The man turned to her, fury darkening his face.
"Did you just push me?" he snapped.
"I did," Eden shot back, helping the older woman to her feet.
"You've got a lot of nerve." His hand swung hard across her face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed, freezing the onlookers. Phones came up, recording. Eden's cheek burned, but she stood her ground.
"No one humiliates us like this," the man sneered. "You think you can talk back to me? You're just a small-time designer. Without your famous surname, you're nothing."
"Young man, please stop this—" the older woman tried to intervene.
"Stay out of this!" He shoved her roughly. She stumbled and fell onto the pavement.
"Hey!" Eden shouted, shoving the man back. "Don't you have any manners?"
Before the man could reply, something hit him square in the arm — a shoe. His head snapped toward the direction it came from.
There stood Eden, one foot bare, the other braced awkwardly as she tried to balance.
"Did you just throw your filthy shoe at me?" he barked, picking it up.
"I guess I did," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "I didn't mean to—well, maybe a little—but you were being unreason—"
He hurled her shoe into the street, where it landed beneath the wheels of a passing car.
"Hey! That wasn't necessary!" she exclaimed.
The man strode toward her, his shadow falling over her face.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" he hissed. "Do you know what happens to meddlers like you?"
Eden backed away, heart hammering, but her heel slipped off the curb. She braced for the impact that never came—because instead of the pavement, she hit something solid and warm.
A chest.
A familiar voice spoke behind her, calm but edged with command.
"So this is where you ran off to, Your Highness."
Eden froze.
Davin's hand was firm on her arm as he stepped between her and the man. His tone was clipped, military, but his eyes flicked to her with clear disapproval.
"You ditched your security and caused a commotion in a public place," he said, voice low enough only she could hear. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
"I'm not causing any commotion," Eden muttered, stepping away from Davin to stand upright. She didn't even care that one foot was still bare.
Around them, Davin's men were already moving through the small crowd, quietly ordering people to delete their photos and videos. The air that had been buzzing with whispers quickly fell silent.
"Lt. Commander—you're here too—" the man started.
Davin turned to him, voice calm but edged with steel.
"What do you think you're doing? Beating women in public like some street thug? Have you completely lost respect for yourself? And you call yourself a man?"
The man flinched but didn't answer. Before he could, a woman in a sleek dress rushed forward.
"Big brother, I told you to stop, didn't I? We can talk about this properly," she said, tugging at his sleeve.
Eden recognized her instantly—she was the one he'd been arguing with earlier. So she was the cause of this mess.
"I would agree with that," Davin said, turning toward the younger woman standing beside the old lady Eden had helped. The woman hesitated before walking over, her eyes darting nervously between them.
"We can discuss this at the office," she said, avoiding Davin's gaze.
"Good," Davin replied. "Let's settle this properly. Meet us at the Kingdom office in thirty minutes. Sound fair?"
He extended a hand. The man hesitated but smirked and took it.
"You got it," the man said, squeezing back.
A sharp crack echoed as Davin's grip tightened—just enough to make the man wince.
"Aw!" the man yelped, jerking his hand back, his smirk vanishing. Davin's eyes didn't waver.
"Let's talk later," Davin said quietly to Eden before walking over to the old woman she'd helped.
The man and his companion had already left, and the tension in the air slowly dissolved. Eden watched as Davin crouched beside the woman, asking if she was hurt. His tone was softer now—steady, respectful.
"More than that jerk," a voice said beside her, "I'm actually more scared of him."
Eden blinked and turned to see the young woman standing next to her. The girl gave her a knowing smile.
"Thank you for what you did," she said. "But you didn't have to, really. And you even lost your shoe."
Only then did Eden notice her bare foot. Embarrassed, she quickly balanced on one foot and pressed the other against it to hide it.
"It's just a shoe," she said with a small smile. "It's worth losing if I could help someone."
"You have a point." The woman grinned. "I'm Ashmaria." She extended her hand toward Eden. "And that handsome snob over there is my older twin brother." She nodded toward Davin, who was now helping the old woman to her feet.
"Eden," she replied, shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Eden," Ashmaria said brightly. Then, noticing her brother, she excused herself and hurried toward him.
"You're such a troublemaker," Davin said as soon as she approached, flicking her forehead.
"Ah! Kuya!" she protested, covering the spot while glaring at him.
Eden couldn't help but watch them—the siblings laughing and bickering as if the world around them didn't exist. There was something so normal and warm about it that it ached in her chest.
She realized, painfully, that she'd never had moments like that with her own mother. Their relationship had always been shadowed by secrets—hidden truths, whispered names, and guarded emotions.
And now, after learning who she really was, Eden knew that simple moments like this… might never belong to her.
Eden didn't wait for the three to approach. Before Davin could notice her, she quietly slipped away, walking toward the street where her shoe had been thrown. It lay on the other side of the road, scuffed and half-buried in dust. She wanted to retrieve it—but her feet froze at the edge of the curb, fear holding her still as cars sped past.
"Davin?" Ashmaria's voice pulled her brother from his thoughts. She noticed him scanning the crowd. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen the girl who was just here?" Davin asked sharply.
"Who? Eden?"
"Yes." His tone grew tense.
"I don't know. She was here a moment ago." Ashmaria frowned, glancing around.
"That girl," Davin muttered under his breath, irritation flashing in his eyes.
"Go find her," Anica said softly, resting a hand on her son's arm. Davin turned to her immediately, concern etched on his face.
"You'll be alright, Mama?"
She smiled faintly. "She's a VIP, isn't she?"
He hesitated, then nodded.
"VIP?" Ashmaria repeated, eyes widening. "You mean… royalty?" She knew what her brother's assignments meant — he wasn't just guarding anyone. His clients were diplomats, foreign officials, even crowned heads.
"I'll look for her," Davin said. "Stay with Mama. And make sure that meeting with that man goes smoothly. No more drama."
Ashmaria rolled her eyes. "He was the one being stubborn. I told him the new 'Kingdom' concept doesn't suit his model, but he kept insisting."
"That doesn't mean you make a scene in public," Davin shot back. "What if this spreads? A Kingdom heiress losing her temper on the street? What do you think the Chairman will say?"
"Alright, alright! I'll fix it," Ashmaria grumbled, crossing her arms.
Davin exhaled sharply, softening as he looked at his mother. "I'll go find our other problem child," he said, then leaned down to kiss Anica's forehead. "Be good," he added to his sister before striding away.
Anica watched him leave, a small, knowing smile touching her lips.