Chapter 1

"Ouch!" I immediately jumped as I moved away while holding the part of my arms that the boiling water burned. My eyes automatically teared up because of pain that I almost couldn't feel because my arm started to numb, and my pale skin immediately turned red.

I looked at the man in front of me who didn't even look bothered and didn't have even a slight amount of concern in his expression. All I could see was desperation and fear. His face as he acted anxious and paranoid like there was someone who was hunting him.

"Dad!" I screamed when he suddenly grabbed me and pulled me forcefully at the door. I used all my strength to pull my arms back away from him but he is too strong. My heart racing like I am running in a marathon- almost like running for life. My body envelopes a familiar fear and nervousness as we almost reach the wooden door of our old house.

"I need more money! I need more money for my gamble!" My father kept saying that to himself like he was out of his mind.

He wasn't like this. He wasn't like this not until my mother died because of cancer. He started drinking first and then smoked. Then one day, one of his friends invited him somewhere. Since that day, he always went home with lots of money. But that situation did not last for long. After a month of almost not going home, he started to act differently again. He... started to hurt me.

He suddenly slapped me one night when he went home really drunk. And he started to blame me for different... and several unpleasant things that are happening to our life.

I don't know what suddenly went wrong for us to be like this. I don't know... what to do now that he is acting like this.

What on the earth happened for him to be this... worst of the worst.

My tears escaped from my eyes. I bit my lower lip as I looked at the arm that he was tightly holding- the arm that was burned by boiling water.

As soon as he opened the door, he pushed me so hard that I thought I would fall on the ground but I bumped into something... or maybe someone because I felt a warm and rough hand hold my arm. I automatically held on to the arm that was holding me while my other hand grabbed the helm of the cloth as I tried to stand properly. As I am breathing so fast and heavily, I smelled a strong and manly perfume. When I looked up, I saw a pair of cold, emotionless, and a breathing-taking pair of gray eyes.

Even though it was dark, his eyes were shining like the stars but it also screamed danger like it was sinful to stare at those eyes.

"You said give and take, right?! Give me the money and take her! She is the exchange of the money you will lend me and my debt to you!"

Shocked and scared at what my father said, my strength slowly vanished. I let my body fall on the ground slowly, the man refused to let go of my arm not until I fully sat on the ground.

I looked at my father, checking if there was a hint of a joke in what he said but his face did not change at all. He was looking at the man behind me with seriousness and desperation. No... he couldn't do this to me. He is my father!

"D-dad..." I whispered while looking directly at him. My lips were trembling and tears filled my eyes. I closed both of my fists tightly. that was on the ground. I felt the scattered small stones scratch my hands but I didn't care about that...because the pain in my heart was dominant. I wish someone would tell me that this was only a dream, a nightmare because I want to wake up now.

How did my father go from this kind of man? Because of money? Because my mother left us early?

"How much will you give me?!" My father said again. His voice was filled with excitement at the same time lust for money. He wasn't thinking of me right now, he was not thinking about what I would feel. All he cares about now is his money and gambling!

"How much do you think she cost?" A deep and cold voice said behind me. Amidst having a terrible feeling right now, anger suddenly rose and filled my system as I looked at the man behind me.

What did he say? How could he... how could he ask my value like that?

I felt like I am a thing that they can sell and buy easily. I felt... sick. I felt.. terrible. I felt... hopeless and unworthy.

"You said before that you can give me 100 million! Or... you can double it since..." My father looked at me with a smirk on his face. "This daughter of mine is still innocent, Mr. Chae." He continued before he looked again at the man behind me. My lips parted from what I heard. I felt like my soul left my body.

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps around us. That's when I noticed that there were also some men behind the man behind me. They were all wearing black suits. One of the men appeared near me and he was holding a black suitcase. When I looked at him, I saw him nodding at the man behind me before he walked towards my father who was now smiling big and his eyes twinkling while looking at the suitcase that was placed in front of him.

"200 million, Mr. Loay. I believe I don't have to explain the deal to you again since this was your third time dealing with us." I heard the man in a black suit say to my father.

"Yes! Of course!" My father said with joy in his voice while he was checking his money.

"Give and take. You give what you have and take the money but once the money is gone, you can not take back what you gave."

Those were the words I heard before everything went black.