CHAPTER 3: THE MAN THEY FEARED
1852 Words
The moment Kael stepped out of the private lounge...
The entire restaurant fell silent.
Conversations died mid-sentence.
The soft music that had once filled the room now seemed distant.
Even the waiters instinctively moved aside, creating a clear path for him.
Selene followed a few steps behind despite his order to stay upstairs.
She couldn't.
Those men were here because of her.
If anything happened to the staff...
She would never forgive herself.
From the second-floor balcony, she looked down into the lobby.
Five men stood near the entrance.
Leather jackets.
Heavy boots.
Faces hardened by years of violence.
One of them lazily twirled a metal baseball bat over his shoulder.
The tallest man spotted Selene immediately.
"There she is."
His grin widened.
"Told you she was hiding."
Mr. Collins stepped in front of them nervously.
"G-Gentlemen... please..."
"We don't want any trouble."
The thug shoved him aside so hard he crashed into a nearby table.
Plates shattered across the marble floor.
Customers screamed.
Several rushed toward the exits.
The leader laughed.
"See?"
"Now that's trouble."
He looked up at Selene.
"Come down, sweetheart."
"Our boss is tired of waiting."
Selene gripped the railing.
"I'll pay."
"You'll get every cent."
"I just need—"
"You needed time yesterday."
"You needed time last week."
"You needed time last month."
He smirked.
"We're done giving time."
One of the other men cracked his knuckles.
"Boss said we can take something valuable instead."
Their eyes slowly traveled over Selene.
She felt sick.
"No..."
The leader pointed his bat toward her.
"Get down here."
"Now."
Before Selene could answer...
A calm voice echoed through the restaurant.
"She's not going anywhere."
Every head turned.
Kael stood between the thugs and the staircase.
One hand rested casually inside his trouser pocket.
His face remained expressionless.
The leader frowned.
"And who the hell are you?"
Kael ignored the question.
Instead, he looked at Mr. Collins.
"Are you injured?"
The manager blinked in surprise.
"I..."
"N-No, sir."
"Good."
Kael turned back to the men.
"You broke property."
"You frightened innocent people."
"And you assaulted an employee."
He spoke as though reading items from a shopping list.
The leader burst into laughter.
"So what?"
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"So..."
"...you've made three mistakes."
The restaurant became eerily quiet.
Even the rain outside seemed softer.
The leader spat on the polished floor.
"Listen, pretty boy."
"We're here for the girl."
"This doesn't concern you."
Kael's gaze finally met his.
"It concerns me."
"Why?"
"Because she's under my protection."
The thug laughed even harder.
"You her boyfriend?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"My future wife."
The smile disappeared from Selene's face.
Her heart skipped.
Future...
Wife?
The leader exchanged amused glances with his men.
"Did you hear that?"
"The billionaire thinks he can play hero."
One of the thugs stepped forward.
"Move."
Kael didn't.
"I said move."
Still...
He didn't move.
The thug lost his patience.
He swung his fist.
Several women screamed.
Selene instinctively shut her eyes.
A loud crack echoed through the restaurant.
But it wasn't the sound of Kael being hit.
She opened her eyes.
The thug was kneeling.
His arm was twisted behind his back.
His face had turned bright red from pain.
Kael hadn't even changed expressions.
"You..."
The thug gasped.
"...let go!"
"You attacked first."
Kael's voice remained calm.
"I defended myself."
"I'll kill you!"
"You'll try."
The thug reached into his jacket with his free hand.
A switchblade flashed under the lights.
Selene's eyes widened.
"Knife!"
The blade shot toward Kael's chest.
Before anyone could react...
Kael caught the man's wrist.
His grip tightened.
CRACK!
The knife clattered onto the floor.
The thug screamed.
"Aaahhh!"
Every customer stared in horror.
How...
How had he broken the man's wrist with one hand?
The remaining four men rushed forward.
"You bastard!"
Kael released the injured man.
He took exactly one step forward.
His movements were smooth.
Precise.
Almost effortless.
Within seconds—
BAM!
One man crashed through a dining table.
THUD!
Another slammed into a marble pillar.
The third found himself pinned against the wall, unable to breathe.
The fourth froze before throwing a punch.
Something about Kael's eyes...
Made his courage disappear.
Gray.
Cold.
Unmoving.
Like the eyes of a predator.
Kael spoke quietly.
"Pick up your friends."
The man swallowed.
"W-What?"
"I don't enjoy repeating myself."
The thug stumbled backward.
"W-Who are you?"
For the first time...
Kael answered.
"My name..."
He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve.
"...is Kael Nightshade."
The leader, still clutching his broken wrist, suddenly went pale.
His confidence vanished instantly.
"...Nightshade?"
One of the other men whispered in terror.
"Boss..."
"I told you we shouldn't have come."
"That's him."
"The man nobody touches."
The leader looked from Kael...
To the black business card lying on the floor.
Recognition dawned.
His breathing became uneven.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
He had just attacked the most powerful businessman in the country.
And according to every rumor in the underworld...
The one man even crime bosses refused to provoke.
------
The restaurant was deathly silent.
Broken plates littered the marble floor.
Several tables lay overturned.
No one dared breathe too loudly.
The five loan sharks stood frozen, staring at the man before them.
Kael Nightshade.
The name alone had drained every trace of confidence from their faces.
The leader clutched his swollen wrist, sweat beading on his forehead.
"H-He..."
He looked at his men.
"...he's really Kael Nightshade."
One of the younger thugs took a step backward.
"We should leave."
The leader hesitated.
Leaving without collecting the debt meant facing his own boss.
But staying...
Could be even worse.
Kael slipped both hands into his pockets.
His tailored suit wasn't even wrinkled despite the fight.
His breathing remained steady.
"You have ten seconds."
The leader frowned.
"...For what?"
"To leave."
"And if we don't?"
Kael's gaze hardened.
"Then you'll discover why the underworld avoids my name."
The room grew colder.
Even Selene, standing upstairs, felt a chill crawl down her spine.
There was no shouting.
No threats.
Just quiet certainty.
As though Kael wasn't making a promise...
He was stating a fact.
The leader forced out a laugh.
"You think I'm scared because you're rich?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the restaurant entrance.
"Ethan."
The doors opened.
Six men in black suits walked inside in perfect formation.
They weren't bulky like ordinary bodyguards.
They moved with military precision.
Every step was synchronized.
Every expression unreadable.
The customers instinctively moved aside.
One of the loan sharks whispered,
"...Nightshade Security."
Another shook his head.
"No."
"Those aren't security guards."
"They're his personal unit."
Ethan stopped beside Kael.
"Alpha."
He bowed his head slightly.
"We've located the man who hired them."
Kael nodded once.
"Bring him."
The leader's eyes widened.
"W-What?"
Before anyone could react, two more men entered the restaurant, dragging a heavyset middle-aged man between them.
His expensive suit was soaked with rain.
His face was bruised.
The moment he saw Kael, he collapsed to his knees.
"Mr. Nightshade!"
"Please!"
"It was a misunderstanding!"
The loan sharks stared in disbelief.
"Boss?"
That was their boss.
The man who had terrorized them for years.
He was kneeling.
Begging.
Kael looked down at him.
"You threatened my fiancée."
The man began shaking violently.
"I didn't know!"
"I swear!"
"If I'd known she belonged to you—"
Kael interrupted.
"She doesn't belong to me."
A brief silence followed.
Then he added,
"She is under my protection."
The distinction wasn't lost on Selene.
For some reason...
Those words felt different.
The boss bowed until his forehead touched the floor.
"I'll forgive every debt!"
"I'll return every payment!"
"I'll disappear from the city!"
"Just..."
He looked up desperately.
"...please spare my family."
Selene's eyes widened.
One sentence from Kael...
And a man everyone feared was begging for mercy.
Who exactly had she agreed to marry?
Kael remained silent for several moments.
Finally, he spoke.
"You have children."
The man blinked.
"...Y-Yes."
"A daughter."
"And a son."
"They're innocent."
The man nodded frantically.
"Yes!"
"They know nothing about my business!"
Kael's voice remained calm.
"Good."
"Then remember how you feel now."
"The fear."
"The helplessness."
"The certainty that someone stronger can take away the people you love."
The man lowered his head in shame.
"You made Selene feel exactly the same."
Tears filled the man's eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Kael looked at Ethan.
"Report him."
Ethan frowned slightly.
"To the police?"
"Yes."
The boss looked up in disbelief.
"...You're not going to kill me?"
Kael's expression didn't change.
"I don't kill men who can face justice."
Selene's eyes widened.
For the first time since meeting him...
She realized something.
People called him ruthless.
People feared him.
But he wasn't cruel.
There was a difference.
He had every opportunity to destroy the man.
Instead...
He chose the law.
That realization unsettled her more than anything else.
---
Twenty minutes later...
The police escorted the loan sharks away in handcuffs.
Customers slowly returned to their tables.
Broken glass was swept away.
The restaurant began to breathe again.
Mr. Collins approached Kael nervously.
"Mr. Nightshade..."
"I don't know how to thank you."
Kael simply nodded.
"No one was seriously injured."
"That's enough."
Mr. Collins turned to Selene.
"You've been an excellent employee."
She blinked.
"...Thank you?"
He smiled awkwardly.
"But..."
Her heart sank.
"...because of tonight..."
"I think every criminal in the city now knows where you work."
"I can't risk my staff."
Her shoulders slumped.
She already knew what he was about to say.
"I'm sorry."
"...You're dismissed."
For a moment, the words didn't register.
Then they hit all at once.
She had just lost the only stable income she had left.
The surgery.
The hospital.
Her mother's medicine.
Everything depended on that paycheck.
Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry.
She simply removed her name tag and placed it gently on the counter.
"I understand."
She bowed politely.
"Thank you..."
"...for giving me a chance."
Mr. Collins looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
Kael watched the exchange in silence.
When Selene reached the restaurant entrance, he spoke.
"You're unemployed."
She didn't turn around.
"...Looks like it."
"You no longer have a reason to reject my offer."
Selene laughed bitterly.
"You're unbelievable."
"I've been told that."
She finally looked back at him.
Rain poured outside, reflecting the city lights.
He stood beneath the chandelier, calm as ever.
Then he said the words that would change both of their lives forever.
"Come with me tonight."
"By sunrise..."
"...you'll never have to worry about money, debt, or anyone threatening your family again."
The restaurant fell silent once more.
Selene stared at him.
This wasn't just a proposal anymore.
It was a crossroads.
One path led back to the life she knew.
The other...
Led straight to the mysterious billionaire who seemed to know everything about her.
She took a slow breath.
Then asked the question that had haunted her since the moment they met.
"...Kael..."
"What do you really want from me?"
Kael held her gaze.
For the first time...
There was the faintest trace of emotion in his eyes.
"You."
- Writer
