Chapter 1

"Dad! I don't want to have a bodyguard! I'm already twenty-three and I don't want someone tailing me wherever I go," I shouted as I glanced at the men who didn't even bother to look at me.

Damn it! I'm already at the legal age yet he wants me to have bodyguards? What am I? a kid? That's a heckin 'no for me.

"Just understand me, Hadlee, you know I have a lot of competitors in the business industry and some of them want me dead for them to win, I'm just thinking about your safety" oh I see, here we are again, he and his beloved businesses.

"But dad-"

"Hadlee Quinn Gamboa !! Will you follow me or I'll take your beloved car, you know I don't bluff my princess" he is massaging the bridge of his nose, a sign that he's already pissed.

He's so manipulative, why can't I have my freedom in this house? Why does it feel like they're imprisoning me?

"Fine" I neglected and I walked my way out.

He always does that, blackmailing me whenever he wants me to do something. I still have somewhere to go tomorrow, I think I should just fool them.

The next morning

I woke up lazy today but I need to get up, I still have an appointment- or should I say a gimmick with my friends, it's already 10 am and we're going to a party at 7 pm so I need to escape my bodyguards. It's just a piece of cake for me.

After taking a bath I called Lizzy and good thing she picked it up right away.

I told her what my problem is the moment she picked it up. "Lizz I need your help" 

"Let me guess, it's about your dad wanting you to have a bodyguard, isn't it?" 

"How did you know?" My eyebrows furrowed with her response.

"Duh ... Can't you remember that you kept on ranting about that for a week now that my ears are already irritated with you" I can imagine her rolling her eyes on me because of the tone of his voice.

"Well, you're right! he blackmailed me that he will take my car so I have no choice but to say yes, you know him Liz" I just shrugged my shoulders and I heard her chuckled.

"But how about the party later?"

I groaned in frustration before a string her. "That's why I need your help. I'll run away from them and just change my clothes in your place" 

I'm not asking for her permission so she can't do anything about that.

"Okay but maybe you won't go home after this and your dad will surely ground you to death" I just rolled my eyes, he can't do that, I'm one hundred percent sure.

"Ground my a*s! That's fine, I know he can't afford to see me mad at him" I know my dad, he can never be mad at me that long that's why I'm this confident.

"Right! That's why you're fearless. I don't know why uncle didn't deport you until now" that's quite true.

"All right, I'll just eat my breakfast- I mean brunch, bye see you later" I didn't bother waiting for her to bid goodbye and ended the call immediately.

"Good morning! What's for breakfast today?" I asked our house helper and she answered me with a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, good morning Hadlee, I cooked some bacon, egg, hotdog, and fried rice, and prepared a sandwich for you, do you want anything else?" I just shook my head before.

"It's okay thank you"

I'm not rude when it comes to other people, especially her, I know whom I need to respect and who don't deserve any special treatment from me.

"Wait, I'll just prepare you some milk" I sat down and started eating while waiting for her to finish.

She almost raised me, so I respect her. Mom and dad are always out of town for business meetings and I'm thankful that I have her, she's like my second mother. I even treat her way better than how I treat my mom.

I just watched a movie to pass the time, I'm leaving at six pm and I don't have anything else to worry about.

After watching two movies, they called me for lunch then I came back to my room after that. See how boring my life here is? I might rot if I'll stay here the whole day.

I'm used to only having our housemates at lunch or dinner because I don't want to eat alone at a huge table. I'm also an only child and I admit that I'm kinda spoiled. They're even calling me brat behind my back but I don't mind them calling me names, that's true anyway.

It's five o'clock so I've prepared the things that I'll need. I was about to go out but dad saw me and blocked my way.

"Are you leaving? Where are you going again?" Well, that's new, usually, he doesn't care even if I leave, he would rather take phone calls than minding what I'm doing.

"At Lizzy's house" I know he will agree because he knows Lizzy and he trusts her.

"Okay, just bring your bodyguards with you" he emphasized the S! I just rolled my eyes in my mind, he might not allow me to go if he'll saw it.

"Okay, as if you'll let me go without them," I said with sarcasm in my voice but he just chuckled which made me annoyed.

"Good that you know"

"I'll go ahead, I'll bring my car with me, bye" I kissed his cheek and bid goodbye before stepping out of our house.

"Bye take care" I went out and dad's men followed.

My bodyguard is driving the car and another car is tailing us, Damn! Two of them would be enough for me, but dad is always overreacting.

I won't let them go with me inside Lizzy's house because how can I run away if they will enter? And besides, Lizzy has all the right if she'll let them enter or not because it's trespassing.

"You can stay here, no one will try to harm me inside, right? I'm not going anywhere, okay"

It looks like they believed me because they nodded, gosh I almost got caught, it's good that they're easy to fool. I laughed in my mind, it's going according to my plan.

I rang the doorbell and Lizzy opened it for me, she then laughed after closing the door.

"Why are there so many of them?" She asked and I just shrugged.

"I have no idea either, by the way, where can we go through to escape?" I change the topic.

"At the backdoor, we will pass the path behind our house quietly, and then there's a road at the end of the way. It's a bit far from this house so they won't notice us, and my car is already parked there. But before that, let's fix ourselves first"

She planned this already, didn't she?

"Woah! you're not desperate to go out, are you?" I clapped my hands, well, she's not my best friend for nothing.

"Of course! By the way, is Hannah coming?" I asked. Hannah is our friend who's always on the go so it will be a miracle if she wouldn't come with us.

"Knowing her"

"Ok, we should get ready then, we need to move faster, they might notice that I'm gone and we're doomed"

I just borrowed make-up from her, I forgot to bring it as soon as possible. I don't want to fix myself at home because they might notice that I'm wearing unusual cloth. 

I'm wearing a black tank top, skinny jeans, and a pair of black 2 inches sandals.

After tidying up, we left using their backdoor, and true to her words, there is a path here and her car is already parked at the end of that.

"Call Hannah" Lizzy ordered me because she's the one driving and she can't call so I willingly obeyed her.

I called Hannah and she picked it up immediately.

"Hello, where the hell are you? I'm already here" his mad voice served as a greeting for me.

"We're on our way, I even ran away from my bodyguards!"

"I thought you still don't have one? How did your dad manage to convince you?" I told her every single detail of it and she just laughed at my misery, what a good friend she is.

"Yeah right, we're already here by the way, where are you?" I roamed my eyes around the place, trying to find where she is.

"I'm at the bar counter"

"Okay, got it"

I hung up the phone and turned it off because dad might call or track me down. We had already seen Hannah drinking and happily chatting with the bartender.

"Hi, guys, what do you want to drink?" She asked as soon as we got there.

"Margarita"

"Tequila" Lizzy and I answered at the same time.

"You heard them," Hannah said to the guy.

We just keep on drinking until we get wasted, it's already midnight so I know people here are already wild.

We decided to dance and a guy approached me right away.

"Hi, are you alone miss?" He asked while staring at my almost exposed chest.

"Nope, I'm with them-" wait where are they? I looked around and saw them dancing with someone.

"Nevermind" The man still didn't leave but I just ignored him and danced.

"By the way I'm Drake, and you are?" He tries starting a conversation with me but I just kept on 

"None of your business" Can't he see that I don't care about him? Is he dumb or something?

"Ok nice meeting you miss none of your business, " he said mocking me that made my blood boil.

I already know what he wants, he wants someone to f*ck, and that someone is me, well ... He chose the wrong woman.

"You know what, I'll go straight to the point. If you're finding someone to f*ok well sorry to say but you can't have me" I looked straight into his eyes to make him know that I'm not interested in him

“Woah Woah, hahaha I just want to know you, that’s all." He then raised both of his hands like he's surrendering himself to a cop.

"Well, I don't want to know you" then I walked out, I just went to the bar counter because I want to drink some more.

"Give me a hard drink" he followed.

I drank it and it drew in my throat but I was still not satisfied, I’m a hard drinker so I’m fine drinking here alone because I don’t get drunk that easily.

"One more"

"One more" and I can't count how much I drank, my eyesight is also spinning, I have a high tolerance for alcohol but I just don't feel drunk bro I feel high, I looked at the man.

"Did you put anything here?" I asked the bartender but he just shook his head.

"No miss" Wait why do I seem to see him smirk? or it's just my imagination? I just shrugged it off. Well, never mind, maybe I'm just too drunk that's why I imagine things.

Eventually, I felt like throwing up so I ran towards the bathroom.

Then I came out to looked for Lizzy, gosh! I want to go home already. I went to Lizzy who is now doing a sexy dance with a man. Gosh, she's so wild right now.

"Lizz, let's go home, I'm already drunk" I greeted her but she kept on dancing, and instead of giving her attention to me, she just gave me a sweet smile.

The guy smiled at me but I wasn't here for him.

"Just go ahead, I'm still enjoying the night" I looked at the man with her, the one Lizzy chose.

"Okay, I'll just take a taxi, bye, be careful with your partner, use protection okay?" She just laughed though I'm not even kidding.

"Why are you still here? I thought you'll go home already, bye, be careful" look at her, she wants me to go.

I can't walk properly anymore so I hope I can ride right away. And good thing there was a taxi that passed so I left right away.

I looked at the driver and I saw the bartender in the bar. I was surprised and started to observe my surroundings.

"Wait mister, we're going wrong the wrong way" the driver smirked instead of apologizing and I started to panic.

"No, let me go you jerks !!" I shouted on top of my lungs but they held me tightly.

"Don't be naughty, you won't like it the moment I lost my temper, young lady" I didn't listen and was still punching him.

"No, when dad finds out you will all pay!" I tried kicking all of them but I was so weak to win over them.

"If he finds out while you're still alive, but it depends on our boss on what will make him happy" they laughed with him so my head got even blazing.

"Please don't hurt me" he mocked which made me fought again.

"I said stay still!"

A tear escaped my eyes and the next thing I knew they made me smell something and everything went black.