-3-

My consciousness began to gather.

My body felt heavy.

I opened my eyes and saw another figure on the bed. He had looked at me and smiled.

A warm, reassuring smile, a look of deep sorrow and captivating.

I remained silent, but he took my hand. He kissed it gently and lovingly.

His actions stunned me for a moment, his gentle demeanor leaving me frozen.

“You are mine, Stefani,” he whispered.

It was soft, but it sent shivers down my spine. His tone was low but full of emphasis, the sense of ownership palpable. You could even say this was our first time meeting, but why was he so confident?

Meanwhile, I could only smile awkwardly. Not knowing what to do, I was confused by his warm attitude toward me. However, I couldn’t ignore his sweetness.

Was he the man Alex was referring to? The man I had to satisfy?

I remained silent, as he began kissing my neck, nibbling on my earlobe. Then he looked back at me with that warm smile of his.

Honestly, I felt strange. His gentle and warm demeanor felt foreign to me.

Until then, I started to remember something.

Didn’t I meet a… hairy figure last night?

So where did that figure go?

Or was it this Master who saved me from that hairy figure?

It hurt…

I glanced at my shoulder, where there were claw wounds, from a sharp object that had injured it.

“Are you injured?”

I turned to see the man approaching me again, licking every wound on my body. I couldn’t even process what I’d experienced last night.

His actions seemed to force me to feel comfortable.

“I’m sorry, Stefani,” he whispered, full of regret.

“It’s okay. It’s just a minor injury,” I said. I covered myself with the blanket. “It’ll heal,” I continued. I wanted to reassure him.

I noticed his nails weren’t sharp, so how did he hurt my skin?

“I guarantee you’ll be a top model in this country by this afternoon, and your face will be plastered on paid advertisements all over town.”

I looked back at him.

I paused, just trying to remember.

How did we make love last night?

How did it feel?

Finally, I hurried to examine the white sheets in my room, then let out a grunt of annoyance.

Blood…

I clutched the blood stains on the sheets. I quickly covered them with whatever I could, grabbed my bag, and wiped them repeatedly with my wet wipes to make them disappear.

Damn it!

Wasn’t I being laughed at?

I was shocked when the man approached me again, bending down until his face was right in front of mine.

“You don’t need to clean up, the maid will do everything.”

“But—”

I was cut off as he kissed my lips.

“Go take a shower and get ready. The news has been buzzing with your presence, and you’ll be busy now.”

I swallowed again, then extended my hand in front of him.

The man looked at me, frowning.

“Stefani,” I said. “Haven’t you introduced yourself yet, sir?” I continued.

Now it wasn’t just a smile, it was a wide laugh. His round eyes seemed to disappear.

“Call me Mr. Khill,” he replied firmly.

I nodded silently and smiled faintly.

Flashes of the terrifying incident came back. How that giant, hairy figure with glowing red eyes had attacked me until I passed out.

But I didn’t want to let him know my panic. I had to be able to take care of myself, and tell him everything was okay. Why?

I needed him.

I stood, trying to be confident in my nakedness.

But strangely, my body felt increasingly crushed by my consciousness, and the pain between my legs was so intense that I couldn’t walk.

I tried to smile.

I forced my way to the bathroom.

Instantly, my body shook so violently that I finally looked down when I saw a clump of fine hair falling from my body.

What was this hair?

Was this the hair of… the figure from last night?

If so, then where did that figure go? Or was everything that happened last night just a hallucination?

After I finished showering, I stepped out of the bathroom.

On the bed, I saw a bouquet of red roses, a suitcase of money, and a set of dress and jewelry.

I stepped closer, and Mr. Khill immediately embraced me from behind. He kissed my neck again passionately.

“A little gift for you,” he whispered. “I hope you like it.”

I turned around, swallowing hard.

For some reason, every time I looked into his beautiful eyes, I felt trapped deeper and deeper, and I didn’t know why.

“Then this is your ultimate gift, Stefani.”

Mr. Khill smiled and reached into his pants pocket. He pulled out a velvet box, revealing a sparkling emerald ring. He slipped it onto my ring finger.

Again, Mr. Khill kissed the back of my hand.

"From now on, I've tied you down, Stefani. You're mine, no man can have you."

Although sweet, it somehow felt like a threat. I couldn't breathe at his words.

Mr. Khill turned on the TV, and that's where I saw all the news I'd just learned. My picture was on every TV station, and even all the offline and online news outlets were showing my picture.

A new model with a thousand talents.

A sexy and beautiful new model, and so on.

Was that me?

I felt like I was dreaming.

But the smile on my face wasn’t filled with hesitation. I tried to remain calm, even squeezing my hands tightly.

“Now come out, two bodyguards will escort you to the car. It’s already packed with reporters downstairs, so I hope you’re not feeling awkward or shocked by all this.”

Overnight?

This seemed… impossible.

“This fast?” I asked doubtfully.

Mr. Khill, now wearing a watch, smiled. I saw a necklace with a bright red gemstone pendant and a very unique engraving around his neck.

“I own the world, I can do anything for you, Stefani.”

I remained silent.

It was exactly as Alex had said, wasn’t it?

Mr. Khill was the owner of the largest agency. What couldn’t he do?

After I got ready, I walked out of the room. I looked down the hallway I’d passed last night, and sure enough, there were many photos of wolves in various poses, and one photo caught my eye.

The large human figure sat as if on a throne, wearing a red velvet robe and his proud crown, and that necklace…

A necklace with a blood-red pendant. Wasn’t that the same necklace Mr. Khill had?

“Miss, come with me.”

I flinched again, glancing at Mr. Khill, who was just standing in the doorway, smiling strangely at me and waving.

We’ll still see each other, right?

I waved back and hurried into the elevator.

I looked down, the elevator closed, and in front of me were Mr. Khill’s two bodyguards.

I clutched my chest, I felt strange.

A sense of calm and confidence.

A sense of comfort and security.

All feelings I’d never felt before.

“Excuse me, can I ask you a question?” I asked the two bodyguards.

Neither of them moved, but I knew they heard me.

“What are those photos in Mr. Khill’s hallway?” I asked hesitantly.

“Those are Mr. Khill.”