Chapter 2

Yet, even greater heartbreak awaited her. Later that morning, she was awakened by a relentless series of phone calls from her friends. She finally slid the screen to answer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hello...?"

"Elena. Is Bruno with you? Oh my god, have you heard? The acoustic track he composed, 'The Ordinary Road,' is an incredible masterpiece. And can you believe Leo—the superstar singer—is the one performing it?" her friend gushed with wild excitement.

Elena frowned in confusion. The title sounded eerily familiar; she distinctly recalled writing a song by that exact name a while back under Bruno's guidance.

Losing interest in her friend's enthusiastic chatter, Elena abruptly hung up and immediately searched the song online. Sure enough, 'The Ordinary Road' shared the same melody and lyrics as the piece she had composed—yet Bruno had claimed full ownership of the work.

How could everything go so horribly wrong?

Anxious to demand an explanation, she grabbed her phone to call Bruno, only to discover that he had blocked her across all her social media accounts and contact channels.

At that moment, the harsh truth finally hit her. She had merely been a stepping stone on Bruno's rise to fame—and now that she was no longer useful, he had tossed her aside like trash. Devastated by this cruel reality, Elena completely broke down.

After spending half the day moping in her dark motel room, a realization sparked within her: she couldn't allow herself to sink any deeper. Sitting around wallowing in misery wouldn't change anything; she needed an outlet to release her pain.

Driven by this urge, Elena dressed up in a daring, revealing outfit and caught a cab to a local bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol.

Her short skirt accentuated her long, straight, and slender legs, while her cropped, tight-fitting top hugged her curves effortlessly, showcasing her stunning figure. With her delicate porcelain skin, striking facial features, thick fluttering eyelashes, and deep brown eyes framed by soft golden curls, she radiated an irresistible allure as she sat alone at the counter, sipping her drink.

The patrons in the bar were mesmerized by her breathtaking appearance—a rare sight in a place like this. Several men eagerly approached to hit on her, but she turned them all down one after another.

Preoccupied with drinking, Elena failed to notice the subtle danger lurking around her. The men she had rejected were merely testing the waters.

The real threat came from a group of men watching her from a table nearby. They had been eyeing her captivating body for quite some time, and their intentions were far from noble. After exchanging knowing glances, one of the men casually slipped something out of his pocket and strolled over to the counter.

"Are you drinking alone? This is a special mix—care to try it?" he asked with a polished, gentlemanly charm, offering her a glass.

Lacking suspicion and out of practice with bar culture, Elena didn't think twice. The man appeared far more refined than the aggressive crowd she had just turned away. Trusting his polite demeanor, she took the glass and emptied it in one gulp.

Meanwhile, across the room, Adrián was in a foul mood. It was the birthday of his late first love, Kayla.

Knowing he would be grieving on this day, Adrián's close friends had hatched a plan: they hired an escort girl for him and fabricated a story about getting into a bar fight, tricking him into coming down to clear up the mess.

When Adrián arrived at the venue, his friends were nowhere in sight. A quick phone call revealed their true setup. Exasperated by their foolish stunt, Adrián turned on his heel, ready to leave.

However, as he glanced back toward the bar, his eyes landed on a stunning woman with soft curly hair and a breathtaking figure, drinking alone with her back turned to him. Standing around her were several men—and Adrián caught the subtle movement of one of them slipping a substance into her glass.

Adrián was on the verge of intervening, but the woman seemed comfortable around them. She drained the drink without hesitation, and the guy next to her wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a familiar gesture.

Assuming they were acquaintances and he had misread the situation, Adrián shook his head and made his way toward the exit.

Meanwhile, intoxication was rapidly setting in for Elena. The man at her side pulled her closer, leaning in to whisper, "Where are you staying? Let me give you a ride home."

Feeling his hand creeping over her, Elena bristled. She was drunk, but her survival instincts were fully intact. Swatting his hand away, she stood up, grabbed her purse, and stumbled out into the night. Not about to let their prey walk away so easily, the men exchanged glances and hurried after her.

Stepping outside, Elena spotted a parked sedan. Mistaking it for the ride-share she had requested earlier, she yanked the door open and climbed into the back without a second thought.

The vehicle pulled away immediately. Having been bribed beforehand by Adrián’s close friend, the driver assumed she was the escort they had hired and drove off without asking any questions.

Behind them, the group of men stood on the curb, utterly baffled. Cursing their stroke of bad luck, they stomped their feet in frustration as their opportunity vanished into thin air.

As the car accelerated, Adrián turned to inspect the intoxicated passenger beside him. It was the same woman from the bar counter.

Despite being surrounded by admirers earlier, she was now completely alone and helpless in her drunken state.

Disgusted by the situation, Adrián considered forcing her out, but she was far too intoxicated to cooperate. "It's so burning hot..." she whimpered, squirming against him while attempting to shed her clothes. Her scantily clad outfit did little to hide her fair, swaying chest right in front of his eyes.

Utterly exasperated, Adrián lowered his voice to a stern, authoritative tone. "Listen to me: you are not my type. Stop touching me and sit still."

Unfazed by his warning, the woman simply reached out and began running her hands over him upon hearing his voice.