Chapter 1 - The First Meeting

Chapter 1 - The First Meeting

The campus felt heavier than usual.

Hana stood outside the engineering block, clutching her project file so tightly that her fingers hurt. Final semester. Final project. Final chance to prove she was good enough-for her grades, for her future, for her mother waiting at home with quiet hope in her eyes.

Her chest felt tight.

Deadlines, presentations, expectations-everything pressed down on her fragile shoulders at once.

Groups rushed past her, laughing, arguing, living so easily. Hana took a slow breath and stepped inside, telling herself she could do this. She always did. No matter how scared she felt, she never stopped moving forward.

She turned the corner-

And crashed straight into a wall of muscle.

Her files slipped from her hands, papers scattering across the marble floor.

"I-I'm sorry," she blurted out instantly, bending down to gather them, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I wasn't looking-"

Her words died.

Black shoes. Tailored trousers. A presence so heavy it made the air feel thick.

She slowly looked up.

The man standing in front of her was unreal.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp jawline. Cold, piercing eyes that looked like they could see straight through her soul. His expression didn't change-no irritation, no apology-just quiet dominance. Не wore a black suit like it was part of his skin, power clinging to him effortlessly.

Hana's heart skipped.

Not in excitement.

In fear.

"I said I'm sorry," she whispered again, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound composed.

Ivan looked down at her, eyes narrowing slightly.

There was something about her-something that didn't fit here. Innocent eyes. Soft lips parted in nervous breaths. Fragile hands shaking as she gathered her papers. She didn't belong in his world, and yet... she had just walked straight into him.

Interesting.

"Watch where you're going," he said.

His voice was low. Dark. Calm in a way that made her spine go cold.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't threatening.

But it made her uneasy in a way she couldn't explain.

"Yes," Hana replied quickly, standing up and clutching her files to her chest. She didn't meet his eyes again. Something told her that if she did, she wouldn't be able to look away.

She hurried past him, heart racing, trying to shake off the strange chill crawling up her skin.

Why did that feel... wrong?

She told herself not to think about it. People like him existed everywhere-cold, arrogant, powerful.

He was probably some visiting CEO or investor.

Someone from a world far above hers.

He meant nothing.

Behind her, Ivan didn't move.

His eyes followed her small retreating figure until she disappeared into the crowd.

"Ryan," he said calmly.

Ryan, standing a step behind him, raised an eyebrow. "That's the first time you've stopped walking in the middle of a college hallway."

Ivan's lips curved-not into a smile, but something darker.

"Get me everything about her."

Ryan blinked. "Her?"

"The girl."

Ryan glanced in the direction Hana had gone.

"College student?"

"Yes."

"Name?"

Ivan paused.

That annoyed him.

"I don't know," he admitted, his jaw tightening slightly. "Yet."

Ryan studied his friend carefully. He'd known Ivan since childhood. He had seen him ruthless, merciless, untouchable. He had never-never-seen him interested.

"This is new," Ryan said lightly. "You don't do interest."

"I don't do weakness," Ivan corrected coldly. "That's exactly why I need to know."

Ryan didn't argue. He never did when Ivan used that tone. "I'll find out."

Ivan nodded once and continued walking, his mind already moving several steps ahead.

Girls had always been distractions. Tools. Temporary pleasures. In the mafia world, attachment was a liability. Love was a weakness others exploited without mercy.

He had built his empire by eliminating weaknesses.

So why did her face linger in his thoughts?

Back in the classroom, Hana tried to focus on her project discussion, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard that voice again-low, commanding, dangerous.

She rubbed her arms, as if trying to wipe away the unease.

"Get it together, Hana," she whispered to herself.

She had no idea that the man she dismissed as a passing encounter had already marked her.

To Ivan, attraction was a threat.

And threats were hunted

If she had the power to weaken him, then she would belong to him-completely. Locked away from a world that could use her against him.

He wouldn't let anyone touch what was his.

Not even her freedom.

And Hana, unaware of the storm she had awakened, kept working on her project-believing this day was just another stressful moment in her ordinary life.

She was wrong.

This was the beginning of the hunt.

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