Chapter 1

CASSANDRA'S POV~

The hospital hallway was silent, extremely creepy enough to make me sprint for the exit. I was already exhausted, and the last thing I needed was to deal with one more patient.

But then I heard it—a moan. Not the romantic kind, the kind that makes you jump out of your skin and reach for the nearest weapon. And just like that, my nurse instinct kicked in.

Extremely curious, I followed where the sound must have emenated from, only for my heartbeat to slow on seeing a huge man leaning on the wall, his head bent, body shaking, hand clutched tightly on his arms.

The moment he raised his head, I could see his dark, unkempt hair, glistening with perspiration. His angular, chiseled features were contorted into a grimace of pain, and his pale, sweaty skin only accentuated his cheekbones and sharp jawline.

Despite the pain and blood, his face oozed danger, like a tiger wounded in the jungle. His expression was guarded, a silent warning that promised consequences if provoked.

This man was beautiful and yet deadly, a lethal combination that left me breathless.

...Yet, the most striking feature of all was his piercing eyes. They were dark and intense, like the depths of the ocean, yet full of hidden emotion.

Instantly, I knew I had gotten myself into trouble. I didn't even need any soothsayer to tell me.

I swallowed hard and the moment I took a step back to flee this scene, to act like I hadn't seen him, he moved and my eyes widened as he pulled a huge bundle of money from his pocket, his bleeding hand outstretched to me, pleading, "Please... Help me." His voice was croaked and deep, sending shivers down my spine.

Without thinking twice, I raced toward him, seeing him in so much pain and bleeding out, dropped to my knees as I saw him slump to the ground, and I ripped open my first aid kit.

"Shit! You're bleeding." My hands trembled as I tried to curb the overflowing blood from the bullet hole in his chest. "Stay with me please. I'll help you.”

As I frantically tried to save this stranger, I couldn’t help but notice his intense gaze on me. His stare was so intense it was making it difficult for me to breathe, let alone think. The situation was tense and awkward, and I found myself wondering why he wouldn’t look away.

Was he dying, or was he trying to make sure he remembered my face in case this was the last thing he saw? Either way, the intensity of his gaze made my skin tingle, and I felt something inside me begin to stir.

Was it pity? Fear of him dying in my arms in this lonely hall?

Gripping the forceps tightly, I carefully guided them into the bloody hole in the stranger’s chest and slowly pulled, watching him grunt and twitch in pain. A wave of pity washed over me as I saw the bloody bullet and threw it into the cotton wool, turning back to see him exhale a sigh, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.

“This was a dangerous one,” I whispered as I began wiping away the blood trickling down his chest, his breathing heavy. When he didn’t respond, I cleared my throat and checked his temperature, my worry evident on my face.

“I heard that there was a mafia shootout that broke out nearby. Are you hunted by them? The Mafia boss or something? Don't be scared, I could get some help for you.” My features tightened into a worried expression, and for a moment I thought I saw his lips twitch in amusement. Perhaps my mind was playing a trick on me.

He remained silent, jaw clenched as I sewed up the wound, applying ointments and trying to clean it, my hands working faster than ever.

I wondered what type of man this was. He had a high tolerance to pain. I was baffled beyond words but chose to keep it to myself.

“I'm so sorry that you had to encounter that. You see I work here and you can clearly see my uniform– a nurse. Don't be scared to speak up. I know the Mafia boss is a terrible animal, a monster, one who deserves to rut in the hottest part of hell.” I babbled, shaking my head as I saw him raise his eyebrows at me, his look of incredulity making me frown.

It was clear that he wasn’t taking sides with me, and I suddenly felt silly for talking so much, my babbling exposing my nervousness and fear of the mob men. I mean who wouldn't be scared of those monsters?

“Sorry, I’m just nervous. I've heard mob bosses killed without any human conscience in them. They do not have any concern for the young and old. How pathetic.” I murmured.

I stuffed the first aid equipment back into the kit and helped the stranger sit up and lean on the wall, keeping a close eye on him. The bandage was starting to soak through with blood and it was obvious he needed a doctor, but before I could suggest anything, he spoke up.

“It's okay to be nervous...” His voice was deep and commanding, but also strangely soothing.

“Are you afraid of this mafia boss that you claim to have heard him killing a lot of people?” he asked, tilting his head like a robot, his hawk-like eyes never leaving mine.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not saying I’m scared of him, but I do believe that all criminals should meet their bad end, and I stand for justice, that's all.” As I stood and leaned against the wall, I noticed my alarm was beeping and it was already past 3am.

“How are you doing now?” I asked the stranger, but before he could answer, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. My body went rigid as I saw several armed men, all dressed in rugged clothes, some of them pierced, approaching us. My heart sank into my stomach as I quickly moved to shield the wounded stranger.

The first man stepped forward and raised his eyebrows. “What do you want?!” I growled, despite the alarm bells ringing in my head.

A look of utter disbelief crossed his face, as if I had grown several horns on my head. Perhaps I sounded extremely foolish because next he growled, scowling as he turned to look behind me, causing my cheeks to flush with confusion.

“Me? I’m here to see my boss.” He tipped his chin toward the direction of the stranger.

“What Boss? There's no boss of yours—” I started to protest, but the stranger suddenly groaned, standing up, his eyes now levelled on me, causing my heart to skip a beat. My words caught in my throat.

“Godfather Sir...” the man bowed deeply before raising his head. “I regret letting you know this but we couldn’t catch the traitor.” His shoulders slumped, and my blood ran cold as the realization of the situation dawned on me.

Ice water doused my entire body as warning bells sounded in my ears. Shit! I knew I shouldn’t have gasped or made my retreat known by taking quick steps back, but the shock was sudden and overwhelming. “You—”

My damn mind was beginning to shut down on its own. My voice trailed off, my mind reeling with disbelief.

As I turned to flee, a strong grip clamped around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks and my heart skipped a beat. Turning, I saw the strange man holding me tightly, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

I felt like someone had scooped out my heart and replaced it with lead weights. He pulled me closer to his chest, making me gasp loudly, my eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Then he leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

“Dear little scaredy nursey, you’ve gotten yourself involved with me, and you can’t leave so easily.”