The house was quiet, but it was not the same silence as before. This one was heavy. It clung to the walls, stretched between rooms, settled into corners like something unfinished. The conversation with Ryan still echoed in Kai's mind, every clause of the legal document pressing against his thoughts like an insult carved into paper. He had signed it. His name sat there in ink—final, undeniable.
And upstairs, in his house, was the woman who had made him do it. Kai stood near the staircase for a moment, jaw clenched, hands flexing unconsciously. He told himself he was irritated because of the situation. Because of the legal trap. Because of the loss of control. Not because she was there.
A faint sound drifted down from above. A sharp, frustrated exhale. Then another. Kai's eyes lifted instinctively toward the ceiling.
"Damn it," Alina's voice muttered faintly. Kai exhaled through his nose. He suddenly clicked something in his mind that she had said earlier that she couldn't open the tap in her bathroom. He didn't ignore her, even if he tried to; he could never ignore her. At that time, taking Ryan out of the living room was important so she wouldn't feel embarrassed.
The sound came again—this time louder. A repeated tapping. Metal against metal. Kai turned toward the stairs. Annoyance pulled him upward, not concerned, that's what he told himself. Just irritation. This was his house. His systems. His territory. And he refused to have it malfunction under her presence. He climbed the stairs with measured steps and stopped outside her room.
The door was slightly ajar. Kai knocked once, but there was no answer from the other side. He waited for some time so that she would respond, but she didn't, so he knocked again, harder this time. "Alina?"
Still nothing. His brows furrowed. He pushed the door open slowly, scanning the room out of instinct before stepping inside. The bedroom was empty. The lights were on, her phone lay on the side table, and a faint scent lingered in the air—something clean, something unmistakably hers.
The sound came again from the bathroom, and Kai moved toward it, irritation tightening his spine. The bathroom door was open, steam curling faintly near the ceiling. He stepped inside—and froze.
Alina stood in front of the shower, hair loosely tied back, her fingers repeatedly tapping the tap as if sheer persistence would force it to obey her. She twisted the handle to the left. Then right. Then pressed down again. Nothing. Not a single drop of water.
She let out a sharp breath. "Ahh—this is so annoying." She slapped the tap lightly with her palm, then leaned closer, squinting at it as if it had personally offended her.
"What the hell is this thing?" she muttered. "This would have opened by now if it were my house."
Kai crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "Then you should go back to your house."
Alina stiffened and turned slowly, eyes flashing. "You just need an excuse to send me away. Isn't it?"
"Oh, please. I don't need an excuse to kick you out of this house," Kai's jaw tightened.
"I'll just throw you out," Kai snapped.
"No, wait—why would I even throw you out? I should never brought you here in the first place, let alone throwing you out. I would've made sure you never stepped foot into this place. This is my territory. My area."
Her eyes narrowed. "Your territory?"
"Yes," he said sharply. "And don't pretend you didn't know that."
She opened her mouth to reply— and slipped as the floor was too wet. Her foot slipped forward, balance lost in an instant.
"AHHHHHH—!" Her body tilted, gravity pulling her down— And Kai moved. He didn't think. Didn't calculate. Didn't hesitate. His hand shot forward, gripping her waist firmly, pulling her back before she could fall.
The force of it brought her straight into him, her body colliding against his chest. Time slowed. His arm locked around her instinctively, steadying her. Her breath hitched sharply, fingers clutching his shirt for balance. Her face was inches from his, eyes wide, pulse racing.
Kai felt it. Her heartbeat. Fast, Erratic and Real. The warmth of her body pressed against him, her breath brushing his jaw. His grip tightened unconsciously, fingers digging into her waist as if letting go might send her crashing again.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Neither of them breathed. The air between them thickened—charged, dangerous. Her gaze lifted slowly to meet his. And something shifted. Not anger. Not irritation. Something quieter. Heavier. Kai swallowed. He loosened his grip slightly but didn't let go completely.
"Watch where you're stepping," he said, his voice lower now.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she inhaled slowly, steadying herself, and only then did she pull back—just enough to stand on her own feet again. But the distance felt wrong. Unnatural.
She brushed her sleeve absentmindedly, avoiding his eyes. "Your bathroom is trying to kill me." He released her completely and stepped back
Kai huffed softly. "It's a sensor tap."
She looked at him blankly. "A what?"
"A sensor tap," he repeated. "It opens when you—"
He stopped because he realized that she wasn't touching it correctly. And before he could overthink it, before he could stop himself— He stepped closer. Reached for her hand. Her fingers were still slightly trembling when he took them.
She froze. His touch was firm but controlled, his palm warm against hers. He guided her hand gently forward, positioning it beneath the tap.
"Hold it here," he said quietly. His thumb brushed against her knuckles. The tap activated instantly. Water poured out.
Alina gasped softly. "Oh."
Kai didn't let go immediately. He stood there, hand over hers, water flowing between their fingers, the sound loud in the sudden silence. He could feel the slight tension in her hand slowly easing, feel her breathing calm beneath his touch. Her pulse steadied.
He became acutely aware of everything—the closeness, the heat, the faint scent of her hair, the way her shoulder brushed his chest when she shifted.
She turned her head slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "So… it opens like that." She smiled faintly and softly.
Kai released her hand slowly and reluctantly. He stepped back, creating space—but the moment lingered, hanging in the air between them like something unfinished. Alina rinsed her hands, the water splashing lightly, while Kai stood near the door, eyes fixed anywhere but her.
For the first time since she'd entered his house, the tension wasn't sharp. It was intimate and unsettling and far more dangerous. Because neither of them could pretend it hadn't happened.
He turned to leave. But just before stepping out, he paused and cleared his throat. Without looking back, he said, "Be careful." Her lips curved into a faint smile behind him
****
Kai shut the office door behind him harder than necessary. The click of the lock echoed in the room, far louder than it should have been. He didn't turn on the lights immediately. The Sun filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the desk, the shelves, the framed certificates—everything that reminded him who he was supposed to be.
He leaned his back against the door and closed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing, Kai?" he muttered under his breath.