The Strange Groom's Cursed Bride-Chapter 52: The start of a crush

The entire second floor of Block C was suffocatingly silent that morning.

Clarisse, Milo, Gavin, and Rowan exchanged tense glances as they gathered in the observation room, careful to keep their voices low. Rowan had just finished debriefing them on the latest intelligence gathered from one of their trackers, but it was clear Hades wasn’t listening.

Because he was in a mood.

A terrifying, volatile, explosive mood.

The kind of mood that made even trained killers nervous.

The air vibrated with barely contained violence. His presence radiated a pressure so heavy it seemed to crush the oxygen itself. His face was carved in stone — blank, unreadable — but his eyes... his eyes burned with sharp, flickering irritation, as if something beneath the surface was clawing to get out.

His lips were a thin, bloodless line.

His usually fluid, precise movements had turned rigid. Tense. Like a coil wound too tightly.

And oddly enough — this morning — he had chosen wine.

Not coffee.

Wine. At 8 AM.

The crystal glass gleamed darkly under the room’s light, filled halfway with deep crimson liquid. His hand gripped the stem as though it was the only thing keeping him grounded.

And then—

CRACK.

The stem splintered under the pressure of his grip.

Everyone paused.

A thin line of red wine dripped down, mingling with the thin streams of actual blood trailing from the small shards embedded in his palm.

Not a flinch.

Not a blink.

He stared at the ruined glass for a heartbeat, then simply let the broken pieces fall, the delicate chime of glass on marble sounding unnaturally loud in the silence.

Without a word, Hades stood and strode out of the room, his coat sweeping behind him like a storm cloud.

The tension that followed him down the corridor was suffocating. Toxic.

Milo leaned toward Clarisse, his whisper barely audible.

"Did you... do something when you met him this morning?"

Clarisse paled, hugging the files tighter against her chest.

"I did nothing," she whispered, mortified. "He was asleep when I entered."

"You woke him up?" Rowan hissed, horrified.

"I didn’t mean to!" she shot back. "I barely stepped inside — but my presence must’ve disturbed him. When his eyes opened..."

She swallowed, voice dropping lower.

"...he looked like he wanted to murder the air itself."

The others exchanged looks of silent dread, mentally preparing for whatever storm might break loose if they so much as breathed incorrectly.

Only one person dared to approach him.

Gavin.

Silent. Cold. Calm.

In many ways, the only person whose aura could stand beside Hades without crumbling. Tall, sharp-eyed, wrapped in an air of constant danger — his movements were as quiet as death itself. In his gloved hand, he carried a black leather medical kit as he followed Hades at a measured distance down the hall.

When they reached the private lounge, Gavin finally stepped forward.

His voice was flat. Unbothered.

"Hand."

Hades didn’t respond. Didn’t even glance at him.

But eventually — mechanically — he extended his bloodied hand.

Gavin worked quickly, disinfecting and bandaging the wound with clinical efficiency. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air as crimson-stained gauze was replaced with pristine white wraps.

The silence between them was absolute.

Until Gavin finally spoke again, voice still as neutral as ever:

"Bad dream?"

For a moment, nothing.

Then—

A tiny twitch in Hades’ jaw.

Microscopic. Barely there.

But for Gavin, it was more than enough.

He said nothing else.

The tension hung heavy as Hades pulled his hand away and rose, his polished shoes echoing sharply against the floor as he walked off, leaving behind a thick trail of quiet fury.

Gavin watched him go with the same unreadable expression, quietly pocketing the stained gauze to dispose of before leaving the room as well.

Outside the room, the other three were already waiting anxiously.

Clarisse spoke first. "Gavin, do you think it would be weird if we all took an early break today? I mean—" she lowered her voice, "—it looks like Boss would snap our necks if we breathe too loudly, and I’m not up for it."

Gavin gave the faintest shrug and walked past them without a word.

The three exchanged nervous glances.

"That’s a yes, right?" Clarisse whispered.

Rowan nodded. "If Gavin says nothing, that is consent. I’m out."

****

Suzy speed-walked through the glitzy lobby, heart pounding, heels clicking frantically against the polished marble floors. Behind her, she could still hear the hurried footsteps of her blind date — no, her stalker — following right after, even as she messily tried to reach for her phone inside her bag to dial her brother’s number.

"Suzy! Wait, come on, don’t be like this—"

She nearly tripped as she sharply turned a corner, breath short, mind racing.

What the hell is wrong with this man?

From the moment they sat down, she knew it was a disaster. Mother had called him successful, driven, ambitious — but no one mentioned obsessive. Or creepy. Or downright predatory.

She had only come after several threats from her parents and now...

The second she tried to politely end the "date," he refused to take no for an answer.

"I know you are single," he had argued smugly, grabbing her wrist earlier. "Don’t make me chase you, sweetheart. I’ve been watching you for a while. We fit perfectly."

Worse, he had even commented — weirdly — on how he liked the white dress she was wearing and how pretty she would look in her wedding gown.

That was when every internal alarm screamed at her to leave. But the bastard wasn’t making it easy. And now he was following her like a bloodhound.

She couldn’t make a scene — not again. If someone recognized her and filmed her public outburst, her parents would really kill her this time.

Suzy’s head darted left and right, searching for any exit, any distraction — and that’s when she saw him.

Him!?

Standing by the reception desk, towering like a monolith carved out of danger itself.

Gavin.

Hades’ infamous second-in-command. The man people only whispered about. The man everyone instinctively feared.

Yes. That Gavin.

What the hell is he doing here? This was far from the estate, and Hades wasn’t even here.

Suzy had never spoken to him directly before — only seen him a few times — usually armed, of course. But you couldn’t mistake him for anyone else. He was absurdly tall, broad-shouldered, radiating a level of lethal calm that made even grown men shrink back. He wore a simple white t-shirt tucked into gray tailored pants, everything clinging perfectly to his powerful frame. It was her first time seeing him look this... casual.

Yet even in simplicity, he looked terrifying.

His sharp jawline tensed in mild irritation as he spoke to the receptionist.

"I’ve only visited once last week," Gavin was saying coolly. "Check again."

"I’m... sorry, sir, your complimentary three entries have been... exhausted. Your card will need to be renewed and delivered to your registered residence," the receptionist said timidly, visibly shrinking under his cold stare.

Suzy’s pursuer caught up behind her, reaching out again. "Suzy—hey, don’t run off. Let’s talk."

Panic surged.

Without thinking, she charged forward. Straight toward Gavin.

Yes. She was insane. But... desperate.

He was quicker than the exit. Even quicker than the parking lot.

The receptionist looked up, startled, as Suzy slid right beside him — far too close — and grabbed onto Gavin’s arm.

"Babe!" she blurted out with shaky cheer. "T-There... you are," she stuttered, voice trembling, eyes blinking rapidly, hands shaking.

Gavin’s entire body stiffened, his eyes dropping to where her hands clutched his bicep. The weight of Suzy’s fingers against his skin was an intrusion — uninvited and unwelcome. He didn’t do touch. Didn’t do people. And yet, here she was, clinging to him like he was her lifeline.

Her blind date, Derek — or Derren, or whatever — stood a few feet away, confusion and suspicion flickering across his face.

Gavin’s voice dropped dangerously low. "What. Are. You. Doing." His tone was rough, edged with gravel, like cold steel scraping concrete.

"Please," she whispered under her breath without moving her lips, her voice shaking. "Just go along with it. I’ll owe you. Forever."

He wasn’t in the mood for this. He wasn’t in the mood for anything.

Slowly, deliberately, Gavin peeled Suzy’s hand off his wrist. Not roughly. Not cruelly. Just enough to make it abundantly clear that he was not playing her little game.

"You’ve got the wrong guy," he said flatly, flicking his gaze toward the man watching them. "She’s not mine."

Suzy inhaled sharply, alarm flashing in her eyes.

The man chuckled, taking a step closer. "Come on, sweetheart, aren’t you too old to be playing this game?"

He wasn’t small, either — taller than her, but still a full head shorter than Gavin. When Gavin adjusted his stance — just a subtle shift, a fraction closer, angling his broad frame between them — the man faltered.

"Leave."

One word. No warmth. No patience. Just absolute certainty that there would be consequences if it wasn’t obeyed.

The man hesitated. Then, almost as if his survival instincts finally kicked in, he took a step back. And another. Finally, he shot Suzy one last lingering smirk before turning and walking away quickly.

Suzy exhaled, shoulders sagging. Relief washed over her.

But when she turned to look at Gavin, his gaze cut through her like a blade and made her flinch. She stepped back immediately, her heart beat skyrocketing.

"You’re Hades’ cousin." His voice was quiet, matter-of-fact, as if filing her identity away in a locked mental vault. "But if this happens again..." He took a step toward her. She instinctively stepped back, her heartbeat going even wilder, she knew he could hear it.

His eyes narrowed briefly — then, as if losing interest, he turned and walked away, irritation sharp in his stride.

Suzy stared at his retreating back long as her shaky hand reached to touch her chest, where her heart was beating too hard.

"Are you okay, Miss?" The receptionist asked in a worried voice.

"Why is he so... sexy?" she muttered under her breath.

Damn it.

She was in trouble.

The receptionist, "..."