Kidnap Me, Mr.Alberto

“Are you sure she’ll show up on time, Hans? An obedient girl like Lyra has never been late even a second for her prince.”

The baritone laughter shattered the quiet of the exclusive balcony at Sky Garden Restaurant. Lyra, standing behind a partition of artificial ivy, stopped in her tracks. Her heart pounded violently. She tightened her grip on the small blue velvet box in her hand.

Inside was a limited edition watch she had bought with every dollar she had saved over the past year. Today was not only their second anniversary, it was also her twenty-first birthday. Lyra wanted to give her best to the man she had always considered home.

“She’ll come. No matter what I say, Lyra never refuses me,” the man beside him replied confidently.

Lyra flinched at the familiar voice. It was Hans.

“She’s probably busy making herself pretty just to hear my sweet talk. Isn’t that funny?”

Lyra frowned. Hans’ tone sounded different. There was none of the warmth she usually heard during their nightly phone calls.

“But honestly, Hans, aren’t you bored? Two years with a girl that naive?” another friend asked, accompanied by the clink of glasses.

Hans laughed louder this time.

“Bored? Of course I’m bored. Lyra is like the perfect dessert. Sweet, light, but definitely not the main course. She’s naive, obedient, and doesn’t ask many questions. The type of girl you can keep tucked in a corner while you have fun somewhere else. She’s nothing more than a toy when I get bored.”

Lyra’s knees weakened. She leaned against the cold stone pillar. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Then why keep her around this long?” the voice pressed again.

“A bet,” Hans answered shortly. “I need her for a bet with my father. You all know he looks down on me and says I’ll never land a decent girl from a respectable family without a scandal. If I pull off the mission, keep Lyra until graduation without any slip-ups, he’ll give me the keys to a new apartment downtown. So I need Lyra until this boredom hits its peak. Once the keys are in my hand, I’ll toss her in the trash.”

Lyra’s world collapsed in that instant. The hope she had built over 730 days shattered into pieces. Dreams of a future, of promises and sincere love, turned into the cruelest joke.

Unaware, her grip on the expensive gift loosened. Her muscles went numb. The velvet box slipped from her trembling fingers.

The sound of the watch striking the marble floor rang sharply through the balcony’s silence. The conversation behind the partition stopped abruptly.

“Who’s there?” Hans shouted.

Lyra did not move. She stared at the shattered glass at her feet. The watch was ruined, just like her heart. Hans stepped out from behind the ivy. His handsome face drained of color when he saw who stood there.

“Lyra? Since when have you been here?” Hans tried to twist his expression into feigned panic.

Lyra lifted her head. Hans stepped forward, reaching for her shoulder. Lyra took a step back. No tears fell now. Her eyes were dry, but the coldness in them made Hans freeze.

“Just now,” Lyra said flatly. “Long enough to know I’m nothing more than an apartment key to you.”

Hans’ hand shot out and seized her wrist. “Don’t be childish, Lyra. Let’s talk inside.”

He flashed the curved smile that had always been her weakness, the manipulative smile that used to extinguish her anger in seconds.

“Don’t call my name. Your voice disgusts me!” Lyra yanked her hand free with all her strength. She stared at the red mark blooming on her skin, as if it were something filthy. Her trust vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating disappointment.

“Don’t you dare touch me again.”

She turned sharply and left. She refused to spare even a second for more garbage explanations. She ran through the restaurant’s luxury, ignoring the questioning stares from waiters and guests alike. Her focus was singular, to erase Hans’ voice from her head as far as possible.

“Lyra! Stop! Don’t be a coward running from your problems!” Hans shouted behind her.

Lyra quickened her pace toward the VIP parking area. She knew Hans was still chasing her. He would not let her go so easily, not because of love, but because of his ego and that damned bet.

Near the lobby, Hans caught her wrist again. His grip was strong and painful.

“Let go, Hans!” Lyra snapped, wincing.

“Just listen first, Lyra! Stop being dramatic! It’s been two years. You’re going to throw everything away over nonsense? You know I care about you!” Hans began to shout. He pulled her closer.

“You don’t care about me! You only care about your new apartment!” Lyra struggled, but Hans was far stronger.

In the middle of her desperation, a long, elegant black car glided slowly toward the exit gate. The lobby lights reflected off a large silver letter A emblazoned on the hood. A vehicle owned only by a handful of the most influential people in the country.

“You bastard!” Lyra hissed as she saw her chance. She gathered every ounce of strength and stomped hard on Hans’ foot.

Hans groaned and released her. Lyra immediately ran toward the black car, which had stopped in line to exit.

Without thinking, she knocked hard on the rear window with the last of her strength and hope.

“Please! Open the door! Help me!” Lyra cried.

Hans was only a few steps behind her. His face burned red with fury.

“Lyra, get away from that car! You have no idea who’s inside!”

The window slowly rolled down. Inside sat a man in a perfectly tailored black suit. His jaw was sharp, his nose sculpted, and his piercing eyes studied the distressed girl.

He regarded Lyra with a flat, intimidating expression.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice low and authoritative.

Lyra had no time to admire his looks. Hans was getting closer.

“Please, pretend to be my boyfriend for a moment, or just kidnap me. Please take me away from here. I’m begging you!” Lyra clasped her hands together, looking at the man with desperate hope.

The man shifted his gaze toward Hans, who now stood frozen beside the car. Hans recognized the license plate. The fury drained from his face, replaced by pale terror. His body trembled.

“Kenzo Alberto?” Hans whispered hoarsely.

Kenzo Alberto looked back at Lyra. He noticed the tears trembling in her lashes and the slight disarray of her dress. Without another question, he shifted in his seat.

“Get in,” he ordered shortly.

Lyra immediately opened the door and slid in beside him. The atmosphere inside the car was cold and silent. The door closed, completely cutting off Hans.

Kenzo pressed a button on the door panel. The window rolled up automatically. He did not spare Hans a glance. To him, the man outside was nothing more than a speck of dust disturbing the view.

“Drive,” Kenzo instructed his driver. “And make sure that boy can’t follow us.”

“Yes, sir.”

The car moved forward slowly but surely. In the rearview mirror, Lyra saw Hans standing stiffly at the side of the road. He did not dare move an inch to chase the Alberto family car.

Lyra leaned back against the soft leather seat. She exhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She had just escaped one predator, only to fall into the den of a far more dangerous one.

“Finished crying?” Kenzo’s voice broke the silence.

Lyra turned slightly. Kenzo was still looking straight ahead.

“I’m not crying,” Lyra lied, though her voice remained hoarse.

Kenzo let out a faint sound, almost a scoff.

“Good. I don’t like the smell of tears in my car.”

Lyra fell silent. She glanced at the silk handkerchief lying between them. The initials KA were embroidered in gold thread.

She realized her simple life had just ended tonight. A new chapter, one involving the stranger beside her, had just begun.

“Thank you,” Lyra murmured softly.

Kenzo finally turned toward her, his gaze cold enough to freeze her blood. “Don’t thank me yet. You asked to be kidnapped, and in my world, there are no free rides.”

Lyra went silent, her tongue thick. Her body stiffened as awareness crashed over her. She was about to speak when a violent jolt from the car cut her off.