Chapter 1: The Man in the Rain

You know, I don’t usually mind the rain. Actually, I kinda like it. It’s peaceful, dramatic… fits the whole tortured-artist vibe I got going on. But today? Nope. Today it felt like the universe was out to get me.

I was sitting at the bus station, soaked to my bones. The rain was coming down like a damn waterfall, and of course—just my luck—the bus got canceled. I checked my phone for a cab, tried all the apps, even texted two of my friends. Nothing. The streets were empty, not even a stray cat around. I was just... stuck. Shivering, soaked, and slowly losing my mind.

And then... it happened.

A car pulled up right in front of the bus station. Not just any car. This thing was sleek, shiny, and stupid expensive. Black and tinted like something out of a gangster movie. Honestly, I didn’t even think. I just saw a way out and ran toward it.

I knocked on the window like a madman, already regretting everything but too desperate to care. The window rolled down slowly—real dramatic—and then I saw him.

And by "saw him," I mean... kinda. The rain made everything hazy, but I could tell he was hot. Like, stupid hot. The kind of hot that made your stomach do flips for no reason. Half Asian, half Italian maybe? Blonde. Pale skin. Sharp jawline. Literally looked like he walked straight out of a mafia webtoon. The kind of man you don’t make eye contact with unless you want your soul snatched.

But again... I didn’t think. I just got in the car.

Silence. Heavy silence. And I don’t just mean awkward silence—I mean the air was thick. I could barely breathe. He didn’t say a word. Just started driving like it was no big deal to pick up a random drenched stranger.

I sat there like a statue, clutching my phone and trying not to pass out. His scent was weirdly comforting—woody, kind of smoky—but also intense. Like, Alpha intense. But I brushed it off. Maybe it was his cologne? I don’t know, man. I wasn’t thinking straight.

Then suddenly... his voice.

“Where are you heading?”

Husky. Deep. Like gravel mixed with honey. I literally froze. My brain just stopped working. He asked again, and somehow, I managed to stutter out, “Uh… Near Vincent Villa…”

The driver, who had been silent the whole time too, nodded and said, “We’re heading that way, sir”

Cool. Great. Same direction. Love that for me.

The drive was about thirty minutes, and every second felt like an hour. The only sound was the rain against the windows and my stupid heartbeat thumping in my ears. I tried to distract myself by scrolling through my phone, but I could feel his presence beside me like gravity.

Then... he spoke again.

“What’s your name?”

Oh god.

I swear my soul left my body for a second. I felt heat crawl up my neck as I stammered, “T-theo…”

And then silence again.

But I could feel it. He was looking at me. That gaze? Heavy. Intense. Like he could see through me. I didn’t dare look back. I kept my eyes glued to my screen, pretending to read some article I wasn’t actually processing. My heart was doing cartwheels, and I was screaming internally, but I played it cool on the outside… I think.

Finally, the car slowed. We reached my stop.

I didn’t even look at him. I bolted. Opened the door, mumbled something that maybe sounded like “thanks,” and rushed into the rain again like my life depended on it.

And that’s how it started.

The most terrifying, mysterious, dangerously hot man I’ve ever met…

And me, Theo, the walking disaster, who had no idea what I’d just stepped into.

Continue.....

...----------------...

I didn’t know his name back then.

But now I do.

Han Genovese.

Yeah… that Han.

The name alone makes grown men flinch in this city. Cold, ruthless, magnetic. A dominant Alpha born from Italian mafia blood and Korean tactical genius. He’s the boss of the Genovese Syndicate—the most powerful underground organization on the East Coast.

People whisper rumors. Some say he took over after his father vanished. Some say he made him vanish. No one really knows. No one dares to ask.

He’s tall, lean, always dressed in sharp black suits, like he walked off the cover of some villain magazine. Blonde hair slicked back, except when those rebellious strands fall over his eyes—those deep hazel eyes with golden flecks that look like they can rip open your soul. His scent? Dusky and woody, like forest smoke after rain. Comforting and terrifying all at once. It wraps around you, makes you want to breathe deeper even when you shouldn’t.

He rarely talks. Doesn’t need to. His presence says enough.

No one’s ever seen him flustered, or even slightly off balance.

Until me.

And yeah, I don’t even know what I did… I was just a soaking wet idiot begging for a ride.

I didn’t know what I was back then—just a regular guy trying to get through life, draw webtoons, survive deadlines, and avoid talking to hot strangers with scary auras. But the moment I sat in that car... something shifted.

Something inside him noticed me. And something inside me?

Started to wake up.

God help mee....(⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

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