Chapter 1

At five star hotel that night, a girl with brown hair, and blue eyes ran out of breath. She is been chased by a group of men. She has been trying to turn the doorknob of every room she passed by, unfortunately, all the rooms are locked until she reached one of the rooms.

CLICK!

The room opened and Shana quickly rushed inside the room and locked the door. She leaned her back at the door.

She was very terrified of the group of men that is after her. She heard the sound of men chasing her outside.

"Where is she" The voice of the man that is following said.

Shana felt her heart beat rapidly. Her breathing became heavier and faster as sweat dripped down her temple. A tear slowly rolled from the corner of her eye.

Shana didn’t know where exactly these men she encountered but they look like professional hunters. They seem scary and they are dangerous.

As she peered out of the doorway, she heard a sound as if people were opening the door in the room. She did not move for fear. Suddenly the door of the bathroom swung open. A man is standing in front of him half-naked. He had short black hair and he looks like a model.

Shana immediately averted her gaze from the nude male. She knew she should leave and run away but she just can’t move her legs. This place is like a maze and there are only three directions which means she has to go towards the 'center', away from the danger, or she could stay inside the room where it is safe.

After taking deep breaths and calming herself down, she decided on going to the 'center'. But, before she can even take a step forward, the man who appeared behind her had grabbed her shoulders. He put his hands around her neck holding her tight.

"Who are you and why are you in my room?" asked the naked man.

Shana was panicking in her mind, she couldn't breathe properly but still, she tried to answer.

"I am sorry, I was hiding from a group of men, and your room turned out to be not locked. Please let me go!"

The naked man looked at Shana with his intense gaze. She shivered from how terrifying he is.

He smiled at her.

"It seems that your luck isn't so good today because I will turn you to your manager." The man thought she was one of the employees at the hotel and intended to steal something in his room.

Before Shana could tell the truth, the hotel door was suddenly opened.

"Baby..." In front of them, stood a sexy woman and an old woman. They were both shocked to see the incident before their eyes.

" Dennis, what are you doing? Who is this?" asked the sexy girl angrily

" Honey, this is not what you think. I don't know this girl. She entered my room suddenly. I think he's one of the employees at this hotel. Let us call the manager. I want to check up on this girl."

Before he finished talking, the old woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes said " No, she is not the employee. If she is the employee she will not dress like this. I know who you are. You are the daughter of Mr. Ward Bowman, Shana Ward. " smirk the old woman.

" Yes, I am. But who are you? " answer Shana nervously.

"Oh, so you are the daughter of the famous businessman." Her question was not answered, instead, it was answered with another statement.

"Please let me go. I was just hiding from a group of men that is chasing me" pleaded her.

"Yes, let her go. We don't want to attract attention here. Today there are many reporters out there. I'm afraid some reporters saw this incident."

" Bethany's right mom. Let her go. After all, she was unintentional and nothing happened between us." Dennis replied wanting to quickly drive Shana out of his room. He can't stand the situation now. He wants to quickly make love to his girlfriend, Bethany.

Dennis' mom sighed. "Fine. Go now before the reporter sees you."

" Thank you." As Shana started walking towards the exit, she could feel the piercing stare of the old woman from behind. Dennis' mother also left the room and headed to the hotel room where she and her husband spent the night.

When the young woman left the room and the door was closed behind her, Bethany turned to Denise.

"So...what you wanted to do." She grinned

"Of course I want you." He said confidently while pulling on the strap of his pants that were hanging low on his waist. He pulled down his jeans making his way towards her, kissing her passionately. When he finished, he said with an evil glint in his eyes "You ready baby?".

Bethany just nodded and took off her clothes, leaving her in her bra and panties.

He removed the bandage that was covering up his wounds and slowly kissed every part of her body except her vagina. Then he slowly inserted himself inside her.

They both groaned in pleasure and they made love again.

******

Shana's POV

***********

Shana ran in the hotel direction without looking back. After she escaped from those men earlier, she didn't know what to do. She is so afraid to go to the hotel lobby. She decided to call her friend, Halsey Beck. Halsey Beck is her childhood friend. They have never parted since they started school. Shana already considers Halsey to be her brother while Halsey keeps feeling more than that. But the feeling had to be closed tightly by Halsey for fear Shana would walk away from him. Shana knew that Halsey would always be there for her no matter what happens.

Shana called Halsey's cell phone but it doesn't ring any time soon. She tried to call Halsey several times until finally, Halsey answered her call. "Hello, can you pick me up at the Serene Lagoon Hotel?" Shana asked in tears. She was very afraid of meeting the person who chased her earlier. She was sure that the person who chased her earlier was a man from her father's business enemy. "Where are you? Are you okay? I'll be right back."

Behind that line, Halsey is very worried about what happened to Shana. He knew something would have happened otherwise, Shana couldn't ask him to pick her up because Shana brought her driver. If Shana asks him to invite Shana in person it means Shana doesn't trust anyone there because of what happened to her. But Halsey knows Shana trusts him with everything.

While waiting for Halsey, Shana sat down and placed her head on her knees.

She heard the sound of a car coming closer. It was his car and he parked his car near Shana.

Halsey walked to Shana's side and saw Shana crying. His heart ached when he saw her in tears.

"What happened to you, Shana? What happened to your neck" said Halsey concerned, touching the part of her neck that had a bruise.

Shana was silent, too afraid to speak.

Shana was shaking badly from the fear and the cold weather and her trembling made her shiver. Halsey immediately pulled her into his arms. She cried hard in his chest. She was scared. Halsey pulled her into the car and drive her home.

"Thank you so much, Halsey," Shana said gratefully after getting in the car. She was very grateful that Halsey came to rescue her.

"No problem Shana," said Halsey smiling while driving his car away from the hotel. They arrived at her home and he parked his car next to hers.

Halsey helped her get out of the car and supported her in his arms when she fell to the ground. They got inside her house and sat on the couch.

"Did anything happen, dear? Why is my baby crying? " said Mrs. Bowman, sitting on the kitchen table.

"Mom, something bad happened and I'm pretty scared. I don't know what happened. But I need to talk to you both later." Said Shana trying to stop sobbing.

Mrs. Bowman went to comfort Shana and gave her a warm cup of coffee, then she asked " Did you eat? "

"Yes." Replied Shana.

" Okay. Then go to sleep now, and when you wake up, you can come to the living room to talk to us". Shana nodded in response.

When she lay in bed she thought about what happened. She thought that maybe she was overreacting but if she was, that was understandable.

And she knew very well that once she goes downstairs and tells them about what happened, they will surely think it was just a dream. So that's why she decided not to say anything but she felt that someone has been following her and it wasn't a stranger. Shana is scared.

But Shana decided to think more tomorrow. For now, she needs some rest.

**************

Shana woke up early. The sun rays were shining brightly outside. Shana was confused and wondered why she is waking up so early when she remembered the events of yesterday.

A group of men followed her. She knew she had to tell her mom and dad about it right away. She rushes downstairs and finds both her parents having breakfast with Halsey. She was confused why Halsey could be at her house this morning.

"What are you doing here this morning?" Shana asked Halsey in confusion.

"Your parents called me here to discuss something important"

"No, I don't want to get married" Halsey laughed at Shana's answer.

"Who wants to marry you?" Shana just frowned at the reciprocity from Halsey.

"Shana, sit here. Dad wants to say something" Ward said seriously. Shana walked towards the dining table with a pounding heart.

Both of her parents looked serious while drinking their coffee. She sat at the opposite side of her parents' table. She was still very tired and couldn't wait for a good nap.

After her parents drank their tea, they cleared their throats and began to speak.

"Shana...we need to tell you something important today..." Said Ward solemnly.

Shana was frightened hearing their words. This can only mean trouble.

"Shana, we had assigned Halsey as your bodyguard starting today," said Ward. Shana who was drinking her warm tea had accidentally sprayed back the tea she was drinking. Shana did not expect her parents to take such drastic action.

"We know what happened to you yesterday. Halsey has told us everything." explained his father again.

"But dad, isn't it too outrageous for a makeup artist to have her bodyguard?" Shana asked in protest.

"Not for a businessman's daughter who is feared by people. If you feel that's ridiculous you can stop being a makeup artist and take your father's place in the company."

"Yes. It's time for you to get involved in your father's business" Conny, Shana's mother looked at her daughter gently hoping her daughter understood.

"Ok, dad" Shana replied resignedly.

"But, does Halsey agree with all this?" she continued

"Of course. Dad had asked Halsey first. Dad knew only Halsey could dad and mom trust to take care of you." Shana's mother just nodded choosing to remain silent.

"Why does it have to be me that Halsey has to protect?" asked Shana.

"This is how things are done around here, my dear child. We cannot afford to lose our daughter, not when we're this close to victory against the other companies' leaders." Said Ward calmly.

"And, Halsey is willing to keep you safe even if it means becoming your bodyguard." Continued with her father with a small smile on his face.

**********

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Halsey.

" Yeah" answered Shana nodding while wiping her tears off.

" I can feel that something is wrong. Is everything ok, Halsey?" asked Shana.

"Shana, I am so sorry. Your father insisted on having one of his bodyguards watch over you. I don't want that to happen. I know you're uncomfortable when someone is watching you. I had to offer myself" Halsey said looking deeply into Shana's eyes.

"That's not necessary Halsey. You shouldn't have agreed on it. You've done enough already." Shana replied with concern on her face.

The conversation ended shortly afterward. Halsey didn't respond after that and was lost in thoughts. Halsey knew nothing else that could make him happier than taking care of Shana and making sure no harm ever comes to her. He knew that he loved Shana since long ago and now, she needed protection more than ever before. Halsey had been wanting to ask her,

"Do you love me, Shana?" and he wanted to hear her reply, but now was not the time. He decided to stay quiet because he knew that she needed her time to digest the news she had just received. She might have rejected him and he wasn't ready to accept that yet.

He couldn't hold himself from worrying and wondering what happened to Shana that was so horrible to leave her in that state.