My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 1: He Has Returned

A dark, gloomy alley.

The lone streetlamp flickered on and off.

Nina Wynn had just reached the mouth of the alley when someone yanked her hard into a dark corner.

Two drunkards, reeking of alcohol, were standing by the wall. The moment they saw her, they lunged, tearing at her clothes.

The overwhelming stench of alcohol and the men’s rough actions terrified Nina, and she struggled with all her might.

"Help!"

"Somebody, help me!"

One of the men immediately slapped her hard across the face, twice.

"What the hell are you yelling for? You dare scream after pissing someone off!"

"You can scream your lungs out and no one will come for you. Be a good girl, and big brother here promises to make you feel good in a bit."

...

Suddenly, a black Maybach pulled across the alley’s entrance. The window rolled down slowly, revealing a pair of cold, desolate eyes that watched the assault in the corner with indifference.

The driver next to him whispered, "Should we intervene, Third Lord Master?"

The man called the Third Lord Master shook his head. "Drive."

By now, Nina Wynn’s clothes were torn. The sudden appearance of the car made her struggle even more desperately.

"Help me!"

"Please, save me!"

Seeing she still had the strength to cry for help, one of the drunkards slapped her twice more. His hands on her body grew rougher, and he was about to rip her dress off completely.

Just as Nina was about to lose all hope, the car, which had already started to move, screeched to a halt.

The doors opened, and two tall men got out.

The man in the lead was tall and lean, dressed in a white, unbranded shirt. He exuded a cold, noble aura, so immaculate he seemed to glow in the darkness.

He stared intently at Nina, who was being brutalized in the corner, as if trying to get a clear look at her face.

Unfortunately, the light was too dim. He couldn’t make out the girl’s features, only her soft whimpers and cries for help.

’It sounds a bit like the voice from my memory.’

He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of emotion stirring in their cold, indifferent depths. "Willson Lawson, get to work. Beat them within an inch of their lives."

The two men rushed toward the corner, startling the drunkards who were in the middle of their fun.

Hearing someone running over, the drunkards stopped what they were doing and went to confront them.

"Who the hell do you think you are, ruining my fun? Don’t you know whose turf this is?!"

Nina’s head was spinning from the blows, but she still managed to see the man’s face clearly.

’Caleb Rhodes!’

’It’s the Rhodes Family’s Third Lord Master, her uncle-in-law by name, Caleb Rhodes!’

In the darkness, his cold, indifferent eyes were now tinged with rage. He stared straight at her, his gaze like that of a predator locking onto its prey, glinting with bloodlust.

Nina’s mind went blank for two seconds before a deeper fear surged from the bottom of her heart.

Now free from the drunkards’ grasp, after that two-second pause, she snatched her bag from the ground, scrambled to her feet, and bolted deeper into the alley.

The sounds of a fierce fight and the drunkards’ screams erupted behind her, but she paid them no mind, running as if a demon were chasing her.

She didn’t know how long she ran, but she eventually burst out onto a brightly lit food street, bustling with life and the smell of cooking.

Staring at the warm, lively scene before her, Nina leaned against a corner wall, gasping for breath.

’Caleb Rhodes... he’s back?’

’Didn’t he say he’d be gone for five years? Why is he back after only three?’

’Did he see me just now?’

’It was pitch-black, and I was in the shadows. He probably didn’t recognize me, right?’

’But why would someone as cold and heartless as Caleb Rhodes get out of his car to save someone?’

’In her memory, he wouldn’t even blink if someone died right in front of him. Why would he be so kind as to save her?’

She shook her head. ’No. I’ve already been crushed into the dust. I can’t let him see me in such a pathetic state.’

She stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked forward, feeling utterly wretched.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Nino, come back to the Rhodes estate for lunch tomorrow. Your uncle is back from Aridia, and everyone in the Rhodes Family has to be there."

Nina stumbled, her voice low. "I have classes tomorrow. I can’t make it back."

Her aunt, Lana Shaw, replied, her voice filled with displeasure. "Caleb Rhodes is back to take over the Nash Group and the Rhodes Family. A single word from him could decide your entire future. What class is more important than marrying into a wealthy family?"

Lana Shaw’s life goal was to squeeze into that elite circle. That was why, in her early twenties, she had married Leo Rhodes just three months after his wife passed away, becoming the stepmother to his two teenage children.

And she was trying with all her might to pull Nina into that circle as well.

Nina’s brow furrowed. "Aunt, I really can’t make it back tomorrow!"

"Nina Wynn, I’m telling you, if you don’t come back tomorrow, I’ll go cry at your mother’s grave the day after. You figure it out!"

With that, she hung up.

Nina sighed and kept walking.

When she got back to her rented apartment, she saw her phone had been silenced and she had three missed calls from an unknown number.

After a moment’s thought, she called the number back.

"Hello, may I ask who’s calling?"

There was a pause on the other end before a voice said, "So, my number is an unknown number to you?"

The cool, deep voice was incredibly familiar.

’It was Caleb Rhodes.’

Nina jumped. She had changed her number three years ago. ’How does he have this one?’

She forced herself to calm down and said in a low voice, "Sir, you may have the wrong number."

Without waiting for a reply, she quickly hung up.

She slept horribly that night. The incident from three years ago replayed over and over in her dreams, with Caleb Rhodes’s blood-red eyes staring at her like a ravenous beast, leaving her with no escape.

The next morning, Nina Wynn woke up with huge dark circles under her eyes.

Her phone was flooded with dozens of texts from her aunt, telling her to dress up nicely, get there early, and so on.

Nina changed into a light blue dress and put on some light makeup.

She checked herself over carefully and found that aside from some bruises on her legs, there were no other visible injuries.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

By the time she arrived at the Rhodes Family’s grand residence, it was already eleven in the morning.

Nina stood in front of the guardhouse, straightening her clothes.

The bus had been too crowded, and she was covered in sweat. Her bangs were stuck to her forehead, which felt uncomfortable.

Of all things, she’d forgotten to bring tissues, so she could only stand by the main gate, fanning herself with her hand, hoping to cool down before going inside.

Just then, a black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of her.

The window rolled down, and a hand extended from inside the car.

The fingers were long and slender, with a silver ring on the index finger that glinted with a cold light.

Between the fingertips was a black-packaged pack of tissues.

It was an immaculate, noble, and pitying gesture, like an offering.

Nina flinched. She looked up and met a pair of dark, somber eyes, as desolate as a winter night’s sky.

’Caleb Rhodes!’

Nina’s heart was in turmoil!

Under his gaze, she felt as if there was nowhere to hide. She quickly took the tissues and said softly, with her head lowered, "Thank you, Uncle."

Caleb Rhodes nodded coolly, his gaze sweeping over her full, glossy lips, a dark glint appearing in the depths of his eyes.

In that instant, time seemed to rewind three years.