The bass from the speakers rattled the walls, lights flashing in every shade of neon. The place was packed, models, influencers, heirs, sharks, and vultures, all crowding around the VIP floor like moths to flame. Bottles popped, smoke curled, and the air was thick with perfume, sweat, and expensive liquor.
The moment kashi and Zarri walked in,
Zarri, dressed to kill, smirking at the party goers
For the first stretch of the night, they both stuck close together, sipping champagne, taking whiskey shots,s brushing past social climbers who all wanted their attention, exchanging polite smiles with people who hoped for a photo.
Zarri was her shield, her laugh big and her arm looped through kashi, daring anyone to come too close.
But the music grew heavier, the crowd wilder, and soon enough, Zarri's eyes caught on someone across the room, tall, lean, and already staring her down like prey.
"Well, well," she purred, leaning into kashi ear. "That one has trouble written all over him. And you know I love trouble."
She kissed Kashi's cheek, winked, and with a playful, "Don't get too lonely without me, mi encanto," she melted into the crowd, leaving her standing alone at the VIP edge, glass in hand, the lights painting her figure in flashes of gold and red.
At the far end of the club, laughter boomed above the music, Alex Segeyev, larger than life, already the sun of the party, pulling people into his orbit with wild stories and reckless charm. He was surrounded, drink in hand, a dangerous grin on his lips and beside him, quiet and sharp, stood Chaos, his presence darker, colder, his gaze scanning the crowd with that unsettling precision.
And when his eyes landed on her, he didn't look away.
As Zarri disappeared into the crowd, Kashi felt suddenly adrift, the noise and lights of the club pressing in around her, yet leaving her strangely alone. She regretted agreeing to come, the thrill of the night already twisting into unease. Moving away from the music and flashing neon, a hand suddenly clamped onto her arm, the scent of alcohol sharp and intrusive.
"Come dance with me, baby," a man slurred.
Kashi frowned, tugging at his grip. "Let me go," she demanded, struggling to pull free.
"Why? You don't find me attractive? I know who you are, Saint bitch," he sneered. "What, you think I can't do better than that Gray bastard?" He shoved his hand onto her hip, drawing her closer. "I can take you to heaven, baby," he murmured, his words thick with drunken arrogance.
Panic surged through her, before she could react, a powerful hand yanked the man backward. He stumbled, almost losing his balance, before whirling around, eyes blazing with anger, until they landed on Chaos
The music thudded, the lights cutting jagged streaks of red across Chaos's features, but it wasn't the neon that made the man stop. It was the gaze.
Chaos's icy blue eyes held him in place, a silent blade sharper than any threat. His grip on the man's wrist was iron. "Touch her again," he said, low and steady, "and you'll never use this hand."
The man's bravado crumbled instantly. "H-hey, man, I didn't know she was..."
Chaos twisted his wrist just enough to elicit a yelp, then shoved the him back into the throng of dancers as if he were nothing more than garbage.
Chaos's gaze swept over Kashi next, quickly scanning her stance, her expression, the way her fingers flexed from tension, before locking onto her eyes. He stepped closer, leaning just enough that his words were hers alone.
"You shouldn't be here alone," he said evenly, but there was a raw edge beneath the calm. "This place is full of dogs."
The club seemed oblivious, the bass pounding harder, the crowd pressing closer, glasses clinking, bodies swaying, laughter spilling over the lights.
Kashi turned away, "And what are you? My guard? You can't tell me what to do," she said, walking towards the bar.
Chaos's jaw tightened, though his face remained unreadable, He didn't follow immediately, just stood there, hands in his pockets, letting the club's noise swallow the moment as though it had never happened.
As Kashi reached for the beer the bartender slid across to her, another hand caught the bottle. Chaos's.
He didn't yank it away; he just rested his hand over hers, icy blue eyes locking onto hers. "No," he said flatly.
Around them, the crowd roared on, oblivious. But his presence cut through everything, silent, magnetic, inescapable.
"I'm not your guard," he said, leaning in just enough that his breath brushed her ear, "…but you forget, Saints… I don't ask."
The air between them burned hotter than the neon flashing overhead. His hot breath against her made her pulse flutter. He smelled of cologne, chocolate, and something else she couldn't place, but it smelled intoxicating. She couldn't bear for him to let go of her hand
She looked up at his face, "Are you a Greek God, Chaos?" she asked, tipsy from earlier shots and unbothered by the alcohol. She grabbed his chin, drawing his face closer. "You are sinfully hot." The blush creeping onto her cheeks might have been from the alcohol, or from the audacity of touching him.
For a split second, Chaos didn't move. His icy eyes narrowed slightly as her hand cupped his chin, as though he couldn't decide whether to let her continue or pull away.
Then, his lips curved, slow and dangerous.
"Careful, Saints," he murmured, his voice low enough to drown beneath the bass. "If you call me a god, I might start expecting worship."
The way she pulled him closer, the way her blush bloomed under the neon, he studied every detail like a man starving for something he'd never allowed himself to touch. His jaw tightened under her fingers, but he didn't stop her. He leaned closer, the distance between them almost nonexistent, his cologne wrapping around her like smoke.
"Saints.... " His smirk deepened, the edges darkened by something hunger-driven. "You're… touching sin with your own hands."
The crowd roared, bodies dancing, the party surging louder around them, yet in that moment, it felt as if the room had shrunk to just the two of them.
Chaos's gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes, sharp and unrelenting. His chin tilted slightly against her hold, almost daring her
"Say it again," he whispered.
She stared deep into his eyes. "You… are… sinfully hot, Chaos," she said again stumbling the words out.
Chaos's smirk sharpened, hungry now, no longer playful. The music thumped, lights flashing red and gold across his face, but his gaze stayed locked on hers, unblinking. He tilted his head slightly, letting her hand remain on his chin, testing how far she would go.
"You've had too much to drink," he said finally, softer now, as if saying it more to himself than her. His gloved hand brushed the back of her fingers, still resting on his jaw. "You don't even realize what you're doing to me, do you?"
The DJ dropped another beat, the club shaking with sound, but here, with his face so close, his breath brushing her lips, the world felt muted.
Chaos leaned in, just enough that the heat of his breath burned against her skin, his voice a whisper only she could hear:
"…don't tempt me to prove it."
Kashi shook her head. "It's hot in here. Let's go outside."
He didn't argue, he just nodded once, decisive. His hand brushed lightly against Kashi's elbow as he guided her through the thrumming crowd, parting bodies without a word. The music pounded, the lights flashed like a strobe, but every step she took beside him felt like the noise was fading into nothing.
When they reached the terrace, the air hit cooler, fresher, carrying the faint scent of night jasmine from the planters along the railing. The muffled bass from inside still thudded, but out here, it was quieter, calmer.
Chaos leaned one hand against the railing, the city sprawled beneath them in rivers of glowing light. Slowly, he pulled the gloves from his fingers, revealing scarred, strong knuckles. He tucked them into his pocket, then finally turned toward Kashi, the moonlight sharpening his gaze even more than the neon haze of the club had.
"You look better out here," she said simply, her voice calm but tipsy "The noise doesn't suit you."
His eyes flicked down for the briefest moment, her flushed cheeks, the way she caught her breath, then back to hers.
Kashi laughed softly, moving away from him just enough to lead him to her car. She jumped up onto the hood, sitting with a tilt of her head, the city lights stretching behind her. Chaos leaned beside her, shoulder brushing hers.
"The stars are pretty," she said, smiling, turning her gaze to him. "Your eyes… they reflect like the moon."
He leaned against the hood, arms crossed loosely, only looking up at the stars after her comment.
"The stars don't impress me," he said after a pause, almost dismissive. But when his gaze flicked back to her, there was a glint in those icy irises, catching the glow of the moonlight exactly as she had said.
"You see the moon in my eyes?" His lips curved into a dark smirk, warm from the alcohol. He leaned closer, his shoulder brushing hers.
"Careful, Saints… you might make me believe you've been staring too long."
The breeze tugged at her hair, and the muffled thrum of the party inside felt like a world away. No press. No enemies. No obligations. Just the two of them and the weight of her words hanging between them.
Chaos's voice dropped lower, quieter, almost a confession he hadn't intended to make. "No one's ever said that to me before."
He didn't smirk this time. He just looked at her as if the stars above were irrelevant, and only her eyes mattered.
"What? Really?" Kashi asked, more tipsy now, heat rising in her chest. She pulled him closer, lips hovering just shy of his, bold in the way alcohol made her reckless.
"They should… you have the prettiest eyes."
Chaos froze, his jaw tightened, eyes flicking to her lips before returning to meet her gaze. For a man who commanded boardrooms and ruled empires, he looked, for a heartbeat like someone caught off guard.
Slowly, deliberate, his hand lifted to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered there, holding her in place, neither pulling her closer nor letting go.
"You're drunk," he murmured, low and rough at the edges. But his breath brushed against hers, betraying him. He wasn't moving away. "If I kiss you now… it won't be because you meant it."
The space between them was razor-thin. His restraint was visible in the tightness of his jaw, the storm in his icy eyes.
Finally, his lips curved into the faintest, almost pained smirk. "And if I start… I won't stop."
"I... I...."Kashi hesitated only a second before closing the distance, pressing her lips to his, drawing him closer.
The moment their lips met, Chaos snapped.
One hand slid behind her neck, pulling her into him with a force both desperate and controlled. His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that burned hotter than the city lights around them. It wasn't gentle, it was demanding, consuming, as though he'd held back too long and her choice had shattered every restraint.
The taste of wine and smoke clung to him, mingling with the faint sweetness of her champagne. His other hand pressed against the car beside her, caging her in, the heat of his body sinking into hers.
His lips moved with fire, hot, deep, commanding. One hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head back when he broke the kiss for just a breath, before diving back in, claiming her like she'd been his all along.
Chaos took control, his tongue sliding against hers like he owned every breath she drew. One hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head back when he broke the kiss.
"Mmm… you taste like sin and sugar," he murmured darkly, his thumb brushing over her swollen bottom lip.
His icy eyes burned with something dangerous, lust edged with power. He leaned close again, his knee sliding between her legs, parting them just enough to make her feel the pressure. It was a subtle, tantalizing power play, and the fire in his gaze only intensified.
"No clever comebacks, no witty retorts? Is my little rebel getting nervous?" His lips hovered near her ear. "Or maybe… you're just eager."
"Please," she pleaded at his teasing tone.
"You sound so sweet like that…" He nuzzled her neck, nose tracing the line of her throat just under her ear. His hand slid higher, thumb brushing over her breast through the fabric. He could feel the heat radiating from her, the shiver betraying her need for more.
"And you can't hide it, my little rebel…" he murmured, capturing her lips again.
When he finally broke the kiss, his forehead rested against hers, breath harsh and uneven, nothing like the calm, untouchable man the world worshiped. His icy eyes, darker now, storm-tossed, stayed locked on hers as if searching for regret.
"You don't know what you've just done," he whispered, his voice low, dangerous, yet raw. "And I don't think I can give you back your freedom now."
The kiss left her breathless. She didn't speak, instead leaning into him, and before she knew it, exhaustion claimed her, and she dozed off in his arms.