Chapter 1

The loud, steady beeping in my head made me stir awake in my sleep. At first, I thought it was my alarm. I rolled to the left side of my bed. Do I really have to go to school? Can’t I just be a bed potato for a day, please?

A blaring ring from a phone I thought was mine reached me, and I searched for it. I got you, I mumbled under my breath.

“Hello, Mr. Quin.” A deep, husky voice reached my ears.

“Who is this?” I jerked up from the bed, fully awake.

“Mr. Quin, you called me.”

Huh? In reflex, I looked at my screen, and the caller name was saved as “Mr. Smith The Hard Core.” I struggled to remember how I got the number and where. My attention was suddenly drawn to the long tube inserted in my hand.

An IV drip? Did my crisis start again? And where’s this place? I know I’ve had a series of crises, and this wasn’t the first time I woke up with an IV drip in my hand, but I had never woken up in a different room with a loud beeping computer beside my bed. My dad would only invite our family doctor, Mrs. Nelisa, to the house. This doesn’t look like my house or the hospital. It’s too exotic to be a hospital. Besides, where would Dad get the money to pay for a hospital this expensive?

I grabbed the bedsheet off me, and pulled out the IV drip from my hand, which left a tingling, painful sensation, which I didn’t care to notice.

“Dad?” I called out while I limped to the door.

“Finally, the sleeping beauty is awake.” An unfamiliar, cold voice rang out behind me.

I didn’t know why I turned around slowly; I felt a shivering sensation that I’ve never felt before in my entire life as I came face to face with a very tall, pale man in his mid-twenties. His aura was so cold and dominating that I felt shiver ran down my spine. I clutched the doorknob like my dear life.

His weird-looking gray eyes scanned me from head to toe. Is he a pervert? What is he doing here?

In a flash, I yanked the door open, my heart raced as I rushed down the stairs, not knowing where I was headed.

I tried to remember something. How the heck did I get there? But my brain was foggy. I wasn’t looking where I was going as I bumped into someone. In her hand was a cup of coffee, but well, not anymore, because all the contents went down on the oversized big jersey shirt I had on.

“Ouch!” I cried out, as I rubbed my body.

“Oh my good God, Mr. Quin will have my head if he finds out…. I’m so sorry, Mrs. Quin,” the lady I had bumped into apologized in a scare as she frantically tried to clean me up with a small towel from her shoulder. I slightly shook myself from her touch as I turned away, with all my might I ran towards the stairs.

“Are you alright? Is everything okay?” I heard her voice as she ran after me. I wish she could please stop following me.

I was running out of breath when I saw a hallway, and at the end was an elevator. I ran with everything within me, catching my breath as I pressed the elevator button without looking.

“Gina!” I heard that deep, cold voice again. I could see him as he walked gallantly towards me. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get to me. No, I could tell from his face which still retain it smooth and calm wrinkle free skin, with no single bead of sweat. His wavy dark hair wasn’t in any way disheveled, and the only expression on his face was… worry. Wait! Worried? What is he worried about? It confuses me.

I’ve never seen anyone worried about me aside my dad, and it frightened me.

I held my breath as I watched him stride towards me; fear gripped me. The elevator suddenly felt like it was closing up on me, which made me gasp for air until it dinged shut and down it went. Only then did I sighed, relieved.

Who was that dingy, weird-looking guy, and that woman? She referred to me as “Mrs. Quin?” What the freaking hell is going on? How did I even end up here?

“Holy cow! Nah!” I finally noticed a huge white bandage wrapped around my knee down to my toes. What have I gotten myself into? Was I sleeping with that weird guy? Why was he in that room with me? I grabbed my hair, forcing myself to remember, but nothing. I couldn’t remember how I got here.

“Gina.”

I turned around too sharply that I swear I heard my neck bone snap.

“Sorry I scared you,” she giggled softly.

Red hair, green eyes, and a very skinny body, she had a short black tight skirt that wasn’t covering all her tiny milky thighs, with a white button-up shirt. Her face was covered with smeared makeup, her scattered red hair, and her sharp, bulging-looking eyes pierced into me like a dagger, making me deliberate if she was sane or not.

I wondered if this is a psychiatric hospital.

“I’m D’s girlfriend, Delinda,” she said, stretching her hand to me for a handshake.

I looked away, not wanting to make any acquaintances. I wanted to get out of this mess, not to make friends with any more weirdos.

“Oh, I heard you were the calm, easy-to-control type. Didn’t know you had this feisty side to you. I know he married you to save his company, but he loves me.” She whispered in my ear as she moved very close to me.

I looked over the numbers, counting and following up with my eyes as I wished she would just stop talking. Besides, I think she has got the wrong Gina. I’m just a very sick seventeen-year-old school girl living with her middle-class father.

“So you’re just going to act deaf?” she said in a slight yell.

I turned around to face her. Damn, she’s beautiful! Her smeared makeup and puffy eyes didn’t stop her from glowing.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” she asked, eyeing me like we were in a wrestling ring and I was her most hated opponent.

I don’t really know what happened and how I woke up to be here, but I was so sure there’s some strange connection between I and that strange pervert, even though I would hate to admit it.

“I don’t know what he sees in you. You’re just some sick girl from the ghetto. Well, he promised to divorce you after some months, I can’t believe he gave out his jersey that I got him for his birthday to a low life cunt.”

A low life? I scoffed shaking my head. Wait, what did she mean by divorce me? Are they playing games with me? No, I wouldn’t believe what this seemingly insane girl is saying. No, I refuse to believe I got forced into early marriage. Fuck! I’m just seventeen!

“Please just stop talking!” I yelled, my head in my hands. I was damn curious, but I didn’t like the aura she gave off—too dark and full of hatred. I just want to get out of here and look for answers outside.

Thankfully, the elevator door opened, and I didn’t wait any longer in there as I dashed out into the dark parking garage.

“Little bitch!” Delinda cursed under her breath.

I wished I could turn around and grab her hair till I pulled every single strand out of her scalp, but the fear of that weird man catching up with me was more than my will to fight.

I took out my phone, and with shaky hands and gritty teeth, I scrolled fast through my contact list.

I can’t call Dad; I didn’t want to worry him for no reason.

God, did those weirdos really kidnap me? I looked around me. I was standing at the back of a very big mansion in Pacific Northwest Estate. This estate was known to be the most expensive luxury house estate in all of Calico City, and it happened that I was standing in one of the biggest mansions here.

I tried my best friend’s number; lucky for me, he picked up. Mace had been my best friend right from childhood. Though he’s in a relationship, things went south the last time we met, for some reason I can’t remember what happened; only fragments of that memory still remain.

“What the fuck, Gina? What happened to you?” Mace’s worried voice rang out immediately he picked up. My dad might have called him when he didn’t meet me at home after work. series of strong, irresistible emotions gripped me, weakening me in my knees.

“I… I… I…” I stammered as tears poured out freely from my eyes. I was crying and shaking. It was snowy outside, and I was standing here in the middle of an unknown estate street, which is an hour ride away from my home, with no memories of how I got here.

“Just send me the address; I will come get you now.” He said, not probing me for more details. If there’s one thing I loved about Mace, it’s his manly demeanor and calm aura.

“Wait for me; I will be there. Shit, it’s too cold for you to stay outside.” I heard Mace’s worried voice before he ended the line.

I shuddered from the cold as I rubbed my palms against each other, trying to warm them up. It wasn’t enough. I was trying hard to keep my eyes open; with every passing second came the hardship of breathing.

I closed my eyes, letting my fatigued body fall.

“Hey, Gina.” I heard that one familiar voice. I swear Mace’s voice had never ignited happiness in me like it did today.

“I got you, my gecko.” He picked me up in a bridal way as we headed towards his mini truck.

“How…”

There were too many questions to ask and too many answers to get, but for now, I would let my body rest.