Chapter 5

At eleven p.m., I walked into the villa complex with a flashlight.

Years ago when I worked overtime until dawn during a blackout, I was too scared to move from under my desk.

Ethan braved a rainstorm and climbed twenty flights of stairs to find me.

His clothes were soaked through, but he wrapped me in his warm coat, crying as he swore never to leave me alone in darkness again.

He said he couldn't rest easy with me working alone at night.

Now I could only light my own way with a flashlight.

I'd just reached the first floor when messy footsteps sounded behind me. Several thugs blocked my exit.

"Middle of the night, what's a pretty lady doing here alone?"

The gang leader whistled, looking me up and down.

I turned and ran upstairs, entered a second-floor bedroom and locked the door. Pounding came from outside.

"Open up! Don’t reject a kind offer only to face the consequences!"

I hid in the closet and instinctively opened SnapChat, calling Ethan on FaceTime.

The video rang and rang. Outside, the wooden door made cracking sounds.

The screen finally lit up. In the frame, Ethan sat in the luxury apartment he'd rented for Yvonne.

Before, when I encountered a drunk stalker on a business trip, I only sent a punctuation mark and he immediately called the police and chartered a car overnight to find me across provinces.

He used to hold me and say that whenever I needed him, he'd be there at my call.

Now across the screen, he watched my trembling lips without a trace of concern in his eyes.

"What game are you playing now?" He stared at the camera impatiently.

"Save me. I'm not joking. Someone's breaking down the door." I lowered my voice. "I can't get through to 911. Please call the police!"

He scoffed, his eyes full of irritation. "Lily, what are you doing posting crazy stuff on Ins? Recruiting a husband? Three listed companies? Delete it now!"

"I'm really trapped in an unfinished building. Call the police..."

"Keep making things up. You're just using this ploy to force me to come back, aren't you?" Ethan picked up the milk beside him and took a sip.

"Yvonne saw your post and cried. She's afraid of being alone. I have to stay with her tonight. Figure it out yourself."

The camera shook. Yvonne's face appeared on the screen.

She held an exquisitely packaged gift box in her hands.

"Ethan, why do you have lingerie in your bag?"

The box opened, revealing the sexy lingerie I'd blushed while selecting for a long time, planned as a surprise for our fifth anniversary night.

Back then, seeing my shyness, he'd rescued me from embarrassment and generously put it in his bag, holding me and saying thank you repeatedly.

Ethan hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded with a smile. "If you like it, go ahead and wear it."

Before, I'd casually given him a woven bracelet worth a few dozen dollars. He never took it off even in the shower, and when it broke he kept it in the safe.

Now he gave away my carefully prepared intimate fifth anniversary gift like it was just any piece of clothing.

The wooden door was completely knocked down. Several thugs walked in.

I watched Yvonne on screen holding the lingerie with a triumphant smile and proactively pressed the hang-up button.

The gang thug walked to the closet and yanked open the door. "Run! Why aren't you running now?"

I reached into my bag and gripped the pepper spray.

Police sirens and screeching brakes sounded outside.

A low male voice came from downstairs. "Anyone who touches a hair on her head leaves here horizontal today."

Footsteps accompanied bodyguards rushing into the room. The gang thug was kicked to the ground.

Adrian bent down slightly, adjusting the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He looked at me trembling.

"Miss Monroe, does your Ins post still stand? I'm here to pick you up."