~ Jane’s POV

I turned around quickly, my back facing the two people I’d expected at the very least to come across. I was about to walk back into the kitchen when Amy grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Gen, can you take them? I have to leave…it’s urgent.” Amy pocketed her phone, pleading with me with her eyes, and I hesitantly nodded, wondering what to do. My mind was spiralling with so many thoughts. They were elite ones, why would they dine at a restaurant that’s clearly not up to their standard, not that it’s a basic one, though.

“Thank you, Gen, I owe you one.” Amy sprinted toward the staff room, and I fidgeted with my fingers.

Then, it hit me. I quickly surfed through the drawers and pulled out a mask, wearing it, thankful for COVID’s history that I didn’t have to explain it. Taking a deep breath and adjusting my bags over my eyes, I went to the table, the pen trembling in my hand.

“Good evening, sir, madam. What can I get for you today?”

“The menu—” Mr. Knight stopped when his gaze fell on me as if he was scanning me. I swallowed, praying to God he wouldn’t recognize me, but who was I kidding? The guy had been the Don of the mafia since he was 12, of course, he’d recogn—

“Good evening, sweetie,” the old lady spoke up, cutting my train of thought, and I turned my attention to her, refusing to meet eyes with the man who might expose my identity. “I’m a regular here, honey. Can we just get the usual?” The lady smiled, and I wondered if I should tell her I was new. I simply nodded and walked back to the counter, still feeling the man’s eyes on me. Shrugging the heavy weight on my back and shoulders, I rushed to the manager and explained the situation to him.

Luckily, he knew the lady and had told me their usual. I was so going to church this weekend. Thankfully, Mr. Knight, even if he recognized me, decided to stay silent and didn’t say or utter a single thing.

After they were done, I was about to walk toward them with the bill when the manager stopped me, slightly grabbing my arm. “Don’t. That lady there funds this place, we don’t charge her a single cent.”

Nodding, I stayed back, my eyes sharp on them while I kept my head down to keep from being noticed. I was about to sigh in relief when I saw them getting up to leave, but stopped when I saw the lady walking toward me with Mr. Knight trailing behind her, his hands in his pockets.

Taking a deep breath, I faced her so I wouldn’t look suspicious. “Was everything to your tastes, ma’am?” The usual tagline slipped through my tongue while the lady nodded with a smile so warm on her face, I wished I had that in my life. But I was careful not to ignore the death stare I was getting from the Don behind her.

“Everything was great, sweetheart. I’m pleased you were waiting on our table tonight.” She said, suddenly grabbing my hand and tapping on it, thanking me.

Stunned, I shook my head, trying to keep my nerves at bay when the actual Don was creeping me out. “It was my pleasure, ma’am. I’m glad you had a nice time.”

With that, she left, but the one thing I noticed was enough to send a cold shiver up my spine. After turning around, Mr. Knight tilted his head slightly and glanced at me before leaving. I knew I was in trouble now.

Excusing myself, I rushed to the restroom and took my phone out, typing a message to Lily, explaining my entire situation to her and asking her to keep an eye on my family to see if they make a move so I can run from here.

~ The Next Day

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when I read Lily’s message on my phone.

Lily: All Clear. No one from the Knight family made contact with yours. Rest now xoxo

With a smile so huge on my face, I made my way back to the restaurant and continued my shift, plus the nagging from Amy.

“Come onnn, tell me did he talk about something, huuhh?? Who was he here with? What did he talk about? Come on, don’t keep me miserable~” Amy continued to whine in the background while I prepared the restaurant for opening.

“I told you, I don’t know anything, and no, he didn’t talk to me.” I chuckled, and she finally let the topic go, making me sigh in relief.

I was carrying out my tasks when my phone rang in my pocket, and I took it out, smiling when I saw it was Lily.

Lily: Need to talk. Call me soon.

Frowning, I called her right that second only to find her phone turned off. That was weird. Lily was the kind of person to put her phone on DND, but she never turned her phone off. Something was wrong, and my stomach was doing multiple backflips at this time.

What if my family found out everything? What if Blake Knight told them? Or worse, what if he was going to handle my situation by himself? No, he’s ruthless, I’ve heard that…it can’t be true.

I was about to call Lily again when her name appeared on the screen, indicating an incoming call.

“Lily! What’s happened? Is everything alright? Are you okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“It’s okay. What happened?”

“I think Blake Knight knows who you are”

The ground shook underneath my feet. What? He knew? No…no, this can’t be. If he knows, he’ll take a second to inform my family. That can’t be it. “Lily…are you sure?”

“A hundred percent. He knows, but there’s good news as well.”

For some reason, that didn’t make me feel as good as I hoped it would. “What?”

“I have a hunch he won’t tell anyone. I mean, the last time, he only interfered because your family was on his property, that’s all.”

She was right. He made it clear at the gathering that we were standing on his property, and he didn’t like a scene being created, and that, too, a scene of a woman getting beaten up. But what’d he care about? He was famous for his ways with…women.

“Still, Lily, it’s a dagger dangling over my head.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Until then, just keep your head low.”

I hung up after that, already feeling the opposite of what I was feeling a few minutes ago. Breakfast threatened to reappear, but I shook my head, trying to clear my head. With a deep sigh, I walked back into the restaurant and continued with the rest of my tasks.

~ At Night

“Hey, Gen, do you wanna come to a club party with me?” Amy asked, sitting on the bench of the staff room, swinging her short legs. I cast her a glance and shook my head, refusing the offer, knowing damn well how much I had to keep hidden for the sake of my freedom.

“Come on, it’ll be just one time. I promise it’ll be fun.”

Although I had never been to a club before. Maybe this will be a new kind of experience now. Hesitating for a while, I nodded my head with a pit the size of a mushroom in my stomach. “But I’ll leave whenever I want, okay?”

Amy nodded, already giggling like a child. She sent me the location of the club, and I went back to my apartment to change before I took a cab. When I reached the club, I already felt out of place as I continued to push down the above-knee-length dress I was wearing. Amy had seen this dress before when she visited my apartment and insisted I wear it for the so-called party. It was a sleeveless V-neck dress with the length I was already dreading wearing.

I moved around the gush of crowd, trying to find Amy and her purple hair, but it was too dark, and everyone was pushing against every other person. I finally found the purple-haired person at the bar and was about to walk over when I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me toward a solid body. I looked up and found a man with the features of a creep and dark circles under his eyes. He was clearly not stable.

I winced when I felt him tighten his grip on my arm and tried to push him off me. He was smirking at me, and within a second, he had dragged me through a dark exit and into an alleyway so empty no one would hear even if I screamed bloody Mary.

“Look, I’ll give you money, just let me go, okay?” I asked him, and when he moved closer, all the memories of my family thrust deep inside me. Instincts finally kicked in, and I kneed him in the groin, making a run for the door and pushing my way through the crowd. My hand was wrapped around my arm where he had grabbed me, knowing it’d form a bruise soon.

I was already at the entrance when I stumbled into another god-forsaken solid body. “I swear to god—” My breath hitched when my eyes met the same forest-green colored pupils staring at me. I took a step back, refusing to come eye-to-eye with the same man I was supposed to stay hidden from.

“Mr. Knight…”

~ Jane’s POV

‘I had to move,’ I convinced myself. Taking a deep breath, I sidelined him and was about to walk away when I felt warmth spreading through my back. I stiffened when I felt his hand at the small of my back, leading me out of the club. As soon as I was out, I stepped away from him, terrified of what would happen next but refusing to go down without a fight.

My hand still on my arm, I finally lifted my eyes to meet his green ones. “I apologize for troubling you, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

I bowed my head slightly and was about to walk away when, finally, he spoke to me. “Who did this to you?” I froze mid-stance, my hand wrapped around my arm, wincing in pain and staring wide-eyed at the man in front of me. No one had ever asked me this before. Not when my brother broke my wrist, not when my father called me worthless, not when my sisters watched and did nothing.

Standing before me was Blake Knight, the most feared man in the mafia world. I saw his dark green eyes lingering on the bruise forming on my arm that I was desperately trying to hide. “Answer me,” he growled.

“It's none of your business.” For a moment, silence stretched between us, and I contemplated my harsh comment. I was stunned at myself for speaking so rudely to the man who could end me this very moment.

Then, he stepped closer. “It became my business the second you were decided to be my wife.”

Wide-eyed, I stared at him, shocked to the core. But then…I laughed out bitterly. Wife? To the King of the Underworld? The same man whose name made powerful men, including my father, tremble?

“I would rather die!” I spat out, my breath trembling, already shivering from fear of the man glaring daggers at me. I knew I was crossing a line I shouldn’t be, but he was the one making absurd comments. There was no way my father would agree to this.

“Then let’s see which happens first,” With a slightly hoarse voice, he stepped closer and bent down, staring at me with intensity that sent a shiver down my legs, “Marrying me…or dying…?”

“With all due respect, Mr. Blake Knight. I think you’re mistaken.” I stepped away, trying to create as much distance as possible, my mind spiralling with a million questions.

His lips twitched, a hint of a smirk dancing on his lips. I didn’t realize a smirk could be sexy until I laid my eyes on his. “I’d prefer you calling me ‘husband’.”

With that, he straightened and placed his hands back in his pockets. His eyes darkened when they landed on my bruise again. But within seconds, his expression went neutral, and before I could respond to his laughable comment, he walked back into the club.

Shuddering, I quickly took a cab and went back to my apartment, quickly typing an excuse to Amy, not wanting to tell her the entire story of what almost happened.

As soon as I stepped inside my apartment, I dialed Lily’s number. It continued to ring, but she never picked up, and I knew she was busy…probably somewhere she shouldn’t be. Sighing, I changed into my pajamas and applied an ointment on my arm before flopping on the bed. Cursing my fragile body, I closed my eyes, trying to fall into a deep slumber.

“Who did this to you?”

The scene repeated in my mind like a broken record, and I groaned, sitting up. I stood up and went to the spare bedroom I had in the apartment that I turned into my spare room filled with canvases.

I picked up a brush and my paints before emptying my mind on the canvases. This was the only time I truly felt at peace, even with the chaos going around in my world. Before I could delve deep into my zone, my phone rang, and Lily’s name appeared.

“Lily!”

“Jane. I have something to tell you—”

“I think I already know, Lily.” I sighed, placing the brush down and walking out of the room, flopping on my couch.

“What…how!?”

“I stumbled into Blake Knight tonight…” And after that, I told her everything that had happened, only for her to curse after every sentence I spoke.

“Fuck…I’m so sorry, Jane. If he hadn’t seen you tonight, I might’ve been able to do something. But you know the connections he has. I—I have no resources against that man.”

I knew Lily would be powerless against. Who wouldn’t be powerless against a man whose ruthlessness didn’t even end at the murder of his parents? “It’s okay. I just hope he was bluffing.”

There was silence on the other line before I knew that Lily was silent because there was no way she believed he was bluffing. Blake Knight wasn’t the man to interact just for fun; he did everything with a purpose.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here through everything, I promise.” With a few other exchanges and me asking about my family, we hung up. She told me that they were aware of the decision as well and as against of it they could be, they didn’t have a say against the Knights.

I was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang, and I found Amy standing on the other side. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I opened the door and welcomed her inside.

“Amy! Is everyt—”

“You tell me that! Why didn’t you tell me a guy harassed you?” She asked, standing in an accusatory pose, her hands on her hips as she glared at me.

“It isn’t something you go around announcing, Ames.” I shrugged, moving to the kitchen to get her a glass of water after seeing her heaving chest. She gladly accepted the glass of water and gulped it down in one go.

“Tell me when something like this happens, alright?” I nodded, but then a question popped into my mind, and I sat down across from her.

“How did you know?”

“Oh, I saw someone beating the other guy…almost to death, I swear, and when I asked around, they said that he harassed someone and was even running after her before the guy caught him.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Blake Knight….He beat him up…? For touching me…? “Did you…see who it was? The person who caught the guy…”

She shook her head. “I wish,” she placed her glass down on the table, turning to me. “He had his back toward me, and as soon as I heard, I knew it was you he harassed.”

Sighing, I shook my head and told her to get comfortable before I made my way to my room, my hands trembling with the certainty that was my future now. If Blake Knight was written in my future, there’s no way I could run from it anymore.

“Gen!!” I heard Amy yelling from the living room. Frowning, I turned and walked out only to freeze mid-stance. No…it can’t be…oh god, no, please, let this be a dream…no…no.

“Hello, Janitor!” Franze waved at me, an evil smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I shook my head, my vision already getting blurry as I rushed to my room, trying to shut the door. But his hand caught the door between the spaces, and he pushed it open, forcing my fall on the floor.

“Please, Fanz…no…don’t do this…please…”

“Gen! Who are you, people!? Leave her alone!” Amy cried and tried to tug free from Alina’s grip, struggling to reach me.

“Oh, how much we missed you, Janitor. Why did you run away, huh?” Franz spoke, standing over me, his legs caging my body as he crouched down, eyes darkening with each passing second.

“Please…don’t…” I was crying at this point, wishing for something, even an earthquake to stop it all, to stop Amy from getting hurt. She was innocent; she didn’t deserve this.

I closed my eyes when I saw Franz raising his arm to hit me. I had done this before, and I could do it again; I just need to bear through it. I bit my tongue and waited for the impact that was about to come within seconds.

Before the hit could reach me, a voice roared from behind us, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

“What did I say about touching what’s mine!?”

~ Blake’s POV

The sight in front of me made my blood burn. There wasn’t a single person on this earth who’d dare touch what belonged to me. I moved rhythmically, my steps thudding on the wooden floor of the cheap apartment. Franz stood up at the speed of light, standing away from Jane, who was still on the floor, her face tainted with tears. 

My jaw locked when I found her bruised arm turning purple as she struggled to stand up. My steps took me to her without knowingly, and I bent down, balancing my weight on my toes. “Did they touch you?” It was hard to keep my voice neutral when all that went through my head was violence and rage…furiousness.

She stared back at me, her innocent gray eyes widened in both terror and relief. She nodded, and I let out a breath before holding her under her arms and helping her stand back up. My hands were screaming to land at the faces of the jerks standing all around me, but I remained still, my hands still on Jane’s trembling body. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her sisters moving, trying to flee without getting noticed, and my lips twitched. “Take another step, and I’ll personally sew your feet to the fucking floor.” My voice thundered through the room, and one look at them was enough to glue them to the ground.

I moved, making Jane sit on the bed, and turned around, placing my hands back into my pockets before I did something I might regret later.

When I turned around, the siblings were standing together in a straight line and another girl on the floor, her wide, teary eyes staring back at me. From the look of her face, I knew she recognized me. “You can leave now.” My voice was commanding enough to let the girl know that it was safe for her friend now and that she HAD to leave. She shared a glance with the girl sitting silently behind me and left without another word—exactly what I wanted.

“I was very clear about being territorial, wasn’t I, Mr. Miller?” My eyes darted to the oldest trash of a brother Jane had. He stared at his sister behind me, fury filling his eyes as he turned his attention back to me.

“She’s my sister as—”

“Not anymore,” I growled, taking another threatening step in his direction to let him know he didn’t have the power he was imagining right now. All he was right now was a lamb I was very willing to sacrifice to get what I wanted. “She is my fiancé and wife-to-be very soon, Mr. Miller,” I spoke and took another step forward, taking my hand out of my pockets and playing with a metal card that looked like five of hearts from a usual set of cards, which it wasn’t. “Do you know what that means?” My head tilted to the side, eyes glued to the shaking man in front of me.

How dare he touch what’s mine!

“That she’s your who—” Before Luca, Jane’s other brother, could finish the sentence, I flicked my fingers in his direction, sending the card flying towards him and slicing his cheek open in the process. He screamed as the card landed with a thud on the ground and his face started bleeding. The corner of my lips twisted into a smirk as I watched him whimper and land on the floor. I saw his sister reach out to help him when I stopped her.

“Don’t even think about trying…” She stared at me, her eyes widened with terror. All of them looked at me with such terror as if they’d come across a dead relative. A sense of satisfaction rolled through my body when I saw their fear; this is what filled me with pride and satisfaction. The look of helplessness that crossed their faces is what keeps my power burning.

“This is the last time you touched her with evil intentions, Millers,” I spoke, my eyes rolling through the siblings, including the one crying on the floor.  “You’ll see wrath like never before if you ever cross me again…”

I may not be marrying Jane out of sheer will, but there was no way I’d let anyone insult a person tied to my name. I turned around and found her sitting still on the bed, her trembling eyes staring back at me with multiple emotions—shock, fear, relief, and maybe…hope. This was the first time I had seen someone stare at me with hope, the one emotion people seemed to forget whenever they crossed me, and I wondered if she was deserving enough to have it.  

Without another word, I picked her up, and the corner of my lips lifted in a subtle smile when I realized she decided it was better to remain silent. I walked out of the apartment with her in my arms, silent and probably contemplating the entire situation. I picked up my card in between and placed it safely back in my pocket, making my way back to my car.

I carefully seated her in the car’s passenger seat and walked to the driver’s seat, the driver waiting outside. “Behind,” I told him, and with a single nod, the driver nodded and made his way to the car behind us. I took out my phone and texted a message before placing it back in the pocket. I moved inside the car and drove out of the place, one car moving in front of us and another following closely behind, the protocol Nana forced me to keep even though I was perfectly capable of protecting myself.

As I drove through the narrow streets and onto the main road, a silent, scared voice erupted from beside me. “Where are you taking me?” She had her hands tightly clenched in her lap as she stared at me, her eyes turned to my side, hair a bit disheveled but still graceful.

“Home,” I replied. I felt her body squirm a little in its place, and I knew she wasn’t expecting me to take her to my place. But then again, even I was unable to refuse Nana dearest. I let out a sigh, trying to soften my voice as much as I could to keep her from feeling scared even though she had lashed out at me just a few hours ago. “You’ll be safe there…out of their reach,” I explained, and she nodded even though I could see a million questions rummaging through her mind.  I remained silent the entire ride. If Nana wanted her as her granddaughter-in-law, then she should be the one doing these uncomfortably awkward questions. 

When we reached the place, I could see Jane’s wide eyes staring at the place. The last time she was on my property, it was a different ballroom I used to host events. It was her first time here, and pride filled my chest when I realized she was probably gawking at the mansion.

I stopped the car at the entrance and went to open her door. She hesitantly walked out of the car, standing in one place awkwardly, probably trying to find her place in the property. Thankfully, Leah was already at the entrance, waiting for us. I motioned for Jane to follow, and she did, stopping right in front of the old lady.

“Leah, this is Jane,” I told Leah, our head maid, who nodded in response and took Jane’s hand in hers, guiding her inside the mansion. Leah was already aware of the situation through Nana and my strict instructions, so she didn’t need any more information. When I saw them disappearing in the mansion, I motioned for Alex to follow me.

We made our way to the building next to the one where Jane was and went inside the dark building, filled with multiple chambers on multiple floors. “Did you get him?” I asked Alex, who nodded in response, his hands holding onto a phone as he typed away.

“He’s on the second floor, 4th chamber,” Alex said, and I nodded, taking off my coat and handing it to Alex, rolling up my sleeves as I climbed the stairs. I hated the elevators and the laziness they caused, so there weren’t any in our entire mansion, and everyone was supposed to use stairs. “Are you handling this one yourself?” Alex asked, and I turned to face him, my eyes narrowing at him, and he nodded instantly, taking the hint already. “Okay… fine, have fun.” Alex shrugged, placing his phone back in his pocket.

Before I could enter the chamber, I turned to Alex. “Did you get her things?”

“You think I’d forget the one thing you texted TWICE!?” Alex asked, his eyebrows raised in an accusatory manner, and I nodded, not in the mood to play with his hintful questions. I turned the knob on the door and walked inside the chamber, taking the seat in front of the whimpering guy in the chair.

“You’ll ruin the alliance if you do this, Knight.” His voice was trembling when he spoke to me, and finally, my lips lifted into a smile, and I leaned forward, staring at him dead in the eyes.

“Alliance is nothing but protection. I’m done protecting you, Luca Miller.”