2. THE WARM STRANGER 

~SCARLETT

"There she is!" One of the thugs announced and it was enough to break me out of the warm stranger's enchantment. 

I turned instantly to see that all four of them had caught up with me and they were each holding a weapon in hand; ranging from baseball bats to spiky rods. 

"I told you that you could not outrun us, didn't I?" The first man muttered and my heart sank. 

My body went colder than it already was and I was trembling all over. I was so close to peeing my pants when the warm stranger gently grabbed my wrist. 

"Are they troubling you?" He asked ever so calmly. He seemed totally unfazed by their presence and his odd calmness made a chill run down my spine. 

The leader of the thugs scoffed. "There's still enough time for you to walk away from this." 

"Did they hurt you?" The warm stranger asked me instead, blatantly ignoring them. I shook my head at him in response and he smiled. "Good, then I'm going to make sure it stays this way." 

I widened my eyes at him. "W— what are you going to do?" 

The leader of the thugs chuckled. "I see, you want to play the hero for the beautiful lady, isn't it? You'll regret it." 

"We'll see," the warm stranger replied confidently. 

And in an instant, the men charged at him. 

Yet right before my eyes, I saw him move way too fast as he stopped the bats coming at him with one thrust of his left hand. The sheer force from his arm sent his attackers flying across the alley.  

All I heard was the sickening sounds of bones breaking as they hit the walls of the buildings standing beside us. 

"He's a monster! Run!" One of the men yelled and they began to flee from the scene. 

They limped and jumped away from the stranger; despite the pain that they were visibly going through. 

The warm stranger only shook his head in disapproval before turning to face me with a smile. Then he slowly began to walk to me. 

He barely made it two steps away when the leader of the thugs appeared out of the blue and bashed the stranger's head with his spiky rod. 

"Mister!" I screamed in horror when I saw blood begin to gush down his head. 

The stranger turned instantly and retaliated by sending him one hard blow across the face. He was knocked off his feet within seconds and he started bleeding through his nose. 

I believed that the stranger had broken his nose. 

The leader ran off the moment he got the chance and my savior sighed as he lost his balance and went down on his knees. 

"Mister!" I cried again as I ran to him. 

"Not Mister," He softly said. "Viktor. . ." 

I blinked in horror as I saw the ugly wound on his perfect head of hair. 

"I need to stop the bleeding, Viktor," I muttered, using his name for the first time and it tasted right. 

I looked down at my dark dress and ripped the hem apart without a second thought. Then I wrapped it around his head as professionally as I could— even if I had no idea what I was doing. 

Viktor only watched me the entire time as I panicked. He was just too calm even if he was beginning to lose consciousness. 

"What's your name?" He managed to ask in a weaker voice. 

"S— Scarlett Vaughn," I muttered and his body went limp. "Shit!" 

I took out my phone and texted the emergency line allocated to every person in this city. I sent my location through the map and the cause of injury. 

Within a few seconds, my request for an ambulance was approved. All I had to do was wait for them to arrive. 

After ten minutes, I heard the sirens of an ambulance and relief washed over me. 

Finally, Viktor will be saved. 

It was not long before the van came into view  and they parked in front of me. Two male nurses came out with a wheeled stretcher and they lifted Viktor gently before placing him in it. They wheeled him to the back of the van and safely mounted him into the ambulance. 

They put him under an oxygen mask immediately and they began to give him first aid treatment. 

"Are you coming?" One of the nurses asked. 

I was about to nod in agreement when my phone buzzed and I looked down to see that it was a message from my mother. 

‘Come back immediately, insolent child! We have guests and they must see you!’

I flinched as I could almost hear her barking the words at me. And my mind became torn into two. 

As much as I wanted to thank Viktor, I could not risk angering my mother. She had the final say. 

"I'm not. Take care of him," I muttered and staggered back a few steps. 

The nurse nodded and shut the door. I helplessly watched them leave before turning to find my way back home. 

The shoe bag was still with me and I was glad I did not lose it while trying to escape from those thugs. I held it tight and broke into a run so I won't be late. 

Darkness had completely descended upon the world by the time I made it back to the mansion. The moment I entered the house and took in the guests, I regretted not using the back door in. 

"Is that my bride? Maya?" A man asked and I figured he was Marco Bianchi. 

I swallowed hard at the fact that he called me Maya. This meant that my parents were trying to trick him into believing I was my little sister. 

I swallowed hard as I stood frozen on the spot, assessing Marco Bianchi. 

He was tall and terrifying at the same time. He was dressed in black and had small beady eyes that made every gaze he sent my way look predatory. 

"What happened to you? Why do you have blood stains on you and why is your dress ripped, dear?" Mother cried as she made her way down to me. Father remained where he stood, only watching without a word. 

I considered telling the truth but stopped as I thought of the repercussions that it could bring. 

"T— there was an injured puppy on my way here. I— I tried to help it," I muttered shakily. 

"Oh dear, you've always been an animal lover," she answered. "We need to get you cleaned up so that you properly meet your husband." 

I felt a hard knot form at the depth of my chest. I hated the title of having Marco as my husband. It made my skin crawl on itself, even if it was just in my head.

"There will be no need for that, bring her to me," Marco ordered. 

I noticed the way that Mother obediently did as he said. It was as if she feared him. 

This made me wonder who exactly this Marco was. Could the rumors be true? That he was a killer and had his roots deep in the mafia world?

We reached Marco and mother presented me before him. He smirked as he ran his eyes over me, almost undressing me with the way that he assessed me. 

For a moment, he felt no different from the thugs who had attacked me earlier. 

He suddenly grabbed my cheeks with his right hand and looked closely at my face. "She has good looks, which will be great for flaunting her in public." 

I gritted my teeth at his remarks but remained calm. Endurance was the only thing that could keep me going right now. 

His hands suddenly moved down to my chest and he cupped my breast. I gasped and flinched away from him.

"What are you doing?" I screamed. 

And before I could process my thoughts, a hard slap landed across my face and I lost my balance. 

Marco Bianchi had slapped me without a second thought and my mother did not so much as flinch. 

He squatted over my fallen form. "First rule of being my wife. You must never dare object to your husband. I own you. Your body belongs to me and I will do as I please to you. You have no say or right to do anything. You only exist to serve me!" 

I felt my heart sink at his words. 

"Are we understood?" 

I swallowed hard as tears began to form in my eyes. "Y— yes." 

"Good, I like an obedient and submissive wife." He rose to his feet and faced my parents. "The wedding will be held tomorrow at the town's Cathedral. Be there by 10am." 

With that, he waltzed out of the house along with his men and the tears I had been fighting so hard to swallow down came rushing out of me like a broken dam. 

"You better do as he says, Scarlett. You must always listen to your husband, even if it comes at your own peril," Mother whispered as she began to walk away. "Oh and before I forget, under no circumstances must he realise that you are not Maya Vaughn. From today onward, Scarlett Vaughn is dead.”