Chapter 1

My best friend, Megan Hahn, was at Cooper's Barbecue, cradling a beer bottle in her arms as she bawled her eyes out and wailed, "I wanted to introduce my elder brother to you after he returned, so that Nicky can become my very own niece.

"But he's unable to have children, which makes him no different from a useless piece of trash. How could I do you dirty like that when we're best friends?"

As she said all that, her phone rang.

I took a glance at her phone and saw that it was Frederick Hahn calling. Megan was so wasted that she was already face-first on the table, completely unaware that her phone was ringing.

I hesitated for a moment. However, when her phone rang persistently for the third time, I answered it on her behalf.

"Mom asks you to get your ass back here, if you're still alive and breathing."

His voice was deep and husky. It sounded quite mesmerizing. I pinched my earlobe, which felt strangely warm for no reason.

"Hello there, I'm Megan's friend. We are at Cooper's Barbecue. Would you be able to come over and pick her up?"

Given Megan's current condition, it was going to be a struggle to get her home today. After all, I had quite a bit to drink too. It would obviously be a lot more convenient if someone could come and pick her up.

Before the man on the phone could even respond, Megan, who had passed out face-down on the table, "came back to life" all of a sudden.

"Oh, poor Fred. He joined the military academy at such a young age, and he's still a virgin after all these years. Now that he's in this predicament, no one will ever want him…"

Suddenly, the call went eerily quiet. The awkwardness was enough to sober me up a little. I explained, "She really had quite a bit to drink…"

"Give me the address."

"8 South Avenue."

Then, he hung up.

Previously, I had heard Megan talking about her elder brother. He was a tough and strong-willed guy, someone she had idolized since she was a child.

However, when Megan and I first met, her elder brother had already been deployed elsewhere. So, I had never met him before. It wasn't until he was discharged from military service a week ago that I learned he'd been severely injured.

When the time was about right, I helped Megan to the entrance to wait. There, I saw a black vehicle cruising toward us from a distance.

Then, a tall man alighted. He was dressed sharply in his work uniform, looking broad-shouldered and long-legged. However, I couldn't get a clear look at his face. All I could see was his silhouette.

At the same time, a video call request popped up on my phone.

"Is it Nicky?" Megan asked, dazedly peering at my phone.

"I hope nothing serious happened, considering that she's looking for you out of nowhere at this hour. Hurry up and answer the call. Fred is already here."

As she said that, she waved at the man a short distance away.

Deep down, I, too, was a little worried about my daughter, Nicole Sawyer. I didn't even stop to greet Megan's brother. Once he came a little closer, I hurried to the side to answer the video call.

Almost immediately, Nicole's face appeared on the screen. "Mommy!" she greeted me.

Upon seeing her beaming face, I finally let out a sigh of relief. "Why are you still awake?" I asked.

"Because I miss you, Mommy!"

Then, my mother's voice came from the other end of the call. "I took her to the countryside to catch prawns today, and she had a whole heap of fun, so much so that she refused to go to bed after getting home and insisted on video-calling you instead.

"Are you still out? Why aren't you home yet?"

"I came out to meet up with Megan for a bit."

My mother had brought Nicole back to my hometown for a few days, giving me a rare bit of peace and quiet.

"Is Megs there too?"

Nicole squeezed her face back into the frame. "Mommy, I want to speak with Megs too!"

I turned to take a quick look at the entrance. The tall man had already picked Megan up and slung her over his shoulder. He tossed her right into the SUV parked at the side, as if she were just a sandbag.

Yes, he tossed her into the car. I pursed my lips briefly. He was indeed… behaving like a tough guy.

Nicole's arrival was never part of the plan. Four years ago, I went down to a bar to drown my sorrows right after a breakup.

That was where I met a man. He was the definition of stoic and sexy. Everything about his appearance, down to the way he breathed, was exactly what I looked for in a man.

Fueled by liquid courage, I slept with him. Surprisingly, our chemistry that night was completely off the charts.