Chapter 1 The Woman From Five Years Ago

Skylar Stone couldn't forget about that night for five whole years. In the dim, humid room, the man had violently pinned a woman under himself. Although she had been struggling to break free, he still ripped off her clothes and left deep, obvious love bites on her porcelain skin as he nibbled her greedily. The air was thick with pheromones. Finally, amidst forlorn weeping and screaming, the woman gave up resistance. She allowed the man to thrust her as he pleased, bearing the searing pain in silence. Bright, red blood stained the white linen, looking like a bloody rose had left an imprint on it. When the man's beastly desires had received its catharsis, only then did he realize what he had done. He looked at the woman whom he had ravaged through the night and met her calm eyes. "Commander?" Skylar's eyes popped open, and he was jerked awake when he saw his adjutant staring at him in concern. It seemed that he had dreamed the same peculiar dream or, more accurately, a vivid memory once more. The memory of how Skylar was ambushed and drugged by someone while he was on a secret mission. To keep innocent women safe, he desperately clung onto what little rational thought he had left to leave the crowd before finally passing out in some bushes behind a mansion. All he had to do was stay put for the night, and he would be fine the next morning. However, fate decided to pull a prank on him because he was found and rescued by the girl who lived in the mansion. However, as soon as he was startled awake, he lost control and shoved the girl on the ground before violating her. When Skylar finally regained his senses, he realized that his enemies were still at large, and was worried about getting the girl's family involved in his mess, so he left immediately without saying a word. However, a war broke out at the Northern borders after he had completed his mission. It turned out that the Northern borders were invaded by hundreds of thousands of enemy troops. So, Skylar rushed to the frontlines to defend his country. He didn't even so much as flinch as he lived the life of a savage, killing enemies mercilessly and eventually earning himself the title of the Dragon Commander. However, he was deeply bothered whenever he thought about the blood-stained sheets. There was nothing he could do to forget about the memory. Alas, a few days ago, his adjutant told him he had come bearing news of the woman from five years ago. She currently had a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter and was living with her parents. Since she had a child out of wedlock, she was deemed as nothing but a stain on her family's name. Thus, they sacrificed her, forcing her into marriage with a wealthy playboy. It just so happened that today was their engagement day. Half an hour later, Luna Hotel, Cloudtopia. On both sides of the street, hundreds of men dressed in the same black attire arranged themselves neatly like royal soldiers, sealing the scene instantly in two solemn rows. Tall and well-built, Skylar paced into the hotel in large strides. At the entrance, a banner read, 'Congratulations Miss Yulia Sue and Mr. Nicholas Wexler on your engagement!' The instant Skylar stepped into the hotel, he heard the guests attending the event gossiping, "Yulia has been leading a miserable life. Five years ago, she was violated by an injured homeless man and even gave birth to a b*stard. From then on, she became the shame of the family. I heard that this marriage only came about because her father couldn't tolerate the wagging tongues any longer. So, he forced her to marry Nicholas Wexler, the notorious playboy. My sources even informed me that she had rejected food for two days in protest to this marriage…" As Skylar listened to the gossip, his eyes narrowed. It's been five years. That kind-hearted, lonely woman has carried too much injustice on her shoulders, not to mention the humiliation! It's time to end all of this, he thought resolutely, marching to the podium and grabbing the microphone out of the emcee's hand. "Hey, what are you doing?!" the emcee shouted in indignation. Skylar shot him a glance from the corner of his eyes. The other man couldn't help but gulp, promptly shutting his mouth. Just one look from Skylar was enough to send a chill so cold down his spine that it made him feel as though his scalp and feet had turned numb. "Everyone," Skylar said coldly after snatching the microphone and scanning the room. "The engagement party today is nothing but a circus. Yulia is my woman. All of you can leave now." What?! After the words left his lips, it felt as though he had dropped a bomb in the room, and a clamor broke out in the lavishly decorated hotel hall. "Yulia is his woman? Who's this guy?" "Is he… the homeless man who violated Miss Yulia five years ago? The guts of him to return!" Skylar's voice boomed through the entire first floor of the hotel. Seconds later, a delicate woman with a tear-streaked face appeared from the backstage changing room. Skylar felt his chest tightening when he caught sight of her. She was dressed in a trendy ladies' suit in white as this was her engagement party, willing or not. The suit also accentuated her long, slim legs and a curvy figure. Although her face looked a little paler than her snow-white skin, every feature on her face was flawless. She was just as stunning as she was five years ago, a fairy that had descended into his life out of the blue. The only difference was her eyes were swollen from crying, and the tears on her face had yet to dry. Skylar Stone, the man who didn't have the slightest fear when facing countless enemies on battlefields, said tremulously, "Sorry, I was late." Slap! The next second, Yulia landed a slap on his face.