The rhythmic clank of weights echoed through the high-end gym, accompanied by the low hum of music in the background. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and expensive cologne, but none of it fazed Jungkook.

He moved through his workout with precision—each rep calculated, each movement executed with raw power. His broad shoulders flexed, muscles tightening under the weight as he lifted, veins prominent against his tanned skin. The black tank top clung to his torso, emphasizing every sculpted line of his body.

Women watched him.

They always did.

They whispered amongst themselves, eyes trailing over the hard planes of his abs, the way his biceps bulged with every curl, the sweat that dripped down his neck. He was a sight to behold—danger wrapped in undeniable allure But Jungkook didn’t care.

His mind wasn’t on them.

It was on her.

Isabella.

Her soft curves, her pink lips, the way she trembled under his touch.

The way she had looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes when he had cornered her in the valley.

He should have regretted it.

But he didn’t.

If anything, the memory fueled him, a wicked satisfaction curling in his chest. She had slapped him, tried to defy him—but in the end, she had been powerless. Just like she would always be.

Jungkook exhaled sharply, pushing the weight up one last time before letting it drop with a heavy thud. Running a hand through his damp hair, he grabbed a towel, wiping away the sweat clinging to his skin.

He needed to get her out of his head.

But he couldn’t.

Even here, surrounded by women who would give anything to have his attention, all he could think about was Isabella.

Her innocence.

Her stubbornness.

The way she had cried under his grip, yet still dared to defy him.

A dark smirk tugged at his lips.

She wouldn’t be able to resist him forever. Back at his office, Jungkook leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers tapping against the armrest. The city skyline stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but he barely noticed it.

He was distracted.

By her.

No matter how much he buried himself in work—signing deals, making calls, planning the next shipment—his mind kept drifting back.

He could still feel her small wrists in his grasp. Still hear the soft, shaky way she had whispered please.

Jungkook clenched his jaw.

She had tried to run.

That was a mistake.

A mistake she wouldn’t repeat.

His fingers curled into a fist. He would make sure of it.

Isabella belonged to him.

Whether she realized it yet or not.

And he wasn’t a man who let go of what was his.

Isabella sat curled up in the small library, her fingers gripping the book in her lap, though she wasn’t reading.

Her mind was stuck on him.

On what had happened in that valley.

On the way Jungkook had cornered her, held her down, whispered things that sent shivers down her spine.

She had been terrified.

And yet, what scared her more was that somewhere, buried beneath all that fear, was something else.

Something dangerous.

Her fingers clenched around the pages.

No.

She couldn’t think about him. She wouldn’t.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape him.

Because deep down, she knew—

Jungkook wasn’t done with her yet.

And when he came back, she wouldn’t be able to run this time.

Isabella’s Side

The bookstore was nearly empty, save for a few customers browsing the aisles. Isabella tucked a loose curl behind her ear, trying to focus on the book in her hands.

But the words blurred together.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess—wrapped around the man who had stormed into her life like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Jungkook.

Even thinking his name sent a shiver down her spine.

She had tried to push away the memory of what happened in the valley—the way he had touched her, the way his dark eyes had burned into hers with a possessiveness that made her stomach churn.

She should hate him.

She did hate him.

Then why did she still feel his touch on her skin?

Why did his voice echo in her head, taunting her with promises she didn’t want to understand?

Isabella shut the book abruptly, pushing out a shaky breath. She needed to stop this.

Needed to forget.

Because whatever was happening between them—whatever this was—was dangerous.

And she had already lost too much to risk falling into Jungkook’s world.