Chapter 4

"Do you have any allergies or what flavor do you prefer, sir?" I asked while checking sa ibang available pastries namin. Tho i can see him looking straight into my face. I cleared my throat and continue what I'm doing.

"No allergies. Cheese." His face hasn't change. He still looked bored. Ano ba kasing ginagawa ng isang businessman sa maliit na coffee shop na ganito?

"Then I'd recommend our Golden Cheese Danishes. It's flaky, with a creamy cheese filling and it pairs really well with coffee." I smiled after.

"Sure. one order of that and another black coffee with no sugar."

I forced another smile and nodded. "Noted, sir. It will take just for 5 minutes."

I kept myself busy behind the counter, carefully settling the warm Golden cheese Danish onto a small plate. The buttery aroma rose with the heat, rich and comforting, followed by the faint sweetness of cream cheese that lingered in the air.

While pouring his black coffee, I let my eyes wander toward him for only a moment. He was still facing the window, one hand tucked casually into his pocket while the fingers of his other hand tapped a quiet rhythm against the counter.

There was no denying it—Lucien Ashford was every bit as handsome as people claimed. The kind of face that made cameras linger and conversations stop for a second too long. But the longer I looked, the more that admiration seemed to slip away beneath something harder to ignore.

It was in the way he carried himself. That quiet confidence bordering on arrogance, the kind that seemed to say he already knew exactly how much power he held over everyone around him.

And judging by the way people spoke about him, I wasn't the only one who noticed.

“Here you go, sir,” I said softly, sliding the tray toward him. “Careful, the Danish is still hot.”

He finally looked at me.

His eyes were dark and unreadable, giving me nothing to hold on to. “Thanks,” he said, his voice flat before his attention drifted back toward the window.

I returned to the counter and let out a quiet sigh.

The smile I had been wearing all day was beginning to feel like it had been carved onto my face. My cheeks ached whenever I tried to move them, and even the muscles around my mouth seemed to beg for a break.

I reached up and massaged the back of my neck, slowly rolling my head from side to side until a faint crack loosened the stiffness. Then I stretched, arching my back and letting my shoulders fall with a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

There was still work waiting.

So I picked up the cleaning cloth and moved on to the next area.

Malapit nang maggabi kaya mas marami na ang pumapasok na customers. When my shift finally ended, nagpaalam agad ako sa kapalit ko before heading out.

I was halfway through a dark alley when I heard something behind me.

My steps faltered.

Loan sharks? Perverts from the night club?

Please, no.

Before I could even turn around, a hand suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me backward. Another hand clamped over my mouth, swallowing the scream that tried to escape.

“Scream and I'll cut your throat,” madiing bulong ng isang lalaki.

A sharp sting burned through my skin as the tip of the knife pressed deeper against me. My whole body went rigid, every muscle tightening beneath his grip.

“Sabi na, dito lang kita mahuhuli.”

Panic surged through me so violently that I could barely think. I struggled against him, but his grip only tightened as he tried to force himself against me.

“Stop, please!”

My voice came out muffled and broken.

He laughed.

I kept fighting, twisting away whenever he tried to get closer, but fear had already begun turning my limbs weak. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs, each beat loud enough to drown out everything else.

Then his fist slammed into my stomach.

Pain exploded through my abdomen.

Napayuko ako, my lungs locking as the air was knocked out of me. My knees nearly gave way beneath me, and for a moment, I could do nothing but gasp uselessly for breath.

My vision blurred.

The sounds around me began fading one by one until a sharp, high-pitched ringing filled my ears.

It grew louder.

Louder.

Until I could no longer hear his voice, my own cries, or anything beyond that relentless ringing inside my head.

I was still aware of his movements, still trying to pull away, but my body no longer seemed to belong to me. Everything felt distant—like I was trapped somewhere inside myself, watching helplessly as my strength disappeared.

Another blow struck my stomach.

The remaining strength drained from my body.

My vision narrowed until the man standing before me became nothing more than a dark, distorted silhouette.

Then even that disappeared.

And everything went black.