Episode 1 – Gunshot

The ballroom shimmered with crystal chandeliers, golden light spilling over polished marble floors. Both mafia families gathered tonight under the fragile pretense of peace. Cigars smoked, glasses of whiskey clinked, and every whispered word dripped with hidden hostility.

On one side of the room stood the Alvarez family, sleek in tailored black suits, cold eyes watching every move. On the other, the De Luca clan, equally powerful, equally dangerous.

And at the center of it all—

Adrian De Luca. Tall, sharp-jawed, with a predator’s aura. His very presence demanded silence.

And opposite him—

Kai Alvarez. Slimmer, refined but with steel in his gaze, his every movement calculated elegance.

The two heirs locked eyes, and the atmosphere thickened instantly. Everyone knew they despised each other.

Adrian smirked, his voice slicing through the polite chatter.

“So… Alvarez finally crawls out of his father’s shadow. Tell me, Kai, did you need permission to speak tonight—or are you finally pretending to be a man?”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Heads turned.

Kai’s lips curved into a razor-sharp smile.

“Funny, coming from the De Luca lapdog who hides behind his family’s money. Do you even know how to fight without your father cleaning up your mess?”

The words were venom, but the way their eyes clashed—like fire and gasoline—burned with something more dangerous.

Adrian stepped closer, lowering his glass with a sharp clink.

“Careful, pretty boy. If you keep running your mouth, I might just shut it for you.”

The room froze. For a moment, it felt like violence would erupt right there, blood on marble floors. But before it could spiral further, their fathers barked, forcing the tension down, dragging them apart with stern glares.

To everyone else, it looked like pure hatred.

But neither heir looked away. Not once.

Later that night…

The corridors of the Alvarez estate were silent. Moonlight bled through tall windows, shadows curling along the walls.

Kai slipped away from the crowd, footsteps soundless on polished floors. But before he reached his private suite—

A hand grabbed his wrist.

He spun, ready to fight—

Adrian.

Their bodies pressed close, hidden in the dark. The De Luca heir’s smirk had vanished, replaced with a raw hunger that only Kai ever got to see.

“You almost slipped tonight,” Adrian hissed, voice low, rough against Kai’s ear. “One more word and they’ll start suspecting something.”

Kai’s eyes narrowed, though his pulse betrayed him.

“Maybe I want them to suspect. Maybe I’m tired of playing this stupid game.”

Adrian’s grip tightened, pulling him flush against his chest.

“You don’t get to decide that, Kai.” His breath was hot, his words a dangerous promise. “This—” his thumb brushed against Kai’s lips, “—stays between us. No one can know.”

Kai’s laugh was sharp, trembling with both defiance and desire.

“Then shut me up, De Luca.”

And just like that, Adrian’s mouth crashed onto his, fierce and bruising. It wasn’t love—it was war in the form of a kiss. Desperation disguised as violence.

Kai melted against him, fingers twisting in Adrian’s suit, pulling him closer, deeper, like he couldn’t breathe without him.

When they finally tore apart, panting, Kai’s voice broke the silence:

“One day, Adrian… someone’s going to see. And when they do—this little secret of ours will destroy everything.”

Adrian smirked, eyes blazing.

“Then let it. I’d burn the world before I give you up.”

✨ Cliffhanger: The sound of footsteps echoed at the end of the corridor. Someone was coming.

---

...Rumor--...

...Footsteps echoed in the corridor—slow, deliberate, almost taunting....

...Kai froze, his chest pressed against Adrian’s, their breaths still heavy, lips swollen from a kiss that should have never happened. In an instant, passion turned into danger....

...Kai tried to push him away, but Adrian’s grip only tightened, his fingers digging into Kai’s waist like shackles....

...“Don’t move,” Adrian whispered, voice sharp with command....

...The footsteps grew louder....

...Adrian dragged Kai into the shadows of an alcove, pressing him against the cold marble pillar. The icy stone seared through Kai’s shirt, but Adrian’s heat pinned him in place....

...The air shifted. The faint smell of cigars and whiskey filled the hallway. This wasn’t a guard....

...It was Jai—Adrian’s most loyal man, his right hand, the one who knew him better than anyone....

...Kai held his breath, every muscle coiled. Jai wasn’t just loyal. He was dangerous. Too observant....

...Adrian lowered his lips to Kai’s ear, his voice a hushed threat that sent shivers racing down his spine....

...“If you make a sound… he’ll know.”...

...Their faces were so close it looked like Adrian was merely cornering his rival. To anyone else, it was dominance—De Luca over Alvarez. But the truth was far darker, far riskier....

...The footsteps stopped right in front of them. Jai leaned against the railing, his tone casual, but his words sharp....

...“Boss. Your father’s waiting. You shouldn’t linger… especially not on Alvarez ground.”...

...Adrian’s reply was calm, cold, controlled....

...“I know where I need to be. Go back inside, Jai.”...

...A pause. Too long. Like Jai could smell the tension, the danger, the secret hanging heavy in the air....

...Finally, Jai moved on, his steps fading down the corridor....

...Kai exhaled sharply, the air rushing back into his lungs. He shoved against Adrian’s chest, but Adrian didn’t budge. Instead, he crushed him harder against the marble, eyes burning....

...“You see that?” Adrian’s voice was low, lethal. “One second more and everything would’ve exploded. You really want that?”...

...Kai glared at him, fury laced with desire....

...“Maybe. At least then we’d stop pretending.”...

...Adrian’s mouth curved into a dangerous smirk, dark and cruel, yet laced with something almost fragile....

...“You think you could handle the war that would follow? You, me, our families—everything would burn.”...

...For a heartbeat, silence hung heavy....

...Then Adrian’s gaze softened, lips brushing Kai’s again, not violent this time but hauntingly gentle....

...“But you know what? I think I’d like to watch it all burn… with you.”...

...A shiver shot through Kai’s spine. Was it a promise? A threat? Or both?...

...Before Kai could answer, a deep bell rang from the grand hall, summoning everyone back. The sound shattered the moment like glass....

...Adrian stepped back, reluctantly letting him go. But his eyes—dark, hungry, dangerous—never left Kai’s....

...“This isn’t over.”...

...---...

...Back in the Ballroom...

...The chandeliers glittered above as the Alvarez and De Luca families gathered. The crowd buzzed with tension, whispers slithering like snakes between glasses of champagne....

...The two patriarchs stepped forward, their expressions carved from stone. The room fell into silence....

...Kai’s father, voice deep and commanding, spoke first....

...“For too long, blood has been spilled between our houses.”...

...Adrian’s father took over, his tone sharp as a blade....

...“Tonight, we put an end to it. Not with more war… but with unity.”...

...The words crashed into the room like thunder....

...“Our heirs will marry.”...

...Gasps erupted. Glasses shattered against the marble floor. The crowd erupted in whispers, scandal spreading like wildfire....

...Kai’s stomach dropped. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Marry Adrian? The man who kissed him in the shadows, the man he should hate but couldn’t resist?...

...Across the room, Adrian’s eyes locked onto his. Calm. Cold. Possessive....

...To the world, it looked like defiance. To Kai, it felt like a vow....

...A vow that this marriage wasn’t an alliance....

...It was a cage....

...And Adrian was already holding the key....

...---...

...✨ Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Adrian giving the faintest of smirks, like he had known this all along. Meanwhile, Kai feels the weight of invisible chains tightening around him, the truth too dangerous to voice: he wasn’t just being forced into marriage. He was being claimed....

...---...

---

... – Bomb Bomb...

...The grand hall was alive with whispers, murmurs threading through the crystal chandeliers like dangerous sparks. The announcement of the arranged marriage still echoed in every mind, heavy and suffocating....

...Kai gritted his teeth, palms pressed against the polished edge of the table. Every eye in the room felt like a blade, every whispered speculation a threat. Adrian, standing across the hall, looked impossibly calm, but the smoldering fire in his gaze told another story—one only Kai could read....

...Adrian approached, slow, deliberate, every step a silent warning....

...“You’re trembling, Alvarez,” he said, voice smooth, teasing, yet edged with steel. “Does the thought of marrying me terrify you?”...

...Kai’s laugh was sharp, biting, venomous....

...“Marry you? Please. I’d rather burn in my own fire than tie myself to a De Luca.”...

...The crowd gasped at the tension, but only the two of them knew the truth: every insult, every glare was a lie....

...Adrian’s smirk deepened. He leaned closer, close enough for Kai to feel the heat radiating off him....

...“Funny. I think you’d like it… more than you admit.”...

...Kai’s pulse spiked. He had to remind himself, this is war, this is not passion. Yet every brush of Adrian’s sleeve, every dangerously casual glance, sent shivers down his spine....

...The patriarchs returned to their seats, eyes flicking between the two heirs. They were expecting a show of hatred, a performance—and they would get one....

...Kai straightened, forcing the perfect sneer....

...“You think you can control me, De Luca? Dream on.”...

...Adrian mirrored him, expression cold, but his gaze lingered, almost possessive....

...“Control? No. Dominate? Perhaps.”...

...The room felt electric. Every movement, every whispered word between them was loaded, explosive. The spectators didn’t know it yet, but the tension was like a bomb ticking slowly toward detonation....

...---...

...Later, in the shadowed corridors...

...Kai couldn’t stay composed. The mask of hatred he wore in public was suffocating, and Adrian’s presence behind him made the air unbearable....

...Adrian caught him by the wrist, spinning him around. The hallway was empty, shadows dancing against the walls....

...“You almost made a mistake in there,” Adrian whispered, voice low, rough with desire. “Everyone is watching. You need to remember who you are… and what we are.”...

...Kai’s lips quivered, fighting the need to throw himself into Adrian’s arms....

...“Maybe I don’t care anymore,” he muttered. His hand slid up Adrian’s chest, feeling the heat, the tension, the promise....

...Adrian’s grip tightened on his waist, bringing him flush against his body....

...“You don’t get to give up. Not yet. Not ever.”...

...Kai’s laugh was shaky, filled with defiance and longing....

...“Then why does it feel like I’m already yours?”...

...Adrian smirked, tilting his head, brushing his lips against Kai’s ear....

...“Because you are. And no one, not even your family, will change that.”...

...The corridor became their private battlefield, every kiss, every touch a declaration of war and love intertwined....

...---...

...✨ Cliffhanger: A sudden crash echoed from the ballroom—one of the family elders had overturned a chair in anger, shouting about disobedience. Both Kai and Adrian froze, knowing the fragile line between secrecy and exposure had just become razor-thin....

...---...