My gaze dropped before I could stop it.
To his lips.
I shouldn't have looked. I knew that. But after everything—the tension, the silence, the way he had been watching me the entire time—it was impossible not to.
I swallowed slowly.
Damn it…
For a brief second, I forgot where we were. The room. The people. The wedding in forty minutes.
All I could think about was him.
Chak noticed.
His eyes flickered down, following my gaze, and when they lifted back to mine, there was something dangerous in them. Something that made my pulse spike.
I hesitated only for a second before raising my hand slightly—just enough for him to see—and made a small, almost invisible gesture.
A silent request.
His lips twitched.
"Five-minute break," Chak said suddenly, his voice calm, controlled—as if nothing had just passed between us.
Chairs shifted.
Vikran stood immediately, glancing at Anamarija. "Come with me."
She didn't argue. Just gave one last unreadable look toward Chak before following him out.
The moment the door closed, Chak moved.
He stood up, walked toward the glass wall, and with one smooth motion, pulled the blinds down. The outside disappeared. The world disappeared.
My breath caught.
He turned.
And then he was in front of me.
Close.
Too close.
He leaned down slightly, placing the folder in a way that blocked any possible view from the remaining corners of the room.
Calculated.
Always calculated.
But his eyes—
They weren't.
"Still thinking about it?" he murmured.
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
His hand came up, fingers brushing lightly against my jaw before tilting my head just enough—
And then he kissed me.
It wasn't rushed.
Not desperate.
But it wasn't soft either.
It was controlled. Deep. Possessive in a way that sent heat straight through my chest.
I exhaled into him, my hand instinctively gripping the edge of the table as I leaned just a little closer.
For a moment, everything else disappeared.
No contracts.
No wedding.
No pain.
Just him.
Just this.
When he pulled back, it was only by a fraction.
Not enough.
Never enough.
He moved in again—
His phone rang.
The sound cut through the moment like a blade.
Chak stilled.
A quiet, irritated breath left him as he reached for the phone, his brows pulling together slightly when he saw the number.
Unknown.
"…Yes" he answered, his voice already back to that calm, controlled tone.
I watched his face as he listened.
And then—it changed.
Just slightly.
Surprise.
Not much.
But enough that I noticed.
On the other side, a male voice spoke, steady but strained.
"I'm canceling the contract. She doesn't have to marry me," he said. "I can see it now… she will never look at me the way she looks at that man."
My chest tightened.
"…However," the voice continued, "in return, I want one thing. One day. I want her to pretend to be my girlfriend."
Silence.
I kept my eyes on Chak.
He didn't react immediately.
But I could see it—his mind already moving, calculating, adjusting.
Finally, he spoke.
"I'll tell her," Chak said calmly. "And I'll let you know her answer."
The call ended.
For a second, neither of us moved.
The air had changed again.
And somehow—
It felt even more dangerous than before.
The silence lingered for only a second after the call ended.
Then—
"What is it?" Kit asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leaned forward.
Chak didn't look at him immediately. His gaze lingered somewhere distant, his mind clearly already ten steps ahead.
"You'll find out," he said calmly.
That tone again.
Short. Final.
No room for questions.
He turned his head slightly. "Pim."
"Yes, sir."
"Cancel the registry appointment."
Pim froze for half a second—just enough to show surprise—before nodding quickly. "Understood."
The door opened again.
Anamarija and Vikran walked back in.
She looked composed. Too composed. Like she had already accepted the outcome.
Vikran, on the other hand, was watching everything.
Carefully.
They both took their seats.
Chak didn't waste time.
He looked directly at her.
"You don't have to get married."
The words landed heavily.
Anamarija blinked, clearly not expecting that. Her brows pulled together slightly as she tilted her head.
"…Why not?"
Chak leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression unreadable.
"Phalin's brother called me," he said evenly. "He's withdrawing from the contract. He said there's no point in forcing you into something… when it's obvious your heart belongs to someone else." He looked direct in Vikran.
Silence.
I felt it shift again.
Anamarija's gaze flickered—just for a second—before steadying.
Chak continued.
"In return, he wants one thing. One day. He wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend."
A pause.
"After that, he'll leave you completely alone."
No pressure in his tone.
Just facts.
Anamarija didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she looked at Vikran.
Then at Chak.
And then—
At me.
Like she was measuring something none of us could fully see.
"…Alright," she said finally. "Deal."
Vikran moved instantly.
"No."
All eyes turned to him.
His jaw tightened slightly as he leaned forward, his gaze locked on Chak—then shifting to Anamarija.
"There are conditions."
Chak didn't interrupt.
Vikran continued, his voice calm but firm.
"He can't touch your waist."
A beat.
"He can't kiss you. Not on the lips. Not on the cheek. Not on the forehead."
The room went completely still.
"He can only kiss your hand."
Silence.
Anamarija turned her head slowly, looking at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"…Are you jealous?" she asked.
Vikran didn't even hesitate.
"Never."
A pause.
Then, softer—but somehow more dangerous:
"I'm just taking care of you."
His gaze didn't leave hers.
"Because one day… you'll be my girlfriend."
The air shifted again.
Anamarija held his gaze for a moment—
And then smiled.
Not mocking.
Not dismissive.
Just… something unreadable.
And that somehow made it even more dangerous.
The silence was calm
And then—
Chak smiled.
Slowly.
Like he had just heard something mildly amusing.
"Setting conditions," he repeated softly, his gaze fixed on Vikran. "For one day."
There was something in his tone.
Not mocking.
Not fully serious either.
Just… dangerous.
Vikran didn't smile back.
"Just let him touch her anywhere else," he said coldly, his eyes darkening, "and he'll regret it."
The words didn't sound like a warning.
They sounded like a promise.
No one in the room doubted it.
Then he turned to Anamarija.
His expression shifted—just slightly.
Softer.
But not weaker.
"And don't you dare kiss him on the lips," he added, his voice lower now. "Because I'll be the one you'll have your first kiss with."
Anamarija blinked once.
Then—
A small smile curved on her lips.
Not surprised.
Not offended.
Amused.
"…I kind of like your jealousy," she said lightly.
That didn't help.
If anything, it made Vikran's gaze burn even deeper.
Taeng leaned back in his chair, watching the entire exchange like it was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all day.
"Alright," he said casually, crossing his arms. "Let's say she actually had to get married."
A pause.
His eyes slid toward Vikran.
"Where would you kiss her?"
No hesitation.
"On the cheek," Vikran answered instantly.
No smirk.
No teasing.
Just certainty.
And somehow—
That answer carried more weight than anything else he had said so far.
I watched him.
The way he answered without hesitation.
The way he didn't try to impress anyone.
Didn't try to claim more than he should.
…On the cheek.
Simple.
Respectful.
Certain.
Something in my chest tightened.
That's the kind of man she needs.
The thought came uninvited.
Unwanted.
But it stayed.
Because it was true.
Before I could sink deeper into it, Chak moved.
He picked up his phone again, his expression already back to that cold, controlled calm.
He dialed.
It didn't ring long.
"…Yes," Chak said, his voice even. "She agrees to your proposal."
A pause.
"But—"
His gaze shifted.
Straight to Vikran.
"Her future boyfriend has a few conditions you'll have to follow."
Silence.
Then a voice came through the speaker, curious.
"…What kind of conditions?"
Chak's lips curved faintly.
"Don't ask me," he said calmly. "He'll tell you himself."
Without breaking eye contact with Vikran, Chak extended the phone toward him.
A silent invitation.
Or a challenge.
Vikran didn't hesitate.
He took it.
His posture straightened slightly, his grip firm as he brought the phone to his ear.
"Listen carefully," Vikran said, his tone flat, controlled. "You don't touch her waist."
A beat.
"You don't kiss her. Not on the lips. Not on the cheek. Not on the forehead."
The room went still again.
"You can only kiss her hand."
Silence.
Then—e
"And what if I don't follow them?" the voice on the other side asked.
Calm.
Testing.
Vikran didn't even blink.
"Then don't."
A pause.
His eyes lifted.
Locking onto Anamarija.
Cold.
Certain.
"And deal with the consequences."
Silence fell again.
He didn't look away from her.
Not even for a second.
And somehow—
That made the warning feel even more real.
For a second there was nothing on the other side.
No response.
Just silence.
Then a quiet exhale.
"…You're serious," Phalin's brother said.
Not mocking.
Not dismissive.
Just… acknowledging.
Vikran didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
He was thinking.
Calculating.
And then finally—
"…Fine," the voice said. "One day. Your rules."
"But remember—this isn't a game for me."
Vikran's gaze didn't shift.
"It never is," he replied coldly.
Click.
The line went dead.
Vikran lowered the phone slowly, then handed it back to Chak without a word.
The room stayed quiet.
Like everyone was waiting for something else to happen.
For the tension to snap.
But it didn't.
Instead—
Vikran turned.
Toward her.
Anamarija didn't move.
Didn't step back.
Didn't look away.
For a second, they just stood there.
Close.
Too close.
Then Vikran stepped forward.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
His hand lifted—hesitating only for a fraction of a second before gently resting against her arm, careful, like even that small touch mattered.
And then—
He leaned in.
Soft.
He kissed her on the cheek.
Not rushed.
Not claimed.
Just… there.
A promise.
When he pulled back, his voice dropped, quieter now.
"I'll protect you," he said softly.
A pause.
"No matter what happens."
Something shifted again.
But this time—
It wasn't sharp.
It wasn't dangerous.
It was… steady
Grounded.
Real.
I felt it in my chest.
That certainty.
That quiet strength.
And without thinking—
My eyes moved.
To Chak.
I expected tension.
A reaction.
Anything.
But—
Nothing.
He was completely relaxed.
Leaning back in his chair, one arm resting casually, the phone still in his hand.
Watching.
Calm.
And somehow—
That unsettled me more than anything else.