Chapter 1 Kissed by a stranger

My boyfriend Jimmy and my stepmother Amy were absent from my father's funeral. Amy I had at least seen arrive, but she hadn't come inside yet.

Where did they go?

I struggled to open up my swollen eyes, staring at the mobile phone that kept sending busy signals, wondering why they didn't answer my calls.

I was so worried that something might happen to Jimmy on the way that I could hardly breathe, I had to tug at the collar of my black coat and take a few deep breaths.

Looking at my father's cold and stiff body surrounded by flowers, I shed tears and hoped that he would arrive as soon as possible. Even if my relationship with Amy wasn’t great, I still wanted her here too.

I couldn't lose any more people. I needed them badly right now.

Jimmy promised to marry me when I came of age, and my stepmother Amy promised to be our witness. I was so thankful that I could have a home again after losing my father.

I was grateful that my father's former colleagues came together to honor him. They offered constant words of comfort and regret for my father's passing.

With their help, I managed through this funeral. Though it wasn’t my only problem today. My father's lawyer approached me to sign several papers the moment the funeral ended. Most of his property was sold to pay off debts.

It took the last of my strength to sign them. Alone. Jimmy and Amy never showed. I walked towards the underground parking, barely paying attention to where I was going.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by the number of cars in the garage. It was packed like a can of sardines, and I was exhausted looking for my pink Buick among the crowd of vehicles. It had been a birthday present from my father last year, one I was lucky to be able to keep.

Thinking that I would never receive a gift from my father again, my throat tightened and I couldn't help letting out a sob. Tears fell from the corners of my eyes. Again. I couldn't help myself. All I really wanted now was to throw myself into Jimmy's arms and cry.

Jimmy, where are you?

I clutched my phone like a drowning man grabbing the last rope from the shore. The beeping busy tone echoed in the parking lot. I vaguely heard a buzzing vibration of a mobile phone followed by a low moan.

Really? Here?

There was another groan, followed by an uncomfortably familiar voice.

"Oh baby," he muttered. "You feel great. I should have dumped that little virgin. I don’t have the patience to wait another year to hear her singing my name in bed. You're hotter than your stepdaughter." He moaned softly. interrupted the mood.

I stopped in my tracks when another loud moan raised, this one decidedly feminine. My heart felt like it had fallen to my feet as ice filled my veins.

At least I knew why they didn't show up at the funeral.

Unable to stop myself, I followed the sound to the corner of the parking lot. Hearing it and seeing it were two completely different things. For some reason, I felt like I need to see it to know it was real.

The back door was open, intertwined legs stretched out in all directions, their bodies heaving. I must have made some noise because their movements stopped abruptly.

Jimmy spotted me, hastily pulling on his pants and muttering about timing and futility. My stepmother, Amy, sat up and stared at me disdainfully.

"Don't stop for her, Jimmy," she smirked. She pursed her lips exaggeratedly and grabbed Jimmy's belt. "I'm not done yet."

"No...it's not true—"

My legs were weak, and I backed away muttering. My heart dropped from my chest like a huge lead weight and it was about to crush me.

This must not be true. It just had to be a nightmare. How could my Jimmy betray me? He was always so gentle with me, so patient. This version that stood before me? No, this disdainful Jimmy must be fake... definitely.

Amy looked at me and smiled slowly. Wearing a tight pink leopard-print dress and heavy makeup, she smiled at me smugly. That's when I realized she never intended to see my father for the last time—this was why they weren't at my father's funeral.

The grief of last week hit me tenfold and tears welled up in my eyes. The

pain of it all almost doubled for me.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Amy had always been an opportunist. She

was a young stripper who seduced my father in hopes of inheriting his fortune.

With his fortune gone, she needed to find safety elsewhere.

"It's over, Beryl. " Jimmy shrugged as if the past six months meant nothing.

His light words were like a slap in the face to me. Panting, I backed away limply, trying to escape from this nightmare, but my heavy feet seemed to have lost all their strength—

"Ah......!"

I tripped over my own feet and fell. Embarrassment mixed with despair, tears streaming down my face in an unending waterfall. I opened my mouth but only let out a silent whimper.

I have nothing left. No father. No boyfriend. No stepmother. No home. Nothing...

The dimly lit parking lot enveloped me like a gigantic tomb, and I could hardly breathe. At that moment, I wanted to escape this world with my father.

If there is a god, please help me—

There was a sudden sound of brakes, and at the same time, a strong white light shot toward me. I had to squint my eyes and reach out to cover my swollen and sore eyes.

A gold Aston Martin pulled into view. It stood before us like a king among peasants. Tall, luxurious, and smooth it looked completely out of place in this dark and dilapidated parking lot.

The car door spread out to the sides like huge black wings, and four tall men stepped out of the car door, walking toward me.

They were each over six feet tall, their muscular frames wrapped in crisp black suits. The headlights poured down from behind them, and their backlit faces were handsome and deep, with sharp lines—

I had never met such stunning people in my life. I had always viewed Jimmy and my stepmother as a head above the rest, but they surpassed even that. Their appearance and temperament were even better than movie stars.

I could imagine the expressions on their faces without looking back. I even heard the gasp of shock from both of them.

"The world's richest man, Armand Lupine ...why is he here?" Jimmy murmured.

"My God! This can’t be. Rich Armand's triplet sons—star hockey player Nicholas, world-famous painter Brian, bad boy rock star Cheney...!" Amy screeched uncontrollably.

Honestly, it felt restrained given who was standing before us. The presence of any of the four of them often led to chaos and screaming girls. When they all appeared together? I definitely believed Amy was restrained in that moment.

I tried to get up from the ground but failed, and a sharp stabbing pain came from the back of my neck, which made me tremble all over. Goosebumps crawled up my flesh. It sent a cascade of sensations through my body, from my toes to my hair.

"Is it her?"

"It's her... she's my—"

"No, she’s mine—"

"Apple, lavender... she smells so good." "This damn place is too dark."

Their magnetic and beautiful words spread into my ears chaotically. I saw the tallest of them snap his fingers in the air, and immediately after that, the lights of the entire parking lot came on row upon row.

"My God..."

Jimmy and Amy gasped in surprise again. How did he do that?

Now, I seemed to be in the center of the stage, surrounded by bright daylight, my disheveled hair and red and swollen eyes showed my embarrassment unscrupulously, but—

In the next second, the eldest, Nicholas, appeared in front of me before his other two brothers joined him at an absolutely inhuman superspeed. The scorching air current and the breath of the waves hit me in an instant, and then he hugged me very easily, bowed down, and kissed me!