They stood in front of the Anderson estate gates as the sun began to set, painting everything in shades of gold and amber. Nana was still clutching the giant teddy bear, though Xavier had carried it most of the way back.
"Today was perfect," she said, beaming up at him. "Thank you for coming with me, Xaviee."
"Mmm." He reached out to adjust the bow on the teddy bear, his fingers gentle. "You had fun?"
"The best fun!" She bounced on her heels, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh! Wait, I have something for you!"
She carefully set the bear down and dug into her small crossbody bag, pulling out a velvet jewelry box. Her cheeks flushed slightly pink as she held it out to him.
"I, um... I had these made. For us."
Xavier took the box, opening it slowly. Inside were two bracelets—delicate silver chains with custom charms that caught the dying light.
His breath stilled.
They were beautiful. Intricate. Each charm deliberately chosen.
Silver chain—the color of his hair.
A small blue star charm, the exact shade of his eyes, with tiny crystals that made it shimmer like a real star.
A delicate butterfly charm in pale yellow—her favorite.
A small heart in deep pink—the color of her eyes when light hit them just right.
"See, the silver is for your hair," Nana explained, nervously playing with the hem of her hoodie. "And the blue star is because... well, you call me Starlight, but your eyes look like stars too. The starry sky kind. And the butterfly is my favorite, and the pink heart is—" She paused, biting her lip. "I just thought... matching bracelets. For best friends. Is that okay? Is it too much? My friend said it might be too much, but I already ordered them and—"
Xavier pulled her into a hug.
It was sudden enough that she squeaked in surprise, her words cutting off as his arms wrapped around her. He rested his chin on top of her head—his favorite position—and held her tighter than usual.
"It's perfect," he said quietly, his voice rougher than normal. "Thank you, Starlight."
She relaxed into the hug, her small arms wrapping around his waist. "You really like it?"
"I love it." And he meant it. In a life full of blood money and diamond-encrusted weapons and bribes worth more than most people's houses, this simple silver bracelet meant more than anything he'd ever received.
Because she'd thought of him. Had it custom made. Had noticed the color of his eyes and compared them to stars.
He pulled back enough to slip one bracelet onto his wrist immediately. The silver gleamed against his skin, the charms catching light.
Nana's face lit up. "It fits! Here, let me put mine on too!" She fumbled with the clasp of her own bracelet, and Xavier's hands came up automatically to help her, his longer fingers making quick work of the tiny clasp.
They stood there with matching bracelets, the charms glinting in the sunset.
"Now we match!" Nana said happily, holding up her wrist next to his. "Oh, I should take a picture—"
"Nana!" A voice called from the house. "Dinner!"
"Coming!" She grabbed the teddy bear, struggling with its size again. "I'll text you tonight, okay? And eat something real for dinner! Not instant noodles!"
"I have the food you packed me yesterday," he assured her.
"Good!" She started toward the gate, then turned back. "Xaviee?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm really glad you're my best friend."
Something twisted in his chest—something painful and warm and desperate all at once.
"Me too, Starlight."
She waved one more time, the teddy bear blocking most of her face, and disappeared through the gates toward the house.
Xavier stood there until she was inside. Until the door closed. Until he couldn't see her anymore.
Then his smile vanished like it had never existed.
One moment, Xavier was standing outside the Anderson estate.
The next, he was in his apartment living room, the familiar sensation of teleportation leaving a slight chill on his skin.
Jihoon looked up from where he sat with three other men around the dining table, a laptop open and displaying surveillance feeds. "How was the festival?"
Xavier didn't answer. His eyes went to the screens—live feeds from around Nana's estate, traffic cameras, satellite imagery of the surrounding district.
"Status," he said, his voice ice.
One of his men—Minho, a thin man with quick hands and quicker reflexes—pulled up a file on the laptop. "We have confirmation on the assassin's identity and current alias. Lucas Li. Freelancer, thirty-four years old, specializes in infiltration and long-term kidnapping operations."
Xavier moved closer, studying the man's face on the screen. Sharp features, forgettable. The kind of face that blended into crowds. Dead eyes that had seen too much.
"Location?"
"We lost him for six hours yesterday, but picked him back up this morning. He's been circling the Anderson estate, testing security patterns." Minho pulled up a map with red dots marking sightings. "He's smart. Staying just outside the surveillance perimeter."
"And?" Xavier's jaw tightened. "What's his angle?"
Jihoon leaned back in his chair. "That's the interesting part. He's been making inquiries. Very subtle ones. About the household staff, about the security detail, about—"
"About Miss Anderson's schedule," another operative, Tae, cut in. He was a bulky man, former military. "Specifically her private tutors."
Xavier's blood went cold. "Her tutors."
"Her regular art tutor, Professor Choi, called in sick three days ago." Jihoon's eyes were sharp. "Severe food poisoning. He's expected to be out for at least a week."
The room went very, very quiet.
Xavier's fingers curled into fists at his sides, and the air around him began to shimmer with barely contained light evol. The charms on his new bracelet caught the glow, glinting silver and blue.
"When," Xavier said softly, dangerously, "is the replacement tutor scheduled to arrive?"
"Tomorrow evening. 6 PM."
"And Lucas Li?"
"No confirmation yet, but—" Minho pulled up another screen, showing a falsified identity document. "—a man matching his description obtained teaching credentials under the name 'Lee Hyun-Woo' forty-eight hours ago. Art specialist. Impeccable fake references."
Xavier stared at the forged documents, at the man's face smiling pleasantly in the ID photo. The same man who'd been hired to kidnap Nana. To hurt her. To use her against him.
Tomorrow evening.
He'd be in her house. In her art studio. Alone with her.
Over Xavier's dead body.
"Boss?" Jihoon's voice was careful. "What are your orders?"
Xavier turned away from the laptop, moving toward his bedroom. "Arm everyone. Full tactical gear. I want the entire team mobilized by 4 AM."
"We're moving tonight?" Tae asked, already standing.
"We're moving now." Xavier's voice was utterly calm, which was somehow more terrifying than if he'd been angry. "I want Lucas Li's location confirmed within the hour. I want three extraction teams ready. I want—"
His phone buzzed.
He pulled it out. A text from Nana:
*I'm home safe! Thank you for today! 🦋💕 The teddy bear is on my bed already. His name is Mr. Fluffy. Goodnight Xaviee! Sweet dreams! ⭐*
Xavier stared at the message, at the butterfly and heart emojis, at her innocent joy about a stuffed bear.
She had no idea that tomorrow, an assassin would have walked into her house. Would have smiled at her. Gained her trust.
Then taken her.
His jaw clenched so hard it ached.
"Change of plans," he said quietly, typing back to Nana with steady fingers:
*Glad you're safe, Starlight. Mr. Fluffy is a good name. Sweet dreams. 💙⭐*
He sent the message, then looked up at his men. His eyes were glacial.
"I'm going alone."
"Boss—" Jihoon started to protest.
"*Alone,*" Xavier repeated, and his voice left no room for argument. "This is personal. I want him alive long enough to understand what he tried to do. Who he tried to take from me."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. His men exchanged glances, recognizing this side of their boss. The one that came out rarely, but when it did, people died slowly.
"Jihoon, you coordinate surveillance. I want eyes on every entrance to the Anderson estate by dawn. If anyone even looks at that house wrong, I want to know immediately."
"Understood."
"Minho, dig deeper into the Serpent Guild's movements. Find out who ordered this hit and why they're targeting her specifically."
"On it."
"Tae, prepare a secondary safehouse. Off the books. Somewhere no one knows about." Xavier's expression was carved from ice. "If things escalate, I'm moving her there whether she likes it or not."
"Boss, if you move her without explanation—"
"Then I'll deal with that when it happens." Xavier was already moving toward his room, pulling off his casual hoodie. "Right now, Lucas Li is breathing air he doesn't deserve."
He disappeared into his bedroom and emerged three minutes later transformed.
Black tactical gear. Combat knife strapped to his thigh. Two handguns holstered at his sides. A third at his ankle. His signature weapon—a matte black sniper rifle that he'd used for more kills than he could count—slung across his back.
But most striking was his face.
Gone was any trace of the sleepy, gentle Xavier who caught butterflies and let girls climb on him. This was the Shen devil's. The most feared assassin in the underground. The man who'd built an empire on the bodies of anyone who threatened what was his.
His blue eyes were arctic. Merciless.
"Lucas Li's last known location?" he asked, checking his weapons with practiced efficiency.
"Abandoned warehouse in the industrial district. East sector." Minho pulled up coordinates. "But Boss, it's probably a temporary safehouse. He won't—"
"He's there."
"How do you know?"
Xavier's smile was sharp and cold. "Because he thinks he's safe. He thinks the Shen devil's doesn't know about him yet. He thinks he has until tomorrow evening to prepare."
He pulled on black gloves, flexing his fingers. The silver bracelet gleamed against the dark fabric, incongruous. Gentle charm on a killer's wrist.
"He's wrong."
Xavier moved toward the hidden elevator, and his men parted to let him through. At the entrance, he paused, looking back.
"If anything—and I mean *anything*—happens at the Anderson estate while I'm gone, I want to know immediately. If she texts me and I don't respond within five minutes, assume I'm compromised and send backup."
"Boss." Jihoon stood. "Be careful. The Serpent Guild is watching for any sign of weakness."
"Then they're about to learn I don't have any."
Xavier stepped into the elevator. The doors closed.
And the Shen devil's descended into his element—into darkness, violence, and the kind of cold justice that left no witnesses.
.
.
.
.
.
Lucas Li was good at his job.
He'd successfully infiltrated twelve different households in his career. Had kidnapped seventeen targets without ever being caught. Had killed eleven people who'd gotten in his way.
He was professional. Careful. Patient.
Which is why he didn't immediately panic when the warehouse lights suddenly went out.
Power outage, probably. This district was old, the electrical grid unreliable.
He continued cleaning his weapon—a tranquilizer gun, perfect for tomorrow's job. The Anderson girl would never know what hit her. One moment she'd be painting or drawing or whatever rich girls did, the next she'd be unconscious and in transit to the Serpent Guild's holding facility.
Easy money.
The temperature in the warehouse dropped noticeably.
Lucas frowned, his breath suddenly visible. That was... odd. It was summer. There was no reason—
A voice spoke from the darkness.
"Lucas Li."
He spun, weapon up, heart suddenly racing. The voice had come from everywhere and nowhere, soft and deadly.
"Who's there?" He backed toward the door, eyes scanning the shadows.
"You made a mistake," the voice continued, almost conversational. "A very. Significant. Mistake."
"Show yourself!"
"You accepted a job targeting someone under my protection."
Lucas's blood ran cold. No. No, it couldn't be—
Light exploded in the center of the warehouse—not electric light, but something else. Something that glowed white-blue and radiant, pushing back every shadow.
A man stood there.
Tall. Silver hair. Eyes like arctic ice.
And Lucas knew, immediately and with horrible certainty, that he was going to die.
"Shen devil's," he whispered.
Xavier smiled. It was the smile of a predator.
"Tell me," Xavier said softly, light evol crackling around his hands like contained lightning. "Did you really think you could touch her and live?"
Lucas fired.
The tranquilizer dart passed through empty air. Xavier had teleported—disappeared and reappeared behind him in the space between heartbeats.
"Too slow," Xavier whispered in his ear.
Then__
BANG
.
.
.
.
.
At 3:47 AM, Xavier teleported back to his apartment.
He was covered in blood. None of it his own.
Jihoon looked up from the surveillance monitors, took one look at him, and simply asked: "Is he dead?"
"Eventually." Xavier's voice was flat. Emotionless. "He won't be teaching any art classes."
"And the Serpent Guild?"
"I left enough of him for them to find. With a message."
Xavier walked past him toward the bathroom, leaving bloody footprints. At the doorway, he paused.
"The message?"
Xavier looked back, and his eyes were chips of blue ice.
"Touch her, and every member of your organization dies. Starting from the top."
The bathroom door closed.
Jihoon turned back to the monitors, pulling up the feed from the abandoned warehouse. Police would find the scene in approximately four hours when the anonymous tip came through.
They'd find Lucas Li.
What was left of him, anyway.
On the monitor, Jihoon could see Xavier's "message" painted on the warehouse wall in blood.
A warning to anyone who dared threaten what the Shen devil's loved most.
His phone buzzed. A message in the encrypted chat from one of their informants in the Serpent Guild:
*They got the message. Job's been canceled. Guild is going quiet on Anderson-related operations.*
Jihoon smiled grimly.
Good.
In the bathroom, Xavier scrubbed blood from under his fingernails, watching it swirl pink down the drain. He was methodical, practiced. He'd done this hundreds of times.
When he was clean, he checked his phone.
Nana's last message still glowed on the screen, with her hearts and butterfly emojis.
He touched the silver bracelet on his wrist—the only thing he'd kept on during the kill. It was spotless, not a single drop of blood on it.
He typed a message he'd send when she woke up:
*Good morning, Starlight. Hope you slept well. Want to get breakfast today? ☀️*
Sweet. Gentle. Normal.
Tomorrow, she'd never know that her new art tutor had been canceled permanently.
That Xavier had ended a life to keep her safe.
That he'd paint the entire city red before he let anyone touch her.
She'd just smile and say yes to breakfast, and he'd carry her books and listen to her chatter, and everything would be perfectly, carefully normal.
Two faces. Two lives.
The silver bracelet caught the light as he set his phone down.
For her, he'd keep playing both roles.
For her, he'd be anything.
.
.
.
.
.
To be continued.