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PROLOGUE and Chapter 1

At ten o'clock in the evening, Yza stepped out onto the balcony of the boarding house she was renting. She rested her arms on the wooden railings, feeling the wind play with her damp and very dark hair. She gazed at her surroundings because sleep eluded her, so she chose to stay outside and let the breeze calm her.

She glanced at her friend Tiffany, who was sound asleep, and envied her contentment. Yza, with only a year left in her studies, struggled through life. There were times when she thought that if she were just wealthy, her life wouldn't be this challenging.

She accepted all sorts of jobs just to support her education and help her grandmother, who was her only family in the world and getting older. Yza aspired to become an accountant, but she felt that her dream was slipping further away with just one year left, due to the hardships.

Her gaze wandered to a large apartment building across from where they lived. It was the opposite of their place, built from wood, while this one was made of concrete and impressively large. Rich people seemed to be the tenants, evident from the fancy cars parked there.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed someone in one of the units. She observed a man standing on a terrace. She stood upright, squinting to see him in the darkness, and all she could make out clearly was the glow of the cigarette he was smoking. At first, she hadn't noticed anyone because his room was so dim, as if he was conserving electricity.

Doesn't he have money? Yza wondered to herself, but she suddenly hugged herself as if she felt that he was looking at her.

Is he looking at me?

Fear and a shiver ran down her spine because he continued to puff on the cigarette, and the smoke she saw joined the wind.

The stranger's gaze was palpable, and they were directly facing each other until he moved closer to the terrace's railing, bathed in the moon's light.

She saw his eyes fixed on her, as if studying her intently.

Yza couldn't catch her breath.

Oh my! Is he Dracula?

She quickly turned and rushed inside. She glanced back at the man, and despite the fear and her pounding heart, the man's dark, intense gaze remained locked on her. She could barely make out the face of the stranger, and she had a foreboding feeling that he was a frightening person.

She shivered at the man.

Who is he?

Is he Dracula, like in the horror movies on TV?

She swallowed hard. What if he has fangs and bites me...

CHAPTER 1

Yza’s footsteps were heavy as she entered the De Lorenzo estate after getting out of the taxi. This was her second time entering the vast house and yard, where the only people around were the servants, bodyguards, and the one and only master of the place, Mister Adamson Rix de Lorenzo, whom she had never seen or even caught a glimpse of in the nearly three years her grandmother had been working there as the housekeeper. Her grandmother never allowed her to visit because her boss was said to be strict and didn’t like strangers around his house.

When Yza first came, her grandmother didn’t know, and her employer was away on a trip, so she never saw even a hint of him. She had been excited about his looks because the house helpers there said Señorito Adam was very handsome, though quiet and always serious—so his face was striking.

Now, her grandmother was sick, so she had to come.

She saw that the main door was closed, so she entered through the side near the dirty kitchen. As she turned a corner, she accidentally bumped into something.

“Ah!” she closed her eyes tightly when her body collided with the object, but when she opened her eyes, it wasn’t a wall.

It was a man!

Yza covered her mouth when she saw the man’s naked body, drenched in sweat but exuding a strong, alluring scent. Can someone really sweat perfume?

She involuntarily looked down and saw he was only wearing boxer shorts. His bulging manhood was fully exposed and seemed to be flaunting itself, as if daring anyone to look. What did the models of briefs and boxers in popular magazines say? Nothing.

Jesus! She bit her lip out of embarrassment. She had never seen a man nearly naked so close as this. And as to why she looked down—it caused her innocent eyes to look at something forbidden, making her blush deeply.

She looked up, almost fainting at the breathtaking sight of him, a perfect stranger before her eyes. His sharp green eyes were captivating. His nose was straight, and his lips looked like they were always ready to kiss or seduce. He had manly facial hair, giving him the appearance of a god from a typical TV series about mythology.

So handsome!

She wanted to think he was a driver, but no, he was too handsome to be one. Could this be Señorito Adam?

My God! He’s so incredibly handsome. No wonder the house helpers’ eyes sparkled with excitement when they first told her about him.

She blinked repeatedly, then took a small step back.

“S-Sorry.” Yza awkwardly bowed, knowing that what she was about to see in his eyes would surely be the bulge in his boxer shorts, so she focused directly on his eyes.

The corner of the man’s lips lifted ever so slightly, so lightly it wasn’t even noticeable, but with it came a mysterious and intense gaze that sent chills down her spine.

Yza’s eyes suddenly landed on a woman in a green dress he was with, who was standing by the wall, adjusting herself. She even saw that the woman was wearing panties, and her dress was pulled down to her waist. The woman’s chest was visible as she adjusted her bra, seemingly not caring about the world. There was money on top of a bag placed on a wooden stool—thousands of pesos.

Yza covered her chest in shock. What were these two doing in the dirty kitchen, and why did the woman look like that? Were they playing a game of peek-a-boo?

“Excuse m-me,” Yza stammered, unable to focus on the woman who seemed completely unconcerned even though her body was exposed. The woman was also sweating and wiped her legs with a tissue, as if something was dripping from her.

She shook her head to try and clear her mind but immediately became scared. The man was dangerous, and she was very sure of that.

She didn’t even look at the man’s face because of her nervousness and quickly turned around, walking quickly out of the dirty kitchen. The problem was, where could she go? Why were these two doing this outside? Who was that man with the green eyes? Suddenly, her heart pounded loudly, and without thinking, she glanced back at the man, who was still following her with his gaze. When he started walking toward her, she ran quickly toward the front of the house.

“Grandma!” she shouted, forgetting for a moment that her grandmother was sick and resting.

“Ate Isay! Sis Perla! Sis Cora!” she called out to the servants near the main door.

She feared the man might catch up to her and harm her. It felt terrifying. Was that what they called sex? What the two of them did? The woman was naked, and though she didn’t really know how it worked, based on the way the woman’s dress had ridden up and gathered at her waist, it seemed like they weren’t just playing around in the dirty kitchen.

She gasped when the man suddenly appeared at the small exit. He was smiling devilishly, and though his smile was faint, she could tell he was enjoying the fact that he had caught her in such a compromising situation.

He was incredibly handsome, but he looked like someone who was always ready to kill. His eyes seemed to hide many dark secrets and wickedness.

“You want to come inside, Yza?” he asked, his tone flirtatious.

His voice was commanding, full of authority.

How did this man know her name? She didn’t know him. They had never met, and she was sure of that, but somehow, he seemed to know her name.

She nodded slowly, and to her surprise, the door opened by itself as she reached it.

She hesitated to approach, but before she could step inside, the woman in the dress from earlier appeared in front of her.

“When will be the next, Adam honey?” the woman asked with a grin, walking sexily in high-heeled shoes.

Yza looked at the man, whose gaze was directly focused on the woman.

Oh my God! This was Señorito Adam. He was a playboy!

Without realizing it, she stopped in her tracks, suddenly curious to hear what the man would say. Maybe they were a couple.

“No next time. This will be the first and last. You’re paid, now get the hell out of my sight, woman,” he replied firmly to the woman, who was actually very beautiful when seen up close.

It was unbelievable—he had just dismissed her right in front of Yza.

Yza quickly walked away from the man’s presence, afraid that he might dismiss her the same way he did the woman earlier. It was embarrassing. He had such a bossy, authoritative aura—truly a master in his own right.

She realized she needed to figure out her place in all of this. She would surely feel small if she tried to match up to someone like him.

She glanced back at him and saw that he was still watching her, so she took larger steps towards the kitchen, where the maid’s quarters were.

She had seen that woman before. She couldn’t quite remember where, but she had definitely seen her.

Oh, I knew it!

The woman was a former beauty queen. She had competed in Bb. Pilipinas two years ago and was crowned Bb. Pilipinas International. No wonder she was so beautiful and sexy—she was a beauty queen.

“Yza.”

The man’s voice startled her as she froze in place, clutching her bag tighter.

Yza stopped walking and tilted her head, still holding onto her bag.

“P-Po?” she nervously asked.

He stood in the doorway of the dining room, watching her intently.

“How old are you?” he asked.

For some reason, her hands felt cold. Maybe it was because he was so intimidating and so handsome that, even in a crowd, he would still stand out. He was tall, sexy, and manly, with a fierce yet alluring face that seemed to carry no hint of fear.

“I’ll be twenty,” she said, lowering her head slightly.

She couldn’t bring herself to look him directly in the eye because it felt like his gaze was so intense that she might melt under it, like metal heated over a flame.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, his dark brown eyebrows arched.

She shook her head while keeping her eyes lowered, but her heart began pounding again when she realized he was stepping closer to her. However, just as he got nearer, Perla, one of the housemaids, appeared behind her.

Yza couldn’t help but notice the sharp, almost hostile glare Adam shot at Perla.

“Oh, you’re here, Yza. Grandma Eli is in her room,” Perla said, so Yza turned to look at her.

“H-Ha? Y-yes.” Yza didn’t know why her speech was suddenly faltering—maybe it was because of the woman she had seen earlier or the sensation of bumping into the sweaty, handsome man.

She glanced back at Adam, who was now standing near the table, only about two feet away from her. He was watching her intently, like a predator in a TV show, hiding many secrets behind his handsome, seductive face.

“N-You're here, Señorito. I was just about to clean your room,” Perla said, but Adam raised a hand to stop her. “Since Manang Eli is sick, I want Yza to clean my room a little later,” he said, then turned his back and walked away.

She stared at the man’s butt as he walked, his movements swaying with his hips, like a model strutting down a fashion show for men.

Why does she have to clean his room?

She bit her finger as her chest pounded again.

What if the man assaults her later? But that’s impossible because the woman who was with him earlier was so beautiful, and he had just dismissed her.

Why would he assault her, an ordinary woman, who is poor and only average-looking?

“He seems kind of grumpy, Sis Perla,” she said as she held the arm of the older woman, who just smiled at her.

“No, he’s not. He’s just quiet. If he doesn’t talk to you, don’t talk to him either because when he’s angry, he’ll definitely shout at you. But if you’re quiet, even if he’s mad, he won’t bother you. That’s just how he is. Just do your part because you’ll be staying here for a long time. Your grandmother’s sick, and it’s a blessing if she can work again in two weeks.” She explained.

She just nodded. That was really the reason her grandmother had sent her there. For the meantime, her grandmother wanted her to do the work while she was sick, especially when she got home from school. It didn’t matter to her as long as her grandmother got better, because if the elderly woman passed away, she might not be able to handle it. She wasn’t old yet, only fifty-seven, but the illness she was suffering seemed severe. She planned to take her to the doctor, but first, she needed to ask their señorito if he’d allow it.