He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
RHAINE WAS NEARING THE END OF HER PATIENCE. It was only the first practice date, but Ni-ki's arrogance and complete disregard for her comfort were more than she could handle. She had been forced to spend hours sitting next to him, watching him play video games while she tried to ignore the uncomfortable metal of the magical handcuffs binding them together.
Ni-ki barely acknowledged her presence, his focus entirely on the screen in front of him, his fingers expertly moving across the controller.
It bothered her how this whole deal was created to make him more likable so that he could easily take over his business because the longer she stayed with him, the more she felt like he didn't deserve either.
She had tried to strike up a conversation, to at least make the situation bearable, but he had either ignored her or responded with a single word before returning to his game. After hours of sitting in silence, Rhaine was done.
"Can you stop being so lazy for once?" she snapped, her voice cutting through the tension in the room.
Ni-ki didn't even look up. "You're free to leave. Oh wait, you're not," he said, smirking as he continued his game.
Rhaine huffed, pulling against the handcuffs in frustration. "What's the point of this? You're not even trying to make this work."
"Why? I feel like just looking at my face will do the trick."
"It won't. You need me for this plan to work, but you're not making this easy." She groaned, "You're hopeless. This is a complete waste of time."
Finally, Ni-ki paused the game and turned to face her, his expression darkening. "A waste of time?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You think I want to be here with you? You're nothing but a tool, a means to an end. I don't need you. I'll never need you."
Rhaine felt a flicker of irritation at his words, but she wasn't hurt. She had dealt with plenty of rude customers at the restaurant before, and this was just another instance of someone trying to get under her skin.
She straightened up, meeting his gaze with defiance. "You know what? You can lash out all you want, but it won't make me leave. I'm here because I agreed to this ridiculous plan, and I'm going to see it through, no matter how much of a jerk you are."
Her words seemed to catch Ni-ki off guard, his smirk fading as he studied her with those unnerving red eyes. He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second that I won't make you regret this."
Before she could respond, the sound of the door opening interrupted them. They both turned to see a young man standing in the doorway, his presence almost ethereal. He had a calm demeanor, with an attractive face and a curious expression as he surveyed the scene before him.
"What are you doing here?" Ni-Ki snapped, his irritation now directed at the newcomer.
Rhaine, flustered by how attractive this stranger was, quickly looked away, trying to compose herself. She was still pinned against the wall, and the combination of Ni-ki's words and this newcomer's appearance had her heart racing for all the wrong reasons.
The guy, unfazed by Ni-ki's tone, glanced at Rhaine, then back at Ni-ki. "Mr. Jin got caught up with some stuff and sent me to remove the handcuffs."
Rhaine blinked in surprise, her eyes flicking down to the handcuffs that still bound them together. Ni-Ki let out a low, incredulous laugh. "About time."
The newcomer stepped closer, pulling out a small, intricate key. As he inserted it into the lock, Rhaine couldn't help but notice the cool indifference in Ni-Ki's eyes again. The cuffs clicked open, and for a brief moment, she felt the weight lift—both physically and mentally.
As Ni-ki walked away to enjoy his freedom, the cute guy spoke. "You're handling this better than I expected," he whispered.
Rhaine shrugged, her gaze still fixed on the door Ni-ki had just left through. "I've dealt with worse. We signed a contract, so he's not allowed to hurt me. If he thinks he can intimidate me, he's in for a surprise."
He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "I think I'm going to enjoy watching this play out."
Rhaine finally turned to him, her expression softening slightly. "What's your name? Why are you here?"
He leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms behind his head. "I'm Jungwon, one of Ni-ki's childhood friends. I'm just here to observe. Consider me your referee. Besides, I wanted to see how you two interact. It's... interesting."
Rhaine rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Well, I hope you're entertained. This whole situation is ridiculous."
He grinned, his cute dimple showing. "Oh, trust me, it's better than any drama I've seen."
She sighed, moving to sit down on the couch across from him. "I just want to get through this without losing my mind, and we only started today! The asshole is making it a lot harder than it needs to be."
He nodded. "He's not easy to deal with, that's for sure. But you're holding your own, and that's impressive. You're the girl who flamed him two years ago, right? This'll be easy for you."
Rhaine appreciated the compliment, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered after her encounter with Ni-ki. She knew she had to stay strong, but the more time she spent with him, the more she realized just how dangerous this game they were playing could be.
