Then at the bandage on my forehead.
And with a heavy sigh, I push the blanket off and sit up.
"I'm not eating because you told me to," I say sharply.
He raises a brow.
I snatch the spoon from the tray and point at the cubs. "I'm doing it because your kids are watching."
I scoop a spoonful and shove it into my mouth aggressively, glaring at him like I'm chewing his soul instead of soup.
He watches me, arms crossed, brow slightly raised.
I chew faster.
"Don't look so smug," I mutter with my mouth full, scowling. "I'm eating to take revenge."
His lips twitch, like he's trying not to laugh.
"I swear, once I'm healed," I growl, scooping another bite with dramatic flair, "I will kill you. Slowly. Painfully."
Taehyung leans closer, his voice dangerously low. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan on doing that, little wife?"
I slam the spoon down dramatically and puff up my cheeks in rage. "With poison. Or your own gun. Maybe even my bare hands if I feel spicy enough that day!"
He lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "You're threatening a mafia boss while wrapped in bandages… with soup on your chin."
"I will end you," I snap, wiping my mouth furiously and pointing the spoon at his face like a dagger. "Don't underestimate the power of vengeance and cuteness combined!"
At that exact moment, Leo and the tiger cub nod their heads like tiny backup goons. One gives a soft huff. The other stretches lazily, as if to say "She's serious."
Taehyung tilts his head, amused. "So I've raised a little assassin?"
I narrow my eyes. "You raised a war."
He leans in, smirking. "Then I'll die by your hands… but only if you kiss me first."
"Pervert!" I yelp, throwing a piece of bread at his face. "Die now!"
He laughs as the bread bounces off his shoulder and lands next to Leo, who promptly sniffs it and decides it's not worthy.
I turn to the cubs, pointing at them dramatically. "And you two—don't try to win me over with your squishy faces. I still hate you."
They blink up at me with innocent eyes.
"…Fine, I hate you a little less. But I'm still mad."
Taehyung sits back in his chair, hands behind his head, watching me with a grin.
"I missed this mouth of yours," he murmurs.
I glare at him.
"Enjoy it while you can," I say, biting the bread angrily. "Because once I'm healed… you're a dead man."
-------
It's been almost a week.
Seven whole days in this... mansion? Castle? Dungeon with better furniture?
No visitors. No maids and old lady? She is on leave. No annoying aunts. No nosy neighbors. Just Taehyung, his men, and these adorable traitor fluffballs he calls his "babies."
And me.
He cooks. I eat.
He watches. I glare.
He talks to his guards in that deep, terrifying mafia voice and then turns around to offer me soup like a lovesick husband.
Everything in here is black. Curtains. Floors. Walls. Even the plates.
What kind of villain aesthetic is this?!
Today I sat on the massive velvet sofa, hugging a tiger cub like it was my emotional support body pillow, staring at the ceiling like a prisoner of war.
"This place is suffocating," I muttered. "And if you don't change those scary curtains, Mr. Mafia Husband—I swear on my five-foot-tall fury—I will run away again!"
Taehyung didn't even look up from chopping vegetables in the kitchen. "If you run, I'll chase."
"I'll stab you in your sleep."
"Please do. Then I can wake up to your touch."
"Ughhh!"
I flopped back on the couch dramatically. "You're impossible. This place is too quiet. Too dark. Too... mafia. I can't breathe properly!"
His voice floated in from the kitchen. "That's the point. No one dares to step foot in here."
"I'm not 'no one.' I'm your hostage-wife-slash-caged-angry-bird and I need freaking sunlight!"
The tiger cub yawned, completely unbothered, and curled into my lap.
I scoffed. "At least you get it."
The jaguar cub brought me a note in his mouth—another annoying letter from Taehyung with a small sketch of me throwing a tantrum like a chibi gremlin.
I glared at the paper, then at the cub.
"You're lucky you're cute."
---
Later that night, I stood in the hallway with crossed arms, staring at a locked door.
His study.
The one place I haven't seen yet. Where he has those suspicious meetings. Where he talks in low, deadly tones. Where he plots... who knows what?
I glanced around.
No guards in sight. Cubs sleeping in the living room.
I tiptoed toward the door.
"I just need a little revenge," I whispered to myself like a cartoon villain. "One tiny peek. That's all."
I reached for the knob.
A shadow loomed behind me.
"Are we... trespassing now, baby?"
I yelped, spinning to find Taehyung standing behind me, still in his black dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, expression unreadable.
"Why is this place locked?" I snapped, lifting my chin. "What are you hiding in there? Corpses? Gold? Secret wife number two?"
He stepped closer. "You really want to know what's in there?"
"Yes."
He leaned down, lips brushing my ear. "You'll get your revenge soon, love. But once you walk through that door… you'll never be able to walk away."
I blinked.
"Is that a threat?"
"A warning."
"Good," I smirked. "I like walking into danger."
He smiled darkly. "Then come prepared, little firecracker. You might just find out who I really am."
---
I hate him.
I remind myself of that every morning.
Especially when I wake up to his smug face beside me, breathing like he owns my soul.
But those three fluffy traitors? Leo, Tiger, and that sneaky black jaguar?
I... I may or may not be feeding them under the table.
Only because they look like they haven't eaten in hours! (They eat every 2 hours.)
Today, I sneak into the kitchen before sunrise. The mansion's quiet. He's asleep. Finally, peace.
I crouch behind the counter, whispering like I'm planning a prison break.
"Leo... psst... come here, baby."
Little golden Leo peeks around the corner like he's on a secret mission. I offer him a piece of boiled chicken from my hidden stash. He purrs, tail swishing happily.
"Shhh, don't tell your dad."
Then comes Tiger, all majestic like a baby king. He sits and waits patiently while I tear tiny pieces of meat for him like some royal servant.
He pads over silently, nudging my leg. I rub his ears and whisper, "You're not so scary now, are you?"
Click.
The kitchen light turns on.
I freeze—chicken in one hand, baby tiger licking the other.
Taehyun stands in the doorway, shirtless, hair messy, arms crossed, mouth twitching like he's holding back a grin.
"Well, well," he drawls, voice like sin, "I thought you hated my babies."
I shoot up like I've been electrocuted. "I do!"
"Really?" He strolls over slowly, eyes flicking to the three cubs happily devouring my midnight bribe. "Because from here, it looks like you're their mother."
"I was just... um... feeding them so they don't bother me in the future."
He leans in close, eyes gleaming. "You talk sweeter to them than you do to me."
"Because they don't kidnap me or threaten me or breathe like a villain when I sleep!"
He chuckles lowly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "So you love them."
"I—" I pause, cornered.
Leo sneezes adorably. I melt.
"...Maybe."
He smirks. "They love you back. They told me."
I frown. "You speak animal now?"
He shrugs. "We understand each other. Mafia things."
I groan. "You're impossible."
"And you're mine." He kisses the top of my head and whispers, "Feeding our kids secretly? That's wife behavior."
I turn red and shove a cucumber slice in his mouth.
"Shut up."
He grins, chewing. "Yes, ma'am."