Kai was furious
He had long harbored suspicions about that nameless tyrant, but when his personal assistant presented photos of Diego taking his girlfriend out on a date, something inside him snapped.
It wasn't a rage that many had ever witnessed from him.
The very thought consumed him. How dare Diego take what was his?
Kai had even observed the luxury vehicle they departed in, and with gritted teeth, he begrudgingly admitted that Diego wasn't quite as low-class as the other so-called nobles.
But that still didn't give him the audacity to touch what belonged to Kai.
His fists itched to wipe the smugness off Diego's face—to punch his teeth in and knock him senseless.
"The mistress is here, boss," Jackson's voice cut through the storm raging in Kai's head.
Kai didn't bother to turn. He already knew it was his PA standing behind him.
"Bring her in," he said, waving dismissively.
In five minutes, she would be standing before him, and he would see her in the flesh.
But he wouldn't let her see how deeply she had wounded him.
No, he wouldn't grant her that satisfaction.
He would hurt her too. So she would know exactly how it felt to burn.
When Zara finally arrived, she walked in absentmindedly, her gaze sweeping over the rustic beer parlour before she made her way to a far table.
But as she brushed past him, Kai's hand shot out, gripping her elbow, holding her in place with a force that was hard to miss.
His usual cold gaze turned glacial under the muted glow of the chandelier overhead.
He had told himself that he wouldn't do this, but he was too angry to ignore her.
"Where were you?" he asked, voice dangerously calm.
"Excuse me?" Zara snapped, wrenching her arm free.
"You don't get to touch me like that," she added, her voice firm.
"I asked a question," Kai growled.
Zara stared at him, stunned, but eventually her gaze faltered. Her shoulders sagged slightly as she sighed.
"I went out with a friend. Is that a problem?" she asked, mirroring the same forced calmness he had displayed earlier.
"The problem," Kai snarled, stepping closer, "is that you made me look like a fool in front of my cohorts—and more importantly, my father."
Zara's eyes dropped to the floor.
She had known this confrontation was inevitable. But still, who was he to dictate her life?
Who even was he to tell her what to do?
She clenched her fists, anger brewing.
Meanwhile, Kai's voice rose
"Do you even understand the implications of that?"
"The implications of what exactly?" Zara retorted, her voice rising with righteous fury as she stepped forward, her eyes boring into his soul.
"Leaving you at your precious high table to drink with a friend? Or is it the fact that I left my so-called 'boyfriend' high and dry after you initiated intimacy? Which is it, Kai? Which implication are you so concerned about?"
Kai's breath hitched in his throat, caught off guard by her unexpected burst of outrage.
He wasn't used to being challenged like this. But then again, he was surrounded by people who didn't matter. This was the first time he was getting confronted by someone who did.
"You know what? I'm sick of you acting like you did me a favor by pulling me out of jail," Zara continued, her tone sharp and scathing. "I would have rather rotted there, Kai, than endure this twisted version of freedom you've offered."
Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the storm of emotion she barely kept at bay.
She had literally jumped from one prison to another.
"Did you even stop to consider how I've felt all this while? You said you wanted to see me rise from the ashes, but all you've done is suppress me.
"I'm beginning to realize... you never cared about me at all."
Kai's nostrils flared, his entire body radiating fury.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" he snapped. "You have any idea what you've cost me, woman? You should be thanking your stars that I even keep you around after everything you've—"
"So you're saying I should be lucky?" Zara interrupted with a bitter laugh, her voice thick with disbelief.
"Is that truly what you think, Kai? That I'm lucky to have you?"
For a fleeting second, her eyes softened, exposing the depth of her hurt, but then just as swiftly, her fury roared back to life.
"Well, if that's the case, I think I'll be going home. Thanks... for nothing."
She turned to leave, her movements stiff and wounded.
But Kai wasn't done. He caught her wrist in a tight grip.
"Zara—"
"Let go, Kai."
"Zara, come on," he pleaded, his voice cracking slightly—almost imperceptibly.
"It's not like that..." he muttered, shaking his head as though trying to dislodge his frustration.
"My father was starting to like you... the boys wanted to meet you properly... and when I went to find you, you were just gone..."
"Oh, I see," Zara said, whirling back to face him.
"So you wanted to parade me around? A trophy girlfriend for your criminal empire? A showpiece for a world that will never see me for who I truly am?"
"No—"
"All you care about is your image, Kai. You revealed your damn financial status just to stroke your ego—not because you cared about me. You said it yourself."
"Zara, I didn't mean—"
"And worst of all," she continued, voice breaking, "you left me alone. For hours. Like I was disposable. Why wouldn't I leave with a stranger?"
"Zara, stop it!" Kai roared, the fury bursting out of him uncontrollably.
Without thinking, he slammed his fist into the wall beside him. The sharp crack of knuckles meeting concrete echoed through the room.
Zara flinched instinctively, a jolt of fear surging through her.
He's not going to hit me... is he?
The random, terrifying thought shot through her mind.
But when she dared to look at him again, she froze.
Kai stood there, trembling. His eyes, usually so cold and calculating, were now glistening red with unshed tears.
"I didn't mean any of that," he whispered hoarsely.
"Look... I'm sorry, Zara. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."
He paused, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration.
"The truth is... I care about you. More than I should. But I don't trust my own feelings. I don't trust anything anymore."
His voice was raw, the confession bleeding out of him.
"You disrupt my thinking... you've done it from the first day I laid eyes on you. I don't understand it. I don't know how to handle it. But I do know one thing..."
Before Zara could protest, Kai pulled her closer by the wrist—and kissed her.
A slow, desperate kiss that silenced the chaos around them.
Zara shivered against him, her defenses crumbling under the sincerity of his touch.
It was unexpected. Magical. A kiss that spoke of pain, longing, and everything left unsaid.
Something Zara would have never, ever imagined in her wildest dreams.
And for once... she was willing to trust the universe to carry her wherever this madness led.