THE UNTAMED PLAYBOY

"I... I want to apologize for what Brad did," Alice stammered, her eyes filled with remorse.

"It's okay, Alice. Don't worry about me," Katon reassured her, his thoughts echoing a different sentiment: Your boyfriend's the one who got roughed up.

"Katon almost got seriously hurt. Luckily, a police patrol passed by, saving him. I can't imagine what would have happened if they hadn't," Morgan added, his tone laced with manipulative concern, mirroring Katon's own tactics.

Beneath his cool demeanor, Morgan displayed a carefully crafted expression of sadness, reinforcing the drama they had concocted. Hearing this, Alice burst into tears again, covering her face with her hands.

Alice was clearly remorseful, her empathy amplified by her growing affection for Katon.

Katon shot a sharp glare at Morgan as Alice covered her face, and Morgan shrugged with a mischievous grin. How dare he imply Katon could have lost? Ha! The two friends exchanged silent insults while Alice wept. Katon flipped Morgan the middle finger before turning back to Alice with a look of sad resignation.

"What did you want to talk about, Choco Girl?" Katon asked gently. Alice shook her head, tears still flowing. Katon cupped her face, tilting it up, revealing her tear-streaked eyes.

"Don't worry about Morgan. What you say here stays here," Katon said, his voice firm, but his gaze softened as he looked at Alice. Hearing Katon's words, Morgan smirked, noticing Alice's posture relax.

"Br-Brad might hit me if he comes to my apartment tonight. He-he might come to the cafe. I'm scared, Katon," Alice sobbed.

Katon stared blankly at Alice. He knew Brad's reputation. How else would Alice have fallen into his arms so easily?

He knew Brad was abusive, which was why he had decided to pursue Alice in the first place. To show her that there was more to the world than Brad. That there were better men out there.

"Alice, listen. I'm fine. And honestly... I know Brad's a jerk. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation." Katon spoke softly, his hands still framing her face, urging her to meet his gaze.

"I'll protect you. Okay? We'll take you to work and watch over you. We'll be somewhere Brad can't see us, somewhere even you won't notice us," Katon said, his voice clear and decisive.

Behind her, Morgan stood like a stoic guard, his face serious despite another eye roll directed at Katon. Though he clearly disagreed with Katon's plan, he remained silent.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Alice asked, confused.

"Morgan and I will watch you from a distance. Just act normal. Don't be scared, Brad won't get near you. You don't have to be afraid, sweetheart. Now, let's have breakfast before we take you to work," Katon said, his voice laced with charm.

"Katon... I—I..." Alice couldn't finish her sentence as Katon pulled her close, his lips crashing against hers. He kissed her fiercely, as if trying to steal her breath away. Alice clung to his arms, her fingers tracing the hard muscles. Their kiss deepened, becoming more urgent. Morgan's eyes bulged, and he raised a fist, threatening Katon. He was about to kick a nearby vase when Katon abruptly pulled away, taking a dazed Alice with him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her towards the dining room.

"Asshole!" Morgan muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Katon to hear. Katon ignored him, leaving Alice in the dining room while he moved behind the kitchen counter, preparing breakfast under her adoring gaze.

"Breakfast, bro?"

"What do you think? Are you the only one who needs to eat here?" Morgan grumbled, but Katon ignored him, focusing on preparing breakfast.

As usual, Katon's breakfast was a protein-packed meal. He needed to maintain his muscle mass and strength, ready to assist his family whenever needed. He prepared a full protein breakfast for himself and Morgan, while making a separate meal for Alice: an omelet and pancakes.

Katon took out eggs and skinless chicken breast from the refrigerator, starting to cook the chicken in his high-tech air fryer. While waiting, he whisked eggs for the omelet and prepared the pancake batter. He was making a broccoli smoothie and pouring water when he noticed Morgan lounging beside Alice. Katon's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Not going to shower?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Morgan gave him a lazy look. Katon, wanting to get rid of Morgan from Alice's side.

"What? Mr. Collins bothered by my scent? Alice doesn't seem to mind. Oh, is Mr. Collins going to make love to me?" Morgan teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Alice giggled beside him.

A plate sailed through the air, and Morgan deftly caught it before it hit his head or shattered on the floor. "Nice shot, Mr. Collins!"

"Want to try again?" Katon asked, his voice deceptively sweet. His hand hovered over a long kitchen knife, ignoring Alice's gasp.

"No, thank you, sir," Morgan replied calmly, placing the plate on the table with exaggerated politeness before heading to the guest bathroom. Katon smiled reassuringly at Alice.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We're just kidding," Katon said, placing the finished dishes on the table.

Morgan finished his shower quickly, then headed to Katon's closet, casually selecting an outfit. He chose a navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants. Admiring himself in the mirror, he returned to the dining room. Alice and Katon were now feeding each other, their eyes locked in a romantic gaze.

"I believe those are my clothes, Mr. Maxwell!" Katon grumbled, noticing Morgan in his attire. Morgan chuckled.

"And they look amazing on me, Mr. Collins."

"I expect them back in my closet, clean, in 24 hours!"

Morgan ignored him, continuing to cut his chicken breast with a silly grin, chewing loudly. Katon shook his head, grabbing his used fork and throwing it at Morgan. The fork missed as Morgan ducked, chuckling.

Morgan and Katon often teased each other, their banter never meant to cause real harm. They were close friends, and Morgan was used to following Katon's orders. And this morning's order was clear: he was to accompany Katon, watching over Alice at the cafe. Katon didn't like his orders being delayed.

Katon took Alice's hand, leading her to the basement garage, towards a sleek black car. Morgan followed, a picture of reluctant obedience. A black Mercedes Benz The W223 S-Class was parked there, its doors unlocking with a soft click and the flick of the headlights as Katon pressed the remote in his hand.

Katon opened the passenger door for Alice, making her blush with pleasure, while Morgan rolled his eyes behind them. He was annoyed by Katon's sudden display of gentlemanly behavior, which he knew was only reserved for women Katon was interested in.

"Sweetheart, I'll take you to work and keep an eye on you, is that okay?" Katon asked as they drove towards Alice's workplace, a cafe called Brooklyn Blend.

"You'll watch me while I work?" Alice asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course, sweetheart. What wouldn't I do for a woman as sweet as you?" Katon replied, his voice smooth as silk. Morgan, in the back seat, stared out the window, his expression bored.

"Morgan's with me, Choco Girl. Don't worry."

"Yeah. And I'll probably end up watching you, Choco Girl. He'll probably just sleep," Morgan muttered under his breath.

And indeed, Morgan ended up keeping watch from inside the parked Mercedes near Brooklyn Blend, while Katon, initially scrolling through his phone, fell asleep in the reclined seat. Morgan was left to monitor the cafe's entrance, watching everyone who went in and out.

Even when Katon needed food or drinks, Morgan had to leave the car to get them.

As Alice's shift neared its end, Morgan suddenly sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the cafe's entrance. "Oho! You're not going to like this, Mr. Collins."

Katon didn't move, still reclined in his seat, his eyes closed. Morgan turned to him, a mischievous grin on his face. "Alright, that's the end of Alice and Katon's story. Great! Let's go home."

"What do you mean, Morg?" Katon asked casually, without changing his position, his eyes still closed.

"I just saw a bunch of gangsters go into Brooklyn Blend. I don't know what Brad looks like, but none of them look like Brad Pitt," Morgan said flippantly. Katon opened his eyes and sat up, scanning the cafe's entrance.

"I don't like this, Morg," he said.

"Oh really? I thought you enjoyed being trapped in a car for six hours, staring at a cafe. Oh, wait! That was me. Most of your time here, you've been sleeping, asshole!" Morgan grumbled. Katon ignored him, his attention fixed on the commotion inside Brooklyn Blend. He opened the car door and headed towards the cafe, Morgan following close behind.

The gang Morgan had mentioned was causing chaos inside. The biggest of them was trying to drag Alice out from behind the counter. Katon stormed into the cafe, Morgan trailing behind, his mouth moving in a silent stream of curses.

"Pick on someone your own size, Brad!" Katon yelled, startling half the cafe's patrons. The large man gripping Alice's arm turned, his eyes blazing with fury.

"That's the bastard who slept with my girl! Kill him!" he roared, tightening his grip on Alice.

The gang, now twice the size of the group Katon had faced the night before, turned their predatory eyes towards Katon and Morgan. Most of them brandished baseball bats, while others flicked open switchblades.

"Ooh... time for a party, Katon," Morgan whispered beside Katon, a familiar, wicked grin spreading across his face.