CEO's Lover: Love Bound By Contract

Y City was a beautiful seaside city. The mountains in the north towered into the clouds and pointed straight at the sky. To the south was a vast sea. The wind was always salty, and the temperature was always so pleasant. In the southern suburbs of Y City stood an ancient castle. Its high walls were covered with dark green vines, and its glazed windows would always reflect the beautiful moonlight in the most ethereal way. The waves were uncharacteristically high and strong at that night.

Gunshots rang out one after another inside the castle. The moon's dim light shone in from the window, behind Hayley Gu. She had long dark hair, wearing a long black cloak. Perhaps it was because she was too surprised, or because of the bruises on her arms, but her body was trembling all over.

She had never thought that she would have such a day. Facing the man in front of her, she didn't even dare to look at him again. The man stood in front of her, looking at her condescendingly.

"Hayley, what's wrong? Are you reluctant to kill me?" With contempt in his eyes, Mac Qi fearlessly looked at Hayley Gu in the eye despite her pointing a loaded gun at him.

As if venting her resentment, she shot the ceiling angrily. Then she pointed the gun at the enemy in front of her and warned him not to get close to her again. His cold eyes and cruel smile reminded her that this man was no longer the gentle and considerate man she once knew.

That day, she received a call from her adoptive father. It came from out of the blue. She couldn't even remember the last time she received a call from him. What he said to her was looping in her head, like a broken record. "Do one last thing for me. After that, I will set you free." She had no choice. Ever since the day her father picked her to be his daughter, she knew that she would not have any freedom or choice. So she agreed.

When he said that he would give her freedom, she accepted the task without hesitation. She stayed in Y City to wait. This beautiful city had always reminded her of childhood, when she was still with the Jiang family. It made her love the city. It was even here that she met Mac Qi. She learned from this man what love was and what warmth was. She didn't know about these feelings before.

When she received the task, she was very happy. Because as long as she completed this task, she could be free. She could live the rest of her life with the one she loved, regardless of what was going on. Countless times she had dreamed of living a life where no one controlled her, and now, this dream was finally about to come true.

After getting everything ready, she rushed to her destination determined to complete her mission as fast as she could. But she never thought that her last target would be Mac Qi. At that moment, her mind went blank. A cruel and ridiculous choice was placed in front of her: kill the man she loved in exchange for her freedom, or give up the task and continue to live in darkness, all the while having her man by her side.

"Hayley, didn't Neil want you to kill me? I'm here now. As long as you pull the trigger, you will finally get what you want."

His smile made her tremble with anger. She felt a pang of pain in her heart. 'Mac knows that it is impossible for me to kill him. He knows that I love him, but he still forces me to do so.'

Suddenly, it seemed like her life flashed before her eyes. She remembered Mac Qi's smile, gentleness, and loving nature. And she also remembered her adoptive father who treated her as his own daughter.

When she was five years old, she saw how her family were killed with her very own eyes, and how her house was burnt down to ashes. Her mother hid her in a secret room, making her narrowly escaping the massacre inflicted upon her loved ones. She stayed in the ruins for three days and nights, until she dragged her tired and hungry body to the street. In that disaster, everyone in their village was killed. She cried endlessly, helplessly, until Neil Gu saw her and took her away.

Holding her in his arms, he took her back to the Gu family. She watched quietly as Neil Gu sent someone to prepare bath water and cook for her. Then, like a father, he gently stroked her forehead and said with a kind smile, "I'm Neil Gu. They all call me Mr. Gu. From now on, you can take my surname."

From that day on, she became Hayley Gu, and Neil Gu began to ask people to teach her reading and martial arts. The Gu family was a place that trained professional killers. As she grew up, she was trained to be a killer. Neil Gu was very strict with her training. She had heavy classes every day. In the morning, there would be teachers to teach her social etiquette, political literature, and sometimes, musical instruments. In the afternoon, in addition to the physical training, she also had to learn how to operate guns and how to use cold steel. She also practiced martial arts religiously. It was her daily life. After dinner, there were still some side classes that needed her to learn. The classes every day were so heavy that at times, she would find it hard keep up. She slept less than four hours every day, and the pressure she was under exceeded what she could deliver. Once, a small explosion happened because of a careless mistake committed by her during her shooting training. Her right hand palm was seriously burned that she passed out on the training ground. Neil Gu then poured a bucket of saline water on her wound. She was awakened by the pain. Her adoptive father said to her coldly, "Do you want to live?"

Of course she knew what he meant, so she endured the pain and stood up to continue training regardless of her physical fatigue. If her right hand was injured, she should use her left hand. Although the wound was still bleeding, she must endure the pain and continue the training until she completed it. When she went back to her bedroom to rest, she found a bottle of burn ointment on her bedside table. It was the first time that she had felt a little warmth in the cold, uncaring place she grew up in.

But even so, the training did not stop. It went on day after day, no matter what happened. And, as she grew up, her courses became harder and more dangerous. After days, months, and years, Hayley Gu became Neil Gu's best killer, the most profitable asset of the Gu family. She had forgotten about love. That was until she met Mac Qi.

It was an assassination mission. Hayley wore a strapless fishtail evening dress, which complemented her incredible womanly curves. Her fair skin was blushed the tiniest bit under the light. She came to attend a banquet hosted by an important leader in Y City. Her task was to assassinate the president of an electronic software company before the banquet ended.

It was not the first time for Hayley to attend such an event. Her work required her to frequent these kinds of extravagant gatherings. Aside from being well trained by Neil, she had a beautiful and delicate face, which easily masked her identity as an assassin. Her fair skin and bright eyes were elevated by how she conducted herself as she had an air of elegance about her and a notable noble temperament. With a smile on her face, Hayley walked into the hall. She was beautiful, but the coldness that surrounded her made people think twice about approaching her. Men had always thought of Hayley as the kind of woman who could only be observed from a distance and should not be played with.

The venue was held in a private villa. People who lived in this villa district were usually either rich or powerful. The venue was resplendent and magnificent. The lighting was gorgeous, but it made people not used to such events dizzy. From time to time, laughter would boom from groups of socialites trying to have fun. In the hall, the chandelier was burned bright with yellow light. In the front of the hall hung an oil painting that depicted the owner of the villa.

It was Hayley's first time in Y City. It didn't show, though. She was graceful when mingled with people. Like a princess of high nobility, she was gentle and dignified. Most of the people who attended this party were successful in the business field or in the political field. No one irrelevant would be able to gatecrash the event as people were strictly asked for their invitations before entering.

Mac came to the party very early. He had short flaxen hair, fairer skin than most women, and dark eyes that twinkled like precious gems. Most notable about him was that he had a noble and arrogant aura. His lips were luscious, and his eyes were tantalizing. He was clinking glasses with the people around him from time to time. His grey suit looked stunning on him, something a man of normal looks would not be able to pull off. With his looks, clothes, and attitude all coming together, Mac looked like a prince waiting for his princess to turn up. It wasn't anything new for him, however, as he was the most eligible bachelor in Y City. Numerous women wanted to marry him. When Hayley entered the hall, Mac was talking to the patriarch of the Nangong family.

Hayley knew that Mac's eyes had been fixed on her ever since she entered the hall, but she didn't want to pay attention to it. Why? Well, she was here for a mission. She still had something important to do. She talked and laughed with some people as she looked for her target. When Hayley saw Mac, she knew that they were the same kind. After multiple parties, she knew how hollow and lifeless rich people were.

Perhaps Mac also thought the same about her, so much so that he started becoming a hindrance to the successful completion of what she needed to do. It took Hayley a lot of effort to get rid of Mac. But the moment she was left with the president of the electronic software company, she effortlessly took his life. The news of the dead millionaire at the event didn't spread as fast as Hayley thought it would. After all, most of the people who went to the party were public figures, and so no matter who did it, it would cause an unnecessary uproar. Hayley left early, so she didn't know how the elite reacted to the unprecedented death of the president.

However, what happened after that was beyond what Hayley expected. Mac found her place. What was more ridiculous was that he held her hand and asked, "Can I woo you?"

For the first time in her life, Hayley was intrigued by a person. Mac seemed like someone who would always surprise her. During that time, Hayley was in Y City for a series of missions. Mac always took her out every time she finished one mission. And weirdly enough, he never asked where Hayley had gone. He never asked why she was hurt every time she came back or what she had done. Hayley would quietly watch Mac bandage her wounds and take care of her.

It made her feel special. There was no way for her to know at that time that his care for her was fake.

"Why did you lie to me?" asked Hayley in a hoarse voice. For the first time in her life, she realized that she didn't know Mac at all. From the day they met, Mac had planned everything, and was waiting for her to step into his trap. As a person who didn't really grow up with people, Hayley would often misjudge others.

"Why?" Mac sneered. "Hayley, don't you think it's a little sentimental to ask what my reason is now?"

He walked slowly towards her, not caring about the gun at all. He approached her slowly, one step at a time, and raised his hand to touch her long black hair as he usual did. Mac smiled gently and said in a charming voice, "You should ask your adoptive father why he sent you to Y City. Or why he sent you to me."

Surprised, Hayley took a few steps back and leaned against the window. She closed her eyes and smiled coldly. It turned out that they had planned everything since the day she arrived at Y City. She was a killer. She shouldn't have expected any so-called love. Because of her feelings, she became a tool for people to deal with one other. 'A mere tool, ridiculous,' she thought.

"So you knew who I am from the very beginning and that I was here to kill you?" It was such an amateur move on her part, trusting another person with all her heart. She didn't become wary of him. She lowered her defenses.

"Do you think it would mean anything if I tell you anything right now?" Mac frowned. He had never seen Hayley like this. In his mind, no matter how tired she was, she wouldn't be like this.

Today, when Hayley went out, he knew that she was going to kill him. He had already sent out a notice to people in the castle to be vigilant and wait for her. However, he didn't expect that things would go so smoothly. From the moment Hayley stepped into the castle, he had planned every step of her way and forced her into the study on the third floor. This castle was built on the edge of the cliff, and outside the window of this room was the sea. Now, Mac's people were all guarding the room. No matter how skilled Hayley was, she wouldn't be able to escape. But what Mac didn't expect was the sadness in Hayley eyes when they met again.

"Mac, you've really put an effort into lying to me!"

Hayley knew that she should have known this ever since the day Neil picked her up from the ruins. She was nothing. Everything she had was given to her by her adoptive father. She worked for him and helped him kill all his enemies. Hayley was their best killer because she could calmly face any situation. Because of that, Neil liked her very much. Freedom and love were never something she was taught to expect. For her, living was just existing in the world. But she met Mac, and she began to yearn his love and warmth.

There was a cold and murderous smile on her face. It looked jarring, as her eyes didn't have emotions in them. Her pale face reflected the moonlight in a way that made her look like a fallen princess. Mac suddenly understood why people considered Hayley as ice cold. Her expression was the epitome of that-ice cold. But he also saw sadness on her face, which was not what he wanted. Everything went well as he planned. He succeeded, but he was not happy at all.

Bullets were loaded.

Hayley took up the gun and shot at the glass on the window several times in a row. As glass shattered, she shot a few times behind Mac. Those who followed and protected Mac fell down with as she started her attack.

"Hayley, you better stop struggling. If you surrender, you'll die a painless death!" Mac glanced at his dead subordinates and coldly looked at the somewhat embarrassed Hayley in front of him. An indescribable feeling washed over him.

"Mac..." Hayley called out his name in a choked voice. She threw the gun in her hand on the floor. Her smile was full of piercing pain. "You win."

Mac had never thought that this powerful woman would make such a choice. He had to admit that Hayley was a very skilled and powerful assassin. With two short guns, she almost killed half of his men. None of the people he brought was a match for her. In fact, Hayley was sure to win. The moment Hayley dropped her gun, she jumped through the window behind her. Mac was caught by surprise. He dashed towards the window, just in time to see Hayley's falling figure.

Outside the window was the surging waves. Hayley closed her eyes and thought, 'Mac was the one who reminded me I have a heart. Why not give it back to him?'

Mac's face turned pale when he saw Hayley falling. The man next to Mac also felt his shock. He walked up to him and asked, "Sir, what should we do now?"

"Go and find her, dead or alive!" Mac clutched the window sill tightly and growled at his subordinates behind him. His whole body was trembling in anger.

"Yes, sir!" The subordinates scurried out of the room and went to the sea to look for Hayley.

"Hayley, I won't let you die so easily." After all people left the room, Mac lit a cigarette and leaned against the window to smoke, staring at the dark cliff outside.

In the reception room on the second floor of the old castle, the whole European court style decoration, the high-end leather sofa, and the gorgeous lamps showed how rich and powerful its owner was. Unlike the glazed windows on the third floor, the window in the area was simple. It was a little ajar, so the sound of waves crashing against the jagged rocks could be heard faintly. Sometimes, even the searchlight could be seen through this window. There were dozens of different kinds of wine in the cabinet against the wall. Each bottle was rare and incredibly expensive.

On the bar counter in front of that cabinet, wine glasses of all kinds, preciousness, and rarity glimmered in the light. Mac sat at the bar counter without saying a word. The dim light around reflected his pale face. Mac listened to Carman Xiao quietly. The glass in his hand empty, and he refilled it with the oldest, rarest, and most expensive wine in his collection. Carman Xiao didn't dare disturb Mac and could only stand aside and wait for his order.

Mac sat here for several hours. He had no idea what Hayley's leaving meant to him, but he knew very well that he had the strong woman cornered. She was so strong that she wouldn't leave anything to fate. In the past few months, Mac had seen with his own eyes that no matter what Hayley encountered, she always faced it calmly. It didn't matter if it was an enemy or him.

"Sir, we haven't found her yet," Carman Xiao reported in a low voice, afraid that Mac would be unhappy again and punish his incompetence. Carman Xiao was Mac's assistant. He had been working for him for many, many years and Mac had always treated him as his brother. Because of that, he knew him well enough to know when he was upset.

"Why are you still standing here? Go on! Look for her!" Seeing Carman Xiao just sulking there annoyed Mac. 'Why couldn't he do his job right?' he thought. Despite this valid criticism, he knew that he was just venting his anger on others. He wasn't angry at his team's incompetence. He was angry because he had feelings for a killer. To his defense, Hayley was a woman who could not be ignored.

Hayley was excellent in every way. She was like a lady of a royal family-she was proficient in lyre playing, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Mac still remembered that that time when she told him that painting and writing would improve one's character. Although he knew that she was just playing with him, he nodded in agreement. But above all of that, her smile was the best part about her. Mac remembered that although Hayley greeted others with a big smile at the party, she ignored him and only showed him a cold face. At that time, Mac's greatest pleasure was to make Hayley laugh, because she always had surprises he didn't expect. At that time, even he himself didn't know why he did that.

Pouring more wine into his glass, Mac smiled with self-mockery. At that time, he had completely forgotten the purpose of getting close to Hayley. After downing down his refill, he filled his glass once again. However, this time, he was stopped by a hand, and the alcohol was snatched away from him.

"Mac, you can't drink anymore." Neal Nangong sat down next to Mac, reached for an empty cup, picked up a few pieces of ice, put them in the glass, poured the wine into it and drank it all.

Raising his eyebrows, Mac looked at Neal Nangong and snorted, "Why are you here? Do your people know you're visiting my humble house?" Then he grabbed his glass from Neal and drank it.

"Is this a humble house? As the president of the DQ Group and the new leader of the MQ Faction, will you live in a humble place?" Neal said in a mocking tone.

"If you come to me just to talk about this, you can get out now." Mac didn't want to talk to him.

"Humph, you said you wouldn't fall in love with her!" Neal Nangong was also surprised to receive the call from Carman Xiao. He was one of the few people who knew Mac's true identity. The fight between the MQ Faction and the Gu family was no longer a new thing in their circle. In order to destroy the MQ Faction, Neil had even asked his adoptive daughter to play the honey trap, which surprised them. Neal Nangong shook his head. At this moment, he really wanted to see how Neil would react if he knew that his plan had failed. But only a few people knew who the leader of the MQ Faction was. How did Neil know?

Neal Nangong knew that Mac didn't like him to ask about the MQ Faction, but he had never seen Mac like this. He was acting like this because of a woman, and this woman was his enemy's adoptive daughter.

"I heard that Hayley committed suicide?" Neal Nangong knew that Mac had fallen in love with Hayley. Hayley chose to commit suicide in front of Mac. She used such a decisive method to resist him. Neal Nangong had thought Zac would go mad, but he was wrong.

"Why did you mention her?" Mac picked up his glass and drank from it. "Let's drink."

"You haven't found her yet. Maybe she is still alive," Neal Nangong comforted Mac.

Mac didn't even look at him and continued to pour wine into his glass. He knew what Neal Nangong was doing. How could she be alive after she jumped down from the castle? He couldn't help but feel annoyed whenever he remembered Hayley's expression before she jumped. 'Why did Hayley choose to die so easily? Isn't she always strong?' Hayley was never a weak woman. She would not quarrel with him, and she wasn't a person who could not bear a blow. What she did was too unexpected for Mac.

"Bring them back," Mac said to Neal Nangong in a hoarse voice. His men had been searching the surrounding area for four hours now, but they couldn't find anything. Because of that, Mac had lost hope.

Hearing what Mac said, Neal Nangong looked at him in disbelief. Then he thought for a while with a serious expression and said, "How about let them continue? Maybe she is still alive."

Mac didn't reply but drank silently. Neal Nangong knew that Mac had made a decision and there was no room for negotiation. No matter what he said, he would not change his mind. He sighed and didn't say anything more. He stood up and dialed Carman Xiao's number.

When Neal Nangong came back, he brought back news. "Mac, Carman said that he found the black cloak that Hayley was wearing when she jumped. There are blood stains on it. It seemed like she was injured because of the fall, but her body was nowhere in sight."