~ Jane’s POV

I turned and almost cried in relief when I found Lily standing in the doorway, concern etched on her face. She took one look at my purple face filled with bruises and understood what I was doing. With a sigh, she closed the door behind and forced me to sit on my bed before taking over and packing the essentials I needed.

I watched her, tears brimming in my eyes, grateful I had at least one single person by my side to keep an eye on me, comfort me, and even hold me as I cried.

“Is this all you need?” Lily asked, and I nodded, staring at my best friend, wondering why and how the hell she became an assassin. Whoever met couldn’t, for even a second, guess the profession she was in…she was a born healer.

Everyone was used to seeing Lily in and out of the mansion every now and then, so no one questioned her, but I knew it wouldn’t be the case if she walked out with a suitcase, with me trailing behind her. She went to the bathroom and brought out the first aid kit, mending my face however she could in a short amount of time we had before everyone else went onto their nightly routines.

“Jane, my sweetheart, are you sure you want to do this? I can get you out of this hellhole, but I can’t say the same if they catch you and drag you back.” She was right, I had to think of the consequences. But what else would they do except beat me up? I see and go through it every day; it’s not like they’d kill me. A shiver ran down my spine when a memory from the past came back of my brothers beating me so badly that I’d almost taken my last breath, and for the first time, my father had beaten them back for taking things too far.

I swallowed and finally raised my head to look at Lily, determination clear in my eyes, “I can’t do this anymore, Lily…I want out.”

Lily nodded without asking any other questions. That’s what I liked the most about her: she never questioned my decisions and only left when she made sure I wasn’t having any weird thoughts.

After a while, when the silence of the night took over the mansion, we made our moves. Lily and I had exchanged clothes, and I wore a cap to hide my face. Lily would sneak out of the mansion—the one skill I have to master if I want to stay alive—and I would walk out unscathed, pretending to be Lily. Thanking God for the luck I had in not encountering my family members, I rushed into Lily’s car and met her a few miles from the mansion, and we exchanged seats.

A breath I didn’t know I was holding crashed out of me as I finally embraced the cold wing. A small smile spread through my face when I realized I had made it out, and I could choose the life I wanted now.

~ After a Few Weeks

“Yo, Gen!” Someone called out from the counter, and I turned around, finding another waiter at the back, waving me over. I walked to her and raised my brows. “Can you get this over there?” She asked, and I nodded, taking the tray from her hand and moving over to the table she wanted me to be.

With the help of Lily, I had changed my name to Gen. She even helped me fake an entire academic and personal background. She got me a job at a mediocre restaurant that had been in the place for a very long time, and I was glad when they hired me on the spot without being too suspicious of the fading bruises on my face.

Setting the tray on the table of the customers, I walked back to the counter and stood beside Amy, the other waitress I’ve befriended over my time here. I’d only been working here for a week and Amy acted as if she’d known me her entire life.

“So, you never tell me anything about yourself? Do you have a boyfriend?” I stared at her wide-eyed, a shiver running through my body simply at the thought of a boyfriend. My last boyfriend was a jerk and ran like a puppy with its tail between its legs when he found out who I was. After that, I had taken an oath to just stay single and possibly take matters into my own hands when it came to pleasure…though I was still a virgin.

“I don’t like that concept. I like being single.” I shrugged as if it were the most common thing to say, and Amy stared at me as if she’d heard the most absurd thing ever.

“Then I guess we just need to find you the Mr. Right Man.” Amy was a hopeless romantic, and who could blame her? With looks as pretty as hers, guys would be salivating after her. I cringed at the vulgar imagination that just ran through my mind.

“No need!” I raised my hand in front of her. “I’m perfectly capable of being the Mr. Right Man for myself.” Amy scoffed at that, rolling her eyes and went to clear the table of her customer while I stood there, wondering how the hell my family hadn’t noticed I wasn’t at the mansion.

I had talked to Lily, and she said everyone acted as if nothing happened, but then she also said it could be an act, and in the background, they could be rampaging through the city to find me. But then again, it was Lily who hid me, so I knew I had at least a good few months before they even got near my vicinity. Thanking my own computer skills, I was even able to set up a social media presence after altering my features a bit because I knew Nora, if not Alina, would be surfing through the internet to lay hands on me.

“Ooooh, hottie incoming~” Amy slurred as she walked back to the counter, cutting me off my trails and my breath hitched when I realized the person walking through the entrance of the restaurant.

‘Oh, God, no…’ I whispered to myself, watching as the man in complete black attire moved through the entrance, an old lady walking behind him, and they seated themselves in the far corner. I swallowed, lunch threatening to reappear while I tried to calm myself down.

“Do you know who that is…?” Amy asked, rhetorically, already know what THAT was and I nodded, lost in a trance.

“Blake Knight”

~ Jane’s POV

I turned around quickly, my back facing the two people I’d expected at the very least to come across. I was about to walk back into the kitchen when Amy grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Gen, can you take them? I have to leave…it’s urgent.” Amy pocketed her phone, pleading with me with her eyes, and I hesitantly nodded, wondering what to do. My mind was spiralling with so many thoughts. They were elite ones, why would they dine at a restaurant that’s clearly not up to their standard, not that it’s a basic one, though.

“Thank you, Gen, I owe you one.” Amy sprinted toward the staff room, and I fidgeted with my fingers.

Then, it hit me. I quickly surfed through the drawers and pulled out a mask, wearing it, thankful for COVID’s history that I didn’t have to explain it. Taking a deep breath and adjusting my bags over my eyes, I went to the table, the pen trembling in my hand.

“Good evening, sir, madam. What can I get for you today?”

“The menu—” Mr. Knight stopped when his gaze fell on me as if he was scanning me. I swallowed, praying to God he wouldn’t recognize me, but who was I kidding? The guy had been the Don of the mafia since he was 12, of course, he’d recogn—

“Good evening, sweetie,” the old lady spoke up, cutting my train of thought, and I turned my attention to her, refusing to meet eyes with the man who might expose my identity. “I’m a regular here, honey. Can we just get the usual?” The lady smiled, and I wondered if I should tell her I was new. I simply nodded and walked back to the counter, still feeling the man’s eyes on me. Shrugging the heavy weight on my back and shoulders, I rushed to the manager and explained the situation to him.

Luckily, he knew the lady and had told me their usual. I was so going to church this weekend. Thankfully, Mr. Knight, even if he recognized me, decided to stay silent and didn’t say or utter a single thing.

After they were done, I was about to walk toward them with the bill when the manager stopped me, slightly grabbing my arm. “Don’t. That lady there funds this place, we don’t charge her a single cent.”

Nodding, I stayed back, my eyes sharp on them while I kept my head down to keep from being noticed. I was about to sigh in relief when I saw them getting up to leave, but stopped when I saw the lady walking toward me with Mr. Knight trailing behind her, his hands in his pockets.

Taking a deep breath, I faced her so I wouldn’t look suspicious. “Was everything to your tastes, ma’am?” The usual tagline slipped through my tongue while the lady nodded with a smile so warm on her face, I wished I had that in my life. But I was careful not to ignore the death stare I was getting from the Don behind her.

“Everything was great, sweetheart. I’m pleased you were waiting on our table tonight.” She said, suddenly grabbing my hand and tapping on it, thanking me.

Stunned, I shook my head, trying to keep my nerves at bay when the actual Don was creeping me out. “It was my pleasure, ma’am. I’m glad you had a nice time.”

With that, she left, but the one thing I noticed was enough to send a cold shiver up my spine. After turning around, Mr. Knight tilted his head slightly and glanced at me before leaving. I knew I was in trouble now.

Excusing myself, I rushed to the restroom and took my phone out, typing a message to Lily, explaining my entire situation to her and asking her to keep an eye on my family to see if they make a move so I can run from here.

~ The Next Day

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when I read Lily’s message on my phone.

Lily: All Clear. No one from the Knight family made contact with yours. Rest now xoxo

With a smile so huge on my face, I made my way back to the restaurant and continued my shift, plus the nagging from Amy.

“Come onnn, tell me did he talk about something, huuhh?? Who was he here with? What did he talk about? Come on, don’t keep me miserable~” Amy continued to whine in the background while I prepared the restaurant for opening.

“I told you, I don’t know anything, and no, he didn’t talk to me.” I chuckled, and she finally let the topic go, making me sigh in relief.

I was carrying out my tasks when my phone rang in my pocket, and I took it out, smiling when I saw it was Lily.

Lily: Need to talk. Call me soon.

Frowning, I called her right that second only to find her phone turned off. That was weird. Lily was the kind of person to put her phone on DND, but she never turned her phone off. Something was wrong, and my stomach was doing multiple backflips at this time.

What if my family found out everything? What if Blake Knight told them? Or worse, what if he was going to handle my situation by himself? No, he’s ruthless, I’ve heard that…it can’t be true.

I was about to call Lily again when her name appeared on the screen, indicating an incoming call.

“Lily! What’s happened? Is everything alright? Are you okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“It’s okay. What happened?”

“I think Blake Knight knows who you are”

The ground shook underneath my feet. What? He knew? No…no, this can’t be. If he knows, he’ll take a second to inform my family. That can’t be it. “Lily…are you sure?”

“A hundred percent. He knows, but there’s good news as well.”

For some reason, that didn’t make me feel as good as I hoped it would. “What?”

“I have a hunch he won’t tell anyone. I mean, the last time, he only interfered because your family was on his property, that’s all.”

She was right. He made it clear at the gathering that we were standing on his property, and he didn’t like a scene being created, and that, too, a scene of a woman getting beaten up. But what’d he care about? He was famous for his ways with…women.

“Still, Lily, it’s a dagger dangling over my head.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Until then, just keep your head low.”

I hung up after that, already feeling the opposite of what I was feeling a few minutes ago. Breakfast threatened to reappear, but I shook my head, trying to clear my head. With a deep sigh, I walked back into the restaurant and continued with the rest of my tasks.

~ At Night

“Hey, Gen, do you wanna come to a club party with me?” Amy asked, sitting on the bench of the staff room, swinging her short legs. I cast her a glance and shook my head, refusing the offer, knowing damn well how much I had to keep hidden for the sake of my freedom.

“Come on, it’ll be just one time. I promise it’ll be fun.”

Although I had never been to a club before. Maybe this will be a new kind of experience now. Hesitating for a while, I nodded my head with a pit the size of a mushroom in my stomach. “But I’ll leave whenever I want, okay?”

Amy nodded, already giggling like a child. She sent me the location of the club, and I went back to my apartment to change before I took a cab. When I reached the club, I already felt out of place as I continued to push down the above-knee-length dress I was wearing. Amy had seen this dress before when she visited my apartment and insisted I wear it for the so-called party. It was a sleeveless V-neck dress with the length I was already dreading wearing.

I moved around the gush of crowd, trying to find Amy and her purple hair, but it was too dark, and everyone was pushing against every other person. I finally found the purple-haired person at the bar and was about to walk over when I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me toward a solid body. I looked up and found a man with the features of a creep and dark circles under his eyes. He was clearly not stable.

I winced when I felt him tighten his grip on my arm and tried to push him off me. He was smirking at me, and within a second, he had dragged me through a dark exit and into an alleyway so empty no one would hear even if I screamed bloody Mary.

“Look, I’ll give you money, just let me go, okay?” I asked him, and when he moved closer, all the memories of my family thrust deep inside me. Instincts finally kicked in, and I kneed him in the groin, making a run for the door and pushing my way through the crowd. My hand was wrapped around my arm where he had grabbed me, knowing it’d form a bruise soon.

I was already at the entrance when I stumbled into another god-forsaken solid body. “I swear to god—” My breath hitched when my eyes met the same forest-green colored pupils staring at me. I took a step back, refusing to come eye-to-eye with the same man I was supposed to stay hidden from.

“Mr. Knight…”

~ Jane’s POV

‘I had to move,’ I convinced myself. Taking a deep breath, I sidelined him and was about to walk away when I felt warmth spreading through my back. I stiffened when I felt his hand at the small of my back, leading me out of the club. As soon as I was out, I stepped away from him, terrified of what would happen next but refusing to go down without a fight.

My hand still on my arm, I finally lifted my eyes to meet his green ones. “I apologize for troubling you, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

I bowed my head slightly and was about to walk away when, finally, he spoke to me. “Who did this to you?” I froze mid-stance, my hand wrapped around my arm, wincing in pain and staring wide-eyed at the man in front of me. No one had ever asked me this before. Not when my brother broke my wrist, not when my father called me worthless, not when my sisters watched and did nothing.

Standing before me was Blake Knight, the most feared man in the mafia world. I saw his dark green eyes lingering on the bruise forming on my arm that I was desperately trying to hide. “Answer me,” he growled.

“It's none of your business.” For a moment, silence stretched between us, and I contemplated my harsh comment. I was stunned at myself for speaking so rudely to the man who could end me this very moment.

Then, he stepped closer. “It became my business the second you were decided to be my wife.”

Wide-eyed, I stared at him, shocked to the core. But then…I laughed out bitterly. Wife? To the King of the Underworld? The same man whose name made powerful men, including my father, tremble?

“I would rather die!” I spat out, my breath trembling, already shivering from fear of the man glaring daggers at me. I knew I was crossing a line I shouldn’t be, but he was the one making absurd comments. There was no way my father would agree to this.

“Then let’s see which happens first,” With a slightly hoarse voice, he stepped closer and bent down, staring at me with intensity that sent a shiver down my legs, “Marrying me…or dying…?”

“With all due respect, Mr. Blake Knight. I think you’re mistaken.” I stepped away, trying to create as much distance as possible, my mind spiralling with a million questions.

His lips twitched, a hint of a smirk dancing on his lips. I didn’t realize a smirk could be sexy until I laid my eyes on his. “I’d prefer you calling me ‘husband’.”

With that, he straightened and placed his hands back in his pockets. His eyes darkened when they landed on my bruise again. But within seconds, his expression went neutral, and before I could respond to his laughable comment, he walked back into the club.

Shuddering, I quickly took a cab and went back to my apartment, quickly typing an excuse to Amy, not wanting to tell her the entire story of what almost happened.

As soon as I stepped inside my apartment, I dialed Lily’s number. It continued to ring, but she never picked up, and I knew she was busy…probably somewhere she shouldn’t be. Sighing, I changed into my pajamas and applied an ointment on my arm before flopping on the bed. Cursing my fragile body, I closed my eyes, trying to fall into a deep slumber.

“Who did this to you?”

The scene repeated in my mind like a broken record, and I groaned, sitting up. I stood up and went to the spare bedroom I had in the apartment that I turned into my spare room filled with canvases.

I picked up a brush and my paints before emptying my mind on the canvases. This was the only time I truly felt at peace, even with the chaos going around in my world. Before I could delve deep into my zone, my phone rang, and Lily’s name appeared.

“Lily!”

“Jane. I have something to tell you—”

“I think I already know, Lily.” I sighed, placing the brush down and walking out of the room, flopping on my couch.

“What…how!?”

“I stumbled into Blake Knight tonight…” And after that, I told her everything that had happened, only for her to curse after every sentence I spoke.

“Fuck…I’m so sorry, Jane. If he hadn’t seen you tonight, I might’ve been able to do something. But you know the connections he has. I—I have no resources against that man.”

I knew Lily would be powerless against. Who wouldn’t be powerless against a man whose ruthlessness didn’t even end at the murder of his parents? “It’s okay. I just hope he was bluffing.”

There was silence on the other line before I knew that Lily was silent because there was no way she believed he was bluffing. Blake Knight wasn’t the man to interact just for fun; he did everything with a purpose.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here through everything, I promise.” With a few other exchanges and me asking about my family, we hung up. She told me that they were aware of the decision as well and as against of it they could be, they didn’t have a say against the Knights.

I was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang, and I found Amy standing on the other side. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I opened the door and welcomed her inside.

“Amy! Is everyt—”

“You tell me that! Why didn’t you tell me a guy harassed you?” She asked, standing in an accusatory pose, her hands on her hips as she glared at me.

“It isn’t something you go around announcing, Ames.” I shrugged, moving to the kitchen to get her a glass of water after seeing her heaving chest. She gladly accepted the glass of water and gulped it down in one go.

“Tell me when something like this happens, alright?” I nodded, but then a question popped into my mind, and I sat down across from her.

“How did you know?”

“Oh, I saw someone beating the other guy…almost to death, I swear, and when I asked around, they said that he harassed someone and was even running after her before the guy caught him.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Blake Knight….He beat him up…? For touching me…? “Did you…see who it was? The person who caught the guy…”

She shook her head. “I wish,” she placed her glass down on the table, turning to me. “He had his back toward me, and as soon as I heard, I knew it was you he harassed.”

Sighing, I shook my head and told her to get comfortable before I made my way to my room, my hands trembling with the certainty that was my future now. If Blake Knight was written in my future, there’s no way I could run from it anymore.

“Gen!!” I heard Amy yelling from the living room. Frowning, I turned and walked out only to freeze mid-stance. No…it can’t be…oh god, no, please, let this be a dream…no…no.

“Hello, Janitor!” Franze waved at me, an evil smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I shook my head, my vision already getting blurry as I rushed to my room, trying to shut the door. But his hand caught the door between the spaces, and he pushed it open, forcing my fall on the floor.

“Please, Fanz…no…don’t do this…please…”

“Gen! Who are you, people!? Leave her alone!” Amy cried and tried to tug free from Alina’s grip, struggling to reach me.

“Oh, how much we missed you, Janitor. Why did you run away, huh?” Franz spoke, standing over me, his legs caging my body as he crouched down, eyes darkening with each passing second.

“Please…don’t…” I was crying at this point, wishing for something, even an earthquake to stop it all, to stop Amy from getting hurt. She was innocent; she didn’t deserve this.

I closed my eyes when I saw Franz raising his arm to hit me. I had done this before, and I could do it again; I just need to bear through it. I bit my tongue and waited for the impact that was about to come within seconds.

Before the hit could reach me, a voice roared from behind us, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

“What did I say about touching what’s mine!?”