04:45
Chapter 2
The man raised an eyebrow when he saw me.
He approached and crouched in front of me, pulling a pocketknife from his jacket. His voice was even colder than the glint on the blade:
“This might hurt. Brace yourself. I’m sending you off.”
Sending me off?
“No! Please, don’t kill me!”
The instinct to survive surged through me, fueling my courage to plead. My bound hands clutched at him desperately, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked at him:
“Please, don’t kill me. I’ll find a way to get you the money.”
“I really don’t want to die in the next couple of years, please.”
He looked down, his gaze lingering on where my hands gripped his, and his eyebrow arched with a spark of interest, his voice deep:
“Why not in the next couple of years?”
I was momentarily speechless.
Was that really the point? But I didn’t dare not answer.
“Be–because,” I mumbled, looking down, “they’re offering all these incentives to get people to have more kids, but honestly, not a lot of young folks are on board. So if I die now, chances are I’ll end up being reborn into some super enthusiastic, baby–obsessed family. And, well, I haven’t lived long enough or had nearly enough fun yet. Dying now? Yeah, not exactly on my to–do list.”
His expression showed he was taken aback. His lips pressed together slightly, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners. I couldn’t notice it, though, because the heat in my body was rising, threatening to take over.
Faced with the fear of death and something worse, I quickly assessed what I could use to stay alive. Then, swallowing my fear, I leaned in and softly kissed his lips:
“I’ll be good. I won’t fight back. Do whatever you want.”
The room fell silent. His eyes darkened, his Adam’s apple bobbed, but he said nothing. Hope flickered faintly for me. My bound arms lifted and fell around his neck. Then, I kissed him again.
He gently held my neck, pushing me back to create space between us, staring into my eyes, his gaze deep and inscrutable:
“I wasn’t planning to kill you. If you want to back out, now’s your chance. I can find you another guy. But if you’re with me, there’s no turning back.”
The heat was overwhelming, my eyes glazed over, and I nestled into his arms, shaking my head:
“I’m with you. No regrets.”
If I was going to lose my innocence, I might as well choose someone handsome.
The next moment, he claimed my lips fully. He cradled the back of my head.
In the hotel bathroom, the shower roared. Breathless and heated, the temperature climbed higher. My hands were held high above my head, pinned to the wall, as he took control. Yet his fingers were teasing, brushing over the ring on my hand, his lips curling slightly:
“Already someone else’s, and you’re still tempting me? Think I’m a good guy?”
Warm water splashed over me, blurring my vision, leaving me weak and barely standing, my mind adrift.
04:45
Chapter
“No one else, the ring doesn’t matter.”
“Heh, so it’s your first time?”
He laughed low and husky near my lips, removing the ring:
“If it doesn’t matter, give it back to him.”
My arms were released, and I slid down, holding onto his broad, muscular back. My moans came in disjointed
gasps.
“Allen Bishop, that’s my name,” he murmured near my ear, coaxing, “call me.”
“Aah!” I cried out, my nails scraping across his back, “Allen.”
“Mr. Zade~”
On a lounge chair by the beach. A sultry woman draped over Antony’s lap, voicing a soft complaint as he seemed lost in thought. She leaned in, trying to kiss him. But Antony turned his head, avoiding her.
He glanced at the phone on the nearby table, which hadn’t rung since, and frowned deeply.
Jenny, call again. Just one more call, and I’ll believe you.
“Checking your phone twenty times in an hour, isn’t that a bit much? If you’re so worried, just go see her.” On the adjacent lounge chair, his friend Jackson observed his behavior, shaking his head in exasperation: “Remember when you proposed, capturing her heart? Then you grew up, wanting to be a carefree bachelor, tired of her clinging to you.”
“Your reputation precedes you now. Your mom’s just trying to pressure you into settling down through the media, which is perfectly reasonable. It might not be Jenny’s doing at all.”
“And let me remind you one last time, people get tired. No one will wait forever.”
“Whatever good impression she had of you back then is pretty much gone. Don’t wait until she’s out of your life to start regretting it!”
Antony’s fingers paused slightly, lowering his gaze into a contemplative silence, before letting out a cold chuckle:
“I won’t regret it. Tying myself to one person for life is too dull. I’d rather she just left.”
“I’m sick of her clinging to the past, holding onto our teenage connection. It’s really, really annoying.”
Jackson frowned at his words. Just as he was about to say something more, Antony, not wanting to hear it, stood up and popped a bottle of champagne, the spray mingling with the beach party revelers.
Jackson pursed his lips, muttering under his breath, “What a foolish playboy.”
A shadow suddenly fell over him. Jackson paused, seeing Antony return, a teasing glint in his eyes.
Antony, his face stony, picked up his phone. Just as he unlocked it–the ringtone sounded first.
“Mr. Zade,” it was Antony’s assistant, “we just received a package at the office.”
“The sender is Ms. Jones.”
Chapter 3
