Episode 2

The following morning, Zhia awoke from her slumber as beams of sunlight struck her face through a gap in the window. Her head throbbed with a heavy hangover from the night before.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Zhia yelped suddenly, feeling an extreme pain in her groin area.

Realizing she was stark naked, her eyes gradually drifted to the side of her bed.

Zhia instinctively covered her mouth upon seeing a handsome man, equally bare, lying next to her, deep in sleep.

Memories of the previous evening, when she was heavily intoxicated, began to surface one by one.

How she had humiliated herself by declaring her love for Liam and how she went to the bar to find a male escort to heal her broken heart.

"Aishh, Zhia! How could you do this with someone you don't even know?" Zhia muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"I better leave now before he wakes up and demands the high payment I promised last night."

With careful steps and bearing the pain in her groin, Zhia dressed herself.

Before leaving, she penned a brief note and left it on the dresser with some money remaining in her wallet.

Like a thief, Zhia tiptoed out of the room, making sure not to make any noise.

Zhia felt relieved once she had safely exited the room and began to walk back to her small, rundown rental home.

Once inside, Zhia collapsed, feeling utterly exhausted and sore all over.

She kept envisioning her steamy night with the man, every touch imbuing a warm sensation in her heart; even the kiss on her lips lingered.

"Akkhhhhhh, have you gone mad, Zhia!?" she screamed within her room.

"Tringgg..."

A text message arrived on her phone saying, 'Zhia, come to the office now or you're fired!'

"Ah, damn it! I don't care about that stupid job anymore because from now on, I'm living my life," Zhia declared as she tossed her phone aside after reading the message.

"First, I have to leave this country as soon as possible. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling something terrible will happen if I don't leave now. Especially since I seem to have made a major mistake."

Zhia quickly got up, grabbed her suitcase, and began to pack all her belongings.

Once ready, she headed straight for the International Airport of country A and booked a flight ticket.

She left behind her hometown, filled with all the bad memories of her loneliness.

Zhia had resolved to leave for a long time without setting a time for her return.

...----------------...

Meanwhile, back in the hotel room, the man who had spent the night with Zhia began to wake up.

He looked around, trying to find Zhia, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Donning a bathrobe with elegant movements, he was greeted by William Cooper, his secretary and right-hand man.

"Good morning, Sir! My apologies for the delay in finding your room," William announced.

"Hmmm," was the usual grunted reply from his boss.

Rayden Cano Xavier, a handsome CEO with the largest shareholding in BLOUSHZE Group, the world's biggest IT company with branches all over the globe.

At just 28 years old, he was already the wealthiest and most influential man on the planet. He was more than just the CEO of a major company; he was also the head of the feared BLACKSKY Mafia in the martial arts world.

Many beautiful and sexy women sought his attention, but none had succeeded in capturing his heart, not even for a night of passion.

His cold, arrogant, and cruel nature seemed to be protected by an impenetrable great wall, no woman daring to breach it.

To date, only Zhia had managed to create a crack in that unseen fortress.

"Did you see a woman leave this room?" Rayden asked, his face expressionless.

"I'm sorry, Sir! But I didn’t see anyone leave," William responded, looking somewhat perplexed.

In his heart, he pondered, 'Did Sir spend the night with a woman without my knowledge, or has he been set up?'

Rayden, still facing outward, tried to recall the face of the woman who had shared his bed, his mind hazy from the drinks he'd had while meeting an unexpected rival.

"Sir, should I investigate who she was?"

William's question drew Rayden back from his reverie of the previous night's companion. He turned and noticed a paper and some money on the dresser.

Picking up the note, Rayden read, 'Sir, thank you for last night’s service. Your skills truly left me struggling to walk. As promised, I’ve paid handsomely. Take the change and let’s not meet again. Bye.'

Rayden smirked after reading the letter, unable to comprehend her actions.

Regardless of whether she was mad or foolish, he found her intriguing— the first woman daring enough to value him at merely $100 for a night.

"Sir, do you know who the woman was?" Will asked hesitantly, watching his boss smile to himself.

"Forget her! She’s of no importance, nor is she one of our adversaries. Just let it be," Rayden declared, unconcerned with his secretary’s worries.

"But, Sir! How can you be so sure she's not dangerous to you?" Will persisted, more concerned with his boss's well-being than anything else.

"I don't know, I just feel confident that she's just some crazy, foolish woman," Rayden replied once more.

"Will, prepare the car now and keep this for me," he commanded, handing over the note and money left by Zhia to his secretary.

Thus concluded the brief encounter between Zhia and Rayden, leaving behind nothing but a fleeting memory.

Rayden easily forgot the incident and Zhia, immersing himself once more in his busy world of business meetings and mafia dealings. His demeanor remained cold, arrogant, and cruel, the fortress around him as solid as ever.