Chapter 1: Who are you?

The loud sound echoed, shattering the tranquility of the ordinary room in a mid-range hotel. It was like a strange rhythm disrupting Ryan Blake's peaceful life, jolting him awake from a deep slumber. In what seemed like an instant, he opened his eyes wide, the morning light streaming through the window flooding the room, making everything sharper.

 

He groggily sat up, a pounding headache making its presence known, taking him a while to get his brain functioning coherently again. As his vision cleared completely, he glanced around, jolting once more as he realized he was in a completely unfamiliar place.

 

"What on earth is happening? Where am I?" Ryan wondered to himself as he slowly reached for the edge of the bed to rise. Suddenly, a chilling sensation swept over him, causing Ryan to shiver slightly. Feeling disoriented, bewildered, and suspicious, he looked down at his body only to find himself naked, with just a lone pair of underwear covering his modesty. The sense of deprivation, loneliness, and disorientation engulfed him, pushing him to contemplate his current predicament.

 

"Calm down, Ryan; let's use your brain to figure out what's happened and what's happening," he reassured himself, attempting to steady his mind and think rationally. However, the mental strain inevitably led Ryan to bring his hand up, roughly rubbing his face.

 

In his mind, Ryan felt a relentless worry; questions about this place, about why he was here, and about what had happened kept flooding in, disturbing him.

 

Despite feeling exhausted and bewildered, the grip of curiosity and determination still rose within his heart, compelling him to face the challenge of this mystery.

 

Upon reflection, Ryan came to a conclusion: There was only one scenario that could have occurred, and he was laughing at himself as he realized that he had indulged in a night with a stranger. This was a serious mistake that Ryan had never made before. Over the years, Ryan has always kept himself away from mundane desires, steering clear of fleshly temptations. Yet, on a normal night, everything suddenly changed. It all happened due to alcohol and arousal-inducing substances. Ryan seethed with anger, blaming himself. The main reason Ryan got caught up in these things was because of news about an arranged marriage. For years, Ryan had been trying to please his father, but he never gained his respect. Moreover, his life was tightly controlled and scrutinized by his father. The same applied to his marriage. Upon learning that he was to marry a girl chosen by his father, Ryan felt disillusioned and disappointed, leading him to decide to have a drink to ease his emotions.  Little did he know, he would end up in trouble like this.

There was something peculiarly fuzzy about the events of last night that left Ryan puzzled. Normally, Ryan would maintain moderation and never drink to the point of losing consciousness. It was highly likely that he was either drugged or tricked into consuming some sort of illicit substance.

 

If that were the case, then who would dare to do such a thing? Ryan knew he had crossed paths with quite a few individuals who might hold a grudge against him, making it difficult to pinpoint the culprit.

 

Ryan held his head in his hands, groaning in frustration. He tried to recall every detail of last night's events in order to find a reasonable solution. Unfortunately, his memory was not cooperating well.

 

Was Ryan's conclusion correct? What actually happened last night?

 

Damn it! Ryan slapped his forehead, blaming himself for not being vigilant enough to prevent such a calamity from befalling him.

 

Now, what should Ryan do? If the person involved is not of legal age, Ryan will face even more trouble.

 

"Ryan, you idiot," Ryan muttered. "You shouldn't have gone to the bar in the first place."

 

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open gently, casting a gradually brightening light into the dimly lit room, illuminating the figure of an incredibly beautiful, alluring yet entirely unfamiliar girl to Ryan. She was wearing a bathrobe, her head wrapped in a soft towel, still damp from the shower. Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, Ryan forgot to shield his body.

 

Silence fell as their eyes met. Ryan felt the enigmatic presence of this girl deeply ingrained in his mind, like a mystery waiting to be unraveled. As for the girl, she seemed slightly flustered upon seeing Ryan's lack of clothing. Trying to maintain composure, she broke the silence with a gentle voice while her eyes glanced elsewhere.

 

"Hello, I hope you'll forgive me; it seems the noise earlier woke you up."

 

Seeing the girl avert her gaze, Ryan furrowed his brows suspiciously, but as soon as Ryan looked down at himself, he understood the reason. Momentarily flustered, Ryan hastily searched for his clothes but found none. Eventually, Ryan gave up, putting on a casual demeanor and ignoring the girl's embarrassed expression. He simply thought, The girl must have seen his naked body last night, so there was no need for him to feel embarrassed unnecessarily.

 

"How are you feeling? Did you sleep well last night?" When Ryan remained silent, lost in his thoughts, the girl kindly inquired further, pretending to be natural, as if she hadn't seen anything. Her sweet smile momentarily stunned Ryan.

 

"Last night?!" When reminded, a surge of memories slammed into Ryan's mind. He recalled going to the bar last night and then leaving with a girl. Ryan was fuzzy on the details of her appearance, but he was certain she was a beautiful woman. The evidence was right in front of him now: a girl with smooth white skin, delicate features, elegance and refinement, and a subtly oval face.

 

"Where am I? Who are you? How old are you?" Ryan spoke up, his voice tinged with skepticism and coldness. "Last night, did we...?"

 

Ryan trailed off, feeling his question was redundant and unnecessary. Considering his current situation and appearance, Ryan should trust his own conclusion.

 

Nevertheless, seemingly understanding the meaning behind the question and showing some sympathy towards Ryan's bewildered state, the girl responded warmly.

 

"This is Hotel A, and you're in my room. As for age, I think that's a rather important question. So, I'll politely decline to answer."

 

"Where are my clothes?" Ryan asked, searching the room once again in hopes of finding them. Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't find his clothes, but his wallet and phone were also missing.

 

"Your clothes were dirty, so they've been sent for laundry. Just wait a moment; I'll contact reception to have them brought up for you."

 

Before Ryan could voice any objections or ask further questions, the girl added:

 

"The bathroom is over there if you need to use it."

 

With that, the girl disregarded Ryan, walking towards the phone placed on the table, picking it up, and dialing the hotel reception's number.