CHAPTER 2

Hades decided to stretch his cramped limbs after nearly an hour of endless paperwork and quiet solitude inside his quarters. When he left his office, he discovered that the city had been completely devoured by the night.

Flashing headlights passing by the main road caused Hades' eyes to adjust in order to avoid being blinded by the bright light. The city lights were already shining brightly, reminding him that nightlife had finally begun and that it had been waiting for him.

He yawned, thinking that the evening was still too young for him to retire home. He climbed into his Maybach Exelero and drove down the bustling intersection of Larkspur, South Carolina.

Hades' after-work habit was to stop by the Orange Flamingo, where he would linger for a couple of hours to drink until he was too exhausted. That's how Hades runs his life after work, so he can simply fall asleep when he gets home.

"Is it the same brand, boss?" Miguel, the regular bartender, inquired as he wiped one of the cleaned beer glasses fresh from the sink.

Hades nodded grimly, securing his usual spot on the counter's stool.

Miguel immediately realized the cue and handed Hades a mug and bottle. "Four times the alcohol, four times the hops, and four times the flavor."

"BrewDog calms my nerves down easily."

"Are you still working extra hours, boss?"

"It's nothing new," Hades says, smiling. "—within this solitude, I sentenced myself," he added.

"What a miserable life when you have all the luxuries," Miguel remarked. Miguel has earned the badge for taking cheap shots at Hades because he is accustomed to his presence. And as he finishes his first glass, Hades doesn't seem to mind.

Their conversation was cut short when another customer sat on the empty stool next to Hades and ordered the same brand.

"Miguel...Miguel…" The man beside Hades with a mature hoarse voice approached Miguel straight away. It was too downright frightening to hear that Hades had kept his annoyance obscured.

"Have you been ignoring my phone calls?"  The man inquired of Miguel.

"There was no reason for me to respond," Miguel retorted sarcastically.

Hades rolled his eyes inwardly. He was well aware that Miguel's response would incite a feud. But since Hades dislikes violence and fights, he quickly finished another glass and left a few dollar bills on the counter for Miguel before striding for the door. Hades had foreseen where the conversation would go, and he didn't want to get involved.

"Hey you!" Before Hades could even take another step outdoors, a man called from behind him. Though Hades had no intention of turning around, the man eventually catches up with him, which infuriates Hades even more.

Hades is exhausted and all he wants after work is a tranquil drinking spree, but that was abruptly interrupted when this strange person with an overwhelming stinky attitude like his breath entered the area.

"You appear to be a newcomer here. Why don't you join me for a drink instead?" The man went on to ask. Hades knew the likes of him. The man in front of him is nothing more than a drunken jackass who was just plaguing Orange Flamingo.

He ventured to inform Hades, mistaking him for a newcomer to the area despite the fact that Hades routinely visits around these hours. Hades can't help but be disappointed. He thinks the guy is completely pathetic. He believed that responding to him even a single word was meaningless and a waste of time.

The man flared up just as Hades was ready to turn his back on him again.

"I haven't finished talking yet. Why are you turning your back on me?" he told Hades, attempting to send a fist that Hades easily avoided.

Hades grabbed his arm and twisted it against his back, then kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel quickly on the floor.

"Fine. Now you heard me talk, asshole," Hades added with a sneer.

In anguish, the man begged and cried. "Please...Have mercy on me. I-I will do everything you say as long as you let go of my hand," he begged Hades.

Hades put his weight against the man's twisted arm, exacerbating the suffering.

"Gawd, have mercy!" The man sobbed.

"If I ever see you come around this spot once more, I swear you'll never make it out with an arm again," Hades said in front of the man's left ear. "You hear me?" he added. Hades clenched his teeth, trying to restrain the violent desire he wishes to bestow the man.

"Yes, yes...I'm not coming back here," the man continuously pleads while his face is kissing the floor.

Hades lets go of his arm. He then landed a powerful kick in his gut, causing the person to scream in agony as Hades marched for the exit.

As soon as Hades reached the streets outside Orange Flamingo, he let out a frustrated groan. He moves his wrist in a circle motion, deep in thinking about where he would go now to continue drinking.

Hades exhaled a sigh. Perhaps he should have just gone home and drank there instead. At the very least, no one would bother him if he stayed in his room all night.

But, just as Hades was about to get into his car, a woman panting and racing—for what appeared to be her life—collided with him.

"Sir, please help me!" she begs. She appears anxious, as if she has been running for a long time and is fatigued.

Hades was deafeningly silent. He has no idea what to do with the woman and has no desire to become involved with her. But he can't deny that she really needs help in her current state.

"What happened to you?"  he inquired.

"I have no time left. I desperately need somewhere to hide," she murmured, glancing around nervously. Her eyes are welling up with tears.

Hades is quite skeptical. He has no idea who she is or where she is from. He can't just be too sympathetic to everyone. Hades can't help but wonder whether the woman is trying to persuade him that she really needs his help for some ulterior motive.

Hades, on the other hand, also can't help but be stirred by her presence at some point. She appears frail and vulnerable.

Perhaps it was her excessive running that caused her brown locks to become entangled as she sways them away from her sweaty face. The woman's rich perfume of rose and ambrosia teased Hades' nose. It was so engrossing that he had to shake his head to get his bearings.

Hades refused to give in to his irrational impulses. His doubts about her were striving to overwhelm him, but his compassion for the woman was winning out.

"Please, Sir, I beg you. They're after me, and if they catch me, they'll kill me," she added.

"Who are these people? And why are they hunting you? Have you done anything—"

The woman cut Hades off before he could continue what he was supposed to ask her. Frightened by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching behind, she hastily pushes Hades inside the car and follows him.

"What the fu—" Hades was about to say something when the woman covered his mouth with her palm and hushed him to stop himself.

The woman sat on top of Hades' hips, a finger to her lips pleading for Hades to be quiet. "Sir, please be quiet. Just this once until they all leave," she replied as she shut the car door.

Hades was taken aback by her actions. Their current situation makes him feel even more uneasy, as the heart of her femininity presses into his groin.

He tried to alter his stance so that his back reclined on the car seat, but the woman quickly followed his moves, making it more difficult for Hades to keep his sanity from bursting.