Chapter 1 Escape On The Engagement Banquet Night

A navy sedan tore through the empty highway, slicing open the heavy night as it raced toward the outskirts of the city.

"Claire, don't be afraid. I won't let my parents sell you off to that madman, Logan Carter!" Danny Dale's hands were locked tight around the steering wheel, his jaw clenched, eyes blazing with determination. "I'm taking you straight to the airport. We're leaving right now."

In the back seat, Claire White lay restrained-her wrists and ankles bound with satin ribbons.

She twisted helplessly, struggling against the restraints, her voice low and urgent. "Danny, stop. Turn back. The engagement banquet is about to begin. If we disappear like this, your parents won't be able to cover it up."

Today was supposed to mark the announcement of her engagement to Logan, the eldest son of the Carter family. Instead, she was being forcibly spirited away by Danny, the impulsive second son of the household that had taken her in after her parents' deaths.

At her words, Danny's expression darkened violently. His eyes burned red with fury. "Engagement?" he snapped. "You only live with us temporarily. You are not even a Dale! And now my parents think they can trade you to that infamous lunatic of Fiklens for a business deal?"

One ribbon slipped loose. Claire finally freed one hand. As she worked at the knots, she spoke softly, trying to calm him. "They didn't force me. I agreed to it myself."

Danny laughed sharply, "Then why were you crying backstage?"

He tore through her composure without mercy. "Logan already said he won't even show up today. You'll be standing there alone-turned into a joke in front of the entire city. He hasn't met you once, yet he's already trampling on your dignity. I won't let you marry someone like that."

He glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "You have a boyfriend, don't you? Three years together. Give me his number-I'll call him right now. I'll help you run away with him."

At those words, Claire's chest tightened painfully. Her boyfriend's words echoed in her mind.

"Claire, the Dale family is cornered. The Carters are our only way out. Just endure it for six months. Half a year-I'll come back, explain everything to Mom, Dad, and Danny, and marry you properly."

For three years, she had been secretly involved with Carsten Dale, the family's eldest son. Every time she asked him to make their relationship public, he told her to wait. To be patient. To trust him.

But in the end, he personally pushed her into marrying a stranger-for the sake of his family.

A violent screech of brakes shattered her thoughts. Their car jerked to a halt. A black SUV had cut them off, stopping dead in front of them.

"What the hell-are you trying to die?!" Danny shouted as he shoved open the driver's door. "Are you blind, you-"

He stopped mid-sentence. A cold metal muzzle pressed firmly against his forehead.

Danny went rigid. Blood drained from his face as terror locked his body in place.

A lazy, low voice drifted through the night. "Jackson. Easy. Don't frighten him."

From the SUV stepped a man tall enough to command the darkness itself. His presence was chilling-controlled, lethal, wrapped in quiet authority.

He brushed past his armed bodyguard, opened the sedan door with unhurried elegance, and leaned casually against it. His sharp eyes flicked toward Claire, a trace of mockery curling at their edges. "Running away?" he asked lazily.

The chill in his gaze crawled up Claire's spine. She frowned and glanced at Danny, whose face had gone deathly pale. "Let him go," she said firmly.

The man ignored her. "You haven't answered me."

With a faint, knowing smirk, he turned and strode toward his bodyguard, Jackson Holt.

In a single, seamless motion, he seized the gun, clicked the slide back, and chambered a round.

The cold muzzle settled against Danny's forehead once again.

Danny, arrogant as he was, was only twenty. He had never stared down the barrel of a real gun. His legs shook. "D-don't do this! I'm a Dale!"

The man smiled faintly, eyes flicking back toward Claire. "So?" he drawled. "Are you running away from your engagement ceremony?"

Claire's heart slammed violently against her ribs. Forcing herself to stay calm, she spoke carefully. "He's just a friend. We went out for a drive."

"A drive?" the man echoed coolly. "On the night your engagement ceremony is about to begin?"

Claire slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, his features were sharp and domineering-untouchable, dangerous. Her pulse thundered.

If he knew about the engagement... then he must know who her future fiancé was.

She gathered every ounce of courage she had and lifted her chin. "I'm about to become Logan Carter's fiancée," she said sharply. "Do you really dare interfere? Put the gun down and let us go. If he finds out, you won't survive the consequences."

It was a gamble. She was betting on Logan's name.

Silence pressed heavily over the scene. Then the man laughed softly. "Interesting," he said. "Weren't you just trying to escape from marrying Logan?"

"I wasn't." Claire raised an eyebrow coolly. "He's busy tonight and couldn't attend. I asked my friend to take me to him."

She lifted her ribbon-bound hands deliberately. "See this? A surprise. I'm delivering myself to him tonight." Her gaze sharpened. "If you delay me any longer, you won't live long enough to regret it."

The night fell silent once more.

After a long pause, the man spun the pistol effortlessly and tucked it away. His eyes lingered on her, dark with amusement. "So," he said slowly, voice low and dangerous, "you're offering yourself to him tonight?"