The café felt different after those two words.
Young Master.
The warmth, the noise, even the air itself seemed to freeze.
Lina's fingers tightened around the edge of the table as she stared at Noah. Her mind refused to process what she had just heard. Surely she had misheard. Surely this was some strange coincidence.
Young master?
That title didn't belong in a small café that sold discount pastries and burnt coffee.
It didn't belong to a man wearing faded jeans and a jacket with frayed sleeves.
And it definitely didn't belong to him.
"Who… who is that man?" Lina asked slowly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Outside the glass doors, the sharply dressed man stood rigid, his head bowed slightly. Behind him, at least three more men had stepped out of black luxury cars. Their suits were perfectly pressed, their expressions serious, their presence overwhelming.
They didn't look like ordinary people.
They looked like men who controlled things.
Noah didn't answer immediately.
He stood there, his body positioned subtly between Lina and the door, as if shielding her. His posture was calm, but something about him had changed. The softness in his eyes was still there—but beneath it lay something cold. Commanding. Dangerous.
"Leave," Noah said quietly.
The man outside stiffened. "Young Master, the chairman—"
"I said leave."
Noah's tone was still low. Still controlled.
But it carried weight.
The kind that didn't allow refusal.
The man hesitated for half a second—then straightened and bowed deeply.
"Yes, Young Master."
He turned and gestured sharply to the others. The men retreated, the car doors closing in synchronized precision. Within moments, the luxury vehicles pulled away, disappearing into traffic like they had never been there at all.
The café slowly returned to life.
Whispers rose. Curious glances followed Noah as he turned back toward the table.
Lina's heart pounded so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
"That wasn't normal," she said.
Noah met her gaze.
"No," he admitted. "It wasn't."
She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "Really."
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Lina laughed sharply, her nerves fraying. "You don't have to tell me if this is some kind of joke. I've had enough humiliation for one day."
She grabbed her bag, her movements clumsy.
"I should go."
Before she could take a step, Noah gently caught her wrist.
His touch was warm. Steady.
"Lina," he said quietly. "Please sit."
She looked down at his hand on her wrist. Then back at his face.
"Give me one minute," he continued. "If after that you still want to leave, I won't stop you."
She hesitated.
Every instinct told her to run.
But another part of her—the part that had stayed when Eric walked away, the part that had accepted comfort from a stranger—held her in place.
Slowly, she sat back down.
Noah released her wrist immediately, as if afraid of crossing a line.
"I didn't plan for you to find out like this," he said.
"Find out what?" Lina shot back. "That you're some rich kid playing pretend?"
He flinched.
That reaction startled her more than anger would have.
"I'm not playing," Noah said. "At least… not the way you think."
"Then explain," she said. "Because one minute I'm being dumped for being poor, and the next minute someone is calling you 'Young Master' like we're in a drama."
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips. "I suppose it does sound ridiculous."
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
"My real name isn't Noah," he said.
Lina's chest tightened.
"Of course it isn't."
"My name is Nathaniel Blackwood."
The name meant nothing to her.
But the way he said it—calm, certain—sent a strange chill down her spine.
"My family owns Blackwood International," he continued.
Still nothing.
Seeing her confusion, he added gently, "We're involved in finance, real estate, technology, logistics. We operate in thirty-six countries."
Lina blinked.
"That's… nice?" she said uncertainly.
For the first time, Noah looked genuinely surprised.
"You don't know Blackwood International?"
She shook her head. "Should I?"
He stared at her for a long moment, then laughed softly under his breath.
"Then I chose the right place to hide," he murmured.
"Hide?" Lina repeated.
"Yes."
He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "I left my family two years ago."
"Why?"
"Because everyone around me wanted something," he replied simply. "Money. Power. Status. Marriage."
"Marriage?" Lina echoed.
"Arranged," he clarified. "Very profitable. Very loveless."
She swallowed.
"So you ran away."
"I walked away," he corrected gently. "There's a difference."
Lina crossed her arms. "And you decided to… what? Pretend to be poor?"
"I decided to live honestly," Noah said. "For the first time in my life."
She laughed bitterly. "By lying about who you are?"
His gaze softened. "By removing everything that wasn't me."
Silence stretched between them.
"You let me think you were just… ordinary," Lina said quietly.
"I am ordinary," he replied. "Without the money."
"That's not how the world works," she said sharply. "Money changes everything."
"Yes," Noah agreed. "That's exactly why I hid it."
Her chest ached. Too many emotions tangled inside her—confusion, anger, embarrassment, and something dangerously close to disappointment.
"So what was I?" she asked. "An experiment?"
His eyes darkened. "Never."
"Then what?" Her voice shook. "A test?"
He didn't answer immediately.
And that silence hurt more than any lie.
"I didn't intend to fall for you," he said at last.
The words hit her like a blow.
"But I did," he continued quietly. "And that terrified me."
Lina stood again.
"I can't do this," she said. "I just got told I wasn't worth loving because I'm poor. I'm not going to sit here and be someone's lesson about sincerity."
"That's not what you are to me," Noah said urgently.
"Then what am I?" she demanded.
He rose as well, towering over her slightly—but he made no move to block her.
"You're the first person who looked at me without seeing a price tag," he said. "The first person who defended me when you thought I had nothing. The first person who didn't ask me for anything."
Her throat tightened.
"And that scares you?" she whispered.
"Yes," he admitted. "Because if you ever look at me differently… I'll know it's not real anymore."
Lina stared at him.
For a brief, dangerous moment, she wanted to believe him.
But trust was fragile. And hers had just been shattered.
"I need time," she said finally.
He nodded immediately. "I'll give you all the time you want."
She paused, then asked, "Will those men keep following you?"
"No," he said. "I won't allow it."
"Good," she replied. "Because if I see another suit bowing to you, I might actually scream."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
She turned to leave.
"Lina," Noah called softly.
She looked back.
"Thank you," he said. "For sitting with me when I was 'poor.'"
Her chest tightened painfully.
She didn't reply.
Outside, the evening air was cool. Lina walked quickly, her thoughts racing.
Behind a darkened window across the street, a man watched her leave.
He lifted his phone.
"She knows," he said calmly. "Yes… the girl."
A pause.
Then a cold smile.
"Prepare the engagement announcement."
Lina didn't know it yet.
But the world she had accidentally stepped into was far more dangerous than poverty.
And loving Noah might cost her more than she could afford.
[End of Chapter 2]