Zhou Che looked at the two people in front of him. And for a second, he actually admired them. They were so in love. There was no point troubling them with his presence. Maybe it was time for him to move on. To live with the guilt of accusing the innocent. To punish himself for shattering an amazing girl's heart into pieces. To find a love, as epic as this one. 

So instead of stretching the conversation any further, the man stood up and looked at Xi Yuan, "Take care of her. No matter what happens between me and her, I will always watch her back. As she said, we were never just lovers, we were friends."

Rong Xinghe started at the man, slightly surprised. She hadn't expected him to let go f her so easily. But it was for the best. For both of them. Xi Yuan didn't make things any harder for the man either. He simply stood up and shook hands with him, nodding faintly. 

As she looked at the man leaving the cafe, in a defeated manner, she felt something she never thought she would feel, when a day like this would come. She felt relief. Not heartache, not regret, not even disgust. Relief. Because she had done it the right way. She had let go of him. She had let go of her past. Even though it took a lot of strength and energy and determination, in the end, it was worth it. This relief was worth all of it. 

Suddenly, a warm huge hand pressed against the small of her back, pulling her against a firm chest. Subconsciously, the girl's hands landed upon the man's shoulder, as she blinked at him, confused. 

"Are you okay?", Xi Yuan asked in his mellow tone. 

"Yeah. I am.", Rong Xinghe smiled her small but assuring smile. 

"Then shall we discuss the barista you just found so alluring, Ma'jolie?", the man pointed his chin towards the young twenty-something-year-old man, on the opposite side of the counter. 

"Hey! I was bored. Since you two men were arguing or talking over me, I couldn't step in and make things awkward.", Rong Xinghe smacked the man's arm, turning to look at the barista frowning at their cozy position, "Most importantly, those Blue eyes are so magnetizing!"

Xi Yuan didn't bother to waste another minute, allowing his woman to check-out another man and hauled her out of the coffee shop. She needed to be taught quite a lesson. Such a troublemaker...

_______________

11:00 p.m., Elite Saphire Penthouse ;

"You are mine!", he closed the door behind him hurriedly, pinning her against the wail, planting soft yet rushed kissed against her neck. She felt again the rush of helplessness, the sinking yielding, the surging tide of warmth that left her limp.

His insistent mouth was parting her shaking lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves, evoking from her sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling. The world around her was swaying. It had turned to nothingness. She clung onto his strong arms, his built chest as if they were the only solid things in the dizzy world. 

If this was his anger, damn, she was tempted to flirt around with every living breathing barista in City A, in Country X, without so much as blinking an eye. He had been silent throughout the entire ride home. But the moment they walked in, he had turned into a beast. This was the first time he had lost control over himself, his senses. For the first time, in their relationship, he didn't care about her consent. And that made her adrenaline rush through every vein in her body. This was thrilling. This was an adventure, in itself. 

"Do you understand that?", he questioned, pulling down his overcoat from her shoulders, kissing her naked arms, her collarbone. Rong Xinghe was wearing a plain off-shoulder Maroon crop top above her usual black denim jeans. Even with such simple clothes, she looked stunning. Her free and open hair brushed against her waist every now and then, making her feel vulnerable and cold. 

Unable to speak anything, the girl could only nod gently. How could someone's touch be so intoxicating, she wondered. It was as if his every kiss was hypnotizing her. As if his hand against her waist and back and neck, compelled her to act the way he wanted her to act.

Xi Yuan was about to tear apart the girl's top when her phone rang up. "No!", the girl groaned, exhausted, as she felt the man separating himself from her slowly. As she pulled it out from her jeans pocket, she could only think about the dream she was just living. Whoever this was, he was in for one hell of a beating. "It's Ashfakh. I guess I can talk to him tomorrow.", the girl chuckled, disconnecting the cal and tucking the phone back in her pocket. 

"You mean, a Military Hybrid just called you, at this time of night.", Xi Yuan remarked, "It must be important. Talk to him first." 

"Yuan..."

"Xinghe, don't.", the man silenced the girl with a peck on her forehead, "If we don't stop now, no one will be able to protect you from me. I am not sure if I will be able to hold back.

"Nothing is more important than your work, okay?"

Rong Xinghe sighed as she looked at the man heading towards his bedroom before she finally dialed Ashfakh Ali's number, "What is it?"

"What if I tell you that more than a hundred bodies are lying lifelessly in front of Military Chief Office right now?", the man said, "And that's not even the worst part. They were all Military Soldiers, Xinghe. All of them were Special Forces Officers."

"What?!", Rong Xinghe hadn't seen this one coming, "How is it even possible?"

"Yeah. I know. A piece of paper was retrieved from one of the bodies.", the man reported, "It read two names. Ahmed Ali Fadhil. And Lucas Wilson. Do they ring a bell?"

Rong Xinghe remained silent for some time before she finally knelt down and picked up Xi Yuan's overcoat, striding out of the house. She needed to look at the chaos the two most wanted terrorists across the globe had just created. She wanted to witness their method of waging a bloody war!

"It indeed is the time for all the Hybrids to assemble, under one roof, Ashfakh.", the girl hissed, driving her darling's SUV away from the Elite Residential Premises.