Kyra’s POV 
The room had gone still after my team left. Even the faint echo of their boots died too quickly down the corridor, like the sound of a door locking behind me. Only the low hum of the air conditioner remained, a muted pulse that matched the rhythm of my heart. I’d grown used to that sound—the sound of silence after missions, after debriefings, after nights when shadows felt heavier than daylight.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, Luna was here.
She sat across from me, her legs tucked under her like a wary cat, eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my chest tighten. She wasn’t just looking—she was studying, dissecting, trying to read every breath I took. Her brows furrowed when I spoke, softened when I smiled. And every time I thought I’d deflected with another vague answer, she only leaned in closer, her curiosity pressing against my ribs like a blade.
I had known this moment would come. The questions. The doubts. The moment the walls around my real life would crumble.
“Start from the beginning,” she said, her voice low but steady. She wasn’t accusing. She wasn’t pleading. It was something worse: she was demanding the truth. “Tell me the simplest thing first. How did that happen? Who attacked you? And why?”
Her words clung to the air between us. For a heartbeat, I thought about lying—about telling her, once again, that I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the tremble of her fingers where they rested on her knee stopped me cold. She deserved better than lies.
I inhaled slowly. “The thing is, Luna… my purpose for being here in Southbay isn’t what you think. It’s because of work. Real work. You’ve seen the calls, the disappearances, the bruises.” My eyes met hers. “I work for the government authorities—specifically with the International Special Forces.”
For a moment, she only blinked at me. Then she let out a sharp laugh, the kind people make when they’re trying not to panic. “Wait… wait, wait…” She raised a hand as though she could physically stop my words from spilling out. “You’re saying you’re a soldier? Including those people who just left? And not some group of computer experts like you told me?”
“I’m not exactly a soldier,” I said, my voice soft but deliberate. “ISF is made up of soldiers from elite forces worldwide. But me? I was never drafted. I was recruited directly. My ‘computer skills’—that’s only part of what I do. A cover. An asset they use.”
Her face went pale. “So… you’re here for a mission. What kind of mission?”
“It’s classified,” I said carefully. “But to satisfy you…” My heart slammed against my ribs. “I’ll tell you. But what I’m about to tell you stays between us, Luna. If this leaks, it could cost me everything—including my life.”
Her eyes flickered, but she didn’t look away. “Try me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”
I exhaled a long, trembling breath. “I’ve been doing an undercover operation— to someone. Someone connected from my past.”
Her brows knitted. “What do you mean, someone from your past?”
My stomach twisted. “Do you remember when I told you about my parents? About my brother and sister-in-law? How they were murdered right before my eyes?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “That’s why you’ve been having nightmares.”
I swallowed hard. “The man who orchestrated it—the one responsible—is the one I’m working with now. I’m embedded in his circle.”
The color drained from her face. “You… you’re investigating your parents’ killer?” Her voice cracked on the last word. “Kyra, are you insane?”
I stared at my hands, hands that had held weapons and saved lives, hands that had trembled the first time they touched hers. “I didn’t expect that when I moved here, I’d meet you. My focus split into two worlds. The world where battles happen every night… and the world where I’m happy. And that's your world Luna.”
She had moved closer without me noticing, now perched at the edge of the bed, her knuckles white around my fingers.
“So all this time…” she whispered, “…you’ve been putting yourself in danger. With him.”
“Yes, that’s part of my job—facing danger head-on,” I admitted quietly. “That’s what I’ve been trained to do since I joined ISF. I’m not afraid of it.”
My gaze softened. “But that was before I met you. Back then, my nights always ended with bruises and scars. I didn’t care—I just did my job, but when you came into my life, everything changed. For the first time, I found myself wanting to come back safe, to walk through that door without a single mark. I started being careful—not for me, but because my mind keeps whispering that you’d be shattered if something happened to me while I was out there in the dark"
I exhaled deeply then continue speaking "I love being with you, Luna even though it mess my time, I like spending time with you, I like taking care of you feed you food that I made, travel with you and I almost forget I have work that needs to be done. And I’ve hated every second of keeping this from you. But I had no choice—it’s the price of my work, the weight of the secret I have to carry" 
Her brow furrowed. “That stabbing… was it really just a mugging?”
I hesitated. “No. Not entirely. I was surveilling at the Night Bar. A man tried to lure me, I refused. He and his friend followed me out, tried to force me. I handled them I mean beat them up and pay the bouncers to keep me out of trouble. Luckily, they were already on the radar.”
Her gaze sharpened. “And June? Who is she?”
My throat went dry. “She’s the past I wanted to forget. My first girlfriend. She left me—blamed my nightmares, my lack of time. I could take the time. But the nightmares…” My voice trailed off.
Her eyes softened briefly, then hardened again. “And all this time, I thought you were just a tech consultant with a rough past…”
I reached for my bag. “There’s more.” My hands trembled as I pulled out my wallet. “I want you to know everything—to prove that I’m sincere.”
She frowned. “Kyra…”
“Please,” I whispered. “Take this.”
She took the wallet and opened it. The second she saw the ID, she froze. Her lips moved soundlessly. “Stanford?” she breathed. Her hands shook. “You mean—the Stanford Group of Companies?”
I nodded once.
She stared at me as if she’d just seen a stranger. “No. No way, your a CEO of a billion-dollar companies. That’s impossible.”
“I’m not the CEO,” I said softly. “I’m the owner. The only legal heir. Herra and Harper will co-succeed someday, but right now… it’s me.”
Luna let out a broken laugh, part disbelief, part panic. “I can’t… I can’t believe this. You’re working undercover for an international force while owning a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate? Who even are you?”
I gave a faint, tired smile. “Just a woman trying to do her job and keep a promise to her parents.”
She pressed her palm to her forehead, her breath ragged. “Do you have any idea how terrifying that sounds? You’re not just living a double life. You’re living three.”
I caught her hands. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. But now you know. And I’m asking you—don’t tell anyone. Not yet. I still have unfinished business about my family’s case. When it’s over, I’ll tell the world who I am. But until then…”
“Until then you’re in danger.” Her voice trembled. “And you expect me to sit here and wait while you walk into fire every night?”
“I’ll make sure you see me alive,” I said firmly.
“Kyra…” She clutched my hands like they were slipping from hers. “Don’t joke about that.”
“I’m not joking.” My thumb brushed her cheek. “I’m serious. So I hope you can wait.”
Her eyes glistened. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me. And now I don’t even know if I should hold you tighter or let you go before you vanish.”
“You might not be the first,” I whispered, “but if fate lets us stay together, I promise—you’ll be the last. The one I want to spend my life with.”
Her breath hitched, and then, without a word, she kissed me. It wasn’t frantic. It was fierce. A question and an answer all at once. My heart raced. If no one had knocked at that moment, we wouldn’t have known where that kiss would end.