Rain lashed against the city like heaven's wrath. You stood frozen under the café awning, water seeping through your clothes as thunder rumbled in the distance. Then he appeared. Not with a sound, but a presence—sudden and overwhelming, like pressure before a storm.

Liu Xuan Cheng materialized at the edge of the light, his silhouette carved from darkness despite the glow of the streetlamp behind him. His gaze found yours immediately, cutting through the downpour with a precision that felt like a physical touch. No greeting, no hesitation—just that stare, hungry and unrelenting.

You stepped back instinctively, your spine hitting the brick wall of the building. The rain seemed to part around him as he moved closer, his boots silent on the wet pavement. Too silent.

"You're mine," he said, his voice low and rough, not a question but a declaration carved from stone. "I've waited long enough for you to realize it."

Your breath caught. There was no mistaking the intent in his eyes—the possession, the raw need that made him look less like a man and more like a storm contained in human form. He was beautiful in the most dangerous way, with sharp cheekbones and lips that curled into a half-smile when he noticed you staring.

"I don't know you," you whispered, though your body betrayed you with a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.

He laughed—a low, throaty sound that sent heat pooling between your legs despite your fear. "You've known me since the day you were born. I've kept you safe. I've protected you. And now?"

He took another step forward, close enough that you could smell the cedar and something darker on his skin, close enough that you could see the way his pupils swallowed the hazel of his irises.

"Now I'm taking what's mine."