CHAPTER 1

I ignored every man who tried to catch my attention. Tonight, I wanted only one thing—to drink until the pain inside me finally disappeared.

“Life's already punishing me. If I end up dying tonight, at least let me enjoy myself first.” I raised my hand toward the bartender. “Hey, bartender! Give me another drink. Make it strong—the kind that makes me forget everything.”

The bartender chuckled as he looked at me. “You're already drunk, ma'am. I don't think you'll even be able to walk home.”

I shot him an annoyed look. “I'm not going home. Just give me another drink.”

He scratched the back of his neck, probably realizing that arguing with me would be a waste of time. Without another word, he poured me another glass.

I swallowed the drink, barely bothering to savor its bitter taste. I wanted the alcohol to burn its way down my throat until I could no longer feel anything—not the pain, not the anger, and certainly not the memories I was desperately trying to escape.

A few minutes later, the room began spinning around me. The lights above the bar blurred into colorful streaks, and the voices of the people around me became nothing but an irritating buzz.

Damn it. Maybe I had drunk too much.

I pushed myself up from my seat, but my knees nearly gave out. I grabbed the nearest bar stool before I could hit the floor.

“I'm okay,” I muttered when the bartender hurried over to help me. “Just a little dizzy.”

“A little dizzy? Ma'am, you're practically swaying while standing still.”

“Then stop looking at me and let me leave.”

Despite barely being able to keep my balance, I refused to stay another minute in that place. I had already embarrassed myself enough for one night.

I staggered toward the exit, determined to get out before the bartender decided to call someone to take me home. Unfortunately, I didn't even make it halfway before two men stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Miss, let us take you wherever you want to go,” one of them offered.

I narrowed my eyes at them. Even through my drunken haze, something about their smiles made my skin crawl.

“What? Do I look stupid?” I snapped. “Just by looking at your faces, I can already tell you're up to no good.”

The man with a nose ring burst into laughter.

“Playing hard to get, huh? Come on. We're fun to be with. We'll give you a ride straight to heaven.”

“Keep your heaven to yourself.”

The stocky man reached for my arm, but I immediately pulled away and slapped him across the face.

“Don't even think about it! I may be drunk, but I'm still in my right mind. Now move—”

I barely had time to finish before the man with the nose ring grabbed my arm.

“ You bitch! Get over here!”

“Let go of me!”

I twisted my arm, trying to break free, but his grip only tightened. I kicked at his leg and struggled with everything I had, refusing to let these bastards drag me wherever they wanted.

Unfortunately, being drunk had made me weaker than I realized.

The two men dragged me outside the bar while I continued fighting them. My heels scraped against the pavement, and the cold night air hit my face as they hauled me toward a black van parked nearby.

My stomach dropped.

Oh, hell no.

They were going to kidnap me.

“Help! Somebody help me!” I screamed, struggling to pull away. “Let go, you bastards!”

The man holding my arm cursed under his breath, while his companion yanked open the van's sliding door.

I was about to kick one of them again when a deep, commanding voice suddenly echoed behind us.

“What's going on here?”

The two men froze.

I turned my head toward the unfamiliar voice, struggling to focus through my blurred vision. A man stood several feet away, his presence alone enough to make the two men who had been manhandling me look as though they had just been caught committing a terrible crime.

“Uh... no-nothing, Boss,” one of them stammered. “She's just being stubborn. We were only trying to take her home. Right, Tianggo?”

“H-Huh? Yeah... that's right, Boss.”

Take me home?

I almost laughed at the sheer audacity of these idiots. They had practically dragged me into a van, and now they were pretending to be good Samaritans.

The man holding me loosened his grip for a moment before attempting to shove me inside the vehicle.

That was the last straw.

Without thinking twice, I leaned forward and bit his ear as hard as I could.

“Damn it!” he screamed, shoving me away.

“You jerk!” I shouted, nearly stumbling backward. “Since when did I become your sister? You were trying to kidnap me!”

I expected the newcomer to laugh or, at the very least, look annoyed by the commotion. Instead, when I glanced in his direction, I caught a glimpse of his cold expression.

There was something frightening about the way he looked at the two men. His face remained composed, but the anger in his eyes was unmistakable.

He lifted one hand and made a simple gesture toward one of the men standing behind him.

That was all it took.

The man immediately stepped forward and grabbed the two troublemakers. Within seconds, both were forced to their knees as fists and kicks rained down on them.

My mouth fell open.

What the hell was happening?

One moment, I was fighting off two perverts. The next, I was watching them get beaten by a group of men who seemed to obey the stranger without question.

“I've warned you before,” the stranger said, his voice cold and unwavering.

He slowly slipped on a pair of black leather gloves as if he had all the time in the world.

“I don't tolerate troublemakers.”

“Bo-Boss... please believe us!” one of the men begged, his voice trembling. “We're telling the truth!”

“I'm not blind.”

The stranger's calm response sent an unexpected chill down my spine.

Then he reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun.

My entire body went rigid.

No.

Surely, he wasn't going to—

BANG! BANG!

The gunshots shattered the night.

I flinched so violently that my hands flew over my ears. For a moment, I couldn't hear anything except the ringing inside my head.

When I finally lowered my hands, the two men were lying motionless on the ground.

Blood stained the pavement beneath them.

My stomach twisted.

They were dead.

Those two men who had been dragging me into their van only moments ago were now lifeless bodies at my feet.

And the man who had killed them?

He stood there as though nothing extraordinary had happened.

“W-What...” My voice came out barely above a whisper. I stared at him in disbelief, my hands trembling. “What did you do?”

His cold gaze settled on me.

“I got rid of them,” he answered emotionlessly. “No one else will make the same mistake.”

I swallowed hard, but my throat had gone painfully dry.

Was he insane?

Who the hell carried a gun and shot people without even blinking? Worse, why did he look so calm after taking two lives?

The alcohol that had clouded my mind seemed to disappear all at once. I could feel every beat of my heart, each one pounding harder than the last.

For the first time that night, I truly looked at the man standing before me.

He was tall and well-built, dressed entirely in black. His broad shoulders and commanding presence made him look intimidating even without the gun in his hand. His face was unreadable, and there wasn't a trace of panic or remorse in his expression.

He looked like a man who was accustomed to death.

And somehow, that frightened me more than the gunshots.

He took a step closer.

I instinctively stepped back.

“Wanna come with me?” he asked.

I blinked at him.

Was he serious?

He had just shot two men in front of me, and now he was casually inviting me to go with him?

“This place is crawling with dangerous people, Miss,” he added, his deep voice as calm as ever.

I glanced at the two bodies on the ground before looking back at him.

Dangerous people?

I almost wanted to ask if he was including himself in that statement.

After all, I had no idea who he was, where he came from, or why the men who had attacked me seemed so terrified of him. All I knew was that he had a gun, a group of men who followed his every command, and absolutely no hesitation when it came to killing.

Every sensible part of me screamed that I should run.

But run where?

I was drunk, my legs were barely cooperating, and the night was filled with strangers whose intentions I couldn't trust. The two men who had tried to abduct me were dead, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there were others like them lurking somewhere nearby.

I looked at the stranger again.

He extended his hand toward me, waiting.

I hesitated before slowly nodding.

“Fine,” I whispered.

I didn't know if I had just made the right decision or the biggest mistake of my life. Perhaps tomorrow, when the alcohol had completely left my system, I would regret trusting a man who had just killed two people right in front of me.

But tonight, I had nowhere else to go.

And somehow, despite witnessing him pull the trigger without hesitation, I felt safer standing beside him than being left alone in the darkness.

That thought terrified me almost as much as the dead bodies behind us.

Because I had a feeling that the man who had just saved me might be far more dangerous than the men he had killed.