Mesmerizing Temptation: Arrest Your Heart

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the beautiful lady of the Qiao family with a big round of applause!" announced the host at the posh dinner gala attended by the creme de la creme of the city. Everyone was seated around round tables and all eyes were on the stage where lights danced glamorously.

The enthusiastic host was flanked by two families. The Zhang family from the capital city stood on the left, while the Qiao family from the North Sea province stood on the right.

But the most eye-catching person on the stage was a dapper young man in an elegant suit, whose posture was ramrod straight. His eyes twinkled like stars on a dark night, and his thick eyebrows, stately height and angular face made him look like a Greek god. Dressed in tasteful and sophisticated clothes, he was perfect from any angle.

Although it was an important day for him, the man's eyes were narrowed, as if he was about to fall asleep, and there was a trace of boredom on his face.

With the host's announcement, the door on the other side of the stage opened slowly, and hundreds of eyes immediately turned towards it. Everyone was curious to see what kind of a woman was going to marry the illustrious Zhang family's son, who was also the most notorious playboy in the capital city.

However, when the door opened, the spot, which should have been occupied by his to-be wife, was empty.

"Where is Vera?"

"What happened?"

The flustered members of the Qiao family looked at each other in confusion. This was a golden opportunity for them to get their daughter married into the prestigious Zhang family. They didn't want to make any mistakes today.

"Mr. Qiao, I have terrible news. Miss Vera ran away!" said a servant rushing over. He had a piece of paper in his hand and was panting. Hearing this, the whole hall fell silent. Then, the crowd began to frantically whisper among themselves.

Meanwhile, on stage, the faces of the Zhang family members were ghastly pale, and the members of the Qiao family looked panic-stricken, as if they had lost their souls.

"Vera Qiao, you bitch! How dare you insult me in front of everyone?" Jason Zhang's bored expression turned fierce as he cursed loudly.

His fists were clenched tightly and blue veins stood out on his arms under his sleeves, unseen by anyone. He snatched the paper from the Qiao family's servant. The three words on it cut him up inside: "See you, Scum!"

Today the Qiao and the Zhang families were going to become one family bound by the marriage of their children. Almost all the celebrities in the capital city were present to witness the wedding. Vera Qiao's disappearance was a slap on the face of the Zhang family. Jason Zhang had become a joke!

"I won't let you go so easily!"

Jason Zhang swore coldly.

Exactly at that moment, in a corner of a street a few kilometers away from the hotel, a woman paused in the dim light to catch her breath. "Ha-ha! This is amazing! I did it! I finally escaped!" She was thrilled. Clad in a light pink short skirt and a pair of crystal-studded high-heeled shoes, she was adorned in expensive jewelry, but her delicate oval face was marked with black spots. Moreover, her teeth were stained and her hair was in a mess. It was impossible to not cringe as looking at her.

Sure enough, it was Vera Qiao, the daughter of the Qiao family from the North Sea province.

"I look so ugly with this make-up. Anyway, how could an innocent girl like me marry a playboy like him?" she said to herself. Just thinking about him gave Vera Qiao goose bumps all over her body. She was disgusted. Never once while she was studying abroad did she imagine that half a month ago, her family would suddenly summon her back home for an emergency that would change her life. But she didn't expect the so-called emergency to be a ruse to send her on a blind date! What was more, her parents fixed her engaged without even telling her!

'Come on, what age are we living in? This is the 21st century. Everyone accepts and respects free will now, okay?'

thought Vera Qiao, rolling her eyes. Her parents had tried every means possible to persuade her. Finally, she had relented. Her prospective groom belonged to the most famous family in the capital city. She thought that after marrying him, she would enjoy a luxurious life. As the daughter-in-law of a rich family, she would command hundreds of servants and professional chefs from all over the world would be at her beck and call to cook whatever her heart desired. It was a wonderful dream! But! All her wishes and hopes were quashed when she found out that the man she was going to marry was scum! As soon as she arrived in the capital city, she learned of his wicked ways with women. She was shocked by his reputation!

Jason Zhang was known as the Casanova in the capital!

Any woman who was well-known and good-looking in the imperial city had an intimate relationship with him. When Jason Zhang returned home after retiring from the special forces, his dashing looks, incredible body and wealthy background made him a prize catch. Women were attracted to him like moths to a flame. The rumor was that Jason Zhang was very good in bed. It was an alluring prospect for the women in town. And all the women who had slept with him could become a team and go against the woman who would marry him!

Vera Qiao wasn't carried away by the thought of getting married into a rich family. If she became the daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, her dignity would be hanging by a thread. Jason's ex-girlfriends no doubt wanted her dead. What was more, if Jason brought any of his illegitimate children home in the future, she would have nowhere to go!

That guy had a horrible temper and Vera would not be able to stand up to him.

'My man should be like prince charming, polite and gentle!' she thought angrily.

After contemplating her options for a while, Vera took out her phone and called her best friend.

"Well, dear Miss Vera, how come you are calling me today? Aren't you abroad?" asked her friend with a teasing chuckle. "It must be daytime there, right? Don't you have class to attend?"

"Cut the crap. I'm back in the capital city. Right now, I'm homeless and have nowhere to go. Can I come to your place?" said Vera shortly, raising her eyebrows. After a brief pause, her friend asked,

"Really?"

Suddenly her friend was excited.

"Wow! You can't be serious!" Vera nodded and said pitifully, "My dear, please save me!" She hung up the phone and tossed it into her bag with a relieved smile. Although she looked calm, she was very scared.

She knew that after today's incident, her whole family would be in chaos. Her parents would go crazy looking for her, and knowing the kind of rich and powerful people in the Zhang family, especially Jason, they would probably try their best to capture her and rip her to pieces.

How could a weak woman like her fight two strong families?

Her only option was to flee!

However, it was impossible for her to escape from the capital city. The well-connected Zhang family would do everything in their power to block all her exit points like the airport or the train station. So she would have to stay in a safe place. No matter how much wealth and power the two families had, finding Vera in a city of this size was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 'I'm so smart!'

thought Vera happily, but in the next moment, she realized something and her smile turned into a frown.

She took out a photo from her pocket. In the photo, a soldier in a military uniform was staring at the camera. He was fair-skinned and looked young, but mature. Full of confidence and strength, he was indeed very attractive at first glance!

Yes, this was a photo of Jason, which was taken when he joined the army.

"What a waste! You look so handsome but..." Vera clicked her tongue and threw the photo into a trash can.