One moment the evening has felt so pleasant with his wife by his side, and then on the next, everything has started to turn into a nightmare.

Adrian watches how Cassidy stares back at him with a disconcerted expression. She appears reluctant to leave. It shows when Charles tries to pull her away, but she keeps looking back at him in worry.

​​

At the rate of how this is going, Adrian does want Cassidy to leave. He can't afford to drag her back with him where the mad shooting is ongoing. He is already in a dire situation. As more and more people swarm all around the exit, he finds himself stuck before he eventually gets swept all the way back to where they all come from.

Yet for some reason, more than the appalling sound of gunshots that keeps penetrating through the place, what distresses him greatly is the moment when his wife completely disappears from his sight.

The bad feeling that Adrian kept getting earlier has intensified.

Something really bad is going to happen.

"President, watch out!"

While he was in the middle of sensing that premonition, someone abruptly pushed him away and sent him crashing on the ground behind a foosball table. It was then followed by a rain of bullets that would have thrust into him had he not hid immediately.

Taken aback, he hastily turns to look at the person - only to find himself even more flabbergasted.

"Sir Ray?!" Adrian exclaimed as soon as he saw him.

"Forgive me, President. I only got to warn you but did not properly disclose a possible attack tonight. This is it. The pursuers are here, and they're after Ma'am Cassidy," Ray explained in a hurry, panic evident in his voice.

"Damn it! Just what is it do they want from her?"

"For now, President, we should meet up with someone. Back-ups are coming. The police are on their way too."

After briefly observing their surroundings, he has concluded that the bullets earlier are only stray ones. No one is really shooting at them. With that, the two of them decided to take flight and retreat to a lounge nearby.

The place is empty and dark when they arrive. Yet as they walk further inside, they hear footsteps coming their way. It's already too late the instant they swerve around to see who it is.

Adrian already finds a shotgun being aimed directly at him.

"Well, hello there~" the gunman greeted with a conceited smirk.

Despite his shock, Adrian remains calm in the face of peril. He only furrows his brows together and looks back at him with a feral expression, not the least bit intimidated. With that, he takes a moment to scan his features, unable to deny that he is quite physically fit for this kind of venture.

That's until Ray stands between them out of nowhere, catching him off guard.

"Quit that, Asher! This is the President!" Ray bolted out at the gunner.

"Sir Ray, what's happening?" Adrian asked in confusion.

"Something very big - that is what's happening..." Asher cut in as he scooted closer to them, still not lowering his weapon.

"We finally met again, Shade."

For a fraction of time, both Adrian and Ray only fall silent as they are struck perplexed. They suddenly feel like they are trying to solve a riddle here. The former then makes a flat and questioning expression before glancing at the latter.

"Sir Ray, your real name's Shade?" Adrian asked with a raised brow.

"Huh? Don't look at me. I only have one name..." Ray clarified before looking back at their other companion.

"And will you put the gun down already?"

"Oh, I ain't gonna do nothing like that if Shade keeps messing around..." Asher retaliated through clenched teeth, no longer amused like earlier.

"Hey, stop playing dumb. You do recognize me, right? Or perhaps, I've gotten so handsome that you couldn't recall me anymore."

Adrian has no idea when exactly he got a dirt on a handsome stranger like him - or so Asher proclaimed himself to be. He appears revolted about something he can't put his finger on. Just as much as the name he has called him with doesn't ring a bell in him, he also can't figure out who in the world is this dude.

"Fine! Be that way, you dumbass! Only shows that you're just as bad as those guys..." Asher then muttered in aggravation before looking around them.

"Where's Cassie? I can't see her anywhere."

"Cas... sie? Are you referring to my wife?" Adrian blurted out in bafflement.

"Yeah, well... I'd like to call her more as my ex-girlfriend."

For the second time, only silence stretches between the three of them.

That's until Adrian finally gets rid of his calm facade and goes ahead to grab the shotgun. With a grim, hooded expression, he then lifts it up in the air while Asher is still holding onto it. Ray can only watch in astonishment, realizing that he can actually easily steal the weapon away from him with just one hand.

"What? Who's the ex-girlfriend now...?" Adrian taunted with a vehement tone, leaning closer to him and gripping his gun so tightly that he could feel it quivering against his hand.

"When? How? Why? Could you explain in more detail?"

Asher studies his reaction and learns that he is genuinely upset by that. Earlier, he thought that he was just pretending to be oblivious. But now, he looks like he really can't remember him at all. That shows with how he has easily believed him about the whole 'ex-girlfriend' thingy.

"Geez... I'm joking! I'm joking! That's only a test...!" Asher said with an amused laugh, making him unhand the gun and back away at last.

"But man, you sure have become one overprotective husbando~! Men are probably having a hard time getting close to Cassie. I won't be surprised if you tried to lock her up in your castle. Yet knowing her, she would've just jumped from the balcony or something. She's no damsel in distress~"

"You're talking as if you really know her. Just who are you exactly?" Adrian inquired demandingly to which he only heaved an exhausted sigh.

"Hey, dude, I'll be frank with you..."

As Ashed said that and took his turn to lean towards Adrian this time, Ray only shoots the blonde a deadpan look, wondering if he hasn't been frank enough already. His expression then contorts into a nonplussed one when he sees him casually putting his arm over his shoulders and acting like buddies.

"You know, Shade, my man..." Asher muttered near his ears as he pulled him closer to him, making his brow twitch in annoyance.

"You sound like you've got amnesia or something."

That's when Adrian stiffened a little and was thrown at a loss, his eyes widening in befuddlement.

---

"Bossman's not coming out, Charlie."

Cassidy comes to a halt as soon as she realizes that none of the people behind them now is her husband. Charles does the same and steps on his brake for a moment. By that point, almost everyone has gotten out of the casino.

They came to a stop beside the entrance when they suddenly noticed something horrid other than Adrian's absence. Cassidy felt her face paled the moment she caught sight of a few unconscious bodies that were lying all over the floor of the hall, including those of the security guards who had just greeted them a couple of hours earlier when they entered.

Blood is splattered everywhere, making the whole setting appear so spine-chillingly sinister.

"Just how the hell did those guys manage to bring in firearms?" Cassidy wondered out loud in both rage and horror as she let the bloodcurdling image pore into her mind.

"Aside from a serious problem with the security of this hotel, it can also be because everything has been planned well..." Charles trailed off before readying to rush out of there once more.

"At any rate, we have to go now, Ma'am Cassidy-"

"No, wait."

Right then, Cassidy suddenly walks up to one of the unmoving security guards and kneels down on the ground. Puzzled, Charles only watches her search for something from him. That's until she does something unprecedented. He gapes slightly in shock when he sees her taking a pistol.

"What are you doing, Ma'am?" he questioned, his eyes widening like saucers.

"I'll just borrow a gun for self-defense..." she calmly reasoned out while she examined the weapon in her hand.

"I can't let those assholes continue backing me into a corner. I have to fight if I find myself in a difficult position."

"You know how to use a pistol?"

"Wasn't trained. I'll just follow my instincts or something."

Though Charles can't help but admire how determined and cautious Cassidy is, he feels like he doesn't reassure her enough. He worries that she is only forcing herself. She might also end up in more trouble if she just charges in with that gun. Even though she can clearly rely on him, she doesn't act like she needs any saving from him.

"Ma'am Cassidy..." Charles called out as he approached her and held her wrist out nowhere, making her turn to look back at him in surprise.

"I promise I'll protect you."

At that, Cassidy abruptly paused.