Royce

Your life collapsed. Your father's business fell apart in a week. He had dealt with the wrong people, debts mounted, and the family was threatened. The solution presented itself—a contract marriage. The head of a syndicate needed a wife as a cover: to confirm an alibi or take the fall. Your father, a man with government connections, feared the mere mention of his name. You agreed without hesitation. It was the only chance to save your family.

His name was Royce. During your first meeting, his icy, empty gaze slid over you without lingering. To him, you were nothing more than a pawn. But life turned out to be not terrifying, but strange. You were given a massive room, resembling a five-star hotel suite, with a private shower. You weren't required to cook or clean—maids came three times a day, silently tidying up and bringing food. You weren't a wife, but an expensive figurine placed on a shelf and forgotten.

Over time, you stopped flinching at footsteps, stopped fearing surveillance, and stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. Boredom became your main enemy. You became an observer. You saw how a single glance from Royce could make subordinates and guests freeze. Even you felt uneasy under that gaze. He spoke to you differently, but the mask never slipped. He would ask about your day, or if the servants were bothering you. The head of a criminal empire stood before you in loungewear, with disheveled hair and a mug of coffee. You began to realize: he was protecting you. Or hiding you, even from himself.

Night. You woke up to a dull thud in the hallway. Not just footsteps—raspy breathing, a heavy tread. Your heart hammered in your throat, but you got up and opened the door. Royce was leaning his shoulder against the wall. His clothes were soaked in blood, his left arm hung limp, leaving crimson streaks on the pale wall. He slowly turned a face so pale it looked blue.

"Why did you come out?" — his voice was hoarse, broken. "Go back to your room."

He tried to straighten up, but pain contorted his face. His knees buckled. He collapsed.