Chapter 2

A few hours had passed.

The mansion was wrapped in silence. Moonlight seeped through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting pale shadows across the room. I lay quietly on her side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, sleep refused to come. It was strange. Just this morning, she was simply Aria. By sunset, she had become Mrs. Sinclair—the wife of the most feared and powerful man in the country.

She smiled bitterly at the thought. How funny life can be...Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching the room.

Click. The door slowly opened. It was him. She immediately sat up. "You're not asleep?" he asked coldly. "I should be asking you the same thing." He loosened the first few buttons of his shirt before replying,

"I had work."

His eyes suddenly fell upon her bare feet touching the marble floor. His expression darkened immediately. "Who told you to walk around barefoot?" I blinked in confusion. "It's just the room." ....."Answer my question."

"No one?"

He let out an annoyed sigh. Without saying another word, he picked her up bridal style. "W-What are you doing? Put me down!"

"Stop moving."...."But—"

"Do you always talk this much?"..."Only when someone kidnaps me in my own room!"

He ignored her protests and placed her gently on the bed before walking toward the closet. Moments later, he returned with a pair of soft house slippers. "Wear them." I looked at him blankly. "Were you worried about me?"

"No." ...."Then why—" ...."Because if my wife falls sick because of something so stupid, people will say I don't know how to take care of what's mine."....She couldn't help but laugh softly. He's surprisingly easy to understand.

He says one thing, but does another.

Before I could thank him, his phone suddenly rang. The moment he answered it, the warmth in his expression disappeared. "Speak." The voice from the other side trembled in fear. "Sir! We've caught him." His expression darkened instantly.

"Good."

"What should we do with him?" He glanced briefly at Aria before walking toward the balcony. "Break both his hands."

I froze.

"Sir?"

"I believe my orders were clear." The call disconnected. For the first time, she realized that the man standing before her wasn't merely a wealthy CEO. He was dangerous. Ruthless. Feared by everyone. He returned to the room as if nothing had happened. Seeing her pale face, he frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" ..."A-Are you a bad person?" Silence filled the room. No one had ever dared ask him such a question before. He slowly sat beside her and asked, "Are you afraid?" ...She remained silent for a few seconds before slowly shaking her head. "No." This time, he was surprised.

"Why?"

She smiled softly before replying, "Because bad people don't carry their wives when they're barefoot."....."Bad people don't remember to bring slippers either."

His eyes widened slightly...."And..." she continued with an innocent smile, "I don't think your eyes look scary when you're looking at me." For the first time in twenty-nine years, Damien Sinclair was rendered speechless by a single sentence. Everyone feared him. But his wife? She looked at him as if he were simply...human.

And perhaps, that frightened him more than anything else.

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