♡ Chapter 1.9 ♡

Inside the luxurious black car, a man with dark, piercing eyes sat still, his face perfectly sculpted, as if God himself had carved him out of stone. His jawline was sharp, his cheekbones defined, and his lips light pink.

He exuded an aura of power, control, and something dangerously untouchable.

Dressed in an expensive black suit that fit his broad frame flawlessly.

His face was blank. Emotionless. Like a machine built without weaknesses.

A cold, untouchable perfection.

But then—

"Meow."

A furry black cat curled up in his lap let out a soft sound, nudging its head against his hand.

And he moved.

His large, strong hand lifted, fingers shockingly gentle as they stroked the cat's soft fur. His touch was slow, deliberate—so different from the coldness on his face.

His driver, sitting in the front seat, tried not to gape.

His boss, the most ruthless and intimidating man he had ever worked for, was actually tolerating the ridiculous scene happening outside the car.

A clearly drunk woman was wobbling on the pavement, her wrinkled black dress clinging to her in a mess. Her long ginger hair looked slightly wild from spinning around, and she was pouting at her own reflection in the car window, blinking like an adorable lost puppy.

He lowered his window and looked at her.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she met his gaze.

And then—she saw the cat.

Her hazel eyes widened in horror as she suddenly gasped and pointed at cat.

"OH MY GOD!! WHY—WHY IS THERE A PANTHER?! WHY IS A BABY PANTHER UNDER YOUR CAR?!"

The cat, clearly offended, hissed.

The driver choked on nothing.

The man in the suit paused mid-stroke, his dark gaze finally shifting toward the woman.

He did not react.

He did not blink.

He simply stared.

As if he was trying to process why this ridiculous woman was outside his car, yelling at his cat.

But Jade was too drunk to notice.

She stumbled closer, waving her arms. "Mister! Be careful!! You're gonna run over a wild animal! This is dangerous! We need animal control!!"

The cat glared at her.

Then—"Meow."

The man in the suit lifted the cat effortlessly with one hand, holding it up like proof.

Jade froze.

Her hazy vision locked onto the black cat dangling in his grip.

Then she gasped again.

She pointed at the cat. "IT CAN FLY?!"

The driver buried his face in his hands.

The suited man, however, just exhaled quietly.

Unbothered. Unimpressed. And completely, entirely done.

He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes finally acknowledging the mess of a woman in front of him.

And for the first time, he actually thought about speaking.

Because, honestly—

Who the hell was this woman?

The dark-eyed man continued staring, completely unmoving.

His expression? Blank. Cold. Almost robotic.

Meanwhile, his driver was barely holding it together. His boss..the man feared by CEOs, board members, and probably entire governments—was being yelled at by a drunk woman about his cat.

And she wasn't stopping.

Jade gasped again, her drunk mind working overtime to make sense of the situation.

Her eyes darted between the cat and the man holding it.

Then back to the cat.

Then back to him.

And suddenly—her mouth dropped open in horror.

"OH MY GOD. YOU KIDNAPPED A BABY PANTHER!"

The cat let out a deeply unimpressed "Meow."

The driver let out a strangled noise.

The man in the suit? He simply blinked.

That was it. No reaction. Just a slow, dead-eyed blink.

But Jade? She was fully invested now.

She dramatically put both hands on her head, wobbling on her heels. "Sir, sir, listen to me," she slurred, stepping closer to the car. "It's okay. You don't have to do this. Just let the poor panther go. It belongs in the wild."

The cat squinted at her.

The driver nearly lost his sanity.

The man in the suit finally opened his mouth. "It's a cat."

His voice was deep, smooth, Mature and sexy.

But Jade wasn't convinced.

She narrowed her eyes at the black feline in his hands. "No… no, no, no. This is a setup." She pointed accusingly. "That's not a normal cat. That's a baby panther disguised as a cat! It's a conspiracy!"

The driver fully turned in his seat, gripping the steering wheel for support. "Boss, do I… do I call bodyguards?"

The man in the suit rubbed his temple slowly, exhaling through his nose like this was the single most exhausting thing he had ever experienced.

But Jade was still on a mission.

"Sir, do you ev-en know ho-w to feed it?! Do y-ou give it raw meat? Do you—do you t-ake it for jungleeee walkssssss?!"

The cat growled.

Jade gasped even louder. "OH MY GOD, IT TALKS!"

At that moment, the driver made a critical mistake.

He choked on laughter.

It was just a short, strangled sound, but it was loud enough.

And that was it.

Jade's drunk brain locked onto him instantly.

She pointed dramatically. "SEE! EVEN YOUR DRIVER KNOWS IT'S TRUE!"

The driver immediately straightened up, clamping his mouth shut. He was NOT getting fired over this.

The man in the suit?

He simply… stared.

For a very, very long time.

His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, his patience visibly wearing thin.

And finally, in the most deadpan, robotic voice imaginable, he said:

"Get. In. The. Car."

Jade gasped. "OH NO, AM I BEING KIDNAPPED TOO?!"

The driver lost it.

The cat meowed in pure judgment.

And the man in the suit closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. "GET. IN. THE. CAR."

Jade, completely unfazed, squinted at him suspiciously.

Then, hiccuping, she dramatically pouted and mumbled—

"Fine. But I'm watching you, panther thief."

And with that, she stumbled toward the car, missing the handle twice before finally yanking the door open and flopping inside.

The driver wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

The cat, still in the man's lap, glared.

And the man in the suit just sighed.

Because this?

This was going to be a long, long night.