Prologue: Inescapable
771 Words
1926, Chicago, USA.
Resting her chin on one hand,
Snow Anderson gazed quietly out the window. The sunset glow reflected in her azure eyes gradually faded from brilliance to darkness, mirroring her deep, abyssal gaze.
Night had finally fallen. This meant another day had turned—another day away from him.
Thank goodness…
She let out a soft breath, her lips curving into a smile, pure and beautiful.
The roar of the train filled her ears, deafening, yet her heart was calm. It seemed that ever since she left him, her mind had begun to find its peace again…
But the next instant, that hard-won tranquility was shattered once more!
Sirens wailed—
The steadily moving train suddenly screeched to a halt. The stop was so abrupt that the carriage shook, leaving passengers unsteady and caught off guard.
Bracing herself against the table, Snow barely managed to steady her lurching body. Like all the other passengers, she was bewildered by this sudden stop—but she didn't know why her heart suddenly began pounding.
This feeling… so familiar. As if he were drawing near…
Pressing a hand to her chest, trying to suppress the faint pain, Snow prayed silently in her heart.
No. It couldn't be. He had already let her go. How could he possibly come back?
But she didn't know—life is just like that. What you expect will always be far from reality…
"Inspection. Everyone, take out your identification."
A uniformed conductor stepped out, followed by two men dressed as police officers. Their faces were cold, their eyes sharp as eagles. Though they merely swept their gazes across the passengers' faces, their scrutiny was meticulous, radiating a murderous intensity—as if hunting enemies. It sent chills down everyone's spine…
The carriage fell silent. Aside from the conductor's voice, no one spoke. Snow heard him say: "We just received word that quite a few wanted fugitives have slipped onto the train. These two officers are conducting a routine inspection. Cooperate, and nothing will happen to you."
Somewhat relieved, Snow pulled out her identification. Yet despite her cooperation, her Chinese-American face still drew suspicion.
In this era, foreigners always bore the brunt of harsher scrutiny and doubt.
"You. Stand up. Come with us."
One of the police officers loomed over her, his tone imperious and hostile. Snow had lived in this era for a year and long since understood how things worked—she knew that if she argued now, she would likely be detained on the spot as a suspect!
Forget it. Once they found nothing unusual, they would let her go.
Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Snow stood and followed the police off the train. But the moment her feet touched the soil of Chicago Union Station, an explosion erupted nearby.
The train!!
Startled, Snow instinctively turned her head—only to have a figure lunge toward her, shielding her as she was forced to the ground.
At that instant, even though everything before her eyes was pitch-black, Snow's heart burned bright as a mirror!
This overwhelming masculine scent belonged only to him! And only at this moment did she realize—his scent was etched into her very bones!
No, she must be dreaming. How could he possibly appear here, all the way from New York?
Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, Snow opened them again and abruptly raised her head from the man's embrace…
Darkness had completely swallowed the sky. Yet the flames behind them shot straight into the heavens, illuminating the entire world. Cast in the glow of those ferocious fire-tongues, the man's face appeared as sharply chiseled as ever—still that proud, cold, hard intensity, though something in his eyes seemed to ripple?
It really was him!!!
Her heart convulsed violently. Snow felt herself plunging back into that dark abyss. Before she could even mourn her brief peace, she was scooped up into his arms.
"Vito, the mastermind has been caught. Remnants from the Tattaglia family."
"Kill."
A single, cold word—his signature style. Hard, powerful, brutal, merciless.
Her azure eyes dimming, Snow began to struggle. But in a matter of seconds, she was tossed into the car.
"Little white rabbit, long time no see. You're still as beautiful as ever."
Pressing her down, his cold fingers traced lightly across her face. In those deep amber pupils, his lips curled into a cold, wicked smile.
This time, you delivered yourself right to my door. Don't even think about escaping again!
That smile was all too familiar. Terrified, Snow pounded against him, struggling violently.
"Let me go… let me… AHH!"
- Writer
