KEIFER'S POV
The past few weeks feel like a repetition I can't escape.Same words. Same tone. Same meaningless smiles.
"Didn't see that coming."
"Congratulations, Mr.Watson."
"You and Jay… interesting match."
Interesting.
I nod. I thank them. I shake hands like this is just another deal closed, another alliance formed—but inside, I don't understand why they're surprised. It's her. It's me. How does that not make sense?
Even at the base—it's worse.
Men who don't flinch at blood, who don't blink at death, who carry names that don't exist anywhere official—are suddenly grinning like idiots.
"MK, finally settling down?"
"Didn't think you had it in you."
Only a handful of them even know my full name. The rest? They just know enough to respect it. But this—this makes them reckless. Casual. Like they think they understand something they don't.
I let it pass.
Because none of them know the truth.
—
The dress fitting is the only time I almost lose control.
She walks out—and everything stops.Not metaphorically. Not dramatically. Literally.
My brain just… blanks.
White fabric hugging her perfectly, every line, every curve designed like it was meant only for her. Soft, elegant, dangerous in a way that doesn't ask for attention—it commands it.
And for one second—
I forget the rules we set.
I forgot the agreement.
I forget everything except the overwhelming, undeniable thought—
Mine.
It hits before I can stop it.Sharp. Possessive. Instinctive.
I shove it down immediately, jaw tightening, hands sliding into my pockets because if I move—if I take even one step forward—I don't know if I'll stop myself from doing something reckless.
Like pulling her closer.Like kissing her in front of everyone like she was the anchor who was capable of holding me down.
I wanted to kiss the shit out of her untill her lipstick was smudged and the only thing she'd remember was my and my name only on those lips.
But I couldn't.WHY???
DAMN RULES!!!
So I didn't move.I just stood there and watched her just standing there making me loose my sanity in the most subtle way without even knowing...
—
But something else starts to get under my skin.
James.
He's always there.At the office. Around her. Too close. Too comfortable.
Laughing too easily. Touching her arm like it's nothing. Leaning in like there aren't lines that should exist.
Friends.Right???
Friends have boundaries and he doesn't seem to know a single one.
I didn't say anything because technically—I don't have the right to.
But that doesn't mean I don't notice and it definitely doesn't mean I like it.
—
Now it's one day before the wedding.One day—and she becomes Mrs. Watson.
One day—and this stops being temporary in the eyes of the world.
One day—and then I get to call her mine.
Even if she doesn't mean it.
Even if she never does.
—
The club is loud tonight.
Not my choice to be here amongst some reckless elite kids of London—client meeting. Important enough that I can't cancel, irritating enough that I don't want to be here.
We're mid-conversation, drinks in hand, numbers being thrown around like they matter more than anything else—
And then—
I see her.
It's not even intentional.Just a glance.Just one second.
And everything after that?
Gone.
She's on the dance floor.
That dress—Too short. Too fitted. Too everything.
Her back was absolutely bare. Illegal in ways I don't have the patience to define right now and some things popping out that shouldn't been popping.
My grip tightens around the glass.
She's laughing.
Free in a way I haven't seen in weeks—and that should be a good thing.
It should be but it's not because of who she's with.
James.
Of course and others. Too close. Too comfortable. Too involved.
My jaw locks.
I force myself to look back at the client.
Focus.Finish this.Walk away Keifer she isn't yours yet and remember you have to respect the boundaries and privacy of one another,so just do the work and leave.
Simple.
But it's not simple because every few seconds, my eyes drift back.
To her.
To them.
To the way she doesn't seem to care how close they are.How easily they touch her. How naturally they exist around her like—
Like they belong there.
Something sharp settles in my chest.
I ignore it.Or try to.
Then she moved away from the group toward the bar.Alone.
And for a second—I almost relax.
Until I see him.
Some random man sitting there, turning toward her, smiling like he just got lucky.
And then—She reaches out touching his sleeve lightly and playing with her dangling hair and as her hand started to slide up his sleeve I lost it.
That was it.
I don't even think.
I stand up mid-conversation, cutting the client off without hesitation.
"We'll continue this later," I say, already moving.
He starts to respond—but I don't hear it.I'm already walking.
No—marching.
Every step sharper than the last, my focus locked on one thing only—
Her.
By the time I reach her, she's mid-sentence.
Mid-laugh.Mid-whatever this is.
My hand closes around her arm before she can move further.Firm..
But there's nothing calm about it.She startles slightly, turning—
"Keifer—?"
I don't let her finish.
I pull her.Out of the noise.Out of the crowd.
Into the nearest quiet corridor where the music dulls into a distant pulse.
And before she can react—
I pin her back against the wall.One hand braced beside her.The other still gripping her arm.
Close.Too close.
My anger finally surfacing—raw, unfiltered, impossible to hide.
Her back hits the wall softly, breath catching for just a second as her eyes lock onto mine.
And for a moment—Neither of us speaks.
Because whatever this is—It's about to explode.