I froze as I stood in the middle of the road. The car stopped just a few inches away from my knees.

"Do you want to get killed?" A man shouted as he came out of the car. "Who runs into the middle of the road?"

I steadied myself and crossed over to the pedestrian path. Adrenaline was still surging through me. I tried hard to steady my raging heartbeat as I found a seat by the bus stop.

How could he even think of forcing himself on me? I had to tell my mother about this as soon as I returned home. I doubted if she would believe me, but I had to let her know the dog that she got married to.

My dreams of college were buried in the mud, and it was only a miracle that could help me right now.

I worked in a coffee shop and recently I resigned due to the small pay. I had to start looking for a new job if I ever wanted to achieve my college goals, but I would end up saving for ages before I get a semester's fees.

An hour passed since I remained on that bench. I was occupied with a lot of thoughts to even notice. I finally went home. I had to expose my stepfather. That sleazy fool.

As I opened the door, I met my mother in the living room. She looked at me as though she was expecting me. My eyes drifted to the corner. There was a box of my clothes standing there.

"Mom, you wouldn't believe what your husband did. He..." My voice trailed off as she cut me short.

"He told me everything, and don't ever call me mom. I regret the day I cried you in my womb" Claire raised her voice, throwing a coffee mug in my direction. I ducked, missing the mug by an inch as it flew over my head.

"He already told you?" I asked in a shocked manner.

"Take your things and get out of my house. I can't have you seducing my husband."

"What? Seducing? Me?" I stuttered, still trying to process her statement. "He's the one who tried raping me."

Angela was already bringing more of my belongings from my room. All of them were dumped on the floor.

"You're shameless." She said and spat in my face, like literally spat in my face.

"Mom, I promise you your husband is lying. He's the one who forced himself on me. I managed to fight him off." I was already beginning to break down with tears.

"Get out of my sight." Mother shouted one more time. Her claws and canines began to get visible, proving that she was extremely angry.

Angela grabbed me roughly, pushing me out through the door. I didn't try to fight with her. When I was finally outside, she threw my bags at me, then slammed the door in my face.

I blinked my eyes repeatedly and hot tears flowed freely down my face. Why didn't I just die at birth? I had nowhere to go. I hated myself, my body and the life that was chosen for me.

I gathered all the items that were thrown at me. My laptop was there, and the only picture I had of my dad was also there. Maybe one day, I would find him and he would treat me better than my mom did.

I dragged the bag with me, heading to the only place I knew I could get help. As I walked out of our house, I saw my stepfather's car from afar. His gaze lingered at me for a moment before I looked away. There was no need to confront him. Maybe I was even safer leaving his house.

Sandra answered the door as soon as I knocked. I came all the way to her place as I didn't know anywhere else to go.

"What happened?" She asked as she looked at my big bags. I crashed into her arms for an embrace, and began a fresh round of shedding tears.

"They kicked me out. Christian tried to rape me, and my mom threw me out." I stuttered, my voice clouded with tears.

"That bastard," Sandra hissed. She ushered me into the house. It was just a small apartment.

"I really don't want to discomfort you, but I don't have anywhere to go."

"You can stay for as long as you wish. I really don't mind." Sandra tried to comfort me.

I bawled my eyes out till they became crimson red.

"Let me make tea for you. It would calm your nerves." Sandra said and left for the kitchen.

There was a knife on the table, close to where I sat on the couch.

"I'd just cut off this excess skin," I sobbed, drawing the knife closer to me. "I hate my body." If I carved away the excess flesh, maybe Joey would finally stop hating me. Maybe mom would smile at me for once, and Adrian may come back.

"Trust me, your body isn't the reason your family hates you. Those people are just idiots." Sandra returned and placed a mug containing hot brewing tea in front of me.

"If only I was slimmer," I muttered before sipping the tea.

"What of Adrian? Have you told him about this?"

I paused midway, and dropped the cup on the table. Sandra wasn't informed about our breakup.

"We ended things."

Sandra's eyes widened, obviously shocked by the news. "But things were going on well between both of you."

I shook my head and took a deep breath, then proceeded to tell her everything that happened on his birthday, leaving no details out of it.

"Men are jerks." Sandra retorted. "That's why I'm single."

My phone chimed. There was one new email and for the first time since the week began, I smiled. Something had finally gone right.

It wasn't a college scholarship or anything like that, but it was an invite to an interview as a cleaner at a company. Their pay was quite promising-600 bucks a month, and I only had to work on Saturdays.

I felt relieved, knowing that I could support Sandra around the house, now I just had to pass the interview.

"You've got good news?" Is it from college?"

"No. It's from Vixen Couture." I said, my voice still raspy with excitement. "I got invited for a cleaning job."

"At least some good news for the week." Sandra stood up, and cleared the mug from the table.

"Incase you see any of those fucking hot supermodels, try to put me on."

"I'm going there to be a cleaner, not a model." I rolled my eyes at her. She laughed it off, and returned to the chair by her sewing machine. I watched as she struggled with the seams of the top she was sewing. Even as she struggled, there was a smile on her face. I loved Sandra's company because of her positivity. She told me her stories of how she had been scammed by people posing as agents to recruit models. The crazy thing was how she laughed each time she told those stories, but to me, the experiences were all pathetic.

That evening, Sandra wore her uniform and left for her night shift in a hotel. I was alone at her home. I arranged my clothes in their place, and assured myself I would use this period to workout and become slimmer.

It had to start today. I squeezed my body into black top and loose pink trousers and headed outside. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. A short 22 year old with fat hands and bloated belly which bulged out of my trousers. I inhaled deeply. Perhaps if I'm committed to working out every evening, it may help me shed some weight.

All I wanted to do was to jog. I stepped outside and inhaled the fresh evening breeze. I plugged in my headphones and started jogging, slowly at first, before I increased my speed. The wind swooshed over my face, and my breathing got huskier as I increased my speed.

From a corner, I could see two wolves together. It was obvious that they were couples. I moved my gaze away, trying to stop myself from thinking about Adrian. When I reached a lane, I paused and placed my hand on my thighs, trying hard to catch my breath. The atmosphere was darker than when I came outside.

I did some limb stretches before resuming jogging.

"Hey fatty." I heard a husky voice say from behind me. I refused to turn backwards to avoid having to confront the fool.

He walked closer to me and I could see a yellowish glint in his eyes, his teeth were also yellow.

"A rogue," I whispered to myself.

"Just look at that ass jiggle," He said, and this time I stopped and shot him a hard glare.

"Excuse you? Are some screws loose in your head?" I couldn't just let it slide, I needed to give him a warning.

His hand held mine, and I tried to twist away. "Leave me this instant,"

I couldn't wriggle free from his grip, and before I knew it, three more men emerged from the dark alley and surrounded me. All of them were rogues.

"You're so beautiful. So gorgeous." He sneered, bringing his sharp teeth closer to my neck.

"Stop it." I screamed. I couldn't let this fool harm me. "Joey, if you don't help me this time, I'm going to kill you." I shouted at my wolf, who didn't respond as usual.

I could already feel his teeth rubbing against my skin, and the other rogues closed in on me. I shivered and screamed, not knowing what to do. There were four of them.

"Leave her." A masculine voice commanded. The rogue who held me turned to face the man.

"She's my prey, not yours." He snapped at the man.

"Release her immediately, or your life would be way worse than being a rogue. Do you prefer to die?"

I felt his grip on my hand falter, and his hand shivered slightly. Although he refused to release me, I could sense that he was scared. The man who challenged him was definitely an alpha.

"Now!" The man shouted. The rogue didn't contemplate further. He hissed and let go of my hand, running away with the rest of his men.

"Are you hurt?"

Those emerald eyes, thin sexy lips and shiny black hair, it looked like he was straight out of a magazine. His jawline was perfectly sculpted. I had to raise my head to look at his face. Damn. He was so tall.

He cleared his throat as if noticing that I was gawking him. A wave of embarrassment hit me.

"I was asking if you're hurt?"

"I'm fine. Thank you so much,"

He nodded his head. "You need to be more careful. This city has a lot of rogues, and it seems so hard to control them."

Control? He was definitely an alpha.

"Thank you once again."

His baritone voice rang gently as he made a slight hum in acknowledgment. He offered to escort me to the main road, where I could easily navigate my way home. I couldn't resist, because I was already scared of treading the path alone. He didn't spare me another glance as we walked towards the road, neither did he say anything. I wondered if my presence was discomforting. If he felt irritated walking with someone so fat.

He dropped me off, and I thanked him one last time before leaving. As I entered the apartment, I thought of the stranger again. Why did he interest me so much? Was it because no one had ever stood up for me when I was being bullied or was it just his Greek god features that drew me in.

I could swear I had seen his face elsewhere, but where?

The next day, I didn't wait for my alarm clock to ring before jolting out of bed. Sandra was already up, making a breakfast of pancakes. I hurried dressing up and stood in the mirror, trying to see if I had lost any weight from last night's jogging.

"Goodmorning," I greeted Sandra as I picked out a few pancakes from the tray. No matter how excited I was about the job, it could not stop me from going out without eating.

"Good luck. I pray you get the job." Sandra said cheerfully as she watched me walk out the door as soon as I was done eating.

I clutched my leather bag that was hung over my shoulder. The 8am morning breeze was chilly, making me shiver a little as I walked to the bus stop. In less than 30 minutes, I arrived at Vixen Couture. The environment was even more magnificent than I had seen on their website.

It was a white tall building with glass windows and doors that reflected bright light. From the entrance, red flowers were planted, and a tree was trimmed in a shape that resembled a heart. I showed the security guard my invite and he allowed me inside. Inside was a wide stretch of space. There were green shrubs which were carved to give the word 'V-I-X-E-N-C-O-U-T-U-R-E'.

I couldn't help but stare. It was a modelling company and their environment looked like it could model as well.

I followed the directions given to me by the secretary. I was a bit shocked that she wasn't rude like the one at my father's office. From the experience I had with that bitch, I was forced to believe that all secretaries were rude.

"You're number 50 for the interview."

"Alright. Thank you." I responded, taking the number tag which she offered me. After hearing my number, I began to wonder if it would be possible to secure the job when lots of people were applying. From what the girl seated by my side told me, there were sixty people who applied for the position.

Then, I saw a man from afar, stepping out of the car. He looked like the man that helped me last night. The only difference was that he wore a suit and dark sunglasses as well. Could he be working as a model? If he was, I wouldn't be surprised because his features were perfect.

"Number 50, please come inside."

"Yes ma'am." I responded and headed into the room where the interview was conducted.

"Ruby Philips?" The woman asked, lifting her gaze from the paper in her hand and focusing on me.

"I'm the one."

"You may have a seat."

I sat down, watching her flip through papers, and wondering what questions she had for me.

"We plan to employ just five cleaners, and I'm not sure if you'd make it."

I swallowed hard, this was the statement I dreaded the most.

"We have picked four people already, and I have to interview numbers 51 to 60, before I can make a final decision."

"Ma'am, I assure you I'm the best for this job,"

She smiled briefly at me and was about to say something before the phone rang and she picked it.

I couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but I heard her say 'okay sir' repeatedly.

"You wouldn't be given the cleaning job anymore."

I took a deep breath, feeling all my hopes shattered. How exactly would I help Sandra around the house without a job? Hunting for another job wouldn't be easy.

"A man called, saying that he knows you, and I should give you a better offer."

My face lit up in an instant as I was taken aback by her statement.

"Does anyone here know me?" I questioned, because I didn't know anyone except Sandra and my family.

Roselyn nodded her head. I had read the name on her desk, and even though she didn't tell me her name, I knew it.

"I would fill you in for the position of a receptionist instead. It also has better pay."

My jaw slacked a bit as I processed Roselyn's words.

"Would you accept the offer or..."

"I accept it." I said, cutting her short without noticing. I felt like if I delayed a bit, the offer would be taken back.

"Okay. I would just fill your file so you can begin work soon,"

I tried hard to resist the urge to shout and throw both hands in the air. While she was still writing on the paper, a thought came into my mind. I didn't know who this person was.

"Do you mind if I know who the friend is? I mean the person who said he knew me."

She handed over the file to me. "It contains everything you need."

I nodded my head and thanked her, still expecting a reply to my question.

"The Mr. chooses to be anonymous. You know how philanthropists are. Just don't bother about him. Your job is secured."

After I filled in the day I would resume, which is in two days, I left her office with my file in my hand.

I came across the man who wore the dark sunglasses earlier. He was walking in the opposite direction. His sunglasses were off and I could see those emerald eyes. He was the same man who scared the rogues away.

He passed me without uttering a single word. A thought crossed my mind and I wondered if he was the one who told the interviewer that he knew me. I brushed the thought away, he couldn't possibly be the one. After all, he didn't know me.