Chapter 2

In the blink of an eye, the man ripped Amelia's clothes apart. She screamed and instinctively covered her chest with her arms. Was she about to be assaulted? She couldn't believe that someone would force themselves on her when she looked like this. "D-Don't touch me! I'm the fiancee of Tobias Brooks, the second heir of the Brooks family!" Even though she loathed Tobias with every fiber of her being, she had no choice but to use that title to intimidate the man. As soon as her words fell, the man froze. "You're Tobias' fiancee?" A cold glint flickered in Jayden Brooks' eyes. The cabin was too dark for Amelia to notice the change in his gaze, but she did notice him pause. It seemed like he knew Tobias. Amelia hurriedly warned, "That's right. Since you know who he is, you should also know better than to cross the future daughter-in-law of the Brooks family! So long as you leave now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened." The moment those words rolled off her tongue, she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway. "How strange. I'm sure he came to this floor…" "He must be hiding in a cabin. Search every room!" The men outside were closing in fast. Judging by the sound of their footsteps, they were almost at her door. So, this man wasn't here to assault her. He was a fugitive on the run. His arms, braced on either side of her head, were strong and well-trained. With the dagger at her throat, he could kill her anytime he wished. Right after the thought crossed her mind, for the sake of her own safety, she gritted her teeth and said, "I can help you hide from them and treat your wound, but you have to promise not to hurt me!" Since escape was out of the question, she decided she might as well work with him. Sure enough, as soon as her words sank in, the murderous intent in the man's eyes dissipated. "You'd better keep your word, or I won't care whose fiancee you are," he warned with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Amelia couldn't see his face, but she felt the air around them freeze. This man was dangerous! The footsteps stopped right outside the cabin door. There was no time to hide the man. Gritting her teeth, Amelia went on the offensive, flipping him over and straddling him. Then, she let out soft, breathy moans as she rocked her hips in a convincing rhythm. The man realized what she was doing, yet he still looked startled, and his body stiffened. Amelia, with her face covered in red blotches, didn't look like she'd ever been with a man. However, she sure knew what she was doing. In a heartbeat, the cabin door was kicked open. Caught off guard, Amelia cried out and wrapped her arms around his neck. Using the light from the hallway, the intruder could only see two overlapping figures. The woman's skin was as smooth as porcelain, her long dark hair spilling across the pillow. Even though only her back could be seen, the scene was undeniably alluring. However, when she turned her head slightly, the frightening red blotches on her face came into view. The intruder immediately lost interest and closed the door in disgust. "Is he in there?" another person asked. "No, it's just a couple having a tryst. Let's go!" The second the door was closed, Amelia let out a breath of relief. Before long, the footsteps faded away. Those people had left this floor of the ship. "You did well," the man said flatly. Without sparing her another glance, he sat up and began tending to his wound. Through the thin strip of light seeping past the curtains, Amelia saw his wound. It was on his waist. Once he wiped away the blood with his shirt, she could clearly see a bullet lodged in his flesh—a gunshot wound. Thanks to the amulet on his chest, the bullet had only penetrated halfway into his flesh; otherwise, it would have pierced right through him. Yet, his breathing was steady. Even when he noticed the red blotches on her face, he was unfazed. This meant his mind was unshakably strong. Who on earth was he? Amelia was lost in thought when he abruptly bit down on his shirt and, with brutal efficiency, dug the bullet out himself. Blood gushed out like water breaking through a dam. "Have you lost your bloody mind?" Amelia's instincts as a doctor overrode everything else. Even though the man didn't look like a good person, she hastily put on her clothes and grabbed her medical kit from her luggage. Noticing his wary look, she explained, "I'm a doctor." He didn't say a word, but he didn't stop her from tending to his wound either. Fortunately for him, her medical kit was well stocked, with medications to stop the bleeding too. Still, it took her half an hour to get the bleeding under control. "There, all done!" As soon as her words fell, the man's hand shot out, gripping her chin and tilting her face upward. Her face was barely the size of his palm, yet her eyes were large, shining like polished onyx. Unfortunately, the red blotches littering her skin made her look both ugly and frightening. He was never one to judge a book by its cover, but he couldn't believe this intriguing woman was his crippled younger brother's fiancee. He grilled her. "How old are you? What's your name? Where do you live?" Amelia didn't want to talk to him. Lowering her eyes, she pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before saying, "They're gone. You should get going!" "Aren't you going to answer me?" Amelia gritted her teeth. She knew better than to reveal her identity to someone this dangerous. The man snorted. "Do you know who I am?" "I don't want to know! Please just leave!" she urged. "Fine." He abruptly reached out and yanked the necklace from her neck. The necklace itself wasn't important, but the ring hanging from it belonged to Margaret. "Give it back!" Amelia demanded. She reached out to snatch it back, but he was much taller. He simply raised his hand, and although she jumped, she couldn't reach it. He watched her hop like a kitten for a while before saying, "This ship's bound for Shelwick. Look for me at Blue Moon when you arrive. I'll return it then." With that, he struck the side of her neck. Her vision went black, and she went limp in his arms, losing consciousness. When she came to, the cruise ship was already docked. She sat up with a start and noticed that the man was long gone from her cabin. Amelia immediately checked herself and relaxed after confirming that the man hadn't done anything to her. Then, she reached into her pants pocket and drew out a dagger, its blade gleaming coldly. After plucking a single strand of her hair, she blew it across the blade and watched as it sliced cleanly in two. A sly smile curved her lips. She never treated anyone for free. Even though this dagger looked plain at first glance, it could cut through steel like butter; it must be worth a fortune. When he struck her neck, she'd known that she couldn't put up a fight, so she'd quietly stolen the dagger from his pocket. "This isn't a bad trade," she mused. As for meeting him at Blue Moon? Not a chance. She had too much to do in this life, and she had no time to waste on such a dangerous stranger. Her top priority was avenging Margaret and herself. Amelia put the dagger away and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her face was still marred by angry blotches. She took out her medical kit from her suitcase and began treating herself. It would take months and numerous rare medicinal herbs to eliminate the toxins. Fresh from the countryside and broke, she could only start with the supplies she had for a simple detoxification. In her previous life, her mentor, Quinn Hastings, had warned her that her beauty would only invite trouble. So, she was to hide her true appearance and lay low until she was strong enough to stand on her own. Amelia had heeded his advice, yet what she'd received in return was betrayal—Winter, Diana, and her newlywed husband, Tobias, had conspired to kill her on the operating table. In this life, she would take a different path. She would restore her beauty and grow stronger. She would never let others dictate her fate again! When the ship slowly eased into port, Amelia got out of bed and wheeled her suitcase out of the cabin that still smelled faintly of blood. "I'm back, Shelwick. I'll make everyone who hurt me in my previous life suffer a thousandfold!" she vowed to herself. … When Amelia disembarked from the cruise ship, Charles Merivale, the butler of the Stevans residence, was waiting at the port, scanning the crowd for her. He turned around and asked, "Where is she? Why isn't she out yet? Have any of you seen a young lady with red blotches on her face?" His men shook their heads. Amelia walked over just in time to hear that. Diana had clearly done her homework and investigated her thoroughly, down to the red blotches that marred her face. Her lips curled into a cold, knowing smile as she walked up to Charles.