Chapter 2 A Bad Night

Noisy crowds gather along the sidewalk, yelling drunk profanities in the middle of the night. Their slurs and shouts could wake anyone up from a good sleep. Amy leaned her head against the car window, as her back relaxed against the seat. The neon lights illuminated the dark streets, coloring her lifeless eyes. She sighed, exhausted from the day she had.

In other people's eyes, she was nothing more than a noble but incredibly spoiled daughter of the Luo family. Everyone thought that she had everything she could ever want. Who could ever understand the loneliness she felt under the guise of branded bags and sparkly clothing? Ever since her mother passed away, the only people she ever cared about were her grandparents who were residing by the countryside.

Although she still had her father, the so-called great CEO of LQ Real Estate, they weren't in the best of terms. He loved his daughter so much, but she still couldn't get rid of the resentment in her heart.

If not for him, her mother wouldn't have cried her heart out in the last few days of her existence. If not for him, her grandparents wouldn't have to return to the countryside.

Amy might love her father, that was a fact, but she still hated him deeply for all the things he had done. What made her even more irritated was how much he would force her to accompany him in every business events. She wasn't interested in handling LQ Real Estate. In fact, she didn't know one thing about managing such a large empire. She didn't know why he insisted. Did he want her to see how grand the business became throughout the years? She couldn't care less if her father had owned the world.

It didn't matter if they had enough money to buy a small country. He still wouldn't be able to give her mother back.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to not to cry. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she struggled to keep herself calm. Her mother's words echoed through her mind like a broken recorder saying, "Honey, promise me you'll take good care of your Dad." During that time, they were the only ones in the ward. By the time her father arrived, her mother had already closed her eyes for good. She wanted push him to the side and ask about his absence. "Where were you? Why were you late?" Amy wanted to demand, stabbing her finger against his father's chest. Instead of spewing out all her anger to the old man, she closed her mouth and turned away, letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

She didn't want to disrespect him in front of her mother. Her mother loved him, no matter how indifferent he was to her. Their broken relationship was only sustained through her mother's love.

However, all of that was over now. It wasn't even half a year since her mother had passed away when her father had married Tina, the renowned daughter of HY Construction Company. It was as if her mother's passing was nothing to them as they celebrated the glorious day. Ever since the event, Amy would never consider the villa as her home anymore.

A home had always been with the family, not the house. And for her, her family had died long ago. That luxurious villa was just a cold building filled with lost memories.

"Miss, we're here!" the driver interrupted her thoughts. Opening her eyes, she stared out the window at the villa district. A frown marred her beautiful face. It was the middle of the night, and almost all the lights across the sidewalks were turned off. The shadows shrouded over the car, as if there were beasts threatening to crawl out the dark.

Although she didn't like this place, she had no other choice.

"It will be three hundred and twenty, Miss." The taxi driver hurriedly waved his hand once he saw that Amy was about to get off the car. Just as she stood on the driveway, she furrowed her eyebrows upon hearing his words.

"What?" 'Didn't Shelly pay for the fare?' Even if she was Ben's daughter, it wasn't as if she always brought money with her! Amy looked at herself up and down, moving the ruffles of her dress. There was nothing on her but a dress and a pair of slippers.

She didn't even bring her phone! At the thought, the young woman gritted her teeth. How could she have forgotten her wallet?

Seeing the embarrassed look that had flashed on her face, the driver quickly got out of the car and stood a meter away from her, as if to block her from escaping. She couldn't help but snort at the thought.

"Miss, didn't you bring your money?" The taxi driver stared at Amy's empty hands worriedly. Sweat beaded down the man's forehead. He didn't expect that she didn't have money on her. In fact, the woman even came from one of the most high-end hotels in the area. This was a joke!

"I..." she stuttered out before shaking her head. "Wait, I actually live here. How about you wait for me and I'll go get the money now?"

Amy was about to walk towards the gate of the villa when the driver quickly stopped her. His eyebrows were raised, and his mustache twitched at her words. "Do you think I'm that gullible?" he demanded.

"What if you'll run away? Who will I ask the money from then? The tree?" She bit her lips, trying her best not to snap at the man in front of her. Although what he had said was completely reasonable, she still didn't like his tone. Even the carpet in her room was worth far more than three hundred!

"If you don't trust me, then you can come with me," she snapped back. Crossing her arms over her chest, her foot tapped on the pavement impatiently. Not only was this night ruined for her because of that bastard, but she also had to deal with this now! Her scowl deepened further. At first, she had been polite to the man, but now he was already going too far. What else did he want? For her to grovel at his feet?

"Ha!" The driver snorted. "You think I could enter such a high-end villa that easily?" Although he was just a driver, he did have a brain. Knowing the village and its inhabitants, he knew for a fact that he couldn't just waltz in there.

"Then what do you want?" Amy asked unhurriedly, leaning against the taxi. Now that she had no money with her, all she could do was wait.

The driver raised his hand to glance at his watch. His lips twitched when he saw that it was already two o'clock in the morning. "Look, how about you call your family and ask them to give you some money," he suggested.

Although that was indeed a good idea, it wouldn't work seeing as she forgot to take her phone with her. She shrugged helplessly and motioned to her blue dress. If she had brought her phone, this would've already been done and over with!

"Use mine then." Instead of picking up his simple phone, she rolled her eyes. "Do you think I memorize the phone numbers?"

The only number she remembered was 911.

"You..." The taxi driver stomped his foot on the pavement in annoyance. As his eyes were twitching incessantly at the stubborn woman in front of him, a figure popped out from nowhere and pulled Amy aside.

"Please take me to the Lobster Bay," he stated. There was something about his voice that made him seem anxious.

"I'm not leaving until she pays my fare!" the driver said, crossing his arms and leaning against the car. His beady eyes could bore a hole into her back. It seemed that he wouldn't leave until he got the money. Hearing his words, Amy gritted her teeth and mirrored his actions.

"You act as if I'm stealing from you! Do you even know who I am?" Amy snarled, having enough of the man's accusations. He froze. "Lady, how could this be my fault? Who drives a cab without getting paid?"

At this point, their shouts had attracted the man from inside the car. As soon as he poked his head through the window, he could see a woman standing not far away from the car. She was facing the driver. She was wearing a knee length sapphire off-shoulder dress. Her long hair fell down her back in soft curls, giving off this glossy glow under the dim yellow light. She was thin with very defined collar bones. Although he couldn't see her face because of the light, he could tell that she was a beautiful woman.

The people outside the car kept on arguing. He was going to let them be when his phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"

"Man, where the hell are you? They all want to see you," his friend urged from the other end of the line.

"Just give me a minute." Annoyed, the man hung up his phone and got out of the car.

"How much does she owe you?" Walter Long asked coldly, shoving his hands into his pockets. In less than a second, he already pulled out his wallet. As the leather glinted under the artificial light, Amy furrowed her eyebrows.

Was he going to pay for her fare? Although she couldn't see him clearly, she could tell that he was incredibly domineering.

"Three hundred and twenty, but three hundred is fine," the driver replied, shooting Amy a glare. Walter Long handed him a few bills. Upon looking closer, the driver realized that it was four hundred dollars! "Keep the change," the man added with a shrug. "You're so lucky to meet such a good man!" The driver clapped happily.

Without another word, he stepped into the car. Amy's eyes widened momentarily from what had happened. What the hell just happened? Did that stranger really just treat her?

The taxi revved to life, knocking her out of her thoughts. Seeing that the taxi was about to drive away, her fists slammed against the top of the car like a mad woman. Hearing the noise, Walter Long rolled down his window in confusion. The driver quickly slammed onto the breaks.

"Hey!" she called out. "What's your name? Where do you live? I can pay you back!" It was Amy's principle to not have anyone to pay for her when she could pay herself. Not only would it lead to misunderstandings in the future, but it also could bother her at present. She wasn't going to let that principle go just because he was a stranger.

"Really?" Walter Long mockingly raised an eyebrow.

"I'll pay you back," she insisted.

"Look, if you don't have money to take a taxi, don't wait to do it late at night. It's not that late for you to catch a bus." 'What? Does he think I couldn't afford the fare?'

"You think I should thank you?" she said fiercely. Unexpectedly, the man bobbed his head in response.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be stuck there the entire time. Shouldn't you be thanking me?" Before she could respond, the car had already sped away. At the sudden wisp of the car, she found herself falling onto the pavement.

"Do you want to die? You bastard!" Amy screamed as the taxi sped away. Her cheeks were flushed as her small fists slammed against the ground. Just as she was standing up, a white car stopped beside her. Shelly immediately got out of the car, holding her breath.

"Miss..."

"Fuck off!" Amy stood up and stomped to the villa district, ignoring Shelly.

'Holy shit, I'm so screwed!' Shelly felt that she had forgotten something, only to realize that she didn't pay for Amy's fare. It seemed that at this point, she could kiss her entire career good bye.

"Miss, please! Let me explain!" Shelly chased after Amy as the winds blew through the night. In the starry sky, a meteor streaked across the clouds and fell onto the horizons, making for a beautiful sight.