They say that '"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born."' Someone took that literally and burned the Shio manor to the ground, during which my mother was giving birth to my baby brother.

I was 13 when I was orphaned, with no family left, no way to survive, and distasteful hate for the human race. I was one of the few lucky children who did not have to go through the foster system, my family's gardener dutifully adopted me and took care of me. He was kinder than most and due to his influence, I almost put my hate for the human race completely behind me, almost.

11 YEARS LATER

"I know this isn't much, but please accept it," I said while sliding a box full of money towards Ian, 10,000 dollars to be exact.

"Keres, I am thankful, but you don't have to keep trying to give me money."

"But you're in debt, I'm just trying my best to help my benefactor."

"I did not adopt you in hopes of a reward or payment, you're no longer a child, you're an adult that is planning on opening your own bakery, so I suggest you use that money as capital instead."

"But-" "No buts, I insist." I grumpily pulled the money towards me, as he just casually smiled and continued on with his duties.

"There's nothing to smile about." I huffed out, annoyed by his refusal to take my help.

"Oh but it's such a beautiful day, the sun's shining, and we are both alive and healthy are we not?" For a second he looked like he was trying to convince himself that it was a beautiful day more than he was trying to convince me, but he wiped away that expression and went back to his usual carefree self.

"Now, could you please wake Noah up so that we could eat breakfast?" I stood up and walked toward Noah's room. Ian had a son who was a few years older than me, we were complete opposites. I liked sour he liked sweet, I liked technology he preferred a life with barely any tech. We often crossed paths in a sibling way, which I loved since I never got to meet my little brother. Then the sudden memory of the Shio manor stopped me in my tracks, and I loathed the fact that I just ruined my morning.

After I called Noah, I skipped breakfast and headed to my room to try my best to get in a more cheerful mood. After the accident, Ian took me to a therapist and soon after my therapist discovered that I might be a misanthropist, translation I hated every fucking human, well except for Noah and Ian. Of course, I didn't believe my therapist's words until I walked into school and glared at every human being I saw. However, over the years I learned how to be more sympathetic and understanding of people, but there was an exception to that, The memory of the Shio manor burning to the ground. That memory stirred demons I never knew I even had, and that would make me want to kill everyone in sight, even Noah and Ian.

Henceforth, I needed to get under control before I did something I would regret. That part was easy, I had learned a skill that could keep my murderous tendencies and desires at bay. That skill is hacking. I aimed for people's lifes work and utterly destroyed them, and I did that by hacking into their "high profile security systems". I would give people pure suffering on a golden platter, and as a reward, I got the satisfaction of watching them crash and burn.

As a child, I discovered hacking and immediately fell in love to the point that it had become a job, the bakery is just a cover-up story. Although I am an excellent baker. A baker with an occasional tendency for murder.

I was just about to get busy hacking a state-of-the-art security system for a well-renowned bank when I heard a faint crash downstairs. I wouldn't have immediately worried because no one in this house was clumsy, only this was the first time hearing this crashing for as long as I had lived here. So I hurriedly walked towards the staircase when I saw Noah lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. Panic rushed into me as I rushed to the bottom of the staircase.

"Noah, wake up." No response. I checked his pulse and sighed a sigh of relief, he was alive. But something was weird, Ian and Noah were both almost 6'4 and had big bodies. It didn't make any sense that he rolled down the stairs with just one crashing sound. I looked up and my worries increased, there was a huge recognisable dent on the wall near the stairs, it seemed like Noah didn't fall, instead, he was thrown against the wall and passed out.

Ian wasn't violent, this was someone else's doing. I shot up and followed the distinct voices till it led me to a well-sculpted back wearing a Ralph Lauren suit that fits just right. I continued staring at the delicious back of a stranger until my eyes made eye contact with Ian, who was pinned to the wall by this giant of a man. After he saw me, panic laced his normally bright blue eyes, and the stranger saw it too because he turned around to face me.

"I thought we were business associates, Ian, so how don't I have the knowledge of you ever having a daughter?" He said as he let go of Ian and faced me with his full body. I was right, this man is a mountain, from my 5'7 frame he looks about 6'5. He looked me over with a certain spark in his eyes, but I couldn't tell what exactly it was.

"She isn't my daughter, she is a live-in maid I hired."

"Do you really think I'm that dumb, Ian?" He took one step towards me and lifted my face by my chin."On the contrary, she looks familiar, she has a face that doesn't look easily forgettable." I would have tried fighting out of his hold, but something inside me told me I wouldn't win against him. Instead, I glared at him.

"What's your name?" He asked whilst strengthening his hold on me. It felt like he was trying to assert his dominance after I had practically disrespected him when I glared at him.

"I don't have to tell you, ugly ass." I wasn't the best at insults, and I couldn't come up with anything but childish insults. He let out a deep humorless chuckle that not only reverberated through him but me as well. He gave me one last glance before Ian interrupted our stand-off of glares.

"You can have my life, but don't you dare harm her."

"What?!" I said, finally questioning what was occurring here before I arrived.

He withdrew his hand from my chin and started rubbing his mouth in curiosity."While I would have loved that offer of yours, I came for your son."

I shot Ian a curious glance. He blatantly ignored me and addressed the huge man. "Mr. Alexandris, please give me more time to gather more money, I promise-" "Ian, you know all that I've heard from you since you fucked up were promises that you are still yet to fulfil." He finally stopped staring at me and that brought back my lost concentration.

So this is the person that Ian owed a lot of money to. I have never known who or how much Ian owed. I just know that he was knee-deep in debt that he couldn't get rid of, even though it was all supposedly a mistake Ian made when he was younger. But I didn't know anything, just the bits and pieces that I forced out of Ian, and I suddenly grew curious to know even more. "How much does he owe?" I opened my mouth without even thinking, but then I remembered that I had a bit of money that Ian refused this morning, maybe it could help Ian out even a little-"500 million dollars, in cash." The giant man forced me out of my thoughts with his last statement. How do you even owe someone that much money? I gasped twice while I repeated the figure again in my mind.

"This so-called maid of yours seems to be very interested in your business, Ian." He said while barely turning his face to glare at me, as if he couldn't waste a full facial expression on me. "I'm done here." He said while taking long strides toward Noah, bending over and easily picking him up as if he was just paper."If you want him back, you know what you have to do." And then he left just like that with Noah over his shoulders.