PROLOGUE

Raiven dropped himself on the sofa as soon as he entered his office, beyond exhausted. It had been a long ass day. Defending clients-- genuinely innocent or not-- in court and providing their innocence always exhausted the fuck out of him, but it was satisfying when the result was in his favor-- just like today. Though the family from the other side cursed him to no end after the case was closed and his client was found not guilty, it was not like he cared. For him, innocent or not, as long as his client was able to afford his expensive fee, then he will not stop until his client was innocent.

And to everyone who abhorred his existence, he was nothing but a rotten scum. For Raiven, though, it was better than being righteous. Being righteous would starve you, get you killed, make you penniless. The world was not merciful to heroes, and money made the world go round. That was the horrible truth that many people couldn't accept.

If one wanted to stand at the top, he had to be a rotten scum-- that was Atty. Raiven Valiz's personal belief, and he had been adhering to that since the day he decided to become a lawyer.

Raiven sighed after having those unpleasant thoughts. He suddenly remembered his little brother telling him not defend criminals, but Raiven had to disagree. Those nasty bastards paid well, and money was important. Look at what happened to us before because we don't have money... people always say that money was not important-- as long as you had God and you were a decent human being, you'd be blessed, but that was not really true. It was all a lie, because in the real world, money was God. Money could make people dance and sing.

Who said money couldn't buy happiness? It was full of bullshit. If they had money before, then they'd be very happy now.

Not everybody would agree that money couldn't buy happiness, but Raiven did.

Sighing heavily, Raiven cleared his head before leaning on his seat. He knew he should rest after that draining case, but in days like these, it was always better to end it by enjoying a few drinks at his favorite bar before hitting the day. He wanted to relax before attacking and winning again the next day.

With that thought, Raiven stood up and left his office. After talking to his secretary, he settled himself on the driver's seat of his car and started the engine to drive towards Valec Bar.

When Raiven entered, he immediately occupied his favorite seat at far corner, a place that only had a dim light where no one could recognize him from afar.

As he sat on the stool, Raiven called out for the bartender and ordered, " One dirty martini please."

The bartender smiled and nodded, " One dirty martini, coming right up."

Raiven took a deep breath, and while waiting for his drink, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation from the table behind him.

"Fuck off! I will never accept you! I hate you! do you hear me? You get the fuck out of my life and stop pissing me off!" The owner of the voice was clearly enraged.

But the voice who answered was calm, soothing, and he had a deep voice that made Raiven listen attentively. " Come on, Khai, don't be like that. I know you love me, I'm your b---"

" Don't you dare say it!"

Raiven was stunned for a second and a question was formed in his head in an instant. Lovers' quarrel? Gay lovers' quarrel? That was his first time hearing such argument live and it got him slightly curious, so he continued listening. He couldn't help it anyway. The couple was a bit loud.

"Khai, don't be hard on me, please? I'm leaving for work tomorrow," said the guy with the calm, soothing, and deep voice. Raiven felt lulled just by listening to him. "Who knows when we'll see each other again? I don't even know if I'm coming back alive."

"Just fuck off already!"

"Khai, won't you miss me? Cause I'll miss you."

"I hate you."

"I love you."

Raiven tuned out the two and accepted his dirty martini with a small smile, thanking the bartender. While enjoying his drink, he thought about the couple he tuned out behind him.

What a pitiful guy. His lover clearly doesn't like nor care about him, and he's about to go to work where he might get killed in the near future. Really pitiful, if only breaking someone heart was a crime... then he would probably defending lots of heartbreakers. Meaning-- lots of money.

Out of curiosity, while his lips were hovering over the rim of the glass he was holding, Raiven slightly turned his head to take a peek behind him-- to see the couple, but the table was now empty.

They made up I guess...?

Erasing the couple from his mind, he continued sipping his dirty martini and he ordered another glass after it was finished. Raiven was finding his third glass when someone sat on the stool beside him. He didn't heed the person beside him any attention as he continued enjoying his drink, but he couldn't help noticing the nice scent the person was wearing. A very calm and soothing scent--the kind of scent that could put anyone at ease, even him.

Because of that soothing scent, Raiven enjoyed his last glass of dirty martini. Feeling slightly lightheaded, he was about to send a message to his little brother to pick him up since he couldn't drive while under the influence of alcohol when he heard a woman's voice. It seemed like she was talking to the person with nice scent beside him.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, Keiran!"

"... What are you doing here, Jasmine?"

Raiven stopped typing on his phone when he heard that familiar voice. But this time, it was not calm nor soothing-- just deep and annoyed.

A player, huh? That was the first thing that came to Raiven's mind. And I even pitied him. This is why you can't trust people-- men and women are alike.

"You're leaving tomorrow," said the woman with a pouty face, like she was complaining and demanding at the same time. "Won't you say goodbye to me?"

".... And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm your girlfriend!"

".... Since when, exactly?"

Oh, that's just mean, Raiven couldn't help commenting in his head, but who was he to judge? He treated women the same way when they became so annoyingly clingy, especially when they had a clear agreement about what kind of a relationship they have. He was the same as the guy beside him.

"Come on, Keiran, don't be like that. I'm pregnant with your child. You should take responsibility--"

"It's not mine, Jasmine. We both know that."

"No! It's yours!" The woman, Jasmine, suddenly yelled, making everyone look at their direction, but the guy beside Raiven remained calm. "This is yours! I'm certain this is yours! You have to take a full responsibility!"

It was getting awkward for Raiven and he wanted to leave. He didn't want to hear the two argue beside him, but when he was about to stand up, a strong hand suddenly gripped his arm and pulled him.

Raiven stumbled in shock at the force, but he was even more shocked when he found out that a strong arm was now wrapped around his shoulder and the owner of that arm was none other than the man sitting beside him-- the man with the nice scent and soothing deep voice. And seeing the man up close, Raiven was taken aback when he found him pleasant to look at. He even stared at his handsome face for a couple of seconds, a little dazzled by how attractive he was.

It was Raiven's first time to admire a grown man's face. His eyes were piercing blue, and even under the dim light, he could see them clearly. But it was not just his eyes-- it was all of him. He exuded an aura that said, "Don't mess with me or you'll regret it." The kind of aura that most people were drawn to-- the bad boy aura, as other people called it. No wonder he's a player. His handsomeness and vibes can even dazzle me-- a man.

Raiven forced himself to look indifferent to hide the fact that he was slightly--- just slightly-- dazzled by a grown man's handsome face. He was about to distance himself when the guy's lips neared his ear and whispered. "Please play along, I'll compensate you." He was begging, like he was desperate to get out of this situation.

Raiven scowled a little at the guy who still had his arm wrapped around his shoulder to hide the fact that he had become self- conscious for some unknown reason. "My professional fee is expensive," Raiven whispered back.

"Don't worry, I can afford it." Then he flashed him a smile that Raiven could only describe as charming.

The scowl remained on Raiven's face, the self-consciousness he was feeling is still there, but he stayed. It was money. He would never turn his back on money.

After the negotiation, Keiran faced Jasmine. "Jasmine, as you can see, I have him now, I'm sorry---"

"No! I don't believe you, Keiran! You're just saying that to spite me!"

What a smart woman, Raiven thought sarcastically before he brought his mouth close to Keiran's ear, oblivious to the fact that what he was doing was putting doubt in Jasmine's heart--- that maybe the two were really lovers and she was just in denial. But Jasmine wanted to believe the fact that Keiran would never touch a man. He was not like that! He preferred women! And the woman Keiran should be with was her! Only her! She would do everything to have Keiran forever!

"Could you please make this quick? I want to go home," Raiven whispered indifferently in Keiran's ear. He wanted to tell the man how mean and rude he was towards the woman, but he was a rotten man himself, so who was he to judge? He didn't want to be a hypocrite.

Keiran whispered back, "If you want to go home quick, then help me. Don't just stand there. I'm going to compensate you after all."

Raiven sighed heavily and whispered, "That PF is for staying and letting you drag me to your mess. standing up and defending you is another matter. That means another payment. I don't work for free, Mister."

"Fine, I'll double your PF." It seemed that Keiran was desperate to get rid of Jasmine. He wanted to enjoy his last night before going back to work tomorrow.

Raiven nodded and whispered back, "In that case, let me handle this." He fixed his suit to make sure he appeared presentable and professional.

From an outside perspective, without context, the two men who had been whispering at each other's ear looked intimate, like lovers with secrets to hide, and it was pissing Jasmine off. She was trembling in anger and jealousy seeing how close the two were. Her mind was telling her that maybe it was true, that Keiran was with a man.

But the truth was that the two were just negotiating the payment-- no one knew about that, but them.

Jasmine, who was about to snap, stilled when she saw the man beside Keiran look at her in the eyes. For some reason, she could feel a tinge of insecurity. The man was clearly attractive--gorgeous was the right word to describe him. Not only that, but he exuded a mature aura that made him look sexy and appealing.

"Jasmine, right? Raiven asked, and it made Jasmine snap back to reality. "Look, Jasmine, you keep saying that the father of the baby you're carrying is my clie---" Raiven cleared his throat. What's the name of this bastard again? "--- My Keiran, but he denies it. I'm sure that you know why he denies your claim. I'm sure you have an idea why. But if you are really willing to push through with your statement, show us proof that it's his. A claim like that needs evidence. Instead of making a scene here and chasing my clie--- my Keiran everywhere he goes, why don't we perform a paternity test to make sure? No offense meant, but the test would benefit you if you're telling the truth and it would also solidify your claim, it wouldn't be rebuked by anyone. But..." 'He paused for a second before continuing, "If you're lying and the paternity test comes out negative, we will file a case against you."

Keiran was just staring at the man who was defending him. He couldn't but smile while watching him speak. This is better than I thought. He was fascinating to look at while defending him and offering a solution to the problem with an indifferent expression on his face like he didn't care, but the emotion in his voice told him otherwise--- especially when he was correcting himself and saying 'My Keiran' instead of 'My Client'.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was speechless. She couldn't move or say a word. She didn't know what to say and just stared at the man beside Keiran. Is he threatening me? His last sentence...it was clearly a threat, right?

Jasmine's hands clenched and her teeth gritted. She wanted to defend herself, to shout that it was Keiran's baby, but the man beside Keiran spoke again. "If you're ready to have a paternity test, feel free to call Keiran." Then he moved his mouth close to Keiran's ear, making Jasmine jealous, and whispered words that only Keiran could hear, "I'm done, pay up."

Keiran couldn't help teasing the guy. "What happened to my Keiran?"

Raiven just looked at him indifferently, making him sigh because indifferent people were no fun to tease. Keiran pulled out his phone to open his bank account online, and a few seconds later, he handed it to the man beside him and whispering in his ear, "Go ahead, punch in your account number and amount."

With still an indifferent attitude, Raiven accepted the phone and did as he asked, hitting send. After that, he returned Keiran's phone and was about to leave, but Keiran stopped him.

"Jasmine is still here," Keiran whispered in his ear. "Once you leave, she won't leave me alone. Since you already claimed your payment, can you please be my shield for an hour or two until she leaves?" I might as well take advantage of the situation, Keiran thought while looking pleadingly at Raiven. Keiran learned his name from the bank receipt he received.

Raiven clicked his tongue and sat back down on his seat. He murmured, "so troublesome." To Raiven, a client was a client. He has to defend his client until the end.

With an amused smile, Keiran went back to his seat beside Raiven as well and pretended not to notice. Jasmine still glaring at them, Keiran didn't want to be an asshole to a woman he once had a sexual relationship with, but he was one hundred percent certain that it was not his. He was not a fool when it came to sex, so he always covered his tool. It was important to glove up all the time. Keiran also heard from a friend that Jasmine was just two months pregnant, and the last time they made contact was four months ago because of his work. It was not like he wanted to hide from his responsibility, but how could he get her pregnant when they hadn't seen each other for four months and her unborn baby was just two months along?

Taking a breath, Keiran glanced at Raiven beside him and asked to pass the time and also to thank him for agreeing to help him earlier. "What's your poison?"

"Dirty martini," Raiven answered.

Keiran called out to the bartender, "One scotch on the rocks and one dirty martini, please."

After the bartender acknowledged his order and placed them on the counter in front of Keiran, Keiran pushed the glass of dirty martini to Raiven,who quietly accepted the drink...and together, they drank silently. Well, Keiran wanted to talk to pass the time, but Raiven chose silence.

Raiven was not planning on drinking too much and he still hadn't called his brother to pick him up, so he knew he should drink moderately. However, the bastard beside him kept ordering dirty martini for him until he felt like his surroundings were spinning uncontrollably.

"Fuck!" Raiven hissed. In his drunken state, he couldn't keep the indifference expression on his face.

"I didn't know you can't hold your alcohol," Keiran commented while the side of his face rested on the back of his hand as he stared at Raiven in amusement. There was something about Raiven's face that felt calming. Is that because he looks dependable and fearless? Like nothing fazes him?

The drunk Raiven glared at Keiran-- well, for Raiven, he was glaring, but for Keiran who was on the receiving end, Raiven looked like he was frowning and pouting at the same time. "You have the guts to say that after ordering fifteen glasses of dirty martini for me?!"

Keiran chuckled. He was slightly drunk as well, but he could still hold his own. "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank you, my ass! I just wanted to relax and have a quiet night, but you dragged me to your mess, you bastard!" Raiven turned to face Keiran who was just watching him in amusement. He pointed his finger at Keiran, speaking like he was scolding him.

So he can make such a face as well, Keiran thought while enjoying the change of emotion on Raiven's face.

"Being handsome doesn't mean you have to be a player, okay? I thought you loved that guy," Raiven was now rambling, not caring about hiding his facial expression. This was him when drunk. He lost all his senses and became shameless. "You even told him you loved him. How could you cheat on him? I even pitied you when he said he hates you..."

Keiran didn't know what Raiven was talking about, and honestly, he didn't care. He only cared about one thing at that moment, and that was to tease the drunk amusing guy beside him. I'm leaving tomorrow, might as well enjoy the night. "You think I'm handsome?"

Raiven gave him a flat look. "Really? Don't you see yourself in the mirror? Even I'm slightly dazzled. And I'm a man."

Keiran had to stop himself from grinning, because he was afraid that if Raiven saw him grin, it would sober him up, so Keiran suppressed it. He liked drunk Raiven. "I'm that handsome?"

The drunk Raiven nodded honestly. "Yes."

"Handsome enough to attract you?" Keiran was just teasing Raiven. He was curious to see different other kinds of reaction from Raiven. He knew, it would be more fascinating than his indifferent face.

Because of his work, Keiran had become sensitive to the emotions on people's faces since it was the first thing he has to see and observe from his scope before pulling the trigger. At work, Keiran based his decisions on the emotion on his enemies faces and other gestures and body movement. As a sniper, it was his duty to oversee the battlefield and to take out key enemies, and to do that and not make a major mistake, he had to be very aware and knowledgeable when it came to human emotions and movements to determine his target-- especially if his target order was vague and the operation was an ambush.

Because of his line of work, watching people's faces to see their emotions had become Keiran's hobby. That was how he absorbed people. That was how he judged them. Maybe that was why Raiven intrigued him-- since Keiran took notice of him awhile back, Raiven's expression hadn't changed--- always indifferent. He always had that indifferent look whether he was alone or not. Keiran had met and seen a lot of people with an indifferent emotion on their faces, but only Raiven could hold that said emotion for a long time without a single crack even under pressure. It was like indifference was a second nature... except for when he was drunk. Keiran knew there was more to Raiven that would intrigue him, and for some reason, it excited Keiran that he'd have the chance to unravel and see every other emotion Raiven was hiding.

"Yeah, I guess," Raiven answered that awaken Keiran's thoughts.

"Hmmm... I don't believe you." Keiran continued teasing Raiven while watching the emotions playing on his face.

Raiven's features contorted in annoyance. "To hell with you, I'm not lying."

"Then prove it."

Just three words and it stimulate Raiven. His eyes narrowed at Keiran. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe...."

"Bastard...are you belittling me?" Raiven clicked his tongue and glared at Keiran. "What proof do you want? I'll prove it." Raiven was so drunk that all he could focus on, was proving himself. As a lawyer, if he couldn't prove himself, then he should just bury himself.

Keiran answered with an amused and teasing smile, "Kiss me, then I'll believe you."

Keiran said it as a joke--- he wasn't really serious. He just wanted to see a certain emotions on Raiven's face, and he planned to take it back after he saw Raiven's unsightly reaction. But to his surprise, Raiven didn't react the way he thought he would.

Raiven just stared at him and asked, "That's all?"

Keiran was so dumbstruck by that response, taken aback, when Raiven stood up, cupped his face, and without any hesitation pressed his lips against him.

A light kiss...it lasted a few seconds before Raiven pulled away.

Then Raiven's eyes met Keiran's startled eyes. Raiven could see himself reflected in Keiran's shocked eyes, and slowly, what he did registered on his mind. Like a broken record, the kiss kept playing again and again until Raiven felt an electric shock run through his body, awakening him and sobering him up.

Now, Raiven's eyes mirrored Keiran's, startled, dumbstruck eyes.

The two were just silently looking at each other, like they were waiting for the other to break the awkward atmosphere between them. But nothing happened, because before Keiran could pull himself together, Raiven was already storming out of the bar like he was on fire.

Keiran was left dumbfounded at the bar while Raiven didn't know how he managed to get home.

At that moment, both didn't know that two years later, an amorous agreement would begin between a lawyer and a soldier.

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