SM SMILED as she observed Jacques serving orders to customers at the café. He was wearing the café uniform with a pink apron, making him look cute and cuddly in their customer's eyes.

But Jacques didn't feel any discomfort in what he was wearing. He even looked comfortable with a pink apron on, as if he didn't mind at all. He didn't care if other customers were staring at him. He even tied his slightly long blond hair in a topknot, making him look more handsome. For a marquess, he had a rugged look.

Jacques came with her this morning. He said he wanted to help her as much as he could, so SM let him do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to play butler, then she would let him.

"Milady," Jacques said, smiling as he approached her. "Am I doing it right?"

SM chuckled softly and nodded. "Yes, thank you. But remove the apron you're wearing. You're being stared at."

"Nah. I look awesome in this apron," he said, laughing, before looking outside the café. "The ten snipers are still out there, I see."

SM grimaced. "That's the only way I can make Knight allow me to open my café."

The marquess turned his gaze toward her. "You will really do whatever he says? I've never pegged you as the submissive type."

"I'm not," SM replied before smiling. "I just don't want to worry him. He has a lot on his plate, and I don't want to add to his worries."

The marquess tsked and hissed, "Lucky motherfucker," to which SM laughed at.

"Do you have a sister?" the marquess added. "I'll marry her this instant—fuck! On second thought, forget about it. If the count hears me say that, he will skin me alive because he's a weird motherfucker and he'll think differently, of course."

When SM's phone beeped, she glanced at her phone. It was a text from Knight, saying, Tell that fucker than I heard him!, prompting her to realize that her café was still bugged.

Knight! she snapped at her boyfriend under her breath before replying, No sex for you.

She shook her head the moment Knight called. She ignored it, of course, and continued talking to Jacques. "You're doing a great job, Jacques. Thank you for helping me."

"Anything for you, milady."

Immediately, she received another text message from Knight: Tell that motherfucker to stop flirting with my baby!

She waved her head dismissively before turning to Marquess. "Can I get your number?"

"Sure." Jacques immediately gave his number, which SM forwarded to Knight: That's Jacques's number. Tell him yourself. And take these bugs off my café! I'm not joking, Knight! No sex for you!

Knight replied with the most incredulous message: Nooo !!! 😱😱😱

Why is my boyfriend such a kid sometimes? she thought.

"Uhm..." Jacques trailed off before showing her his phone. "Someone threatened me on text. I think it's the count. Did you give him my number?" he asked. His eyes widened as he received yet another message. Jacques seemed nervous. "Fuck! He said he would skin me alive! Holy shit! What should I do? Should I kneel and beg? Fuck! I should beg for forgiveness!"

She shook her head before entering her office. SM didn't want to get involved with the two aristocrats, who appeared to have a strange way of seeing things. So, she focused her attention on making cakes until she received a message from an unknown number.

You're doing great, sweetie.

SM stared at the message she just received. Only one person would call her sweetie.

She quickly called the unknown number to check if her instincts were right. Someone answered, but there was no noise from the other end of the line.

SM took a deep breath. "Dad? Is that you?"

But no one responded.

"Someone told me that you're alive," she said as her fists clenched. "If you're Mufasa, please know that I miss you so much. It's been more than a year. I wanna see you so bad, Dad. I miss you so much, my King of the Jungle."

Mufasa was her nickname for her father because, ever since she was little, her father would always tell her that he was the king of jungle to make her laugh all the time,

It was faint, but she heard a shaky breath before the line died.

A tear fell down her cheek, and soon tears began to flow. If her father were truly alive like what Shun had mentioned, she was sure that he was just close by.

She held the necklace she had been wearing—a necklace that her dad gave her. "Daddy... I miss you."

SM took deep breaths to calm herself before collapsing into her swivel chair. Her suspicion grew stronger that the person in the other line earlier was her father. She knew him. The reason he had to do this must be very burdensome. He wouldn't just abandon her for nothing.

He was Mufasa after all, her very own King of the Jungle.

She wiped the tears on her cheeks dry when someone knocked on her office's door. It was Monet.

"Boss, someone's looking for you."

SM quickly got herself ready and checked her reflection on the mirror before leaving her office. "Monet," she called the cashier, "who's looking for me?"

Monet pointed at an old guy sitting at the corner of her café. Jacques was serving him coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich.

She and Jacques looked at each other as she approached the guy. When they bumped into each other, Jacques whispered, "If you need backup, just look at me."

SM nodded, smiling. "Thank you," she replied before heading to the man who wanted to talk to her. She stood at the side of the table.

"Hi," she warmly greeted the man. "I'm Sweet Monday Canja Lopez. May I help you?"

The man looked at her for a few seconds before gesturing at the chair in front of him. "Have a seat."

She followed, and after she had settled into the seat, SM looked at the man and said, "Thank you. So, uhm, what can I help you with, sir?"

The man in front of her sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before speaking. "Actually, I was just told to do this. And I can't say no because I sort of owe him a lot."

Nothing changed in her expression. She was waiting for him to say something important.

He let out another heavy sigh before introducing himself. "I'm Dom, by the way. Nice to meet you."

SM smiled. "Nice to meet you too."

"That irritating person has a message for you. He said, 'Be safe and stay away from Knight Velasquez and his father. Break up with Knight, leave him.' That's what he said. It's for your own good."

SM became irritated. "And why would I do that?"

"Mufasa," the man said, making her hold her breath. "He said you'll understand that name."

Extremely surprised, she covered her partially opened lips with her hand. SM could feel her body turning cold, her hands shaking.

Daddy... so you're really alive.

She firmly closed her eyes to calm herself before looking at the man in front of her. "Thank you for coming here."

The man returned her gaze and smiled. "On behalf of that motherfucker, I apologize."

She forced herself to return a smile. "Kindly tell Mufasa that I'll wait for him to come see me."

"That'll be a while... but one thing is for sure, Ms. Lopez. That king of the motherfucking jungle will do everything for you like how I would do everything for my princess. Please don't be mad at him."

She gave a faint smile. "If he's really Mufasa, then he knows that I don't get mad easily."

The man sighed. "I'll tell him. I'll get going then. Take care," he said before standing up and then leaving, bringing with him the cup of coffee and the plate with grilled cheese sandwich.

SM blinked in disbelief at the man. Then she felt Jacques's presence beside her. "Did he just leave with the café's cup and plate with him?"

She nodded. "I guess he's still not finished?"

"Weird dude."

She chuckled. "Definitely."

But it only took some seconds later for her lips to thin when she remembered what Dom said. Leave Knight? She couldn't do that. She wouldn't leave the man she already came to treasure so much. She would not hurt him in any way!

Her teeth gritted. I will not leave my baby. Never!

"That's a scary expression on your face, milady," Jacques said, causing her to clear away the sharp glare in her eyes and the darkened expression on her face.

"I was just thinking about something," SM replied, smiling.

"You have a murderous look on your face."

"Sorry you have to see that."

The marquess intently gazed at her. "You're not just a normal woman, are you?" he asked with suspicion in his voice.

SM chuckled. "I'm definitely not an alien, Jacq."

"That's not what I meant!" Jacques called out as SM walked back to her office.

SM just smiled at the butler, but once she entered her office, the smile quickly vanished from her lips as she sank onto the sofa.

Her fists clenched.

Why would her father want her to leave Knight? Did his boyfriend do anything that her father disliked? Not just that—her father also wanted her to avoid Knight's father.

What was the meaning of this? What was the reason behind this?

She couldn't come up with any reason for her father to make her avoid Knight. He might have many flaws, but Knight was a good man. He didn't deserve to be treated like a bad person—

The door to her office suddenly opened. It was Knight, catching his own breath.

He quickly rushed toward her when their eyes met and then tightly wrapped his arms around her waist as he knelt in front of her.

"Don't leave me. Please, don't. Please," he begged. "Please... don't. I'll do everything, SM. I'll be a good man. I'll be a good boyfriend. Please don't leave me, baby... Please don't."

She couldn't stop staring at Knight. Did he rush to her office, breathless, just to tell her not to leave him? So, it looks like he heard what she and Dom talked about.

SM took a deep breath and caressed his hair. "You don't have to beg. I won't do what my father says."

Knight looked up at her, stunned. "You won't leave me? You won't listen to him?"

She smiled. "Knight, it's my life. I get to decide what I want to do with it, and I wanna be with you," she replied before gently cupping his cheeks. "So, stop begging 'cause I'm not leaving."

Knight blew a loud breath and buried his face in the center of her breasts. "Thank God! I thought you're going to leave me. I was so scared, SM. So damn scared," he said, his voice shaking.

She returned his embrace. "There's nothing in this world that can make me leave you, Knight. You're so important to me. I won't leave you."

Knight bent his other knee on the side of the sofa so he could reach her face and kiss her lips, which SM responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and fiercely kissing him back. Their lips only parted when they both ran out of breath.

No one spoke afterward. They just embraced each other so tightly, as if they didn't want to let go.

"Let's go home, SM," Knight suggested. "Someone might come looking for you just to tell you to leave me. I might kill someone, SM. I won't let anyone take you away from me."

"Knight..."

"I will eliminate every person or every possibility of losing you, Sweet Monday," Knight promised, conviction in his voice. "I'm not losing you. I'm not... I won't allow it. You're mine."

She smiled and caressed Knight's back. "Yes, I'm yours... Now, calm down. I'm not gonna leave you, Knight. So, calm down."

Knight finally released SM from his tight embrace before intently gazing at her. "I'm sorry if I'm being selfish. I don't want you to leave me, and I think I won't be able to take it if you do. It's fine, right? To be selfish when it comes to you? I'm only like this—I only become like this when it comes to you. You don't mind if I'm being selfish, right?"

SM nodded as he smiled at him. "I don't mind, Knight. It's okay. Be selfish, be possessive of me—if that's what will make you happy, I'm fine with it."

Finally, he smiled. "If that is so, I will keep you to myself. You're mine." Knight placed a lingering kiss on her lips before whispering, "You are the center of my world, Sweet Monday, and I will do everything—anything—to be the center of yours, mi reina."

Her heart began to race. This man... He didn't even have the slightest idea that he was already the center of her world.

She caressed his cheeks before saying, "Let's go home, baby. I wanna make love to you."

Knight smiled naughtily. "What a coincidence, I wanna make love to you too."

She chuckled softly before wrapping her arms around him.

Sorry, Daddy... but I'm keeping my baby.

PANTING HEAVILY, SM collapsed onto the bed as she covered her naked body. Knight had just claimed her for the second time, but he didn't seem exhausted yet. He was really insatiable when it came to making love to her. And she liked that about him—that he couldn't get enough of her.

SM smiled when Knight lay sideways, facing her, before resting his head onto her arms and wrapping his arm around her waist. His favorite position.

"Baby?"

"Hmm?" SM asked.

"Don't leave me."

SM paused. He was still not over what happened earlier. Was he still thinking about what his father would like her to do, something that she had no plans on following anyway?

She brushed her hair and replied, "Knight, didn't I tell you that I don't plan on following Dad's orders? I'm keeping you."

Knight tightened his hold. "I don't know what I did to be disliked by your father, Sweet Monday. Maybe he knows what I do? And so he regarded the boyfriend of his daughter as some evil human being? Damn it! I can't think straight. I've never been this scared to lose someone... Fuck!"

SM took a deep breath and caressed his back, thinking how to ease his worry.

"Come on, get up," she said as got up from the bed after coming up with an idea. "I'll make you a cake."

That finally put a smile on Knight's lips. "Hell, yeah."

After washing up and getting dressed, she stepped out of the room ahead of Knight and went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. When Knight followed, she made him wear an apron.

Knight raised his brows. "What's this?"

"You'll help me make a molten lava chocolate cake," she replied, smiling. She wanted to distract him and help him take out of his mind what had happened earlier.

Knight grimaced. "I'm more on eating cakes, not baking them."

SM held his hands, persuading him to join her anyway. "You're still going to help me. Come on."

So, Knight willingly followed her instructions. They were in the middle of baking when she noticed that Knight had been staring at the egg on the bowl for ages.

"Baby," he said as he looked at her, seemingly puzzled. "How the hell am I gonna separate that yellow thing from the white thing?"

She laughed at the expression on his face. "What have you been doing?"

He showed her his hands. "I washed my hands and tried to pick it up, but it always slips and explodes. Are you sure these can be separated? I mean, it's an egg. They always go together."

She playfully shook her head before demonstrating how to do it. Knight's mouth was agape in shock toward her.

"Wow... you make it look so easy."

"It is," she said, laughing, before giving him another egg. "Here, try it."

Knight did try... but failed.

"It slipped again, baby!" Knight looked so frustrated at his fifth try. "I don't want to do it again.. I told you I'm a cake eater, not a cake maker."

She shook her head and finished baking the cake by herself. Knight, on the other hand, sat on the stool beside the island counter, his palm resting on his chin. He was just watching her move in the kitchen, and he would smile every time their eyes met.

"Woah... I'm salivating," Knight said as SM served the molten chocolate lava cake, which she just removed from the ramekin.

SM just smiled and served one to Knight. "Taste it if it's good."

Knight followed. The moment he sliced a small piece of the cake using his fork, the soft chocolate in the center gushed out, making Knight gulp.

"Fuck! It's chocolate!" Like a kid, he quickly ate the chocolate in the center of the cake. His eyes were even closed, as if savoring its flavor. "Fuck! It's so good. I need more!"

SM laughed at his reaction and served the whole cake. She was smiling as she watched Knight, who was excitedly eating the cake, especially the soft chocolate filling, when he suddenly dipped his finger into the chocolate filling and put it on her lips.

Before she could even react, Knight licked the mixture on her lips and then tenderly kissed her. When their lips separated, Knight smirked.

"It tastes better on you," he said with a lustful expression on his face. "I should spread this chocolate filling all over you and then lick you."

SM shook her head, smiling. Knight and his horniness. "Maybe some other time, baby."

"Why?" he asked, pouting like a child.

She wasn't able to respond because Cloud and Jacques had entered the kitchen. They served themselves some of the molten chocolate lava cake she made for Knight.

"This looks good," Jacques complimented.

"Thanks," SM replied, smiling.

"Smells good too," Cloud added as he sniffed the cake.

Knight suddenly left the kitchen without a word spoken. Confused by Knight's actions, SM asked, "What happened to that guy?"

She was about to follow him when, without warning, Knight brought out his katanas. He was livid as he glared at Cloud and Jacques.

"That's my cake!" he hissed at the two. "My baby baked it for me, you assholes! Put it down! Don't you dare eat my cake!"

Cloud and Jacques stared at each other before swiftly swallowing the cake they took.

"You bastards!" Knight shouted angrily before charging at them. SM just stood at her place, watching as the craziness in the kitchen unfolded.

"My lord, you'll murder me just because of a cake?" Cloud asked in disbelief, avoiding Knight's attacks with his katanas. "My lord!"

"Yes! That's my precious cake!"

"Milady! Help us!" Jacques pleaded, who was hiding behind SM's seat. "Milady!"

"Don't call my baby's help, you motherfucker!" Knight attacked Jacques. "She's mine! She will never side with you!"

Knight continued attacking Cloud at Jacques, who kept on dodging until they were able to run out of the kitchen. Knight hurriedly ate a slice before chasing them.

SM shook her head, laughing. Yep. Craziness as its finest.

She could hear the sound of breaking objects and the three of them yelling, but she ignored their antics and, instead, baked another cake. An eggless truffle cake.

The noise didn't end even when she finished baking. She shook her head as she walked out of the kitchen with a tray of the cake she had baked. And there they were—the crazy weird-ass people in the living room, still attacking each other. Only Knight had a weapon earlier, but this time, even Cloud and Jacques were wielding their swords against him.

SM massaged her temples after seeing a wound on the marquess's arm and Cloud's clothes torn to shreds. Shaking her head, she stepped in between them. The three immediately stopped, afraid she might get hurt.

She approached Knight and gave him the eggless truffle cake she just baked. "Calm down, will you?" she pleaded.

"Cake for me!" The sharp, fiery look in his eyes instantly faded. Instead, his eyes quickly gleamed as he let go of his two swords to accept the cake she had made. "Yey! Looks so good!"

He then drowned her with kisses before walking back to the kitchen to eat. "Cloud! Take care of my katanas and clean up the mess you made!"

SM turned to the two butlers, who weakly dropped to the ground.

"Fuck," Jacques cussed before looking at Cloud. "Your lord is a crazy asshole!"

Cloud agreed as he started to clean up, starting with Knight's katanas. "Yes. He is."

Jacques looked around the entire living room, which was now filled with shattered vases, wrecked pieces of furniture, and a ripped-out sofa. "All this... for a freaking cake?!"

"Yep," Cloud answered before looking at SM. "Thank you for saving us, Lady SM."

Jacques looked at her in disbelief. "He's a crazy motherfucker!"

"I heard you, Marquess!" Knight shouted. He just came from the kitchen, now with a fork, eating his truffle cake. "How dare you call me a motherfucker in front of my baby! You're the motherfucker! Tsk! Cloud, clean this mess and replace them."

Cloud looked at Knight flatly. "My lord, we're out of funds, remember?"

Knight paused before pointing at Jacques. "Ask money from this guy. He lives here anyway. That's his pay for rent. Nothing is free nowadays."

The marquess incredulously glared at the count. "You're the one who destroyed them, but you want me to pay for all of that?"

"Yeah," Knight calmly answered with a slice of cake in his mouth. "You're the reason they're all broken anyway. Pay for it, Marquess. You're a billionaire after all. Shame on you if you won't pay for all that."

SM didn't know whether to roar in laughter or empathize with Jacques, who kept on kicking and shouting at the ripped-out sofa out of his frustration at Knight.

Knight was really good at pissing people off.

"Wow, Marquess, I didn't know that you're good at dancing." Knight was pertaining to the way Jacques kicked the sofa.

Jacques glared at him. "Can I kill him, milady?"

SM suppressed a smile and shook her head. "He's my baby."

"Well, your baby is an ass!" Jacques angrily shouted before grabbing Cloud's collar to pull him out of the house. "Come on. Let's replace those fucking vases and furniture."

"What the fuck—wait!" Cloud hissed at Jacques. "Can't you see my clothes? Do you really want me to go with you like this?"

"I have a spare shirt in my car."

Once the two butlers left, SM turned to Knight, who was sitting on the stairs, eating cake.

"That was not nice," she said as she walked toward him.

But Knight continued to eat. "They ate the cake you made for me. It's unacceptable!"

SM just shook his head and sat beside him. "Don't do it again. If you do, I won't bake cakes for you anymore."

"Baby!"

"I'm serious, Knight," she insisted.

Knight sighed heavily. "Fine. I yield."

She smiled to herself before getting the fork from his hand. "Do you want me to feed you?"

Knight immediately grinned before nodding excitedly. SM softly chuckled at his reaction and then fed Knight. He looked happy as she did.

That's good, she thought. He should get off his mind what her father had told her because she had no plans to follow his order.

She had always been a good girl to her father. She never went against him, and she always did what her father said. But she would not do what he wanted this time. She wouldn't leave the guy who made her happy. The guy who gave color to her life once again.

And if that meant she was a bad girl, then so be it. I'm willing to be a bad girl for Count Knight Alastair Minrod Velasquez.