Jimmy leaned back, crossing his arms as he regarded Victor coolly. His voice, when he spoke, was sharp and to the point. “Lucian’s over her,” he said firmly. “He’s given up. That’s the end of it. And whatever the reasons are, they don’t concern you. So take your curiosity elsewhere before you annoy me.”
Lucian opened his mouth to say something, but Jimmy’s words stopped him. He hesitated. There was a flicker of sadness in Lucian’s eyes, a heaviness that Jimmy’s blunt response hadn’t intended to provoke. But he said nothing, letting the silence settle.
Victor, however, wasn’t one to let silence linger. His smile widened slightly, and he leaned forward, his tone casual but his words razor-sharp. “So… can I have her, then?”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Garry froze mid-bite, lowering his burger as his eyes turned cold and unblinking. Slowly, he placed the burger on the table, his posture stiffening as he turned his gaze to Lucian.
Jimmy’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists as he glanced at Lucian, waiting for his reaction.
Lucian, who had been sitting calmly, closed his eyes at Victor’s audacious words. He took a slow, deliberate breath, the air around him seeming to still as he exhaled. When he opened his eyes, they were sharp, focused, and filled with a quiet intensity.
“She’s not a thing to have, Victor,” Lucian said, his voice low and cold. “She’s a person. Show some respect.”
Victor raised an eyebrow, his confidence unshaken, though his smirk faltered slightly. “I only asked if I could—”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
Without warning, a half-eaten burger sailed through the air, smacking Victor square in the face. The splat of bread and meat hitting skin echoed in the tense silence, followed by the sound of lettuce and tomato sliding down his pristine shirt.
Garry leaned back in his chair, his expression deadpan as he wiped his hands on a napkin. “Oops,” he said flatly, though his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Victor’s expression twisted in disbelief and rage as he frozen, burger remnants sliding down his face. His sharp features contorted with fury, and without bothering to wipe the mess away, his hand slammed onto the table.
The air grew thick with tension. His intent was unmistakable.
He leaned forward, his posture aggressive, as if preparing to lunge at Garry, his fist cocked and ready to strike. His face burned with humiliation, not just from the flying burger but from the mockery and the challenge he felt radiating from the trio in front of him.
Then came the punch.
BAAAM.
A loud, unmistakable sound of fist meeting flesh reverberated through the restaurant, followed by the thunderous crash of tables, chairs, and cutlery clattering to the ground.
Victor’s body flew back, his balance destroyed, sending him crashing into the table behind him. Plates and spoons toppled onto the floor with a cacophony of noise. The shocked gasps of onlookers filled the air, followed closely by the shrill screams of a few women.
“Ahhh!” someone shrieked.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
“What the hell stop!” voices erupted from around the room, a mix of fear, excitement, and disbelief rippling through the crowd.
Despite the chaos, Jimmy remained seated, his arms still crossed, his expression unbothered. There wasn’t even a flicker of movement from him. He sat there as if the chaos was beneath his notice, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Garry, on the other hand, whistled low, stars practically shining in his eyes. He leaned back in his chair, clearly entertained. “Nice,” he murmured, his grin wide. “This is better than the movies.”
Victor groaned as he sat up, his body tense and his expression dark. His hand brushed against his face, where Lucian’s punch had landed squarely on his cheekbone, splitting his lip. Blood trickled down, and he spat to the side, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
He frowned deeply, his pride bruised far more than his body. How did I not see that coming? His mind raced, struggling to comprehend. He was a trained fighter, a man hardened by years of rigorous combat as the head of the world’s second most dangerous organization. A punch like that? From a college kid? Impossible.
But his aching jaw told him otherwise.
Victor rose slowly, rolling his neck as if testing his body. His movements were smooth, his resilience evident in the way he steadied himself with no hesitation. He spit once more, the taste of blood lingering on his tongue.
“Not bad,” Victor said finally, his tone calm but laced with a dangerous edge. “Nice moves you’ve got there, Kane. Quite a Loki, aren’t you?” He wiped the blood from his lips, his sharp eyes narrowing as he assessed Lucian. “How is no one aware you’re such a fighter? Makes me wonder… what else are you hiding?”
Victor shifted his jaw slightly, wincing faintly. That punch had hurt. More than he wanted to admit.
Lucian, meanwhile, stood completely still, his body relaxed but his presence sharp and commanding. He didn’t glance at Victor, didn’t even flinch at the chaos around him. Instead, he slid his chair to the side with a soft scrape and stepped out from behind the table.
Jimmy and Garry both moved instinctively, starting to rise from their seats.
“Sit down,” Lucian said, his voice low and emotionless but carrying a weight of authority that wasn’t up for debate. It wasn’t the voice of the vulnerable, sometimes weary friend they knew. This was something else entirely a tone that brooked no argument.
Jimmy paused mid-movement, his sharp gaze snapping to Lucian. For a moment, he studied his friend, a crazy grin spreading across his face as he sank back into his chair. “lucky day for me,” Jimmy muttered, almost to himself.
Garry exchanged a look with Jimmy but quickly followed suit, sitting back down without a word.
Lucian’s calm, calculated movements contrasted starkly with the chaos Victor had left in his wake. As he walked forward, his expression was unreadable, but his eyes carried a sharpness that sent an unspoken message: this was no longer a game.
Victor’s gaze locked on Lucian, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. His lips curled into a faint, mocking smile, but there was a tension in his posture that betrayed his unease.
The restaurant fell into a hushed silence, the onlookers frozen as they watched the confrontation unfold.
Lucian stopped a few paces from Victor, his calm, unwavering presence towering over the chaos. His hands hung loosely by his sides, but the tension in his frame was palpable. For a moment, neither man moved, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
—–