The polished office felt too sterile, the hum of the air conditioning the only sound breaking the silence. Ivanna traced the rim of her coffee cup, her gaze fixed on the man seated opposite her. Jax Alister. He was impossibly still, his dark eyes like obsidian, reflecting nothing but an almost unnerving calm. He was the most expensive bodyguard she could find, recommended by a discreet, almost shadowy agency. Her fiancé, Damon, thought she was being paranoid, but a cold unease had settled in her bones, whispering of unseen dangers.

"So," she began, her voice steadier than she felt, "you understand the terms?" Jax gave a curt nod, a silent acknowledgment that somehow filled the room with an unspoken power. He didn't ask questions, didn't offer reassurances. Just that unwavering gaze. It was unsettling, yet oddly comforting. As if, with him, nothing could truly touch her. Little did she know, his presence would not just guard her from the world, but would utterly dismantle the one she thought she knew.