"YOUR HIGHNESS," Arturo greeted Knight as soon as he was aboard the private plane to Japan. He was comfortably seated while looking at the count. "Need anything, your highness?" Arturo sounded calm, but Knight knew better.

His presence made Arturo nervous because he could not comprehend him most of the time. And this was one of those times.

Knight quietly sat beside him. "A friend told me something... about you knowing my girlfriend."

Arturo took a deep breath. "Your father still doesn't know, and I'm not planning on telling him—"

"What do you take me for, Arturo, an idiot?" he asked calmly before glancing at him. "I apologize in advance, Arturo, I don't think I can let you leave the country breathing."

Arturo looked at him intently. "I'm your father's spy. If something bad happens to me here, you will answer—"

"Accidents happen all the time," he said with a shrug.

"You will go against your father just because of a woman?" Arturo spat those words as if they were disgusting.

A cold smile stretched his lips as he looked at Arturo. "Yes, I'm doing this for a woman. My woman. I promised myself that no harm shall befall on my beloved, and you are a threat. Therefore, you should be eliminated before you become a problem." In one swift move, his hand reached for his folding knife from his pocket and buried it deep in his chest. "Sorry. Nothing personal."

Clutching Knight's hand that was gripping the knife in chest, Arturo convulsed repeatedly before finally succumbing to death.

Knight yanked the knife out of Arturo, which spurted blood on his seat. He remained comfortably seated as he reached for a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the folding knife before keeping it. He cleaned his hands next before getting his phone to call Cloud.

"Cloud, I'm at the airport," he said, resting against the seat. "I made a little mess."

Cloud got it right away. "Wait for me there, my Lord."

"Thanks," Knight replied before ending the call and then calling Shun. "It's done. I made a little mess. It can't be helped."

"I'll clean up the footage," Shun immediately stated. "I'll edit some footage to cover your tracks from your father. Who would you want me to have killed your father's spy?

"Pick anyone in the Triad. I don't care."

"On it."

He ended the call as he remained leaning against the back of the seat of the plan, calmly waiting for Cloud. For the first time, he didn't regret ending a life. Maybe because his purpose was different from his previous kills. When it was to keep the people he loved safe, he would never regret anything.

He looked at the screen of his phone when he received a text message. It was from the same unknown number who called him earlier: You're not a dog after all.

He gritted his teeth. "When it comes to my woman, I'm a fucking lion, not a dog, you motherfucker."

He turned to the plane's entrance when someone entered. It was Cloud. His butler was gasping for breath, his eyes immediately looking at the lifeless Arturo.

"What did you do, my Lord?" Cloud sounded nervous as he approached him. "Your father will not like this—"

"He's a threat to my Sweet Monday," Knight explained.

Cloud combed his hair back in panic. "Fuck! We have to clean the footage, and we have to silence the people present—"

"Chill, Cloud." Knight stood and tapped his shoulder. "Shun already took care of it."

Finally, Cloud was able to breathe. "Fuck."

He smiled at Cloud. "You just have to clean this mess. Shun will make it seem as if the Triad did this. Make sure it's believable."

"Yes," Cloud assured, slightly bowing, "my lord."

Knight walked toward the exit as he waved his hand goodbye. "I'm off to work now. Thanks, Cloud."

He went out of the plane, his hands in his pockets, while walking out of the airport. When he arrived at the parking lot, he got in his car and drove it toward the Orgánosi HQ in Racini's Hotel.

As soon as got inside the HQ, Knight headed straight to the weapon room to get his katana. Then he went to the security room, where there was a huge monitor displayed in front and a number of computers.

This place was a haven for Shun.

"Out," he demanded the other trackers who were inside as soon as he entered the room. The trackers followed his orders and immediately went out of the room. He locked the door before sitting in front of the huge monitor and started to work.

He was not Shun Kim, but he could hack.

Knight checked his usual routes, checking footage and using the satellite to find a few people on the Orgánosi hit list.

He called Shun. "I'm in the security room. I'm having a hard time navigating the satellite."

"I told you to stop trying to be me." Shun tsked. "That's my job as your tracker, you motherfucker."

He softly chuckled before letting Shun use the satellite of the Orgánosi. He, on the other hand, used another monitor to go through the CCTV of his and searched for SM.

He had to type in his personal password to enter his house's CCTV. For security purposes, Shun made a program that would automatically delete the footage in his house daily.

He smiled as he saw SM baking in the kitchen. She was in the middle of designing a cake, writing KNIGHT on top of it.

My baby...

Knight's attention turned to a computer monitor when Shun's face appeared.

"Please tell me you're not spying on your girl," Shun said.

He softly chuckled. "Then I won't tell you."

"You got it bad," Shun replied, laughing.

"Yeah. I know."

Shun playfully shook his head before going back to business. "So... wanna start the cleanup?"

Knight gripped his katana, which was strapped on his back, before looking at the monitor where Shun's face was. "Where should I start?"

"Hong Kong, bud."

Knight blew a loud breath. "Let's finish this. I want to hug my girlfriend."

Shun grinned. "And I want to be with my wife. Now, let's get this over with."

He stood up from his seat before wearing the earpiece so he could talk to Shun and then walking toward the elevator. "Let's kill those motherfuckers."

"Hell, yeah," Shun replied.

Knight sighed before stepping inside the elevator. "This is gonna be a long day," he whispered. "Fuck."

SM GLANCED at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already past midnight, but Knight hadn't come back yet. She was worried. She was restless. She couldn't sleep. Cloud had been back for a while now, but whenever she would ask him about Knight, he would just reply that Knight was still busy.

She let out a deep sigh. Please be safe, Knight.

She lay on the bed and forced herself to sleep but couldn't. She looked at the wall clock again. It was 1:34 a.m.

Knight...

She got up from bed, left the room, and headed to the living room, where she found Cloud vacuuming. She smiled to herself. "Nervous?"

Cloud stopped vacuuming and released a forceful sigh while looking at the entrance of the mansion. "I wish I went with him. I'm worried."

He approached Cloud and got the vacuum from him. "He's gonna be fine, so stop vacuuming."

"How can you be so sure? Why aren't you worried?"

SM bitterly smiled. "Trust me, I'm trying my best to calm down right now. I can't stay calm until I don't get to see him safe, but we can't do anything but wait. Surely, this isn't the first time he has done this." She then looked at Cloud and teased, "Should I now get jealous, Cloud? You look like the wife."

Cloud bowed. "Stop teasing me, Lady SM. You are the wife."

She laughed. "But you're worried like a wife would."

"Please have mercy on me, Lady SM."

"I'm just joking. You calm now?"

Cloud nodded. "Kinda."

"Good." She took a deep breath before sitting on the sofa. "Just calm down. He'll be fine. He promised me no wounds. I believe in him."

Cloud blew a loud breath. "I'll just stay in the kitchen. I need to do something—maybe cook—to stop worrying."

Her gaze followed Cloud, who was now walking toward the kitchen. Then she looked at the door of the mansion.

If only Midnight and Love were with her, she would feel at ease more; the two knew how to uplift her spirit. But Midnight told her they were on a mission, though she didn't have an idea what kind.

She was about to stand from the sofa and walk around when she heard a car park outside of the house.

Knight!

SM excitedly ran toward the door. Just as the door opened, Knight walked in, and she greeted him with a tight hug.

"Knight!"

Knight instantly wrapped his arms around her body before burying his face on her neck.

She instantly felt his exhaustion and caressed his back. "Come on. You need to rest."

Thank God that, this time, he was not covered in someone else's blood.

She broke free from his embrace and held his hand. "Come on."

Knight followed her. When they were by the stairs, SM shouted, "Knight is here!" so Cloud could hear her. The butler did not respond, but she knew he heard her.

She pulled Knight to his room, and they both headed to the bathroom. She took his clothes off and guided him to the bathtub, which she had prepared beforehand. Knight was silent and was just looking at her intently.

SM gently brushed his hair as he immersed in the bath, staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

His face softened. "Thank you..."

"I know you're tired," SM replied and then stood up. "Clean your body. I'll just get your clothes ready."

Knight nodded silently, so she stepped out of the bathroom and prepared his clothes. SM turned to Knight when he went out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. SM grabbed another towel and used it to dry his wet body and hair before giving him the clothes she had prepared.

When Knight finished dressing up, he settled on the edge of the bed. SM sat on his thighs, facing him, and dried his hair.

Knight just sat quietly with his eyes closed and a calm expression on his face. He liked that she was doting on him—that she was drying his hair for him... that she was taking care of him.

That made her smile.

"Your blond hair is showing," she remarked when his hair had fully dried.

It was only then that Knight opened his eyes to look at her. "Let it be."

"Your father might get mad."

"You like me blond, right?" he asked instead.

She nodded. "Yeah... you look more handsome, and it suits you."

"Then I'm gonna be blond."

Her expression softened. "Knight..."

Knight smiled at her before wrapping his hands around his waist. "I'm so, so tired, but after seeing you, my exhaustion disappeared. What kind of magic do you have?"

"It's called love and care," SM replied, smiling, while caressing his hair.

Knight was quiet for a few seconds before speaking in a hushed voice. "I killed a lot of people today. Am I an evil person because I don't feel bad about it? I mean, the lives that I ended, they also ended the lives of my men. It's just fair..."

His men? "So, uhm, you're some sort of a higher-up?"

Knight looked up at her. "Your boyfriend is the Boss of Asia, baby."

SM blinked in surprise. She should have expected this. Count Knight—her boyfriend—was the type of guy who gave commands, not the other way around.

"I'm a part of a very big and old organization with no name. We started in the dark ages and were originally from Greece," he shared, still hugging her. "The organization's goal never changed throughout the years, and that is peace. We try our hardest to protect the people who cannot protect themselves against those who want to exploit them. It's actually a losing battle, but we're still fighting. The greatest threat humankind ever has is the Triad. They are an organized crime syndicate, whose main purpose is to take our organization down.

"And the organization I'm part of has nine Archontes, which are the heads and the decision-makers. My father is the Fourth Archon and the current leader. That's why I can't go against him because he's powerful. While I am a part of the seven Bosses under the Archontes. These seven Bosses represent or protect a continent. Your boyfriend is the Boss of Asia."

SM just stared into space, trying to absorb everything she had just heard. When she learned about what Knight does, she already thought that he was a part of an organization, but she didn't expect that he'd be involved with an organization that was created long ago.

"And the organization I'm part of has rules and regulations to maintain order among its members. And one of those rules is to never tell a soul about what I'm telling you now or I'll be punished."

Worry consumed her. "What kind of punishment?"

"Lashes."

Her eyes widened. His back! Those are lashes!

"When I first saw you..." SM said, cupping his cheeks and making him look at her. "When you were lying on the cement unconscious ... tell me, that's a punishment, right?"

He nodded and softly chuckled. "I can't even recall what I did wrong. The organization is very strict."

"But you're telling me this now, and this is breaking the rules—"

"I don't mind breaking them all for you," he said while looking into her eyes.

"Knight!" Her eyes widened at him. "I'm serious! I don't want you to get punished again! They wouldn't know you've told me about this, would they? I mean...there's no way? We're in your room, and it's just impossible..."

"They have ways..." Knight replied as if it were nothing. "And I don't mind. I mean, it's not like it's the first time for me to get punished."

She looked at Knight, horrified at his words. It seemed as if he didn't care if he got punished. She remembered his back... It showed that it was not his first time being punished. And here he was, still fighting to survive... fighting for his loved ones.

This man... has to be protected at all cost!

SM drowned his cheeks with kisses before tightly wrapping her arm around him. When she wasn't satisfied, she got up from his lap and pulled him to the bed.

Knight looked at her, stunned at her boldness. "I'm not gonna say no to this."

She playfully shook her head. Knight and his horniness. "Lie on your stomach," she commanded.

Knight obliged. She then jumped onto bed and climbed over his back.

"Baby, this is better if I'm lying on my back and you're on top of me—"

She covered his mouth and started kissing every scar on his back, even the smallest one, before lying on Knight's back and kissing his nape.

Knight grunted, "Baby, that is sweet and all, but your breasts are pressed against my back. My horniness just leveled up."

She softly laughed. "You're tired, right? Just rest."

"Baby—"

"Just rest, Knight."

He pouted like a kid. "Yes, Boss."

SM chuckled. "The Boss of Asia is calling me boss... now that's a turn on."

"See!" Knight exclaimed. "Come on, let's make love."

"Rest, Knight," she said firmly.

"But I'm good."

SM shook her head at Knight's stubbornness. "I'm serious, Knight. You rest."

Knight pouted, but he closed his eyes anyway. He let SM lie on his back, her head on his shoulder. Knight didn't complain until he finally fell asleep, which made SM smile. It was only then when she lay on the bed properly.

At the same time, Knight wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his head on her arm, making it his pillow. SM didn't complain. She knew Knight was comfortable in that position, so she let him be.

She smiled as she caressed his face. "The Boss of Asia..." she said in a whisper. "My boyfriend."

She laughed, shaking her head. She had a very cool boyfriend who was a freaking Boss of Asia and who also happened to be a count—a nobleman.

He might have a lot of flaws, and he was far from being perfect, but she was still a very lucky woman to have him.

Indeed. Very lucky.

SM SMILED as she walked in the café. Her employees greeted her with a smile and a warm welcome. "Welcome back, Boss!"

"Good thing you're now okay, Boss," Monet said, teary-eyed. "We missed you."

"That's true, Boss," Juls seconded.

"Weren't you happy I wasn't here?" she teased.

"Of course not!" Monet quickly replied, making everyone in the room laugh.

"Boss, will Knight come to work?" Juls asked. "He didn't come to work yesterday."

She glanced at the door. Knight just dropped her off at the café because he had work to do, and she was sure it would be one exhausting, bloody work.

"He's doing something important," SM told her employees. "It'll be just us for now."

"Sure, Boss!"

She smiled and then entered her office. She was excited to work again. It had been a long time since she baked some cakes for her customers.

But before she started, her eyes caught sight of a small envelope on her desk. Her brows furrowed as she picked it up and opened it to read what was inside. It only contained a simple paper with words written on it: Keep up the good work, baby.

Knight? she thought. She smiled before sending a message to her boyfriend: Thanks for the love letter. Then, she focused her attention on making cakes.

SM was in the middle of making a sponge cake when the door to her office opened and Knight barged in while catching his own breath.

"Knight?" She immediately approached him and dried his sweat. "What the hell? What are you doing here? I thought you have work—"

"I di... didn't give you"—he was still gasping for air—"any l-love letter."

Because of what he said, she turned to the table where the envelope was. "Then... who sent this?"

Knight quickly reached for the envelope and thoroughly examined it before calling someone. "Shun, please tell me you're not busy... Good... I want you to analyze something for me. I need fingerprints or anything that's traceable on the envelope I'm holding." Pause. "On it! I'll be in HQ in thirty minutes. Tops." After ending the call, he suddenly held her wrist. "Come on. You're coming with me."

"But, Knight—"

"That envelope arrived in your office, meaning someone had come in here. What if that's not the only thing that they left behind? Baby, you're my girlfriend. That makes you a target of the Triad—"

SM cut him off by kissing his lips. "Knight, calm down."

"But, SM—"

"I can't just leave," she said. "If this is the work of the Triad, then I have to get my employees to safety. I can't leave them. And then I have to close the café for everyone's safety as well."

"Cloud can do it," Knight insisted.

SM shook her head. "As their boss, it's my responsibility."

Knight blew a loud breath. "Fine. I'm staying with you."

"Thank you," SM said, smiling.

Afterward, she went out of her office to tell her employees that they had to close the café for a while.

"Don't worry, I'll still give you your pay even though we close today. I just have an emergency. I'll just text you once we're open. I'm really sorry."

"Alright, Boss."

Juls smirked. "At least we'll still get paid."

The cook gave Juls a disapproving but playful smack on the head, while Monet started to tidy up her things and put the CLOSE sign on the door of the café.

When SM went inside her office, Knight immediately hugged her.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess," Knight said. "I'm so sorry, baby."

SM caressed his back as she hugged him. What was important was no one was harmed. "It's okay."

Knight released her from his embrace. "How are you calm in all this?"

"I've expected this," she said, smiling, before kissing him on his cheeks. "I mean, my boyfriend is a part of some badass organization, and he's a Boss. This is bound to happen. And have you forgotten that I was a police officer before? This is nothing."

That put a smile on Knight's lips. "Sorry. I forgot that my baby is a badass."

She laughed. But their conversation was cut short when someone knocked. They both turned to the door.

"Boss." It was Monet. "Someone's looking for you."

Knight and SM looked at each other. "Are you expecting someone?" Knight asked.

"No," SM replied, shaking her head.

Knight quickly scanned the office before his eyes landed on the sharp knife on SM's worktable. He reached for it and then kept it under the sleeves of his leather jacket before returning his gaze to SM. "Go on. I'm behind you."

Instead of being scared, SM smiled to herself. A protective Knight is the hottest.

She left her office with Knight behind her, alert.

His eyes immediately focused on the man standing in the middle of her café. A handsome man, maybe in his late twenties. He wore a very expensive Italian suit and looked out of place inside her café.

"Who might you be?" Knight asked in confusion.

The man bowed at her, shocking both of them.

"I am called Jacques Sotelo—"

"The billionaire marquess?" Knight asked, stunned.

"Yes," Jacques answered Knight before smiling at her. "But I am just your humble butler, Lady Sweet Monday."

SM was left speechless by the man. "You got... to be kidding me..."