The light switch was pressed, transforming the once pitch-dark house into a brightly lit one. It revealed Jack's disheveled figure as he threw himself onto the sofa.

The man took a deep breath and rubbed his face. He remained silent in that position for a moment. Meanwhile, Ava, seeing this, seized the opportunity. She grabbed the gun lying near Jack and pointed it at him. "Take me home! Take me home now or you'll die."

Jack didn't take her seriously. He simply uncovered his face, which had been hidden by his hands. A thin smile appeared on his thin lips. "Go ahead."

Jack's response was unexpected, making Ava tremble even more. It turned out her threat wasn't strong enough. But she kept trying to appear brave. "I'm not joking. I'm serious. You'll die miserably here. After that, I'll chop your body into tiny pieces and feed it to stray dogs!"

But once again, Jack ignored her. Instead, he stood up and slowly approached Ava. Seeing this made Ava's courage waver a bit. She kept walking backward. "Don't come closer!"

Jack didn't listen to her. He kept approaching. "I said don't come closer!"

Bang!

Ava accidentally pulled the trigger. Then Jack quickly grabbed Ava and pulled her away. The scene turned romantic now, with Jack holding Ava's waist to keep her from falling. The bullet hit the ceiling of the house.

For a moment, Ava felt her heart racing faster than usual. From this close distance, she could see that Jack was actually a handsome man. His hair styled in a pompadour, his gray eyes with a sharp gaze, the fine hairs around his face, and his lips that--

"Are you done?" Jack suddenly interrupted Ava's daydream as he straightened up. Making Ava feel a bit awkward. What was she just thinking?

Jack had faced situations like this many times before. So he knew what Ava was thinking. He smiled again. "I know I'm handsome, so you don't need a weapon to kill me."

Right after that, Jack snatched the gun back and left Ava alone. When he was on the stairs, Ava shouted, "Wait!"

The man stopped. Then turned around. Ava paused for a moment before continuing. "Your hand is injured."

Jack then grabbed his left hand. "It's nothing." He continued walking before stopping again. "Your room is near the living room. Just in case you don't want to sleep in an open space." After saying that, Jack continued walking to his room.

Meanwhile, Ava took a deep breath. "I understand now what my father advised. Once you enter the dark world, there's no way back."

---

Early in the morning, Ava just woke up. She came out of the room and stretched all her muscles. Right after that, she saw Jack just returning from outside.

The man stared at her intensely. Ava just realized she was only wearing a sports bra and shorts. This made Ava look away and clear her throat. "I didn't know criminals could wake up this early."

Upon hearing Ava's words, Jack finally looked away. He then walked to the dining table. Pulled out a chair and sat down. "And I don't know where you found those clothes."

Ava followed Jack and pulled out a chair in front of him, then sat down. "Are you kidding? I thought you deliberately kept some women's clothes."

Jack, who was pouring water, then looked at Ava for a moment. He drank half of his water before saying, "I didn't know if you wanted to eat or not, so I just bought what I wanted."

The girl then looked at the food in front of her. There was only one tray of pizza. "Why didn't you ask?"

"You think that's important? I'm kidnapping you, not taking you on vacation." Jack then took a slice of pizza and put it in his mouth.

Seeing that, Ava just snorted. "Then why didn't you restrain me? Not tying me up and letting me roam freely in this house?"

"Because you won't be able to escape. Tell me what you have to escape from me? Listen, Miss, you have no choice."

"Ava," Ava suddenly said, making Jack turn to her. "My name is Ava."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I know. You've told me twice."

"And you haven't even told me your name once."

For a moment, the situation was silent. Only the sound of breathing could be heard. Just at that moment, Jack's other phone rang. Making Jack look at the girl in front of him for a moment before answering his phone. "Hello?"

Ava snorted. This situation happened again. Even last night in the car, someone called and disrupted their introduction. Will this cycle continue like this?

The girl could only hope that what happened after Jack's phone call last night wouldn't happen again.

"Alright." Jack finished his call. He returned to his expressionless face. "Finish your food. You need extra energy to come with me."

"What? No. I don't want to go with you. Just leave me here."

"And let you escape? Of course, it's not that easy. You haven't forgotten that from now on you are mine, right?" Jack grinned. Smiling with satisfaction seeing Ava's frightened face.

Jack stood up. "And don't wear clothes like that. There are many clothes you can use in your wardrobe."

Just as Jack was about to return to his room, Ava also stood up. "Why are you holding me? I'm not a bird that can be caged. I'm a human and I need freedom."

"Don't you remember you just asked me for a job? Consider yourself already my employee."

Ava shook her head. She stepped forward and stood right in front of the tall and muscular man. "But I don't want to work with a criminal!"

Jack's gray eyes stared directly into Ava's hazel eyes. A second later, the man grabbed Ava's face tightly. "What did you say? Try saying it again!"

"Criminal! I don't want to keep being a fugitive from the police! Don't you realize that by doing this you also can't keep me as your prisoner?" A tear fell from the corner of Ava's eye. It couldn't be denied that she was now also feeling scared.

A sly smile formed on the man's lips. "But now you are part of me. They will not only hunt me but also you." Jack then slammed Ava's face quite hard. "You have no choice, Darling. So follow everything I command. Then your life will be fine."

Jack stepped forward to get ready. The veins in his neck were visible, his hands clenched. Causing the untreated gunshot wound to bleed again.

Jack hated being called a criminal. Although that was the reality, people never knew how unfair the world was to him. And Jack didn't like being hated.

Downstairs, Ava could only kick the dining chair until it overturned. She roughly wiped her tears. "I swear you will pay for today, criminal!"

Half an hour later, Jack parked his car at a showroom. The man knocked on Ava's car window until the girl rolled it down. "What?"

"You're not a princess who has to sit pretty watching her guards work. Now get out."

Ava clicked her tongue but immediately opened the car door. The girl then followed Jack, who had already entered first. Still upset, Ava just realized that they were currently in a showroom.

The girl smirked mockingly. "Looking to buy a new car, huh? I think that police car should be enough."

"Don't test my patience. Don't forget I always carry a weapon wherever I go."

At that moment, Ava clenched her fist as she watched Jack walk far ahead of her. Then, another gunshot was heard.

"Bang!"

"Thief!"