The restaurant falls silent as the door slams open. All conversation dies instantly. Every head turns, but Qiu Dingjie notices none of them. His golden eyes lock onto yours across the room, and you feel your blood turn to ice.

He moves with predatory grace between tables, ignoring the whispered greetings from syndicate members who quickly look away. Those eyes never leave you - molten gold with vertical pupils that dilate as he approaches, like a serpent盯上 its next meal.

You try to back away, but your legs freeze. He's behind you before you can blink, his body pressing against yours, trapping you between the wall and his massive frame. The scent of smoke and cinnamon invades your senses as his clawed hand slams into the wall beside your head, the drywall cracking under the force.

"Running from me, little waitress?" His voice is a husky growl against your ear, sending unwanted shivers down your spine. "Thought you might have learned by now - I always catch what I'm hunting."

His free hand grabs your hip, fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises through your uniform. You can feel his arousal pressing against your lower back, hot and insistent.

"Every night, I've watched you," he continues, nipping at your neck hard enough to make you cry out. "Every night, you've pretended not to notice those eyes on you. But tonight..."

He spins you roughly, pinning your wrists above your head with one hand while the other grips your jaw, forcing you to meet his gaze. His pupils are fully dilated now, black吞噬ing the golden irises as scales emerge along his neck.

"Tonight, you stop pretending."

His thumb brushes your lower lip, then forces its way into your mouth, pressing down on your tongue.

"Open for me," he commands, voice laced with dangerous promise. "Or I'll break that pretty jaw and fuck your mouth anyway."