The Hidden Master

Chapter 1

A thud, just up ahead, had brought Twenty up to the forest base.

And on the forest ground lay a lady, sleek skin, perfect curves, and eyes that could charm the skies, but most importantly, she was dying.

"Shit, this is my first day and I already have trouble?" Twenty mumbled under his breath.

Thick fumes rose from her nostrils and her heart made several forceful pulses. From his medical training, Twenty could easily spot the lethal compound poisoning and to get it out from her bloodstream, he had to use rather unprecedented techniques.

Something metallic caught his eye fifteen paces away—a small canister half-buried in leaves, still leaking the same synthetic compound that was shutting down her respiratory system.

Someone did this on purpose.

With a subtle growl, he ripped her clothes off from her body and climbed on top of her, his hands directly on her nostrils and his mouth right on her lips.

"Apologies but this is worth saving your life!"

He drew air into her lungs, forcing the dark poisoning liquid off from her mouth, bit after bit after everything, he drained the dark smelly liquid, beads of sweat crystalline on her skin, giving it a grim pulse and her heart resumed beating steadily again.

It remained just one to get the toxins of the poison totally off from her bloodstream when it sounded.

Slap.

Her hands tore right into his face as Sarah jerked and bolted off from the forest ground in a frightening instant.

The first wave of sensation that hit her was the cold air of the forest on her bare skin followed by a stabbing reality, she was naked.

Her heart almost stopped breathing and before her was a man, a man that looked like he had just escaped death.

Innocent face, young, ragged mountain clothes, a jar of water, and shattered air. It fit perfectly into the description of stalker and rapist, her heart pounded on her chest.

"Rapist... What have you done?" She yelled at him, her voice cracking between fury and raw terror, her face screaming panic and woven disdain.

"I was told that people of the city have better word banks... How weird to call someone that just saved your life a rapist." Twenty mumbled, nursing his aching face with the same expression someone uses when they stub their toe.

"Liar." Her voice increased by a bit, something wild flashing behind her eyes. "You saw me, sick and vulnerable from the plague and you decided to take advantage of me. How far do you think you can keep up with your lies!"

Twenty's brows narrowed with lazy nonchalance.

"You fell right there!" He pointed up ahead at the location close to the yellow flower plant.

"Someone deployed a synthetic gas compound designed to stop your heart. To save your life, I had to remove your clothes and manually draw the toxin out of your body."

"Saving my life?" She scoffed, the grim metallic taste of disdain flooding her throat.

"By trying to rip off my clothes and kiss me?"

"I really wish there were other ways that I could do it?" Twenty was exhausted. All he wanted to do was help and slip away into the city.

'Damn, if only I didn't wake up."

"You must think I have a loose screw to believe such a cooked up story?"

"The only loose screw I see here is you believing I had anything to do otherwise apart from trying to save you... who would have anything to do with someone half dead?" The words stung like pierce of needles.

In the mountains, no one would even think of touching a lady without their consent.

"Beggars like you of course, who've always fantasized about big names and stalk them."

"I don't know how big you think you are but not big enough for me to know you. If you don't believe me, you should at least have the least of decency before throwing accusations."

Sarah's face burned red and her stomach twisted into the knot of embarrassment as she searched through herself, she was fine and nothing had been done.

A relief hit her like warm water flooding through her chest.

She would have not been able to live with the fact that someone had their way with her and not just anyone, someone that looked like they had just been dragged out of a gutter.

But relief didn't mean she owed him anything.

"That still doesn't change anything. I know your type, poor beggars who want to use a big name to their advantage."

Anger and fear wove into the heart of Sarah, she knew the narratives of this world, powerful men framing women that were ahead of them, to pin them down.

Guys recording abusive videos of ladies to control them. And this man before her seems quite capable.

Her hands squeezed into firm knuckles. "You better start sprouting out your true intentions before gutting your tongue."

"The impression of thinking I would want anything to do with you still baffles me!" He growled, and it was the first real crack in his composure.

Anger filtered through every single bit of her hearing and anger burned in her eyes. She steps forward, her steps threatening.

"Do you really know who I am? I am the gem of the city, feared by men of power, and a rival of powerful corporations. And what are you?" Her gaze dragged over him slowly, making sure he felt every inch of it. "A poor peasant, just a snap of my fingers and I would snap your life out of existence."

Twenty stared at her, his face spiraling with lazy nonchalance.

"I don't know if that was intended to cause any effects but okay, cool for you."

"In the meantime, you are welcome for saving your life."

Twenty attempted to leave but Sarah blocked his way, her face squeezed into a darkening frown.

"And what makes you think I would let you walk away just like that?"

"Sad but I don't need your permission to."

A light chuckle forced out from her lips, sharp and humorless. "You know, you're way too cocky for someone who looks like they can barely feed themselves properly.

You're not stepping away from this place." She brought her cell phone off from her pockets and placed a call after which her gaze quickly returned back to Twenty.

"The military will soon be here to make you face the consequences of your actions."

"First, I don't just feed myself, the whole of your family would be overfed under me.

And two, what makes you think that those little fries can put me down? If I don't want to?"

Those words, they seemed like a literal slap to her face.

Sarah wasn't just the heiress of one of the most powerful companies in the country, in fact, her family consortium just broke into the top most influential and powerful in the whole of the city.

Yet someone adorned in rags dared to claim that they could feed her family. Her teeth gnashed tightly.

Then, she burst into a loud chuckle.

"For someone who can feed the Young family and the Military holds nothing on, you have to be the most powerful person in the world. How come I have never heard of you?" Inquired Sarah with a mocking raise of her eyes.

Twenty lets out a sigh, his gaze drifting briefly toward the treeline where the gas canister lay hidden.

"Maybe not the most powerful person in the world but definitely might be the most powerful person that you've met all your life."