MK didn't feel the words leaving her mouth. They had slipped out—an impulsive flash of courage or panic, she wasn't sure. One moment she was watching the girl inch closer to Shriya with that too-sweet smile, and the next she heard herself say it.
"She's my girlfriend."
It hung in the air like a bell that refused to stop ringing.
Now, standing in the middle of the open courtyard, surrounded by murmurs and half-glances, MK felt the weight of the sentence crash into her chest all at once. Every fear she'd ever pushed away rushed back like a tidal wave—Was that shame in her bones? Fear of what people would whisper? Would this change how they saw her? How they saw Shriya?
Her palms trembled. She swallowed hard.
The girl who had approached Shriya—pretty, tall, and obviously sent with a purpose—blinked like she had just stepped into oncoming traffic. "O-oh—okay, my mistake," she muttered, backing away with quick steps. Her cheeks flushed red as she hurried off toward a cluster of people dressed too formally for a casual event.
Shriya turned to MK slowly. Her eyes softened, and a smile bloomed across her face—wide, warm, impossibly sincere. She looked… happy. Like MK had just handed her a gift.
MK wasn't speaking. She was trying, but her throat felt like it had closed. She stared at Shriya, searching for disappointment, embarrassment, anything. But Shriya's smile only deepened.
"You okay?" Shriya asked quietly.
MK nodded. Then shook her head. Then nodded again.
Shriya bit her lip to hold back a laugh. "You look like you're buffering."
"I—did I just—" MK whispered.
"Yes," Shriya said, stepping closer. "You did."
MK covered her face with both hands. "Oh my god."
Shriya gently pried one of her hands away and squeezed her fingers. "Hey. I… liked it."
The world should've steadied then, but it didn't. MK could still feel dozens of eyes brushing over them—curious, judging, surprised. The courtyard lights cast a soft amber glow, enough to catch the glint of a few phone cameras lifting, pretending not to film.
MK's heartbeat doubled.
What have I done?
Not far away, the girl MK had sent running reached a tall man sitting on the edge of a fountain—sleek black suit, tailored sharply, gold pin on the collar. A man who looked like he wore power like cologne.
Gavin.
Governor's son. Entitled. Vindictive. And recently, very, very obsessed with the Paradise Club.
The girl leaned down and whispered to him, still flustered. "I can't go near her. She already has a girlfriend."
Gavin's brows snapped together. "Girlfriend?" he repeated too loudly. "Where is she?"
The girl tilted her head toward MK and Shriya.
Gavin followed her gaze—and froze.
Recognition hit him like a slap. That face, that posture, the quiet confidence despite the panic—he knew MK. He remembered seeing her once, walking into the club, how everything changed after she joined. He remembered the moment Shriya stopped tolerating his nonsense the same week MK appeared.
She was the reason he was thrown out.
The reason he couldn't get inside Paradise anymore.
The reason he'd been humiliated in front of an entire floor of customers.
His jaw clenched.
He had spent months trying to find the true owner of the Paradise Club. Every whisper led to a dead end, every trail disappeared. All he knew was Shriya was the head of security, the iron wall protecting whoever stood behind her. Her background was sealed tighter than a vault. Her weakness? Untouchable.
But now…
Now, seeing MK close to her—close enough to claim her—Gavin's lips curved slowly.
"So she's your Achilles' heel," he murmured, eyes narrowing on MK like she was prey.
He leaned back, remembering the night he had tried to sneak into Paradise in disguise. Cheap sunglasses. A fake accent. A horrible wig his friend had once joked made him look like a retired magician.
He didn't even last an hour inside.
"Hey guys, look—it's Gavin. Isn't he banned?" someone called across the room.
Another voice chimed in, loud and merciless. "Yeah, should we report him?"
"Please—please don't," Gavin had begged, dropping his fake accent immediately. "I'll pay you."
One man leaned back in his seat, inspecting his nails. "Money's tempting… but what's the use of it if you can't enjoy it? You get banned forever if they catch you helping him."
Laughter erupted. People pointed. Someone filmed it.
His humiliation spread faster than wildfire—memes, hashtags, jokes. Even the staff didn't bother removing him; the customers handled it themselves.
He left that night shaking, furious, vowing to destroy them.
And now, here was MK—close, real, vulnerable.
Gavin stood, adjusting his tie. "Find everything about her," he ordered coolly. "I mean everything. Friends, family, job, school—whatever she hides, I want it."
"Yes, sir," several voices answered in unison.
His men scattered like shadows.
Back in the courtyard, MK still hadn't fully recovered. Shriya brushed a hand lightly against her arm, grounding her.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Shriya whispered. "It was brave."
"It was impulsive," MK mumbled.
"Same thing sometimes."
MK let out a weak laugh. "Shriya… I panicked. What if—what if people think—"
"That you love me?" Shriya asked softly.
MK went quiet.
Shriya's voice gentled. "I'm not ashamed of you. And I'm not scared."
MK lifted her eyes. "Not even a little?"
Shriya grinned. "MK… I walk into gunfights for a living. People gossiping about who I'm dating isn't exactly terrifying."
MK blinked—and a laugh escaped her, small but real. "You're impossible."
"Good thing you like impossible girls," Shriya teased.
MK flushed again. "I didn't say—"
"You kinda did," Shriya said with a smug little shrug.
MK groaned into her hands again. "Why are you like this?"
"i don't know," Shriya deadpanned. "maybe it's because I wasn't hugged enough as a child."
MK snorted loudly—too loudly—earning another wave of looks. She covered her face again. "Oh my god, please stop."
But Shriya only stepped closer, her voice dropping. "Hey… breathe. I'm right here."
MK lowered her hands slowly. Shriya's eyes were calm, steady, full of a tenderness that made MK's chest ache.
"I meant what I said earlier," Shriya added. "I liked hearing it. Even if it was impulsive."
MK stared at her, swallowing the thousand fears still spiraling inside. "We just… made everything public," she whispered.
"Yes," Shriya said softly. "But we also made it real."
MK's breath caught.
For a moment, the world shrank to just them.
Neither of them noticed the cameras still pointed.
Neither saw Gavin watching with a smile that promised trouble.
By revealing their relationship, they hadn't just changed the night.
They'd handed someone dangerous a weapon.