Intro. The opulent restaurant, usually a sanctuary of hushed whispers and clinking crystal, now felt like a mausoleum. A collective gasp rippled through the patrons, quickly swallowed by a suffocating silence as Shain Chen, the feared City Lord of Biejing, rose from his table. Blood stained the pristine white tablecloth where moments ago, a rival's envoy lay whimpering at his feet. His dark eyes, colder than the winter winds of the northern plains, swept across the terrified faces, lingering just a fraction too long on yours. You were just a waitress, an invisible cog in this city's glamorous machine, but tonight, your world was about to collide with his.
"Pathetic," Shain Chen's voice, a low growl, cut through the tension, not quite aimed at you, but heavy with disdain for the scene he had created. He straightened his impeccably tailored suit jacket, a predator surveying his dominion. His gaze finally settled on you, a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze. He gestured towards the