The grand gates of Devilson Manor creaked open as the family's favorite chaos-bringer returned home.
He looked like a child who had just won the biggest candy jar at the fair. His snow-white hair danced in the breeze, his vibrant blue eyes sparkling like sapphires under sunlight. That glint in his eyes? Mischief. Mischief, and something... softer.
Love.
The moment he entered the living room, it was like spring had strutted into the house.
His mother sat with a cup of herbal tea, radiating warmth in her pastel shawl. His grandmother, graceful with her light blue eyes and snowy hair—clearly where Nik got his features from—was seated beside her, knitting something intricate with her delicate hands. And lounging beside the fireplace was his little brother, Robin, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded and cold, very much their father's clone.
The atmosphere shifted the moment Nik stepped in.
He didn't walk—he pranced in, practically glowing. Without hesitation, he collapsed right between his grandmother and mother like he belonged there forever. He exhaled with dramatic flair, head resting on the couch, and then—he grinned.
A real, dopey, in love kind of grin.
"Spring has arrived," his grandmother teased, exchanging amused glances with his mother.
Nik giggled to himself, his hands covering his face as his feet started swinging like a child caught in a love-struck fantasy.
"She's so beautiful," he whispered behind his palms.
Robin side-eyed him with judgment. "...Is he high?"
"No," his mother replied, brushing his snowy locks. "Just in love."
Nik peeked through his fingers, eyes dreamy. "I can't get her out of my head. Her voice... her eyes... the way she ignores me like I'm not the hottest guy on campus—ugh, it's killing me!"
His grandmother chuckled. "Did she agree to be your girlfriend?"
Nik's smile dropped. His feet stopped kicking.
"No," he muttered with a sigh, sitting up. "She's not like other girls, Grandma. She's not swayed by flirty lines or fake charm. We're not even friends. She's cold, distant... like she's hiding behind invisible walls."
His eyes clouded with something rare—gentleness.
"I think something happened to her. Something that made her this way. And I—I want her to trust me. To let me in. I want to carry some of that burden with her."
His mother, Elena, looked at him with proud yet soft eyes. "It's too early, sweetheart. Trust doesn't bloom in a day. But I know one day, she'll open up to you. When she feels safe."
Nik nodded, soaking in her words like gospel. "I'm going to make her the happiest woman on this planet, Mama. She just doesn't know it yet."
"Atta boy," his grandmother grinned, nudging him with her elbow. "You're a Devilson. We don't give up. We chase what's ours."
"Unless it's your sister," Robin added dryly. "Then you absolutely give up."
Nik groaned dramatically. "Ugh, don't remind me. The last time I tried pranking Rachel, Dad almost snapped my wrist."
"Should've aimed at Robin, like always," his grandmother said with a sly wink.
"I do! But he's too cold. I want a reaction!" Nik pouted.
They laughed—real, warm, familial laughter that filled the room like sunlight. For all the rumors that surrounded the Devilsons—their money, their power, their shadows—they were a family like any other. A little dramatic. A little chaotic. But deeply, fiercely loving.
And Nik, as mischievous as he was, carried a different kind of storm beneath his playful smile.
A darkness.
One that only surfaced when someone tried to hurt the people he loved. It wasn't just rage—it was a blazing, uncontrollable wrath. A side of him even his cold, powerful father couldn't always rein in. Because Nik wasn't just a martial artist trained since childhood, or a genius with a photographic memory...
He was the shadow that haunted firewalls.
The ghost behind every security breach.
He was Mr. X—the phantom hacker whispered about in the underworld, a name that sent shivers through even the most secure governments. And right now... he was hopelessly in love.
After dinner, he retreated to his room, heart pounding with a familiar ache.
He missed her.
Too much.
He tossed on his bed, clutched a pillow, whined dramatically into the mattress, and then sat up with a mischievous smirk.
Time to act.
He slipped into his study, opened his custom-built laptop, and cracked his knuckles.
His fingers danced across the keyboard. Firewalls bent, systems bowed, and within seconds, the university database cracked open before him like a secret diary. He found his class. Scanned the names. And then—there. Her name.
Elizabeth Ashford.
He stared at it for a second, heart racing like a drum solo in his chest. He saved the number, closed every trace of his visit, and leaned back with a satisfied smile.
No one would ever know.
Not the university. Not the police. Not even international cybersecurity.
He was a ghost.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed her number.
Ring.
His heartbeat roared in his ears.
Ring.
He imagined her already asleep, curled beneath the blanket, breathing softly like a secret melody.
Ring.
He almost ended the call.
Then—her sleepy voice whispered, "Hello?"—Nik's lips curled into a slow, teasing grin and chuckled.
"Hi, Ellie."
His heart practically sighed the name. She always sounded softer at night. Sleepy. Unarmed. She had no idea what she did to him with just a word.
Her voice sharpened like a dagger. "Niklaus."
Oof. That tone again. Feisty little flame.
"You sound cute when you're tired."
He grinned, picturing her sitting up in bed, probably already annoyed, brows scrunched, lips pouting.
"How did you get my number?" she snapped.
Nik leaned forward, resting his elbow on the desk as if they were having a cozy little midnight chat and not a morally questionable stalker moment."I have my ways," he said simply, as if hacking the university database wasn't a federal offense."Would it help if I said I was curious about you?"
"No," she snapped again. "It would help if you stopped acting like a stalker."
He actually laughed. Out loud. That fire in her voice? God, he was addicted to it."Can't do that," he said cheerfully, eyes twinkling. "By the way… did you see my gift?"
There was a pause. A frown probably creased her pretty face.
"Gift?"
Nik tilted his head, eyes narrowing with fake hurt. "Don't tell me you didn't even open it. Ellie," he drawled like a wounded puppy, "If you hated it, just say so. I'll get you something better."
He bit his lip as he waited.
Then her voice came, a little softer this time."I didn't say I hated it. I didn't even open it yet."
"Then open it," he whispered, voice dropping lower—gentler. "I'm waiting."
His foot bounced unconsciously, eyes glued to nothing, just imagining her hands tugging at the ribbon.
He pictured her expression the moment she'd see it—the delicate silver, the sapphires, the snowflake that matched the shimmer of her eyes when she got lost in thought. It wasn't just jewelry. It was a fragment of his soul, wrapped in silk and velvet.
She was quiet.
Then—finally—
"It's… too much."
His lips curled upward. "You don't like it?" he asked lightly, playing dumb. Though his heart was already racing.
"I can send a more expensive one—"
"No." Her voice cut him clean. "I'll keep this one."
Oh?
Nik leaned back in his chair, smug grin stretching across his face. He could almost see her now—pouting, conflicted, cheeks probably a little warm.
"So you do like it," he murmured, victorious.
"I didn't say that."
"But you didn't hate it either," he teased, voice laced with laughter. "Progress."
She groaned. "You're so irritating."
He smirked, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I've been told that. But don't worry, Ellie. I'm going to keep getting under your skin until you admit you secretly like it."
"Don't call me that."
His voice dropped to a soft, possessive whisper. "Too late. Goodnight, Ellie."
Click.
The call ended.
But Nik didn't move.
He stayed there, phone still in his hand, his chest rising and falling slowly.
Then, wordlessly, he let himself collapse backward onto the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling above like it held all the answers he was searching for.
The bracelet. Her voice. That soft moment of hesitation.
A smirk played at the corner of his lips… but it faded into something more tender, more real.
"I know you won't make it easy for me to enter your heart… but however long it takes…"His blue eyes shimmered with determination as his voice dropped to a vow only the stars could hear."…I will definitely make you mine."