Masked Devotion

Lovesick mafia

JOONG'S POV
What the actual hell? Russia? He was in Russia all these years while I was searching every corner of the globe, except there. How could I be so stupid? My fists clenched beneath the table, the frustration simmering under my skin. I glanced at Dunk, who was busy sipping his coffee, trying to avoid eye contact. Nong, really? Every time our eyes accidentally met, he looked away, pretending like he didn’t feel my gaze burning into him.

So this is how you wanna play it, huh? Fine. Let’s play.

I leaned forward, my voice dropping to a calm, calculated tone. "So, khun Dunk, if you don’t mind, shall we introduce ourselves properly?"

"Sure, yeah..." he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Phom cheu Dunk Natachai, I'm a doctor by profession." His lips curled up slightly as he licked the froth from his coffee, completely unaware of how it made my heart clench. Sweetheart, please don't do that. I can't handle it.

Wait. Did I just think please? What the hell is this guy doing to me?

He grabbed a tissue and wiped his lips clean, oblivious to how much I wanted to kiss them, to claim what’s mine. Only I should be allowed to touch him like that, in such a careless, seductive way.

"And you?" he asked, his gaze finally locking with mine.

He’s playing dumb? He really thinks I don’t know he was the masked man? Fine, baby, I’ll play along. If that’s how you want it.

"I'm Joong Archen Aydin," I said, leaning back casually, as if this wasn't a life-or-death situation, "an actor."

"Oh, an actor," he mused, and then, without skipping a beat, "What are you doing here, Chen?"

Chen? I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be confused. “Wait, are we giving each other nicknames now?” I teased. I didn’t mind. He could call me anything he wanted. After all, he was already mine.

"Oh, my tongue slipped," he said, fumbling over his words, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"I like it." I interrupted his apology. "In fact, I’ll give you one too. How about… Peach?”

"What? Peach?" He laughed, and I couldn’t resist smiling at him. His laughter was light, almost musical, pulling me out of the darkness for just a moment. My guards stiffened around me, their expressions unreadable, but I could feel their confusion. No one expected to see me like this—softened by someone like him.

Dunk was like a ray of sunlight piercing through the heavy clouds in my life. A diamond shining in the middle of a coal mine. My entire world was pitch-black, and yet here he was, bringing color to it without even knowing.

He glanced at his watch, his face dropping into an apologetic look. "Shiaa, it’s so late. I have to go."

I straightened, tension building in my chest. "What’s the rush?"

"It’s my friend’s birthday," he said, standing up. “I still have shopping to do.”

Friends? He’s going to leave me for a friend? Mai dai! Not if I can help it. "As we’re friends now, mind if I join you?” I smirked. “I’ve got nothing better to do."

His eyes narrowed playfully. "You’re not a serial killer or anything, right?"

The question hit me hard, but I hid my surprise. Did he know who I was? How much did he know? I could feel my heartbeat picking up, but before I could say anything, he laughed.

"I've just been reading a lot of articles about kidnappings these days," he said casually.

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Don’t worry, nong, I won’t kidnap you... as long as you’re my good boy.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but they were true. I would never hurt him. I would burn the world down to protect him. “For now, I’ll just protect you.”