Reluctant To Be My Woman

But they did not hit each other.

After that first exchange, they weaved in and out of various things in the room for cover while constantly firing at each other.

Bang! Bang! The series of gunshots almost burst Wynonna's eardrums. She quickly covered her ears while hiding in the corner, trembling in fear.

After some time, she heard Shane let out a groan as if he had been shot...

"Ha! Shane Muller, you have run out of bullets... You'd have never expected to meet your end like this." The killer let out a coarse and ugly laugh. Slowly, he pulled the trigger, knowing that he had him.

Wynonna saw Shane leaning against the bed. She had no idea what came over her.

Without thinking, she grabbed the crystal ornament next to her and threw it at the killer.

Although it had crossed her mind earlier that she would be free upon Shane's death, she was hit by a guilty conscience.

The Muller family had been good to her, and although Shane had been bullying her for his amusement, when she thought carefully, he had not done anything to harm her.

Fortunately, Wynonna had always been good at sports and was a popular athlete during her school's sports day, especially in shotput. So when she put strength into her aim, she made an accurate shot at the back of the killer's head.

There was a shattering of glass, and the killer was seen staggering. He instinctively touched the back of his head and growled at Wynonna, "You bitch! How dare you attack me?"

While he was talking, Wynonna took the chance to attack again. She grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and threw it at his forehead.

The killer got ready to attack her. Then as quick as lightning, Shane, who had been catching his breath against the bed reached the killer in one leap. First, he snatched the killer's pistol. Next, he sent him flying with a kick and fired a few shots at him as he hit the ground.

Wynonna saw the killer lying in a pool of blood, his body riddled with bullet holes.

She let out an ear-piercing scream.

She had heard many stories of how cold-blooded and violent Shane was, but to see it with her own eyes was terrifying beyond her imagination!

Shane wore no expression. He looked like he had just killed an ant. He held his pistol in one hand and covered his wound with the other and walked over to Wynonna.

Wynonna looked at the pistol in his hand and trembled even more. She pleaded, "Don't... don't come closer ... I saved your life. Don't kill me..." 

"Hmph." Shane walked over and stood in front of her and looked down at her. He let out a burst of almost indiscernible laughter and then held out his hand to her.

The hand that he held out was still holding his pistol, so Wynonna thought that he was going to finish her off. She closed her eyes in despair.

She waited and waited but she never heard the pistol fire. Instead, she heard Shane's low, hoarse voice ask, "Why aren't you getting up? Are you waiting for me to carry you?"

Hearing his voice, her eyes widened in disbelief. She quickly lifted her head and met his long, narrow eyes.

His eyes, which had been filled with murder when facing the killer earlier, were now calm.

Wynonna let out a huge sigh of relief. She reached out gingerly and held his hand.

Shane's strong hand swiftly gripped her soft little palm, and he pulled her to her feet.

Wynonna's legs were still shaking. She felt embarrassed, but she could not control them. She had no choice but to hold on firmly to his arm to steady herself.

...

Shane saw how hopeless she looked and could not help but laugh mockingly at her.

"What are you laughing at? I... I'm in this state because I tried to save you."

Wyonna was a little angered by his mocking.

"Didn't you want me dead? Why did you change your mind suddenly and saved me instead?" asked Shane while looking down at her.

"I... Because I have a good heart." Wynonna opened her mouth to explain herself, but then, in defeat, she explained, "I admit that, at first, I did think that if you were dead, I would be free. I wouldn't have to be stuck here anymore, but only if you died of a natural cause like old age or sickness. I couldn't stand by and do nothing and watch you get killed..." 

Sigh. A person with good conscience will always live in dilemma, she thought.

"Hmph. Do you have to be so honest?" asked Shane. Her honesty caused him to laugh in exasperation.

He was constantly surrounded by people who wore masks. She was the only one who would tell him her honest feelings and thoughts. Although he had wanted to strangle her at first, now, he found her honesty to be quite endearing.

"Well... I think you should treat and dress your wound first," Wynonna reminded when she saw the front of his shirt stained with bright red blood.

..

One of the servants from Muller's Old Mansion rushed over. Michael, who was his personal doctor, was also called over by Alan to attend to Shane's gunshot wound.

"Shane, I thought you couldn't see? This killer.. who shot this killer then?" Mrs.

Muller asked in bewilderment.

"Mrs. Muller, I had knocked out the killer first. Then Mr. Muller followed the sound to figure out where he was and fired," Wynonna quickly explained. She added, "See, the bruises on the back of his head and forehead were left by me..." 

"You have a lot of guts for such a young little lass," said Mr. Muller. He'd never really been pleased with his grandson's wife, but he admired her courage.

"Actually, I was scared too, but I had to be courageous to protect Mr. Muller," said Wynonna, taking the chance to express her loyalty.

Shane let out a little snort when she said that.

...

After Shane's wound was treated and dressed, Mr. and Mrs. Muller and the servant left.

Wynonna guessed that Alan and Michael still had things to discuss with Shane, so she excused herself. She said, "Please go ahead. I'll head to the kitchen and ask the cook to prepare supper."

"Ok," Shane answered calmly.

After she left, Alan immediately went forward, and in a low voice, he said, "Mr.

Muller, I have found some leads on the person who poisoned you. That person's phone records showed that he was in close contact with Daniel, so I think Daniel was behind that..." Shane squinted his long and narrow eyes as if he was thinking about something.

"Could he have sent this killer too?" Michael frowned. "If anything happens to Shane, he stands to gain the most. He is Muller Group's vice president. There was also gossip about him and Isabelle Wesley..." 

He had wanted to go on, but when he saw Alan's eyes implying something, he realized that he had touched on a topic that was taboo to Shane. He immediately shut his mouth.

Shane's face was dark. In a cold voice, he said, "We'll have to investigate tonight's matter some more."

At the moment, Daniel Muller was the most suspicious but there was no concrete evidence. Based on Shane's knowledge of Daniel, he was one who always did a clean job. It was not quite possible for him to leave such obvious evidence.

No matter what, for that killer to get past the Old Mansion's tight security system, it meant that it was definitely an inside job.

...

"Yes, Mr. Muller," Alan nodded slightly, looking solemn.

But Michael still wore his usual cheeky look, patted Shane on his shoulder, and said, "I have to say, you're normally a light sleeper. How could you have taken so long to realize that a man had climbed in through the window?"

In the past, Shane would have shot the killer dead before he even had the chance to set foot onto the room's floor.

Shane's eyes twitched a little.

Shane's insomnia was caused by some past experience. Even during the rare occasions where he fell asleep, it was usually not deep. Any slight movement would wake him up.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You've not asked me to prescribe sleeping pills in a while. Has lying in your little pretty wife's embrace helped you sleep more soundly?" Michael suddenly thought of that and teased Shane.

"Don't put me in the same category as you. I'm not interested in women. I let her sleep with me only because she can cure my insomnia," Shane said and calmly glanced at him.

Since that little thing had arrived, Shane had been sleeping better. That effect could also last for a while after she had gotten out of bed, and that power of it was increasing.

So, if he kept in contact with her more, his insomnia could be completely cured.

"What? Are you serious? But that explains why you forced her to stay." Michael was very surprised. "If your insomnia is completely cured, have you planned on where to put her?"

"I've never thought about it," said Shane indifferently. "She can go wherever she likes. It's none of my business."

Once his insomnia was cured, that woman would mean nothing to him anymore.

Although she was sometimes rather interesting and entertaining, those were not strong enough reasons for Shane to keep her.

...

In a dark room, a man wearing a black suit sat on a black sofa. The dark-colored theme matched the man's equally sinister expression.

"Boss, the killer we sent has been killed. What shall we do?" said one of his lackeys frantically as he walked through the door.

"What is there to be afraid of?" said that man with a sinister smile. "There are so many other people in the Muller family who are suspicious. He would never suspect me."

His lackey wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and nodded. "You are wise."

...

Wynonna spent the entire night thinking and felt that this was the best chance to make her request because she had just saved his life.

So she woke up early the next morning and waited with her eyes wide open for Shane to wake up.

Shane felt a strong sense of someone staring at him and could not sleep well. When he opened his eyes, he found Wynonna's clear, bright almond eyes staring at him.

"Why are you up staring at me so early in the morning?" he said as he raised his eyebrows, his voice still hoarse because he had just woken up.

"Of course it is because you are good-looking." Wynonna flattered him as she thought of what she was going to say next.

"Get straight to the point," said Shane, closing his eyes.

He knew that she had an ulterior motive, but it was rare for her to say those words, and it felt good to hear her say them.

"Well, I will not talk about me warding off your bad luck," said Wynonna. Her black grape-like eyes shifted, and in an expectant tone, she said to him, "I saved you again last night. This time, could you give me a reward?"

Shane looked at her sparkling eyes and calmly asked, "What do you want?"

Before Wynonna could answer, he added, "Besides leaving here, you can have anything."

Wynonna could only swallow back the words on the tip of her tongue. She could not help but ask, "But all I want is to leave here. There isn't anything else I wish for."

Shane frowned and said, "Is it that difficult for you to be my woman? Why are you so reluctant?"

She seemed to see him as some sort of terrible monster. That made him feel very unhappy.