Jeon Jungkook walked into the room like he owned it.

Sharp black suit. Silver rings. No tie. Just that smug, self-assured look in his dark eyes that made men nervous and women ruin themselves.

He strolled past the table, past the startled glances of older dons and loyal soldiers, until he stood directly across from her.

"Jeon," Y/n said, her voice like a blade drawn in slow motion. "I don't recall inviting you."

He bowed-mocking. "Didn't need one, My Lady. I go where I'm needed."

"You're not needed here."

He smirked. "Yet here I am."

The tension in the room snapped like a pulled wire. Vincenzo placed a protective hand near the inside of his coat, but Y/n gave him a small shake of her head. Not yet.

She rose from her chair, face blank. "Everyone. Leave us."

Murmurs rose in protest.

"My Lady, he's a threat-"

"I said," she repeated, louder this time, "Leave. Us."

No one dared question her again. One by one, the room emptied. Until only she and Jungkook stood in the lion's den, the air thick with the weight of history and blood.

Y/n walked slowly around the table, her heels deliberate and steady. "Why are you really here, Jungkook?"

He leaned casually against the back of a chair. "To help you."

She snorted. "You don't help anyone but yourself."

"Fair. But this time, our goals align."

She crossed her arms. "You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to be smart enough to see what's coming," he said, his tone suddenly colder. "Your father didn't just get killed. He was taken out. And whoever did it... isn't done."

Y/n's jaw tightened.

He continued, stepping closer. "There's a leak in your inner circle. Someone close. Someone who knew your father's schedule. And the security rotation."

"I'm already handling it."

"No, you're not." His voice was firm now. "You're trying to play a game that was never designed for you. Not because you're weak. Because you're surrounded by men who want you to fail."

Y/n stared at him, her nails digging into her arm. "And you want me to succeed? Out of what-loyalty? Guilt?"

"Obsession," he said, without hesitation.

The word hung in the air like smoke.

She blinked. Once. Slowly.

"I don't need your obsession, Jeon. I need control."

He stepped forward, voice low. "Then let me be your shadow."

Her heart stuttered for a second. She hated how his presence made her feel-like she was standing too close to fire, but unable to step away.

"You want back into my life? After what you did?"

"You still wear the scar, don't you?" he said softly.

Her fingers twitched. Her eyes flickered to the faint white mark on her left wrist-where she'd shielded herself from a blade meant for him. A night that ended in blood, betrayal, and a vow never to look back.

She swallowed the memory.

"You get one month," she said at last. "Not a day more. You don't command. You don't interfere."

"I'll be a ghost," he promised.

"You're the loudest ghost I've ever known."

He smiled.

Before he could speak again, a knock came at the door.

"Enter," Y/n called.

Vincenzo stepped in, eyes flickering to Jungkook warily. "My Lady. We have a problem."

"What kind?"

"Another body."

Her stomach turned, but her face remained calm. "Where?"

"Warehouse 9. One of ours. Tortured. No blood left in the body."

Y/n nodded once. "Get the car."

Vincenzo hesitated. "Shall I... inform security about him?"

Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

"No," Y/n replied. "He rides with me."

---

Warehouse 9 - One Hour Later

The warehouse smelled of copper and rot. Y/n stepped inside first, her heels crunching on shattered glass. The body was slumped against the wall-arms spread, wrists slashed, eyes wide open.

Jungkook knelt beside the corpse. "Message?"

"Not yet," Vincenzo muttered, scanning the floor.

But then Y/n noticed it-scratched into the wall behind the body in blood.

Queen must fall.

Her breath hitched for a fraction of a second.

Jungkook stood slowly, eyes darkening. "They're not hiding anymore."

Y/n stared at the message, her fingers curling at her sides.

This was no longer about her father.

This was about her.

Jungkook leaned in, voice brushing her ear. "Let me hunt them with you."

She didn't move. "What do you know?"

"Enough to say this wasn't just an inside job. It's a coordinated campaign. Someone wants to break you from the inside out."

She clenched her jaw. "Let them try."

Jungkook's hand hovered near hers. "You need someone who won't hesitate to kill for you."

She turned to him, eyes unreadable. "And what if I don't want to owe you anything?"

"You already do."

That earned him a glare. "Don't push me, Jungkook."

"I'm not. I'm just reminding you-I know how to protect what's mine."

She didn't answer that. Didn't dare let her thoughts spiral into the danger that came with needing him again.

Instead, she walked toward the exit, stepping past blood and broken glass. "Burn the body. No name, no trace."

Vincenzo nodded.

"And tighten security on my wing," she added. "I want guards rotated every four hours. And check for bugs in the estate. Every room."

As they exited the warehouse, Jungkook opened the car door for her. She paused before sliding in.

"You don't speak for me," she said.

"I know," he replied.

"You don't get to touch me without permission."

"I know that too."

"And if you betray me again, I'll kill you."

Jungkook smiled darkly, leaning in just enough for her to feel the heat of his breath.

"You'd be the first woman I'd let do it."

She stared at him for a moment, her heart pounding-not with fear, but something more dangerous.

Then she slipped into the car, the door shutting behind her like a final warning.

Jungkook walked around to the other side and slid in beside her.

Neither of them spoke on the ride back to the estate.

But the silence was thick with unfinished history, and a storm neither of them could escape.