He smiled darkly, tipped his head back, and drained his glass before he answered. “I mean that in the best way possible, Sophie.”
The electricity between us crackled, charging the air with something I’d never experienced before. Or maybe it was the mojitos catching up to me.
Suddenly, the realization hit me like cold water. I was dripping, dazed, and behaving with all the subtlety of a swooning fool.
I cleared my throat and whispered, “I should really be leaving.”
His eyes held mine, and after a beat, he replied, “I’ll walk you home.”
“No need,” I protested, but he wouldn’t hear of it. “What about your car? Your driver and bodyguard?”
He shrugged, standing up and pulling out the chair for me. “They’ll follow.”
The night wrapped around us the moment we stepped out of the restaurant, the warm air humming with cicadas and distant music. Cobblestone streets glistened faintly under the moon.
We walked in silence that wasn’t awkward but almost intimate.
His stride matched mine, his hands in his pockets, and our steps utterly unhurried, as if nothing in the world could get to us. Or ratherhim, and I trusted that I was safe around him, which was uncharacteristic of me.
Maybe it was the alcohol’s lingering effect, or maybe something entirely different, but I felt lighter than I had in a very long time.
“Your business must be very important,” I started after a while, “to require bodyguards. Or is that related to your security company?”
His driver trailed behind, the hum of an engine and headlights illuminating the way, while his bodyguards followed at a respectful distance. The quiet click of his polished shoes against pavement echoed between us, reminding me that I wasn’t alone with Kian.
“It’s a necessity for the life I lead,” he answered, then angled his head to look at me, never slowing his stride.
The neon glow from a late-night café flickered on the side street, throwing shadows across his face.
His gaze was on me, full of intent. “I have a proposition, Sophie.”
His low voice made my stomach knot. We were nearing my hotel now, its lights visible at the end of the block.
“What kind of proposition?” I asked, forcing my voice to sound casual.
He waited until we passed under a streetlamp before he spoke, quietly enough that I almost missed it, casually enough that the weight of his words landed a heartbeat too late.
“I can make the ex and her entourage disappear.”
My steps faltered and I stopped to face him, certain he was joking. He mirrored my movement, and I watched his expression for any sign of humor. There was none.
His mask had slipped, and I knew this was the real him.
“I can deal with the person who took everything from you,” he continued, causing my breath to hitch. “And I can give you back the life you left.”
My pulse roared in my ears: with the promise of safety, stability, and a future where I wouldn’t be constantly checking over my shoulder.
I swallowed. “When you say ‘deal with the person,’ what do you mean exactly?”
He leaned closer, dropping his voice. “She won’t bother you ever again.”
Deep down, I suspected what he meant by it, although I wasn’t quite ready to admit it to myself.
Did I want Jacqueline out of the picture? Yes. Did I think she deserved it? Yes. But it went against every one of my principles. And if I went back on my oath, could I really continue calling myself a doctor?
“And here I thought you were a hero,” I said wryly.
A car passed, tires hissing over damp asphalt. Somewhere above us, a window slammed shut.
