Chapter 7

Justin stared at Jesse's face in the strip club parking lot, contemplating for a while before he said, "Do you remember the pretty lady we saw earlier when we were leaving the estate today?"

Jesse smiled and replied, "Yes, you mean the young lady who ran away from you when you tried to approach her?"

Justin glared at Jesse, but Jesse laughed and apologized, "Forgive me, boss."

Justin yelled, "Justin! How many times do I have to remind you to stop calling me boss?"

Justin never liked it when Jesse tried to maintain a master-to-servant relationship between them.

Jesse apologized, "I'm sorry, Justin, but you know how your father would react if he found out I'm being friends with you and calling you by your name."

Justin replied, "I know, and that's why I want you to call me by my name, especially when we’re not at home and in public places like this. It helps to reduce the gaze of others on me."

Jesse agreed, "Okay, Justin."

Justin sighed in frustration and said, "I just really liked that young lady. I've seen her around, but I don’t know how I’ll approach her again."

Jesse replied, "I think you need to man up and approach her nicely. Most young ladies like her would think you only want to sleep with them and then dump them, especially since she looks so innocent."

Justin agreed, "Hmm, but she doesn't even want to hear me out. This is the fourteenth time I've seen her pass by and tried to approach her for the first time."

Justin was standing beside his car, and Jesse's eyes widened in shock at hearing Justin mention "fourteen times."

Justin didn’t care that night had fallen and that his mother was calling his phone, but he refused to pick up.

Jesse asked, "Fourteen times? Wow, Justin! I'm only just seeing her for the first time today."

Justin replied, "Yes, that's because you can’t see how beautiful and naturally captivating she is. You’ve been too focused on the road—leave her for me to admire."

Jesse smiled at Justin’s words and asked, "Can we go back home now, Justin? It's already getting late—after 10 PM."

Jesse stared at the other cars driving into the strip club parking lot; he wasn’t just hired as a driver for Justin; he was also a trained bodyguard and fighter, ready to defend Justin if anyone dared to cross boundaries or harass him.

Justin sighed and replied, "Fine, it's okay."

Justin frowned, knowing he had no choice but to follow Jesse home. It was already late, so he got into the passenger seat while Jesse took the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove out of the strip club parking lot.

****

Arriving at the estate gate, the red car drove into the estate road, which was slightly dark, illuminated only by the bright streetlights along the way.

The estate security staff welcomed Justin after checking the car and allowed Jesse to drive into the estate, fully aware that Justin's father owned the estate.

They still had to do their job for security purposes by searching Justin's vehicle.

Justin kept his eyes on the road, glancing out through the slightly opened window beside him to admire the beautiful street that led down to his father’s grand mansion.

Just then, a pretty young lady in a light blue gown rushed toward his car as if she were being chased. She ran to the side of his car and screamed, "Excuse me, sir! Please wait!!"

Olivia's voice cracked, startling Justin, who quickly sat up properly and stared back at her as Jesse drove the car past her.

The surroundings had turned dark with only the streetlights casting dim light into the beautiful, deserted street.

Justin couldn’t see the lady’s face, and Jesse cursed aloud, "Shit! Who was that idiot?"

Jesse immediately maneuvered the steering wheel to drive past Olivia, not wanting to stop the car, unsure if she was a setup intended to make them stop and expose them to attackers.

Jesse tried to accelerate to drive off completely, but Justin's voice stopped him. "Stop the car!"

Jesse was taken aback by Justin’s outburst, slowing down the car ahead and looking back at his young boss.

Before Jesse could ask, "Justin, do you really want me to stop the car here? We can’t trust that lady. What if she’s a witch or—"

Justin had already pushed the passenger door open and stepped out of the car, rushing to meet the young lady.

Jesse gasped, "Boss!"

Justin ran ahead, prompting Jesse to curse again. "Shit! Who the hell was that lady?"

Jesse drove the car backward to stay close to Justin instead of parking it ahead. He followed Justin down as he hurried to meet the young lady in her light blue dress.

--

Olivia saw the red car that had sped past her stop ahead and felt hopeful that the owner had heard her voice.

She was hopeful that the car owner would help her reach the estate gate in time to meet the security staff since it was late.

But she recognized the familiar figure approaching her— it was the same young man who had tried to stop her during the day.

Feeling panic, Olivia took to her heels and ran away as she saw Justin approaching her.

Justin shouted, "Wait! Where are you running to again?"

Olivia didn’t stop; she had seen how Justin's dark eyes shamelessly raked over her body—from her chest down to her waist. The way he had smiled at her earlier was filled with clear desire.

She knew what he wanted and believed he was worse than the two other men who had tried to stop her earlier, especially since she hadn't seen them again.

Determined to get to the estate gate by herself, Olivia ran faster, but she stumbled and fell to the ground, allowing Justin to finally catch up to her as he approached her, breathing heavily while looking down at her lying on the sandy floor.

He said, "Wow, that was an intense warm-up exercise tonight, miss."

Olivia was breathing heavily, staring up at Justin's dark, handsome face as he bent down, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

Despite it being nighttime, Justin looked effortlessly neat in his red shirt and suit trousers, his short black hair perfectly styled, drawing attention to his striking features.

Justin was still trying to catch his breath when he asked her, "What are you doing out here by the roadside at this late hour of the night?"

Justin's gaze fell on Olivia's face, who lay vulnerable and helpless on the ground.

She had run away from him earlier, and now she had ended up lying on the floor in her almost transparent nightwear.

Olivia begged, shivering, "Please... stay away from me."

Afraid he might hurt her, Justin replied, "I won't hurt you, okay? Come with me. It’s too late to be out here alone."

Justin extended his right hand to Olivia to help her stand up from the floor. Scared, she hesitated but ultimately accepted his hand, standing up from the sandy ground.

The moment Justin touched her left hand, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him as he helped her stand, holding her hand close in case she tried to run away again.

Olivia was breathing heavily, her heart racing as Justin’s eyes seemed to undress her. Jesse had finally approached them with his car.

Justin’s fists clenched at the sight of Olivia’s pained expression. He asked sternly, "What happened to you?"

Justin couldn't believe his eyes—Olivia's face was red and swollen, a stark contrast to the smooth and delicate complexion he remembered. 

It looked as if she had been beaten or abused.

"What happened? Who slapped you? Tell me," Justin demanded.

He felt an intense urge for revenge on Olivia's behalf as she finally broke down in tears in his hold.