He watched as the old man looked a little shaken. Taehyung didn't move. It took a great deal to hurt him. He was a force to be reckoned with. Once he was alone, he felt his cell phone buzz. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw it was a call from Hoseok.

"What is it?" Taehyung asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"I wanted you to know she's here, and she's safe," Hoseok replied "Good," Taehyung nodded, a hint of relief softening his features.

"I don't like this. I don't like talking to you about her behind her back," Hoseok admitted, Taehyung smiled wryly. "She has your loyalty."

"I agreed with her father to help her when she needs it. I feel you're her best ally right now," Hoseok confessed.

"But you don't like me?" Taehyung's tone was half-question, half-statement, his lips forming a slight smirk. "You know I don't," Hoseok replied bluntly, his jaw tensing briefly.

"Not a lot you can do about it. You know I'm your only hope at keeping her alive, and they're going to do all they can to try to kill her or marry her off," Taehyung remarked, his voice tinged with judgment.

Hoseok grumbled under his breath. "She hasn't said anything about your meeting today. I don't know if she's going to agree with you." Taehyung sighed deeply, his eyes flickering with concern. "If she knew what was good for her, she'd do it."

"Bella is a strong woman. She's been through a lot and she's fought a lot of people to get where she is," Hoseok defended, his tone firm and protective.

"Did she have to fight you?" Taehyung's question was probing "Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

"I need to know if you're loyal to her," Taehyung stated bluntly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know I am and to her father," Hoseok affirmed, his expression unwavering.

"How far does that loyalty go?" Taehyung pressed further, his voice low and intense.

"What are you trying to say?" Hoseok's brows furrowed, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his tone.

"I'm not blind. I know how sexy she is. I imagine it's quite hard to be around her all day and not think about doing a lot more than looking. Do you let your hands wander?" Taehyung's words were sharp.

"A Kim you may be one day, Taehyung, but don't you ever imply that my intentions are any less than honorable. Bella is a wonderful person and I see her as more of a daughter than anything else. I will take care of her," Hoseok retorted, his jaw tightening in frustration.

"Then you make sure that she's protected. If she doesn't follow their orders or makes waves for them, they will come for her," Taehyung asserted, his voice a mixture of command and concern.He hung up his cell phone and took a seat, running a hand down his face. All he wanted to do was get drunk and forget about everything that was his current problem. Leaning back, he recalled the memory of talking to Mr. Min..

"Why did you bring me here, old man? You're not supposed to be showing any kind of weakness," Taehyung had asked, his expression serious yet respectful. He'd never been called to Min's house for personal business before. This was all new for him. He respected this man, even if he did seem to be knocking on death's door.

"Let's cut the crap. You know why I want you here and it's not for shits or giggles," Mr. Min had responded, his voice weary yet determined.

"Your daughter," Taehyung had acknowledged, his gaze steady, showing respect mixed with curiosity.

"You need a wife," Mr. Min had stated bluntly, his expression grave.

Taehyung had raised his brow, a hint of skepticism crossing his features. "And you think your little girl is woman enough for me."

"I think you don't even know how lucky you are that I'm considering you for my little girl. Don't make the mistake a lot of men have made," Mr. Min had warned, his voice firm despite his fatigue.

The sudden shouting and fighting from the screen drew Taehyung's attention. Mr. Min had turned on the television. Rolling his eyes, Taehyung had watched as Bella appeared on the screen. What he saw blew his mind. He'd never seen such a strong or determined woman. He licked his dry lips, taken aback by the scene. Her hair stuck to her forehead, and her face was red, but she stood tall, proud, almost begging for the men to fight her.

Pulling out of the memory, Taehyung released a sigh. Whatever happened, he really needed to win this woman once and for all. It wasn't just about keeping his promise to her father, which he would do. No. This was now about his own sanity and without her, he was nothing. He needed her to survive, to love, to thrive, to flourish, and he alone could protect her.

___________

"Ouch!" Tears sprang to her eyes as she ran the brush through her long locks. Some of them didn't want to be brushed. "You okay?" Hoseok asked, his voice filled with concern as he watched her drop the hairbrush.

She dropped the hairbrush and shrugged. "Not really. My hair doesn't seem to like me." She pouted, frustration evident in her voice. "How did your meeting go today?"

"As if you don't know," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a fool. I know you're helping him in some way."

Hoseok sighed, his expression acknowledging her astuteness. "Your father did say you'd be aware of everything going on."

"I told you. I know you and I know Taehyung wouldn't be working alone." She turned towards Hoseok, crossing her legs beneath her and giving him her full attention. "Come on then, what do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"Don't be coy. It's not very becoming. What about Taehyung?"

"What do you think about him?"

"Hoseok, you know I don't want to get married. I don't want to be at the mercy of any man, least of all someone with his reputation."

"His reputation will keep you safe," Hoseok said reassuringly, placing a hand on her knee. He gave her a squeeze and she sighed, conflicted.

"You're not helping me."

"You're a strong woman, Bella, but even your father knew there was only so much training he could provide for you."

"I know." She sighed deeply, her voice tinged with resignation. "I hate feeling this way. I don't want to get married. I thought the point of me doing all of this was to be able to make my own choices."

"You don't think you could ever have feelings for him?"

"No!" She groaned in frustration. "He's ... overbearing. He thinks he knows best."

"Kim Taehyung does know best."

"He doesn't know everything," she insisted, her voice firm.

Hoseok leaned forward, his tone earnest. "He knows how the Family is going to treat you, honey. He knows it's only a matter of time before something happens. You can't keep living in a bubble and pretending you're going to be okay."

"I'm doing okay. I'm still alive, aren't I?" she asked defensively. "Shouldn't you be going on a date tonight?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I know everything. Go. I'll be fine."

"I don't like the thought of leaving you."

She rolled her eyes, trying to lighten the mood. "Please, don't worry about me. It's not like I'm going to do anything exciting or thrilling. We're all good here, I promise." She offered him a strained smile. Being alone in the house wasn't exactly on her list of things to look forward to, but she had to do it sometime. Besides, there were guards outside the house, and she refused to hinder Hoseok's love life because of her own insecurities.

This had been her home forever, and she wasn't leaving it.

"If you're okay."

"I'm fine. Please, you don't need to worry about me. It will all be good." She kept the smile on her face even though she didn't feel happy inside. This was all for him, not for her. She licked her lips nervously, waiting for him to leave.

He sighed. "Fine. Fine. I'll go." He got to his feet, moved to her, and kissed the top of her head. "You call me immediately if you think something is up."

"Yep, that's what I'm going to do. Stop stressing so much." She stuck her tongue out at him and tried to laugh, but it sounded hollow.

"You're right. Be careful."

She watched him go, and after the door echoed its close, she remained standing there. This was the first time she'd been alone in the house since her father's passing.

Swinging her arms around, she felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. She was all alone. No one was around.

Biting her lip, she tried not to feel the loneliness threatening to swallow her whole.

She was fine. Everything was good.

Taking another deep breath, she spun around and headed for the kitchen. She went straight to the ice cream in the freezer, grabbed a spoon, and went to her bedroom.

Once inside her room, she kept the door open and crawled onto the bed. Several magazines were open, all with the latest celebrity gossip, but they held no appeal. A romance book was also open.

She didn't know when she'd gotten into the habit of not making her bed. It was one element she used to be meticulous about. Now, she slid out of bed and left it like she had the night before. Unless the sheets needed washing, she didn't really do anything.

Dipping the spoon into the creamy vanilla ice cream, she rested against the headboard.

Silence.

It was fine.

She couldn't handle the peace and quiet. It was usually the noise she couldn't stand.

After years of screams and cries filling her ears, this was perfect. Only, it wasn't.

She continued to eat her ice cream when all of a sudden, her bedroom light went out. In the hallway, she saw the lights had gone out as well.

Her heart started to race.

There was no way the electricity just went out. Putting the ice cream down, she walked to her wardrobe, grabbed two guns, and made sure they were loaded and ready. In all the years her father had been alive, there had never been an attack on the house.

She moved to the doors, looking out over the garden. There was usually a guard near the light, which was still illuminated, and she saw his lifeless body on the ground.Her home was under attack.

"Fuck!" She cursed loudly, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She'd left her cell phone downstairs.

Going to the house phone, she realized it was dead too.

"Great, just fucking great," she muttered under her breath. One day Hoseok decided to have a life, and she let him, she was fucked.

This was what she'd been training for. She'd been with her father's men on attack missions, and this wasn't news to her. Only, these bastards were in her house.---