WHO ARE YOU?

The crowd dispersed, chatting away about what transpired a moment ago. It's not every day you can meet someone, who stands up to fight for what she believed in, against an influential person.

"Okay, I'm on my own again. Just how I first arrived in this isle," Zoe sighed as she started walking. 

It's not that she's complaining. After losing her parents in a tragedy, her former friends from her prestigious school started bullying her. She started living alone since then. 

Since she was still young, her Uncle transferred the right to their business to his name. She was receiving scraps of her parents' own money so that she could live by. So she really wasn't close with them even if they lived in the same roof during her childhood. 

"I wonder if I could meet someone special here." A silly thought came to her as she walked back to get her things.

"Brr… I didn't realize it was this frigid. That woman made my blood reach 50 degrees Celsius there!" Zoe shivered as she realized that she was up to this time in her bikinis. She rubbed her arms to heat her up even for a short while.

She removed her ponytail and let her long auburn hair, currently with beach waves, fall loose to cover her body in some way.

Zoe embraced herself and gave permission to the breeze to caress her as if it was her mother.

"Mom…," Zoe whispered through the wind as if it would possibly fulfill her longing heart to the heavens and answer her prayers.

She faced the sea while its gentle ripples hummed sad music as it splashed on the shore, making the place more melancholic. 

"I should have been enjoying my time here. I better get back."

She was leaving when she noticed a man's shadow closing on her from the sand. She was so absorbed with her thoughts she didn't notice another presence approached her.

Her heart pumped in a frenzy as he drew near her.

"Oh, no!" Zoe exclaimed as she wrapped herself with her arms with all haste. She remembered her image with two minimal pieces of cloth covering her nakedness.

Similar to an arrow from a bow, Zoe's memories flipped to when she studied self-defense. Before his assailant could grab her, Zoe swung towards him as a scalded cat.

With a sharp move, she strode one leg at the back of the man's and seized him by the shoulders. In double-quick time, she shoved him backward while sweeping her leg around and at the rear of his ankle as she pushed.

"Thud!"

The man behind her fell onto the stand at breakneck speed. Zoe placed her fists on her hips. "Piece of cake!" Zoe grinned as she slapped her palms. She got near and inspected his attacker.

"L-lifeguard?!" The realization staggered her as her fluttering eyelashes laid on this devastatingly handsome man in front of her.

She would never be mistaken. This man has a compelling presence aside from his tall figure, which made him stood out among the crowd a while ago.

'But why is he creeping up behind me?!'

Raigon was flat on the ground with his right hand holding Zoe's things, including her robe. He stayed there for a few seconds, still shocked at her sudden actions toward him.

'What happened? I searched for her items, mostly, her garment, to cover her.' Raigon contemplated.

'I have more serious matters to attend to. But she bounded me to the ground as if I am a perverted maniac trying to molest her.'

His kind and considerate face a while ago changed into a scowl as the incident dawned on him.

"I-I,"Zoe unconsciously stepped backward.

Zoe was not easily agitated in the presence of a man. She is always the fierce type, strong and undaunted. But with his demeanor in the present circumstance, she knew this would not be under the rug.

She was correct. He threw her pieces of stuff like pebbles at the ocean and jumped up resembling a bullet from a gun.

"Do you even know who I am?" A devilish smile crept up his face as he stood up in a flash.

In a split of a second, Raigon turned her over until he was on top, and Zoe was under him.

She could feel the warmth of his skin on hers as she was still on her bikinis. A bolt of electricity seemed to surged through her that she haven't felt before.

"Let me go!" Zoe thought of screaming these words as she struggled to fight him off. But when she gazed at him, her arms gradually surrendered and let go.

At first his eyes bored into her. He scrutinized every part of her soul with his brows knitted together as if he was looking for something from the depths of her. Then the tension in his face melted little by little as his eyes opened wide.

Then they became full of longing, joy, and compassion. His gaze upon her made her feel that he knew everything about her and her ugly past and yet embraced all of it together with who she was now...

All traces of vengeance left in her body melted away. A teardrop fell on her cheeks.

"Who are you?" She whispered as his smoldering gaze lifted her in the heavens. 

He is a stranger to her. Why does he have an effect on her like she knew him for a long time?

At that moment, she wanted to hug him and cry her heart out. She wanted to let him know how the world treated her believing that he would take her side.

Zoe crumpled her forehead and tilted her head, trying to remember who he was.

"She didn't remember me," Raigon thought as he saw her beautiful ethereal face scrunched up.

He relaxed his hold on Zoe and turned over to his side. They were now at right angles on the sand.

"I'm glad that you're alive." He whispered.