Prologue
Once again, I’m being followed by some goons. Dad hired guards for my protection, but they’re useless—always disappearing when I need them most. I sigh deeply, turning back and quickening my pace as I head towards the mall exit. But as I near the door, I see more of them coming in. Exhaustion weighs on me as I realise I’m surrounded.
Desperation kicks in, and I sprint towards the elevator leading to the parking lot. The last thing I want is to panic in the crowd. The elevator doors slide open, revealing a massive guy standing just ten steps away. The moment he notices me, I bolt out of the elevator and start running.
“Shit!!” I curse under my breath as he takes off after me. Forgetting my parked car, I dash towards the nearest vehicle—a dark green Mustang with the engine already running. The driver, an older man in a standard uniform, is distracted by his phone. Without thinking, I shove him aside, mutter a quick apology, and jump into the car. I hit the gas, barely missing my pursuer as I tear out of the parking lot, driving as fast as I can to put distance between us.
My breath comes in ragged gasps from the adrenaline, but the ringing phone in the backseat is impossible to ignore. It’s been going off for the fourth time now, and I’m at my wit’s end.
“Who the fuck is it?!” I growl, twisting around to face the backseat. My eyes widen, and time seems to stop as I lock eyes with a man sitting there, silently watching me. His phone continues to ring, but he doesn’t move, just stares at me with an unreadable expression.
Ten seconds pass in tense silence before I finally break it. “What are you doing here?” I demand my voice be a mix of fear and defiance. He tilts his head as if to answer, but his eyes suddenly widen as he looks past me.
“Watch out!” he shouts, his voice deep and urgent.
I whip my head forward just in time to see a truck barreling towards us. Panicking, I jerked the steering wheel, swerved off the road, I was about to hit another parked car but the man immediately headed above me from his seat holding the steering wheel and making us crash into a tree. The airbags deploy, cushioning the impact, but the force leaves me dazed and on the brink of unconsciousness.
I hear the car door click open as the man steps out hurriedly. He approaches me, his face inches from mine, eyes never leaving my face. He unfastens my seatbelt and lifts me into his arms, cradling me as if I were fragile. My body aches from the crash, and my head spins in a foggy haze.
As he carries me away from the wreck, the car explodes behind us. My eyes widen at the sight of the flames, my mind struggling to process what’s happening. He gently lays me against the tree and slowly tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his gaze softening as if he’s seeing someone he lost long ago. “Finally, found you.” he whispers as he cups my face with warmth. I stop frowning as I stare at him trying to remember his face, but my eyes seem to fade vision as I notice he looks up at the sky as it starts snowing and he takes off his coat and covers me with it. He again holds my hand. It’s the first snow of the month. The last thing I remember is hearing him make a call, likely on a different phone, as the sound of police and ambulance sirens fills the air. Then, everything goes black.
