Why only now?

"What?!" she exclaimed.

He never bent his gaze from her, "I want to hire you as my wife." his voice was low and mature unlike how he used to be.

She mocked a laugh, "To be honest, something in me wanted to believe you. With how serious you are and how mature you become... I really want to believe. But, don't you know that marriage is not a good topic to joke about?" she sighs, "I won't be sorry if I tell you this, but you talked to the wrong person Mr Reid." she concluded and eventually left her chair.

Who is he to open that topic right after what happened to them? Who is he to bring that discussion so easily? Was he out of his mind? An arrogant like him will marry someone like me after all the quarrels and misunderstandings they had? Hell, no!

Her life is already a mess, then she will add him to her plate? She might be out of her might.

What was he thinking? That she's easily to persuade with his wealth? Alright, she had done that mistake, but it was an emergency...

She's standing, while he's still on his chair playing with the spoon while his eyes are intact to hers. "What makes you believe that I'm not serious?" her thoughts were gone after being reminded of something relevant to him.

She held his eyes, "I don't need to ask because it's too obvious that you're up to something again."

By the fact that she couldn't believe him is making his jaw clenched. "Why can't you believe me?" his veins are protruding, especially in his forehead, down to his neck, and to his arms.

He's in casual attire. A simple black shirt, and a rogue jeans, paired with a leather sandal for men.

Her brow arched at him, "You know who you are, yet you asked me why can't I believe you? Fine! It's because you are arrogant. You kept on insulting me when we don't share the same perspectives. You are too inconsiderate. You imagine too much and claim yourself as the rules of your own. Lastly, I hate your kind. Happy now?" even if she told herself to give him a chance and spare her inhibitions for another time, yet she couldn't hold her promise tightly. "In fact, your changes made me speechless. Do you know why? It's because I feel like I'm not talking to you. You act like a different person and I'm not used to it. Let's just say that, this is the real you. But, this is not the personality I met. So, if you want me to believe you... kindly show me your real intentions with the attitude I met from before." after saying the words she wanted to say, she decided to leave the table.

Hunt stood up from sitting, facing her back. "You want me to be the person who you'd met and prove you my real intentions through it, isn't it? Okay, I'll let you see it but I'm telling you Miss Quinn, you are not allowed to say no when I didn't tell you so." she stopped as he took that opportunity to chase her and held her hand.

She stilled when she felt his hand intertwining hers and took her with him as they went out together. "What are you doing?" she asked when he took her to his car.

He glanced at her while his free hand opened the front seat's door. "I'm giving you your request. Get inside." he pushed her inside which made her scream in shock.

He turned towards the driver's seat and went inside. "Are you crazy?! Where are you taking me?" she exclaimed.

"Shut that fucking mouth or else you won't like me to do the thing that you are scared of! Believe me, woman. I can do it." her mouth parted as well as her eyes widened at his sudden changes.

He turned on the engine, "Why are you like this all of a sudden? I want to go home!" she's scared but never did she allow her fear to drive her.

However, one thing she did not see was coming... not until his lips crashed with hers. The way he kissed her is punishing. He bit her bottom lip which made her groan and part her lips, he took it as an opportunity and invaded her mouth. He played and sucked her tongue as well as his hand is moving her head to a better access.

She tried to push and slap him, but his free hand was quick to catch her hands and pinned them above her head. She arched her back in order to kick him but he was fast to sense it and cuddle her legs.

"Hmmp!" she groaned. Her heart was pounding so fast, with by the way he treats her.

She kept on fighting for she couldn't take his maltreatment without fighting. Not until she couldn't take the effect he had given her, anymore. She began to feel something weird underneath. She gave up and gave him his wants. She began to respond to his kisses. The fiery kiss has ended when both of them are breathless and panting.

"Why did you do that?" she looked at him darkly while chasing her breath.

A few of her hair are able to cover her face, he took them and placed them behind her ear. "I don't really want to do this because I could still remember how scared you were when we did it. But you asked me to be the person who you met from before." he answered as he went off from straddling her. So, he is blaming her? Was her opinion. an option to him? Since when? "I didn't apologize for what I did to you back then, I'm sorry. I insulted you, and became strict with you for no reason." he swallowed as he composed himself in his seat while he just listened to him, closely. Is he really sincere? Should she believe him? "Honestly, the reason why I approached you tonight is, I felt like you are way better than the girls I encountered. I felt like I could trust you." he took a glimpse at her, while she caught him looking at her. They shared the same vision and stayed that way for a few minutes. His mischievous dark eyes are intriguing. And even if she looked deeply at them, it's still hard to read. "When I touched you and harmed you, I realized something..." he avoided his eyes from her. "This is the first time that I will be admitting my mistakes and I'm embarrassed as fuck." he turned off the engine and leaned his back to the backrest. He looked tired and impatient. "You are right, I was too arrogant and inconsiderate. I kept throwing unpleasant words at other people without realizing how they would feel, and..." he tilted his head to see her. "You are the only one who came to my door which had nothing but bravery. You were able to taint my principles as a man, and now I have to build a new one... with you."

When his father talked about life and marriage, he became defensive not even realizing his father's concerns.

When he got back to his office after having lunch with his parents, his dad's condition suddenly flashes in his mind which makes him think and analyze.

Ever since when he was a youth, he wanted to inherit his father's business already, but since he was young, his father used the company to encourage him to work hard.

He was seventeen years old when he made the business plan of his real estate company. And he was twenty-four years old when his business began to be popular.

But now that he is thirty-one years old, his father is still using the same method to persuade him upon finding someone who he can marry in exchange for the inheritance he was chasing a long time ago.

However, Krizzia is not a fan of drama so... "I'm not really a fan of drama, Mr Reid. Just tell me the real reason why you want me to be your wife."

In the end of his speech of wisdom, he couldn't believe that he was still the one who would be feeling ashamed. He did not expect her to become this hard.

"Your words were too much, and the last one was a bit off. Frankly speaking, you still did a good job!" she added. She looked so fierce and cold.

Was she disappointed in him?

"Be my contractual wife." He said, bluntly. There are no traces of jokes from him too.

"Alright."

He was alarmed, "Did you just agree?"

She arched her brow at him, "I did."

"Are you sure? Aren't you joking?" he was too surprised with her quick response.

She looked at him, "Do I look like I'm having fun with you?" provoking him as well.

"But you just took me down there at the café." he 's really confused. Right back when they were talking about marriage, she was like a saint who was not willing to sacrifice her individuality because of the lack of love.

"I did."

His jaw is clenching, and his aura became dark and dangerous . "Are you having fun with me, woman?" he interrogated her.

His question made her burst into laughter, "How does it feel when tricked, Mr Reid?" his eyes got wider, "Just like what I have said, apology is not an option for a jackass man like you. Goodbye!" before he could react, she left his car and hailed the incoming taxi immediately. Afraid that he might chase her again.

When she gets inside the cab, that's the time she was able to release the breath she was holding. Damn, that was intense!

Hunt was left dumbfounded. Did she just run away from him without letting him speak? "Krizzia Alastair Quin! You witch!" he cursed her before turning on the engine and drove the car furiously. "You do not know the efforts I give just to be able to apologize and ask favors from you. And this is how you will repay me?! Darn you!" he cannot accept the fact that a certain woman tricked him. She has to pay him back, she has to!

Due to tiredness, Krizzia was able to take a nap in the cab. She just woke up when someone touched her.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled when she found out that it was the taxi driver. The driver smiled at her, evily. She began feeling nervous.

"You're so pretty, Miss. You do not know how much I was longing for you to be mine." the driver licked his lips like a maniac. He tried to touch her when she was fast to slap his filthy hand with her tote bag.

"Get your hands off me!" she's not okay, she's scared. Her body is trembling for fear. She moved backwards when the driver sneaked in and touched her knee. "No! Go away!" she screamed and kicked his face.

She's just wearing a knee length skirt paired with a beige polo.

However, the other door from her side opened. And someone grabbed her out. "You're so noisy, lady. Relax, we will just have to play for a bit." the driver is not alone, there are three of them who are here after her.

Her tears streamed down by itself. "No! Don't touch me! Get your hands off me! Help!" she screamed and screamed. Hoping for someone to come and save her.

"No one's going to help you here, better you stop shouting." the other one suggested followed by a vicious laugh.

"Bring her inside!" then the other two positioned themselves beside her and held her in her arms. She moved to fight their strength, sadly she's too weak to take them down. They treat her like they would treat an animal.

She's now crying, telling them not to do something to her. But these people were covered with lust which is very impossible to stop.

They threw her above the huge table, and was quick to seize her wrists and legs. She's maltreated and it terrifies her. "Please, no! Don't do something to me!" she begged while crying. She could also feel her back pulsing in pain.

She did not wish to be kidnapped. Neither wishing this horrible situation to happened. What did she do to deserve this? Why does she have to experience this?

"What are you waiting for? The food is here." the fat guy said, happily. As she saw them undressing their tops.

She shook her body, hoping that she could escape from the ropes they are tangling her.

A masculine guy in his mid thirties went near her and smelled her hair down to her neck. She felt cringe as goosebumps got her. "Ahhh!! Help! Please! No don't do this to me!" She complained when they began to undress her.

She's helpless, and crying was the only thing she could do. She felt so dirty when their tongue licked her bare skin. The other one was on her feet, licking her foot up to her legs, while the other two were in her chest and stomach. "N-No, p-please... someone... save me." she mumbled to herself as she sobbed hard.

The only clothes left in her body was her bra and panty and the guy on her chest was so needy when he removed her bra.

She shivered. She wanted to embrace her body but she couldn't.

"Ugh! What nice tits you have!" she closed her eyes as her cries went louder.

The other two were curious so they left her bottoms and watched her bouncy mountains. She's hopeless, she got no one here except for herself.

By that moment, she regretted bullying him. She regretted ditching him. And this is what she got after pissing Hunt.

"It looks delicious!"

"I can't wait to taste them."

"Oi, oi, step aside I should be the one to suck them first!"

They laughed, as the person who wanted to suck her tits first caressed her waist while the other two are caressing her legs and her womanhood that was still covered with her panty. She shivered as tears were continuous to trickle.

The taxi driver was about to lick her when the door of the old warehouse, flew open. She heard it, but she was too weak to open her eyes. She was tired and was exhausted from anxiety, fear, and cries.

She felt cold and might be able to get sick. Maybe, this is her fate. And she's afraid that this might be the last day of her life.

"You bastards! How dare you touch her!"

When she heard that familiar voice, she tried to open her heavy eyes and was able to see his figure who is now fighting the three maniacs who harassed her. However, she couldn't see him clearly. Her vision is blurry.

"Hunt..." she mumbled weakly. She tried to reach him but she couldn't because of being tied up.

While he was on his way home, he couldn't avoid thinking about her. He was pissed and wanted her to be punished. But he never dared to do anything to her. Instead, he turned his car back to the national highway.

Even if he's mad, he couldn't afford himself not to worry about her. Especially, it's late.

He went to her house, but did not find her there. The lights were off. He also asked the people around the area of her house if they had seen her. He got 'No' as their answer.

Every second that passes, he gets more worried. He went back to his car and tried to call her, but in a few rings... the network informed him that she was unreachable.

"Fuck! Where did you go, Krizzia?" he cussed as he tried to call her again. At the same time, he went back to his car and began to drive.

"Answer the goddamn call!" he hissed again but never had her connected.

He was having a hard time finding a way to find her, when he saw the navigation map of his car and finally had the idea.

He turned on his GPS and tried to locate her phone. He also used his car's navigator to locate the cab's current place through its plate number.

"Tom's Old Warehouse? Why are they there?" he asked himself, "Bullshit!" and eventually had the bad feeling of that location.

He drove his car to that place, it's not that far from her house so he got there quickly. The first thing he saw was the taxi cab, he went there and peek inside. No one was inside, but her things caught her attention.

He left the cab to search the area, when he stepped on something accidentally. He bent down and saw a slipper of a woman. That moment, he heard a loud laugh as if they were feasting over something delicious.

Hunt did not hesitate to approach the door and purposely peeking the conversation. But he was more than surprised when he saw her, lying on the wooden table. Helpless and scared.

He broke the door and fought the jerks to pulp. He picked up the metal pipe and used it to smash their heads every time he got the chance to strike.

One was down and there were two more jerks remaining. They fought Hunt together but Hunt was quite skilled. Not even a single strike could hit him. He punched them on the face, gall bladder, neck or in the hips. Until they passed out.

He's not yet convinced and tortured them, "You merciless people! You don't deserve to live!" He hissed as he slammed the face of the fat guy to the hard surface. "You dared to touch my woman, you must pay the rest of your lives in jail." were the last words he said to the three unconscious jerks before rushing towards her.

She's naked and obviously harassed. He gritted his teeth when he saw her being tied up. He wanted to cuss more but he realized... cursing won't help her as well. So he was silent when untying her.

"Please... someone... save me..." he heard her mumble.

When he's finished untying her, he removed his shirt before helping her to get up and changed with his shirt. He caressed her hair and sweaty forehead.

"I'm sorry... Hunt. I'm really sorry... someone... help me.." she keeps on mumbling, eyes closed. And even if he's wiping her sweat, her body produces more. Perhaps, her body is also cold. He carried her to his car and rushed her to the nearest hospital.

"I'm here, Krizzia. You're safe." he answered worrily.

While he's on the way, he glanced at her from time to time. Checking her temperature and her pulse. He's also scared and angry with those people who have the guts to harass her.

Since earlier, she keeps on asking for help even though she was rescued.

He also called the police and reported the incident he witnessed.

"How is she, doctor?" when the doctor went out of the E.R. He stood up immediately and asked about her condition.

"There's nothing to worry about with her body, though I'm sad to tell you that she's currently experiencing post traumatic syndrome due to what happened to her. She's very sensitive and easy to scare. This is why I have to advise you to be careful when approaching her. If you can, minimize yourself first from touching her. While for her medicine, I already asked the station to deliver her prescribed medicine on time." the doctor said.

He nodded, "Thank you, doctor."

The doctor smiled at him before tapping his shoulder. "Not a worry, but I suggest you wear a shirt before you could catch a cold."

Yeah, right. He's topless. He guessed he has to buy a new shirt before visiting her or she will be afraid if she sees him topless.

In regards to what happened to her, Hunt also blamed himself for not being generous to her. If he should've escorted her home, she mustn't be scared and traumatized. Nothing should have happened to her and she might as well be able to get home safely.

Just how unmanly he was.

"No! Don't come near me! Ahhh!!" he just came back from buying a shirt when he heard her shout.

He rushed to the ward she was occupying and found her at the corner, hugging her knees while the nurses are telling him to calm down.

"I said, don't come near me!" she's crying again, in her situation he could tell that she has been attacked by the trauma she got from almost being raped.

"Please, calm down Miss Quinn. We are not bad people, we are here to give you medicine."

She shook her head as well as trying to escape but the nurses blocked her way. "No!" she's screaming and is hard to convince.

He went to the nurses, "What happened?"

One of the five male nurses looked at him with worry, "I was putting the medicine and made it ready for her when she woke up and began to be like this."

Hunt just nodded, and maybe because the nurse were all males... she got scared.

"Let me." he asked the nurses to step aside and when they did... he began his mission to calm her down.

"Krizzia, do you know me?" he bent his knee in order to level her height.

Krizzia felt like everyone around her will hurt her, she can't trust anyone. Especially when she had no one to trust. Even her couldn't help herself to minimize.

"It's me, Hunt. Can you still remember me?" She looked up to him with blank expression from her eyes. She's no longer crying, her face went dry but still, she looked awful.

"Don't you dare!" even if it is Hunt, she couldn't fathom and threatened him not to come near her. That time, he's a nobody. She saw him as dangerous man. Just like those merciless people who harassed her.

"Sshhh, calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you." his words were like a spell, for a bit she felt safe. "You know that I couldn't." he assured her as he took another step towards her.

She loosened her grip to herself as tears streamed down again. "W-Why only now?" she sobbed and that alarmed him.

He crossed the remaining distance between them and embraced her when he had the signal to do so. "P-Please help me out, I don't want to be h-here. T-Take me with you, I will not annoy you again, just take me out of here." he's caressing her back, while she's hugging him too tight and sniffles in his neck.

"Alright, I will take you with me. But you have to calm down first." he convinced her with a soft and manly voice.

She shook her head, rejecting his suggestion and hugged him tighter almost choking him. "No, take me now!"

She's a hard headed woman, yet hard to resist her requests. He just found out that she can be a cute demanding baby who could disarm him and were left no choice but to carry her. She's like a monkey that straddles her.

He looked at the nurses, "I'm taking her."

The nurses got panicked to what he said. "Sir, she can't be discharged tonight."

That time, the doctor entered. "Let he go, she needs him to." and he saw the doctor smiled to him. He nodded and took Krizzia out of the ward.

While they are walking towards the cashier, "I-I was so scared. They touched me and it scares me more. They won't listen to me and continued to harass me. T-They threw me like a garbage above that rough table." he could feel her fear as he could feel his anger growing. "I was alone, I kept asking for help but no one's there to help me out. I was so scared, Hunt. I thought it was the last day of my life... please don't let them take me. I don't want to be there, again." after draining herself from too much stressed, she passed out sleeping in his arms.

His hold onto her tightened as he swore to make those bastards pay for what they did to her. He will make sure of that.

Right after paying her bills, he took her to his house and took responsibility for her. He cleaned her body through wiping a towel, he also change her clothes before resting on the sofa for she was using his bed.

He's trying to be considerate and sincere. He also decided for a change, and he believes she could help her through the way.

In conclusion, his heart wanted to protect her. To keep her. But how will he do that when she kept pushing him?

It pissed him somehow making him feel like being challenged.