Across the street, from the backseat of a black sedan parked by the curb, Lucian Debonair watched the entire scene unfold.
His driver, an older man named Garrick who'd been with the family for years, shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Sir… that Alpha just grabbed Miss Krishna," Garrick said carefully, glancing up from the dashboard. "Should we intervene?"
Lucian didn't answer right away.
Through the tinted window, his pale silver eyes stayed locked on the sidewalk drama playing out like street theater.
He watched the Alpha's fingers clamp around her wrist. Watched the subtle, sharp tension coil in Krishna's shoulders like a loaded spring.
Then…
Snap.
Boot to shin.
Palm to jaw.
The Alpha went down like a felled tree.
Lucian's expression didn't shift.
Not even a blink.
Typical.
Chaotic. Predictable in her unpredictability.
That was Krishna.
Garrick coughed lightly.
"So… do we still…?"
Lucian lifted one gloved hand and gave a single, lazy flick of his fingers.
Wait.
There was no need to interfere while she had it handled.
And clearly… she had it handled.
Krishna walked off, head held high, her phone already out like none of this touched her.
Lucian let her go. Let her disappear around the corner with that ridiculous, self-satisfied little bounce in her step.
But once she was gone?
That was when Lucian moved.
He stepped out of the car, adjusting the cuffs of his charcoal gray coat like he had all the time in the world. His stride was quiet, almost lazy… but with that heavy, unmistakable air of authority that made people instinctively shrink back.
The Alpha was still on the ground, rubbing his jaw, seething with embarrassment and wounded pride.
Lucian loomed over him, casting a long shadow.
The Alpha froze mid-cough. Looked up… and paled instantly.
"Mr… Debonair…" he stammered, scrambling to his feet like a man remembering exactly where he stood in the social food chain.
Lucian said nothing at first. He simply stared at him… that dead cold, slow stare that had broken stronger men with less effort.
Then, without warning, Lucian's hand shot out, grabbing the Alpha by the collar.
With one jerk, he slammed him up against the café wall. Hard enough to rattle nearby glassware.
Leaning in, Lucian's voice dropped low.
"You will never," he said, each word measured like the slice of a scalpel, "lay your hands on her again."
The Alpha choked on air. "I-I didn't mean—"
Lucian pulled him closer, lowering his voice to something barely above a whisper.
"Next time…"
A pause. Long enough for the Alpha to fully absorb the weight of it.
"…I won't be this gentle."
With that, Lucian let him drop. Straightened his sleeves. Walked back to the car like nothing had happened.
Garrick held the door open, eyes wide.
"Sir?"
Lucian slid into the backseat, pulling out his phone like the interruption never existed.
"Drive."
And just like that…
They were gone.
Leaving one broken Alpha behind, with nothing but pride-shaped bruises and fear cooling on his skin.
By the time the car was halfway across the city, Lucian had already moved on to business… or at least, that's how it looked on the surface.
Sitting in the backseat, legs crossed, phone in hand, voice smooth and low as always - like silk dipped in winter frost.
"Put me through to Harlan's compliance division," he said, not bothering with pleasantries.
Garrick kept his eyes on the road, pretending not to listen. But the tension in the car thickened all the same.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
"Mr. Debonair, sir! What can we—"
"Effective immediately," Lucian said, already scrolling through files on his tablet, "terminate all existing contracts, pending deals, and partnership talks with a Mr. Cael Rooke. CEO of Rooke Enterprises."
There was a long, stunned pause on the other end of the line.
"Sir? All of them? But… we have an upcoming logistics merger scheduled for next quarter—"
"Cancel it."
"Sir… that could cost them millions. Their stock is already unstable after last month's projection leak—"
"Not my concern," Lucian replied flatly.
He swiped through a few more documents, double-checking that all supply chain ties and vendor negotiations involving Rooke Enterprises were accounted for.
"Send legal notices by end of day. Breach of code of conduct. Attach footage if necessary. If they ask why…" Lucian's gaze drifted toward the window, watching the city blur past like an afterthought.
"…tell them it's internal policy review."
Another pause. This one… heavier.
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Lucian ended the call without saying goodbye.
Sliding his phone onto his lap, he exhaled slow and measured, like what he'd just done was no more significant than moving a chess piece across a board.
Garrick finally worked up the nerve to speak.
"Sir… about Miss Krishna… she'll eventually find out about this, won't she?"
Lucian gave the faintest ghost of a smile.
"If she does…" he said, eyes half-lidded with disinterest, "she'll be too busy picking new fights to care."
The car rolled on.
One more Alpha erased from her path.
Quietly. Efficiently. Permanently.
Lucian never needed applause.
Just results.