CEO's Lover: Love Bound By Contract

Y City was a beautiful seaside city. The mountains in the north towered into the clouds and pointed straight at the sky. To the south was a vast sea. The wind was always salty, and the temperature was always so pleasant. In the southern suburbs of Y City stood an ancient castle. Its high walls were covered with dark green vines, and its glazed windows would always reflect the beautiful moonlight in the most ethereal way. The waves were uncharacteristically high and strong at that night.

Gunshots rang out one after another inside the castle. The moon's dim light shone in from the window, behind Hayley Gu. She had long dark hair, wearing a long black cloak. Perhaps it was because she was too surprised, or because of the bruises on her arms, but her body was trembling all over.

She had never thought that she would have such a day. Facing the man in front of her, she didn't even dare to look at him again. The man stood in front of her, looking at her condescendingly.

"Hayley, what's wrong? Are you reluctant to kill me?" With contempt in his eyes, Mac Qi fearlessly looked at Hayley Gu in the eye despite her pointing a loaded gun at him.

As if venting her resentment, she shot the ceiling angrily. Then she pointed the gun at the enemy in front of her and warned him not to get close to her again. His cold eyes and cruel smile reminded her that this man was no longer the gentle and considerate man she once knew.

That day, she received a call from her adoptive father. It came from out of the blue. She couldn't even remember the last time she received a call from him. What he said to her was looping in her head, like a broken record. "Do one last thing for me. After that, I will set you free." She had no choice. Ever since the day her father picked her to be his daughter, she knew that she would not have any freedom or choice. So she agreed.

When he said that he would give her freedom, she accepted the task without hesitation. She stayed in Y City to wait. This beautiful city had always reminded her of childhood, when she was still with the Jiang family. It made her love the city. It was even here that she met Mac Qi. She learned from this man what love was and what warmth was. She didn't know about these feelings before.

When she received the task, she was very happy. Because as long as she completed this task, she could be free. She could live the rest of her life with the one she loved, regardless of what was going on. Countless times she had dreamed of living a life where no one controlled her, and now, this dream was finally about to come true.

After getting everything ready, she rushed to her destination determined to complete her mission as fast as she could. But she never thought that her last target would be Mac Qi. At that moment, her mind went blank. A cruel and ridiculous choice was placed in front of her: kill the man she loved in exchange for her freedom, or give up the task and continue to live in darkness, all the while having her man by her side.

"Hayley, didn't Neil want you to kill me? I'm here now. As long as you pull the trigger, you will finally get what you want."

His smile made her tremble with anger. She felt a pang of pain in her heart. 'Mac knows that it is impossible for me to kill him. He knows that I love him, but he still forces me to do so.'

Suddenly, it seemed like her life flashed before her eyes. She remembered Mac Qi's smile, gentleness, and loving nature. And she also remembered her adoptive father who treated her as his own daughter.

When she was five years old, she saw how her family were killed with her very own eyes, and how her house was burnt down to ashes. Her mother hid her in a secret room, making her narrowly escaping the massacre inflicted upon her loved ones. She stayed in the ruins for three days and nights, until she dragged her tired and hungry body to the street. In that disaster, everyone in their village was killed. She cried endlessly, helplessly, until Neil Gu saw her and took her away.

Holding her in his arms, he took her back to the Gu family. She watched quietly as Neil Gu sent someone to prepare bath water and cook for her. Then, like a father, he gently stroked her forehead and said with a kind smile, "I'm Neil Gu. They all call me Mr. Gu. From now on, you can take my surname."

From that day on, she became Hayley Gu, and Neil Gu began to ask people to teach her reading and martial arts. The Gu family was a place that trained professional killers. As she grew up, she was trained to be a killer. Neil Gu was very strict with her training. She had heavy classes every day. In the morning, there would be teachers to teach her social etiquette, political literature, and sometimes, musical instruments. In the afternoon, in addition to the physical training, she also had to learn how to operate guns and how to use cold steel. She also practiced martial arts religiously. It was her daily life. After dinner, there were still some side classes that needed her to learn. The classes every day were so heavy that at times, she would find it hard keep up. She slept less than four hours every day, and the pressure she was under exceeded what she could deliver. Once, a small explosion happened because of a careless mistake committed by her during her shooting training. Her right hand palm was seriously burned that she passed out on the training ground. Neil Gu then poured a bucket of saline water on her wound. She was awakened by the pain. Her adoptive father said to her coldly, "Do you want to live?"

Of course she knew what he meant, so she endured the pain and stood up to continue training regardless of her physical fatigue. If her right hand was injured, she should use her left hand. Although the wound was still bleeding, she must endure the pain and continue the training until she completed it. When she went back to her bedroom to rest, she found a bottle of burn ointment on her bedside table. It was the first time that she had felt a little warmth in the cold, uncaring place she grew up in.

But even so, the training did not stop. It went on day after day, no matter what happened. And, as she grew up, her courses became harder and more dangerous. After days, months, and years, Hayley Gu became Neil Gu's best killer, the most profitable asset of the Gu family. She had forgotten about love. That was until she met Mac Qi.