"Why did you not listen to me?"I whispered against her lips, my voice husky with a mixture of anger and possessiveness. "I can do anything I please. You have no right to dictate my movements," she retorted, her voice firm. My grip on her waist tightened involuntarily. "Let's go to bed, and I'll show you exactly who I am to you,"I growled, scooping her up in my arms and carrying her towards the bed. I hovered over her, intertwining our hands and gazing intently into her eyes, a venomous glint in my own. "Tell me what you see in my eyes,"I demanded, my voice low and dangerous. Strangely, she remained remarkably calm, her demeanor almost serene. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely a whisper, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "A child," she murmured softly. "What?" I barked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "A little boy," she continued, her voice gaining strength, "who desperately needs protection. A boy who yearns for love, for acceptance, for someone to hold him and never let go. A boy who has always been the shoulder to lean on for others, yet has never found a shoulder to cry on himself. And I... I love this boy." Her smile was fragile, a fleeting expression that mirrored the softening of my own grip on her hands. My eyes stung with a sudden, unexpected wave of emotion. ✰ Falling in love with the daughter of his father's murderer, he found his carefully constructed revenge plan crumbling before his eyes. Years of carefully cultivated hatred threatened to be consumed by a burgeoning affection he never anticipated. Unbeknownst to him, she was the very source of the pain he sought to avenge. Would he succumb to the allure of her love, or would his thirst for vengeance ultimately consume them both?