Chapter 1: The Gears of Fate

In the chaotic banquet hall, Aria Grant, hand clutching her aching temple, stumbled unsteadily towards the bathroom, supporting herself against the wall.

Her face was flushed, her breathing rapid, and her eyes glossy. It was obvious she had too much to drink.

The spinning scene before her eyes only made Aria feel worse. She pursed her lips and slowly crouched down, still leaning against the wall.

It seemed she had over-indulged at tonight's graduation ceremony.

Perhaps, due to the heartbreak of her recent breakup with George Flack, she had drunk without moderation.

But look, she'd had so much to drink, and George was nowhere to be found.

He just... didn't like her, not at all.

This thought crossed her increasingly blurry mind and Aria became desolate.

She sat on the floor, intending to lean against the wall but inadvertently pushed open a partially closed door. She lost her balance, fell in and lay sprawled on the floor, stunned and unable to react.

"Get out!" An intimidatingly cold voice exploded in her ear, clearly annoyed.

Aria looked up towards the source of the voice. Her consciousness was hazy, and the room was dim. Squinting, she thought she saw George's figure.

A wave of suppressed grievances surfaced. Feeling rebellious, she stood up shakily and stumbled into his arms.

"Get off!" His voice was a cold and eerie growl, seemingly angry at her impudent embrace, and yet he didn't push her away.

Had he also had too much to drink and was too weak?

Aria briefly mused this before dismissing the thought altogether.

Right now, she had only one idea in mind.

To drag George Flack - as aloof and lofty as a celestial being - off his divine pedestal and utterly defile him.

She clumsily felt up his body but stayed silent.

In the dim light, Aria missed the deepening intensity of his gaze, the corners of his eyes even coloring slightly red.

"You asked for it." In her stupor, Aria heard his deep voice then felt a sudden spin. The next moment, she was on a bed with a muscular, burning body on top of her. In the dimness, Aria only saw his familiar eyes before intense pain exploded through her, and he pulled her into the abyss of desire.

The atmosphere in the room was ambiguously romantic while outside, several tall men dressed in black stared at the closed door of the room, their expressions dark.

"What should we do? We can't get her out of there." One of them turned to the man in the middle, stammering, "This..."

"Leave." The man in the center flashed a fierce look before eventually saying begrudgingly, "We can't take her today; we'll find another opportunity."

"Without her, that woman will definitely not give us what we want."

"Right, I'll leave a few men to monitor her movements. Should we move against that woman?" Another man asked.

"Yes, I don't believe that under such pressure she won't hand over what we want." The man in the center nodded, took one last steely glance at the closed door, then turned silently to leave with his men.

—

The next day, at dawn.

When Aria woke, she was in pain from head to toe; furrowing her brow in discomfort.

Opening her eyes, she was blank for a moment before her memories gradually returned. She seemed to have gotten drunk, and then… she seemed to have been intimate with a man.

Aria's face turned white at the memory. The moment she felt his hand still on her waist, she stiffened. She slowly turned her head. Before her was a face she was all too familiar with.

The handsome man sleeping beside her had exquisite features, his usually sharp, narrow eyes now closed. In the morning light streaming in through the window, he looked divine like a fallen angel.

This man was not a stranger to her.

It was her ex-boyfriend, George Flack, whom she had broken up with just a few weeks before.

Aria's pale face regained some color as she stared at George with a complex expression.

What fate it was - having just declared a few days ago that they would never meet again, now they were in bed together.

George, as the eldest son of the Flack Group, was always aloof and seemingly detached from the mortal world. Even during their relationship, Aria had always felt inferior around him.

They had been arguing for some time, but the cause of their arguments...it was better left unmentioned.

Aria's mind was in a jumble, wondering what to do when George woke up, when her phone on the floor suddenly vibrated, startling her.

Fearing the vibration would wake George, Aria quickly, albeit painfully, crawled out of bed and picked up the phone from the floor to silence it.

She quickly got dressed, and once she was done and had gathered her things, the phone vibrated again.

Aria glanced at the screen and realized it was her sister, Kelly Grant, calling. Hurriedly, she picked up the call, all the while casting a careful glance at George on the bed, worried she might wake him.

It seemed either he was worn out from last night or something else, but he, typically a light sleeper, was now sleeping deeply and Aria didn't stir him.

Relieved, she carefully opened the door and stepped outside with her phone. On the other end, Kelly's anxious voice came through, "Aria, Aria, are you okay? Where are you now? Are you safe?"

"Sis, I'm fine," Aria replied in a low voice, her tone slightly breathless, feeling a bit puzzled. "What's going on?"

Her sister was usually calm and composed, so why was she so jittery today?

"It's nothing." Kelly seemed relieved by her reply then added, "Something happened at home, so don't come back for a few days. I've arranged for Adam to take you to a new place. Stay there for a while, and don't come back until I give you notice, okay?"

"Sis, what happened at home?" Aria frowned, sensing something was off. What could have transpired that required her to move?

"Don't ask." Kelly seemed to realize her tone might alarm Aria and softened her voice, "Don't worry, it's just for a few days. I will get you back home, okay?"

"Okay." Aria's lips moved slightly, eventually agreeing obediently to Kelly's request.

Since childhood, her sister had always been protective of her. In order to earn money to raise her, she even entered the entertainment industry. Aria would never refuse her sister's requests.

Furthermore, she didn't know how to confront George, her ex-boyfriend, and thought it might be good to find a place to cool down for a few days.

She took a deep breath, glanced back towards the room, then turned and walked determinately towards the black car that was slowly pulling up.

Aria didn't know that not long after she left, the door to George's room was silently opened, and a slim figure quietly slipped in.

The wheels of fate started to turn slowly.