Chapter 8.

Cassandra sat on her seat in the dimly lit room, fuming with anger, her gaze piercing through the shadows to meet the eyes of five men kneeling before her. Each had several injuries on the face and bandages on their arms. The air was thick with tension as they watched her trembling with fear.

"You guys are nothing but failures, I should have known earlier before entrusting you with such a task. Was it so hard for you to accomplish such a simple task?" Cassandra's tone rang, full of anger for their failure as she stood from her mighty chair and started walking around circling them.

"And what happened to you all? Why do you have wounds all over your body?" Cassandra asked rolling her devilish hawk's eyes.

The group leader volunteered and explained how Krystie was rescued by a certain guy who had inflicted them with all the injuries. After the explanation, Cassandra couldn't help but mockingly laugh at them before slapping them, how weak were they exactly so as beaten by a single guy?

There was no room for excuses or tolerance for their incompetence.

"Because of your failure, don't expect me to pay you anything, not even a cent." With a final, stern gaze, Cassandra turned on her heel and left the room. The men glanced at each other bitterly. Even after everything that had happened and they had gone through, they still didn't get paid. They would make her pay as she had used them, but that was for the future.

~~~~~~~~~

"Leave my woman alone!"

The icy, thunderous, cold, manly voice rang from behind, making Alex halt in his actions as he and Krystie both turned around to see the owner of the voice.

Surprisingly, they were met with six a six-foot-tall young man, ruggedly handsome, looking all fresh as he had just taken a shower, and with his navy blue three-piece tuxedo, his confident demeanour screamed of power. He was the epitome of handsomeness, and a dark aura looming above his head.

At a closer glance, one could see the pregnant dark clouds just above his head, and his demons accompanying him from behind.

At first glance, Krystie immediately recognized him. He was the same guy that had helped her twice last night and the very same guy that she had slept with, the one that she was running from, yet here he had already found her.

Everything that was happening had happened since last night and Krystie's encounter with him was so many to be called a coincidence, she had kissed him just to get away from her annoying ex, and while she was attacked he was the same guy that had come to her rescue which had led to her sleeping with him, and once more here he was protecting her again, Krystie's heart warmed to him.

Both Krystie and Alex were taken aback by the name that he had referred to her as.

'My woman!' That was new to her. Since when has she started being his woman? The last time she checked, she was single after breaking up with her fiancee, and she had only had sex with him, which was just an accident.

For a moment, there was a tense silence between them, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Alex had a funny surprising expression on his face, one which Krystie didn't understand at all.

"Uncle Lucian!" Alex uttered in surprise, shocking Krystie more.

'Uncle.... Wait. Do these two know each other?'

"I said leave my woman alone," the Lucian guy spoke once more. He didn't even mind Alex's salutations, his face showed that he was here for business and nothing else.

"I will deal with you later," Alex said more in a whisper with gritted teeth, which only Krystie could hear before he stomped away, leaving a confused Krystie wondering what had just happened.

Krystie let out a shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe what had just happened. In the span of a few minutes, this stranger had come to her rescue again, standing up to her ex-boyfriend again, and as if that was not enough, the same stranger with whom she had shared an intimate night was none other than her ex's uncle, what a coincidence!

Thinking about it, Krystie had a small fear in her heart, what if she had jumped from the frying pan into the fire?

"Thank you," Krystie said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger turned to her, his eyes softening with concern. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Krystie shook her head in denial as she wasn't hurt at all. Using her elbow, she wiped the tears that were still at the corners of her eyes. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Thank you so much for saving me again," she murmured.

Lucian chuckled a humourless chuckle. "You really attract problems, don't you? But not a problem at all, and I am glad to help," he replied, acting as if they were total strangers, something which Krystie appreciated as she didn't know how she was supposed to face him if by any chance he was to talk about last night's events.

"Here, take this. It is my business card, and you can always reach out to me anytime in case you have any problems." With that said, he turned around and left.

She, without looking at the card, placed it in her handbag and watched him disappear amid several parked cars. Krystie couldn't help the small smile that formed at the corners of her mouth. It felt so good that at least someone had stood up for her and defended her. This was the first time, and it felt great.

Krystie sat in her car, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as she tried to steady her racing heart, everything felt so surreal, too good to be true.

For some unknown reason, she had good feelings about the guy. He seemed so cold on the outside, yet he was so warm on the inside. Such a gentleman, definitely the man of her dreams.