The weekend had finally arrived, and
for the first time in what felt like forever, I had something to look forward
to.
Astra and Illiana had been eager to see me, and were practically blowing up my phone all week. No matter how many times I reassured them I was fine, they wouldn't believe it until they saw me
themselves. And honestly? I needed this. A normal day. Time with my best friends. A break from the chaos of gunfights, cryptic threats, and the unsettling fact that I was now living under Lorenzo Hudson's roof. But the moment they stepped into my apartment, the excitement drained from their faces
Illiana sucked in a sharp breath. "Reina…" astra's eyes widened as she took in the wreckage. "What the actual hell?!!"
Shattered glass crunched beneath their shoes. The air was thick with dust, the scent of old roses from a broken vase mixing with something metallic—blood? No, probably just my paranoia. Still, the destruction was undeniable. Torn furniture, overturned chairs, the remains of a broken mirror reflecting fragmented pieces of our stunned faces.
Then there was the note. written in an almost playful script, the words were anything but harmless.
A chill ran down my spine, even though I had read it before.
Illiana's expression darkened. "Who did this?"
I hesitated. "It's… complicated."
Astra turned to me, arms crossed, her voice sharp. "Try us."
I exhaled, forcing myself to sound more nonchalant than I felt. "It's just a warning. But Lorenzo and I are handling it."
"Handling it?!!!" Astra repeated, incredulous. "Reina, your apartment looks like it was hit by a damn hurricane."
Illiana's gaze flicked between me and the mess before something dawned on her. "Wait—so where the hell have you been staying?"
I hesitated for half a second.
That was all it took.
astra's eyes lit up with realization, and she gasped dramatically, clutching Illiana's arm. "Oh.my. god!!!!!!!!"
Illiana blinked. Then her lips curled into a wicked grin. "No. No way.!!!"
I raised my hands. "Guys—"
"You're living with him?!"
My groan was drowned out by their simultaneous shrieks of excitement.
Astra fanned herself like she might faint. "Reina. Reina. I need you to say the words out loud. I need confirmation before my soul leaves my body."
I pressed my fingers to my temples.
"It's not like that."
Illiana folded her arms. "Oh? So, you just happened to move in with the Lorenzo Hudson for safety reasons?"
"Yes!"
Astra snorted. "Right. Just safety. You can fool my ass with that"
"There is nothing—"
Illiana cut me off. "Are you into him?"
I choked. "What?!!"
Astra leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Have you seen the way he looks at you?"
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Illiana grinned. "You totally have."
I tried to act unaffected, but the truth was, I had noticed.
The way his gaze lingered a fraction too long. The way his voice softened when he spoke to me. The way his presence seemed to fill every space, making the air heavier, my pulse unsteady.
The way he called me Queen—like
I was something untouchable, something worth protecting.
The memory of his words from the
mall resurfaced, unbidden:
"I don't prioritize clothing based on price. And if you can't choose, I'll just buy the entire store."
I had blushed then. I was blushing now.
Astra and Illiana saw it immediately.
Astra clutched her chest. "Oh my god, she's blushing."
"I am not—"
"She is," Illiana confirmed, grinning. "Reina, do you have a crush on him?"
"No!"
"Yet," Astra echoed. "You didn't say you never will."
I threw a pillow at them.
They dodged, giggling.
Astra sighed dramatically. "Babe. If you don't marry this man, I will."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh my god, shut up."
Illiana smirked. "Have you kissed yet?"
"No!"
"Yet," Astra repeated. "You didn't say you never will."
I was going to kill them.
And then—
The universe decided to ruin my life.
Lorenzo walked in.
His presence was immediate, suffocating, his dark eyes flicking between us as he set down a tray of food. His posture was relaxed, but I didn't miss the slight narrowing of his gaze—he knew something was up.
"What's going on?"
I sent Astra and Illiana a silent, desperate plea: Do not say anything.
astra, the traitor, smirked. "Oh, nothing. We were just talking about you."
Lorenzo raised an eyebrow, glancing at me. "Should I be concerned?"
I gritted my teeth. "Yes."
Astra ignored me completely. "So, Lorenzo," she said sweetly, "are you in love with Reina yet, or are you still in denial?"
I choked on my drink.
Illiana didn't help. "Because if you need a push, we're happy to assist."
Lorenzo's lips twitched. Slowly, deliberately, he turned to me.
"My Queen," he mused, "is there something you'd like to share?"
Heat rushed up my neck. "I hate both of you," I muttered to Astra and Illiana.
Astra pouted. "That's not what you'll be saying when you two are in wedding outfits."
I groaned. "That's it. I'm moving to another country."
Lorenzo chuckled, but there was something else in his expression—something unreadable. His gaze lingered on mine for a longer than it usually does, his eyes dark with an emotion I refused to
name.
He didn't deny their accusations.
Didn't laugh them off.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because if Lorenzo did have feelings for me…
I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop myself from falling for him, too.
Lorenzo's pov:
The living room was dimly lit, the glow from the television casting soft shadows across the space. Reina sat curled up on the plush couch, a bowl of popcorn balanced on her lap, while Astra and Illiana lounged beside her, lazily flipping through the channels. I sat across from them, my arms folded, attention half on the screen and half on Reina. She was wearing one of my hoodies, sleeves rolled up, and she looked so effortlessly comfortable that he had to force himself to look away.
It had been a long day, filled with quiet moments and stolen glances. For the past week, I had been taking care of her, watching over her, making sure she didn't push herself too hard. But tonight, something was different. I could feel it in the air.
"I'm bored," Illiana groaned, stretching her arms over her head. "We need to do something fun."
astra's eyes sparked with mischief.
"How about a club night?"
My head snapped up. "Absolutely not." His voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion.
Illiana pouted. "Come on, Lorenzo. It's been ages since we had a normal night out."
"I said no." my tone was final, his gaze sharp. "It's too risky."
Reina, who had been silent up until now, turned to look at me. And just like that, my world tilted.
"Please?" she asked, her voice soft, her dark eyes looking directly into his with that quiet intensity that always undid me.
I clenched his jaw. I was a man who never bent, never wavered, never let my emotions dictate me
decisions. But when it came to her, I was powerless. She had me wrapped around her damn finger, and she didn't even know it. just the word "please" leaving her lips had made me lose control over my decisions, with those eyes that could make me serve her the entire world at her feet if she ever asked for it
A muscle in my jaw ticked as I exhaled. "Fine."
Illiana and Astra cheered, but I was already pulling out my phone, dialling Zane.
"Prepare for our arrival," I ordered the moment Zane picked up. "Increase security. I want eyes everywhere."
Zane chuckled on the other end.
"You're really letting her drag you into this, huh?"
I didn't dignify that with a response. I hung up and turned to the others. "You have twenty minutes." The ride to the club was silent, but the air inside my SUV was thick with tension. I was at the wheel, my grip tight as I maneuverer through the streets. Reina sat beside me, her
presence both a comfort and a distraction.
She smelled like vanilla and something inherently her, a scent that had lodged itself in my memory. She shifted slightly, and from the corner of my eye, I caught the soft glow of
city lights reflecting in her eyes. She looked breathtaking, and I hated how
much I noticed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"No," he admitted. "But you wanted to go."
She smiled, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.
Behind them, Illiana and Astra were chatting animatedly, oblivious to the storm raging inside me. I knew I should be focused on the risks, the dangers, the fact that we were supposed to be lying low. But all I could think about was the way she had looked at me back at the house—the way she always managed to unravel me with just a glance.
I exhaled sharply, forcing my attention back on the road. I had fought wars in the business world, faced threats without blinking, built an empire from the ground up. But this? This feeling when he was around her?
It terrified me.
And yet, I couldn't bring myself to pull away.
The bass thumped through the floor, a rhythmic pulse that echoed through Reina. Coloured lights flashed overhead, illuminating the club in alternating hues of deep red and electric blue. It had been so long since she had a normal night out, and with Astra and Illiana hyping her up, she had decided to let loose.
I, however, was watching. Always watching.
She could feel my eyes on her, the intensity of my gaze drilling into her as she moved. I hadn't joined them on the dance floor; instead, he had chosen to stay back at their VIP booth, my fingers wrapped around a glass of whiskey, my posture relaxed but my attention sharp.
"Queen, you look like you're having fun," I murmured when she stayed close enough to hear me. Reina grinned, slightly tipsy from the drinks Illiana kept sneaking onto the table. "For once, Lorenzo, I'm not thinking about anything else. Just this moment."
She turned back to the dance floor, moving fluidly with the beat, completely unaware of the man watching her from across the room. And then he made his move.
A hand gripped her waist, fingers pressing in too tightly. The scent of expensive cologne mixed with alcohol as a stranger leaned close, his breath hot against her ear. "You're too damn gorgeous to be dancing alone."
Reina stiffened instantly, her heart lurching in warning. She was about to shove him off when a low, deadly voice cut through the music.
"Get your hands off her."
The stranger barely had time to register what was happening before he was ripped away from Reina. The air shifted, and suddenly, I was in front of her, a wall of unrelenting fury
and muscle. My hand shot out, gripping the man by the collar, yanking him
forward until we were nearly nose-to-nose.
"You really must have a death wish," I growled.
The stranger sneered, trying to jerk away. "Back off, man. We were just having fun."
My first crashed into his face so fast Reina barely saw it coming. The sickening crack of bone on bone rang out, and the man staggered back, clutching his bleeding nose. The music hadn't stopped, but the people around them sure had.
The stranger recovered quickly, wiping at his face with a snarl. "You think you can just hit me, asshole?
"Do you even know who the fuck I am?"
"I don't give a damn who you are." I didn't hesitate. Another punch, this time to the gut. The man doubled over, wheezing. I didn't stop. A kick, a swift elbow, then another brutal punch that sent him sprawling onto the floor. I loomed over him, his chest rising and falling with restrained rage. "Try even looking her way again, and I'll personally rearrange your face before you hit the exit"
Reina swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her throat. She had never seen me like this. This wasn't just anger—this was possessiveness, raw and unfiltered. I looked like I was ready to destroy anyone who did her wrong again.
A heavy hand landed on Lorenzo's shoulder just as I was about to land another blow. "Alright, that's enough," Zane said, stepping in. "You keep this up, and tomorrow's headlines will be about the billionaire CEO who left a guy in a coma."
My nostrils flared, but he let go, stepping back reluctantly. The man groaned on the floor, clearly
unconscious, his face a bloodied mess.
Zane exhaled sharply. "Get her out of here. Before someone starts taking pictures."
I turned to Reina without hesitation. "We're leaving."
Reina barely had time to register my words before I scooped her up into my arms, her body flush against my chest.
"Lorenzo! I can walk!" she protested, squirming slightly, but my grip only tightened.
"I don't care," he said.
"You're staying in my arms until I decide you're safe."
Illiana and Astra stared, wide-eyed, before exchanging a knowing glance.
"Oh, he's so gone for her," Illiana whispered.
[Later, in Zane's Office]
I exhaled deeply, running a
hand through my hair as I sat across from Zane. Reina was already resting in one of the private rooms.
"I don't get it, Zane," I admitted, my voice unusually quiet. "I've never felt like this before. I've never wanted to kill someone for looking at a woman. But with her..." I clenched my jaw. "With her, it's like I'd burn the entire world down just to keep her safe."
Zane smirked, leaning back in his chair. "You sound like a man in love."
I scoffed. "Love? That's ridiculous. I don't do love. I don't get attached."
Zane chuckled. "Then why do you look at her like she's the only thing keeping you breathing? Why do you call her 'Queen'?"
I stiffened.
Zane tilted his head. "Does she even know why you call her that?"
I exhaled slowly. "Because she is the one. her strength. her personality. her wit. her beauty. and other zillion things that would take me ages to list. and …Because no one else deserves to lay eyes on her. Because she deserves to attracts kings, not boys who can't even shine her crown."
Zane raised a brow. "And who's the king in this story?"
I didn't answer. But I didn't need to.
Because deep down, I already knew.
I was hers. only hers.
And I had been from the moment I met her.
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