The city never truly slept. Neon signs flickered against the glass towers, and the hum of traffic lingered like a restless heartbeat. Yet on the quiet stretch of Riverside Drive, the streets were unusually empty. Kimberly Hayes adjusted her earbuds and kept her pace steady, her ponytail swinging with each determined stride.
To the world, she was the polished CEO of Hayes Global, daughter of one of the wealthiest and most feared businessmen in the country. But tonight, she wasn't a billionaire's daughter or a powerful executive—just a woman trying to outrun the shadows that followed her name.
Her running shoes slapped against the pavement, the sound echoing in the silence. That was when she noticed it: footsteps behind her. Too heavy. Too many. The air chilled as a group of men slipped from the alley, their eyes gleaming with intent that made her blood run cold.
"Evening, princess," one of them sneered, stepping into her path.
Fear clawed at her throat, freezing her in place. Before she could scream, the darkness erupted in movement. A man—tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes that burned like fire under the streetlights—stepped out of nowhere.
What followed was chaos. Fists struck, bodies thudded against concrete, groans filled the night. Kimberly's breath came in ragged gasps as she watched the stranger fight like a man who had nothing to lose and everything to protect.
And then—silence. The attackers lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in defeat. The stranger turned to her, his chest rising and falling.
"You're safe now," he said, his voice low, steady.
But the adrenaline was too much. Kimberly's vision blurred, her legs gave way, and the world went black.
The last thing she remembered was strong arms catching her before she hit the ground. When she woke again, she would find herself not on the street—but in her own home, driven there by the man who had saved her. His name was Roy.
And he had just stepped into her story.