In the two years at the orphanage, I never said a word. When I was hungry, I would take some food from the table, and when I am tired, I would sleep on the bed for a while. I spent the rest of the time hiding in the corner of the room, holding my knees facing the dusty windows. Everyone thought I was a fool, and locked me in a narrow room in case I ran around. No one cared about me or even bothered glancing at me, except for the little boy who brought food to my room every day. He told me his name was Steven Luo.

I never looked at him carefully until one stormy night. On that rainy night, I held my body in terror, with my back against the wall. The chain on the door was struck by the wind, I dared not move nor speak. When the door opened, Steven came in, his entire body drenched. He squatted down beside me and saw me trembling and asked, "Are you terrified?"

I moved my thin body, staring at him with frightened eyes. As the lightning flashed through the window, I saw his face. He was just a teenager and his cheeks were dull and his skin was pale yellow. But he had big, bright eyes and long eyelashes. With his charming nose and lips, he could be handsome if he had been well nourished.

The storm got worse and he stretched out his thin arms around me. "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you," he said. His arms were warm, just like my dead brother’s...

Holding his clothes tightly, I lay on his shoulder, trying to absorb the warmth of his body. That night, he did not leave, and kept telling me, “Take it easy, I am here for you.” I was still scared, but I wasn't lonely anymore.

Since that day, he often came to keep me company. He would always tell me stories about the outside world and when talking about funny things, he could not stop laughing. Most of the time I would stare at the glass windows which he had wiped clean.

Outside, the sky was bright and clear... the short days and long nights passed silently. I couldn’t forget the happy days and often missed my parents.

After countless nightmares and hallucinations, I found that nothing could bring back the past. Bear in mind that I was an orphan, and my home had been destroyed by a cruel man. I remembered that face over and over

again.

I told myself, “Jonathan, one day I will look for you!” But I never thought that the day would come so soon...

One summer day, the sun shone into the room and cast its light on the dust in the air. As I looked out of the window, Steven was combing my hair. A black car stopped in the yard, from which a tall, slender figure emerged.

The man in a black shirt and long trousers looked somewhat out of place on that summer day.

I hurried to the window to look more closely at the face that I would never forget. "Jonathan Li," I whispered," I could recognize him even if he was burned in ashes!" At that moment, I rushed out of the room in a state of panic. I ran up to him, quivering...

He was so tall that I had to look up at him. His build had not changed, but the expression in his eyes was more gloomy than before.

"Do you know about me?" he asked as he squatted in front of me. I thought he would recognize me, but he looked at me like a stranger.

"The little girl is pretty, just too thin," one of his bodyguards behind him said. I also remembered that man, with a dead look in his eyes, and a scrawny face, he killed my mother and threw me from the second floor ...

Then I just lost it, I ducked down and bit his long finger fiercely with all my strength, no matter how hard he tried to break away from me, he couldn't. Eventually, he pinched my cheek with his other hand, it was so painful that I let go.

Looking at his bleeding fingers, and glancing at me, he remained calm, without showing any emotion on his face. I hadn't figured out how to fight back yet, suddenly somebody rushed towards him. It was Steven Luo. Steven kicked him in the ankle. When he dodged him, Steven immediately used his head to attack his waist. His actions were so swift that it was hard to believe. The man behind him suddenly grabbed him and kept him still by holding his hands behind his back as he tried to pull me away.

"The boy is very alert," the bodyguard touched his shoulders and legs and said, with a satisfied look on his face, "Boss, he is in good shape."

"Well good to hear that!" said Jonathan. As he walked towards the car, he left with the words, “Talk to the manager, the boy is the right person." His words reminded me of the scene two years ago when my brother rushed towards me as he crossed the road with his arms open when he saw me falling down the stairs. Unfortunately, he couldn't even protect himself.

At that point, I wanted to cry for him, but I couldn't make a sound in my throat. Finally, he even lost the opportunity to hear me call him, “dear brother.”

"No, no. " I was frightened and pushed the man's arm away and shouted. I owned nothing, but Steven, and he was the only one I could rely on in the world. I couldn't lose him too. At that moment, Steven held me tightly in his arms. It was the first time I had cried in two years. The first words I said to him were, "Run quickly, my brother."

"Anton!" said a charming voice from behind me, "Carry this girl with you."

"Yes boss!" he replied and took me immediately.

They took Steven and me to a remote place, the house was as large as a castle. Upon entering the door, I saw a huge, empty room. It was so silent, I could have heard a pin drop. The marble floor was as shiny and bright as a mirror, which gave me the illusion of walking on a frozen lake.

I was frightened and stepped back when I saw my reflection, a slightly baggy, cotton dress hanging over my knees, my scruffy hair was down to my waist, and I had such a pale complexion that I looked like a ghost. As I gazed at my reflection, I saw the helpless look in my eyes. I touched my face and thought, “No wonder Jonathan didn't recognize me.” I could hardly even recognize myself.

Steven held my hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you." I looked into his innocent eyes and didn’t know what to say. Anton came to Jonathan and said, "This is all the information I could find about the boy. There is no information about the girl."

“It doesn't matter, that’s fine," Jonathan said and took the stack of papers from Anton, looking through them. Then he glanced up at Steven and said, "Come here." Steven gripped my hand tightly and did not move. Jonathan looked up at me and pointed at me. I knew what he meant when he did that, but I couldn’t change anything and saw Anton push Steven away and drag me towards him.

The man I had been searching for all that time was right in front of me. “What should I do?” I thought and racked my brain trying to figure it out. Then he reached out and touched my head, holding my jaw, and asked, "What's your name?” I shook my head, with eyes wide open. In the dim light, his eyes seemed so black and his face was just as handsome as before.

"Well, from now on you are my daughter and your name... Desiree Li," he stated.

How ridiculous, that a man who killed my family took me as his daughter. "You’d better let her go," Steven shouted.

Jonathan smiled and asked him, "Do you like her?" Steven just stood there and didn't say a single word.

"I will arrange your training tomorrow. I'll give you eight years to improve yourself, if I am content with you by the time you come back, then I'll give you one thing you want most. If you fail, don’t blame me!” Jonathan said. Steven looked at me calmly despite the circumstances. I feel his eagerness to protect me but he can't do anything right now. Then Jonathan stretched out his hand to me and put me on his knees. His long fingers touched my neck and stroked my skin with his thumb. I was too scared to move. I knew, given his cruel personality, that he could choke me at any moment if he wanted.

"It’s a deal," Steven answered while looking at me scared.

"Good boy!" Jonathan nodded with satisfaction and lifted me up the stairs saying, "Desiree, Daddy will send you to school tomorrow."

When I was a child, my father told me stories about the devil with the face of an angel. At that stage, I did not understand, “Then… facing Jonathan Li right now I suddenly understand what my father means!” I realized that if Steven had said no, I could have been strangled to death by those beautiful hands.

From that day forward, I never saw Steven, but I always knew he would come back and rescue me from this place.

I sat on the corner of my bed, staring out at the stars, late at night. Hatred engraved in my heart, my chest was beating violently, and I felt so frightened and confused. I heard footsteps outside and that’s what got me into such a state…I knew exactly who it was.

As the door opened, I saw Jonathan approaching, I heard each step clearly under the light of the full moon. I dared not move, biting my finger, I stared at his every move, trembling. He stood beside me, looking down into my eyes. He sensed my fear, and he smiled gently saying, "Are you afraid of me?”

I nodded uneasily and lowered my head to avoid looking at him. "If you obey me, I won't hurt you," he said. My heart was beating fast. "Don't sit on the ground. It’s cold and you’ll get sick..." Then he stooped down and picked me up, then took me to the bed, tucking me in and whispering, “goodnight."

The duvet was light and warm. I could feel the soft texture of cotton and it still smelled of fabric softener. After he went out, I sat back and found that what he said was true, the ground was very cold. Suddenly, the door opened again. Jonathan stood there, looking at me with a blank expression on his face.

I jumped up in terror and scrambled into bed, peeping at him from under my duvet. He was still looking at me in a blank expression. I could see him smile vaguely, a look of tenderness flowing from his eyes. He said, "It may take some time to adapt to the new environment." After he left, I was staring at the door from my bed, but he didn't come in again. I finally fell asleep.

In a dream, I saw my father and I took him by the sleeve and said, "Daddy, please don't leave me," he hugged me, and I could hear his steady heartbeat.

"I miss you, and mom!” I cried, laying on his shoulder because the dream was incredibly real. I held him tightly in my arms and cried, "I know you'll leave at dawn... so I'm afraid... please don't leave me in this place"

He patted me on my back until I was no longer afraid. Yes, I wasn’t afraid at all. God arranged an opportunity for my stay with the enemy. It’s for me to take revenge on him, instead of fearing him.

When I was eleven years old, I thought that I could stab him in the back with a knife when he didn’t seem so threatening. But the blood just soaked his white shirt, and he turned and pointed at me, staring at me in disbelief. Finally, he fell in front of me.

On a sunny day, when I slipped into the kitchen to get a sharp knife, I never saw Miss Lucy, the maidservant, but suddenly heard a noise. I leaned over the window and looked out. A bald man swaggered his body, followed by two or three dozen tall and strong men, who trod all over the lawn as they walked into the yard.

Jonathan was sitting at a round table next to the pool, calmly, drinking red wine. The bald man sat down opposite him.

"Morning, Boss, long time no see! You can call me Mr. Han if you don't mind," he smiled and added, "You know I have been out of contact with life on the streets for several years, so I'm not used to hearing others speak that way."

" Don’t give me that," Jonathan snapped and the bald man's eyes were wide open, "Dan Lyle is my brother, you’d better give me an account."

"Sorry, I have a short memory, I don't remember Dan Lyle," the bald man replied.

The bald man grabbed a bottle and smashed it on the table and threatened to cut Jonathan’s throat. Jonathan glanced at the bottle and leaned back over his chair casually and said, "If it’s too difficult for you to respect me, don’t bother."

"I know you took Dan's cargo and told the police to arrest him!" The man sighed slowly, and added, " If you return the cargo, I can let go of this matter, otherwise..." "

Not waiting for him to finish, Jonathan seized his arm, gave him a good kick in the leg, and stabbed the broken bottle into his chest. It happened too quickly before the bald man’s bodyguards could even take out their weapons from their pockets. Jonathan had already dragged him away gesturing at his bodyguards to look back.

They stood still, finding they were surrounded. After kicking him several feet away, Jonathan took a cloth to wipe the blood from his hands. Then, he informed one of the bodyguards. "Call the police... an armed robber broke into the house. He may be suspected of attempted murder!

Then he picked up the phone again, smiled and said, "Troy, can you deal with your problems, please? Don’t get me involved in your business…” "That’s all right. It's settled, a piece of cake... " he said.

“Drugs are evil, you'd better not try... Come on, I know you..."Blondes? Rather than sending blondes to comfort me, it’s better to arrange some swift bodyguards to protect me. After all, life is of much more significance than anything else right now,” he said as he continued the conversation.