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Under my rule, it hasn’t just survived—it’s flourished more than it has in decades, sharper and more efficient than it has ever been. I’ve dedicated my life to bringing the syndicate greatness, and I won’t stop now. I’m only getting started.

But even as I rule as the Baekho-je, I make time for the other half of myself. The warm laughter among the sheets each morning and the hushed late-night pillow talk in the dark. I’ve realized that I can have both. I can rule the Baekho while holding onto the part of my world that brings a different kind of happiness.

The woman I’ve fallen in love with.

I’m going to rule my empire with a ruthless hand and protect the love I’ve found with the same relentless grip. I’m disciplined and determined enough to have it all.

The door creaks as I push it open and enter my apartment. I don’t bother with the lights, familiar enough with the dark shapes and layout that it’s unnecessary this late at night.

The air is warm, carrying the faint, sweet imprint of her—notes like flowers and sunshine and tall grass that instantly remind me of spring.

Everywhere she’s been, I can always smell her. Always intoxicated by her pure scent.

I shrug off my leather jacket with one hand, letting it fall over the back of a chair in the entryway, the weight of it slipping frommy shoulders with a muted thump. My boots follow, toed off and left in a neat line beside the door.

The floorboards are cool under my bare feet as I cross the apartment, each step slow, careful, the stillness of the hour settling into my bones.

In the bathroom, I strip the rest of the way down, peeling off my shirt and pants, leaving them pooled on the tiles without ceremony.

The shower hisses to life with a twist of the knob. Steam billows out in thick, comforting clouds as the hot spray washes over my skin.

I stand under the water for a long time, head bowed, the heat ringing the tension from my muscles, and washing away the remnants of the day.

Once clean, I step out and towel off in brisk, efficient movements. I pull on a fresh pair of boxers and pad toward the bedroom. The room is as dark and still as the rest of the apartment. Only the slow, gentle sound of her breathing greets my ears.

I cross in silence, taking care not to wake her.

Monroe is a small lump curled under the bedsheets. Her soft, round features are relaxed in sleep, her curls obscured by the satin bonnet she wears.

I lean down and brush a kiss against her cheek.

“Sleep soundly, Tokki-ya,” I murmur.

The happiness that swells through me is immeasurable, a tide rising so strong it leaves me breathless for a moment, stranded in the wonder of it.

Coming home to her—finding her in my bed—feels like a victory greater than any territory claimed. Any enemy crushed beneath my boot.

This is what I fight for now.Sheis the gift no one will ever take from me.

As long as there’s breath in my body, we’ll be together.

I slide beneath the sheets with a slow, careful motion, the mattress dipping slightly under my weight. The heat of her body seeps into mine, an immediate comfort before I even settle.

I reach out and curl an arm over the soft curve of her hip. Monroe stirs at the touch. A sleepy hum purrs from her throat. Her lashes flutter as she sleepily peeks at me.

“Hold me,” she murmurs, so quiet it might have been a dream if I hadn't felt the small, instinctive grasp of her hand against mine.

I grin to myself, a pulse of pure, aching fondness beating steadily in my chest. This is how I want to spend each night for the rest of my life. In bed with my rabbit, holding her close as she falls asleep in my arms.

Without hesitation, I tighten my arm around her and pull her even closer. She snuggles against me with no space in between us, tucking her face into my chest. I drop a kiss to the crown of her head and murmur, “Always, Tokki-ya.”

THE END