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I throw up my hands in defense, realizing that I’m seconds away from being hit by a car.
Tires screech on the gravel as the car comes to a stop just inches from my knees. My legs tremble and I collapse on the ground, the shock still working through my system.
I hear the car door open and quick footsteps approaching me. The car’s headlights make it difficult for me to see who’s standing over me.
“Are you okay?” an unfamiliar male voice asks.
I shiver hard, my teeth chattering. Gulping thickly, I try to find my voice. Before I can say anything, the man gets onto his knees and takes a closer look at me.
While I peer at the stranger, a different set of hands touch me.
Rough, calloused palms lift my face but they’re gentle. My breath hitches as I stare into a pair of deep brown eyes. Somehow, even in that dazed state of mind, I know I can trust this man. Call it intuition. Call it pure insanity.
My next words tumble out of my trembling lips. “Please…save me.”
2
Kai
Heavy clouds blanket the sky outside the mansion. Gusts of wind sway the bare tree branches, blowing in wisps of snow through the open window of the entrance hall.
A snowstorm is about to unleash its fury tonight.
I’m glad the directors’ dinner has come to an end. We can finally get out of here and be on our way home before the storm hits.
“Mr. Drake,” a soft feminine voice calls from behind me.
Turning around, I see Olivia Du Pont, the heiress to a private oil company, standing before me. Dressed in a golden-hued mermaid gown, she looks like a dream. Her blond hair hangs in an elaborate braid down the side of her neck while her face is painted with the most sophisticated makeup.
“How can I help you, Miss Du Pont?” I ask in a polite tone.
“Mr. Drake…Kai,” she says softly with a nervous chuckle. “Would you like to share a drink with me?”
“Sure,” I say, gesturing toward a passing valet.
When the valet comes over to us, I grab the non-alcoholic fruit punch.
She notices immediately. “Don’t you drink alcohol?” she asks, picking up a flute of champagne.
“I’ll be driving my brothers home tonight, so I need to watch how much I drink,” I reply, raising my glass to her.
She takes a sip of her drink and bats her long, thick lashes at me.
I feel people’s weighted gaze on me. Olivia Du Pont’s interest in me has stoked their curiosity.
Most of the men and women gathered in these halls are billionaires but they still feel competitive against an ex-military guy like me. Despite owning the same amount of money as them, they still treat me and my brothers as outsiders.
While these inherited their wealth from their parents and grandparents, my brothers and I have given our blood, sweat, and tears to stand where we are today.
My brothers and I dress in the same kind of luxurious tailored clothes as them but our hands aren’t as soft and manicured as theirs. Our faces and bodies bear the mark of the atrocities we’ve seen and experienced.
I catch a pair of older men throwing snide glances at me as they pass by. Reigning in the annoyance every time I’m around these entitled pricks, I focus on the woman before me.
“Miss Du Pont—”
She shakes her head and touches my arm. “Call me Olivia.”
“Olivia,” I say with a nod.
