Chapter 1 A Plot (Part One)

It was late at night.

The Jazz Bar was bustling with people. Crazy dazzling lights kept on flickering. The deafening noise almost broke through the roof and soared into the sky. Men and women swayed with music while they flirted with each other.

At this moment, they forgot about their tedious life. Their feet moved to the crazy beat, releasing the pent-up restlessness from their body.

In contrast, a few people sat quietly in a corner. They looked out of place, least interested in the music.

"How is everything going?" the woman asked.

"Don't worry. Everything is fine," the man sitting opposite her assured her. "After tonight, I am pretty sure he will come down from that position. Once that happens, you'll be the hostess of the family."

His words pleased the woman. She picked up her glass and clinked it with his. "In that case, congratulations in advance. We'll make it happen."

The two of them sat looking at each other. Malicious smiles crept on both of their faces.

Mandy Ai was in a strange hotel room. Everything was a jumble. She couldn't make sense of anything. 'What happened? Why am I here? Where is Jacob?' she wondered. This place wasn't her home. In fact, she had never been here before.

All kinds of doubts were forgotten as she felt a weird feeling in her body. Her mind became blurry and all her thoughts disappeared. Instinctively, she clutched the bed sheet.

Even though she couldn't make sense of her surroundings, she knew she was naked. Cold wind from the air conditioner blew on her skin, sending tingles all over her body.

She found a faint chill coming down from her neck. She wanted to grab it and stop it from ravaging her body. But her hands were numb, allowing it to explore her body the way it pleased.

She moaned and twisted her body. After a lot of groaning, the restlessness that made her uncomfortable faded away.

With a start, she woke up. "It was nothing but a nightmare," she muttered under her breath. Relief washed over her face. It was a terrible dream. In it, she had seen the love of her life, Jacob Lin, accusing her of cheating on him. She had wanted to explain her innocence, but he wouldn't listen to it.

She sprang up from the bed and breathed heavily. It took her a long time to open her eyes. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

'It was just a dream. Just relax, ' she thought. 'Wait!'

Now that her eyes were wide open, she couldn't understand where was. 'What is this place?' she thought as fear crept through her. Soon, an excruciating pain went through her body. She lowered her head and found bruises all over her naked body.

The door to the bathroom opened, startling her. A man she had never seem before came out. His expression was indifferent and cold.

"Who are you?" She quickly pulled the quilt to cover herself up.

The man didn't say anything. Instead, he strode towards the bed, stared at her for a moment, and grabbed her neck. "To achieve your goal, you have played a dirty trick. You are a wretched woman! You make me sick."

He was overcome by a fierce anger. He grabbed her throat and began to choke her. She couldn't breathe. She struggled for her life, but he was too strong.

The instinct for survival made her react quickly. Perhaps the man was not paying attention to her action, or perhaps he was not prepared. With her sharp nail, she scratched his face.

A gruesome, red mark appeared on his smooth face.

Squinting his eyes, he glared at her. One could tell from his glance he had made up his mind to kill her. When he was about to attack her, the phone on the bedside bed suddenly rang. Distracted, he went to answer it.

"Okay, I know."

After answering the phone, he seemed less angry. It was like he had forgotten about her existence. He packed his stuff and got ready to leave. Before he closed the door, he looked at her and said coldly, "Don't hold those unrealistic fantasies! If you dare to mess around, I will make sure to choke you to death."

A few minutes ago, she had almost died at the hands of this stranger. She knew he meant to kill her and a chill went down her spine. She lay on the bed, breathing heavily. Once the door was closed, she allowed her tears to flow.

She had never found herself in such a situation before. All kinds of emotions surged up in her heart at this moment. The more she thought of it, the more she cried.

'What happened yesterday? Why am I here? Who was the man? And where did Jacob go?'

At the thought of Jacob Lin, she sprang out of the bed in a hurry, picked up her clothes and put them on. Before she stepped out of the room, a thought occurred to her. If someone recognized her, it would tarnish her reputation. Pulling her hair in front of her face, she sneaked out of the hotel.

On the way back home to Jacob Lin's house, she was restless and fidgety. She was certain he would help her gain some clarity on what had happened. With her heart thudding against her chest, she stood at his doorstep, straightened her clothes, fixed her hair and then gently knocked on the door.

In spite of knocking several times, he didn't open the door. She twisted the doorknob only to find out the door wasn't locked. A sense of uneasiness spread over her heart, but she walked inside nevertheless. He was her sole hope.

As soon as she reached the hall way, his bedroom door sprang open. Mandy Ai let out a small cry. But on noticing it was Jacob Lin, she seemed a bit relieved.

Just seeing him made her happy. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. Trying to hold back her emotions, she mumbled, "Jacob..."

"Why are you here?" Before she could finish her sentence, Jacob's cold voice cut her off. He felt nothing but disgust for her. "Get out of here right now!" he roared, not bothering to meet her eyes.