In A World Without Color, You Were My Miracle

"Brenna, you're stepping in for Noreen to get engaged today. Get back here right now and stop embarrassing this family! If you don't-" The line went dead the second Brenna Fuller ended the call.

Brenna had been abducted and sold off at three years old. It took her more than twenty years to track down her biological parents, and she had only reunited with them a month ago. Now they were demanding she marry in place of their precious younger daughter, Noreen Walsh.

A sharp crack suddenly tore through the alley.

Brenna recognized the sound as gunfire instantly. Without wasting time, she scooped up her pharmacology textbooks and prepared to slip out of the alley.

Before she could take two steps, someone slammed into her.

The man wore a silver mask that covered most of his face, leaving only a clean, sharp jaw exposed. His tailored suit jacket was darkened with spreading blood, proof that he was badly hurt.

"Don't move..." Vincent Todd rasped, his voice low and edged with warning.

Assuming she was another assassin sent by his enemies, he raised his hand, intent to subdue her, but the moment he saw her face clearly, his hand stalled midair.

Their gazes locked. Amber eyes met his, bright and steady, and her lips stood out in vivid red against skin marked by heavy burn scars. Yet in his eyes, she didn't look damaged. She looked alive.

For more than ten years, his world had been nothing but black and white. Now, standing in front of her, he felt as if color had suddenly returned.

Footsteps pounded closer from the alley entrance.

"Move! He's wounded. He can't have gone far!" a man shouted.

Silence pressed in after that, broken only by tense breathing.

Brenna's gaze flicked toward the approaching figures. Each of them had a swallow tattoo inked on his neck. She knew exactly what that meant. Notorious assassins.

"I didn't see anything," she said calmly, ready to walk away and leave him to his fate.

Without giving her space to step away, Vincent closed the distance and pinned her between himself and the cold brick wall. "If you get me out of this, name your price," he said, his tone low but steady.

His gaze didn't leave her face. Everything around him still looked drained of color, yet when he focused on her, the world sharpened and brightened in a way he couldn't explain. Who exactly was she?

Outside the alley, the sound of boots striking pavement grew louder.

Brenna narrowed her eyes and let out a quiet breath. "Such a headache," she muttered.

Then, her hand shot up and caught his collar. She pressed her palm flat against his chest and shifted her tone in an instant. "Honey, don't you think this is a little too bold for a public place?" she said sweetly.

Strips of white gauze hung overhead, swaying slightly and casting a hazy veil over them. From a distance, they looked like a couple tangled up in an intimate moment.

The approaching footsteps slowed for a second and then resumed, edging closer.

The next moment, Vincent wrapped an arm firmly around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Why act shy now? We picked this quiet spot for a live stream, remember? If someone stumbles onto us, it'll just bring more viewers." His breathing turned heavier as he spoke.

Standing only inches away from her, he caught the light, crisp trace of her scent in the air, and he could clearly see the glow in her amber eyes.

As Vincent leaned in and Brenna tilted her head back, shielded by the white gauze, they appeared to be a passionate young couple.

The assassins hesitated. None of them wanted to risk being filmed, so after a few annoyed curses, they turned and ran toward another direction.

Once their footsteps faded, Brenna finally relaxed. "Two million," she said calmly. "That's my price."

Even through the thin fabric between them, she could feel the heat from his broad palm resting at her waist, steady and unmistakable.

No matter how tense the situation was, Brenna couldn't ignore the obvious. The man in front of her was built well. From where she stood, the top buttons of his shirt had come undone, exposing the firm lines of his chest. Even with half his face hidden behind a mask, the cut of his shoulders and the taper of his waist gave off an undeniable presence.

"Give me your contact details," Vincent said, his gaze still locked on her. "I'll send the money over now."

He couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze away from her, almost as if he was trying to memorize every detail.

When their eyes met again, a chill ran down her spine. There was something dangerous in his stare, sharp and focused, like a predator sizing up its prey. Her pulse quickened before she could stop it.

"This account," she said briskly, pushing against his chest to create distance while handing him a backup account.

She took a deep breath. The strange tension from earlier had to be her imagination. She had gone out of her way to make herself look as unattractive as possible. Her best friend had even joked that the burn scars makeup made her look completely ruined. No sane man would be drawn to that.

Moments later, a group of disciplined bodyguards rushed into the alley.

"We apologize for the delay. The targets have been neutralized..." the lead guard remarked, only to stop when he noticed Brenna standing beside Vincent. His expression hardened at once. "Is she part of them? Do you want us to handle her?"

They had seen assassins disguise themselves as fragile women before. Still, this was the first time they had seen one disguised as an ugly woman.

Brenna was momentarily at a loss for words. So this was why this man had transferred two million without blinking. They were ready to silence her.

Clicking her tongue, she straightened her posture and lifted her chin. "Watch your tone," she snapped. "I'm Vincent Todd's fiancée. The Todd family doesn't tolerate disrespect. Think carefully before you touch me."

As soon as the bodyguards heard her words, they looked at one another, and then they broke into loud laughter. Fiancée? There was no way their boss would ever marry someone they thought looked so ugly and small.

One of them spoke up. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you even have any idea who our boss is..."