Chapter 2 HIS PROPERTY, HER RULES

"You know what, Mayor? I'm not here to play games with you. What the hell am I supposed to do with that woman?" Kade's voice was calm but sharp. "Even if I sold her body to a high-end club, it still wouldn't be enough to pay off the massive debt you owe me. You borrowed money from my man, the same one your son murdered. You owed money, and money is what I expect in return. I don't accept women as payment, so get her out of my sight!"

"Wait, Boss Kade, please, I'm begging you," Mayor Enrique pleaded desperately. "We don't have that kind of money. If you want, my daughter and I will drop to our knees right now, just to prove we're telling the truth."

Zaira nearly lost her balance when her father suddenly yanked her down to kneel beside him. In her entire life, she had never knelt before anyone except God. And this man wasn't God-not even close. As far as she was concerned, he didn't deserve their submission. Still on her knees, fury swelled in her chest as she looked up at the man whose attention remained fixed on the stack of documents he was signing, as if their presence meant absolutely nothing to him.

"Mayor Enrique," Kade said, voice cool and laced with contempt, "if you knew you didn't have the money, then why did you have the audacity to step foot inside my casino to gamble? You borrowed from one of my men, and now he's dead because of your daughter. That money has to be returned to his family. If not, I'll have your daughter imprisoned... and you? You'll lose a finger."

"B-but, Boss... we already lost all the money to gambling," Enrique stammered. "This daughter of mine is the only thing I can offer."

Zaira's rage exploded when she heard Kade threaten to cut off her father's finger.

"It's not my father's fault that your employee at the casino was a scammer! He knew my dad had no money, and yet he still baited him, pushing him deeper into debt. That's what he got!"

"Shut up!" Mayor Enrique hissed and jabbed his elbow into her side to make her stop. "Do you even know who he is?" he whispered harshly. "That's Boss Kade Villanova. One snap of his fingers and we'll both be dead before we leave this island!"

He was terrified, rightfully so. Kade was known as the Demon Beast, especially to those who dared cross him. Enrique feared that if his daughter didn't learn to hold her tongue, they wouldn't be walking out of here with all their limbs intact. He regretted not warning her sooner about the kind of man they were dealing with. But if he had, she never would have come with him in the first place.

And just as he feared, Kade suddenly stood from his chair. His movements were stiff with restrained fury as he approached them. One hand rested on his waist, his other clenched. He stared down at Zaira with a look that could burn a hole through her.

"Boss, please. I apologize for what my daughter said. She doesn't know who you are. If you don't want her as payment, we'll leave right now. I'll return once I've found the money," Enrique begged again, desperate for the mafia lord to change his mind.

Kade crouched down to level himself with Zaira. His expression was mocking as he lifted her chin with his fingers.

"No. It's too late for that, Mayor. Your daughter's mouth is far too sharp. If she didn't know me before, then let me introduce myself now," he said through gritted teeth.

Zaira could feel the heat of his breath brushing against her nose. Its intoxicating warmth crept under her skin. There was something in his scent-clean and maddening-that made her insides flutter against her will. His perfectly aligned white teeth and flawless skin only made her more aware of how dangerously attractive this man was. Still, she held his gaze with the same fierceness. She wasn't going to flinch. If he was going to kill her, then so be it. She would die fighting, not cowering.

Kade's eyes narrowed as he matched her glare. All his life, he had never bothered to look twice at a woman, let alone waste his time staring at one. But this girl-this mouthy, defiant girl-had somehow captured his full attention. Unlike other women who grovelled for his favor and ran away at the first sign of anger, she stood her ground. She was the first to ever do that.

"She must be curious to see what I'm like when I'm angry," he thought darkly.

He tilted her face up once more.

"Do you even know why one of my men is dead? Because of your father and sister. That man had a family, too. So tell me, how can you stand there and defend what your sister did? Huh?"

"When did I ever say I agreed with what she did?" Zaira snapped. "You're the one who clearly doesn't think before speaking, Mr. Villanova. What I meant was that your own man pushed my sister to that point. He scammed her-he cornered her-and she snapped. If we're being honest, the blame falls on you. Maybe if you trained your men to follow proper conduct in your casino, this wouldn't have happened. Or maybe... you taught them to deceive your customers yourself?"

Kade's jaw clenched.

He didn't know why this woman's words infuriated him so deeply. He could've easily ordered Troy to drag both of them out of his office. But instead, he stood there, fuming, unable to bring himself to hurt her. He wanted to punish her, to break that defiance somehow... but he didn't know how.

Then his eyes dropped to her lips, slightly parted, full, and trembling from earlier defiance. He had been staring at them for too long, imagining them silenced.

Suddenly, he grabbed the back of Zaira's neck and yanked her closer. The distance between them disappeared in an instant.

His mouth crashed onto hers.

The kiss was not gentle-it was punishing. His teeth grazed her lip, biting hard enough to make her taste blood. He wanted her to feel his rage. He didn't care that her father was watching and didn't care what it looked like. All that mattered was making her understand. This was what happened when someone tested him.

Zaira struggled, shoving him with both hands, but his body felt like a wall. He didn't budge. Instead, he deepened the kiss, punishing her even more.

She could taste her blood now, feel it mixing with the heat of his mouth.

And then, finally, she saw an opening. Without hesitation, she bit down hard on his lower lip.

Kade pulled away with a low grunt of pain, releasing her instantly. They both wiped their lips, smearing the blood that had stained them. Their glares locked again, even sharper than before.

And then, Zaira did something no one expected.

Something that left everyone in the room stunned and speechless.