Three Days Earlier

Three days earlier...

A Hongqi L5 was parked outside of Golden Gate College, China, with the window slightly open. Mr. Xu looked around the school, and the only thing he could see were students rushing out of school to return home.

"She didn't show up today," his assistant, Seb, said after he had scanned everywhere with his eyes.

"It's been six months and you always come to watch her leave school, and for a week now she hasn't shown up in school, but we still keep coming. Please, what's happening, boss?" He gathered his courage and asked; he was tired of driving the car to this school every 16:00 just to watch a teenage girl exit the gates.

"You have her information, so drive to her home," Mr. Xu ordered before he pressed the button that closed his car window. He was worried about the teenage girl he had vowed to protect.

"Wouldn't that be indecent?" Seb questioned him, and Raymond frowned at him.

"I am a mafia; what's decent about me?"

Seb nodded. His words made sense. So he drove onto the highway before he checked his time. "Boss, the flight is in one hour. We might not make it if we go to her place," he explained, and Raymond sighed.

"Then drive faster."

"You know what's at risk if you don't get to Italy on time? Do you want to risk it, boss?"

He sighed and checked his home screen photo. He had to be in Italy to save someone very important in his life.

"Fine, to the airport."

 *

At Harmony Street, a middle-class community that is famous for its decency, cultural behavior, and love among neighbors, the Chen family was respected for being the most cultural and also the kindest.

"Grace, you didn't cook the meat properly," a lady yelled angrily.

"And the floor is badly mopped; what type of trash is this?" Sarah Chen, the mistress of the family and also Grace's stepmom, scolded at the top of her voice before her husband approached her.

"Stop yelling; the neighbors will get you."

"Let them hear me; I am tired of your unfortunate seed of a daughter," Sarah spouted, clenching her fist. Then she saw Grace, who stood by the kitchen door.

Grace's fair skin, long black hair, and cherry lips reminded her of her husband's first love, so she didn't like seeing her.

"I am in pain; give me a break," Grace thought angrily before she stared at them sadly.

"I am sorry, mother; I will cook the meat again," she apologized.

"Just cook it properly this time around," her dad scolded, and she nodded and hurried to the kitchen.

Grace placed the meat on the gas cooker before she hurried to her small bed, which was fixated in the kitchen. She clutched at her stomach in pain.

"Can girls stop suffering from this?" She pouted and winced in pain. It was that time of the month for her, and she always felt extreme pain.

The pain was too much, and she felt her eyes close slowly. Minutes later, the entire kitchen was filled with a burning scent.

Sarah rushed to the kitchen and found the pot burning while Grace had a nap; this made her so angry. After she turned off the gas, she took out the jar of cold water from the refrigerator and poured it on her.

 "Ahhh!" she screamed and quickly stood up. She was yet to recover when Sarah slapped her hard across the face.

"Sarah!!!" Grace stared at her stepmother angrily.

"How could you be so irresponsible, huh?" 

Grace shivered in the cold and tried so hard to keep her cool, or else she was going to receive the beating of her life, her cheeks burning with pain and her stomach not sparing her.

"I am sorry," she apologized, and Sarah sneered.

"Just because I asked you to recook the meat and then you decided to burn it, fine... My daughter and I won't eat meat. But you won't eat anything today, so go back to sleeping, bastard."

A tear rolled down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped it. She had promised herself not to cry again, so she curled up on her little bed. Usually, when she is in school, she gets to avoid all this harsh stuff, but she got suspended for a week all because of her stepsister.

"One more year, it will all be over," she thought to herself.

*

The next morning, Grace woke up with a fever, her stomach still in knots. When she shuffled to the living room, the silence was a welcome change. No yelling, no chores—just the promise of a quiet day to rest.

*ding 

The doorbell shattered the peaceful illusion. She clutched her stomach tightly, walked to the door, held the doorknob, and pulled it open. "Grace." She found her best friend, Kendrick Zhang, standing by the door, dressed in his school uniform.

"Why... are you not in school?" Her tone faded as she felt like everything was spinning, and then slowly she lost consciousness, and Kendrick was fast enough to catch her.

"Grace, what's wrong?" He called out in a worried tone. Suddenly, he felt a strong force push him away, and a tall man dressed in an all-black dress carried Grace Princess style and rushed to his car.

"Hey..." He was about to refute it when another man pointed a knife at him. This got him so worried, and he couldn't do anything, though he was scared for his friend.

"Hurry and drive," Raymond scolded, and Seb kept the knife away and hurried to the car before he drove away. Yesterday, they didn't go to Italy anymore, and Raymond insisted on coming back here early in the morning. He never expected to meet Grace in such a condition; he couldn't let her suffer or be hurt.

For the first time, he held her in his hand. He could touch her; she was close but pale. "She will be fine; I promised to keep her alive with my life," he muttered to himself. Seb was shocked when he saw his boss's expression in the rearview mirror.

"I know this is the wrong time to ask this, but who did you make a deal with?" He felt like his boss was entitled to this teenage girl, and he was willing to risk it all just to save her.