Chapter 1

On a dark, rainy night, over a dozen men in black chased after a muscular figure in a damp alley. Their expressions were cold and indifferent as they cocked their guns and ran after their target.

The figure was dressed in a white suit, and he had clearly been shot, as blood dripped down his fingers. Clutching a wooden box close to him, he swiftly darted through the alleyways, his eyes gleaming sharply.

"He ran that way! After him!" The voices of the men in black rang out from behind him.

He calmly listened to their shouts, though his fingers tightened on the red wooden box. Pushing forward, he left a trail of blood behind him that he ignored as his eyes scanned his surroundings.

At that moment, the back door of a bar ahead of him opened with a bang as a young woman walked out. From her white dress shirt and red vest, it was clear she was a server.

Her doe eyes were bright as she muttered the names of various red wines under her breath—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt, Cabernet Franc…

The man's eyes lit up at the sight of the woman before he quickly strode forward.

Before the woman could react, his hand snapped forward and seized her arm. Then, he tugged her back into the bar's kitchen.

With a loud thud, he shut the door tightly.

His fingers were clamped down tightly on her arm in a vice-like grip as he shoved her against the wall, pinning her there with his other hand clamped over her mouth.

The young woman couldn't move at all!

"Mmph!" Christine Thornton's eyes bulged in her shock.

The kitchen lights were rather dim, so all she could see were the man's gleaming eyes, as sharp as a hawk's.

A sense of impending doom crashed upon her, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Her face went pale in fear, while her entire body began trembling. She fell limp in the man's grasp, not daring to move even a muscle.

Having Christine under his control, the man held his breath as he tilted his head to hear the footsteps outside coming closer.

He then observed the woman before him. Though he couldn't really see her face very well, he could tell there was fear shining in those doe eyes of hers.

The pain from three gunshot wounds had him panting.

But he still lowered his head and murmured in her ear, "Don't make a sound! I won't harm you. I heard you mumbling the names of several red wines earlier, so I know you're a connoisseur of wine.

"There's no time for me to explain now, but I very likely won't survive this!

"I have something very important with me now. Could you please take it to Mr. Janell Senior at Artow Hotel? Remember, don't hand it over to anyone else, not even your family!

"He'll surely repay you for doing this. I swear that this will be the last bet I ever take in my life! Please! This item concerns the fates of two families, so it's very important!"

Confusion flashed in Christine's eyes, and she could only stare at the man in the shadows.

The moment he finished speaking, he shoved the box into Christine's arms. For a few seconds, he stared at the young woman intently, a hint of hesitation brewing in his eyes.

Suddenly, he leaned down and bit Christine's lip hard.

"Ouch!" Not only was Christine scared out of her wits, but his sudden harsh bite left her in much pain.

Cradling her face, the man licked at the blood on her lip before rasping out urgently, "I've tasted your blood, so my life is now yours. If the Janell family betrays their promise, then I'll haunt them after I die!"

Outside, the footsteps drew closer and closer.

"I'll head out now to lure them away! No matter what you hear, don't come out, and don't call the police either!" With that said, the man opened the door and stepped out, all the while pressing a hand to the wound on the left side of his abdomen.

"Hey!" Christine couldn't regain her composure in time before the man was out the door.

She could only hug the wooden box to herself as she peered through the door crack at the man's retreating back.

Her voice shook with fear and anxiety as she called out, "I don't even know you, so why should I help you? I don't know who the people you're talking about are, either! What am I supposed to do?"

From the darkness of the alley came the sounds of gunfire and grunting.

Christine jerked at the sound, her eyes going wide. She stared in disbelief at the man, lying in a pool of blood after being shot.

Several men were surrounding him, one of whom turned in the direction of the bar before saying, "I saw him go through that back door earlier! There's a possibility he handed the item over to someone else!"

Clamping a hand over her mouth in horror, Christine hurriedly locked the back door before speeding out of the kitchen.

She went past the crowded bar, where the patrons were laughing and having a great time, and was just about to head to the front door when she halted. Her eyes widened when she saw several men in black rush in from the outside.

Their expressions cold, they began to search among the undulating bodies on the dance floor.

A chill went down Christine's spine. Tightening her hold on the box, she spun around and darted toward the staff changing rooms.

The men noticed Christine's fleeing figure and the suspicious box she had, and wanted to chase after her.

However, they had barely taken a few steps when someone said, "Mr. Janell is here, so don't make a commotion! Judging from his expression, he doesn't seem to be in a good mood!"

Chapter 2

The rose-colored lighting of the high-end bar was soft and seductive, lending an almost sensual air to the room.

Countless young men of impeccable status had their arms wrapped around their female companions, who leaned close as they giggled and whispered to each other.

Under the dim red lights, the men caressed the women's slender waists, enjoying the sensuous curves.

In one of the VIP booths sat a man dressed in a black-striped suit, with the collar of his white dress shirt open. The white silk corsage pinned to his lapel added an elegant and noble air to him.

His facial features were angular, the lines as if carved by a master sculptor. His eyes flashed slightly as he pursed his thin lips.

He seemed to be waiting for someone while he slowly swirled the whiskey glass in his hand. He glanced at his watch and frowned in displeasure upon noting the time.

Several bodyguards guarded the outside of his booth like silent sentries. Whenever anyone came close, they would block the way with a blank expression.

Seeing this, the interloper would have no choice but to turn and leave.

Some of those daughters of politicians or businessmen would shoot him admiring or love-struck looks, but none dared to approach him.

At last, he shifted position impatiently, his expression becoming even more stony. The icy look in his eyes had the nearby secretaries watching him cautiously.

They knew this was a sign he was reaching the limits of his patience. Not daring to make a sound, they simply stood behind him in nervous silence.

When the men in black noticed his expression, they didn't dare act recklessly anymore.

Turning around, the leader ordered softly, "Let's not make a move for now. We'll wait here, but keep an eye on that woman who ran off earlier.

"She seemed quite anxious, and I noticed she was carrying a box. We have to capture her tonight!"

"Understood!" The other men in black obediently sat down at the bar.

Theodore Janell sat there, his expression glacial as he downed his twelfth glass of whiskey. After that, he stood up and stalked toward the VIP rooms on the second floor of the bar.

When his secretaries moved to follow him with the bodyguards, he waved them off and proceeded upstairs alone.

With a thud, he shut the door.

…

Christine, who was hiding in the staff changing room, panted as she hugged the wooden box to herself. Her body was shivering, while fat droplets of sweat dripped down her face from her anxiety.

Pressing her ear to the door, she listened closely to the sounds outside.

When she heard nothing unusual, she groaned fearfully, "Oh my goodness, how could this happen to me? What am I supposed to do? Just what is in this box that it's worth someone losing their lives over?"

Following that, she curiously lifted the old wooden box and squinted to try and read whatever was carved on it.

However, the string of numbers was blurry, hinting at the age. It was very mysterious, and she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Frowning, she hesitated for a moment before kneeling by the door. Steeling her heart, she reached out shaking hands to pry the lid of the box open. After much effort, she finally popped it open.

A vintage bottle of red wine came into sight.

"What? A bottle of red wine? What's so special about this that that man was willing to die for it?" Christine's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock.

She plucked the bottle from the box and began to inspect it, turning it this way and that.

No matter how she looked at it, with squinted or widened eyes, she couldn't see anything extraordinary about it other than its long years.

She was stumped, yet she was unwilling to give up just yet. Getting to her feet, she raised the wine bottle up against the light to see what could be inside it.

However, due to aging and the glazed glass used, she could only see the liquid sloshing around.

Nibbling on her lip in thought, she then brought the wine bottle to her ear and started shaking it vigorously.

"Let's see what else you have in there. What could be worth such a commotion about, and me being chased down like some sort of fugitive!"

Nonetheless, no matter how hard she shook, she could only hear liquid sloshing. There didn't seem to be anything solid in there.

At that moment, Christine let her imagination run wild.

What if there was a treasure map inside the bottle? Or a huge diamond ring? Various other fantastical thoughts flashed through her mind.

In the end, she declared determinedly, "I'm going to open it! If there's really nothing in there, I'll just drink it. That should solve my problem!"

However, after saying that, she slumped to the floor with a grimace, feeling defeated. Even if she emptied the bottle, those men in black surely wouldn't leave her alone.

Besides that, it was likely the man who handed her the wine in the first place was already dead. He had sacrificed his life to entrust this task to her, so how could she just drink the wine willy-nilly?

That felt like such a disrespect to the man, and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

Sighing heavily, she once again lifted the wine bottle to stare at it in exasperation. Just as she was wondering what to do, the door behind her was shoved open roughly.

Chapter 3

Christine let out a shrill scream as she lunged forward, hugging the wine bottle to her chest.

With her back to the door, she clamped her eyes shut and yelled fearfully, "Don't kill me! I don't know anything!"

Her colleague and supervisor, Quinn Sander, stood at the doorway.

Quinn stared at Christine, sprawled on the ground shivering and babbling nonsense, and kicked the latter's butt. "What craziness are you up to now?"

Christine's eyes snapped open before she looked over her shoulder. Upon seeing it was Quinn, she let out a sigh of relief.

Cold sweat blanketed her body from her earlier scare. She shot Quinn a baleful look and complained, "Why didn't you knock before you entered? You scared the hell out of me!"

Quinn scoffed and put down the tray she was holding. After lifting her glass to drink some water, she said, "Are you even scared of anything? I thought you were fearless!

"Don't tell me you stirred up trouble again? For example, did a customer grope you, leading to you slapping him and breaking his fingers?

"Or did you report someone to the police for molestation or attempted rape or even ingestion of illegal drugs?"

Glaring at Quinn, Christine responded, "Nothing like that happened! It's been peaceful today!"

Quinn spun around and teased, "That's why I'm curious. If it weren't for your sensitive nose and knowledge of red wine, do you honestly think the manager would endure you pissing off the customers every day?

"There's one hour till we get off work, so I'm begging you, please keep your emotions in check and don't cause trouble! I don't want to get scolded again!"

"Stop making it sound like I'm a troublemaker who gets in trouble every day!" Christine retorted unhappily while glaring at Quinn.

"But that's exactly what you are! The customers in Room Three on the second floor have left. I'm going to clean it up!"

Not bothering to argue with Christine any further, Quinn picked up her tray and headed for the door.

At those words, an idea popped into Christine's mind. She snatched the tray from Quinn and uttered ingratiatingly, "Let me do it for you!"

Quinn eyed Christine with a smile, saying wonderingly, "Oh? Why so hardworking all of a sudden? Did you secretly steal some alcohol to drink again? You're not drunk, are you? Are you sober?"

"No! The manager would have my head if I stole alcohol every day." With that said, Christine grabbed the mysterious wine bottle and placed it on the tray, pretending it was one of the ones from the bar.

Lifting the tray steadily, she was about to step out when Quinn suddenly spoke up.

"That bottle of red wine…" Quinn pointed at the wine bottle on the tray in curiosity before reading the blurry label on it. "Seventeen…"

"I took it from the cellar! It's from 1997!" Christine's eyes flashed in panic as she hurriedly blurted out a random number.

Then, she practically fled from the changing room. With steady steps, she made a beeline for the bar.

However, she soon spotted the men in black drinking whiskey at the bar, occasionally lifting their heads to scan the crowd grimly.

Her heart skipped a beat as all the color drained from her face. Spinning on her heel, she headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor, carrying the tray with practiced ease.

The leader of the men in black spotted Christine and immediately waved at his men. Together, they followed her up to the second floor.

Panting, Christine strode down the corridor with quick steps. As she walked, she tilted her head slightly so she could see the men behind her.

Realizing they were closing in on her, she grimaced and prayed fervently in her mind.

Due to the urgency of the situation, she reached out randomly and pushed open one of the VIP rooms' doors. Without even a word to announce her presence, she slipped into the dark room.

Chapter 4

"Who's there!" a voice demanded in the dark.

Having forgotten to turn on the lights, Christine could only stand there dumbly, not daring to answer.

"Mary!" A black shadow emitting a powerful air lunged at Christine. Without hesitation, the figure crashed their lips onto Christine's tender ones.

Theodore pushed her against the coffee table as he pressed his lips against hers hard.

The sound of glasses crashing to the floor rang out as he interlocked their fingers together and pinned her hands down on the transparent tabletop.

Christine felt like she was suffocating from the sheer force of that kiss. Her heart leaped into her throat in shock.

Their movements had caused the wine bottle on the tray to slip to the carpeted floor before rolling to a stop near the couch.

Glaring at the man, Christine tried to wriggle her fingers free from his hold.

She was so infuriated and was tempted to kick him away. But unfortunately, his long legs had hers pinned down tightly.

With both of his hands seizing control of hers, she was completely immobilized. It was as though he wanted their bodies to merge together.

Christine tried to call for help, but the words got lodged in her throat as she found herself dazed from the intense kiss. The skin of her lips split, causing blood to well up.

The drunk Theodore suckled on her lips passionately, not even stopping when the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

He even found a sort of vindictive pleasure in it. With a ripping sound, he tore the shoulder of her shirt and reached out to grab her smooth skin.

Christine felt her body go numb. She wanted to escape his fervent kiss and strong grip, but the man's lips seemed to have some sort of magical power.

Her body temperature skyrocketed, and the puffs of air coming from him electrified her senses. Her hands flew up to clutch a corner of his suit, where she began yanking on it.

She needed to free herself from his mouth so she could shout for help.

However, Theodore kept his lips firmly attached to hers, not allowing her even the slightest space to breath.

At this point, tears rolled down Christine's cheeks as she was overwhelmed with panic.

Right as she was about to scream, the man pressed closer, even going so far as to touch her body. A wave of rage swept over her. Using the opportunity when he moved down, she slapped him hard.

Theodore's head snapped to the side from the force of the smack. A dark look flashed in his eyes before he seized her jaw, growling, "Who are you?"

Angered beyond measure, Christine shoved him away and yelled shrilly, "I should be asking you that! Why did you molest me?"

Like a wolf, Theodore's eyes gleamed in the darkness. He abruptly got up and turned on the lights.

Immediately, the two stared in shock at each other.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my room?" Theodore's countenance turned cold as he looked down at the server on the coffee table.

Shock and anger fought for dominance on Christine's face as she grabbed a whiskey bottle and held it out threateningly at the man. Scrambling to pull up her ripped shirt, she hollered, "I'm asking you again, who are you? Why did you molest me?"

"Molest you?" Theodore glared at the woman, trying to suppress his anger as he said, "This is a private room, and without my permission, no one is allowed to enter.

"Besides that, the 'Do Not Disturb' light is on outside. Did you not see it?"

"I-I…" Christine gazed around the lavishly furnished room in dumbfounded shock, only now realizing she had gone into the wrong room.

Nonetheless, she shot the demonic-looking man a terrified look while snapping back, "Even if this is your private room, that doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want, right?

"You forcefully kissed me and ripped my clothes! How could you do that in a public space?"

Chapter 5

When Theodore heard those words, a chilly look appeared in his eyes. He looked like a predator as he stalked toward Christine.

"W-What are you doing?" Christine instantly jumped onto the coffee table and aimed the wine bottle at Theodore, threatening, "Don't come any closer! You better not force me to take action!"

The stony look on Theodore's face was swiftly replaced by a mocking one.

He let out a scoff, his hand darting out like lightning to zip up her skirt before he said, "Next time you go after a rich man, be smarter! Don't just barge into any random room you see!"

Gasping, Christine lowered her head to eye her zipper before her cheeks flushed red. She smashed the wine bottle while yelling, "You animal! What did you mean by that!"

"No animal would help you zip up!" Theodore's expression darkened. "Get out!"

However, Christine simply glared at Theodore and raged, "Are you going to just brush off the fact you molested me?"

Theodore stared at her in indignant fury as he answered, "I haven't even held you accountable for barging into my private room!"

With that said, he couldn't be bothered to continue arguing with her. Grabbing his clothes, he turned to leave the room.

"Hey!" Christine, who was still standing on the coffee table, called out at his back angrily.

She jumped off and rushed toward the door before swiftly locking it. Then, she snapped at Theodore, "You can't leave! Thinking about fleeing after taking advantage of me, are you?

"Well, I won't let you out this door! If you dare leave, then don't blame me for what I'll do!"

A terrifyingly grim look darkened the man's face. Taking in how Christine was blocking his way, he sneered with an arrogant gleam in his eyes, "Go ahead and have me arrested by the police then! Have them bring you justice!"

Right after he finished speaking, he shoved Christine aside and opened the door to stride out.

"Ah!" Theodore's rough action caused Christine to slam against the wall. Infuriated, she was about to scream bloody murder at Theodore when she spotted the men in black.

They were staring at her cruelly and seemed to be waiting for Theodore to go downstairs so they could rush over.

A chill went down her spine. But through her fear, she suddenly heard the stern voice of a policewoman coming from the intercom behind her. "Hello, this is the police!"

She had accidentally bumped into the emergency call button on the wall.

Her eyes lit up as an idea hit her. Throwing all caution to the wind, she yanked on her ripped dress shirt to tear it further. At the same time, she screamed, "Hello, I want to make a police report! Earlier, someone molested me—"

Theodore, who had been heading toward the stairs, stopped mid-stride. His head snapped around to see Christine holding the phone while hollering, "I even saw him taking drugs!"

In no time at all, the wailing of sirens rang out as several police cars stopped in front of the bar. They were indeed efficient to have come so fast.

Several police officers exited the vehicles before charging into the bar.

Holding up their IDs as proof, they began ordering, "Men to one side, women to the other! We received a report that someone was molested here, and illegal substances are being used as well!"

The patrons of the bar separated into two groups according to gender and stood there, dumbfounded. They started whispering to each other after they heard that.

At that moment, Quinn, who had been taking a nap in the break room, came out.

She was still drowsy as she stared at the once lively bar that was now suddenly lit up as brightly as daytime due to all the lights being turned on. The sheer intensity was somewhat glaring.

She even noticed several police officers hurrying upstairs.

Feeling her heart sink to her stomach, she asked another colleague, "What happened?"