’Yes... do it... choke me...’ Her eyes squeezed tight as she waited for him to do it again, but the satisfaction never came.

His hand rested lightly on her neck, applying no pressure.

She slowly opened her eyes, only to find him watching her in silence, studying her reaction.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked, flustered.

"You want me to choke you?" he answered, ignoring her question.

"Why would I want that?" she shot back, her voice unsteady.

"I don’t know, you seem pretty into it," a playful grin appeared on his face.

The heavy banging on the door had gotten even louder but the sturdy door stood firm.

"Come on tell me quickly, is there another way out?" He added a bit of pressure, not enough to disrupt her airway, but enough for her to feel it.

"Ha..." her mouth hung open, "the bathroom... check the bathroom..."

He released her neck and headed to the bathroom, inside there was a bathtub big enough to fit five people, but was probably meant for just one really huge monster.

"You would have to lift it..." she said standing behind him.

It was made of thick heavy ceramic, the type that needed two people on the four sides just to lift it of the ground. Mason probably had no problem moving something like this, and so did Yohan.

He bent down and lifted one side without any struggle.

Isabella covered her mouth as she gasped in shock.

"How did you..."

She never expected someone of his size to be able to do something like that, and without even breaking a sweat.

When he lifted it there was a large hole under, with stairs leading down to the unknown.

"So there really was a secret passage... I thought things like this only happened in movies. Where does it lead?"

"It leads directly outside the building," she answered with little hesitation.

But even as she spoke, a question lingered in the back of her mind

’Why am I helping him?’

She couldn’t answer yet she couldn’t help herself.

He turned to her, and they stared into each other’s eyes for more than a few seconds, until she finally looked away first, her cheeks red.

"I’m Yohan,"

"Is-Isabella" she tried to maintain a strong front.

"Nice to meet you Isabella, and thank you for helping me out," he smiled at her and went in, slowly closing the tank as he did, a feat that seemed even more amazing than lifting it.

"And I don’t know if it will be too much to ask but I’d rather you keep our time together a secret, I promise to satisfy you the next time we meet, I’ll even give you a massage" he gave her one final wink.

Just then the room door gave in and the men flooded in with Ivan, the stern man in the business suit leading in front.

He scanned the room with careful steps before meeting her coming out of the bathroom,

She wore a calm and composed expression.

"Ma’am are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, and I’ve been in the bathroom screaming for you all to stop but you still rammed your way through, do you want to see me naked? Is that your intention?" she threatened to open her robe, making Ivan feel turn away.

"it’s not that, I heard that there was someone in here..."

"Does it look like there is anyone in here?"

She was only wearing a robe so it felt easy to believe.

Meanwhile Yohan was already sprinting towards the end of the corridor. It was a very spacious passageway with dim light, but for Yohan it was as bright as day.

He finally made it to the end. It was true, he had ended up in a clearing that opened up to an empty road, with the building nowhere in sight.

’I’ve made it out but Izumi is still back there’ he sighed.

Obviously he couldn’t leave her like that, but now that he was standing here he wasn’t sure why.

’It’s not as if these people are my enemy, they are going after her grandfather just like he came after me’

It made no sense going back for her just because they did some stuff together,

’like Gunjoo said, what if I end up making an enemy out of Mason Blackfire and now I have to worry about two assholes going after my family’

He came up with one reason after another, every single one only further cemented his decision but yet he hadn’t taken a single step.

Finally a car came speeding down the road, it was the first one he had seen since the area was very secluded. He figured that it might be one of Mason’s men, but there was no reason to panic.

It stopped right in front of him and the windows rolled down to reveal Jenna.

"Yohan?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Jenna?!" He was just as shocked.

"Get in, quickly," she said hurriedly.

He agreed and hopped in the front passenger seat

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing..." she paused as if something just clicked.

"Were you with Izumi?"

"Why would you think that?" he asked wondering how to answer.

"Don’t try to deny it—I found your phone in our house." She tossed it at him. "I tried calling you when I found out Izumi had been taken, but it seems there was no need, because you already knew. Tell me... did you take her just to get to her grandfather?"

"No, I would never do something like that," he defended himself frantically, "You’re right, I was with Izumi but then some guys came and snatched us from the house,"

"Some guys you couldn’t defeat?" She said it without even considering who the opponent might be,

"They were like a hundred and even had guns," he replied.

"Guns?" Her brows furrowed, "Are they related to the police?"

Yohan shook his head, "No, I don’t think so,"

"Then how do they have guns?" She asked, although she didn’t look too surprised, only curious.

"So where is she now?" Jenna asked,

"Back at the warehouse, I wandered all the way out here while I was trying to look for her,"

Jenna stared at him in silence for a few seconds, before she shifted the gear to drive

"Then we have to go back for her,"

and took off.