The city slept, but the underworld never did.

Neon lights flickered over wet streets, rain washing sins into gutters that had seen too much. Somewhere downtown, a deal had gone wrong. Somewhere else, a man had disappeared. And at the center of it all stood Leo—the man everyone feared but barely knew.

They called him the Ghost Boss.

Not because he was dead.

Because he made others disappear.

No social media. No photos. No real name anyone could trace. Even his enemies weren’t sure he existed until it was too late. People said he walked through gunfire like it was bad weather and smiled while cities burned behind him.

Leo liked the rumors.

Fear was cheaper than bullets.

“Boss, the docks are clear,” Jin said, stepping carefully over a body. “West crew’s done.”

Leo didn’t look at the corpse. He didn’t need to. He already knew. He adjusted his gloves instead, the leather smooth and spotless despite the chaos around him.

“Too easy,” Leo muttered.

Jin laughed nervously. “You say that every time.”

Rain fell harder, hitting the shipping containers like impatient fingers. The docks smelled like oil, metal, and fear. Somewhere far away, a siren wailed, but it sounded bored—as if even the police knew better than to show up.

Leo walked forward, long coat swaying behind him. His shoes didn’t splash. He hated splashing.

“Did anyone see my face?” he asked.

Jin swallowed. “No, Boss. Same as always.”

“Good.”

A sudden crack split the air.

Pain exploded through Leo’s side.

For half a second, the world froze.

Jin shouted, “SNIPER—!”

Another shot rang out, hitting a container inches from Leo’s head. Leo reacted on instinct, twisting, pulling his gun, firing once.

Silence followed.

The sniper never fired again.

Leo exhaled slowly. His heart didn’t race. It never did. He looked down at his side, annoyed more than alarmed.

Blood.

Dark and warm.

“So damn inconvenient,” he said.

Jin rushed to him. “Boss! You’re hit!”

“It’s nothing.”

But when Leo took a step forward, his vision blurred. The dock lights doubled, then tripled. His body felt heavy, like gravity had suddenly remembered him.

Jin’s face went pale. “Boss… you’re bleeding bad.”

Leo leaned against a container, annoyed at himself. He hadn’t miscalculated. He hadn’t been sloppy.

But even ghosts could get grazed.

“Get the car,” Leo ordered. “Now.”

Jin hesitated. “You need a doctor.”

“No hospitals,” Leo snapped. “You want my face on the news?”

Another step.

The ground tilted.

Leo clenched his jaw. He refused to fall here. Not in front of men. Not in front of death.

Then everything went black.

The Ghost Boss didn’t remember falling.

He remembered dreaming.

A soft voice.

Warm hands.

The faint smell of strawberries.

“Hey. Hey. Don’t die.”

The voice was gentle, almost annoyed. Like someone talking to a stubborn cat.

Leo tried to open his eyes.

Failed.

“Seriously,” the voice said. “If you die, I’m calling the cops, and I really don’t want that.”

Leo wanted to laugh.

No one talked to him like that.

He forced his eyes open.

The first thing he saw was pink.

Pink curtains. Pink walls. Pink—was that a teddy bear?

“What… the hell…” he rasped.

“Oh! You’re awake.”

He turned his head.

She stood near the window, holding a carton of strawberry milk with both hands. Small. Soft-looking. The kind of girl who would apologize if you bumped into her.

She looked at him like he was a mild inconvenience.

“Don’t move,” she said. “You’ll open the wound.”

Leo stared at her.

This girl.

This random, fragile-looking girl—

Had saved him?

“Where am I?” he asked.

“My apartment.”

“…You brought me here?”

She nodded. “You were bleeding out in an alley.”

“You should’ve run.”

She frowned. “You would’ve died.”

“I don’t die.”

She took a sip of her milk. “You were doing a pretty good job trying.”

Silence stretched between them.

Leo studied her carefully. No fear in her eyes. No panic. Just calm curiosity, like he was a weird stray she’d decided to keep alive.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Ava.”

He repeated it silently.

Ava.

It didn’t fit the situation.

Or the feeling in his chest.

“You know who I am?” Leo asked.

She shrugged. “Some guy with bad luck.”

He laughed softly, then winced.

That laugh had ended empires.

Ava raised an eyebrow. “You find getting shot funny?”

“No,” Leo said. “I find you funny.”

She rolled her eyes. “You mafia guys are all the same.”

His smile vanished.

“You know?” he asked quietly.

She met his gaze without flinching. “Vibes.”

For the first time in years, Leo felt something unfamiliar.

Interest.

Dangerous, stupid interest.

He leaned back, ignoring the pain.

“You shouldn’t have saved me,” he said.

Ava smiled sweetly and lifted her strawberry milk. “Too late.”

And somewhere deep in the shadows of the city, fate laughed—because the Ghost Boss had just survived the night…

Only to walk straight into something far more terrifying.

A girl who didn’t fear him at all....

The alley smelled like trash, rain, and bad decisions.

Leo hated alleys.

Too narrow. Too messy. Too many places for rats and cowards to hide. But tonight, the city had forced him into one, and he wasn’t in the mood to argue with fate.

Blood soaked through his shirt, warm and sticky against his skin. The bullet hadn’t hit anything vital, but the blood loss was annoying. He pressed a hand to his side and leaned against the brick wall, breathing slowly.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “I let my guard down for two seconds.”

His phone buzzed.

Jin: Boss where are you???

Leo typed back with one hand.

Leo: Handle the mess. I’ll deal with this.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and took one step forward.

His legs betrayed him.

“Seriously?” he growled, stumbling. The world tilted, lights stretching like bad memories. He hit the wall again, jaw clenched.

That’s when he heard footsteps.

Light ones.

Not rushed. Not scared.

Leo lifted his head, eyes sharp despite the dizziness.

A girl stood at the mouth of the alley.

She wore an oversized hoodie, sneakers, and carried a grocery bag like she’d just committed the crime of buying snacks at midnight. Her hair was tied up messy, strands falling around her face.

She stared at him.

He stared back.

For three seconds, no one moved.

Then she spoke.

“Oh.”

Leo blinked.

“…Oh?” he echoed.

She took a cautious step closer. “You’re bleeding.”

He almost laughed.

“No kidding.”

Her eyes dropped to his side. Blood dripped onto the pavement. She winced like she felt it herself.

“That looks… bad.”

“It’s fine.”

“It is not fine.”

He straightened slightly, forcing authority into his voice. “Go home.”

She hesitated.

Good.

Then she shook her head.

Bad.

“If you stay here, you’ll pass out,” she said. “And then you’ll die.”

Leo smiled, slowly and was dangerous. “You should be scared of me.”

She frowned. “You should be scared of blood loss.”

That was new.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Ava.”

“Run, Ava.”

She sighed. “You’re heavy, aren’t you?”

Before he could react, she stepped forward and hooked his arm over her shoulder.

Leo stiffened instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

“Relax,” she said. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d let you bleed.”

That sentence sat wrong.

Very wrong.

She dragged him down the alley, step by step. Leo wanted to fight it. He really did. But his body refused, traitor that it was.

“You’re making a mistake,” he muttered.

“The Story of my life.”

Ava’s apartment was small, clean, and smelled faintly like strawberries.

Leo noticed everything even while half-conscious.

Weapon count: zero in sight.

Security: basic locks.

Threat level: nonexistent.

Which made no sense.

She sat him down on the couch and disappeared into another room. He heard drawers opening, cabinets closing.

She came back with a first aid kit.

“A kit?” he scoffed weakly. “That won’t fix a gunshot.”

“It will if you stop bleeding like a drama queen.”

She knelt in front of him.

Her hands were steady.

Too steady.

“Where’d you learn this?” he asked.

“YouTube,” she said instantly.

He snorted. “Liar.”

She glanced up. “Excuse you?”

“You’re calm. Precise. You didn’t flinch once.”

She smiled sweetly. “Maybe I’m just built differently.”

She cut the fabric cleanly, cleaned the wound, and stitched him up with smooth, practiced motions. Leo watched her like a predator watching something unfamiliar.

“You’re not normal,” he said.

“Neither are you,” she shot back.

He liked that.

When she finished, she leaned back and exhaled. “There. Try not to die.”

“Thank you,” he said.

She blinked. “Wow. Manners.”

His phone buzzed again.

Jin: Boss I traced you—

A knock hit the door.

Ava froze.

Leo stood instantly, pain forgotten. He moved in front of her without thinking.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

She blinked at his back. “…You’re injured.”

“And you’re mine to protect.”

“What—”

The door swung open.

Jin stared.

At Leo.

Then at Ava.

Then back at Leo.

“…Boss?”

Leo didn’t look away from the door. “Get the car.”

Jin nodded, eyes wide, and left.

Ava crossed her arms. “You can’t just claim people.”

Leo turned to her, towering slightly. “I can.”

She tilted her head. “Why?”

“Because someone hurt me tonight,” he said. “And the universe doesn’t do coincidences.”

She laughed softly. “You’re paranoid.”

“Alive people are.”

He walked to the door.

“Ava,” he said without turning. “From now on, don’t walk alone at night.”

She lifted a carton of strawberry milk from the table and took a sip.

“From now on,” she said, “don’t bleed in my alley.”

Leo smiled.

He left without seeing the hidden safe behind her bookshelf.

Or the ancient markings on the blade beneath her bed.

And Ava watched him go, eyes dark and amused, thinking—

So the Ghost Boss thinks he’s protecting me.

Cute.

Leo didn’t sleep that night.

Which wasn’t unusual—sleep was optional when you ran half the city—but this time it wasn’t because of work. It was because every time he closed his eyes, he saw pink curtains, steady hands, and a girl who looked at a gunshot wound like it was a spilled drink.

“She should’ve been scared,” Leo muttered, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse.

Behind him, Jin sat stiffly on the couch, replaying the night in his head for the tenth time.

“Boss,” Jin said carefully, “you collapsed. That’s already weird. But the real issue is—you let a civilian take you home.”

Leo shot him a look.

“A civilian who stitched you up,” Jin added quickly. “Perfectly. Like… scary perfectly.”

Leo poured himself a drink. Didn’t touch it.

“She’s a risk,” Jin continued. “We should move her. Somewhere safe. Somewhere we control.”

Leo turned slowly.

“No.”

Jin blinked. “No?”

“She stays where she is.”

“That’s—uh—dangerous?”

Leo’s lips curled. “Exactly.”

Ava woke up to knocking.

Not aggressive. Not polite either.

Just… confident.

She padded to the door in socks, hair messy, strawberry milk already in hand. She peeked through the peephole.

Three men in black suits.

One of them waved at the camera.

“Oh,” Ava murmured. “That track.”

She opened the door halfway.

“Yes?”

Jin bowed slightly. “Miss Ava. Apologies for the intrusion. We’re here on behalf of—”

“Leo,” she finished.

Jin froze. “You know his name.”

She shrugged. “I Googled ‘dramatic bleeding man.’”

One of the guards snorted. Jin elbowed him.

Ava leaned against the doorframe. “If this is about him dying in my living room, he didn’t. So we’re good.”

Jin cleared his throat. “The Boss wishes to ensure your safety.”

She raised an eyebrow. “From what?”

“…Everything.”

She smiled. “That sounds expensive.”

By noon, Ava had a tail.

She noticed instantly.

Black sedan. Same turn twice. Too clean to be a coincidence.

“Cute,” she muttered, sipping her milk.

She walked faster.

The sedan followed.

She ducked into a convenience store, waited exactly thirty seconds, then exited through the side door.

The sedan screeched to a halt.

Two men jumped out.

Ava sighed. “Guys.”

They froze.

“How did you—”

“You’re not subtle,” she said. “Also, you walk like you’re expecting bullets.”

They exchanged looks.

“Tell Leo,” she continued, “that if he’s gonna stalk me, he should at least send someone hotter.”

One of them choked.

Leo heard about it fifteen minutes later.

“She noticed us,” Jin said.

Leo leaned back in his chair. “Of course she did.”

“She threatened our pride.”

Leo smiled faintly. “I like her.”

“That’s not comforting.”

That night, Ava closed her clinic early.

Yes. Clinic.

A tiny, legally registered medical clinic tucked between a bakery and a tattoo parlor. Leo’s men had found it within hours.

“Boss,” Jin said, holding a tablet. “She’s licensed. Top scores. Ridiculous credentials.”

Leo frowned. “Age?”

“Mid-twenties.”

“Too young.”

“That’s what I said.”

Leo stood. “Take me there.”

Ava was locking up when Leo stepped out of the shadows.

She didn’t jump.

Didn’t scream.

Didn’t even look surprised.

“You’re healed fast,” she said.

“Good doctor,” he replied.

She turned slowly. “You followed me.”

“I protected you.”

“By stalking.”

“Same thing.”

She crossed her arms. “You’re gonna scare off my patients.”

“You have patients?”

“People get sick,” she said. “Even in your city.”

He studied her face. “You’re hiding something.”

She smiled. “Everyone is.”

A drunk stumbled out of the bar next door and bumped into Ava hard.

“Watch it, sweetheart,” the man slurred, grabbing her wrist.

Leo moved.

The man was on the ground in half a second, gasping, arm twisted at an impossible angle.

Leo hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“Touch her again,” Leo said coldly, “and I’ll remove the arm.”

The man sobbed.

Ava stared.

“Leo,” she said calmly, “you’re breaking my no-violence rule outside business hours.”

Leo looked at her. “You’re not scared.”

She knelt, adjusted the man’s dislocated shoulder with a sharp twist.

The man screamed.

Then passed out.

Ava stood, brushing her hands. “There. Fixed.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

“That was… fast.”

“Practice.”

“With what?”

She met his gaze. Something old flickered in her eyes.

“Life.”

Silence.

Then Leo laughed.

Low. Dangerous.

“You’re not a normal girl,” he said.

She took a sip of strawberry milk. “And you’re not a normal criminal.”

He stepped closer. “From now on, you don’t walk alone.”

She leaned in, voice soft. “From now on, don’t assume you’re the scariest thing in my life.”

For the first time in years—

Leo felt challenged.

And thrilled.

As he walked away, Ava watched his shadow disappear… then turned, unlocked a hidden door behind the clinic, and descended into darkness.

Weapons gleamed.

Files lined the walls.

And at the center—

A symbol every major syndicate feared.

Ava smiled.

“So,” she murmured, opening a fresh carton of strawberry milk,

“the Ghost Boss wants to protect me.”