"Now that you understand why I need this, give it back, Yelena." Mika extended his hand, palm open, his expression calm but firm. "You're gripping it so tightly, I'm afraid you'll snap it in half."

For a moment, her body faltered. His words made sense, painfully so.

He wasn't forcing anyone, he wasn't being unreasonable, and his plan wasn't truly wrong. And Yelena wasn't the type to interfere with his love life, not if he was being clear about his intentions.

So, her fingers loosened slightly on the chain. She could almost feel herself placing it in his hand...almost.

But then the thought slipped in, uninvited, yet sharp enough to make her hand stiffen mid-motion.

'Wait...this was supposed to be mine.'

Her eyes lingered on the shimmering chain as she traced its shape with her thumb.

Without those absurd conditions, Mika would have simply given it to her. She would have claimed it proudly, wrapped it around her waist, and felt its delicate weight brushing her skin with every step.

She imagined how she would have shown it off to her sisters, laughing smugly as they turned green with envy, announcing that he had given it to her, no one else.

It wouldn't just have been jewelry, it would have been a memory, a keepsake, a little fragment of Mika she could wear against her body forever.

She had already decided in her heart that if she wore it, she'd never take it off. It would be hers, his gift to her, no matter how much she had technically stolen it.

The thought had nestled deep in her chest, warm and reassuring.

And now, because of some disgusting, perverted condition, she couldn't.

'How cruel...to dangle something like this in front of me, only to snatch it away with a laughable rule no sane woman could ever fulfill.' Her throat tightened.

Because really, who else could help her with it, if not Mika? And that thought alone was unthinkable. Impossible.

He was Mika, her boy, her treasure, the one she had raised with her own hands. Not someone she could ever do that with.

So, she bit her lip hard. Disappointment sat heavy in her chest. She could feel it sinking into her bones like cold water.

'So that's it...I can't wear it. I'll have to let it go.'

Her fingers twitched as she nearly pressed the waistband into his palm. She told herself it was fine. If Mika gave it to some other girl, then so be it.

That was his choice. He had every right. She had no reason to stop him,

But then another realization struck her like a hammer to the chest.

This wasn't about a girl he cherished. This wasn't about some once-in-a-lifetime love.

No, he was planning to hand over this beautiful, precious artifact, her artifact, to some random girl.

A faceless nobody.

A girl he thought had a nice ass.

A girl he wanted to bed, nothing more.

And that made herstomach churn

'So that's it? After all the years I've been by his side, after all the love and care I've poured into him, I'm supposed to lose to some...some stranger on the street? To be tossed aside for a fling?'

Her pride flared violently. Her chest burned. No. Not I can't lose like this. Not to her.

It wasn't jealousy, not exactly. It was deeper, rawer.

The thought that her bond with him, her devotion, her years, could be outshone by some nameless girl's hips...it was unbearable. Unforgivable. It felt like having her heart stolen, trampled, left discarded.

Her hand trembled as Mika reached for the artifact.

Then, like lightning striking, her resolve hardened.

She jerked her hand back to Mika's surprise, clutching the waistband fiercely to her chest, her eyes were sharp, furious, shining with hurt.

"No, Mika. No!" Her voice cracked with raw emotion. "I'm not giving it back. I won't let you hand this over to her."

"...Not to some random girl you don't even care about!"

He froze, taken aback by her sudden defiance, while her voice grew louder, almost trembling.

"This was supposed to be mine. Do you hear me? Mine...I already bonded with it, I already feel it. So, I won't just stand by and let you give it away to someone who means nothing!"

"...I won't lose to a stranger when I've been with you every step of the way!"

She hugged the artifact protectively, like it was her lifeline, her proof, her claim. Her heart thundered in her chest as her thoughts screamed within her:

'He can't do this to me. He can't. Not after everything. I won't let him.'

Mika's eyes widened at first, his brows knitting in surprise. To anyone else, he would have looked genuinely startled, her trembling form clutching the artifact to her chest like it was her last lifeline, her pride spilling out of her in furious defiance.

But inside, Mika was calm, satisfied, almost smug.

This was exactly what he had anticipated.

He knew Yelena far too well. Out of all the battle angels, she was the proudest, the one who carried herself like a queen no matter the battlefield, no matter the struggle.

She had a spine of steel and a spirit that could not yield. Pride was her crown, and she never let anyone, ally or enemy, stand taller than her.

But there was something even sharper at her core: her love for him.

Yelena truly believed she was the one who loved him most in this world. That bond they shared was, in her eyes, unbreakable.

Even after years of separation, she had clung to it, nurtured it, and when they reunited, it was as though not a single thread had frayed.

So to suggest, to dare imply, that some other girl, some faceless nobody, might step into her place, receive the gift that should have been hers…?

That was unbearable. Her pride would not allow it. Her heart would not allow it.

Mika knew this from the beginning. That was why he had crafted this little play, weaving the bait carefully until now. And here she was, shaking, refusing, burning with indignation, exactly where he wanted her.

Still, he had to play his role, so he extended his hand once more, his voice low and patient.

"What are you saying, Yelena? You already agreed with me earlier. You know there's no reason to hold on anymore."

"...Yes, maybe it stings that what should've been yours is going elsewhere, but you can't use it. Not the way it is..."

"...So, give it back, so it can at least be of use to me "

But Yelena only shook her head furiously, her grip tightening until her knuckles turned white.

"No...no! There's no way that a random skank is going to get ahead of me!" Her voice cracked, but it was firm with conviction. "I don't care if she's younger, I don't care who she is."

"...I won't let some nobody wrap this around her belly. It's mine, Mika! It's supposed to be mine!"

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she leaned in, glaring down at him. Then, with a flash of sincerity buried under her rage, she added,

"But if you really...truly liked her, if you honestly cherished this girl, I would step aside...I wouldn't fight it...I would let her have it."

"Just tell me you're genuinely interested in that girl and I'll give it back to you this instant, as I wouldn't mind losing to a person you sincerely cherish."

But Mika's reply was blunt and unflinching as he said,

"No, Yelena. Like I said before, it's nothing serious. Just a fling...I'm not that interested."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed in fury. She pulled back instantly, clutching the artifact tighter.

"Then no! No way! I'm not giving it up. If it were someone you truly cared for, I'd let her have it with my blessing. But not like this. Not for some random woman you just want to bed. Never!"

"Yelena, stop being ridiculous."

Mika let out a groan, his patience thinning, or at least pretending to. He reached forward, trying to tug the chain free from her arms.

"You're acting selfish. Do you really think I'll love you any less if this goes to someone else? You'll still be you. You'll still have me. This doesn't change that."

But her voice came out sharp, almost desperate:

"Yes, it does! Don't you see? It means that some...random hoe gets one point over me! And that's something I'll never allow. Ever!"

Then, in desperation, her voice softened, pleading in its own prideful way,

"I don't even need to wear it, Mika. I don't need to follow the condition. I'll hang it on the wall, I'll place it above the door, I'll keep it anywhere, but it'll stay with me."

"...Wouldn't that be enough? Wouldn't it?"

But his hand only tightened as he tried to pull it away. His tone grew firmer, more unyielding.

"No. I've already made up my mind. I told you, I'm giving it to her, and that's final. Unless…" His eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint hiding behind their calm. "…unless you're willing to use it yourself."

"...Unless you're willing to wear it, but if not, it's going straight to her"

That sentence hit her like a storm.

Her heart stuttered painfully in her chest. Because she knew him. She knew Mika. No matter how powerful she was, no matter her titles, she knew that once Mika decided something, once his will was set in stone, she could not move him.

None of them could. Even she, the fierce battle angel, the one who stood at the top, was powerless before his determination. If he had resolved to give this away, then it would be given away.

Which meant...she would lose. She would lose to that girl.

The thought clawed at her insides. She tried to think of arguments, excuses, anything, but she knew none of it would work. For a heartbeat, she considered letting go, swallowing her pride just this once.

But then she looked at his face.

She imagined it, how he would smile at that girl when he placed the artifact in her hands, how that girl would blush and accept, how Mika's handsome face would soften with warmth for someone else.

Not her...Never her.

And her heart shattered. Her pride screamed.

'No. That smile belongs to me. That gift belongs to me. I won't...I won't let her take it from me.'

And that thought broke her restraint as suddenly to Mika's surprise, her grip suddenly turned vicious, yanking the chain back toward her chest with such force she fell over.

Her voice then burst out, loud, flushed, trembling with pride and desperation all at once,

"I'll do it, Mika! I'll do it!...I'll wear this damn artifact!"

Her cheeks were burning red, her body trembling as though she were baring herself in the middle of a battlefield as she then went on to say,

"You don't need to give it to her, I'll wear it myself...Do you hear me? I'll be the one to wear it."

"There's no way I'll let some other woman take it from me...I'll be its only owner!"

Mika froze, then slowly looked at her, his expression calm, his voice even.

"Yelena...you do know what you're saying, don't you? You know the condition...You know what it requires."

Her breath caught, her pride trembling violently under the weight of that truth. Her face was flushed, her hands clutching the chain as if her life depended on it.

But slowly, painfully, she nodded.

"Yes. I know. I know what it means, Mika. But still…" Her eyes rose to meet his, burning with pride and desperation both. "I can't let it go. This chain is mine. No one else's."

"Even If...even if it means following the condition, then so be it...I-I'll do it."

Her voice softened at the end, shy, timid in a way so unlike her usual prideful composure. The fierce battle angel looked small, vulnerable, flustered beyond words.

And Mika, watching her, knew at that moment, he had caught her.

The trap had sprung, the tiger had taken the bait. And now, Yelena was his to devour.