Back at the hotel room, Mia stood in the dark — no lights, no music, just the distant hum of the city below.
She'd stayed in this suite before.
Diplomatic visits. Strategy briefings. Temporary peace.
She never thought a guest room would become a permanent cage.
Never thought she'd be the one booked in as the bride, not the spy.
The velvet ring box sat unopened on the nightstand, like a bomb someone else had armed.
She wrapped her arms around herself, still wearing the evening gown that now felt like a disguise.
And without meaning to, her thoughts drifted to him.
Mino.
That name still echoed like a whisper through her bones — sharp where it used to be soft.
She remembered his laughter, dry and dangerous.
How he looked at her like she was both a puzzle and a prize.
How he made her believe — for a moment — that she was more than Diego's daughter. That she was wanted. Not as a political asset. But as a woman.
She had let him in.
Let him touch things no one else had.
And when she trusted him most — he disappeared.
No message. No closure.
Just silence in the place he used to breathe beside her.
Now, she was engaged to Lucas Drax — a man with strong hands and quiet eyes.
A man who carried war like a second skin.
A man who had done nothing wrong… except not be him.
Lucas was safe. Predictable. Controlled.
But even as she tried to picture a future in his shadow, her heart kept reaching for a ghost that didn't deserve to be remembered.
And worse — she knew Mino was out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Maybe planning something again.
And this time?
She swore she wouldn't break the same way twice.
-----
The warehouse was quiet — too quiet for two men with this much unfinished business.
Lucas Drax stood beneath the shattered skylight, hands clenched, every breath a restraint.
Then the door creaked open.
Mino Kael walked in like he owned the dust, the danger, and the moment.
"Missed me, soldier?"
He smirked, eyes glinting like a knife just before it cut.
Lucas didn't speak. Not yet.
Mino circled slowly, taking in the tension.
"Six months. Thought you'd have grown out of the brooding by now."
Lucas's voice came low. Controlled. Dangerous.
"You vanished."
"I do that," Mino said with a shrug. "Part of the charm."
"No word. No message. You just walked out."
Mino tilted his head.
"Come on, Lucas. You knew what I was. It was never hearts and roses."
Lucas snapped.
He threw a punch — hard, fast — landing across Mino's jaw.
Mino stumbled back, laughing as he wiped blood from his lip.
"Still mad? That's sweet."
Lucas advanced again, grabbing him by the collar.
"What was I to you? A lay? A shield? A joke?"
"You were a good distraction," Mino said smoothly. "Decent kisser. A little clingy."
Another punch.
This time, Mino caught Lucas's wrist and shoved him back.
"I had a mission," he said sharply. "You were the bonus round."
"What mission?"
"Need-to-know.".
Lucas stared at him, heart pounding.
"There was someone, wasn't there? A target. A girl."
Mino's smirk returned, too casual.
"There's always a girl."
"You used her."
"She used me, too. That's how the game works."
Lucas stepped back. Shook his head.
"You're colder than I thought."
Mino shrugged, wiping his bruised cheek.
"It's not personal, Lucas. That's the mistake you keep making. Thinking any of this is about you."
Lucas turned away, every muscle tight.
"I don't even know who you are anymore."
"That's the point."
Mino lit a cigarette as Lucas stormed out, the smoke curling around him like armor.
But once Lucas was gone — once the door slammed — the cigarette trembled slightly between Mino's fingers.
Not much.
But enough.