Aurora had been sitting in that position since six in the morning, her senses sharp, analyzing every movement around her. Meanwhile, on the bed beside hers, Lynn was deep in sleep, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. Aurora was still wearing the same clothes she had arrived in, struggling to grasp and understand something—but comprehension continued to elude her.

She tilted her head slightly while remaining in the same position, then ran her fingers over her neck, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Her fingers traced her skin delicately as fleeting images of Hector flooded her mind.

“Damn him,” Aurora muttered, cursing as she recalled the way Hector had left his mark on her. His sharp gaze still haunted her thoughts.

Lynn stirred awake, stretching gracefully on the bed, only for Aurora to suddenly pounce on her, saying, “You’re awake.”

Lynn, startled by Aurora’s unexpected closeness, blinked in shock. Staring into Aurora’s captivating blue eyes, memories of the previous night rushed into her mind—Aurora pressing against her, bare and seemingly searching for something she couldn’t quite comprehend.

Lynn’s cheeks flushed instantly. She tried to push Aurora away, but Aurora was strong—heavy in a way that made her difficult to move. Aurora placed her hands on either side of Lynn’s head and swayed her hips slightly, like a playful kitten.

Lynn finally gave up resisting and turned her face away to avoid Aurora’s gaze. But Aurora cupped Lynn’s face with her fingertips and gently turned it back toward her.

“Is it that hard to look me in the eye?” she teased.

Lynn, her face still burning, suddenly noticed the marks on Aurora’s neck.

“Oh… what’s this?” she asked, pointing at them.

Aurora smirked. “This is what I wanted to show you. I thought it wasn’t that noticeable.”

She then sat up properly in front of Lynn, who let out a laugh, her earlier mixed feelings fading away.

“Does she even realize how attractive she is?” Lynn mumbled to herself. “She gets so close without a single thought about the danger of her actions…”

Lynn propped herself up on the bed and asked, “So, is this why you disappeared last night?”

Aurora didn’t answer. She was still touching her neck cautiously.

Lynn tilted her head. “Do you want to hide it?”

Aurora’s expression suddenly shifted—like a child who had made a mistake and now wanted to fix it. She nodded lightly.

Just as Lynn was about to respond, Aurora’s eyes flickered toward the door. She felt someone approaching.

Lynn noticed her sudden focus and frowned. “What is it…?”

Then, a soft knock echoed through the room.

A brief silence followed before Aurora called out, “Open it.” She then quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

Lynn, confused by her behavior, got up and opened the door.

“Oh… it’s you, Baron.”

Baron stood there in his usual formal attire, this time in dark blue.

Before he could speak, Aurora’s voice rang out from inside, “Let him in.”

Lynn raised an eyebrow but stepped aside. Baron nodded politely at her and walked in.

Aurora took a long look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, tilting her neck and running her fingers over it again before stepping out.

As soon as Baron saw the marks on her neck, he quickly lowered his gaze.

Lynn found his reaction odd—after all, in her eyes, Baron was just one of Aurora’s university classmates.

Closing the door, Lynn crossed her arms and observed in silence as Aurora finally spoke.

“Baron… why do men get angry when they see a woman with another man?”

Lynn laughed before Baron could answer. “Aurora, how do you not know the answer to that?”

Baron turned sharply toward Lynn, his expression darkening, as if wanting to interrupt her.

But Lynn shrugged. “What? It’s not a secret.” She casually flipped her hair over her shoulder.

To her, Aurora was simply someone who acted on instinct without thinking about the consequences of her actions.

Aurora tilted her head, seemingly unbothered. “I don’t know… what’s the answer?”

Baron finally spoke. “It’s jealousy.”

Aurora frowned slightly. “Jealousy?”

Lynn nodded. “Of course. Men get jealous, and they express it through anger… yelling, even.”

Aurora fell silent for a moment, then turned to Baron. “So… what would you do if you were in his place?”

Baron froze. He quickly pieced everything together—the words Aurora had just said, the marks on her neck.

His breath hitched, and sweat beaded on his forehead. “Then… I’d die.”

Aurora blinked. “Why?”

Baron swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t want to see another man touching my woman’s body. I might kill him…”

Lynn scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare. You’re not a killer.” She then turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving Baron standing there, visibly shaken.

Aurora stepped closer to him and playfully ruffled his hair. “Don’t die on me, okay?”

Then, she casually sat down on the couch. “Now go get me a concealer or something strong enough to cover these marks… something that won’t fade easily. You have five minutes.”

Baron gave a small nod and quickly rushed out of the room.

Aurora then began to undress, changing her clothes before heading into the shower just as Lynn stepped out of the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Baron returned and knocked on the door.

As he did, Hector happened to be walking down the hallway. He noticed Baron entering the room and narrowed his eyes.

Something about it made him pause.

He continued walking… but then, something clicked in his mind.

His steps quickened.

Then, suddenly, he turned back.

As the door shut behind Baron, he quickly handed Aurora what he had brought and, in a swift motion, picked up the clothes she had tossed to the floor, making it seem as though he was presenting them to Lynn. Lynn watched him, bewildered by his odd behavior, unable to grasp what was happening. Baron, on the other hand, appeared momentarily tense.

Aurora, now applying the concealer to her neck, suddenly froze. A familiar presence sent a shiver through her spine—Hector. She hesitated for a brief moment before resuming, determined to erase the marks of his bite. But just as she was about to finish, a knock echoed through the room.

Baron stiffened. Lynn, confused but unfazed, opened the door without hesitation—only to be met with Hector's imposing figure. She swallowed hard, her throat tightening as he stepped inside uninvited, his face shadowed by a dark expression. His gaze swept across the room, sharp and searching.

Baron, still holding the clothes awkwardly, blinked at Hector’s sudden entrance and said, “Are you looking f—”

Before he could finish, Hector cut him off with a piercing glare, silencing him instantly. His eyes roamed the space, seeking something—or someone. Yet, no visible trace led to what he was after.

Lynn’s breath hitched, fear stirring within her. After all, Hector wasn’t just anyone—he was a descendant of a family of assassins. And now, his hands found their way to the bathroom door.

Baron barely managed to steady his breath as Hector pushed the door open with force.

Inside, Aurora stood frozen in place, barely covered, a white towel draped around her damp body as she ran another over her cascading hair.

Their eyes met.

A strange sensation washed over her. A memory of his gaze from before resurfaced in her mind.

Hector took slow, deliberate steps forward.

Aurora stiffened, her grip tightening around the towel, then suddenly let out a startled cry, pulling the fabric closer to her body in a desperate attempt to shield herself.

She had concealed the bite marks well, and with her skin still glistening from the shower, Hector seemed to assume she had just bathed. His expression remained unreadable as he took one last glance—then, without a word, turned and left.

Silence settled in the room like an uneasy fog.

Aurora exhaled sharply, leaning against the door as it clicked shut behind him. Her towel slipped from her grasp, falling softly to the floor.

She lifted her gaze to the mirror, her cheeks burning, her heartbeat erratic.

“What… was that?” she murmured, pressing cold fingers against the back of her neck.

Then, without warning, she bit down on her lower lip—hard—until the taste of iron spread across her tongue.

Shaking the thoughts away, she reached for the towel and the fresh clothes hanging nearby, dressing herself in silence.

Outside, as soon as Hector left, Baron collapsed onto the couch, releasing a long-held breath.

Lynn, still sitting on the floor, muttered in disbelief, “What’s with him…?” Her mind swirled with unease, unable to comprehend his unpredictable presence.

Baron, however, had only one thought looping in his mind:

He’s going to kill me when he finds out who she really is…

Finally, Aurora stepped out of the bathroom, her gaze sharp as she met Baron’s eyes. Without a word, she gestured for him to leave.

Baron obeyed, stepping toward the door—only to freeze the moment he saw Hector leaning against the hallway wall, waiting.

His breath hitched.

Aurora’s presence behind him remained steady, but he could feel the weight of what was coming.

And in that moment, he knew—this was far from over.

Lynn furrowed her brows, whispering in confusion, “What’s with him…?”

Aurora shot her a single look—one sharp enough to silence her completely and make her step away. Lynn understood. She shouldn’t speak again. She shouldn’t stand in her way.

Aurora knew all too well that Hector was still out there. She also knew Baron could slip up at any moment and expose her secret. Instead of interfering, she stepped onto the balcony, leaving everything in Baron’s hands.

The wind brushed against her skin as she recalled what had happened earlier—when she had just returned home.

Hector had been waiting.

Without warning, he had pressed her firmly against the motorcycle, his grip unyielding as his voice came low and demanding.

“Who is he?”

He had asked once. Then twice. Then a third time.

But before he could sink his teeth into her neck again, Aurora had shoved him away with all her strength. Without hesitation, she had started her bike and sped off, leaving him standing there—seething, his fury consuming him little by little.

Soon, their engagement would be publicly announced.

An arrangement decided by their families—a way to end the conflict and merge their power into one.

They had never met before this. Yet, by decree, they belonged to one another. No one would dare cross that line.

Still, Aurora… she was just a girl forced to grow up too soon. And Hector—he understood the world around him, though perhaps a little too slowly.

Their families had given them a chance. A chance to know each other. A chance to change the course of things.

But would it lead to disaster?

Or something else entirely?

Back inside, Hector's expression remained unreadable as he stepped toward Baron with calculated caution—like a predator closing in on its prey.

His voice was quiet, yet laced with unmistakable threat.

“So… do you know who I am?”

Arrogance dripped from his every word, his gaze cold and unwavering.

Baron stood motionless, unflinching, as he replied, “Hector El Salvador?”

A smirk curled at the corner of Hector’s lips.

“I have a strong feeling…” he mused, eyes gleaming with something dangerous. “That I’m going to kill you. I just haven’t figured out why yet… Do you have any idea?”

Baron finally allowed himself to relax, exhaling lightly.

“Of course, I’ll die,” he admitted. “But I don’t think it will be at your hands.”

Because deep inside, he already knew—

I will die at hers.

In a blur, Hector’s hand shot forward, seizing Baron by the throat. With terrifying ease, he lifted him off the ground, pinning him to the wall as his darkened eyes burned into his.

“You’d better hope my suspicions are wrong,” Hector warned, his voice edged with deadly promise.

For a moment, Baron’s breath left him entirely. His vision blurred, his body rigid under the crushing pressure. Then, just as suddenly, Hector released him. Baron collapsed onto the floor, gasping, clutching at his throat as air flooded his lungs again.

Without another word, Hector turned and walked away, the anger still simmering beneath his skin.

Baron coughed, gripping the wall for support. The fear on his face was unmistakable, and for a fleeting moment, he felt the sting of tears threaten to fall.

“Damn it… I’m dead for sure,” he muttered, his voice shaking.

Then, as if to shake himself out of it, he patted his cheeks lightly, straightened up, and quickly walked away.

Out on the balcony, Aurora’s lips curved into a faint smile.

She could no longer sense Hector’s presence.

And that was a relief.

It had been wise not to interfere.