—
---
The night was quiet—too quiet for a city crawling with mafia blood.
Kai sat hunched over his laptop, the glow of the screen painting his sharp features in pale blue. Fingers danced across the keys, swift and merciless, bypassing firewalls that should've kept even the most seasoned hackers out. His pulse quickened. He wasn't just breaking into some rich thug's email tonight. No—this was the heart of the beast.
The server belonged to him. Lucias Veynar. The Devil of the Eastern Mafia.
Kai's lips curved in a half-smirk. "Got you."
Lines of data spilled open like veins being sliced. Weapons shipments, coded messages, routes marked in red across digital maps. Enough evidence to burn a man like Lucias to the ground. Kai's chest tightened with thrill. He was in too deep already, but the idea of dragging the mafia king off his throne made it worth the risk.
Until the screen flickered.
The smirk slipped from Kai's face. "Shit."
A trace pinged back at him. Someone—or something—was clawing into his system.
Then, a single message blinked across the screen.
> Bold of you to crawl into my den. Who sent you?
Kai froze. His heart punched his ribs. The text box blinked again.
> Don't bother running. I already see you.
The power in those words made Kai's breath hitch. His first instinct screamed pull the plug, erase everything, vanish. But stubbornness was his curse. His fingers hit the keys with shaky defiance.
> Go to hell.
For a beat, the chatbox stayed empty. Then came a reply.
> I own hell. And now, I own you.
---
Hours blurred. Kai thought he had shaken the trace, wiped his trail. But at 2 a.m., the screech of tires outside his small apartment cut through his fragile relief. Headlights bled across his blinds. The sound of heavy boots climbing the stairs followed.
His pulse spiked. "...No way."
The door crashed open before he reached the window. Men in black suits stormed in like shadows with guns. Kai barely had time to grab a pocket knife before cold steel kissed his temple.
"Boss wants him alive," one muttered.
Rough hands yanked Kai's arms behind his back, snapping cuffs around his wrists. He struggled, teeth bared. "You think dragging me to your monster is gonna scare me?!"
They didn't answer. They didn't need to.
Minutes later, Kai was shoved into the back of a sleek black car. His mind raced, equal parts fear and fury. He'd imagined this moment a hundred times—Lucias, the mafia devil, the untouchable king. He just never thought he'd be facing him like this, captured prey.
---
The car stopped before an iron-gated mansion perched like a predator at the city's edge. Inside, marble floors gleamed under golden chandeliers, but the air smelled faintly of gunpowder. Guards lined the hall like statues.
And at the far end of the room, sitting with the calm poise of a man who owned every breath of air around him, was Lucias Veynar.
Black shirt unbuttoned at the throat. Dark hair swept back. Sharp, merciless eyes that pinned Kai with a gaze colder than winter steel.
Lucias didn't need to speak. His presence alone dragged silence over the room.
Kai was shoved to his knees. He lifted his chin, glaring up with unyielding defiance. "So this is the infamous Devil. You don't look that terrifying up close."
A low chuckle broke the stillness. Lucias leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, gaze never wavering. "You've got teeth," he murmured, voice smooth but laced with danger. "Most people beg when they kneel before me."
Kai's lips curled. "Guess I'm not 'most people.'"
Lucias studied him for a long moment. Then he rose, slow, deliberate. The click of his polished shoes echoed across the marble until he stood directly before Kai.
Gloved fingers tilted Kai's chin higher, forcing their eyes to lock.
"You broke into my system," Lucias said softly. "Stole from me. Mocked me. And yet you're still breathing. Do you know why?"
Kai's pulse thudded in his throat, but he refused to break eye contact. "Because you're all bark and no bite?"
Gasps rippled among the guards. One moved to strike him, but Lucias lifted a hand. His smirk was sharp enough to cut.
"No. Because you're interesting."
The words chilled Kai more than any gun.
Lucias leaned closer, his breath brushing Kai's ear. "But understand this—step into my den again, and I won't let you crawl back out."
With that, Lucias stepped back, turning his back as if Kai was already beneath him.
"Get him out of my sight," he ordered.
Kai was yanked up roughly, but his glare burned holes into Lucias's back. "I'm not afraid of you," he spat.
Lucias didn't turn, but his voice carried like thunder.
"You will be."