I shook my arm free from the grip. I shoved the head guard aside, cleared the path, and lunged for the fire exit door!
Bang! I shoved the door open.
The hot outdoor air struck my face. The iron fire escape stretched down into the darkness below, toward Zen's waiting car.
I kicked off my expensive leather shoes to run faster. My bare feet struck the freezing, sharp metal grating, but I barely felt it.
My mind screamed only one word: Run!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
I sprinted down the spiral stairs. The sound of my ragged breathing filled my ears
But then, the heavy thud of multiple footsteps echoed from behind. Shouts rang out from the upper floors.
"He took the fire escape! After him!"
And then, the sound I feared most in my entire life ripped through the air from the stairwell above.
A roar overflowing with agony and raw wrath.
"YURIN!!!!!!"
Ren's voice shattered the stillness of the stairwell. It was so enraged it made my blood run cold.
"CATCH HIM!!! Lock down every exit! Do not let him leave! Anyone who lets him escape, I will shoot you all myself!"
The command thundered across the fire escape.
I gritted my teeth. Tears of terror streamed down my face.
Run... Run, Yurin!
Just a little further... I was almost there. The VIP parking lot.
I threw myself down the final flight of stairs. The exit door was right there. I slammed my body against it!
Zen's luxurious black sports car was idling. The headlights blared brightly.
"Yurin! Hurry!"
Zen threw open the passenger door, waving frantically. Even with a cap and a mask obscuring his face, I recognized his eyes.
I sprinted toward him. Freedom was only a few steps away. Barely within arm's reach.
But then...
Screeeech! Crash!!
A black SUV belonging to the security team swerved in at high speed! The tires shrieked against the asphalt as it slammed on the brakes, cutting off my path to Zen's car!
Four heavily built bodyguards jumped out, fully armed.
"Stop right there! Get down!"
I froze. I scrambled backward until my spine hit the wall. The escape route was dead.
Zen tried to spin the steering wheel to ram through and help me. But another group of guards raised their guns, aiming directly at his tires.
Bang! A warning shot was fired into the night sky.
Zen flinched. He ground his teeth, slamming his fists against the steering wheel in sheer frustration.
He assessed the situation. If he charged in now, I might get caught in the crossfire. Or he would be captured, destroying any future chance of saving me.
Our eyes met through his windshield. A gaze filled with apology and a silent promise
"Go! Hurry! Run away!"
I screamed at him through my tears, waving frantically, begging him to leave.
Zen was forced to slam on the gas. The engine roared as he rapidly reversed, fleeing the ambush.
Leaving me behind. Stranded amidst a pack of starving wolves.
"Playtime is over, Mr. Secretary."
The head guard marched over. He wrenched my arms behind my back, nearly dislocating my shoulder, and forced me down onto the freezing, filthy concrete.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
I thrashed with everything I had, screaming.
"Sob... Let me go!"
But then, a towering shadow fell over me, completely eclipsing the light.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Expensive leather shoes struck the concrete. Stopping right in front of my face, pressed against the floor.
I slowly, fearfully looked up.
Ren!
He stood towering over me. He looked disheveled and strained. His white tuxedo was stained with dust from the chase. His tie was loose, his hair disheveled.
But his eyes... they blazed with hellfire, ready to incinerate everything in his path.
"Impressive..." he said softly, but the chill in his voice was horrifying. "You made it quite far."
He crouched down. He violently grabbed my hair, yanking my head back, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"But I have bad news... The game is over."
...
I was dragged back up to the ballroom.
Not through the fire escape or any hidden hallways. Ren deliberately dragged me right through the center of the gala, just as the power was restored and the lights blazed back on.
I looked absolutely pathetic. Like an expensive, discarded rag. My shirt was torn from the struggle.
My bare feet were bloodied and caked in dirt. My face was stained with dust and tears.
The guests, still recovering from the sudden blackout, stared in stunned silence.
Whispers erupted across the hall.
"Isn't that Mr. Ren's secretary?!"
"What happened? Why does he look like that?"
"Did he... steal something and try to run?"
Ren ignored every single stare. He gripped my arm hard enough to bruise and dragged me through the crowd.
"Ren! What is the meaning of this?!"
Hana rushed over, furious. She looked at my state, then back at Ren.
"My engagement party is ruined! The guests are panicking!"
"And why did you drag this boy out here? Why didn't you lock him in the back?!"
"Shut up!"
Ren roared so violently that Hana flinched.
He swept his gaze across the guests, then looked at the stage lavishly adorned with expensive flowers.
Ren dragged me up onto the stage. He grabbed a microphone. His other hand maintained a death grip on my collar, dragging me onto the stage, like a prisoner condemned to death before the masses.
"My apologies, distinguished guests..."
His voice echoed through the speakers. Every eye in the room was locked onto him and me.
"Due to unforeseen technical difficulties and a 'traitor' attempting to sabotage the event..."
He yanked my collar, forcing me to stumble forward. Displaying my face clearly to everyone. The humiliation made me want to drop dead right there.
"I am officially canceling tonight's engagement."
Gasps of shock rippled through the colossal ballroom.
"Ren! You can't do this!" Hana shrieked. Her father's face turned purple with rage.
Before the uproar could begin...
"Everyone, please leave!" Ren roared into the mic, his temper completely snapping.
He hurled the microphone onto the floor.
Screeeeech! The feedback shrieked deafeningly.
He turned to look at me. His eyes held no mercy left.
"And you... We are going home. We have a lot to discuss."
...
Thud!
I was violently hurled onto the bedroom floor. My head struck the bed, leaving me dizzy.
Ren stormed in after me. He frantically locked the door. He locked the windows. He locked every possible exit like a madman.
He tore off his suit jacket and threw it aside.
He ripped his tie off and hurled it to the floor. He looked like a wounded, feral beast.
"Why..." he asked, his voice shaking. He advanced toward me, completely menacing.
"How did I not treat you well enough?! I gave you money! I gave you a place to stay! I gave you everything!"
"Even regarding the engagement... I chose to protect you! And this is how you repay me?!"
Crash!
He grabbed the bedside lamp and hurled it at the wall. It shattered into pieces. A shard of glass grazed my cheek, drawing blood.
"You were going to run away with him, weren't you?!"
"With Zen! You were going to leave with him!"
"Yes!"
I screamed back through my tears. The terror mutated into an explosive outburst. The pain overwhelmed me, spilling out entirely.
"I was going to leave with him! Because he is better than you! He never hurt me! He never locked me up! He sees me as a human being, not a pet! You are a monster, Ren! I hate you! Do you hear me?! I hate..."
"Enough!"
He lunged forward, silencing my screams.
His large hand seized my jaw with terrifying force, cutting off my words. My skin went numb under his bruising grip.
Ren stood panting heavily in rage.
The hand clamped over my mouth trembled. He stared down at me... with eyes that looked even more shattered and agonized than when I cursed him.
As if his own heart broke right along with my venomous words.
"You hate me..."
He laughed. A hollow, bitter sound, even as tears pooled in his eyes.
"Good... Then hate me to death."
He hauled me up by the collar of my shirt and shoved me onto the bed. His large hands gripped the fabric with merciless intent.
"Since you despise my kindness... I am done being kind to you, Yurin."
The white shirt was torn apart. The sound was as deafening as shredding paper.
The small buttons popped off, scattering across the luxurious floor, now suffocated by the aura of wrath and despair.
My bare skin, suddenly exposed to the freezing air conditioning, shivered uncontrollably. Terror spread through my veins like glacial ice, replacing my blood.
"Let me go! Ren! Let go!"
"Scream... Scream until your throat bleeds. No one is coming to save you."
"The engagement is ruined. My reputation is destroyed. I have nothing left to protect."
"From now on, you belong to me completely. There is no escape, and the punishment for trying to escape... will be far worse than anything you've known."