Chapter 1: Let's Work Together

Y City, Olgar Club.

The bizarre and dazzling lights, accompanied by the deafening beats, cast eerie glows around, illuminating the faces of the men and women on the dance floor, all lost in ecstasy.

No one noticed a slender, graceful black figure gliding through the crowd, with a perfect smile curling at the corner of her lips, enough to captivate anyone.

On the third floor, in the most secluded small private room on the left.

Gabrielle McCarthy looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in tight black clothing that accentuated her curvaceous figure, and couldn't help but admire, "Tsk tsk, a natural beauty. Whoever marries me would be incredibly lucky!"

After saying this, she reluctantly turned away from the mirror, quickly looping a thin, hair-like black wire over the window frame, then slipping out of the window and sliding down along the wire.

She clung to the outside of a second-floor private room window like a spider, her sharp, keen eyes hidden behind a special mask confirming the identities of the two people inside. Without hesitation, she drew the gun from her waist.

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

Two muffled gunshots echoed.

One person died on the spot, while the other was hit in the arm, blood splattering as he screamed in pain.

"Damn it!" She had missed.

But there was no time to waste. She quickly stowed her gun, leaped, and disappeared into the night like a cat.

When the bodyguards guarding the room rushed in, they only saw a figure wearing a strange mask flash past the window.

"Call an ambulance, and the others, chase after them!"

Gabrielle McCarthy's escape was swift, but the pursuers were fast too, and all were specially trained bodyguards. To shake them off, she needed help.

And that help, naturally, had to be found on the spot.

"Don't move!"

In the dimly lit alley, Gabrielle McCarthy was in a nondescript black car, holding a sharp dagger to the throat of the man in the back seat, threatening him.

She still wore the mask, covering everything above her lips, and was dressed conservatively, even her neck was covered, leaving only her delicate chin and chocolate-colored lipstick visible.

The man with the dagger to his throat was also dressed in black, wearing sunglasses even at night. Despite being threatened, he showed no fear or panic, looking deeply at the woman who had suddenly jumped into his car, his voice low, "What do you want?"

Gabrielle McCarthy, having seen many people, could tell from his demeanor that he was no ordinary man. And the familiar scent of blood told her he was injured.

She had a bad feeling about this impromptu partner, but the situation was urgent, and she had no choice but to proceed.

"Chase, hurry up."

Outside, the voice of the head bodyguard was heard.

Gabrielle McCarthy's cold, sharp eyes scanned the outside, then she leaned forward, keeping a hand's distance from the man, her deliberately coarse voice reaching his ears, "How about we make a deal?"

The man guessed that the people outside were after her. He glanced at the dagger at his throat and sneered, "Why should I agree?"

"Because of your injuries!"

Gabrielle McCarthy looked down at his abdomen. Even in the dim light, she could see he was bleeding.

The smell of blood was strong. She knew he was badly hurt and continued, "Those people outside are after me. I bet your enemies are nearby too. Let's work together to get rid of them, what do you say?"

"Why do you think I need your help to get rid of my enemies?"

His voice remained cold, his sharp gaze fixed on the pattern of her mask, calculating.

"You might be able to get rid of your enemies, but now we're in the same boat. My enemies will become yours. Can you handle both groups on your own?"

Gabrielle McCarthy felt no guilt in threatening him, and she showed no nervousness.

"Hmm." The man gave a cold laugh, "Making a deal with a tiger is like drinking poison to quench thirst."

Gabrielle McCarthy didn't mind being called a tiger. The cold dagger pressed against his neck, and she smirked, "Do you have any other options right now besides working with the tiger?"

"We'll see."

As soon as he finished speaking, his hands, which had been hanging at his sides, moved. His right hand struck her wrist with force.

Gabrielle McCarthy reacted quickly, but not quite fast enough. Her wrist went numb, and the dagger fell from her hand.

Before she could act, the man's strong hand grabbed her wrist. She tried to punch with her other hand, but he caught that too, pulling her forward. She stumbled, and her upper body fell onto him, their bodies pressing tightly together.

The softness of a woman's body against his chest, and the fresh, pleasant scent, made his heart skip a beat.

He stared at the woman who had so suddenly disrupted his composure.

"Let go of me!" Gabrielle McCarthy growled.

Her voice was cold, and the man snapped back to reality, releasing her involuntarily.

Once free, Gabrielle McCarthy quickly pulled back, her cold, fierce eyes sweeping over the man, and her gloved fists swung without hesitation.

The man reacted quickly, raising his fists to counter.

*Bang!*

Both used full strength, and both were pushed back, hitting the car doors.

Feeling the tremor in their fists, they looked at each other in disbelief, then, in unison, lunged at each other again.

*Bang... Bang...*

*Ugh...*

The two fought fiercely in the cramped space, the sounds of punches and groans filling the car, drawing the attention of the pursuing bodyguards.

Seeing the car shaking violently and hearing the muffled sounds of a fight, the head bodyguard shouted, "Can't you just spend a few hundred bucks and get a hotel room?"

Gabrielle McCarthy, who had just taken a punch, instantly understood his meaning, her face flushing red with anger. As she punched the man, she shouted back, "We like it here, what's it to you?"

The man, already in pain from a kick to his wounded abdomen, was furious at her response, his cold aura flaring.

In the dim light, Gabrielle McCarthy didn't notice his expression. Taking advantage of his distraction, she pinned him down, sitting on his legs, and whispered a threat.

"If we keep fighting, it won't end well for either of us. These people outside are ruthless. If we fall into their hands, we're both dead."

The man, already injured, felt his wounds reopening from their fight. His clothes were soaked with blood, and he knew he could bleed out if this continued. But the thought of being threatened by this woman irked him.

Seeing her sitting on his lap, he growled, "Get off."

His imposing presence momentarily stunned Gabrielle McCarthy, but she quickly recovered.

Realizing her position, she released his neck, quickly getting off him, and retorted, "It's just sitting on your lap, I'm not taking advantage of you."

Ignoring his dark look, she sat in the passenger seat, watching the people outside gather and then return to the club.

The tension in the car eased, and both knew they needed to cooperate to survive.