Author's pov:

The next day Alyssa was woken from her sweet slumber by 4 maids. So to say she was grumpy would be an understatement.

Arestair had taken her shopping and made her change numerous times the previous night.  He was very picky when it came to choosing a dress for her.

All the dresses she tried on were gorgeous. But Ares had a set of conditions in his mind for her dress.

First, the dress can't show too much skin. Second, the dress can not hug her body too tight. It must not define her curves for others to see.

Third, her cleavage must not show. And finally, the dress must not be too plain nor too flashy.

Most of the dresses violated those rules in his mind. They were either too gorgeous or too plain.

Too revealing or too tight. She was only his to see. There was no way he'd let others gawk at her.

Thus the choosing process took hours itself.

He did buy her every dress that caught her eye, though she told him not to.

Just, they were not for the party. By the time they were done shopping, it was already midnight.

Poor Alyssa. She always hated shopping. People took so long to choose one single thing. She didn't get the point of it. Why work so hard. Just go, look, and get the first thing you like. Simple.

She kept wondering why Ares was working so hard. She wasn't someone of any importance anyways. This guy literally has kept her captive.

Any dress would have sufficed. But Noooo. This guy just had to be extra like always.

This was probably the first time she met a man who took this long to shop. Until now she thought only women took this long.

Ares on the other hand, found it very cute.  The way she kept on nagging, the look of pure disappointment every time he told her to change into the next dress, and the way she dragged her feet like a sloth due to tiredness were so adorable.

He wanted to carry her in his arms the whole time. But the regret and guilt from last time kept him in check.

The maids wanted to bathe Alyssa. But she shied away. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

There was no way she would let anyone do scrubby dubbis on her body. Nu-uh.

After she got out, the maids did her hair, makeup and helped her put on the dress. And put perfume on her.

This was the dress Ares had chosen for her.

Alyssa actually liked it a lot. The heels he chose were also quite comfy. He gave a lot of thought to buying those. But the thing is, she wasn't used to wearing heels.

So she wasn't too confident about wearing them.

The maids presented her with the jewelry that Ares sent. Ares had 'customized' them to his liking.

All of those were stunning, but what caught Alyssa's attention was a simple yet pretty crown. She loved it in fact.

The crown was similar to a wedding crown, but she happily wore it.

Arestair had great taste and she wasn't gonna deny it. Ares was already waiting downstairs when she got out.

He was wearing a black suit with his hair slicked back. A few strands of hair fell on his face in the most perfect way possible. The golden embroidery work near the collar and sleeves only made him look even more elegant.

He looked very handsome, to say the least. Alyssa quickly averted her eyes at that thought.

Ares could've sworn he forgot to breathe for a second as soon as he saw her. The dress looked perfect on her, and the makeup and hair were simple yet... Perfect. Elegant  Extraordinary..!

It was as if an angel was walking down the heavens. Truly.. truly... Breathtaking. He couldn't stop staring.

The intense stare made Alyssa squirm and feel a bit uneasy, but his look of shock and admiration made her feel something ...

What was it though? Proud? Happy? Confident? Shy?

Alyssa couldn't put a finger on it. All she knew was that the feeling was nice. And she scolded herself for feeling that way.

The whole ride in the car was silent. With Arestair having long glances at her. There's nothing wrong with admiring a piece of art.

He was having a hard time looking away. Which in return made the ride very awkward for Alyssa.

At least he wasn't making any moves like before. So that's good. He used to squeeze her thighs every time they were in the car.

Little did she know, the man beside her was trying his utmost best not to devour her right there.

The mansion in which the party was held was more extravagant than she had anticipated. She had never been to a party like this.

And the thought of being surrounded by mafias made shivers run through her spine. Ares held her waist gently and guided her inside.

The moment they went through the huge wooden doors, all eyes fell on them.

Silence.

Pin. Drop. Silence.

That sudden reaction only made the authority Ares has over everyone clearer. As if it wasn't clear before.

As they entered, people around them started to whisper. The attention made Alyssa subconsciously cling to Ares like a child.

He couldn't stop the smile that came after.

" Well well, if it Isn't the great dark lord Himself. Welcome your highness " A blond male came and jokingly bowed to Ares.

" It's nice to meet you too Cayas " Ares monotonously answered.

" Not much of a talker as usual I see. And who might this young lady be? " his blue curious eyes fell on Alyssa.

" Oh, this is Alyssa. My future wife to be " Alyssa has never turned her head so fast. Future wife? Who?!

Gasps were heard. People heard what he said. But Ares looked like he couldn't care any less. He continued talking like usual.

" Alyssa. This is Cayas, Leader of the 'Scales '. He's also my childhood friend. " great, another mafia leader.

" Oh my god! Are you serious! You're marrying!  "

" Do I look like a person who bluffs? "

"That's huge!! Congrats man! It's really nice to meet you Alyssa " With that he was probably about to take her hand to kiss it as a courtesy.

" TOUCH HER... AND YOU'LL BE ARMLESS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE" The low rumble stopped the blonde midway and backed off immediately.

" Um..it's nice to meet you too" came her meek reply. The blonde only nodded at her.

Soon people started gathering around them. While Ares was busy, Alyssa stepped out of the crowd and went to gulp down the food.

She was starving. She didn't get to eat in the morning. People stared at her, but no one dared to approach her. Except one.

" Enjoying the food?" Cayas came beside her.

" Yes, very much. They're really good. You should eat something too" she answers with food in her mouth.

" Not the most lady-like person, I see"

She chugged down like no tomorrow. Cayas chuckled at that.

Cayas was an intimidating man himself. But after being with Ares, he seemed rather harmless to Alyssa.

" You know, this is the first time Arestair has brought along a girl. And the first girl he has introduced. Ever. "

" Am I supposed to be happy to hear that? " she innocently looked at Cayas.

" Why of course. Don't you like him? This should be great news to you "

" Great news my foot. I do not like this man. I don't even know anything about him. Wanna know a secret?" Cayas leaned in as she whispered.

" That man kidnapped me. I'm here against my will" Cayas took a double take on Arestair, who was death-glaring at him.

" Did he now?" a smirk formed on his face. He linked his arm with Alyssa's as he pulled her into the middle of the dance hall.

"What're you doing!"

" What does it look like? I'm taking you to dance "

" Wait wait!  You..you shouldn't t..touch me..Arestair won't like it.He might hurt y..you"

" Are you kidding me? My gang is the second strongest in the country. He ain't  gonna do shit "

" A.. also..I can't dance!" Alyssa squeaked as she was trying to keep up with Cayas.

" Don't worry about that darling. I'm here to teach you. You won't just dance today, you'll flyy"

At first, it was hard. But after getting the hang of it, she started enjoying the dance. Turns out Cayas wasn't just all talk.

Alyssa, the person who sucked at dancing was now doing it like a pro. At least that's what she thought.

Arestair somehow finished talking with other people. His eyes never left Alyssa. The amount of patience he had to use just to stay in his place can not be measured.

He walked over to them and pulled Alyssa in his chest pulling them apart.

" You show this kind of audacity one more time, and I might just forget our friendship "  With that he was off to the dance floor with Alyssa.

" You're gonna forget our friendship for your lover! You traitor " Cayas grumbled.

The sudden interruption made Alyssa lose her rhythm. Ares held her waist tighter than necessary and his movements were too fast for her to follow. And her heels weren't helping either.

She couldn't balance it and fell on her butt. Ares held her hand and tried to pull her. He realized she twisted her ankles.

Alyssa got up and stood on the leg that wasn't twisted. She wasn't expecting to see Ares on his knees, his back towards her signaling her to get on his back.

This man currently ruled the underworld. And almost every leader was present there. Yet, there he was, on his knees.

Alyssa wasn't moving. So Ares pulled her and got up with her on her back.

" I'm heading back. You guys continue " he signaled a group of men which included Cayas.

He left the mansion and walked through the garden with her for a while. Many thoughts colluded his mind.

" I'm sorry," he said.

Alyssa was shocked. This man.. The Arestair... Said sorry to a nobody.. Like her...

" N..no.. Why are you..s..saying sorry"

" It was my fault you fell. I wasn't able to catch you"

" It... It's okay. "

" You know, you look gorgeous today "  This made Alyssa blush.

Why did she blush, she doesn't know. He wasn't supposed to make her blush.

The ride home was silent. After reaching, Ares gently carried her to his room. He opened her shoes and gently treated her wounds.

His gentle side made her feel comfortable. This was probably the first time she didn't feel threatened seeing him. And, maybe.. Just maybe,

This side of him made her like him a little bit.