Prisoner Of Your Tenderness

The cruise ship on the sea stilled in the night wind. Dark waves splashed across the solid panels as the colorful reflection glistened across the sea. The bright stars glittered in the night.

The party on the ship was endless. After a few glasses of wine, Nora Cheng couldn't stand it anymore. She walked onto the deck alone and hoped to blow away the tipsiness bubbling up inside of her.

"Nora, come on! Have another drink?" Behind her, Samantha Cheng walked over holding two glasses of wine and handed one of them to Nora Cheng.

While Nora Cheng was an illegitimate daughter, Samantha Cheng was her cousin and the oldest daughter of the Cheng Family. Nora Cheng had her mother's surname, but she didn't even know who her father was. For now, she had lived with the Cheng Family.

Ever since Nora Cheng was a child, she had always felt inferior to Samantha Cheng. That was partly because she wasn't their legitimate daughter and also because Samantha Cheng would be engaged to the man she also liked.

"I can't drink anymore," Nora insisted with a smile.

However, Samantha's face darkened. "Why? Are you sad that I'm engaged to James? Don't give me that look!"

With a sigh, Nora took the wine from Samantha and drank it in one gulp. Only when she finished it all up had Samantha smirked. A hint of cruelty flashed in her eyes.

'Nora, you're going to disappear in my life tonight.'

Nora's vision began blurring almost immediately. She loosened the hold on her glass and it shattered on the pavements. She couldn't stand steadily as she leaned against the railings.

Samantha feigned confusion. "What's wrong, Nora? Are you drunk?"

Touching her forehead, Nora could already tell that something was wrong. "The wine," she stuttered out.

Samantha snorted. "It's a shame that my family let you become a Cheng. Hell, you even have the nerve to compete with me for James's heart. I've had enough of you. You should leave."

"What do you mean?" Although Nora was still in a daze, she could feel her heart twitch from her cousin's voice.

Samantha's eyes widened drastically. "Don't you understand? The Cheng Family can't tolerate you anymore, and James would never love you. The moment you killed his brother, he wasn't destined for you anymore. Yet, you continue to disturb him with your presence. Why are you even still alive? Can't your death serve as an apology?"

"No..." At the mention of what had happened in the past, Nora felt a stabbing sensation in her chest. It was probably the effect of the drug. Her surroundings started to blur around her as she staggered around.

With her last bit of strength, she grabbed Samantha's hand tightly. "You know what happened that year," she warned.

Before she could finish her words, Samantha shook off her hand and narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." Two men in black walked behind her. Nora blinked, trying her best to stand steadily. However, she failed. She slumped onto the deck. Samantha crossed her arms. "Make it clean, got that?"

"Yes, ma'am." The two men in black lifted the unconscious body and walked towards the back of the ship.

Samantha drank up her wine and smirked. "I'll be engaged to James, Nora. You'll only get in my way. Everyone will know that you've committed suicide by jumping into the sea, and no one will pity you."

Samantha turned and left arrogantly. She didn't need to witness the process. All she wanted was for that woman to disappear.

Nora blinked, regaining consciousness. She was being assisted by the men in black. She tried to process her surroundings. However, the more she thought about it, the heavier her head became. She didn't know where she was being carried. All she could feel was the cold wind rushing up her face. "Save me!"

At that time, a faint voice, answering a phone call, came from the other side of the deck. "Grandpa, don't worry. Everything will go well here."

She didn't want to die, especially not here. She pushed the suited men and stumbled onto the ground. The glass slashed against her hand, and she groaned in pain.

Before she lost her last sanity, she grabbed the broken fragments and slashed the man who came to grab her. Without another thought, she struggled to move towards the man with a phone.

Her limbs became weak, and she couldn't see what was in front of her anymore.

Finally, Nora couldn't stand anymore and she landed on the man's feet.

Nora reached out and grabbed the man's leather shoes. Fresh blood flowed from her hand. "Please," she choked out. "Help me."

Quickly hanging up the phone, the man stared at the scene in front of him.

The strange woman grasped onto his shoes as if he was her only hope. She looked powerless as she collapsed onto the pavement. Her lips were already blue from the lack of blood.

Sawyer Xiao squatted down and helped her up, letting her snuggle into his arms. Her sweet fragrance mixed with the tanginess of blood entered his nostrils.

Seeing the two men approached them, he narrowed his eyes. "You're getting in my way."

The men in black were stunned to hear his voice. They gazed at the straight figure, noticing several bodyguards standing behind him with their guns pointed at the pair.

Sawyer Xiao's face was incredibly handsome under the moonlight. He quickly handed the phone in his hand to the person beside him.

His shirt was already stained with blood. As Nora was about to say something else, she collapsed into his arms.

Seeing the faint stains on his shirt, Sawyer Xiao frowned.

He then gazed at the two men in front of him, as if daring them to step forward.

One of them clenched his fists. "You'd better mind your own business. Hand her over. Do you even know who we are?"

"Do you even know who I am?" Sawyer Xiao gritted his teeth. Not bothering to engage with them any further, he waved his hand dismissively as he turned around. "Kill them."

As soon as he finished his words, bullets flew into the two men's chest, knocking them down. Because of the silencer the bodyguards had, no one could hear what was happening.

Andy, Sawyer Xiao's assistant, rushed over from the other side of the cabin with a document in his hand. "Mr. Sawyer, I already have the document."

Sawyer Xiao didn't respond. Instead, he walked towards his room with the woman in his arms. The assistant's eyes widened in surprise. Andy had never seen his boss interested in women...so why now? Andy caught up with him. "What about the woman, Mr. Sawyer?"

"I'm taking her to my room." Sawyer continued to walk forward.

Andy's jaw dropped. 'What's wrong with Mr. Sawyer today? If Mr. Warren knows about this...' However, before he could tell him of his thoughts, Sawyer already disappeared from his sight.

Sawyer took her back to his room. The moment he closed the door, Sawyer brought his gaze onto the woman's face. He couldn't help but feel aroused at the sight of her delicate face.

Nora blinked, finally regaining consciousness. She could feel someone was cleaning the dried blood on her hand. She scrunched up her nose as her cold fingertips brushed against something warm.

She wanted to open her eyes, but she was powerless. She could only raise her hand and grab the man's sleeve. "Who are you?" Nora gasped out.

Sawyer bent over and whispered in her ear. "My name's Sawyer." He could feel that her grip wasn't wavering on his sleeve.

He gazed at her. How long had it been since he saw a woman up close?

However, Sawyer didn't feel awkward. Not only did he save the woman, but he also wanted to protect her.

Without another word, he leaned over and kissed her.

Nora wanted to push him away, but she had no strength. Her mind was already a mess as she felt as if she was being drowned by his kiss.

The man's lips were incredibly gentle against hers.

The moon outside glistened across the night. Through the dense mist, there were two figures snuggling up to each other in the room.

Sawyer kissed her deeper and deeper. Just when he was so immersed in the kiss and bent over to hold her, he realized that she had already fallen asleep because of the drug's effects.

"This woman..." He chuckled, smiling helplessly.

Seeing the woman in deep sleep, Sawyer felt as if he was facing his own dilemma. With a sigh, he let go of her hand, watching her sink into the cushions.

Although he was aroused, he had to restrain himself.

Seeing the blood stains around his body, he shrugged off his shirt. Glancing at the stains on the woman's clothes, he also took off hers. It wasn't comfortable to be covered with blood.

Without another word, he turned around and headed towards the bathroom.

Cold water fell from the shower head, drenching his hair. He still needed to extinguish his craving for her body, or else he would do anything he wanted to have her.

He didn't know how long he had been soaking in the freezing water, but the glowing moon outside their cabin had already sunk.

At last, Nora turned over. Her head was pounding as she woke up. The sound of waves crashing over her filled her eardrums, and her eyes immediately snapped open in panic.

However, as she sat up, she was stunned by her surroundings.

The memory of last night gradually came back. After her cousin had given her the glass of wine, she remembered fainting and collapsing into a man's arms.

After that... her eyes widened.

A kiss!

The man had kissed her!

It was as if something had electrocuted her.

The moment she turned to the direction of the bathroom, Sawyer just came out. A towel was the only cloth covering his lower body, and his bronze skin glistened.

What she didn't notice was the bullet mark on his left chest. From the looks of it, the scar had been there for many years, but it didn't affect his beauty. In fact, it even highlighted his masculine charm.

"Who are you?" Nora shouted, confused as to what was happening.

"Who am I?" Sawyer scoffed. "You slept for a while and you can't even remember?" He moved towards her.

"Don't come over!" Nora paled at the approaching figure. She rolled over the quilt and jumped to the ground, wincing. "Shit!"

Her gaze fell on her body, noticing that she had just been naked underneath the covers. "What...what the hell did you do to me?" she demanded.

However, from the looks of it, she could already guess what had happened.

Nora had wanted James to change his mind about her. A part of her hoped that he would choose her instead of Samantha. However, not only would he engage to her cousin, but also Nora had been violated by this man!

Sawyer walked up to her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Don't look so pitiful. You're lucky you met me last night."

"Who wants this kind of luck?" Nora shrieked as she pulled the quilt to cover her body. "How could you do this to me while I was unconscious?" she demanded. "What the hell did you do to me?" Nora trembled, wanting nothing more but to cry.

The man's face darkened at her accusation.

He finally understood what she was thinking.

As she was about to leave, the man was already right in front of her.

His hair still wasn't dry yet, and the drops of water fell from the strands of his hair and slid down his chest muscles. Everything about him was incredibly detailed.

Nora flushed. The man was not only a monster, but a scourge of the earth.