Chapter 1
“Help me…”
The hotel door had barely opened when a shadowy figure rushed in with a gust of perfume and crashed straight into Rhode Stark’s arms.
Rhode was about to shove the person away when he looked down. In the dim hallway light, his breath caught.
The woman in his arms had long black hair like a waterfall and skin as pale as snow. Her red lips stood out sharply. Her almond-shaped eyes were full of tears, her breathing hot, and her voice hoarse with a wild kind of need.
“Hot… so hot…”
Before Rhode could ask anything, the woman suddenly went crazy, grabbing at his clothes. With a loud rip, the underwear he’d worn for years was torn clean in half.
“What the hell—”
Rhode’s shout was cut off as a soft, warm body pressed him down onto the floor.
…
Two hours later.
The room smelled thick with perfume mixed with the scent of heather.
Rhode Stark lay flat on the bed, face pale, staring blankly at the ceiling. As the Lord of the Abyss, he’d once cut down a hundred armed bandits on the ice fields with just a knife, never even frowning. But now his back ached and his legs felt weak.
“Damn it,” Rhode muttered, rubbing his lower back. “I command a million troops. If word gets out that I got taken down by some woman in New York, how the hell am I supposed to keep any face as the Abyss King?”
The woman beside him was already fast asleep. Her side profile looked stunning in the moonlight. Rhode glanced at her and frowned slightly. She didn’t look like an ordinary working girl. Something about tonight felt off. Probably trouble.
Better not stick around.
The next morning, the first light of dawn was just showing.
Rhode got out of bed quietly and looked around at the messy sheets and clothes scattered like a battlefield. The wild scenes from last night flashed through his mind again.
He dressed quickly, checked his pockets, and found only an old Nokia phone and a crumpled ten-dollar bill.
Rhode sighed, tucked the bill under her pillow, and headed for the door.
His hand had just touched the lock when a cold voice came from behind him.
“Stop.”
Rhode froze, forced a dry laugh, and turned around.
The woman was awake, wrapped tightly in the blanket, her beautiful face full of shame and anger. Her eyes were locked on the bill sticking out from under the pillow.
“What’s this supposed to mean?” she asked, voice shaking as she pointed at the money.
Rhode scratched his nose and answered seriously, “Well… you were definitely worth more, but this is all I had on me. A hundred bucks, right here.”
“Asshole!” The woman’s face went white with rage. She bit her lip hard. “You think I won’t call the cops and have you arrested for rape?”
Rhode spread his hands. “Look, lady, you were the one who jumped me last night. If anyone’s calling the cops, it should be me reporting you for forcing yourself on a good-looking guy.”
“You—” She was so angry her chest heaved. “In New York, there’s no one I, Ivy Moretti, can’t find. You’re not getting away!”
Ivy Moretti?
Rhode raised an eyebrow. The name sounded familiar.
Ivy took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She pointed at the Hermès bag on the floor. “My dress is ruined. Go get my bank card from the bag. PIN is 1314520. Head to the mall downtown and buy me a clean dress and… underwear.”
Rhode wanted to refuse, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he just shrugged and went to grab the card. “Fine. I’ll call it even.”
Outside the hotel, the morning air cleared Rhode’s head a little.
He looked up and saw a skyscraper across the street. A giant LED screen on the building flashed gold letters: “Ivy Group.”
New York’s number-one beauty CEO, the business legend worth billions—Ivy Moretti.
Rhode stood on the curb and muttered, “Tch. Looks like I just stepped into a rich family’s door on this trip back to New York.”
Half an hour later, Rhode returned to the hotel room carrying several luxury shopping bags.
He tossed the bags onto the bed and turned his back without being told.
Rustling sounds of clothes came from behind him.
“Done. You can turn around now.”
Rhode turned.
Ivy was fully dressed. A well-fitted white dress hugged her tall, graceful figure. Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, giving her an almost holy glow. Cold, elegant, untouchable.
Rhode’s eyes went wide. “Damn, put some clothes on and I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Ivy’s face flushed red. She glared at him. “If you breathe a single word about last night, I’ll make sure you disappear without a trace.”
“Relax, my lips are sealed.” Rhode grinned, waved, and headed for the door. “I’m out. Name’s Rhode Stark, by the way.”
Watching the door close, Ivy stood there and repeated the strange name under her breath. “Rhode Stark… We’ll meet again soon.”
In the next second, all the shyness on her face vanished, replaced by endless coldness and killing intent.
Ivy pulled out her phone and made a call, her voice icy. “How’s the investigation? Was it James Smith who drugged my drink last night?”
After getting confirmation, her eyes turned sharp. “Make James Smith… disappear. For good.”
Meanwhile, in a taxi speeding along a New York overpass.
Rhode leaned back in the seat, watching the city blur past the window. His gaze slowly turned deep and cold.
Half a month ago, he was still the commander of the Abyss’s invincible army, holding a million soldiers and striking fear into enemy nations. But then his family suffered a sudden disaster.
His parents, who had been quietly farming in the suburbs under fake names, were brutally murdered and dismembered. Their bodies were never found whole.
On the same day, his younger sister Mary, who had just gotten into New York University, vanished without a trace.
The night he got the news, the Abyss King’s rage swept across the frozen lands. A million troops gathered overnight. The killing intent was so strong that enemy forces stationed at the border panicked and ordered a thousand-meter retreat, desperate not to provoke the god of death.
But once Rhode calmed down, he understood—this was a massive conspiracy aimed at him and the Stark family.
To avoid alerting anyone, he secretly resigned his post and returned to New York alone.
“Nightfall Bar…”
Rhode clenched his fists. It was the only lead he had so far—the last place his sister was seen before disappearing was the Nightfall Bar in northern New York City.
