Kashi blinked, Utter disbelief crossed her face.
"…You cannot be serious."
Chaos only picked up his fork again, completely unbothered.
"I am."
She stared at him, torn between outrage and something far more dangerous she refused to name.
"You're insane."
"Possibly."
"And arrogant."
He nodded slightly. "Frequently."
Kashi's hand slammed against the table.
Nearby conversations faltered for a second.
"You don't know what you're asking."
Chaos didn't flinch. If anything, he looked amused.
"I do."
Her breathing sharpened. "No one would approve."
"We don't need anyone."
"My grandfather can't stand you."
Chaos shrugged lightly. "Old people love me."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I can't stand you."
A slow smirk spread across his face.
"Says the woman," he replied calmly, "who left a bite mark on my neck."
Kashi's eyes flew wide.
"You... you...."
The words abandoned her completely.
Color rushed to her face as memory betrayed her composure.
She grabbed her purse abruptly, dropping several bills onto the table without counting.
"I'm leaving." And she did. Straight out of the diner.
Cool night air hit her as she strode toward the parking lot, heels striking the pavement with controlled fury.
Chaos sighed softly and rose, following without hurry.
He caught up just as she reached his car.
Kashi turned sharply to face him.
He stopped inches away. Too close.
Close enough that she caught the clean, dark scent of his cologne… familiar now in ways she refused to examine.
The city noise faded around them.
"Saints," Chaos murmured.
Her name left his lips like something sacred. Like a prayer he wasn't used to saying aloud.
Kashi swallowed.
"…No."
It came out quieter than she intended.
His hand moved to her waist, steady and warm, pulling her closer before she could step back.
"My world would welcome you," he murmured near her ear.
The low whisper sent unwanted shivers down her spine.
Danger.
Temptation.
Promise.
Kashi's eyes fluttered shut as she fought herself, fought the pull, the curiosity, the terrifying certainty that part of her wanted to lean in.
Wanted to stay.
For one fragile second. She almost did.
Then reality returned and her eyes opened.
She pulled back firmly, creating space between them.
"I don't want to be part of it," she said, voice steady again. "Nor anything else."
Chaos watched her carefully.
No anger.
No pressure.
Just understanding… and something stubborn beneath it.
Like a man already certain time was on his side.
Kashi stepped away.
And this time He let her.
The drive back was silent. Not uncomfortable. Just heavy.
City lights swept across the windshield as Chaos drove toward the Saints estate, both of them staring ahead, neither willing to reopen the conversation they had just survived.
Kashi watched the passing streets blur together.
Chaos kept his hands steady on the wheel.
Allowing the unfinished feelings sitting quietly between them.
The iron gates of the Saints Mansion came into view.
They opened slowly at her arrival.
Chaos pulled the car to a smooth stop just outside the entrance driveway.
Kashi reached for the handle. Before she could open it, His hand closed gently around hers.
Stopping her.
Slowly… she turned back to face him.
The dim dashboard light softened his features, his expression unreadable but attentive.
Kashi inhaled.
"I…" she began.
The word trembled.
Her gaze dropped briefly before lifting again, resolve forcing its way through pain.
"I'm Kashi," she said quietly. "The evil bitch who cried and whined when she couldn't have the man she wanted."
Chaos's grip tightened slightly.
She continued anyway.
"The woman who manipulated her way into destroying an innocent girl who took her lover from her…"
Her throat visibly worked, voice growing rough, but she didn't stop.
"I'm a spoiled heiress. A homewrecker."
The words sounded rehearsed.
Like accusations she had heard too many times… and finally believed.
Her eyes shimmered, but she refused to let tears fall.
"I'm nothing, Chaos," she whispered. "Just a villain."
A shaky breath left her.
"And your world is better off without me."
Silence filled the car. Chaos said nothing.
Did nothing.
He simply watched her, as if trying to understand how someone so fiercely strong could carry so much quiet self-hatred.
Kashi slowly slipped her hand from his.
The loss of contact felt louder than any argument.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Didn't look back.
Didn't hesitate.
The mansion lights swallowed her figure as she walked toward the estate entrance, posture straight despite the weight pressing on her shoulders.
The gates began closing behind her.
Inside the car.
Chaos remained still.
Engine running.
Eyes fixed on the space where she had disappeared.
Her words replayed in his head.
Not like whispers, like cuts.
Evil bitch.
Spoiled heiress.
Villain.
Each label she had carved into herself as though she needed him to believe it… as though convincing him was the only way to keep him away.
Like she wanted the world to remain blind.
Chaos's jaw tightened.
He didn't step out of the car. Didn't chase her.
Not this time.
Instead, he leaned back slowly into the seat, his gloved hand remaining exactly where hers had rested seconds ago, as if the warmth might still be there if he didn't move.
His gaze lingered on the towering gates of the Saints estate.
Closed.
Distant.
Untouchable.
A faint exhale left him.
"She really believes that," he murmured to no one.
The engine hummed softly as the car finally shifted into motion.
The Camaro rolled away from the estate, headlights cutting through the empty road while the night swallowed everything left unsaid.
And somewhere between departure and darkness
Chaos Riegrow understood something irreversible. Kashi Saints wasn't afraid of his world.
She was afraid he might see hers…
and stay anyway.