The campus lights flickered as night settled heavily over Banasthali.
Sage walked back from the library, hugging her books to her chest. The strange messages from earlier still echoed in her mind.
"He won't protect you from what's coming."
She tried to convince herself it was a prank.
But her instincts - the same instincts that made her study psychology - were screaming.
Someone was watching.
She quickened her steps.
The pathway ahead looked unusually empty.
Too empty.
Then-
A black SUV rolled slowly beside the boundary wall.
Her heart skipped.
The vehicle stopped.
Doors opened.
Two men stepped out.
Not students.
Not staff.
Their eyes locked onto her.
And she knew.
This wasn't coincidence.
One of them smiled coldly.
"Miss Sage?"
Her breath hitched.
She stepped back.
"I think you have the wrong person."
They moved closer.
"No. We have the right one."
One of them grabbed her wrist.
She gasped, struggling.
"Let me go!"
Her books fell to the ground.
The campus felt miles away.
Her scream echoed - but a hand covered her mouth.
"Boss wants to meet you."
Boss.
Her heart pounded violently.
This is because of him.
Because of S4RKU.
Tears burned in her eyes as they dragged her toward the SUV.
And just as they opened the door-
A gunshot cracked through the night.
One of the men dropped instantly.
Blood spreading across the pavement.
The other froze.
Another shot.
Dead silence.
Sage's ears rang.
Her body trembled.
Slow footsteps approached.
Calm. Unrushed.
Terrifyingly controlled.
She knew who it was before she saw him.
S4RKU stepped out of the shadows.
Gun still in his hand.
Face unreadable.
The surviving kidnapper fell to his knees.
"W-we didn't know she meant that much-"
Another shot.
Silence.
S4RKU didn't even blink.
Then he looked at her.
And for the first time-
She saw it.
Not just dominance.
Not just danger.
Rage.
Protective rage.
He walked toward her slowly.
She was shaking.
Not just from fear...
But from the reality she had just witnessed.
He stopped in front of her.
"You were warned."
His voice wasn't loud.
It was worse.
It was controlled anger.
She swallowed hard.
"They said... boss..."
His jaw tightened.
"They wanted to use you."
Her breath trembled.
"Use me... against you?"
He stepped closer.
"Yes."
Her eyes searched his face.
"You're not just some businessman, are you?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Honest.
He lifted her chin gently.
"You wanted to see my world."
His voice dropped lower.
"This is it."
Tears finally slipped down her cheeks.
"I could have died."
His eyes darkened dangerously.
"They would have died slower."
The air between them shifted.
Fear mixed with something deeper.
She realized something terrifying in that moment-
The safest place she could be...
Was standing right in front of the most dangerous man alive.
He removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Possessive.
Protective.
Final.
"From tonight," he said quietly,
"You don't walk alone."
And Sage understood.
She had crossed the line completely.
There was no going back to innocence.
No going back to safety.
Because she had just witnessed what loving a monster truly meant.