Nine years later

A Kawasaki Ninja H2R rode onto the deserted circuit. The rider, dressed in black leather leggings and jackets, sat on her bike, ready to ride out.

She had just started the engine when another motorcyclist pulled up next her. Her first sight fell on the bike, which she thought was pretty luxurious.

The owner must be among the city's elite. The elites were rich socialists from New York City. Everyone in the prominent families was considered a member of the elite.

She turned on her motorcycle and was about to take off, not paying attention to the other rider. However, he commented, "Nice bike you've got, beauty."

She gazed up at him with a lopsided smile on her lips. The guy watched her lower her shades and rode away. He smiled to himself and ignited his own engine.

She had hardly driven away from the start line when she spotted the other rider in her side mirror. As he pursued her bike, a smirk returned to his cheek.

That made her furious. She narrowed her eyes at him and hurried away, attempting to get as far away from him as possible. She had simply turned to the right quickly, and there he was, still behind her. She understood what he was doing. He was having fun pissing her off.

And he was obviously incredibly fast.

He pulled up to her side and grinned before passing her. She grimaced and increased her speed, riding past him with rage. She'd never allow him to ride ahead of her, again.

They raced head-to-head, each attempting to overtake the other, but Eve refused to accept defeat. And when she looked ahead and saw the finish line, she accelerated her pace, and it wasn't long before she reached it.

Her name was Eve, a lady who enjoyed riding early every morning.

Eve enjoyed riding alone on the A.race Circuit, the world's largest yet most remote racetrack. The location was closely secured and not open to the general public, but if you had any connections to the corporation, you could be considered.

She was authorized since she was a major stakeholder of the primary corporation. She considered riding her bike to be exercise.

It helped her to vent her frustrations, but today was not her fortunate day because she ran across one of the city's entitled jerks.

The key-holder promised her that no one would be there today. Thinking about that made her furious; she despised lying and deception.

She flipped up her helmet and watched him ride past her. He turned off his engine in front of her.

She had no idea who he was and had never seen him before. She knew everyone in the city, from upperclassmen to their young ones, but she had never seen this one before.

He appeared to be in his late twenties, wearing a black singlet over black leather leggings that fit his figure perfectly. Seeing that he must have worked out a lot, she reached for her switchblade while continuing to gaze at him carefully.

He climbed down and removed his helmet, letting his long locks fall to his shoulders before leisurely hanging it on his bike handle. He turned to face her, smiled, and began walking right towards her. She remained seated, observing his every movement.

Her gaze shifted to his eyes, which sparkled beautifully under the morning sun that had set upon them.

She admired him.

His chin was flawlessly chiseled, like it had been sculptured, and his pointed nose was carved into perfection, as if he had undergone surgery, and while he continued to lick his pink luscious lips, her eyes remained fixed on them, gulping down nothing.

His lips moved, but Eve was preoccupied with her thoughts and did not pay attention. Now that he was so near to her face, he appeared strangely familiar to her eyes, but she couldn't recollect. Her whole head was blank.

"Hey, are you listening?" His soft yet deep voice penetrated her mind, and she snapped out of her reverie.

His smile deepened and revealed his attractive deep dimples. "What are you thinking, eh?" He inquired, carefully putting his hands into his pockets.

She cleared her throat and said, "Get out of my way."

He arched his brow, "But you please take my mobile number..."

He paused mid-way when she started her engine, preparing to drive away.

"Alright, give me yours and I will give you a call later tonight." He added, figuring out as she had begun to drive away.

"I wonder what makes you guys think a girl would jump up and offer her number at the sight of a handsome man." Eve spoke, keeping a careful eye on him.

He moved closer, "Great, you think I'm gorgeous, yeah. Don't act so tough, lovely. I know deep down that you want to." He spoke seductively, fiddling with her collar.

"No." She responded, hitting his hand away and saying, "Maybe other girls than me, it makes me want to knock off your teeth and watch you pick them." She answered with a frightening snarl at him.

"Aha - the violent one." He said, shaking his head, "And it makes you even sexier." He purred, making Eve feel embarrassed.

Without further ado, her bike vibrated. He stepped away to safety before she took off without another glance at him.

He stood there, watching her until she was no longer seen.

~MARBLE

Eve drove through the marble's front gate and came to a stop at the first building. She killed the engine and climbed off her bike, not forgetting her keys. She looked up to see Nikolas hurrying down the front stairs to meet her.

"Hey Nik." She greeted him, clutching her helmet at her side.

"You wouldn't believe this if I told you," he said as he jumped down the final stairway.

"What's going on?" Eve inquired and moved closer to him.

"Marco's back." He responded with a grin. It made her roll her eyes at him: "Is this news?"

"Actually, he came back with the boss."

Her eyes widened. "He came back with Loren, really?" She inquired, and he nodded.

"Seriously, why didn't you start with that?"

"You didn't let me...." She hurried back to her bike before he could complete his sentence.

"Wait, wait. Where are you going?" He inquired, going after her.

She ignored him and climbed onto her bike, inserting her key and looking at him, "I will be back, Nik." She told him, started the engine, and sped off towards the second gate, where Lorenzo lived.

Eve had waited three years to see Lorenzo and negotiate his release with him. She had sent him emails, phone calls, and several messages, but he had not responded. Hearing that he was back, he'd have a lot of explaining to give to her.

It had been nine years since Lorenzo saw her body by the seashore and brought her in. He had his doctors operate on her and provide her with refuge, so she became one of his own. So, now that she was ready for vengeance, he'd have to agree to her release from him.

Lorenzo was an Italian heir, born to an American mafia heiress who left home years ago. Considering how rich he was, he founded 'Marble'. An organization noted for accepting homeless children who have lost hope of survival. He supplied them and ensured that they never went hungry until they were ready to venture out into the world on their own.

Eve was very close to him, and they were great pals.

She paused when a security guard appeared in front of her. She offered him her ID because she had never seen the man before, and they did not know each other. The man remembered her name and promptly nodded at her.

"I'm very sorry, ma."

"It's alright."

She smiled briefly before taking back her card from him. She slid it back into her pocket as he clicked the button to unlock the gate for her, and she drove inside.

She killed her engine by the fountain and stepped inside. Lorenzo's mansion was big. He only lived there with his right-hand man and his girlfriend. Lorenzo had come with new men. Most of them didn't recognize her. They were staring at her as she moved through the various doors and eventually came to his door. She looked up at the man at the door.

"Is Loren in?" She inquired, gazing up at his face. He was towering and macho-like. Eve was little in comparison to his stature, so she raised her head to meet his eyes.

"The boss wants no disturbance." His deep, quiet voice said.

She pressed her lips together and whispered, "But it's important that I see him now."

"C'mon, Eve. I feel your desperation."

Eve let out a sigh, knowing who the voice belonged to. She gently turned around to find the blonde Stacia smiling at her.

It made her frown, but she wasn't prepared for the bitch so early. She'd already dealt with a crazy guy today and didn't need more drama. "Hello, Anastasia." Eve called, doing what Stacia had threatened her about.

"Call me, Stacia." Stacia spoke between gritted teeth. The blonde was Loren's girlfriend. The girl he always took with him on all of his travels. The girl was jealous of Lorenzo's closeness with Eve, so she took it all out on Eve. To Eve, she was only a piece of cake. She had no energy to batter words like they always do, she was stronger now. She had no time for a girl's fight.

Eve rolled her eyes and faced the door.

"I think I'll wait." She told the guard.

"Don't you have anything more to do than wait for my boyfriend, Eve?"

Seriously, what is her problem this morning? Eve could not help but ask herself.

'.....'

Eve remained silent.

Over the years, she had learned to ignore those who attempted to provoke fights with her. It made them feel dumb, and it affected more than just mere words.

"Don't you dare ignore me, you pathetic bitch!!." Stacia spat, gripping her shoulder from behind, but then the door flung open.

A girl with colored hair, wearing an extremely skimpy skirt and an exposing blouse that could show off her pointed nipples, walks out chewing gum.

Stacia's mouth widened in shock.

Eve scoffed and glanced at her: "Girlfriend, you say?" She inquired, then softly dropped Stacia's hand from her shoulder before moving inside.

Eve chuckled mockingly before closing the door behind her and turned to face Lorenzo.

He had a nightgown slung over his shoulders. He grabbed a bottle and a wine glass.

"Hey, moonpie." He cooed, pouring himself wine, and turned to face her, "Look at you, how pretty you've grown to be."

She giggled and dashed towards him. Eve wrapped him in a warm embrace, causing his drink to squash slightly as a result of the force with which she ran into him.

"You aren't horrible yourself, man. Look at those abs." Hitting his abdomen, and he groans, "Ouch! That hurts." He grumbled and bent over, his hands already occupied.

She chuckles and says, "Sorry."

After all these years, he's the only one who can still make her laugh.

She had missed him so badly.

He admitted, "I've been walking out."

He walked away to his settee and sat down.

"I can see that." She told him, while gazing around.

"You weren't seen at my welcome party yesterday only to wake up hearing you bicker with Stacia. I guess old habits never die."

Eve sat down on his single couch, "How many words did you hear me say to her, Loren?. It was she who hasn't gotten rid of her inferiority complex over me, but I'm over it already."

He sipped his wine slightly, "Stacia would always be stacia."

His Italian accent suited his tongue.

"It is you who never change your old habits," she stated with a chuckle, and he laughed, understanding why she said that.

Loren was a whore. He barely kept women, he changed them like women's underwear, yet girls were dying to be with him.

Outside the door, they could hear the voices of Stacia and the girl. Loren smiled and picked up his phone, he texted to his bodyguard.

~Get them out of my door.~

Then, other altercations followed until there was no longer noise.

He sipped his wine, again. "That's what makes a man, a man."

They shared a moment of silence.

"Where were you last night?" He inquired, eyeing her.

She laughed, "I went back to my turf, man."

"Mm, hm. I heard you purchased an estate. Girl, I've been hearing a lot about you."

"A slight achievement, I must say." She responded with a smile.

"Do you care for one?" he asks, raising his glass.

She declined, leaning away from the couch and looked serious, "That is part of the reason I'm here. What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked, frowning, "Didn't you get my texts?"

"I was very busy." He came to his defense.

"What could have gotten you so busier than to receive my calls and messages? I sent you a lot of them." She inquired, lowering her eyebrows at him.

"Actually, I saw your calls but was waiting until I met you after Marco told me everything."

"You could've written. It was very crucial."

He finished his wine and poured another into his glass. "Relax, Evelyn. Something as essential as that needs to be discussed by both parties, and, of course, I'm here now."

She nodded, "I understand. I felt that the forfeited time was setting me back."

He relaxed his back on the couch and asked, "Do you feel ready?"

"I know I'm ready," she said smoothly.

He smiled, playing his fingers around the tip of the glass.

"And you would do anything for your freedom?"

She nods, "Yes."

"I've got an assignment for you. And if you accomplish it without issues, we'll talk about your freedom."

Folding her arms, she said, "Tell me anything, and I will do it."

He paused for a time.

"Win Marco in a fight."

'....'

Another silence descended between them.

"You can't?," he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, yes. I mean, I was thinking..." She hesitated, "Why did you assign me an easier job? Are you underestimating my ability?"

He shook his head, "Evelyn, Marco is very strong. He is one of the strongest men I know. I barely beat him, and you think fighting a forty-five-year-old military man is easy?

She scoffed.

"I will fight him."

His eyes brightened up as he said, "Let's get ready."