1 PROLOGUE :01

Managing to crack her eyes open painfully, she winced as the mind- numbing pain shot through her muscles as she tried to stretch her limbs out. The ropes that tied her hands and legs dug painfully in her white skin as she tried to tug on them. She wanted to cry out loud in pain but any sound she made was muffled by the thick, dirty cloth that was stuffed in and around her mouth.

More so, she felt cramped in the little space she was hoarded up in like a sack of vegetables. The vibrations she felt under her back made her realise that she was in a moving vehicle.

In an almost conscious state now, she tried to listen for any kind of sound. Her ears caught on to the upbeats of a lewd song that played inside the vehicle which were thumping beneath her ear giving her already bruised-up head a mind- numbing headache. The strong stench of sweat, cigarettes and cheap beer wafted into her nose making her want to barf but she pushed down the nauseous feeling so as to not make her situation worse. She could also make out the energetic movements of the people who occupied the back seat from its frequent rocking. Her hands inched towards the top of the seat so she could peek and find out what was happening but she stopped herself at the last second.

'Are you mad, Shishi? You're about to get murdered and judging from the ambience here, probably raped too before that; and you want to find out what they're doing? Put a halt to your curiosity and work that IQ of yours!' She reprimanded herself before she could commit a mistake and land herself in more trouble.

As much as she longed to satisfy that curiosity of hers, she ultimately decided not to focus more on the rocking seat because the situation she was in was far more important.

As a seventeen-year old orphaned girl, life had toughened her to the point where she had perfected that strong mask of hers. She wasn't one to cry easily but rather believed in making others cry. Some called her a bully, some called her evil but she didn't care. She would do anything to survive; anything to leave a mark on this world and not pass away as a fading star that no one remembered.

Of course, she had her moments of weakness too. But in those moments of weakness, she preferred to be alone. Mostly, she just cried silently into her pillow every night reminiscing all the injustice she would face in one day. The next morning, the mask would be back on with an evil smirk plastered on her face. It's not that she lacked emotions. In fact, as much as she hated to admit it, those who were close to her could vouch for that golden heart she possessed. But that's what the thing was. Only those close to her could be the recipient of her love, care, kindness and empathy.

She was someone who internally 'awwed' at every cute puppy and kitten. She was someone who had tears in her eyes at every heartwarming she watched, be it in real life or on the television. Suffice to say, she was a big softie at heart. It was just that her heart was packaged carefully in ice, bound in prickly wires. Only the rarest could enter her heart, or better, only those who made enough effort could enter.

Being left at the doorsteps of an orphanage wrapped loosely in just a blanket with only a hospital tag attached to her foot detailing only her date and time of birth which frankly was just a few hours ago from the time she was found, she was a very quiet child only close to the caretaker of the orphanage (whom she referred to as Auntie Ning) and an older girl who dutifully took the role of an elder sister in her life. However, it was Shishi who acted like the elder one protecting her elder sister from everyone for she was too naive.

Her Auntie Ning had given her the name Ru Shi seeing her honest eyes. Her black eyes seemed to always convey what she was hiding in her heart.

The ringing of a mobile phone broke her out of her nostalgic thoughts which she was thankful for since she didn't want to remember the two most important people in her life at this moment.

One of the gangsters who had kidnapped her picked up the call.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Sir. Your work will be done on time."

She didn't know what to make out of the one-sided conversation she'd heard but she was sure, it had definitely something to do with her.

"What was it about?" One of them asked.

"Orders have finally been received about what to do with the chick." The one who picked up the call replied.

"What are the plans? Do we get to enjoy her?" Another one piped up excitedly as he thought of the clear, supple flesh he'd held in his arms when he'd abducted her.

"She's to be disposed of immediately; doused in kerosene and lit up on fire. There should be no remains found of this incident.'" The former one relayed all the information which was enough for Ru Shi to panic a little.

"Huh, as if someone would care enough to find a missing orphan!" Another one scoffed as he laughed along with others. Such words no longer had any effect on Ru Shi. She would rather be called an orphan rather than having a set of parents who couldn't wait a day to dispose of her.

"What a sad idea though, isn't it? Such an exceptional beauty to meet a horrific end just like that!" Another one of them spoke up.

"Yeah bro! I wish I could have a taste of her before her end!" Someone piped in. Her eyes welled up due to fright about what was to happen to her but she was determined too. If worse came to worst, she was ready to never go down without a fight. As long as she was alive, she would not let anyone violate her.