Hannah hesitated, her gaze flicking down in quiet shame.
"Thank you, but… no, not just yet," she replied softly, still feeling the weight of her late arrival clinging to her like a second skin.
The moment hung in the air—awkward, delicate—but Alfonzo only nodded, his eyes never judging, his expression calm. Yet for Hannah, the evening had already become a quiet test of balance between grace and guilt, between apology and presence.
"I'm sorry. I ate before coming here, so I'm still a little full," Hannah added, her voice low, almost apologetic.
As the words left her lips, a flush crept up her cheeks, painting them a deeper shade of pink.
Embarrassment knotted in her stomach. Not only had she been late, but now she was refusing his kind offer. She felt like she was stumbling at every turn.
The truth, however, was something she didn't dare admit. After all, she was a model, and she simply couldn't afford to eat anything more today.
"Oh…" Alfonzo's response came after a slight pause. His smile dimmed—not gone, just faded like a light behind thin fog.
"Then, how about we get out of here and go for a walk? I heard there's a park nearby." The disappointment in his voice was subtle, but enough to make Hannah feel even more self-conscious.
"Okay, let's go," she said quickly, eager to move past the awkwardness. Maybe a walk would help settle her nerves.
They stood, and Alfonzo led her out of the restaurant with gentlemanly ease. Outside, a sleek black sedan waited at the curb like something out of a luxury magazine.
He moved ahead and opened the door for her with a polished grace. Hannah, used to having Benjamin do it for her, slid inside without any hesitation.
The leather seats were cold beneath her as Alfonzo closed the door and circled around to the driver's seat. The engine then purred to life, and in moments they were gliding away from the restaurant at an unnervingly fast pace.
Hannah, who has never been on a blind date before, is at a loss for words. She would never admit it to anyone, but at that moment, she was feeling very awkward and anxious at the same time.
"Is the park far from here?" Hannah asked, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled in the car like a fog.
"No, it's only a few minutes away," Alfonzo replied, eyes forward, tone clipped. He said no more after that.
The silence that followed was not just awkward—it was suffocating. Tension thickened around her like a tightening net.
Hannah shifted slightly in her seat, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, none of which she could voice. The hum of the engine was the only sound she could hear, so she put her attention on it.
She glanced out the window to distract herself. Streetlights became fewer. Houses thinned out. Concrete turned to gravel. Her unease grew with every mile, but she let it be, not wanting to seem like a person full of complaints.
Then, dizziness hit her like a wave.
Her head swam, and her vision blurred at the edges. She pressed a hand to her forehead, hoping it was just the stress and fatigue from school and training, but it worsened. Her stomach churned, and there she knew something was very wrong.
"Alfonzo, can you stop the car for a while? I don't feel good," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was a moment of silence—then something unimaginable happened.
Without a word, the man beside her reached up and began to peel something from his face.
Hannah blinked, confused. And then horror surged through her.
His entire face—skin and all—came off like latex. A mask. A convincing one. Beneath it was a stranger—cold-eyed, unrecognizable.
Her breath got caught in her throat. A scream tried to rise, but it froze, paralyzed by shock. For a long second, she could only stare, wide-eyed, disbelieving.
Then, panic exploded in her chest. She shoved herself toward the door, scrambling to put as much distance as she could between herself and the imposter.
"Who are you?!" she screamed, her voice breaking with panic as she clawed at the door handle, but much to her horror, it was locked.
"You better let me go now before my brothers find out what you're doing! If it's ransom you want, take it! But you'll rot in prison for this!" she threatened.
The man, however, said nothing. His silence was far more terrifying than any threat.
Outside the window, Hannah saw that they're going further and further away from civilization.
The road narrowed, flanked now by thick trees. The last flicker of civilization was long behind them. They were heading toward the base of a mountain, far from help.
Terror gripped her throat. Her mind raced, calculating. She had to escape. She had to act fast.
It was during that time that she realized that her years of martial arts training as a requirement for every child born in their family weren't totally useless.
She had always thought she'd never need it since she's always surrounded by bodyguards. She was wrong.
With no warning, Hannah twisted her body and delivered a swift and powerful kick to the side of his head.
The man grunted, caught off guard. He was unable to control the car, and the vehicle veered violently off the road, colliding with a tree.
The impact threw Hannah forward, slamming her violently against the dashboard. Her vision was spotted with light, her head rang, and she felt dizzy, but she didn't dare to dwell too much on it and immediately escaped.
Blood trickled from a cut above her brow, but probably because of adrenaline, she couldn't feel it.
Her fingers fumbled with the seatbelt, escaping from it, and then she clambered through the broken window, not stopping even as the glass began to pierce her arms and legs as she tumbled out into the dirt.
She didn't stop to think. She didn't have the luxury to do that. Instead, she ran for her life.
Branches whipped at her face. Rocks scraped her knees. Her lungs burned with every breath, but she didn't stop. The wind screamed past her ears, and so did she.
"Help! Please, somebody help me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs while running, but the forest only answered with silence.
No houses. No voices. No hope. Only trees and the sound of her own racing heartbeat.
Behind her, she could hear heavy and fast footsteps, growing closer to her faster than she could run.
Hannah pushed herself harder, ignoring the searing pain in her limbs from being thrown through the dashboard by the crash.
However, no matter how fast she tried to run, she wasn't fast enough, as she felt something strike the back of her head. Hard.
The world spun around her. Pain bloomed like a white-hot star behind her eyes. Her legs gave out beneath her, and the forest tilted sideways.
As she fell, the last thing she saw was the dark silhouette standing over her, and then—nothing.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
***🦋***
Author's Note
Uh oh… things just took a dark and unexpected turn. Our graceful heiress, Hannah, has vanished—kidnapped by the very man who was supposed to be her charming blind date. But who is he really? Is he Alfonzo, the suave gentleman she was meant to meet, or someone far more sinister hiding behind a mask?
And what about Ivan, the enigmatic figure whose name seems to linger like smoke in the background—does he have a hand in this, or is someone else pulling the strings by trying to take the heiress of the Salvador clan?
One thing's for sure. Hannah has stepped into a web of secrets, lies, and danger far greater than she ever imagined. Her life is no longer as peaceful as it has always been.
Curious to uncover who's really behind the mask? Want to know what fate awaits her in the shadows?
Then don't stop now—keep reading. The truth is just beyond the next page… and trust me, you won't want to miss what comes next.
Stay sharp, sweethearts. The game is only just beginning.