part 10

The boardroom betrayal had barely cooled when the syndicate made their next move. It wasn’t subtle this time. It was a declaration.

Boom’s car never made it back from the office. His driver, a man who had served him loyally for years, had vanished. Hours later, Boom’s phone buzzed with a new message.

We warned you. This is the price of siding with him.Attached: a photo of the driver, bound and bloodied, with the syndicate’s mark carved into the wall behind him.

Boom’s blood ran cold. They hadn’t just taken his man—they were sending a message. Anyone close to him was fair game.

Before fear could harden into rage, Aou was already there, storming into his penthouse with two men at his back. “They’re escalating,” he said sharply. “They want you rattled.”

“I am rattled,” Boom snapped, his composure cracking. “That man was loyal to me for a decade. He didn’t deserve this.”

Aou caught his wrist before he could storm past. “Listen to me. They don’t care about him. They care about you. Every strike they make, it’s to drag you into the fire.”

Boom yanked his hand free, fury sparking. “Then let me burn.”

The room went still. Aou stared at him, something raw breaking through his usual armor. “Don’t ever say that.” His voice was low, almost trembling with anger—or fear.

For the first time, Boom saw it. The cracks. Beneath the mafia boss’s ruthless surface, Aou wasn’t untouchable. Not when it came to him.

They traced the syndicate’s trail to an abandoned warehouse near the river. The driver was there, but it was a setup. Explosives hidden in the walls, masked men waiting in the shadows.

The ambush was brutal. Aou’s men fired back, the air thick with smoke and gunfire. Boom, though untrained in this kind of war, kept his wits sharp. He spotted the detonator on the enemy leader’s belt—seconds before it was pressed.

“Bomb!” Boom shouted.

Aou didn’t hesitate. He shoved Boom to the ground, covering him with his own body as the explosion tore through the building.

The blast was deafening. Dust and fire filled the air. When the ringing in Boom’s ears faded, he realized Aou was still on top of him, shielding him from the worst of it.

Boom’s chest heaved as he looked up at the man above him, blood trickling down Aou’s temple, his grip still tight on Boom’s arm like he’d never let go.

“You’re insane,” Boom whispered, voice breaking.Aou smirked faintly, even through the pain. “Maybe. But you’re alive.”

Boom’s throat tightened. He didn’t think. He didn’t plan. His hand rose, brushing dirt and blood from Aou’s cheek. The touch lingered too long, too soft, too dangerous.

For a moment, the world shrank to just them—heat, smoke, and the wild thundering of their hearts.

Aou’s gaze dropped to Boom’s lips. His breath hitched. Their faces inched closer, fire reflecting in their eyes.

It wasn’t a kiss. Not yet. But it was a promise.

A promise that terrified Boom more than the syndicate ever could.

Later, back in Aou’s safehouse, Boom finally asked the question that had been burning in him.

“How did they know where I’d be? How do they keep finding us?”

Aou’s jaw tightened. “Because there’s still a rat. And this one… is mine.”

Boom froze.“What do you mean?”

Aou’s eyes darkened, shadows flickering in them. “Someone close to me. Someone I trusted. They’re feeding the syndicate everything. And if I don’t root them out—” His gaze locked with Boom’s. “They’ll come for you again.”

Boom’s stomach dropped. The betrayal wasn’t just in his company anymore. It was in Aou’s empire.

And if the enemy was inside Aou’s walls, then nowhere—not even in Aou’s arms—was safe.