Chapter 1

The midnight air hung heavy with an eerie stillness as the car nestled near the edge of a mysterious forest. Parked at the roadside, the driver, a middle-aged man named Thomas, delved into diagnosing a glitch beneath the car's hood. His hands, skilled and weathered, worked diligently to uncover the issue.

"Thank the heavens I spotted the issue; otherwise, I'd have faced dismissal," he mused to himself, wiping sweat from his brow as he headed to the back seat.

"Young master, rectifying this will take time. I've arranged another driver to pick you up," Thomas's voice trembled with apprehension, his loyalty evident despite the daunting surroundings.

In the back seat, a man engrossed in his laptop displayed a striking handsomeness, his countenance mirroring the wintry night's chill. Wordless, he cast intense, cold eyes toward Thomas, acknowledging the unspoken urgency. Ignoring the sounds of the night, he returned to his work, a beacon of detached focus.

"Stuart," a voice beckoned from the nearby forest.

Unfazed, Stuart continued his tasks, his piercing gaze unyielding.

"Stuart," the voice persisted, its ethereal quality cutting through the silence.

Curiosity overriding caution, he stepped out into the chilling night.

"Stuart, come swiftly," the voice echoed persistently, weaving through the trees like a siren's call.

Approaching the roadside, he inquired, "Did you hear someone calling me?"

"No, young master, it's just us here. No one else," Thomas assured, the weight of the mysterious forest pressing on his words.

Satisfied yet intrigued, Stuart returned to the car, but the persistent voice continued to echo in his mind.

"Come to me, Stuart. I'm waiting," the voice urged, its allure coaxing him toward the dark woods.

Closing his ears as if to shut out the otherworldly plea, he hesitantly stepped into the inky blackness. Unperturbed by the nocturnal sounds, Stuart, a natural leader, ventured further. A captivating girl in a Cinderella dress beckoned him deeper into the woods. Though her face eluded visibility, her beauty emanated even from behind. Her curly hair danced in the cold breeze as they reached a mysterious clearing.

"Who are you?" Stuart queried, touching her shoulder. She turned her body towards him. In the velvety embrace of darkness, she emerged, a captivating enigma draped in shadows. Moonlight traced the contours of her mystery, casting a soft glow on elusive features. Ebony tendrils frame a face veiled in an air of intrigue, eyes gleaming like distant stars, windows to an enigmatic universe. Her silhouette danced with the unknown, a symphony of secrets whispered by the night. A delicate whisper of mystery enveloped her, a chiaroscuro masterpiece painted with whispers of the unseen. In the dark, she was an ethereal tapestry, weaving allure and enigma, leaving the observer spellbound in the enchantment of the unseen. She smiled at him, revealing her red eyes and larger canines, before howling and biting his neck.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

He awoke in a bed, breathless and drenched in sweat. Struggling to regain composure, he gulped water from a nearby jar, the vivid nightmare lingering in his mind like a ghostly echo.

"Who am I? Where am I?" a voice echoed from the door.

Annoyed, Stuart eyed the entering girl, who seemed unfazed by his disorientation.

"Why not the usual questions today? You always ask weird things after a nightmare," she teased him.

Silent and confused, Stuart questioned his surroundings.

"Who are you? I'm scared," he jumped back, a sudden sense of vulnerability engulfing him.

"Dare you ask your fiancée that? Will you meet your end at my hands?" she threatened, attempting to hit him, the air becoming less tense.

He realized the danger and began to run here and there to escape from her

She succeeded in catching him, but he couldn’t catch his ears as he was much taller than her. She jumped a little bit and tried to hold his ear, but she failed. He laughed at her. 

She got angry and decided to leave the room.

He pulled her towards him and looked at her romantically "Are you jealous as usual? It's until our marriage. Then only you will be with me in my dream also. The girl giggled and they shared a quick lip lock.

Amidst a sea of twinkling city lights, their lips met, a clandestine dance of desire. Time stood still as passion painted constellations on their souls. In that stolen moment, the world blurred, and the universe condensed into the intimacy of a single, electrifying kiss.

“Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Stuart asked her.

She just realized that she had been imagining those things.

“Nothing serious. I was just admiring my charming prince,” she said romantically.

His smile faded away when he heard those words.

Camilla noticed the change in his face and said, “I know that you don’t love me. You are getting married for your mother's happiness. Even if we get married, we will always be best friends as usual. So don’t worry,” she said.

" By the way, Mom asked to wake you up. Get ready fast," she said.

After a perfunctory nod and a forced smile, Stuart retreated to the bathroom, the echoes of the nightmare and the complexities of his impending future swirling in his mind. In an expensive suit, he descended, greeted by his mother, the matriarch of the Gates family.

"Good morning, Stuart," Mrs. Alice Gates welcomed him, her tone reflecting the weight of their family's stature.

At the grand dining table, the Gates family, renowned worldwide, gathered. Mr. Charles Gates, the patriarch, reminded Stuart of the impending press announcement, the burden of family expectations heavy on his shoulders.

"Stuart, when are you going to announce your engagement to the press? You should do it before it spreads without your permission," 

"I'll announce it tomorrow after signing the mountain villa project," Stuart affirmed before savoring a bite of his breakfast, the taste of the impending responsibilities lingering on his tongue.

The morning unfolded, each minute bringing Stuart closer to a future preordained by familial obligations. Yet, in the recesses of his mind, the haunting voice and the mysterious forest lingered, a spectral reminder of a night where reality and imagination danced on the precipice of the unknown.