[Bonus + chapter]
[INT. BETTA'S CAFÉ – EVENING]
Harriet sits at a corner table in Betta's café, sipping tea, her mind miles away. The soft hum of conversations around her contrasts sharply with the storm raging inside her. Betta watches her from the counter, concerned, but says nothing. The atmosphere feels heavy.
Suddenly, the bell above the café door rings as a figure enters. Harriet's eyes flicker up, and her heart lurches. It's Rufei.
He spots her immediately and starts walking toward her, but before he can reach her, Harriet stands abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. Without a word, she turns and rushes outside, her breath quickening.
[EXT. BETTA'S CAFÉ – RAINY EVENING]
The rain falls in sheets, cold and relentless. Harriet sprints, her shoes splashing through puddles, but she doesn't stop.
Behind her, Rufei follows, desperation in his steps. He calls her name.
RUFEI
"Harriet! Wait!"
She doesn't stop. She wants to be anywhere but here, and certainly not near him. But Rufei catches up, grabbing her wrist, pulling her to a halt.
RUFEI
"Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'll fix it."
Harriet winces, his touch sending a surge of anger through her. She jerks her arm, trying to pull away, but he holds on tighter.
HARRIET
(voice trembling, furious)
"Let go, Rufei!"
RUFEI
"No. I need to know why, Harriet. Why are you doing this to me? To us?"
[EXT. STREET – FRED'S CAR DRIVING BY]
Just as Harriet tries to break free, a sleek black car skids past, and Fred catches sight of them through the window. His face hardens, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.
[INT. FRED'S CAR – CONTINUOUS]
Fred's eyes narrow as the car drives past. His jaw clenches.
FRED
(under his breath, voice low and angry)
"Why the hell is she with him?"
Fred's anger is palpable, and he slams his fist against the steering wheel. His eyes flash with jealousy, but he keeps driving, not stopping, though the storm of emotions inside him continues to build.
[EXT. STREET – CONTINUOUS]
Harriet pulls her wrist away, but Rufei steps closer, his expression desperate, pleading. The air is thick with tension.
RUFEI
"Please, Harriet… Let me explain. why are you doing this to me?"
Harriet's eyes flash, her emotions swirling in a storm of pain and confusion. She looks at him, her heart pounding.
HARRIET
"I saw the kiss… with that girl, Rufei. The one you were with. Don't lie to me."
RUFEI
(stunned, confused)
"What… what are you talking about? What kiss?"
Harriet's breath catches in her throat. The image of that girl, the sly smile, the way Rufei didn't push her away—those moments haunt her now.
HARRIET
"I saw you two kiss. Don't lie! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Rufei's expression shifts from shock to confusion to a deep sadness. He reaches for her, but she pulls away, stepping back.
RUFEI
(panicking)
"Harriet, that's not what you think. You have to believe me! I was shocked too. She—she kissed me out of nowhere. I can explain. Please, Harriet, I only love you. It's always been you."
Tears well in Harriet's eyes as the fight inside her rages on.
HARRIET
(voice breaking)
"Please, Rufei. Just… give me some space. I need time. I can't keep doing this."
RUFEI
(pleading)
"No! Harriet, don't do this. Please, just give me a chance to explain. You can't just end it like this… not after everything we've been through."
HARRIET
(crying, shaking her head)
"I can't do this anymore. I need to break free from all of this. I can't keep going back and forth. I'm done."
RUFEI
(desperate, tears forming)
"Harriet, please… Don't say that. Don't make a decision like this. I'll give you time, I swear. But please, don't walk away like this."
Harriet steps back, her face filled with an overwhelming mix of sadness and anger.
[INT. FRED'S PENTHOUSE – NIGHT]
Meanwhile, at Fred's penthouse, the scene is intense. Fred stands in front of a full-length mirror, the weight of his emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
FRED
(quiet, seething)
"She kissed me once, and now… Now she's out there with him? After everything? After what we had?"
His hands tremble as he unbuttons his shirt, his breath ragged. Anger rises in him like a storm.
FRED
(voice breaking)
"Does she really think she can go back to him? Does she want to be with a man who hurt her? A betrayal?"
Fred slams his fist onto the table, causing a glass to shatter.
FRED
(angry, voice rising)
"How could she do this to me? After everything I've done for her, she chooses him? She wants to be with him? No. Not on my watch."
He turns, fury clouding his features. His veins bulge with the force of his emotions, his breath heavy with the rage that churns inside him.
FRED
(growling)
"If she wants to choose him… let's see how far he can go before he loses her again."
Fred grabs a chair and hurls it across the room, smashing a mirror into pieces. His fury is uncontainable, but just as his anger peaks, his phone buzzes—Harriet's name flashing on the screen.
Fred pauses, his face a mask of volatile emotions. He takes a deep breath, and for a moment, he seems to reconsider.
FRED
(gritting his teeth)
"If she won't come to me… I'll go to her."
But the storm is far from over.
[EXT. STREET – NIGHT – CONTINUOUS]
Rain continues to pour.
Harriet turns from Rufei, wiping her tears angrily. She can't look at him anymore.
Rufei, drenched and heartbroken, watches her walk away into the night, every step she takes feeling like a knife to his heart.
RUFEI
(whispering)
"I won't give up… not like this."
His chest heaves, emotions too tangled to name.
---
[EXT. ABANDONED BLACK-FIRED MANSION – NIGHT]
The rain had lessened to a mist.
The crumbling mansion stood like a skeleton of the past — its charred walls covered in vines, broken windows gaping like hollow eyes.
Harriet stood before it, soaked and shivering.
Her hands trembled as she stepped through the rusted gate, her shoes sinking into the wet mud.
Inside, the ruined halls echoed the ghosts of her memories.
She could almost hear laughter — her father's warm voice, her mother's sweet singing.
But all of it was gone.
Harriet stumbled into the grand hall, falling to her knees on the cracked marble.
HARRIET
(sobbing, shouting)
"Papa! Mama!
Please... help me!
Please!"
Her voice broke into the empty air, swallowed by the ruins.
Then—
A soft crunch of footsteps.
A shadow detached itself from the darkness near the doorway.
Deep voice, calm and dangerous:
???:
"Why are you here?"
Harriet spun around, heart pounding.
A tall man stepped into the dim light.
Soaked, hair dripping, black shirt half-unbuttoned — eyes burning.
Fred.
She gasped.
He looked almost inhuman — wild, furious, magnetic.
FRED
(voice low, mocking)
"Don't forget.
From now on, remember my name...
Fred."
Harriet narrowed her eyes, trying to shake off the chill that crawled up her spine.
HARRIET
(angry, defensive)
"Fred?
Why are you telling me your name?
I don't care who you are."
She turned sharply to leave.
But before she could take a step—
Fred's hand shot out, grabbing her arm, pulling her back against his chest.
Her breath hitched.
His other hand slid down to trap her wrist, strong and unyielding.
Their faces were inches apart.
Fred's voice dropped to a hungry growl:
FRED
(whispering against her skin)
"Are you sure you don't want me in your life?
Do you remember... our kiss?"
Harriet's eyes widened, heart slamming against her ribs.
Kiss...?
What—?
Before she could think, Fred smirked — dark, wicked.
FRED
(taunting)
"No?
Then maybe...
I should show you that fire again."
He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her lips.
Harriet's body locked, frozen.
Her mind screamed run, move, fight—
but her body betrayed her, rooted to the spot, trembling with heat.
Fred's lips ghosted over hers without touching, making her insane with the tension.
Her heart thundered.
Her legs shook.
Inside, Harriet screamed at herself — Why am I standing here? Why can't I resist?
Fred chuckled darkly, sensing her weakness.
FRED
(murmuring against her mouth)
"See?
You want me."
That was the snap.
Harriet tore herself free with a furious glare, shoving him back.
HARRIET
(spitting fire)
"Asshole!"
Fred only laughed softly, tilting his head, watching her burn.
Predator and prey.
Only she wasn't sure anymore who was who.
[EXT. ABANDONED BLACK-FIRED MANSION – NIGHT]
Rain misted around the broken mansion like a living breath.
Harriet shoved Fred back, her chest heaving.
HARRIET
(angry, shaking)
"Asshole!"
Fred stood there — dripping, dangerous, grinning like he owned the storm.
The air between them crackled — electric, burning.
But neither of them noticed—
a figure lurking behind a crumbling column, watching.
---
[HIDDEN CORNER OF THE MANSION]
A man in a long black coat crouched behind a shattered pillar.
His face was hidden by shadows, but his eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.
MR. VANCE, a ruthless underboss of the Crimson Rain syndicate —
the one responsible for the trap that killed Harriet's parents.
He flicked open a lighter, letting the tiny flame dance.
MR. VANCE
(low, to himself)
"So... the lost little princess returns.
And she's got company, too."
His gaze moved between Harriet and Fred.
A slow, menacing smile curled across his lips.
[BACK TO HARRIET AND FRED]
Fred stepped closer again, slower this time.
Rain dripping off his jawline, his shirt clinging to his sculpted body, his chest heaving slightly.
FRED
(voice dark, low)
"You're standing in a graveyard of your past,
crying for ghosts,
but you refuse to see the living one standing in front of you."
Harriet swallowed hard, fists clenched.
Fred's eyes locked onto hers — pure fire.
FRED
(whispering, deadly sincere)
"I'm not going to let you disappear again, Harriet."
Far away, thunder rumbled like a warning.
And from the hidden dark, Mr. Vance's laughter echoed silently —
the first crack in a storm much bigger than either of them could see.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...
***