Chapter 444: The Heart

Mailah buried her face in her hands, letting out a long, desperate sigh. She reached out and tugged hard on the sleeve of Grayson’s navy coat.

“Grayson!” Mailah hissed in a quiet whisper. “Stop scaring the florist! He was just handing me a packet of seeds!”

Grayson turned to Mailah, his jaw setting into a sulky, jealous line. He held the small packet of lavender seeds out to her with extreme care, his expression turning into that of a wounded, dramatic child.

“He stood too close to you,” Grayson grumbled softly under his breath, his long thumb gently brushing against her palm as he handed her the seeds. “And his smile was entirely too eager. I was well within my sovereign rights to assert my dominance.”

“You cannot assert your dominance in a local plant shop, Grayson!” Mailah giggled softly, shaking her head in utter amusement. “He is twenty years old and selling lavender!”

“Age is no excuse for poor spatial awareness,” Grayson noted grandly, crossing his arms and glaring at a nearby fern as if it had personally offended him.

Mailah couldn’t contain her laughter anymore. She stepped close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his broad chest. “You are the most jealous, dramatic demon in the universe.”

Grayson looked down at her, his icy glare melting away in an instant. He let out a soft, defeated sigh, wrapping one heavy, warm arm around her shoulders and pulling her tightly against his side.

“I am not dramatic,” Grayson grumbled softly into her hair, though he was holding her so close she could feel the fast, steady thud of his heart against her cheek. “I am simply protective of what is mine. You belong to me, Mailah. I do not like sharing your attention with men.”

Mailah looked up, meeting his intense blue gaze. The fierce, possessive love in his eyes was so deep, so raw, and so completely overwhelming that it made her head spin.

“I don’t care about men in green overalls,” Mailah whispered softly, reaching up to press a sweet, tender kiss against his sharp jawline. “I only care about you.”

Grayson’s breath hitched in his throat. A faint, breathtaking flush spread across his cheekbones, shattering his dark lord persona completely. A small, victorious smile curved his lips.

“Good,” Grayson murmured, looking extremely proud of himself. “Now, let us buy this entire rack of lavender so we can leave this place.”

“Just two packets, Grayson!” Mailah reminded him firmly.

After paying for the seeds—with Grayson throwing down a sleek black card as if paying a ransom—they walked down the stone sidewalk toward a cozy, quiet coffee shop on the corner of the town square.

The autumn air outside was crisp and chilly, carrying the faint smell of woodsmoke and ocean rain.

Grayson held Mailah’s hand tightly in his, his warm fingers locked securely with hers. Every few steps, he would glance down at her, making sure her coat was pulled tight and her scarf was covering her neck.

“Are you cold?” Grayson asked softly, stopping on the sidewalk.

“I’m fine, Grayson,” Mailah smiled up at him. “My coat is warm.”

“Your hands are cool,” Grayson noted with serious concern. He immediately took both of her small hands into his large, burning palms, lifting them to his mouth and blowing his hot breath over her fingers to warm them up.

The gesture was so sweet, so gentle, and so openly romantic that two elderly women walking past them on the sidewalk let out a collective “Aww!”

Mailah felt her face turn bright pink. “Grayson! People are looking!”

Grayson didn’t care at all. He held her warm hands against his broad chest, looking down at her with a lazy, swoon-worthy smirk. “I don’t care. Caring for my wife is my highest priority.”

He guided her into the cozy coffee shop. The cafe was warm and quiet, filled with the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans and sweet cinnamon pastries.

Grayson led her to a plush leather booth near the front window, gently pulling out her seat before sitting down opposite her.

A young male barista behind the counter noticed them and walked over, holding a small notepad and a pen. “Hi there! Welcome to The Daily Grind. What can I get started for you two today?”

Grayson folded his long hands on the wooden table, leaning back against the leather seat like a king receiving a foreign diplomat. He lowered his voice into his grandest, most serious register.

“I require two hot beverages,” Grayson stated smoothly. “For my wife, bring a sweet, gentle drink made with creamy milk and rich chocolatel. For me, bring the darkest, most bitter black liquid you possess.”

The young barista stared at Grayson for three seconds, his jaw slightly open. He blinked, looking confused. “So… one hot chocolate for the lady, and one large black coffee for you?”

Grayson paused, raising a single dark eyebrow. “Precisely. But ensure the black coffee is sufficiently bitter. I have three thousand years of darkness to honor.”

Mailah covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

The barista slowly wrote it down on his pad, looking completely bewildered. “Uh… right. One hot chocolate, one dark coffee. Coming right up!”

The barista turned and walked back to the counter.

Mailah lowered her hands, leaning across the table with a mischievous grin. “Three thousand years of darkness to honor? Really, Grayson?”

Grayson looked at her, his dark eyes sparkling with quiet amusement. “A demon must maintain his reputation, Mailah. I cannot simply order ‘black coffee’ like a common merchant.”

“You are unbelievable,” Mailah laughed, reaching across the table to cover his hand with hers.

Grayson’s smile softened instantly. His hand turned over, his long fingers wrapping tightly around hers, his thumb gently stroking the smooth skin of her wrist.

A few minutes later, the barista returned carrying a small wooden tray. He placed a large mug of steaming black coffee in front of Grayson, and then set a beautiful white ceramic cup filled with hot chocolate in front of Mailah.

“Here you go!” the barista said pleasantly. “Enjoy!”

Mailah looked down at her hot chocolate. On top of the sweet, creamy white foam, the barista had used cocoa powder to draw a neat, cute little heart shape.

“Oh, look how cute!” Mailah said happily, looking up at the barista. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome!” the barista smiled warmly before walking back to the counter.

Silence fell over the table.

Mailah was about to pick up her cup when she suddenly felt the air around the booth turn icy cold.

She looked up.

Grayson was staring at the heart shape in her coffee foam. His blue eyes were locked onto the white cup, his sharp jawline clenched so tight a muscle was jumping in his cheek. He looked like a man who had just witnessed an act of high treason.

“Grayson?” Mailah asked carefully. “What’s wrong?”

Grayson raised his gaze slowly, looking at Mailah with pure, dark, jealous disbelief. He pointed one long finger toward the coffee cup.

“What,” Grayson rasped in a low, dangerous whisper, “is that symbol doing on your beverage?”

Mailah blinked. “It’s… latte art? It’s just a heart made of cocoa powder.”

“It is an unwanted declaration of romance!” Grayson declared dramatically, his voice rising in deep offense. “That boy in the apron drew a heart for my wife! He placed a symbol of love on your drink!”

Mailah gasped, holding back a wild burst of laughter. “Grayson, no! It’s just standard coffee art! Baristas do it for everyone!”

“He did not draw a heart in my black coffee!” Grayson argued, throwing his head back in complete outrage. “Why did my drink lack romantic symbols? Because it was intended for you! He is courting you through dairy foam!”

“He is not courting me through dairy foam!” Mailah giggled so hard tears began to form in her eyes. “Grayson, please whisper! People can hear you!”

“I do not need to whisper!” Grayson declared grandly. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his sleek black smartphone with sharp, angry movements. He tapped the screen rapidly and put the phone on speaker.

After two rings, Silas’s flat, emotionless voice answered. “Yes, my lord? Is the mansion on fire?”

“Silas!” Grayson barked into the phone, resting his free hand on his hip while holding the phone like a weapon. “I require you to purchase this establishment immediately!”

Through the speaker, Silaslet out a long, heavy, long-suffering pause. “Which establishment, sir?”

“The coffee shop on the town square!” Grayson demanded loudly. “Buy it! Fire the young man behind the counter! He has committed an unpardonable sin against my household!”

“What did the young man do, sir?” Silas asked in a completely flat voice. “Did he threaten your life?”

“He drew a heart in my wife’s hot chocolate!” Grayson yelled, his dark eyebrows pulled together in pure, ancient fury. “He used cocoa powder to launch a romantic assault on my marriage!”

Silence stretched through the phone speaker for four long seconds.

Mailah buried her face into the wooden table, her entire body shaking with unstoppable, tearful laughter.

“Lord Grayson,” Silas’s flat voice finally returned through the speaker. “I am currently reviewing the estate’s tax forms for the fourth quarter. I am not going to buy a coffee shop because a barista made latte art.”

“Silas!” Grayson gasped, looking genuinely betrayed by his phone. “I am your master! I command you to buy the coffee shop!”

“I refuse, sir,” Silas stated without a single trace of fear. “If I buy every business where a human smiles at Mrs. Ashford, we will own the entire county by Friday. Drink your bitter coffee and let the boy live.”

“Silas, I will turn your office into a giant block of ice—”

“Have a pleasant afternoon, Lord Grayson,” Silas interrupted smoothly, and the line went dead.

Grayson stared at his phone screen in absolute shock. “He hung up on me. My own employee hung up on me.”

Mailah sat up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. She reached across the table, taking Grayson’s phone out of his hand and setting it aside, before taking both of his large hands in hers.

“Grayson,” Mailah said softly, her eyes shining with pure warmth and affection. “Look at me.”

Grayson turned his gaze back to her. He looked like an ancient, powerful demon prince who had just been deeply insulted by the modern world.

Mailah took her spoon, reached into her cup, and gently stirred the hot chocolate, completely swirling the cocoa heart until it vanished into the sweet brown liquid.

“There,” Mailah murmured softly, looking into his eyes with a tender smile. “The heart is gone. See? Nobody gets to give me hearts except you.”

Grayson stared at the stirred cup, and then slowly looked up into her face.

A slow, swoon-worthy smirk gradually spread across his sharp lips. He reached across the table, catching her chin with his long fingers and leaning forward to press a slow, deep, lingering kiss directly onto her lips right there in the booth.

The kiss tasted of sweet chocolate, warm coffee, and pure, endless passion.

When Grayson finally pulled back, his blue eyes were glowing bright with intense love.

By the time they stepped out of the coffee shop carrying their seed packets, the afternoon sky above the seaside town had turned into a dark, moody grey.

A quiet, gentle autumn rain began to fall over the stone streets, splashing softly against the pavement and making the colorful fall leaves on the trees shine under the warm yellow streetlights.