The tension in the underground base was sharp enough to slice through air itself. Even walls seemed to flinch when Arora walked past.
Her name alone could silence a room.
They called her The Black Rose — the woman who never missed her mark, the one whose enemies vanished before they could beg for mercy. She was ruthless, undefeated, and utterly unreadable.
No one dared cross her. No one dared question her.
Except for Jack.
And that, perhaps, was the problem.
---
Arora stood across from Nick, eyes locked like drawn blades.
"Tell me," she demanded, her tone low but commanding, "where is that person?"
Nick smirked. "After months of digging and traps, I finally made him come here."
Her brows rose slightly. "So he's here?"
"Yes," Nick replied. "But are you sure you want to go against the leader of that organization? He's dangerous, Arora. Even for you."
She laughed softly — a sound that carried no warmth. "Dangerous?" Her eyes glinted. "Tell him danger doesn't scare me. I am the danger."
Nick said nothing more as she turned on her heel, her coat sweeping like a shadow behind her.
---
The corridor buzzed faintly with distant voices when she spotted him — the man Nick had spoken of.
The moment their eyes met, he bolted.
Arora cursed under her breath. "Coward."
Her boots struck the concrete floor as she chased him through the passage.
But before she could close the distance—
"Baby! Baby, where are you!?"
Jack's voice.
Her body froze mid-stride.
For a split second, her mind split in two — the mission she'd planned for months versus the boy who somehow managed to slip past her armor without even trying.
"Damn it, Jack," she hissed, turning sharply.
She rushed toward his voice, instincts louder than reason.
---
The sight that awaited her stopped her cold.
Jack stood surrounded by strangers — and in front of him was a woman, her blonde curls glinting under the dim lights.
"Who's your baby?" the woman — Lucy — asked mockingly, cornering him.
Jack tried to move away. "Stay back."
Lucy only laughed, stepping closer. "You're cute when you act tough."
"I said stay away," he warned, his tone trembling with disgust.
Then — smack!
The sound echoed across the room like lightning splitting the air. Lucy's hand had struck his face, leaving a red mark blooming across his cheek.
Jack's head turned with the blow, his breath shaking.
And that was when Arora arrived.
The moment she saw him — her Jack — standing there with that mark, something snapped inside her.
Her voice thundered through the hall.
"Who made his cheek like this!?"
The entire room went still.
The Black Rose had spoken.
Every man and woman present knew what that meant — when Arora was calm, you could negotiate.
When she shouted… people disappeared.
She stepped forward slowly, her boots echoing in the heavy silence.
"I'll give you five minutes," she said, her words cold as a blade. "Tell me who dared to touch him. If no one speaks, I'll make sure you all feel what my man suffered."
A murmur broke through the crowd — confusion, fear, disbelief.
My man? they whispered among themselves.
No one dared to correct her.
Lucy's face paled as realization dawned.
"I… I didn't know he was your man," she stammered, trembling.
Arora's eyes darkened. "So it was you."
Lucy stumbled backward, tears welling up. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"Oh, you didn't mean to?" Arora's voice dropped lower. "You made my man's cheek like that, and you think an apology will save you?"
Lucy started shaking uncontrollably. "Please… please spare my life!"
Arora exhaled slowly, her expression unreadable. "I don't decide your fate."
Her eyes softened slightly as she turned to Jack, whose cheek was still red but whose gaze held quiet strength.
"I'll let Jack decide your punishment."
The room fell silent again — no one dared breathe too loudly.
And though Jack didn't speak immediately, the look he gave her was one Arora couldn't forget.
Because even she — the undefeated, untouchable Black Rose — didn't understand what this warmth was that made her call him my man.
All she knew was that she'd kill anyone who made him flinch like that again.
To Be Continued.