Chapter 1
My aunt called me while I was stationed with the special forces, asking me to come home. She had arranged a blind date for me.
The man she described sounded perfect—handsome, and the youngest CEO of a publicly listed company in the city.
Before I set off, my captain took the extra step of contacting air traffic control to ensure my information would remain encrypted throughout the trip.
I arrived at the airport on time as planned. However, just as I was about to check in through the exclusive channel, someone abruptly yanked me backward from behind.
A bundle of cash was then flung directly at my face.
“I’ve bought your spot in the exclusive channel. Take the money and go line up in the regular queue,” a woman said, her tone dripping with arrogance.
Suppressing the anger rising in my chest, I calmly asked her, “You’re neither a soldier nor in an emergency. Why do you think you’re entitled to use my lane?”
She let out a derisive laugh at my words. “Why? Because I’m Mr. Tanke’s personal secretary.”
She sneered, adding, “Forget the exclusive channel. If the Tanke family wants the entire runway, they’ll get it.”
For a moment, I was stunned. Then I dialed the number my aunt had given me for my fiancé.
“Your secretary claims the Tanke family is so powerful that they can bend the world to their will. Is that true?”
…
The call connected, but before I could finish my sentence, an automated voice interrupted, “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed has been disconnected…”
I hadn’t expected this.
“Oh, pretending to make a call?” the woman taunted when she heard the busy tone from the other end. She snatched my phone out of my hand.
When she saw the voicemail message on the screen, she burst out laughing mockingly. “I thought you might actually be someone important. Turns out you were bluffing with a voicemail!”
“You can’t even reach Mr. Tanke’s private line. Who do you think you are, trying to stop me?”
She tossed the phone back at me with a smirk, then turned to slap her boarding pass onto the counter in front of a visibly trembling flight attendant.
“Hurry up and check me in! If Mr. Tanke’s tasks are delayed because of you, your entire ground crew will be out of a job by tomorrow!”
The flight attendant hesitated, clutching the boarding pass with trembling hands. She looked at me, then back at the woman, her voice breaking with distress. “Miss Wadsley, this passenger’s access to the exclusive channel is indeed on record. Please don’t put us in a very difficult position…”
“Difficult?” The woman’s expression hardened as she slammed her palm against the counter. “Do you have any idea how much the Tanke Group invests in this airport every year?”
“If you can’t handle this trivial matter, I’ll call your general manager right now!”
Watching her bully the staff simply for her own convenience made my blood boil. I stepped forward, firmly grabbing her hand just as she was about to jab a finger into the flight attendant’s face.
“Do you have any idea what kind of people are allowed to use this channel?” I asked coldly. “You’re the first to try and take my spot.”
“Oh, please!” she exclaimed, clutching her stomach and doubling over with exaggerated laughter. “Wearing camouflage doesn’t make you important! Did you eat too many cheap boxed meals and lose your mind?”
“Do you even know who I am? I’m the personal secretary to the president of the Tanke Group. You can’t afford to piss me off!”
I almost laughed out loud. All this commotion, and she turned out to be nothing more than a secretary?
By now, the crowd had gathered to watch the scene unfold. Snippets of conversation about the secretary reached my ears.
“Is this woman out of her mind? Aubrie is one of Leo’s closest confidantes…”
“Last month, an airport security officer tried to check her luggage, and the next day, he was reassigned to janitorial duty.”
It seemed she had a reputation for abusing her position to throw her weight around.
Back in the unit, even my commander would greet me with respect. And yet here I was, being disrespected by someone who lived off the scraps of her employer.
I let out a cold chuckle and shot back, “If the Tanke family is as powerful as you claim, how did they raise a dog without basic manners?”
Her face turned a deep shade of red. “Who are you calling a dog?! You… I’ll teach you a lesson today!”
She swung her Chanel bag at my head, but I easily sidestepped her and twisted her wrist in one swift motion.
A sharp crack echoed as her bones shifted out of place, followed by her screams. The once-arrogant Miss Wadsley was now hopping in pain.
“Let go! Ah, it hurts!” she cried out.
“Now you’re scared?” I leaned in close to her contorted face. “Weren’t you just making a lot of noise?”
Despite her grimacing in pain, I had actually eased up entirely. If I had truly intended to harm her, she wouldn’t have had the chance to scream.
The crowd around us grew larger, and before long, several uniformed airport staff hurried over to restore order.
Seizing the opportunity, Aubrie pulled away, clutching her wrist and panting heavily. “Once I tell Mr. Tanke about this, let’s see how he deals with you!”
I crossed my arms and smirked. “Well, I’ll be waiting.”
