Cshi’s biggest bar.

A woman in a tailored work suit wove through the dim, noisy space. First time in a bar, and the flashing lights plus the mix of perfume and alcohol had her feeling awkward. “Excuse me, sorry, coming through.”

Phone in hand, she walked and talked at the same time. “I’m in. Turn left? Okay.”

The moment she hung up, she spun around and slammed straight into what felt like a brick wall made of muscle. The thick smell of smoke hit her, making her frown, but she still blurted out, “Sorry.”

A pair of black leather shoes froze mid-step, then slowly lowered, as if the person wasn’t planning to accept her apology at all.

“Sorry,” she repeated.

Anna Collins looked up. A ridiculously handsome face filled her vision. In the shadows, his features looked even sharper—strong nose bridge, dark lashes leaving faint shadows under his eyes.

Those black eyes burned with a heat that made her instincts scream run.

Liam Hayes…

Ten years since high school, yet just seeing him again made panic crawl up her spine. Liam had been the nightmare of her entire teenage life.

She was about to bolt when the man suddenly shifted aside, like he didn’t recognize her at all. His voice, roughened by alcohol, was low and lazy. “Go ahead.”Anna Collins refused to let her mind spin. She kept her head down and bolted forward. Only after she’d run quite a distance did she slow to a stop, breathing hard, too scared to look back, too scared to check if that really had been Liam Hayes.

Her phone suddenly rang. She grabbed it like a lifeline. Before the person on the other end could speak, she said, “Lila, sorry, something urgent came up at home. I left the key with the front desk.”

She didn’t wait for a reply and rushed straight toward the main entrance.

Once she got into a taxi, the panic in her chest finally eased a little.

It had been ten years. Even if that man really was Liam Hayes, there was no way he’d still recognize her.

And even if he did, he wouldn’t act like he did back in high school.

They were adults now. Those childish, messed‑up things shouldn’t happen again.

The bar was about half an hour from her place in the Cshi district. Normally her apartment was super close to the office, but a coworker left their key in the company, so she’d helped bring it over.

Halfway through the ride, the driver slapped the steering wheel and grumbled, “In such a damn hurry? Driving like he’s got a death wish!”

Anna glanced out the window and saw a black sedan weaving recklessly through traffic as if nothing mattered.

Thirty minutes later, the taxi stopped at her apartment complex. She paid, got out, and—maybe because running into Liam Hayes had put her on edge—she glanced around the area before heading home.Just as she stepped into the elevator, her coworker called.

“Anna, I got your keys. What happened at your place? You okay?”

“I’m fine. Sorry I couldn’t help earlier.”

Anna hit the button for the eighth floor. The elevator was empty, and in less than half a minute, the doors slid open.

She automatically reached into her bag for her keys. A thick, choking scent drifted over, stinging her nose. She coughed, looked up—then froze like her feet had been glued to the floor.

Right in front of her door stood a man in a black suit. His collar was open, a gray tie hanging loosely from his hand. His other hand held a cigarette between two fingers.

His eyes locked onto her, blazing with a heat that made her skin prickle. He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, the haze spreading down the hallway.

A second later, he flicked the cigarette away and crushed it under his shoe, the movement almost too controlled.

The hallway was dead silent.

He curled his lips into a faint smile. His voice, deeper and rougher than it had been years ago, slid out smoothly.

“Anna Collins. Long time no see.”

Not far away, Anna stood there in her work dress, long pale legs straight in her black heels.

His gaze driftThe sound wasn’t loud, but it hit her so hard her knees nearly gave out.

Anna Collins forced herself to stay calm. She spun around and jabbed the elevator button. It was already on the 30th floor. Her pulse thudded in her throat. “Sorry, I don’t know you.”

“You don’t?”

Liam Hayes let out a short, cold laugh. His leather shoes clicked on the tiles as he closed in on her.

Anna instinctively backed away, panic rising. “Liam, there’s a camera here. What are you trying to do!”

Ding—

The elevator doors slid open.

She bolted, but the next second her wrist was clamped by a brutal grip, and she was yanked straight into a chest that reeked faintly of smoke and liquor.

All composure shattered. She shoved him hard, but he didn’t budge at all—his strength was terrifying, like he could crush bone without effort. “Liam, I’m calling the police,” she warned through gritted teeth.

“Go ahead.”

Liam’s handsome face stayed unreadable, like the idea of her calling the cops amused him more than anything.

One of his hands locked around her waist. His eyes swept over her face, voice low and edged with threat, tinged with a bitter twist. “I told you—run far enough. Because the next time we meet, you’re not escaping.”

He’d held himself back for ten years. Ten years without looking her up. And then she had the nerve to walk right back into his line of sight.

So no—he wasn’t the one breaking the deal.

He’d given her the chance. She was the one who blew it.“Liam Hayes, I’m married.” Anna Collins felt her legs go weak, yet she still forced herself to face him.

“Then get a divorce. If you won’t, I’ll handle it for you.”

His other hand lifted her chin, his gaze landing straight on her lips.

Word by word, like a hunter closing in, he said, “I want you.”

“Don’t talk to me about marriage. Even if you had a kid, I still wouldn’t back off.”

Right after that, he let out a cold, twisted smile, then suddenly lowered his head and crashed his mouth onto hers, giving her zero time to react.

Ten years’ worth of bottled‑up craving tore loose like a dam bursting. He couldn’t hold it in.

Her body soft and warm in his arms only made him want to claim every inch of her.

He wanted her.

Her heart, her whole being.

Anna felt a sharp sting on her lips and clenched her teeth instinctively, refusing to let him have his way. Soon, the metallic taste of blood spread in her mouth.

No one knew how long it took before he finally pulled back, blood sliding from the corner of his own lips. Instead of pain, he actually looked satisfied, curling a smile. “Anna, don’t try to hide. No matter where you run, I’ll find you.”

With his reach, she knew she had no real escape.

“Liam, you’re sick.”

Anna stumbled back in a panic, grabbed her phone, and immediately called the police. “Someone’s harassing me. Nancheng Lijing, Building One, 8th floor. Please hurry.”Hearing her call the cops, the man didn’t run at all. Instead, he bent down, picked up her dropped keys, and handed them back to her. His tone suddenly softened. “Go home. Get some rest. See you tomorrow.”

Anna Collins—there’s plenty of time.

Anna’s eyes were red as she stared at him, her voice shaky as she gave in. “Liam Hayes, just give me one more chance. I swear I’ll stay out of your life.”

The Liam Hayes standing here ten years later was way more terrifying than the one from high school.

The crazed heat in his eyes was almost burning through her.

“Then who’s gonna give me a chance?” he asked.

When she didn’t take the keys, he grabbed her wrist and forced them into her palm.

“I only give one chance. And I already gave it.”

He let go, pressed the elevator button with those long, sharp-knuckled fingers. Soon he stepped in, and only when the doors slid shut did that scorching gaze finally disappear.

Anna slid weakly against the wall, gasping for air. It took her several minutes before she managed to unlock the door and get inside.

Not long after, the police knocked. She told them everything in detail, and they checked the building’s cameras before leaving.

With the police promising to patrol nearby, Anna finally felt a tiny bit safer. She locked the door again, dropped onto the sofa, and called Chloe Bennett. Her voice trembled. “Chloe, I saw Liam Hayes.”

The woman on the other end shot up in shock. “Liam Hayes? That psycho from high school Liam Hayes?”

“How did you even run into him? Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?”"Nothing much. I called the cops already. I was just dropping off a key to a coworker at the bar and bumped into him. I thought he didn’t recognize me, but when I got home he was literally standing at my door." Anna Collins was still shaken.

Liam Hayes… the guy she’d spent three years in high school running from.

"Are you kidding me? Liam is absolutely insane. It’s been ten years and he’s still like this? Freak. What are you gonna do? Maybe you should just get out of the country for a while."

Chloe Bennett got even more anxious. "Liam’s got real pull in A Shi. If you stay here, he’ll track you down for sure."

"I can’t just disappear. I haven’t gone back home in so many years." Anna’s voice sounded small, helpless.

Chloe snapped, "Liam is such a damn psycho. Who chases someone like this? I swear, I could strangle him."

"Anna, don’t panic. We live under the rule of law now. He can’t just do whatever he wants. You’re a lawyer. If he keeps harassing you, record everything and send him straight to jail."

"I seriously don’t get it. You barely even talked to him, and he’s obsessed like you owe him your life. Total maniac."

Anna couldn’t think of a better plan, so she could only agree. "Okay."

"Anna, maybe you should hurry up and get married or something," Chloe suggested.

Anna gripped her phone tighter. "I told him I was married. He told me to get a divorce. Said if I didn’t, he’d ‘help’ me get one."Chloe Bennett went quiet. Liam Hayes usually acted like a normal guy, but once anything involved Anna Collins, no one could predict how crazy he’d get.

Back then, some clueless boy tried to flirt with Anna, and Liam almost beat him within an inch of his life.

“Can’t you contact his dad? He can’t just let his son run around like a ticking bomb, right?”

Anna had thought about it, but the Hayes family wasn’t someone they could just reach out to. Unless Liam handed her the number himself. “I’ll give it a try.”

……

Mancheng No.1 High School, on the track field.

“Anna, breathe, you got this. You’re amazing.” Chloe, dressed in the blue school uniform, cheered her on as Anna was about to go on stage for her speech.

Anna’s eyes curved into crescents, two adorable dimples showing as she smiled. “Thanks.”

Once the principal finished, she jogged up, fixing the microphone. The whole field let out a loud “Whoa!”—everyone buzzing with excitement.

Anna really lived up to her name—warm, bright, stunning. Even the uniform couldn’t hide how striking she was. No bangs, smooth oval face, soft contours, and delicate features.

Her eyes were clear and lively, and when her lips lifted, the dimples made her look almost unreal.

Even the sunlight seemed biased, landing gently on her hair, making each strand glow.

“Good afternoon to our principal, teachers, and fellow students. I’m Anna Collins from Class One of the new freshman year. It’s an honor to speak on behalf of all the new students…”At the back of the freshman classroom, a few boys were messing around. Ethan Gold, glasses slipping down his nose, smacked the arm of the guy openly playing on his phone. “Dude, seriously, man, look at this. I swear you’ve never seen a girl this pretty.”

“Get lost. Don’t bother me, I’m in the middle of a match.” The boy’s handsome face showed pure annoyance.

“Just look, come on.”

Liam Hayes lifted his eyes, cold and sharp. Ethan shivered a little under that stare but still insisted, “For real, she’s gorgeous.”

Liam’s gaze froze on the photo and didn’t move for a long moment. Ethan nudged him, teasing, “What, she got you hooked? You think I should go chase her? How about that?”

A second later, Liam turned his head, eyes dark, and warned, “She’s mine.”

Ethan blinked. “Huh? Bro, I thought you weren’t into girls at all?”

Liam didn’t respond. After the assembly ended and they got back to class, he grabbed his backpack and walked straight to Anna Collins’s deskmate.

“This seat is mine.”

Chloe Bennett wasn’t having it. Hot‑tempered, she snapped, “This is my spot. Are you crazy?”

Anna looked up at him too. The guy was good‑looking, sure, but he radiated trouble. She tugged Chloe’s sleeve, thinking it was better not to escalate. “Chloe, let’s just give it to him.”

Liam tossed his bag onto the desk, voice firm and cold. “I wasn’t talking to you. I’m telling her to move.”Ethan Gold jogged over and tried to talk Chloe Bennett down. “Hey, classmate, can you scoot a bit? Didn’t you see the prince here has his eyes on your desk buddy?”

“You guys are ridiculous. I’m not moving,” Chloe snapped, totally unconvinced.

The next second, Liam Hayes kicked her chair over, face turning cold. “Move, or I’ll have someone carry you out.”

Anna Collins instantly stood up, blocking Chloe. “Classmate, I don’t want to share a desk with you.”

“Don’t need you to want it,” Liam replied flatly, like it meant nothing.

Ethan Gold reached out to pull Chloe back, lowering his voice. “Come on, don’t piss him off. When he loses it, he swings at everyone.”

“It’s just a seat. Anna, don’t take it to heart. The prince is always like this. Just deal with it for now.”

Right then the homeroom teacher walked in and barked, “What’s the noise about? Sit down, all of you.”

Chloe immediately complained, “Teacher, he stole my seat.”

The teacher took one glance at Liam. No one could afford to provoke this guy—forget teachers, even the principal had to tread lightly. “If he wants to sit there, then let him. Everyone sit down.”

With the teacher saying that, Chloe had no choice but to grab her bag and sit off to the side, fuming. Liam sat down slowly, almost lazy, then tilted his head and stared at Anna’s furious expression.

He introduced himself. “Liam Hayes.”

Anna turned away, pulled out a pen, and wrote her name on the fresh textbook, ignoring him completely.Suddenly, a hand snatched her pen, making her look over. The boy propped his chin up with one hand, eyes tilted up at the ends, watching her from the corner of his eye with that lazy, dangerous vibe. “I like you.”

Anna Collins had been confessed to plenty of times growing up. She kept a straight face and said, “I don’t like you. Stay away from me.”

“If you don’t like me, I’ll make you like me.”

Liam Hayes used her pen to scribble his name in her book. Even his handwriting looked sharp and aggressive, the kind that warned people not to mess with him.

Anna didn’t bother asking for the pen back. She just grabbed another one. As soon as class ended, she went straight to the homeroom teacher. “Teacher, I want to change seats.”

The teacher looked troubled. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but the Hayes family has a lot of pull. No one in A Cheng dares to cross him.”

“Just ignore him and focus on studying.”

“He’s already affecting my studying,” Anna argued.

Normally, the teacher would prioritize a good student, but this time he couldn’t. He lowered his voice. “Just don’t provoke him, or you might get expelled.”

Anna had no choice but to return to class. She quietly pushed all her books to the right, trying to block any contact between them.

Liam rested his chin on her book and warned, “You’ve got one minute. If you don’t move it back, I’ll toss your stuff in the trash.”

Anna’s eyes reddened with anger. “You’re being ridiculous.”“Countdown. Sixty… fifty‑nine…” Liam Hayes lifted his hand, eyes locked on his watch as he ticked off each second.

Anna Collins remembered what the teacher said and shoved the book back. Liam paused his counting, a smug grin sliding onto his face. “We ran into each other half a month ago. You handed me ten bucks for the ride, remember?”