Soft For The Predators

The Man Who walked In

Chapter Two: The Man Who Walked In

I did not sleep.

I ofcourse I couldn't.

I sat on the edge of my bed until the sky turned gray, replaying every word Kingsley had said.

That I'm oversized, I have too much hip, too much stomach. And I'm a leftover.

The words lived under my skin like bruises that would not fade.

When the sun finally rose, I forced myself into the shower, washed the salt from my face, and put on my black waitress uniform.

The fabric felt heavier than usual. Everything felt heavier.

I still had to work.

Rent did not care that my heart had been cut open.

Silas still needed food. My mother still needed me to pretend I was fine.

The Crimson Pearl looked the same when I walked in—dark wood, soft gold lights, the quiet hum of early preparation.

Kingsley was already there. Of course he was. He stood behind the bar, sleeves rolled up, talking to one of the chefs.

The moment our eyes met, something cold passed between us.

He looked at me like he wanted to speak. I looked away first.

I could not do this. Not today.

I kept my head down and started setting tables.

My hands shook when I folded the napkins.

Every time the front door opened, my stomach twisted, half hoping it was him coming to explain, half terrified it would be.

It was neither.

At exactly 7:15, the door opened and the air in the restaurant changed.

I felt it before I saw him—like the temperature dropped and the lights sharpened at the same time.

Conversations quieted. Even the kitchen noise seemed to pull back.

Jayden Vale walked in like he owned the place. Maybe he did.

He's tall, broad shoulders under a black coat that probably cost more than I made in three months. Dark hair. Sharp jaw.

Eyes the color of winter storms. He did not look around the room the way normal people did.

He scanned it like a man checking for threats… or prey.

And then those eyes locked on me.

Something inside my chest pulled tight, sudden and hard, as if an invisible hook had sunk into my ribs and yanked.

My knees almost gave out. I gripped the back of a chair to stay upright. Heat flooded my face, my neck, lower. It made no sense.

I had never seen this man before in my life.

He walked straight toward me.

Kingsley moved at the same time, coming out from behind the bar with a tight expression I had never seen on him before.

“Mr. Vale,” Kingsley said, voice carefully controlled. “We weren’t expecting you tonight.”

Jayden did not look at him. He stopped only a few feet from me.

Up close he was even larger, the kind of large that made the rest of the room feel smaller.

His gaze moved over my face, my uniform, the way I was still holding the chair like it was the only thing keeping me standing.

“Who is she?” he asked. His voice was deep, rough around the edges, like he did not use it often for soft things.

Kingsley’s jaw flexed. “Amanda. One of

our waitresses.”

Jayden’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Amanda,” he repeated, tasting the name.

The pull in my chest tightened again. I could not breathe properly. “She works for me now.”

The words landed like a stone in still water.

Kingsley went very still. “Sir—”

“Effective immediately,” Jayden continued, still watching me.

“She’ll be leaving with me tonight. Clear her schedule. Whatever notice is required, handle it.”

My mouth opened. No sound came out at first. Then I managed, “I… I can’t just leave. I need this job.”

Jayden tilted his head. The movement was slow, almost animal.

“You have a new one. Better pay. Better protection. Better everything.”

His gaze dropped for half a second to my body—not in the cruel way Kingsley’s words had cut me last night, but with something heavier, possessive and Interested.

“Especially now.”

Kingsley stepped closer. “Jayden. This isn’t the place.”

Jayden finally looked at him. Something dark and knowing passed between the two men. I did not understand it, but I felt the weight of it.

“She is not safe here,” Jayden said quietly.

My heart slammed against my ribs. “What do you mean I’m not safe?”

Neither of them answered me.

Jayden turned back to me.

“Get your things. You’re coming with me.”

I should have said no. I should have asked questions. I should have demanded explanations but instead, the memory of my father’s hospital room crashed over me—the two million dollars, the crime boss’s associate who collected women, the way my mother had cried without making a sound.

And under that, Kingsley’s voice from last night. She’s leftover.

And I just thought it was better to be taken by a stranger than left behind by the man who was supposed to want me.

I nodded once, small and shaky.

Kingsley’s face tightened like he had been struck. “Amanda—”

“Don’t,” I whispered. I could not look at him. “Please. Just don’t.”

I walked to the back on legs that did not feel like mine, grabbed my worn coat and the small bag I kept in the staff locker, and returned.

Jayden was already waiting near the door. Kingsley stood a few feet away, fists clenched at his sides, eyes burning with something that looked too much like regret and fury mixed together.

Jayden opened the door for me. Cold night air hit my face.

A black car waited at the curb, engine running, driver already stepping out to open the rear door.

I slid inside. The leather was soft. The car smelled expensive. Jayden got in after me, close enough that his shoulder brushed mine. The door shut. The lock clicked.

For a long moment neither of us spoke. The city lights slid past the windows in streaks of gold and white.

Then Jayden said, low and certain, “You felt it too.”

I swallowed. “Felt what?”

He turned his head. Those storm-colored eyes caught mine in the dim light.

“The pull. The moment I walked in. Don’t lie to me, Amanda. I can smell how hard your heart is beating.”

My skin prickled. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“You will.” He leaned back slightly, but the intensity in his gaze did not ease.

“Your father made a very stupid deal with very dangerous people. Those people will come for you the second he dies—or sooner if they get impatient. The only thing that will stop them is a public claim strong enough that even the underworld thinks twice.”

My throat went dry. “What kind of claim?”

Jayden’s voice dropped even lower.

“Marriage. To me. Tonight.”

The car turned a corner. Outside, the lights of the city blurred. Inside, the air felt too thick to breathe.

I stared at him, pulse roaring in my ears.

“You don’t even know me.”

A slow, dark smile touched the edge of his mouth. It did not reach his eyes.

“I know enough,” he said. “You’re mine. The rest we can figure out after the papers are signed.”

Before I could answer, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and whatever he saw made his expression turn ice-cold.

He looked back at me, voice suddenly sharper.

“We have a problem. They already know you left the restaurant.”

The car accelerated.

And in the front passenger seat, the driver’s eyes flashed gold for a single second in the rearview mirror—eyes that were not human.

Someone was already hunting us.