He walked through the front door, his presence commanding the space the way it always did. Expensive suit. Dark sunglasses. That cold, controlled expression that made people move out of his way without him having to say a word.
Our eyes locked.
And the world stopped.
Everything else—Kaisen, the receptionist, the soft music playing in the background—faded into white noise. There was only him. Only the weight of what was between us, unspoken and undeniable.
I saw the moment he registered me. Saw the flash of something in his eyes—relief maybe, or possession, or both. Saw his jaw tighten as he started moving toward me.
And then he saw Kaisen.
Kaisen, who was standing up from the lobby chair. He looked between me and Amai with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
The air in the lobby became charged with something dangerous and electric.
I realized in that moment, that I’d made a terrible mistake.
Because the look on his face?—
It wasn’t cold anymore.
It was something far worse.
It was possessive.
It was furious.
It was the look of a man who’d just discovered that something he considered his was being touched by someone else.
The clinic lobby felt too bright. Too sterile. Too normal for what was about to happen.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Amai’s voice was low. Ragged. But underneath it was something that made my stomach drop to my ass.
“Amai—” Kaisen started.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” I said, stepping forward instinctively.
Amai’s eyes snapped to mine.
And what I saw there made my breath catch. Bitch I hope they had a defibrillator because I was about to flat line in this hoe.
“Kaisen is mybrother,” he said.
The words didn’t make sense.
I looked at Kaisen. Then back at Amai.
“What?” My voice came out small. Broken. “I know you fucking lying! What kind of sick shit is this?” I demanded, my voice rising.
“I have no idea,” Amai said, his eyes never leaving Kaisen. “But I’m about to find out.”
Kaisen stood up straighter.
“I have just as much reason to be here as you do,” he said.
And then everything exploded.
Amai moved so fast I didn’t see it coming.