CHAPTER 10 — THE GALA
1205 Words
Aarya knew something was wrong the moment she walked downstairs.
The penthouse was unusually busy.
Staff members hurried from room to room.
Phones rang constantly.
Security guards moved with military precision.
And in the center of the chaos—
stood Jeon Jungkook.
Looking annoyingly perfect.
Aarya immediately regretted looking.
He wore a fitted black suit that looked like it had been tailored specifically to make women lose their minds.
The jacket hugged his broad shoulders.
His dark hair was styled neatly.
A silver watch gleamed on his wrist.
And unfortunately—
he looked breathtaking.
Which was deeply irritating.
Very deeply irritating.
Because handsome criminals were unfair.
"Why are there so many people here?" she asked.
Jungkook glanced up.
For a brief second—
his eyes softened.
Then they narrowed.
"You're barefoot."
Aarya blinked.
"That's your concern?"
"Yes."
She stared.
He stared back.
Neither moved.
Finally, Aarya groaned.
"You're impossible."
Jungkook ignored that.
As usual.
"You have thirty minutes."
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"For what?"
"To get ready."
Aarya immediately sensed danger.
"No."
His expression remained calm.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Aarya."
The warning in his voice made her pause.
"What?"
"We're attending a gala tonight."
Her jaw dropped.
"We?"
"Yes."
"No."
His eyebrow lifted.
Again.
He did that far too often.
"I wasn't asking."
Aarya crossed her arms.
"I'm not going."
"You're coming."
"I'm not."
"You're coming."
They glared at each other.
Several staff members quietly disappeared.
Smart people.
Very smart people.
Eventually—
Jungkook sighed.
The rare sign of frustration surprised her.
Then he walked toward her.
Aarya immediately took a step backward.
Jungkook took another step forward.
Then another.
Until she found herself trapped against the staircase railing.
Again.
Always again.
"You're coming."
His voice dropped lower.
Softer.
More dangerous.
Aarya hated that her heartbeat immediately sped up.
"Why?"
For a second—
something flickered across his face.
Then disappeared.
"Because I said so."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Terrible answer."
His lips twitched.
Barely.
Then—
"Because I don't trust leaving you alone."
The confession surprised them both.
Aarya blinked.
Jungkook seemed mildly annoyed he'd said it out loud.
Good.
He deserved it.
Two hours later—
Aarya stood in front of a mirror.
Speechless.
The dress was beautiful.
Dark emerald green.
Elegant.
Sophisticated.
The kind of dress she'd never normally wear.
The kind of dress she couldn't afford even if she sold several organs.
A stylist adjusted the final details.
Then stepped away.
Aarya stared at her reflection.
She barely recognized herself.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Before she could answer—
the door opened.
Jungkook entered.
And froze.
Completely.
For the first time since she'd met him—
Jeon Jungkook actually looked speechless.
Aarya noticed immediately.
And suddenly—
her confidence doubled.
"What's wrong?"
Silence.
Jungkook simply stared.
His gaze traveled over her slowly.
Too slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
Aarya's heartbeat became uncooperative.
Again.
Finally—
he spoke.
"You look beautiful."
The words were quiet.
Honest.
Unfiltered.
The room suddenly felt very warm.
Aarya forgot how to respond.
Which was embarrassing.
Extremely embarrassing.
Luckily—
Jungkook recovered first.
His expression returned to normal.
Mostly.
"Let's go."
The gala was chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Flashing cameras.
Celebrities.
Business executives.
Politicians.
Influencers.
Thousands of people.
And all of them seemed obsessed with one person.
Jeon Jungkook.
The moment he stepped out of the car—
the crowd exploded.
Screams echoed everywhere.
Fans cried.
Photographers nearly climbed over each other.
Aarya stared.
She'd seen clips online.
But seeing it in person was different.
Much different.
This wasn't popularity.
This was madness.
Jungkook handled it effortlessly.
Smiling.
Waving.
Greeting people politely.
The perfect idol.
The perfect gentleman.
The perfect lie.
Aarya couldn't stop watching.
Because nobody else could see what she saw.
Nobody else knew the truth.
Nobody else knew that beneath the charming smile...
stood a man capable of terrifying entire criminal organizations.
It felt surreal.
Inside the ballroom—
the attention only became worse.
People surrounded Jungkook constantly.
Everyone wanted a conversation.
A photograph.
A handshake.
A moment.
Meanwhile—
Aarya stood slightly behind him.
Observing.
Watching.
Learning.
And trying not to feel awkward.
Which wasn't easy.
Especially when beautiful women kept approaching Jungkook.
One after another.
Models.
Actresses.
Socialites.
All gorgeous.
All confident.
All very interested.
Aarya tried ignoring it.
She really did.
For about five minutes.
Then she got annoyed.
The third woman practically hung off Jungkook's arm.
The fourth laughed at everything he said.
The fifth touched his shoulder far longer than necessary.
Aarya frowned.
Why was that irritating?
It shouldn't be.
At all.
Jungkook could talk to whoever he wanted.
She didn't care.
Definitely didn't care.
Not even a little.
"Aren't they exhausting?"
The voice startled her.
Aarya turned.
A young woman stood beside her.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Friendly.
Unlike the others.
Aarya blinked.
"What?"
The woman smiled knowingly.
"The women."
Aarya immediately looked away.
"I wasn't paying attention."
The woman laughed.
"Sure."
Before Aarya could respond—
movement caught her eye.
Jungkook.
Across the room.
Surrounded by people.
Yet somehow—
his gaze found hers instantly.
The distance didn't matter.
The crowd didn't matter.
Nothing mattered.
His eyes locked onto hers.
And stayed there.
Aarya's breath caught.
For several seconds—
neither looked away.
Then one of the women touched Jungkook's arm.
The moment broke.
And unexpectedly—
something unpleasant twisted inside her chest.
Jealousy.
The realization horrified her.
No.
Absolutely not.
No.
No.
No.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Unfortunately—
Jungkook noticed.
Because of course he did.
Several minutes later—
he appeared beside her.
As if he'd materialized from thin air.
The woman beside Aarya immediately excused herself.
Smart.
Very smart.
Jungkook studied her face carefully.
Too carefully.
"What?"
Aarya frowned.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
His lips curved slightly.
Dangerously.
"You seem annoyed."
"I am."
"Why?"
She crossed her arms.
"No reason."
His amusement deepened.
"Aarya."
"What?"
The smirk grew.
"Are you jealous?"
Her jaw dropped.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
"I am not jealous."
"Hm."
"Hm?"
"Hm."
She wanted to hit him.
Violently.
Repeatedly.
Jungkook looked far too pleased with himself.
And that was unacceptable.
Completely unacceptable.
Across the ballroom—
a man watched everything.
Silently.
Patiently.
Dangerously.
His gaze remained fixed on Aarya.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every smile.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because the rumors were true.
Jeon Jungkook cared.
Far more than he should.
The man smiled coldly.
This would be easier than expected.
Much easier.
Because every king eventually developed a weakness.
And weaknesses could be exploited.
Destroyed.
Used.
His eyes narrowed.
Settling on Aarya once more.
"You have no idea what's coming."
Meanwhile—
on the opposite side of the room—
Jungkook suddenly froze.
A familiar instinct sharpened.
Danger.
His eyes swept across the crowd.
Searching.
Scanning.
Hunting.
For a brief second—
he felt watched.
The sensation disappeared quickly.
But it was enough.
His expression darkened.
Instantly.
And without realizing it—
he moved closer to Aarya.
Closer.
Protectively.
Possessively.
As if his body reacted before his mind could.
Aarya noticed.
"What's wrong?"
Jungkook's gaze never left the crowd.
"Nothing."
But his hand settled lightly against the small of her back.
Guiding her.
Keeping her close.
And for the first time that evening—
the mafia king looked worried.
- Writer
