Chapter 1 Special Genes

• Clara Hull's face flushed with heat as she opened her eyes, a sickly sweet aroma invading her nostrils.
• How could this be happening?
• Clara instinctively reached for the blanket, but her eyes were met with the sight of strong male calves standing before her.
• In the next instant, her breath caught as a hand gripped her throat.
• "Tell me! How long have you been following me? Who sent you?"
• The deep, angry voice of a stranger thundered in her ears, and as the pressure increased, the air grew increasingly thin. Clara instinctively clawed at the hand tightening around her neck. "Let... let go..."
• "Speak!" The furious voice rang out again. Clara felt the cold grip of death closing in, rendering her speechless. She could only shake her head repeatedly.
• A large hand clamped onto her chin and jerked it upward, revealing a strikingly handsome face that filled her vision. His icy, sharp eyes glinted with a shade of blue.
• Clara froze. Why are his eyes so unique? They are an inky blue!
• "Don't think that getting close to me will change anything. I'll take your life if you dare to say a word about what happened today!"
• Noticing the change in Clara's gaze, the man disdainfully flung her away, sending her crashing to the floor. He wiped his hands with a disinfectant wipe and carelessly tossed it aside as he walked toward the bathroom.
• "Cough..."
• Clara pounded her swollen chest with her fists, the searing pain between her legs reminding her that this was no dream.
• The sound of shattering glass echoed sharply through the room.
• Clara flinched, and when she looked up again, the man emerged from the bathroom, his inky blue eyes even darker, making Clara sense an undercurrent of danger.
• "Remember my words!"
• The sound of the door slamming shut reverberated, shaking the ground beneath her. Marked with red welts, Clara frantically gathered her scattered clothes, throwing them on haphazardly.
• How is this happening? Wasn't I here to attend Mr. Mike's birthday banquet?
• Her mind was a whirlwind as urgent footsteps approached from outside!
• Oh crap!
• Just as Clara pulled the blanket over herself for modesty, the door burst open, and a tall figure entered her line of sight without warning. Clara turned to see the newcomer, and the color drained from her face.
• Do... Dominic? He's back?
• Before she could process her shock, Angel Mcbride appeared from behind, linking her arm with Dominic Crosby as they walked in together.
• Seeing their intimate gesture, Clara's eyes widened in disbelief.
• Angel feigned surprise and disappointment as she said, "Clara, it's really you! Today is my dad's birthday, and I... I can hardly believe you'd stoop to this!"
• "She's the kind of loose woman who would do anything," Dominic coldly replied, his gaze narrowing in disgust as it fell on the pristine white sheets.
• A flash of realization struck Clara. She remembered drinking from Angel's glass. The drink must be spiked!
• "Dominic, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you see this."
• "It's not your fault. It's Clara's for being so foolish!"
• Loose? Foolish?
• Watching the two of them play off each other, Clara felt her mind go blank.
• Who was it that professed love for me, only to abandon me at the wedding and cause my family's downfall? Who claimed I was her best friend yet secretly hooked up with my ex-boyfriend?
• She had waited for an explanation for so long, but after three years, all she got were these crude words.
• Who is truly the foolish one?
• Clara rose, a cold laugh escaping her lips. "It takes one to know one! It's pleasing that we've reached a consensus about each other!"
• With a forceful shove, Clara pushed the two aside and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Overwhelmed by the strong scent left by that man, tears streamed down her face...
• Meanwhile, at the Moonlit Club, Ryan Wallace had just arrived at the private room's entrance when he collided with Timothy Carter.
• Timothy grasped his arm, staring in disbelief at Ryan's changing eye color, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
• Ryan remained motionless, his expression as if someone had splashed ink on him.
• Timothy looked around in disbelief, checking several times before confirming that Ryan's eyes had genuinely changed from the color black to blue-black. He exclaimed in astonishment,
• "Ryan, whose little darling is this? What charm does she possess to catch your eye?"
• The Wallace family was known for their two outstanding sons. One was a notorious playboy, while the other shunned women entirely.
• It was assumed that the Wallace family's "special genes" would manifest in the playboy Rufus Wallace, yet it turned out to be Ryan, who despised women to the utmost, who showed first!
• "If you don't speak, no one will mistake you for a mute!" Don't rub in it!
• His eyes began to sting painfully, reminding Ryan of everything that had just happened, stirring up another wave of anger in his heart as he brushed past Timothy and strode into the private room.
• The next day, Clara woke up groggily to find herself still clutching a blue silk box. Inside was a pair of butterfly-shaped diamond earrings, sparkling brilliantly in the light.
• The earrings had been the token of love Dominic gave her when he proposed all those years ago, and now...