chapter 1


    “Help! Help!” Ariana heard a faint sounding through the alley near her apartment that she


    rented with her best friend.


    “Please help me!” The same faint sound came again but Ariana did not want to stop because it


    was dangerous to stop in the alley thiste to help a stranger.  It could be an intentional set up.


    She kept walking but her sensitive conscience would not allow her to leave someone who needs


    her help stranded. ‘Why do I always have a death wish? Ariana, please walk away’ she muttered to


    herself.


    By the time Ariana came back to her senses, she was already standing next to a bloody body,


    almost unrecognizable with a mixture of mud and blood.


    “Sir, what happened to you?” “Let me get you to the hospital.”


    “No” he insisted.


    Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “… but you’re wounded” Ariana eximed.


    “I know but I... I can clean myself up.” He stuttered due to his wounds. “I just need a ce to stay


    for tonight.”


    Ariana did not know where she got the bravery but for some reason, she trusted him at that


    moment. She helped him up. Ariana is slender and barely 5ft 4” in height, the man was a head taller


    than her with firm muscles but not too muscr, so it was still a bit ufortable for her to carry half


    his weight resting on her shoulder.


    After she sessfully brought the stranger into her apartment, she sat him on the couch in the


    small living room she shared with her best friend Emily Smith. Emily is not currently home; she


    sometimes stays with her boyfriend or with her family.


    Ariana went in the bathroom to get the first aid kit and a clean towel with a basin of water to help


    him clean up his wound.


    “What is your name stranger?” Ariana asked while taking off his shirt to clean around the wound on


    his side first. “… and you did not answer my previous question.”


    “You just need to help me clean this wound. You don’t need to know all these things.” he said


    arrogantly but in a low muffled voice. Even in pain his voice was still mysterious but sexy. After she


    took his shirt off, she was in a daze after witnessing his sexy tanned abs and a voice that could have a


    girl head over heels.


    “Hey, what are you doing?” Ariana snapped back to herself when she noticed that he was slowly


    losing consciousness. She wiped around the knife wound clumsily on his side and then had the wound


    cleaned up.


    Michael watched her through the entire process. Wondering what was going on through her head


    for helping a stranger that could simply endangered her. She was trying to be brave, but the shakiness


    of her hands gave her a way.


    Michael Matthews starts to think this woman is so interesting, she seems to be about 21 years old.


    She has a cute oval shaped face with a little baby fat that made him want to pinch her cheeks. She


    pouted her little mouth which made her even more adorable.


    “I am finished. Would you like something to eat?” Ariana thought he might need energy to move


    around.


    “That is not necessary, I am good.” Michael responded.


    “I am just trying to be polite here, anyway I am going to get something to eat for myself. You can


    stay here for the night.” Michael looked at her for a couple seconds walking up to her room before he


    finally responded, “Okay, I can sleep on the couch and I promise not to be a burden to you until then.”


    She came back downstairs and gave him some over the counter tablets for the pain and a ss of


    water. He took it and slightly cleaned his face and hands with the wet towel. He had regained full


    consciousness, but he is still weak from the amount of blood lost.


    Ariana was busying herself in the kitchen preparing macaroni and cheese with sausage.


    Meanwhile, Michael was checking out her apartment from where he is sitting. ‘It seems a bit small and


    the furniture is a bit old, but the ce is clean and in order very cozy’.


    He heard footsteps so he turned his head to see hering with two bowls. She ced one in his


    hand, “I know you said you don’t want anything, but I cannot let you starve, my conscience won’t allow


    it.” “This is all I have right now, I hope you don’t mind.”


    He looked up at her and saw the sincerity in her eyes and felt warmed. She does not even know


    his identity, but she risked her safety for him and did it genuinely. Most girls unt over him because of


    his identity and his wealth, it is hard to tell who is genuine these days.


    Michael ate all the food in his bowl. He was skeptical at first because this is his first time eating


    something like this. He never ate these types of unhealthy foods before and surprisingly it was indeed


    delicious. ‘I have to get the cook to prepare this for me at home’ thought Michael.


    Ariana sat opposite to Michael watching his several face expressions in a daze. Sheughed


    inwardly because he looked a bit childish but adorable.


    After Arianapleted her meal, she took the empty bowl from Michael and went to the kitchen.


    She cleaned up the kitchen and went back to the living room with Michael. For some reason she felt a


    bit warm around him and they literally just met.