......

"Hold on to me!"

Clinging to a man, Aelia Hall listened to his cool and steady voice and, compliantly, wrapped her arms around his lean waist.

His warm, large hand slid across her petite waist.

He adeptly helped her to put on the parachute.

Their plane had encountered an accident, and the body of the plane had almost been destroyed in the continuous explosion. Cries for help were never-ending.

Parachuting was the only way they could survive.

Aelia was afraid of heights; standing at the escape exit, she closed her eyes tight. Her slim and straight legs were shaking and were getting weak.

The man stretched out his robust arms, holding her and firmly protecting her in his embrace.

The two of them huddled close together.

The man's calm voice resonated in her ears, filled with a comforting power: "If you're scared, hold on to me."

Aelia tightened her hold on the man's arm, her dainty, radiant face resting against his chest, her whole body draped over him.

Her voice quivered. "Are we going to die?"

Hugging her, the man gently yet firmly replied, "No! I will protect you!"

Aelia's unsettled fear was soothed by him.

She nodded emphatically. "I believe in you!"

The man let out a deep hum.

The next second, he embraced her and jumped out of the airplane, deploying the parachute that bloomed like a flower in the air.

The thinning oxygen at high altitudes, coupled with her fear of heights, caused Aelia to grow increasingly breathless, her face turning red.

The man noticed her abnormality. His distinct fingers lifted her delicate chin.

He bent down, covered her lips and gave her artificial respiration.

A strong survival instinct caused Aelia to cling tightly to the man.

She drew oxygen from his mouth.

The man stiffened slightly, constantly supplying her with air.

As they continued to fall from the sky, he was the only god that could save her.

She clung tightly to him.

And he held her firmly, keeping her protected in his arms.

Guarding her wholeheartedly.

After a long fall, the two of them hit the ground with a loud thud.

He was at the bottom, and she was on top, lying on him.

The man shielded the young girl with his own body, holding her tightly within his broad embrace. He protected her perfectly, ensuring not a scratch came upon her.

After a narrow escape from death, Aelia's strained consciousness began to relax.

The handsome man carried the almost unconscious girl as they ran out of the forest.

The girl's clothing clung tightly to her body, perfectly outlining her exquisite figure.

Her waist was slender like a willow, seductively delicate and unable to withstand a single grip, and her skin was so tender and fair.

The man glanced down at the girl in his arms, his gaze sweeping over her entire body, a ripple of emotion flashing through his deep eyes.

He tightened his arm around her, pressing the willowy beautiful girl closer to his chest.

He was trying to use his body heat to warm her as much as possible.

Aelia barely held onto her consciousness. She asked him, "What's your name?"

The man replied, “My name is…”

She fainted before she could hear his name.

The rescue team arrived swiftly. "Quick, over here! There are survivors!"

"Jesus Christ! It's Captain Terence!"

"There's a girl with him!"

With Aelia in his arms, Terence turned his back to the crowd. He picked up a black jacket with "Emergency" written on it and wrapped it around her, thoroughly concealing her scandalous allure.

The paramedic arrived to send Aelia to the hospital.

"Captain Terence! You okay?"

Terence Kinsey looked back and saw his assistant, Darrell Scott. "Never better."

Darrell let out a long sigh of relief. "I hope the girl will be okay too."

Terence stared at the departing ambulance, his eyes deep. "She will be fine."

Nodding, Darrell was taken aback when he came close to his captain. "Cap, why are your lips swollen? It's all red!"

"Were you bitten by a venomous scorpion?"

Terence paused for a moment, the soft touch on his mouth seemingly still lingered.

In a flash, he swept a sharp gaze at Darrell. "Quit worrying over nothing."

......

Having been discharged from the hospital, Aelia had been searching for her savior for two months without a clue.

She was trying to find someone without knowing his name in a sea of people—it was anything but easy.

That man seemed to have vanished into thin air, she thought, leaving no information whatsoever.

Was everyone so into doing good deeds anonymously these days?

With a sour feeling in her heart, she went to the bar to drown her sorrows.

Inside the bar.

In a drunken state, she held tightly onto the beer bottle like it meant the world to her.

She lay drunk on the table, taking out her phone to make a call: "Hey, weren't you supposed to come pick me up? Why aren't you here yet?!"

"Some brother you are, Andre!"

"Are you really okay with your sister being alone in a bar?"

Inside the CEO's office, Andre Hall was loosely clutching a black fountain pen, his slender fingers alluring. "Princess Aelia, you're saying your brother is not being a good brother—isn't that a bit too much?"

Aelia pouted. “Then let me ask you this: Are you fulfilling your duty?"

Andre, with a languorous voice, said, “Kiddo, look towards the bar.”

Aelia turned her head and saw a bartender preparing drinks at the bar.

The bartender occasionally glanced her way as if he had been keeping an eye on her.

When the bartender noticed Aelia's gaze, he politely nodded at her.

Andre spoke softly to Aelia: "I've asked my friend to secretly watch over you, from the moment you made it to the bar, Little Miss Annoying.”

Aelia broke into a grin. "That's more like it. I can always count on my Andre."

Andre's gaze swept over the pile of files. "I'm occupied today. I've asked my friend to pick you up. You can trust him. Just sit and wait for him."

Knowing her brother had been swamped with work lately, Aelia stopped teasing him. "Fine."

"The friend who's supposed to pick me up—is he hot?" Aelia casually asked.

The image of Terence, whose handsome face could cause any person to lose their sense, appeared in Andre's mind as he seriously replied, "I would say so."

Feeling slightly narcissistic, he added, "But I'm just slightly better-looking."

Aelia giggled in response. "Your narcissism never fails to amaze me."

Lifting the corner of his mouth into a smirk, Andre crooned, "I prefer to call it 'being confident'."

Aelia continued to laugh as the siblings amused each other before ending their call.

Meanwhile, a man walked into the bar.

......

He had a strong handsome face with sharp features that stood out under the high, arched eyebrows and a sharp nose. His black pupils were deep and beautiful, his thin lips pursed into a sharp arc, and he was tall, almost reaching six feet and three inches.

He was dressed in an army green shirt, camouflage trousers, and black laced-up military boots. His figure was stiff, and his aura was stern and cold.

His exposed arm muscles were sturdy and robust, as if they contained great, infinite strength.

Even when he just stood quietly, his strong aura suppressed everyone around him.

His charisma was eye-catching, his allure was irresistible, and his aura was attractive.

A single glance at him would make one's heartbeat quicken.

Terence made a call: "What's your sister's name?"

He didn't visit the bar today for fun, but to help his good friend Andre pick up his sister.

Terence and Andre had both retired from the Falcon Assault Squad.

Terence had founded a renowned international private non-profit firefighting and rescue organization that participated in countless domestic and foreign emergency rescues, saving thousands of lives hanging on the edge of despair.

In addition, he also held a position at the Middledale Police Academy.

Andre, on the other hand, had ventured into the entertainment industry and, in just a year, had become a household name. He'd founded his own entertainment company.

The two good buddies were shining in their own fields.

Terence addressed Andre on the other end of the phone: "She's your sister; you care for her. Is there anything more important than your beloved little sister?"

Andre handled the phone with one hand while browsing through a mountain of documents with the other. "Tomorrow, an entertainment company is going public. Badass bosses like us are very busy. We're so poor that all we're left with is money and good looks."

"Besides, I'm the hottest male celebrity in the country. Me openly hitting the bars? That would stir up scandals."

"Plus, I'm handing my sister to you and I feel a hundred percent at ease."

"Aren't you going to Middledale as an instructor? My sister happens to be the superstar of the Middledale Dance Academy. Please show her more attention."

"Please, my friend."

Straightforwardly, Terence said, "Her name."

Andre replied, "My sister is called Aelia."

After hanging up the phone, Andre sent Aelia's number to Terence.

After saving the number, Terence headed into the bar with his long strides.

......

Meanwhile, in her drunken state, Aelia had grown tired from her raucous clubbing. She obediently lay on the table, waiting for the person who would come to pick her up.

In the dazzling light, a flamboyantly dressed man approached her, rudely sitting down across from her.

The man's eyes were filled with lust as he leered at Aelia, as though she was a dish that was about to be devoured by him.

"Hey, beautiful, you awake? Do me a favor and have a drink with me?" he said.

Looking up, Aelia saw a man dressed in a low-cut tank top and tight pants.

The neckline of the man's tank top was so low that his belly button was about to be exposed. Not only did he lack muscle tone, but he was also visibly flabby.

Aelia scorned the frivolous man: "Ugh, who do you think you are?"

"Am I going to drink with you just because you asked me to? Just who do you think you are?"

"I will smash my fist through your head if I hear another 'buzz buzz' from you!"

Offended by the refusal, the man frowned, and his eyes flashed menacingly. "You should feel honored when I'm inviting you for a drink. If you refuse, then I guess I can just force it down your pretty throat!"

He held up a cup of throat-burning vodka, forcefully trying to pour it into Aelia's mouth.

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed.

Aelia slapped the man's face.

A vivid slap print in blood hue appeared on his face.

A clear glass cup was slammed onto the table, and the turmeric-hued liquor inside splashed across the man's face, making him look utterly embarrassed.

The bartender on the side rushed over to Aelia when she raised her hand to stop him.

Dealing with a scoundrel was just a trivial matter to her; she could handle it entirely by herself.

She stood up, picked up the beer bottle with her left hand, and grabbed the man's hair with her right.

"You get a kick out of harassing women, huh? Nothing pisses me off than a lesser man like you! I'm a national taekwondo champion; I can kill you, do you believe it?"

She lifted the beer bottle and swung it toward the man's head.

The man covered his face and clumsily scuttled away. "I'm just here to pick up chicks!"

Aelia gave him a hard kick on his butt. "Yeah, spare me from that list. You worthless dregs of society, you are not fit!"

She kicked him and he fell to the ground.

The man was knocked to the ground, and he scrambled off in terrified haste.

Aelia tossed the beer bottle back into the tray. "Pfft! Wussy!"

She returned to her seat. On a side note, why hadn't her brother's friend arrived to pick her up?

Having waited for a while and feeling bored, she picked up her Hermès handbag and walked toward the exit of the bar.

Stepping outside the bar, she felt a churn in her stomach and halted her steps, clutching the railing tightly and struggling to placate the discomfort within.

As a responsible and cultured citizen, she refused to throw up heedlessly and cause public offense.

The jerk that she had beaten black and blue was already blocking her path with a gang of henchmen.

The menacing gang were armed with stun batons.

The jerk, backed by his henchmen, hollered, "Thrash her! Don't stop until she gets on her knees and apologizes to me!"

One of the henchmen raised his baton and aimed it at Aelia's head.

Bang!

The henchman is suddenly knocked over by a strong, long-legged kick.

A tall and poised man stood in front of Aelia, placing her behind him in a protective stance.

Adorned in camouflage clothing, his handsome and determined appearance was breathtakingly divine.

She looked up, gazing into the handsome face from her memories.

It was him, the man she'd yearned for day and night!

Terence stood by her side, just like the first time they had met, protecting and guarding her.

He said to her, "Don't be scared. I'll protect you."

His words were instilled with a calming strength, stirring feelings of immense security within her.

Her heartbeat accelerated, butterflies kicking up a storm in her stomach.

She was known for her fearlessness, but in her half-drunken state, the deeply hidden thirst and desires within her soul were revealed.

She wanted him!

She clung onto Terence's waist and pressed herself onto his back, hanging onto him like a sweet little charm accessory.

"I'm coming to your place tonight!"