Chapter 1 We'll Meet Again Soon

Evelyn's POV:

"What? Your mom's getting re-married? You'll have a stepfather?" Lucia asked loudly, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Even though her voice was barely audible amidst the deafening music in the bar, I stood up in a panic and clamped my hand over her mouth. "Keep your voice down!" I hissed, feeling embarrassed.

Lucia blinked at me to show that she understood. I narrowed my eyes at her and happened to notice her clumpy mascara, which I found a little funny. After making sure she was going to keep quiet, I withdrew my hand and sat back in my seat.

My dad died two years ago. Over the years, my mom had countless boyfriends. I met some of them, but she breezed through her relationships so quickly sometimes that I never got to meet the rest of them. This time, however, she said she wanted to get married, and it seemed she had finally found her true love.

"So you're going to meet your stepfather-to-be tomorrow. Are you ready to meet him?" Lucia asked worriedly, looking at me with concern.

I shrugged indifferently. "My mom's only 42. She's not that bad-looking, and besides, she's rich. Tons of men would love to go out with her."

Truth be told, I was a bit reluctant to meet this future stepfather of mine. But I didn't have much of a choice.

"Alright. Let's stop talking about your mother. Have you forgotten why we're here?" Lucia winked at me playfully.

I chuckled. She was right. Today, we were here to get a taste of adult life.

I was wearing heavy makeup for the first time. The dark eye shadow, thick false lashes, and bright red lipstick made me look much older than a student under 18.

I even put on one of my mom's body-hugging, low-cut dresses. The revealing cut of the dress showed off the deep valley of my cleavage, which had never seen the light of day before now.

The bouncer even whistled at us when we entered the bar earlier.

"Ugh, check out all those colorful drinks! Just looking at them is so exciting!" Lucia couldn't help but gaze at the bar longingly.

I followed her gaze to the bar, where handsome bartenders were skillfully mixing drinks. Sure enough, drinks of every color were neatly lined up on the counter, looking extremely tempting under the colorful neon lights.

I waved my hand at Lucia dismissively and said, "Forget it. If we get drunk, we won't be able to find our way home."

"Oh, come on! Just one drink. We can't just go to a bar and ignore the drinks!" As Lucia spoke, she beckoned at the bartender and ordered a glass of whiskey for herself. When she looked at me, I shook my head firmly. With a shrug, she ordered me a glass of orange juice.

The drinks were served in no time. Lucia's eyes sparkled as she picked up her glass and took a careful sip. However, she instantly wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Judging from the look on her face, the whiskey didn't taste so good.

"I heard there're a lot of handsome guys that frequent this bar. Maybe I'll meet one tonight. What do you say?" Lucia looked around as though on the prowl.

Just then, a disgusting voice suddenly sounded. "Hello, beautiful! I've never seen you here before. Is this your first time? Could I buy you two another round of drinks?"

Two men came up to our table, their lecherous eyes sizing us up openly.

"No, thanks," Lucia said with a frown.

I quietly squeezed Lucia's hand from under the table. We exchanged a tacit look and stood up. These two men looked like gangsters-they weren't people we could afford to mess with.

However, the taller man blocked our way.

Smiling playfully, the shorter guy came closer and said, "Don't go. If you're not interested in drinks, we can still have some fun at my place."

The pungent smell of alcohol filled my nostrils as soon as he leaned closer. The man even had the audacity to reach for my breast. I quickly ducked sideways and warned him in a cold voice, "Get out of the way or I'll call the police!"

However, my threat only served to make the two men laugh in unison.

I took out my cell phone and was about to make the call to 911. Just then, the short man rushed over and plucked the phone from my hand. Angry, I swung my bag at his head, which made the short man yelp in pain. Then he grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the wall.

The back of my head slammed against the wall with a sickening thud. Dazed, my mind was reeling and my ears were buzzing. The man in front of me spat, "Bitch! How dare you hit me? I'm going to fuck you right here!"

Then he grabbed my arm and dragged me in the direction of the bathroom. Lucia screamed and tried to help me, but the taller man subdued her easily.

Everyone around us was looking at us curiously, but no one came to help us.

Despair overtook me.

Just as I was about to lose all hope, the short man suddenly screamed and let go of me. I turned around in surprise and saw him flying backward, crashing heavily against the wall.

I froze as he slumped limply to the floor, still unable to wrap my head around what had happened.

Soon, my gaze shifted to the tall, handsome man standing in front of me. He was wearing a dark blue silk shirt with one sleeve rolled up, revealing his sinewy arm.

He looked like a god. He even rescued us like a god.

I stared at him dumbfounded, my cheeks burning.

Before I could gather my bearings, the man pulled me behind him.

The short man lying on the floor spat and cursed, "How dare you? I'm calling the police!"

The man looked down at him calmly and taunted, "Need a lawyer?"

"Watch out!" Lucia suddenly shrieked from behind me.

I turned around just in time to see the tall man swinging a sharp dagger at me!

Frozen in fear, I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain.

Instead, I suddenly felt a warm embrace.

My face was pressed against the god-like man's broad, firm chest, and my nose was instantly filled with the faint smell of cologne. His scent felt inexplicably calming, which made me forget about the danger of the moment.

The man's muffled grunt pulled me back to reality.

Then he turned around and kicked the tall man away.

"The police are here!" one of the people in the crowd shouted.

The two thugs struggled to get up from the floor and bolted in a panic.

Now that they were gone, I calmed down and wanted to thank my savior. Only then did I notice the bloody tear on his shirt. He was wounded!

Anxious, I looked up at him and said seriously, "Let me take you to the hospital."

The man glanced at me indifferently. "No. You'd better hurry home. The bar is no place to drink juice. Are you finished with your homework, little girl?"

My cheeks were aflame from embarrassment.

Swallowing the humiliation, I puffed out my chest and scolded, "You can't lecture me just because you saved me! Who are you? My father? I'm not a kid!"

The man held my stubborn gaze steadily, and the smile on his face grew wider.

The look in his eye made me uneasy. I tugged at Lucia, who was still in a trance beside me. It was high time we got out of here.

She was staring at the man in awe, the adoration in her eyes obvious, but I dragged her away mercilessly.

"That gorgeous man just saved us! Why do you look so sad?" Lucia whispered in my ear, sticking out her lower lip like a child.

"I don't like the tone of his voice," I retorted stubbornly.

Lucia didn't stop grumbling under her breath, but she obediently followed me out.

We hadn't taken more than a few steps when we heard the man shout behind us, "We'll meet again, sweetie."

Gritting my teeth, I picked up the pace and hurried out of the bar with Lucia.