The 22 year old woman was forced by her stepmother to get into bed with one of her business partners, and she fled in desperation to a stranger's car… but that moment of fate would change her life forever…

"I am not the man they are working with, Clara," Julian whispered, his voice slicing through the heavy silence of the cabin. The charcoal sedan took a sharp, violently fast turn onto the winding canyon road, tires screaming against the wet asphalt. "I am the man they answer to."

Clara’s breath hitched. Her trembling hands tightened instinctively on the lapels of his oversized coat. She had jumped from the frying pan directly into the fire.

"You… you’re Victoria’s boss?" she stammered, inching her back against the door.

Julian’s lips curved into a cold, humorless smile. "Victoria Sterling is a parasite who owes my syndicate fifty million dollars. She offered Arthur Vance the merger to pay off her debts to me. Which means, by default, she was trying to sell my property to a dead man."

Before Clara could process the chilling implication of his words, a deafening CRACK echoed through the storm.

The armored SUV behind them had opened fire. The sedan’s reinforced rear window spider-webbed but held firm.

Julian didn't flinch. He casually tapped a button on the center console. "Take them out, Marcus."

The driver nodded. Suddenly, the sedan slammed its brakes, executing a flawless, sliding 180-degree turn in the middle of the flooded canyon road. They were now facing their pursuers. The blinding high beams of the SUV bore down on them.

"Hold on," Julian ordered, finally reaching out to grip Clara’s shoulder, pinning her securely to the seat.

Marcus hit a switch on the dashboard. Two blinding strobe lights erupted from the grill of the sedan, flooding the canyon with a disorienting, flashing glare. The driver of the SUV panicked, swerving to avoid what looked like a head-on collision.

The heavy vehicle lost traction on the wet pavement, skidded sideways, and violently flipped over the guardrail, tumbling down into the pitch-black ravine below.

Silence descended on the car, save for the rhythmic beating of the windshield wipers.

Julian released her shoulder and straightened his cuffs. "Take us home, Marcus."