Chapter 1

Mel ambled down the narrow road with frustration written all over her face. "Who cares? I'll get a job with a more respectable employer." she said to no one in particular, but herself. She had resigned from five jobs in just a month, all for identical reasons. Her previous employers had dismissed her with accusations of insubordination. They referred to her as a stubborn an unmannered employee. However, this time around, she decided to resign on her own accord. The previous employers' allegations were groundless, but she could comprehend the stubborn part, though their actions fueled her fiery temperament.

Earlier that day.

Mel was diligently working on her boss's schedule for the upcoming week when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and read the message from Jace who was the CEO of Mindreads Company, a book publishing company where she worked. Mel's expression immediately turned tense upon sighting the message.

He was asking her to join him on a business trip, but there was more to the message than that. Another text came in, and as she opened it, her eyes widened in disbelief. "We might as well spend the night there," it read, accompanied by a drooling emoji.

She read the message again and again feeling a sense of anger rising within her.

Without a second thought, Mel stood up and barged into Jace's office. The expression on her face said it all - she was furious.

"Where are your manners?" Jace hollered, clearly taken aback by her sudden appearance, he couldn't help but feel a bit rattled by her brazenness. She had barged in without knocking, and it was clear that she had something on her mind. The look on her face further proved that.

"Here you go again, talking about manners when you don't have any yourself," Mel hollered back, her voice echoing through the room.

Jace was caught off guard by her statement. Never before had she spoken to him in such a tone. His eyes widened in disbelief as he bellowed, "Have you lost your mind? How dare you speak to me like that!"

Mel's eyes blazed with fury as she thrust her phone towards him, her hand trembling with indignation. The words on the screen burned into her mind as she gritted her teeth. "Why don't you read what you texted me?" she spat out. Her voice was laced with venom, a stark contrast to the usual deference she showed towards her boss.

The phone shook in her hand as she held it up to his face, her eyes boring into his. "Did you mistake me for one of the whores you play dirty with?" she demanded, her voice rising in volume as she slammed down on his desk, sending pens and paper flying in all directions.

Jace's smug expression upon realizing the reason for her fury only served to fuel her anger. "Oh, come on. I know you want it too. don't be so uptight Mel, We can have a good time together, I promise to treat you well he said and Mel felt her rage intensify at his words.

Her heart pounded with fury as she turned on her heels and stormed out of the CEO's office, her mind reeling from his vulgar words. How dare he view her as one of his "playthings"? As she made her way back to her desk, every step fueled by a burning anger, she couldn't shake off the disgust she felt towards Jace's arrogant behavior.

Her decision was made, and with a determined fury, she vigorously typed up her resignation letter. Once it was completed, she strode back to Jace's office, her eyes laced with irritation.

Jace's words only confirmed her decision. "Now what?" he asked, his smirk infuriating her even more. Mel fixed him with a piercing glare as she replied,"

"You are gravely mistaken if you believe I have any interest in being treated as one of your whores. Keep your dirty talks to yourself. Good riddance and I hope you learn to treat your employees with more respect and professionalism in the future." With that being said she slammed her resignation letter on his desk and stormed out of the room, leaving Jace in stunned silence. Mel had shown him that she was not someone to be trifled with, and she had done it with grace and dignity.

-Presently-

Walking through the bustling streets, the weight of disappointment and frustration weighed heavily on Mel's shoulder, she had just resigned from the only available job she had managed to get. She was a shoe designer but she couldn't land a job as one therefore she had put up with any decent job that came her way, no matter how menial or insignificant. Now she was no longer employed and the thoughts of it dampened get spirits. Maybe she shouldn't have acted on impulse she thought to herself

Suddenly, a raspy voice sliced through the air, pulling Mel out of her reverie. She spun around, her eyes scanning the throngs of people until she spotted the source of the voice: a rough-looking man with a menacing air about him

Stop right there," he growled, his eyes narrowing as he advanced towards her.

Mel's heart began to race as she instinctively braced herself for the worst. But instead of attacking her, the man gripped her hand tightly, his grip like a vise.

"Who the hell are you?" Mel demanded, trying in vain to free herself from his grasp.

The man said nothing, his eyes boring into hers with a fierce intensity. Mel felt a shiver run down her spine, wondering what kind of trouble she had stumbled into

"Who the hell are you?" Mel demanded, struggling to wriggle free from his grip.

"There's no use in trying, just follow me," he said coldly as he produced a syringe from his pocket and injected her with it. The cold metal pressed against her skin as the liquid invaded her bloodstream, leaving her feeling weak and vulnerable.

"What's your deal?" Mel asked weakly, her body feeling heavy and sluggish after the injection. She was still confused as to who he was and why he was trying to abduct her.

The man gave her a grim look before giving an answer to her question. "Let's just say it's the consequence of crossing Mr. CEO," he said

Mel was stunned at his reply. She had no idea that her brief confrontation with Jace would result in something like this. Her mind raced as the man kept dragging her away. The effect of the sedative had grown past it's mild stage leaving her body to go numb, her vision also began getting blurry.

After a while of dragging her, they arrived in front of a blue honda, it was the one the man had come in, his thunderous voice boomed in her ears, commanding her to get into his car. But Mel refused to budge.

"Get in before I loose my cool, the man said angrily. At this point, Mel's knees felt wobbly and she was about to give in.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the man, causing him to tighten his grip even further. He spun around to confront the looming figure, demanding to know who had invited him to the scene.

Ethan didn't utter a word in response. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the man, his towering frame radiating an air of authority. "Set the lady free," he commanded in a voice that brooked no argument.

The man sneered at Ethan's demand, clearly not ready to listen to him. He turned to Mel in a bid to force her into the car.

Seeing that the man was bent on doing what he wanted. Ethan rushed forward, his eyes blazing with fury. He had trained for years in various martial arts disciplines, and he knew that he had to act quickly to protect the helpless woman.

With lightning speed, Ethan dodged the man's grasping hands and delivered a swift kick to his stomach. The man stumbled back, gasping for air, and Ethan followed up with a series of rapid punches to his face.

He tried to fight back, but Ethan was too quick and too skilled for him. He ducked and weaved, his movements fluid and precise, and soon the man was reeling from the impact of Ethan's blows.

Meanwhile Mel had managed to stay conscious as she watched the fight with a mixture of fear and admiration. She had never seen anyone move like Ethan before, and she felt a rush of gratitude and awe for the stranger who had come to her aid.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ethan landed a devastating roundhouse kick to the man's head, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious and defeated.

Breathing heavily, Ethan turned to Mel and offered her his hand. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes searching hers for any sign of injury.

Mel nodded, still dazed from the ordeal. "Thank you," she whispered as her eyes slowly shut close, a soft sigh escaped her lips as she slipped into unconsciousness. Ethan's heart ached as he looked down at her, his protective instincts kicking in. Without hesitation, he swept her up in his arms and carried her towards his sleek, pitch-black Rolls-Royce

As he gently placed her in the back seat, his eyes couldn't help but notice a mysterious mark on her hand. At first glance, it appeared to be a tattoo, but upon closer inspection he realized it was a scar, one which seemed oddly familiar, a chill ran down his spine as he stared In disbelief. Waving his thoughts off, he shut the door and got in the car as he drove off, leaving a squealing sound behind.