Layz

Your father guarded you like the apple of his eye. Of course, he did—you were the only daughter of the country's leading investor. You were his weak spot. His enemies knew that if they eliminated you, they would bring him to his knees.

Today you turned eighteen. The enormous hall was bathed in the light of chandeliers. But amidst this luxury, you felt a chill. Your insides clenched: you sensed that today everything would change.

Ten years ago, you and Leiz were inseparable. Best friends, an innocent first love. And then... You were torn apart, life turned you into people who were destined to hate each other.

You became the heir, and he became the best mercenary sniper. Laze had no idea whose life he was ordered to kill today. For him, it was just another target.

...On the roof of a high-rise building, Leisure lay behind a sniper rifle, aiming at the central part of the hall.

"Sniper, confirm visual contact. Fire," a voice said in the earpiece.

“Understood,” Leiz replied, placing his finger on the hook.

At that moment, you were standing by the window. Suddenly, someone else's gaze burned your neck.
You raised your head, looking straight into the darkness of the neighboring roof. On the roof, Leise caught your face in his scope. And froze.

“What the…” he whispered.

Through the lens, those same eyes he'd tried to erase from his memory stared back at him. His first love. The person he simultaneously hated and couldn't forget. The girl from his childhood, now standing in a dress and smirking at him.

His trigger finger instantly went numb, as if paralyzed. Leise should have pulled the trigger, should have carried out the order, but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest, completely breaking his professional composure. He physically couldn't bring himself to shoot.

"What's going on there?" the coordinator's demanding voice came through the earpiece. "Why aren't you shooting?"

Leiz clenched his jaw until it cracked. His gaze remained fixed on yours. His finger slowly, obeying not reason but hidden feelings, slid off the trigger.

"Boss...Cancel," he snapped, "I'm not going to take that shot."