The following is a translation of the provided text, with the names replaced as requested.
In the middle of the night, Zara was sleeping soundly. Suddenly, she felt a wave of scorching heat engulf her. A choking smell of smoke was invading her lungs through her nose and mouth. She couldn't help but cough violently a few times, and her eyes shot open.
She was instantly terrified. Thick smoke was rolling in front of her. She looked up and saw that the living room was a sea of orange flames.
She screamed in panic, "Mom, fire! Wake up!"
She quickly jumped out of bed and ran to where her mother was sleeping. Her mom was on a small wooden bed in the living room.
Their rental was an old one-bedroom apartment.
Her mother, out of consideration for a young person's need for personal space, insisted that Zara sleep in the bedroom while she set up a small wooden bed in a corner of the living room.
Next to the bed was a wooden wardrobe, which the landlord had provided. Although it wasn't very sturdy, the material and color were quite nice.
Her mother coughed violently. Hearing the shout, she groggily opened her eyes and saw the fiery scene. She quickly grabbed Zara's hand, pushing her toward the door. "Zara, quick, get out!"
"Mom, I can't leave you! We go together! I'll carry you!" With that, she bent down to help her mother onto her back.
Two years after her father's death, her mother was working in the fields when she suddenly saw stars and collapsed. Her fellow workers rushed her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction.
The doctor performed a procedure to create a new pathway in her brain, like finding a new road to a destination when the main one is blocked. Her mother was discharged soon after, and aside from having to lift her right foot first and use its strength to slowly drag her left foot forward, she looked the same as she did before her illness.
Suddenly, the wardrobe tipped outward, about to fall directly on Zara. Her mother yelled, "Zara, get back!" and lunged forward, pushing Zara out of the way. The wardrobe hit her mother squarely, and her body twisted before she fell heavily to the ground.
"Mom…"
In a dark, enclosed room, a black figure stood with his back to a servant below him. A slightly aged voice, filled with malice, asked, "How is the plan progressing?"
"Master, that woman is lucky. That still wasn't enough to kill her! Only her mother was hurt and is now in the hospital!"
"Useless! Keeping her alive is a threat. Someday…" The black figure's eyes looked ahead with a cruel expression.
In a hospital room, Zara's mother slowly opened her eyes.
Zara breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly rushed to her mother. "Mom, you're awake! You're finally awake! You scared me to death!"
Her mother weakly lifted her eyelids and reached out to gently pat Zara's back. "My good child, your mom… won't die! Your mom… still needs to see you get married one day!"
"Mom!" Zara could no longer hold back her tears.
"What happened? How did it catch fire?" Her mother's brow suddenly furrowed, her eyes wide with thought. "Ever since you graduated, I came to this city with you. We barely have any friends, and we've always been kind to people. We've never offended anyone!"
"Mom, the old apartment was run-down; it was an electrical fire. The police were just here," Zara said, hiding the truth to avoid worrying her mother.
The police had told her they suspected arson but lacked sufficient evidence.
Zara changed the subject. "Mom, we need to find a new place to live."
Just then, a nurse's aide came in. Hearing their conversation, a strange, imperceptible smile appeared on her face. She stepped forward and said kindly, "You're looking for a place? Maybe I can help you!"
The mother and daughter exchanged a look but didn't answer.
This was a new aide Zara had hired. Still being strangers, both she and her mother instinctively and politely declined the offer.
Zara searched all over S City but couldn't find a suitable place. The rent was either too expensive or it was too far from her workplace. She was walking aimlessly down the street when her phone rang. She took it out and saw Evander's name on the screen.
She answered the call.
"Zara, come to my office," he sounded very unhappy.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"I'm looking for a place to live, I don't have time."
"You have half an hour to get here," he said and hung up.
She pouted and reluctantly went to his office.
He threw down the documents he was holding and quickly walked up to her. Flames seemed to leap from his deep-set eyes as he stared at her, his face dark. "I saw the news! You were in trouble, why didn't you come to me? Did you forget the clause in our contract, 'Any difficulties must be shared and resolved together'? Or are you simply ignoring it?"
Even though she could tell he meant well, his intensity frightened her. She took a step back, her eyes wide as she looked at him nervously, and whispered, "I just thought I could handle such a small thing myself."
"You need to realize that you are my 'girlfriend' now. If word gets out that my 'girlfriend' is wandering the streets looking for an apartment, do you think you can still fulfill this role?" He waved his hands, turned, and sat down in his office chair. His voice suddenly got louder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think of that," she said honestly. She couldn't understand why being his "girlfriend" meant she couldn't find a new place to live after her old one burned down.
"How about this, you move into my place," he said, suddenly lowering his voice.
"The contract doesn't say anything about the 'female party having to cohabit with the male party,' does it?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief. "I'll keep looking myself. Don't worry, I'll keep our secret safe… I'm sorry, my mother needs me. Goodbye!" She opened the door and left. She had just thought he was being kind, but it seemed he only cared about himself.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she had already vanished from his sight.
Zara spent over half a month looking for a suitable apartment.
She had been staying in a hotel, but the night before her mother was discharged, she missed the window to book a room, and all the hotels were full.
She was walking alone on the street.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, lightning flashed, and it began to rain heavily.
She didn't have time to find shelter and was completely soaked. A gust of wind made her shiver, and she hugged herself, squatting down in a corner.
At that moment, she yearned for a safe harbor from the wind and rain. Her eyes looked blankly ahead as the rain seemed to get heavier.
Suddenly, Evander stood next to her, holding an umbrella.
She looked up and saw it was him. A warm feeling rushed into her heart.
She gave an awkward smile.
"Let's go. You're coming to my place," his commanding tone left no room for refusal.
"I'm not going," she stood up, turned, and started to walk away. She felt a sense of forced discomfort.
"So stubborn." Without another word, he forcefully picked her up, carried her to his car, opened the passenger door, and pushed her inside.
She screamed and protested loudly.
He got in, pressed the gas, and the car sped off.
"Evander, there's nothing in our contract that says the female party has to live with the male party!"
"You think I want to have a relationship with you? I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you right now!"
She froze, as if she'd been profoundly humiliated. She gritted her teeth and glared at him.
He glanced at her expression in the rearview mirror, and a hint of pleasure welled up inside him. He couldn't help but chuckle, a playful smile on his face.
He kept looking at her through the rearview mirror. Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he stared ahead. "You were lucky this fire didn't kill you. But you might not be so lucky next time. I hear there have been a lot of car accidents and poisonings lately?"
She was leaning her head against the seat, looking out the window. She froze at his words, then turned to look at him. "You think someone is deliberately trying to harm me?"
The car turned a corner. With a sharp gaze, he suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the car made a beautiful arc. "Haven't you seriously considered it?"
Her body swayed with the turn. She pursed her lips and looked at him. Of course, she had. She had gone through everyone she knew. The main suspect was Lise, but she felt that people who were usually so rude and unreasonable weren't the type to hide their intentions. Her gut told her it wasn't Lise.
Suddenly, her expression became tense, as if she had just remembered something. She yelled, "Stop the car! Quick, stop!"
He pursed his lips and ignored her.
She shot up and tried to grab the steering wheel.
"Damn it!" he roared, swerving the car left and right to avoid hitting things.
With a whoosh, the car came to an emergency stop.
She yanked the door open, jumped out, glanced around, and started running in the opposite direction.
"Damn it!" He quickly got out of the car and ran after her.
He was a skilled athlete. As she was running just ahead of him, he reached out and pulled her. Because of the force, she lost her balance. She cried out, "Ah!" and fell into his arms.
He quickly stretched out his other arm, wrapping both around her. She froze, her eyes wide as she looked at him, a blush rising on her cheeks. A strong, masculine scent filled her nose, cheeks, chest, and every inch of her skin—a clean, healthy, and naturally musky male scent. She was enveloped by this smell, completely captivated.
She saw him staring intently at her, his eyes like a glass sea, incredibly beautiful. She saw his face filled with tenderness, his eyebrows relaxed, and his sparkling eyes showing trust, curiosity, and longing… She saw him raise his hand, as if to caress her cheek. "Crazy girl, why are you suddenly acting like this?"
Her body trembled. Snapping back to reality, she pushed him away with all her strength. "If I'm going to die anyway, what difference does it make where I am? Why do I need to drag you down with me?"
He wrapped his arms around her even more tightly. The more she struggled, the more firmly she was held. Helplessly, she gave up struggling and tried to shift her body to keep from touching his. He didn't seem to mind and laughed heartily. "You're worried about me?"
"I just don't want an innocent person to die because of me. You know that feeling isn't good," she said, her eyes dimming as she lowered her head sadly.
He froze, his expression instantly hardening. He leaned down and looked at her. "If I can't even protect my own 'girlfriend,' what kind of man am I? Besides, the contract says 'difficulties must be resolved together.' I'm a businessman, and a businessman values his reputation more than his life!"
Her eyes lit up. She looked up at him, and an expression of admiration unconsciously appeared in her eyes.