She Crashed a Mafia Wedding in a Red Dress—Then Kissed the Groom to Save His Life
ACT ONE — THE DELIVERY
Zara Williams had moved to Seoul three years ago, working as a cultural liaison for international businesses. The pay was decent. The city was exciting. But her mother’s mounting medical bills back in Atlanta were drowning her.
So when her boss, Mr. Choi, offered her five million won—nearly four thousand dollars—just to deliver a package to the Park family before Saturday, she didn’t ask questions.
She couldn’t afford to.
Friday night, Zara arrived at the luxury hotel where the Parks were supposedly staying. The documents felt heavier than they should as she rode the elevator to the penthouse floor.
When the doors opened, two men in black suits immediately grabbed her, slamming her against the wall. Her scream died in her throat.
Then a voice cut through the tension. Smooth. Cold as winter.
The guards released her instantly.
That’s when she saw him for the first time.
Kong Ji Wu emerged from the shadows of his suite, a glass of whiskey in his hand, looking nothing like a man who was getting married in less than twenty-four hours. There was something hollow in his eyes. Something that made Zara’s chest tighten with unexpected sympathy.
He told her she had the wrong floor. The Parks were two levels down.
But as their eyes met and held for a moment too long, Zara noticed the wedding invitation on his table. She congratulated him, trying to break the strange tension.
His response chilled her.
“Don’t congratulate me yet.”
As if he knew something terrible was coming.
Zara left, but she couldn’t shake the sadness she’d seen in his face.
ACT TWO — THE CONSPIRACY
The next day, everything fell apart.
The Parks wouldn’t answer her calls. Security wouldn’t let her into the wedding venue. Mr. Choi called, frantic, warning her that if she didn’t deliver those documents by 3 PM, the people who wanted them would come for her.
The way he said it made her blood run cold. This wasn’t about late fees. This was about survival.
Desperate, Zara stole a catering uniform and snuck into the venue. She needed to find the Parks, deliver the package, and get out.
But as she searched the private rooms, she heard voices. One of them was familiar.
The bride.
Zara peeked through a crack in the door, and her entire world tilted.
Min So Yan—the beautiful bride in her pre-wedding dress—was locked in a passionate kiss with another man. Park Yong Hun. The son of the family Zara had been trying to reach.
What she heard next made her forget about documents, about money, about everything.
So Yan laughed as she told Yong Hun their plan. Marry Ji Wu. Gain access to his empire. Eliminate him within two years.
Yong Hun asked what would happen if Ji Wu discovered the truth.
So Yan’s response was venomous. “He’s too cold. Too detached to even suspect. This marriage is just a business merger to him. He doesn’t love me. That makes him the perfect target.”
Zara gasped. The sound was too loud in the quiet hallway.
So Yan’s head snapped toward the door. Her eyes sharp with suspicion.
Someone was listening.
Zara ran.
ACT THREE — THE WEDDING
Her hands shook as she stumbled through the corridor. She should leave. This wasn’t her business. These were dangerous people playing deadly games.
But that image of Ji Wu’s sad eyes wouldn’t leave her mind.
The ceremony began with all the elegance and grandeur expected of Korea’s criminal elite. Zara watched from the very back, hidden among the servers, telling herself she would just observe. Just make sure. Then she’d leave.
Ji Wu stood at the altar looking like a king carved from ice. Expressionless. Unreachable.
So Yan walked down the aisle like an angel—all innocence and beauty—and Zara felt sick knowing the viper that lurked beneath.
When the priest asked if anyone objected, Zara’s fingernails dug into her palms. Every instinct screamed at her to stay silent.
But then she saw him.
Park Yong Hun. Sitting in the third row with a barely concealed smirk on his face. And there, just visible under his perfectly tailored jacket, was the unmistakable outline of a gun.
In that crystallizing moment, Zara understood.
They weren’t going to wait two years. They were going to kill Ji Wu today. At his own wedding. In front of everyone.
It would look like a rival gang’s attack. So Yan would play the devastated widow and inherit everything.
Zara’s feet moved before her brain caught up.
She walked down that aisle in her stolen catering uniform—with the red dress she’d worn underneath. Every eye turning to stare at this Black woman who had no place in this world of Korean crime families.
Ji Wu’s eyes widened in recognition. Confusion flickered across his usually impassive face.
“You,” he said.
Zara’s voice rang out clear and strong. “I object.”
The room erupted in whispers. So Yan’s face twisted with rage as she demanded security remove this woman. Guards began moving toward Zara.
She saw Yong Hun’s hand slide toward his jacket.
Without thinking. Without planning.
Zara closed the distance between her and Ji Wu and kissed him.
But in that moment, when her lips met his, she whispered four words that changed everything.
“Gun. Three o’clock. Blue tie.”
She felt Ji Wu’s entire body go rigid. His eyes snapped to Yong Hun. Years of surviving in the criminal underworld meant he saw it immediately. The weapon. The threat. The betrayal.
What happened next shocked Zara to her core.
Instead of pushing her away, Ji Wu’s hand wrapped around her waist and he kissed her back—deeply, possessively. His other hand gestured sharply to his men.
The room exploded into chaos as Ji Wu’s guards descended on Yong Hun. They found the gun within seconds. The gasps that rippled through the crowd turned from scandal to shock.
Someone had brought a weapon to Kong Ji Wu’s wedding. That was a death sentence.
Yong Hun tried to stammer excuses. But Ji Wu’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.
“Can you also explain why you were in a private room with the bride an hour ago?”
The color drained from So Yan’s face. She tried to speak—to spin some lie—but Ji Wu silenced her with a single look.
“The wedding is cancelled. Everyone leave. Now.”
No one argued with Kong Ji Wu. The hall emptied in minutes—guests fleeing from what was clearly about to become a bloodbath.
Zara tried to slip away in the confusion. Her job done. Her conscience clear.
Ji Wu’s voice stopped her dead.
“Stay.”
It wasn’t a request.
ACT FOUR — THE DEAL
In a private room away from the chaos, Ji Wu stood in front of Zara with an expression she couldn’t quite read.
“Explain. Everything. Now.”
Zara’s words tumbled out in a rush. The documents. Seeing his bride plotting murder. The gun. She’d panicked. She just reacted.
Ji Wu asked why she didn’t simply tell him.
Zara nearly laughed. “Did you really think I could just walk up to a mafia boss and announce his bride was planning to kill him? That seemed like a great way to get myself killed for being delusional.”
Something unexpected happened then.
Ji Wu laughed. Actually laughed. The sound was rusty, like he hadn’t used it in years. His men standing guard by the door looked absolutely stunned.
He asked her name. When she told him, he repeated it slowly—like he was testing how it felt.
Then his expression turned serious again. “You just made very powerful enemies. The Park family won’t let this humiliation go. They will come for you.”
Zara’s heart sank. “That’s just the story of my life.”
Ji Wu told her he was assigning her protection. When she protested, he made it clear it wasn’t a request.
He stepped closer. Zara felt the air between them charge with that same strange electricity from the elevator.
“The kiss,” he said. “Was that part of your plan? Or something else?”
Zara’s defenses flew up immediately. “It was purely tactical. A distraction. Nothing more.”
His lips curved into the smallest smirk. “You were very thorough in your distraction.”
“You kissed me back.”
“That was also tactical.”
They stood inches apart. Both clearly lying. Both knowing it.
Finally, Zara whispered, “You’re welcome, by the way. For saving your life.”
His voice dropped low. “Thank you.”
The sincerity in those two words made her chest tighten.
Then he was all business again. She’d stay at his safe house while his men collected her belongings. Zara protested—she had a life, a job, responsibilities.
Ji Wu’s response was blunt and terrifying. “Not anymore. Welcome to my world, Zara Williams.”
He tossed a folder onto the table. Inside were the documents she’d been trying to deliver.
Those documents were his business files. The Parks had been intercepting them using Mr. Choi as a middleman. Zara had been set up from the beginning. A pawn. A test of his security before they made their move at the wedding.
Everything had been planned.
Zara sank into a chair. She was completely screwed.
Ji Wu agreed with brutal honesty. “Yes, you are. Unless you work for me.”
“What? I’m not a criminal. I can’t be part of your world.”
He needed a fake fiancée. Someone the Parks didn’t know. Someone smart and brave enough to kiss a stranger to save his life. If he appeared publicly with her—the woman who stopped his wedding—it would show he’d been in control all along. That the Parks never had the upper hand.
Zara told him he was absolutely insane.
But Ji Wu had clearly done his homework. Six months of public appearances in exchange for paying her mother’s medical bills. Clearing all her debts. Guaranteeing her safety.
“How do you know about my mother?”
“I know everything about you now. I had you investigated. Anyone who kisses me is automatically dangerous.”
Zara exploded. “I saved you! How dare you investigate me like some criminal?”
“I’m trying to save you now. The Parks will come for you. But as my woman, you’d be untouchable.”
“I’m not your anything.”
“Then you’re a dead woman walking.”
The silence that followed was heavy with reality.
Zara asked quietly, “Just six months?”
He confirmed.
“No kissing,” she added.
His smirk returned. “We’ll need to kiss for appearances.”
“Fine. Professional kissing only.”
He extended his hand. Zara stared at it. This was crazy. Dangerous. Impossible.
But what choice did she have?
She shook his hand. The moment their skin touched, that spark reignited. They both felt it.
Neither acknowledged it.
ACT FIVE — FAKE RELATIONSHIP, REAL FEELINGS
Over the next three weeks, Zara and Ji Wu became Seoul’s most talked-about couple. They appeared at galas, charity events, and exclusive restaurants. Cameras flashed constantly. Zara wore designer dresses that cost more than her rent. Ji Wu’s hand was always at her waist—possessive and protective.
To the world, they were perfect together.
Behind closed doors, they bickered constantly.
Their biggest fight came over a Versace dress Ji Wu wanted her to wear. Zara refused, saying it was basically transparent lingerie.
Ji Wu, not even looking up from his paperwork, said, “It’s beautiful. You’d look beautiful in it.”
He quickly corrected himself. “The dress is beautiful.”
But Zara had heard it. She’d seen his ears turn red.
For the first time, she smiled with genuine warmth. She agreed to wear the dress.
Then she added, as she left, “You looked really handsome at the last gala.”
After she was gone, Ji Wu’s pen snapped in half in his grip. His right-hand man, Min Jun, walked in and had the audacity to point out that he’d never seen his boss blush before.
Ji Wu ordered him out. Min Jun was laughing.
The night of the gala, Zara wore the dress.
When Ji Wu saw her, his whiskey glass stopped halfway to his mouth. He couldn’t form words.
Finally, he managed, “You wore it.”
Zara asked nervously if it was too much.
His quiet response—”Not enough”—sent shivers down her spine.
At the gala, they were the center of attention. So Yan was there, her eyes burning with hatred. She approached Zara with poisonous sweetness.
“Enjoying my leftovers?”
Zara’s response was legendary. “Leftovers imply you got scraps. No, I got the whole meal. You just had reservations that got cancelled.”
Ji Wu actually choked on his drink. Min Jun, watching from nearby, cackled with delight.
So Yan hissed that this wasn’t over.
Zara smiled sweetly. “It never even started.”
After So Yan stormed off, Ji Wu looked at Zara with something like awe. “You’re savage.”
She grinned. “I have sisters. I was trained for warfare.”
He laughed. That real, genuine laugh that made people stare—because Kong Ji Wu never laughed.
Then he asked her to dance. Not requested. Commanded.
Zara pointed out it wasn’t phrased as a question.
“No. It wasn’t.”
On the dance floor, they fit together perfectly. His hand on her waist. Hers on his shoulder. Swaying to music neither was really hearing.
Zara whispered that people were watching.
“Let them.”
She asked if this was just for show.
“It is.”
Then why, she started to ask, did it feel so real?
He finished her thought. “Real? Yes. That’s exactly what it felt like.”
They’d stopped dancing—just swaying in place, lost in each other’s eyes.
Zara whispered that this was dangerous.
“I know,” he whispered back.
He started to lean in. Zara’s heart hammered in her chest.
Then gunshots shattered the moment.
ACT SIX — THE GALA SHOOTOUT
Glass exploded. People screamed. The gala descended into chaos.
Ji Wu immediately threw himself over Zara, shielding her body with his. Bullets flew. She screamed, asking what was happening.
His response was grim. “The Parks. This is their retaliation.”
More gunfire erupted around them. They were pinned down behind an overturned table. Ji Wu barked orders to Min Jun in Korean.
“Get her out.”
Zara, in perfect Korean, said, “I’m not leaving you.”
Ji Wu’s shock was visible. “You speak Korean?”
“I’ve lived in Seoul for three years. I’m not useless.”
To prove her point, she grabbed a champagne bottle and hurled it at an approaching gunman. Direct hit. The man went down.
Ji Wu stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “Who are you?”
Zara grinned fiercely. “A woman with three older brothers who taught me how to fight. Now move.”
They fought their way out together—a team in perfect sync. But when they finally reached the car, Zara saw blood spreading across Ji Wu’s shoulder.
He’d been shot.
She cried out that he was hit. He tried to dismiss it as nothing. Zara wasn’t having it.
In the backseat of the speeding car, she tore the bottom of her expensive dress to make a bandage. Her hands shook violently. Tears streamed down her face.
He could have died. He’d almost died protecting her.
Ji Wu cupped her face gently, forcing her to look at him. “I’m okay. I’m right here.”
But Zara couldn’t stop the panic. “This is insane. I can’t do this. I can’t live in a world where people I care about get shot.”
He made her look at him again. His voice was firm and absolutely certain.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You can’t promise that. No one can.”
“I just did. And I meant it.”
Then he kissed her.
Not for show. Not for cameras. This kiss was real. Desperate. Two people who just faced death and needed to feel alive.
Zara kissed him back with everything she had—pouring all her fear and relief into it.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Zara pointed out, “That kiss wasn’t professional.”
“No. It wasn’t.”
“You remember we have an agreement.”
“I know exactly what we agreed to.”
“So what now?”
Ji Wu pressed his forehead to hers. “Now? I’m going to break every rule I’ve ever made.”
ACT SEVEN — THE CONFESSION
Back at the safe house, Zara carefully cleaned and properly bandaged Ji Wu’s shoulder wound. The intimacy of the moment wrapped around them like a blanket.
Finally, she asked the question she’d been wondering. “Why were you really marrying So Yan?”
Ji Wu was quiet for a long time. Then he explained that his father had arranged the marriage before he died. A merger between families. He thought he was honoring his father’s final wishes.
Zara asked if he loved So Yan.
His answer was devastating. “Love is a luxury in my world.”
She told him that was incredibly sad. He said it was just reality.
But Zara caught something important. He’d said was marrying. Past tense. It was over now. He was free.
Ji Wu looked at her with an intensity that made her breath catch. “Am I free?”
“What do you mean? Free people are allowed to make their own choices.”
He took her hand—the one that had been bandaging him. “I haven’t felt free in ten years. Not since I took over my father’s empire at twenty-two. But when you kissed me at that wedding—for the first time in a decade, I felt something. Choice. Like maybe I could choose something for myself instead of just carrying out duty and obligation.”
Zara’s voice was barely a whisper. “What did you choose?”
He pulled her closer, his eyes searching hers. “I’m still deciding.”
She started to respond—probably something sarcastic to break the tension—but he cut her off with a kiss.
This one was slow. Deep. Deliberate. A decision being made in real time.
When they broke apart, his voice was certain. “Decided.”
Zara, breathless, told him she felt the same way.
They smiled at each other. Really smiled. For the first time without pretense.
Then Zara pulled back. “I’m going to my own room.”
He asked why, clearly not wanting her to leave.
Zara’s response made his heart skip. “Because you’re going to earn this. Earn me. I’m not just another thing for you to acquire or control.”
Ji Wu looked at her with something like wonder. “Noted.”
“You’re bleeding again.”
“It’s worth it.”
ACT EIGHT — THE BETRAYAL
Two months passed. They were happy. Actually, genuinely happy.
Zara made Ji Wu laugh multiple times a day. He made her feel safer than she’d ever felt in her life. His men adored her because she cooked them soul food that reminded them what real flavor tasted like. She started learning about his businesses—the legitimate ones he was slowly transitioning to.
They were becoming a real team.
But happiness in the mafia world is always temporary.
Min Jun came to Ji Wu’s office one afternoon, his expression troubled. He had a problem—security footage of Zara meeting someone in secret multiple times. Passing documents. Last week.
Then more footage. More secret meetings.
His voice was reluctant. “She might be working with the Parks.”
Ji Wu’s voice went deadly quiet as he ordered Min Jun out. When his second refused, trying to discuss it further, Ji Wu roared at him to get out.
Alone, he stared at the footage of the woman he loved betraying him. His fist slammed into the desk hard enough to crack the wood.
That evening, Zara walked into Ji Wu’s office with a bright smile. She’d made dinner—his favorite.
She froze when she saw his face. Ice cold. Completely shut down.
“What’s wrong?”
He threw the photos on the desk. Her secret meetings captured in perfect clarity.
“You’re working with the Parks.”
Zara’s confusion was absolute. “What? No. I would never betray you.”
But Ji Wu pointed at the evidence. It was right there.
She insisted the evidence was wrong. “You know me. You know I’d never do this.”
Ji Wu stood, his voice rising. “Do I know you? We met three months ago when you crashed my wedding. For all I know, that was part of the plan all along.”
The hurt in Zara’s eyes was devastating. “You can’t mean that.”
But the words kept coming. Poison spilling from old wounds. “Was any of it real? Or was I just another job? Another mark?”
Zara’s tears started falling. “How can you even ask me that?”
His voice cracked with pain and fury. “Because everyone I’ve ever trusted has betrayed me. My business partners. My allies. Even my own brother. Why would you be different?”
Silence fell. Heavy and horrible.
Zara was crying openly now. Then she said the words that changed everything.
“I love you. That’s why I’m different. I’m in love with you, you idiot.”
Ji Wu froze completely.
Zara kept going, words tumbling out between sobs. “I fell in love with you somewhere between your terrible dad jokes and the way you secretly feed stray cats when you think no one’s watching. I love how you pretend to be cold but anonymously paid off my mother’s hospital bills two weeks ago.”
Ji Wu told her to stop. Zara refused.
She explained everything. She’d been meeting with an FBI agent—her older brother, Marcus. He’d been trying to convince her to leave Ji Wu, to testify against him, to enter witness protection.
And she’d refused every single time.
Because she loved him.
She threw documents at him. Proof. FBI credentials. Her brother’s badge. That’s what he saw in those security photos.
She was protecting him again.
Ji Wu stared at the evidence. Then at Zara. The realization of what he’d done crashed over him like a wave.
He started to say her name. She cut him off.
“No. You don’t get to do this. You threw away everything we built because you couldn’t trust anyone. Every time something goes wrong, you push everyone away.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
And Ji Wu finally broke open.
“Of this. Of loving you so much that losing you would destroy me completely.” His voice cracked. “Everyone I’ve ever loved has left. My mother abandoned the family when I was eight. My father died in my arms. My brother betrayed me. Everyone. And then you walked into my life and made me feel again. And it’s terrifying because if you left, I don’t know how I’d survive it.”
Zara was crying harder now. “Then stop pushing me away. Let me in.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Then learn. Because I’m not going anywhere unless you send me away.”
He crossed the room in three long strides and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you. God, I love you so much.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you, Zara Williams.”
“Again.”
He kissed her between each word. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
They kissed desperately—healing the wounds they’d inflicted on each other, rebuilding what had nearly broken.
ACT NINE — THE PLAN
But their peace was short-lived. Because love doesn’t conquer all—not in the mafia world—and the Parks were just getting started.
Zara’s brother, FBI agent Marcus Williams, arrived in Seoul the next day.
The confrontation in Ji Wu’s safe house was tense. Marcus couldn’t believe his little sister was in love with a criminal. Zara fired back that Ji Wu was more than his worst actions.
Marcus pointed out that Ji Wu had killed people.
Zara didn’t deny it. “He did what he had to do to protect his family. His people. You don’t know him the way I do.”
Marcus asked if she really knew him after just three months.
Zara’s response was simple and certain. “Yes. I do.”
Ji Wu entered, and the two men sized each other up. The testosterone in the room was suffocating.
Zara ordered both of them to sit. Now. And shockingly, they obeyed.
She laid out a plan. The Parks had tried to kill Ji Wu. They were trafficking weapons, drugs, and people. If Marcus wanted to take down real criminals, focus on the actual monsters.
Marcus asked what Ji Wu got out of cooperation.
Ji Wu’s answer was immediate. “A clean slate. Immunity. And Zara’s safety.”
Marcus couldn’t believe it. “You’d give up your entire empire?”
Ji Wu looked at Zara as he answered. “I’d give up anything for her.”
Marcus studied them both, then sighed heavily. Fine. He’d work with them. But if Ji Wu hurt Zara—
Ji Wu finished the thought. “You’ll kill me. Understood.”
Marcus shook his head. “No. Zara will kill you. I’ll just help hide the body.”
Zara actually laughed, the tension breaking. She told them she loved them both. “Now, let’s take down these bastards.”
ACT TEN — THE TAKEDOWN
The plan was dangerous. Zara would wear a wire and meet with So Yan, pretending she wanted to make a deal. The Parks thought she was just a gold digger who could be bought.
The meeting took place in an abandoned warehouse. So Yan was waiting—smug and beautiful. She seemed pleased that Zara had come.
Zara played her part. She was tired of looking over her shoulder. So Yan had promised to leave Ji Wu alone if Zara walked away.
So Yan’s smile turned cruel. “I lied.”
Suddenly, guns were pointed at Zara from all directions.
But instead of fear, Zara smiled. “So did I.”
Ji Wu’s men burst in from every entrance. FBI agents swarmed the warehouse. A coordinated raid—perfectly executed.
In the chaos, Yong Hun grabbed Zara from behind, pressing a gun to her head. He screamed for everyone to freeze or she’d die.
Ji Wu immediately dropped his weapon, his hands up. His voice was steady, but his eyes were wild. “Okay. Just don’t hurt her.”
Zara looked at Ji Wu calmly. “Ji Wu.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember when I told you about my three older brothers?”
He said yes, confused about the timing.
Zara grinned. “They taught me this.”
She slammed her head backward into Yong Hun’s face, spun out of his grip, and kicked the gun from his hand—one fluid motion.
Marcus tackled Yong Hun before he could recover.
Zara rubbed her head, wincing. “That looked easier in the movies.”
Ji Wu pulled her into his arms immediately, checking her over frantically. “Are you insane?”
“You’re welcome. Again.”
He kissed her hard. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“A heart attack is better than a bullet.”
ACT ELEVEN — SIX MONTHS LATER
Everything had changed.
The Parks went to prison on charges ranging from attempted murder to human trafficking. Ji Wu cooperated fully with the FBI, providing evidence that took down three other crime syndicates. He dismantled the criminal parts of his empire and went legitimate.
Mostly legitimate, anyway.
Zara now ran a cultural center in Seoul—teaching Korean to international students and helping immigrants navigate the city. Fulfilling work that made her heart happy.
One afternoon, Ji Wu walked into her classroom carrying coffee. One of her teenage students immediately asked if that was her boyfriend.
Zara smiled. “Something like that.”
Ji Wu set down the coffee, kissed the top of her head, and asked if he was still just “something like that.”
Zara asked what else he’d be.
That’s when Ji Wu pulled out a small box.
Zara’s eyes went wide. Before she could panic, he clarified. “It’s not an engagement ring. Not yet. It’s a promise ring.”
Inside was a beautiful simple band engraved with their initials.
“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to keep choosing me. Every day. Until one day, maybe, you’ll let me choose you forever.”
Zara was crying happy tears. “You’re such a drama king.”
“You love it.”
“I love you.”
She kissed him as her students cheered and whistled. When she pulled back, she said, “For the record, I’d say yes.”
“Eventually?”
“Eventually. You’re still earning it, remember?”
Ji Wu grinned. “Challenge accepted.”
That night in Zara’s apartment, they cooked together—bickering about seasoning. Ji Wu insisted there was no such thing as too much garlic. Zara pointed out that might be true for Korean food, but this was jollof rice. Sacred territory.
Ji Wu seemed touched that she was teaching him to cook her family’s food.
Zara clarified. “You’re cooking under supervision.”
Marcus video-called right then. When they answered, he immediately told them they were disgustingly cute.
Zara thanked him cheerfully.
Ji Wu asked if there was a reason for the call.
Marcus’s news made Zara groan. Their mother wanted to meet Ji Wu. Thanksgiving in Atlanta. It wasn’t optional.
Ji Wu agreed immediately. “I’ll be there.”
Zara tried to warn him. Her family was a lot. Terrifying. Protective. Loud.
Ji Wu wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Is your family more terrifying than the Korean mafia? I survived organized crime. I can handle the Williams family.”
Marcus laughed and told them those were famous last words. He’d see them in November.
After the call ended, Zara turned in Ji Wu’s arms. “You’re sure about meeting my family? That’s serious.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
“Even more sure than when you kissed me back at the wedding?”
His response made her heart melt. “Especially more than the wedding kiss.”
“Why?”
“Because that kiss saved my life. But you gave me a reason to live it.”
Zara’s eyes filled with tears. “You can’t say things like that while I’m holding a knife.”
Ji Wu gently took the knife and set it down. “Better.”
“Much better.”
They kissed—slow and sweet and earned. A kiss that promised forever, even if forever wasn’t official yet.
Two people from different worlds who found each other in the most impossible way.
She’d kissed him to save his life.
She stayed to save his soul.
And he spent every day proving he was worth saving.
That’s how one impulsive kiss changed absolutely everything.