Danish glanced at the long-haired girl beside him. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, apparently still holding on to some anger toward him. The road wasn't too crowded, making it easier for Amora to drive.
Okay, Danish had to admit that Amora was pretty skilled behind the wheel. No, actually, not that skilled. Hmm, how should he put it? Reckless. Yep, reckless suited Amora much better. Just look at how she stomped on the gas pedal, sending the car speeding forward, overtaking other cars again and again and nearly sideswiping a motorcycle.
Danish raised one corner of his mouth in a cynical smile. Wow, it seemed Amora really did enjoy challenging the angel of death. He hadn't even finished cursing under his breath when, rounding a bend, he saw a truck coming from the opposite direction at high speed, swerving all over the road. If they didn't get out of the way immediately, the truck would definitely hit Amora's car.
Without thinking twice, Danish reached out and yanked the steering wheel to the left. Fortunately, Amora quickly stomped on the brake pedal, bringing the car to a stop just before it hit a tree.
"Shit!" Danish cursed. If he hadn't been wearing a seat belt, his body would have been thrown forward. "I still want to live, damn it!"
"Get out!" Amora ordered coldly.
Danish turned toward Amora, raising both eyebrows. "I thought we hadn't reached our destination yet."
"Destination? I don't even know where you're going. You can continue the trip by taxi."
"For now, I need somewhere to hide. Take me to your apartment."
"What? Are you crazy? You think I'd hide a criminal like you?"
"Hey, Miss! I told you I'm not a bad person. They're chasing me because they want to kill me."
"You think I care? And sorry, but I don't trust strangers that easily."
Danish clicked his tongue. Okay, he understood why Amora didn't trust him. Remember, only a few minutes ago, he'd suddenly forced his way into her car and held a knife to her neck. Then he'd threatened her into taking him away.
"Then you can check my ID card." Danish took his wallet from his pants pocket and pulled out his identification card. "Danish Ganendra. Keep it as collateral. If I do anything bad to you, you can report me to the police."
Amora examined Danish's ID card, then handed it back. "Please, I don't want anything to do with you."
"Okay. So, which social media platform do you think would be best for posting a video of your date with Doctor Andre?"
"Are you threatening me again?"
"I don't have any other choice."
"I don't even completely believe that you know about my relationship with Doctor Andre. What if our meetings were nothing more than a patient consulting with her doctor?"
Danish laughed. His gaze fixed on a lamp beside the sidewalk. His sturdy fingers ran through his hair. "A week ago, at a café. Two days later, at a five-star restaurant. Yesterday, at your apartment. Yep, a patient and doctor having that intense a relationship—is that what you mean?"
"You're terrifying, Danish! Have you been stalking me this whole time?" Amora bit her lower lip.
"Sorry." Danish let out a heavy sigh. "Someone paid me to do it. More accurately, I wasn't stalking you—I was investigating Doctor Andre's mistress."
"Who paid you?"
"You don't need to know. The choice is yours now. Take me to your apartment and you'll be safe, or drop me off here and your video will be spread everywhere."
"Oh, God, why do I have to deal with a thug like you?" Amora ground her teeth. The next second, she started driving again and returned to the correct lane.
Danish's sturdy body rested against the car seat. His fingers busily swiped across his phone screen as he checked several videos in his gallery. Yes, as for the video he'd mentioned, Danish hadn't been lying. For the past week, he'd indeed been following Doctor Andre at someone's request.
At first, Danish hadn't expected to catch Doctor Andre dating Amora, a rising novelist. Apparently, Amora was good at disguising herself to cover up her bad behavior. Ironic, wasn't it?
Amora's apartment was neat and orderly. It consisted of two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, along with a kitchen and living room. The white-dominated space didn't have too many decorations. There was only one framed picture on the wall, showing Amora with several actors who had starred in the film adaptation of her bestselling novel.
In one corner of the living room sat a small teddy bear. To its left was a tiny Astrophytum cactus, its shape resembling a star fruit. In another corner, Amora had placed a round, eight-liter aquarium to keep a white betta fish with a pink tail.
"How many hours are you going to hide here?" Amora asked.
Danish shifted his gaze from the aquarium to the girl leaning against the wall. "Not just for a few hours. Maybe a few days or weeks."
"Heh, you think my apartment is a hotel?"
"Just tell me the daily rate. You have two bedrooms, right? Don't worry, I have more than enough money—even if I wanted to buy your apartment."
"Then why don't you find another apartment and buy it instead of hiding here?"
Danish waved a hand in front of his face, then rose from the sofa. "I don't have much time. Enough. Don't talk so much. Just show me where my room is. I want to rest."
"There is no room for you. You sleep in the living room."
Danish wouldn't be Danish if he simply obeyed. He was stubborn and didn't like listening to other people. So he casually approached Amora and ruffled the hair on top of her head.
Amora glared while Danish let out a hearty laugh. "I'll find my own room."
Sure enough, he headed for a bedroom door and opened it. When he saw the all-pink, girly décor, Danish shook his head. It was obviously Amora's room. He went into the other bedroom.
Unlike Amora's room, this blue-painted space was designed in a masculine style. A queen-size bed stood in the room, covered by gray linen sheets. On the wall to the right hung a piece of wall art depicting a pair of black-and-white wings. Danish figured he might be comfortable staying in this room.
"Not a bad room design," Danish muttered. He took off his leather jacket and tossed it onto the bed.
"You pushy man!" Amora exclaimed from the doorway. "Can't you show some respect for your host?"
"And can't you show some respect for your guest? I'm not robbing you, and I'm not hurting you either. I already told you, I'm renting this room."
"I object, and I'm only giving you one hour in this room. After that, you have to leave." Amora glared angrily at Danish.
Danish ground his teeth. He took out five 100,000-rupiah bills. His muscular body, clad only in a white tank top, moved closer. "Is this enough? I'll transfer the rest—just give me your account number. I'm renting the room for the next month."
"I don't need your money, and I'm not renting out my room."
"How long are we going to keep arguing? I could destroy your reputation in a matter of seconds. Remember that. With or without your permission, I'm not leaving this room."
"Bastard!"
"Hey, Miss. Who knew a beautiful woman like you could swear too?"
"I can call security and—"
With a swift movement, Danish shoved Amora against the wall and trapped her between his muscular arms. He lowered his face and whispered directly into her ear, "I have my limits, Miss. Don't argue with me if you want your life to stay peaceful."
Amora tried to push Danish away, but her attempt failed. His muscular body, the muscles hidden beneath his white shirt, remained completely unmoving.
"I don't know you. You're a stranger who suddenly appeared in front of me and turned my life upside down. For God's sake, I hate you so much!"
Danish smiled cynically and touched Amora's delicate chin. Her face flushed, her eyes glistening with tears. "Don't hate me too much, Miss. Because sometimes, what we hate can one day become something we love very much."
Amora's breathing grew ragged as she held back her emotions. She slapped Danish's hand away, then walked off. A few seconds later, the sound of a door slamming came from the adjacent bedroom.
Danish let out a rough breath. Why should he care about a girl throwing a tantrum? The important thing was that he had a place to hide now. Amora could wait. Danish was used to dealing with girls who pouted like Amora had a moment ago. Yeah, maybe all he needed to do was act sweet and... lay on a little charm, maybe?
Yeah, just look at how that girl had been willing to become a young doctor's mistress. It seemed Danish only had to snap his fingers, and he'd easily be able to conquer Amora.
Besides, what girl could resist Danish's charm? Although Danish had never been serious about a relationship with any woman, not one woman had ever rejected his advances. Amora should be the same, right?