LAVENDER'S (AVEN) POV.

“Mark…” I moaned as I buried my head in his chest, my fingers buried deep into his skin that will definitely leave fingerprints. My brain exploded in ecstasy. What in the hell is he doing to me?

He trailed kisses down my neck as he began thrusting inside me again…his hands held mine tightly that it could leave finger marks there.. This is definitely not the first time Mark and I were having sex but something was a little off tonight. Something about tonight felt... different. I couldn't explain it. I didn't want to. Maybe it was the wine still clouding my thoughts, or maybe it was the unfamiliar luxury surrounding us. The leather seats beneath us were softer than anything I'd ever sat on before, and the faint scent of expensive cologne lingering in the air certainly didn't belong to the cheap apartments Mark owns.

A limousine? The thought drifted lazily through my mind. Mark couldn't possibly afford one. Then again... maybe he'd wanted tonight to be special. The idea made me smile.

“F**k” Another wave of pleasure ran through my body, making me roll my eyes and bite my lips so hard that I tasted blood. I freed my hands from his grip, roaming it all over his body… his abs made me drool. Come on, this is Mark. Although he's heavily built, definitely not to this extent…

“S**t” He groaned as he began thrusting mercilessly inside me. He's close, I could feel it… The car seat was a bit uncomfortable for me to move my legs freely so it became numb… I felt his body shaking as he spilled his seeds inside me with a loud groan… luckily I reached orgasm also making me scream in pleasure. He finally collapsed on me, exhausted. His body on mine, his head buried in my shoulders.

“Mark… we didn't use protection..” I know how he hated not using protection, he must have forgotten. I suddenly smiled, caressing his hair that was on my chest… “Did you hear me Mark?”

But he didn't say a word, he might have fallen asleep. I stared at the ceiling of the limo. Why hadn't he used protection? … or maybe he just wanted tonight to be special. I don't know what he's reasons were but I'm too f**king tired to pay attention to anything right now.

A sharp ringtone suddenly pierced the quiet. I frowned without opening my eyes. That wasn't Mark's ringtone.

I'd set his ringtone myself months ago after teasing him that his old one sounded like an alarm clock. I'd know it anywhere. So why did this one sound different?

The weight on me shifted. I heard him reach for the phone. A voice crackled through the speaker. "...Where the hell are you, Kai?"

Kai?

The unfamiliar name brushed against my thoughts before sleep swallowed it whole. Darkness claimed me.

★★★★★

The next thing I felt was sunlight burning against my eyelids. I groaned softly and raised a hand to shield my face, only to realize the seat beneath me wasn't my bed. Leather. Cold leather.

My eyes snapped open. For a second, I simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me, my mind refusing to make sense of what I was seeing. Then reality crashed over me. I wasn't in my apartment. I was inside a limousine. And I was completely naked. My heart lurched.

I jerked upright, immediately pulling the discarded dress over my chest before glancing toward the front of the vehicle.

The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, apparently asleep. He hadn't noticed I was awake. A wave of relief escaped me.

Slowly, fragments of the previous night drifted back. . I smiled, Mark and I had the best sex here last night. I glanced around for him, but it was clear that he wasn't here.

“He probably had an important appointment.” I convinced myself. In a blink of an eye, I wore my dresses and a half torn panties that were lying helplessly on the floor. Then slowly got off the limo. It was parked in front of a bar. The memory from last night was slightly blurry. My chest suddenly ached slightly, like something happened that I'm not remembering properly or I simply don't want to remember…

I shrugged. Nothing matters, as long as I'm with the one person I love that makes me happy, there's nothing else that could really matter. grabbing my bag from the floor, I shut the door and walked off.

When I got home, Tessa, my roommate, was making breakfast. I ran to the kitchen with a big smile on my face and hugged her from behind. I just feel extremely excited about nothing…

She was startled and turned to me with a confused look on her face. “You're quite excited today.”

I let go of her, dropping my bag on the counter. “Positive. I'm very happy today.”

“Why?” Tessa asked, grabbing the knife from the opposite cabinet.

“What else would make me happy?” I said, gleefully. “except Mark. Mark and I made out last night.”

Tessa turned to me, the knife slipping from her hands, with a clanking sound. “You what? With who?”

I was a little startled. “ Mark and I made out last night.”

Tessa laughed nervously. “No .. that's not possible.”

I raced a brow. “What do you mean it's not possible? You weren't even there.”

She sighed. “We've talked about this, Aven, you need to get over Mark. You need to move on.”

Now I was really confused. “Move on? What are you talking about? Mark's my boyfriend.”

“Not anymore.” She half screamed. That startled me a little. “Have you forgotten that you and Mark broke up days ago, based on the fact that he got someone else pregnant?”

I blinked several times, as if I could unhear what I heard. “What?”

“Have you also forgotten that he stole from you and took his pregnant chick out of the country yesterday.”

Huh? What is going on? I could feel how pale I was… the flashbacks of what mark did to me came running back. How he looked satisfied with the looks on my face when I found out that he knocked up his ex. I was almost in tears… “But…but… I was with him last night.”

“No,you were not.” Tess said, moving forward and holding my hands. “Mark travelled out of the country yesterday. So it's not possible.”

I stared at Tessa, like she had just revealed something dreadful to me. She was totally right. I remember now how Mark had betrayed me. How he stole from me, how he has been stealing from me…But that wasn't the key problem now.

“If I wasn't with Mark yesterday…. Then who was I with?”

“ If I wasn't with Mark... then who exactly was I with?" The question echoed inside my head over and over again. It wasn't the fact that I had slept with someone that terrified me. It was the possibility that the person wasn't Mark.

That couldn't be possible. It just couldn't.

Mark had already left the country yesterday. That was the whole reason I ended up at the bar in the first place. I remembered crying. I remembered drinking until everything became a blur.

But after that…Nothing.Absolutely nothing.

My legs suddenly gave out,as I dropped slightly on the kitchen floor. Tessa ran to me, holding me steadily. Lots of emotions running through me.

I looked at Tessa with a tear filled eyes. “I'm a mess… I'm a big mess, Tess.”

“No you're not.” Tessa said, sitting down next to me on the floor. “It's not your fault, it's just mark. He's a big jerk.”

I sobbed, shaking my head. It was all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid with him,it wouldn't have ended this way. I gave Mark everything. I didn't have enough yet I gave him enough. Even when Josh, my brother was starved, even when he had to drop out of school, I didn't care because I was giving everything to mark. Why does it have to end this way.

“Tess… Tess” I sobbed as I buried my head on her shoulder, crying. “I'm done for…”

“Aven…Please pull yourself together.” Tess said,also sobbing. “You're tearing me down, seeing you cry. Pull yourself together.”

I stopped crying for a second, sniffing. I lifted my head up from her shoulder, looking down at my trembling fingers.

“How would I pull myself together when I've let everyone down.” I broke down again. “I let everyone down. Josh would never forgive me. I'd hurt him so much because of Mark.”

“He'll forgive you. You're his sister, you're his family. You're all he has right now.” Tess said. Standing up, pulling me along. She guided me to the living room. And sat me down on the sofa.

I sighed. Looking confused at the same time. “Then who was I with last night?”

Tess blinked, but sighed anyway. “Why does it matter? It's just a one night stand… that's not the worse you've done.”

“But still…” I sighed. “Why would someone take advantage of me like that? He might be well aware that I was drunk,yet he did what he did.”

Tess shrugged, “you do have a point but… what can you do?”

I stood up abruptly. “The bar…” I suddenly said.

Tess looked at me confused. “What?”

“There must be someone that can have an explanation on what happened or who it was…” I hurried to the kitchen, grabbed my bag and back to the living room. “I'll be back, give me a minute.”

“You must be crazy Aven!” Tess yelled out… but I was already leaving the apartment.

★★★★★

I stood outside the bar for a few seconds before finally pushing the door open. It felt... different. Last night, the place had been packed with loud music, drunken laughter, and flashing lights. Now, it was almost empty. A few workers were wiping tables while soft music played through the speakers.

A bartender noticed me first. With a broad smile on his face. "Good afternoon cutie. What should I get you?"

"Hi..." I forced a smile. "Um... is your manager around?"

He looked at me curiously. Smile flattered. "Did something happen?"

"No... well..." I scratched the back of my neck. "I just need to ask him something."

He nodded. With… I guess a sigh of relief.. "Give me a minute."

He disappeared through a door behind the counter. A few moments later, he returned with a middle-aged man whose hair was beginning to turn gray. Also very familiar for some unknown reason.

The man smiled politely.

"You wanted to see me?"

I nodded. "Yes... but..." I glanced around at the people nearby. "Could we talk somewhere private?"

He looked slightly surprised but gestured toward a small balcony overlooking the parking lot. "Sure."

The cool afternoon breeze brushed against my face as we stepped outside.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I wasn't even sure how to begin.

The manager waited patiently.

"So..." he said gently. "What's on your mind?"

I let out a slow breath. "I was here last night."

He frowned, studying my face.

Then recognition lit up his eyes. "Oh..." he said. "Yeah. I remember you now."

"You do?"

He nodded. "You came in pretty late." A small chuckle escaped him. "You'd had quite a bit to drink."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. "Yeah..."

"I even told you to slow down, because you came here by yourself drinking alone last night" he continued. "You looked like you were about to drink yourself unconscious."

I looked away, embarrassed.

His smile faded when he noticed how nervous I looked. "Is everything okay?"

I hesitated. "I... honestly don't know."

He waited. "My boyfriend..." I laughed bitterly. "Well... ex-boyfriend now... Cheated on me yesterday."

"I'm sorry."

"I got drunk because of him."

The manager's expression softened.

"I thought..." I swallowed. "I thought he came to pick me up."

I looked up at him."But I found out he had already left the country before any of that happened."

Confusion spread across his face.

"So now..." My voice came out almost as a whisper. "I don't know who I left with. Just woke up in a limo this morning.."

The manager stayed quiet for several seconds. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I wish I could tell you. Besides, lot's of our VIP customers comes with those.."

"Did you... happen to see me leave with anyone?"

He rubbed his chin, thinking hard. "Honestly?" he admitted. "No."

My heart sank.

"It was one of our busiest nights with important guests. I kept running between the floor and the office. I remember seeing you drinking by yourself..." He paused. "But after that... I lost track of everything. By the time I noticed it again, you were gone."

I closed my eyes for a brief second. "So there's nothing?"

He suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Wait..."

Hope shot through me. "What?"

"The CCTV."

I stared at him. "You have cameras outside, don't you?"

"We do."

"Can I... please see the footage?"

He hesitated for only a moment before smiling. "I don't usually show customers our security recordings..."

My heart dropped. "...but judging from the look on your face," he continued, "I'd be a terrible person if I said no."

I almost cried with relief. "Thank you."

He nodded toward the hallway.

"Come with me.”

He led me through a narrow hallway before stopping in front of a small room. He pushed the door open. "This is our security room."

I stepped inside, glancing around. Several monitors were mounted on the wall, each showing different parts of the bar. A desktop computer sat beneath them, connected to what looked like a recording system.The manager pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Let's see..." he murmured as his fingers moved across the keyboard.

The monitors flickered as different dates and times appeared on the screen. "You said it was last night, right?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Then it shouldn't take long."

My palms had already started sweating.

Please…Please let there be something. Anything.

The manager clicked on another file.

"There we go." The outside camera appeared on the monitor. He dragged the timeline backward before pressing play. At first, nothing seemed unusual. Cars drove past. People walked in and out of the bar. Some were laughing. Others were too drunk to even walk straight.

He increased the playback speed.

The time in the corner of the screen began changing rapidly. Then…

A long black limousine slowly pulled up in front of the entrance.

My heart skipped. "Wait!" I blurted.

The manager immediately paused the video. I pointed at the screen."That's it."

He looked at me. "The limo?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yes... that's the exact limo."

Just looking at it made something twist inside my chest. It looked exactly like the one from my memory. The same glossy black paint. The same tinted windows. The same elegant design.

"I'm sure that's the one."

The manager pressed play again.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then the back door of the limousine opened. Someone stepped out. I unconsciously leaned closer to the monitor.

A man. He was wearing a dark suit. Tall.

Broad shoulders. His posture was calm, almost effortless. My breathing caught.

"Can you pause it?"

The manager paused the video. I squinted at the screen. His face… I couldn't see it.

The streetlights barely reached where he was standing, and the camera quality wasn't helping either. Everything from his shoulders upward looked blurry. "Darn it..."I whispered under my breath.

The manager replayed the clip. The man lifted a phone to his ear, as if answering a call. He stood there for a second. Then he turned and walked away from the limousine. I frowned. "Where's he going?"

"I don't know," the manager replied quietly.We both kept watching. A second later…The screen froze. I blinked.Then it suddenly went black.

"What?" I looked at the manager. "What happened?" He frowned and clicked the mouse a few times. "Hmm..." He tried playing it again. Nothing. "It's gone."

"What do you mean it's gone?"

He sighed. "The camera malfunctioned that night." My face fell. "It shut off around this time."

I stared at the blank screen in disbelief.

"No...There should be more."

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "The maintenance team fixed it the following morning, but everything during the outage was lost." Lost? Just like that?

The answer I had desperately been looking for…Gone.

I wrapped my arms around myself, refusing to give up. "Can you play it again?"

The manager looked at me before nodding. "Of course."

The clip was replayed. The limousine. The man. The phone call. Then darkness.

"Again."

Without complaining, he replayed it.

I watched every movement carefully.

Every single step. Every tiny detail.Again.Nothing. "One more time."

The manager smiled sympathetically.

And played it again.The third time. The fifth. The seventh. By the ninth replay, my eyes were beginning to hurt. I still couldn't make out his face. It was impossible. I sighed in frustration.

"Again."

The manager quietly restarted the footage. This had to be... what?

The eleventh time? The man stepped out of the limousine once more. Phone pressed against his ear. Walking away.

I followed his movements carefully.

Not his face this time…His clothes. His hands. His shoes. Anything. Then…

Something caught my eye. "Pause!"

The manager immediately stopped the video. "What is it?"

I stepped closer to the monitor. My heartbeat quickened. "There..."

I pointed at the side of the man's neck.

The manager leaned in. For a second, neither of us spoke. Peeking out from beneath the collar of his suit… Was part of a tattoo. It wasn't very clear. Most of it was hidden. But the little I could see was enough. It's like a dragon. A black dragon stretching up the side of his neck.

I stared at the frozen image. His face was still a mystery.But maybe...

Just maybe… This dragon tattoo was the first real clue to recognizing the man I'd spent that night with.

The walk back to the apartment felt longer than usual. The image of the dragon tattoo refused to leave my mind.

A dragon? What does it even mean? It wasn't much. It wasn't a face. It wasn't a name. It wasn't enough to even tell me who the f**k the man was. But somehow… It was the only thing I had. The CCTV footage had given me hope, only to snatch it away a few seconds later.

I tightened my grip around my bag as I walked. Why did the camera have to stop at that exact moment? Of all days. Why?

By the time I reached the apartment building, my head was pounding.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Tessa looked up from the couch the moment she saw me. She had been waiting. "There you are. I was about to call you just now." She quickly stood. "Well?"

I stared at her for a moment. Then I slowly shook my head.

"They don't know."

Her hopeful expression faded.

"What do you mean?"

I tossed my bag onto the sofa before dropping down beside it.

"They remembered I came to the bar."

"The manager even remembered warning me to stop drinking."

"So what happened after that?"

I laughed bitterly. "That's the problem.He doesn't know. He was busy the whole night."

Tessa frowned.

"What about the security cameras?"

“There were cameras..” Her eyes brightened. "But..." I sighed, leaning my head against the sofa.

"The footage stopped."

"What?"

"It malfunctioned."

She blinked.

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

For a few seconds, the apartment fell silent. "The only thing we saw..." I murmured. "...was a limousine pulling up. The exact limo as I remember." Tessa looked at me expectantly. Not saying a word. "A man got out. But… it was so dark and shady, I couldn't make out his face."

She let out a disappointed sigh. "So... that's it?"

"The camera shut off right after." I rubbed my temples. "It felt like someone was dangling the answer right in front of me..."

"...then took it away."

Tessa walked over and sat beside me.

She gently nudged my shoulder.

"Aven..." I looked at her. "I know this is bothering you. But maybe..." She hesitated. "...maybe this is the universe telling you to let it go."

I gave a weak smile.

"True. Because I have a lot to worry about… mark really out did me… I" I suddenly broke down. "I… I've lost everything…"

"I know." Tess said. Wrapping her hands round me while smiling. Which earned a confused look from me. Is she crazy? Smiling at this critical time?.

"What's so funny?" I really had to ask.

"Well, you know the company I worked in suffered a fire catastrophe last time that made me stopped working for sometime."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you smiling because clearly we're both currently jobless, which for your information is a BIG problem."

The smile still plastered on her face, which was becoming irritating to look at.

"Well, not a BIG problem, like you said. Because the company just called and said that all staffs should move to the other branch in LA… and there's also job vacancies because most staffs already looked for jobs during the fire outbreak…"

You've got to be kidding me. "Really? That's… that's actually good news, Tess."

"Yeah, which means, you'll come with me to LA to take the job."

My smile flattered. To LA? I'm not certain that I can afford plane tickets right now and I don't want to bother Tess with those stuffs.

"Yeah, about that … I think you should go, I can work here in California… besides, I don't have money for tickets…"

"Don't start that…" she cut me off, "Come on Aven, what are friends for? I have it covered already…"

"Tess, I can't take that from you and besides, I can't leave Josh behind."

She sighed frustratedly. "Josh is a grown-up, he's only a year younger than us. I don't see why you should be worried about him. And besides…" She trailed off, grabbing her handbag that was at the corner, bring something out and wiggling it in the air. It's two plane tickets. Really? She smiled widely. " No excuses, Ms Lavender." With that she walked back into the kitchen.

I had no idea I was smiling. Tess is really something, trust her to cheer me up. I'm very lucky to have a best friend like her. We've been friends since high school. We're both 25. Same height but I am a little taller. If not, she has black hair and I'm brunette, people would have mistaken us as twins or sisters rather.

I sighed. This trip is all I need to start over. I'm literally swearing off guys for the rest of my life, they're scumbags entitled to ruin the dreams of young girls. Humph, too bad I learned the hard way.

I turned on the television. I'm starving and Tess is not done with breakfast,if I sleep now, I'll definitely wake up by noon.

Switching the channel, something caught my eyes. It was a man in the television,a young man giving a speech. Somehow he was familiar.

He was wearing a crisp white shirt. As he turned his head slightly… I noticed something beneath the collar. A black tattoo. Only part of it was visible. I couldn't tell exactly what it was. But it kinda looked… Like a dragon.

A sharp pain suddenly exploded inside my head. I gasped, clutching both sides of my skull. Images flashed before my eyes.

A limousine. Warm hands. Soft kisses. My own breathless moans. Everything came in broken fragments.

"...Mr. Kai Salvador has a statement for the press regarding—" The reporter's voice echoed through the room.

Mr. Kai...My breathing hitched. The name.

That name. Suddenly another memory burst into my mind. A man's voice over the phone. As I remembered in the limo.

"Mr. Kai, where are you?" "Mr. Kai... where are you?" "Mr. Kai... where are you?" The voices grew louder and louder until they were almost screaming inside my head.

"No!" I cried out, collapsing onto the floor as I clutched my head.

The pain was unbearable. I didn't even notice Tessa rushing into the living room. The television suddenly went silent. She had switched it off. Almost instantly… The pounding inside my head began to fade.

I looked up at her from the floor, breathing heavily. She stood there with the remote still in her hand, staring at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked.

I sat up… breathing heavily.

"What in the hell happened last night?”