BGM Recommendation: "Dynasty" – MIIA
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That night, they slept outside the fence of the community—just the woman and the little boy, huddled together on cold concrete under the moonlight.
No one came to drive them away.No one came to help, either.
But the woman—sharp, tired, and quietly desperate—sensed it.This place might be safe.Safe enough to beg for a chance.
Before dawn, she knocked on the iron fence.
"We want to meet the American couple," she said.
Jaguar showed up.
He was never the kind to open doors for strangers. In fact, most people didn't even know which house he lived in. But Jaguar wasn't just his name—it was who he was. Sharp. Cold. Able to read people like a weapon reads its target.
He cut straight to the point.
"What can you do?"
The woman didn't flinch. Instead, she asked back:
"What do you need me to do?"
He raised an eyebrow, gaze drifting to the boy behind her.Too thin.Too small.Probably couldn't even carry firewood.
He figured she couldn't do much either, beyond basic chores.
Still, he nodded.
"I can give you both what you need," he said. "But you need to tell me who you are—and what you've done. That's the only way I'll know what I can give you."
The woman looked down. Bit her lip. Eyes glistening.
"I clean," she whispered.
Then, almost to herself:
"That kid… he's not mine. I just… couldn't watch him get trampled."
Jaguar stared at her for a long time.
Then nodded.
He arranged for them to stay in a small house, hidden deep in the community. Quiet. Safe. Out of sight.
Back then, Lilith was still a little girl. She didn't understand how her father could just "arrange" things like that. She didn't understand the price behind that kind of kindness.
Not yet.
Years later, when she'd built her own empire, when she became the one doing the arranging—she finally understood.
That one answer saved two lives.
From that day forward, their house was no longer just a family of three.
There was a soft-spoken woman who never slacked.And a quiet boy with hollow cheeks and big eyes who never left Lilith's side.
Lucian.
They weren't related by blood.
But fate had already braided their lives together.
They grew up side by side.Learned to shoot together.Tracked animals through thick mud and damp forests, under canopies dripping with mist and moonlight.
They came home muddy, sweaty, but always laughing—shoulders carrying rifles, hands full of game, hearts full of something neither of them could name yet.
From far away, smoke curled out of the chimney.Jasmine and the kind woman stood at the door, waving as the kids returned like soldiers from a gentle war.
Lilith always kicked off her boots the second she got home, raced upstairs, and sank into a bathtub. She loved the hot water, the soft blankets, and the bliss of sleep after a long hunt.
Lucian?He changed clothes, then went straight to the kitchen.
He never missed it.Not once.
Said hunger used to keep him up at night. Said he couldn't relax unless he knew something was already cooking on the stove.
When the scent of stew finally filled the house, he'd sneak upstairs.
Carefully, always quietly, he'd push open her door and lie down on the couch.
He wouldn't say a word. Just watch her curled up under the covers, the rhythm of her breathing soft and steady.
Downstairs, pots clinked. Jasmine's voice hummed.Only then would he close his eyes.
Later, Lilith would say:That was the happiest time in her life.
Lucian would say:It was the only time he truly felt at home.
They thought that was how life was supposed to be.As long as they kept the community safe, maybe—just maybe—this little world could last forever.
But peace has its limits.
And after that quiet night…The nightmare began.
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That night, as Lucian lay quietly on the sofa beside her bed, he didn't sleep.
He stared at the ceiling in silence, listening to her soft breathing.
She saved me once.Now it's my turn.
But deep down, he knew——
If anyone ever dared to take her away, he'd do more than just protect her.
He'd burn the world down.