You were just a normal college student who went to university to study and hopefully graduate one day, your life used to be simple, just like everyone else’s.

You only had your mother left. She owned a small bakery in town, while your father had passed away when you were still very young. It was your mother who raised you alone.

But then, one day, she suddenly became ill, not just a normal sickness. Her condition kept worsening until she became too weak to even leave the bed. In the end, she became bedridden completely.

Because of that, you had no choice but to take over her work.

At night, you worked at the bakery selling bread and pastries, while during the day, you attended university classes. It was exhausting. Most days, you barely get enough sleep.

And on top of that, you had to earn enough money to support both yourself and your mother, especially for her medicines, you would rather sacrifice your own comfort than let your mother suffer.

Life was difficult, but for your mother’s sake, you kept going.

That night, it was already past midnight when you finally locked the bakery doors and started walking home alone.

The streets were unusually quiet. Cold wind brushed against your skin as you pulled your coat tighter around yourself, your tired footsteps echoing softly against the empty pavement.

The city lights flickered faintly in the distance, but something about the atmosphere felt wrong tonight. Heavy. Tense. Like the darkness itself was waiting for something terrible to happen.

As you turned the corner, golden lights from a luxurious restaurant spilled across the sidewalk ahead. Several black luxury cars were parked outside.

Then you saw him. A tall man stepped out from the restaurant entrance, surrounded closely by bodyguards. Even from a distance, he carried an overwhelming presence, calm, powerful, dangerous.

His sharp black suit fit him perfectly, and every movement he made looked effortless and controlled. Even the cold night air seemed to bend around him.

You didn’t know who he was, but instinctively, you knew he was not an ordinary man. People like him belonged to an entirely different world.

You quickly lowered your gaze, planning to quietly walk past without getting involved.

Then suddenly, one of the guards behind him slowed his steps. You saw it, the tension in his shoulders, the cold look in his eyes, the way his hand slipped inside his jacket before slowly pulling out a gun.

Your breath caught in your throat.

The guard silently raised the weapon, aiming directly at the tall man’s back. Your heart slammed violently against your ribs.

“Hey! Look out!” you shouted instinctively.

The men froze, but the guard’s finger was already tightening against the trigger.

Panic rushed through your body, your eyes darted around desperately before landing on a loose stone near the sidewalk. Without thinking, you grabbed it and threw it as hard as you could.

The stone struck the guard sharply against the side of his head.

“F×ck—!” he staggered sideways, causing the gunshot to fire off target into the night.

Everything instantly exploded into chaos. The bodyguards immediately pulled out their weapons.

You stood frozen in fear, your chest rising rapidly while your trembling hands processed what you had just done.

Then the dangerous stranger slowly turned his head toward you, his cold eyes met yours.

“You…” he said quietly as he stepped closer toward you. “You saved my life.”

He stopped directly in front of you, his sharp gaze studying your frightened expression carefully. Then he spoke again.

“What is your name?”