James poured whiskey into a small glass already filled with ice cubes. With the glass in hand, he walked toward the window of his hotel room.One hand slipped into his pocket while the other held the glass. His gaze fell outside the window, taking in the bustling city at night.James inhaled the whiskey’s aroma, letting the chill of the ice flow through his fingers. His sharp eyes appeared calm, but his mind wandered, replaying Sirena’s voice from their recent phone call.Leaning his shoulder against the wall near the window, he stared at the shimmering city lights, a stark contrast to the silence enveloping his room. The world outside was alive, yet nothing could ease the longing quietly creeping into him.Every time he heard Sirena’s voice—even just brief conversations or teasing remarks—something inside him felt like “home.”He lifted the glass, letting the whiskey touch his lips, then sipped it slowly. A deep sigh followed, accompanied by the icy drink sliding down his throat. For
"Sirena!" Gavin called out, running toward her."Hey," Sirena greeted him with a small smile."Did something happen? I was near your class earlier and heard some commotion. Are you okay?" Gavin asked, concern written all over his face.Sirena sighed and gave Gavin a faint smile. "Oh, just a little drama. Nothing serious," she replied, trying to appear calm, though Gavin could see a flicker of weariness in her eyes.Gavin frowned, his worry deepening. "A little drama? But you look exhausted. Did they bother you again?" he asked gently, his gaze filled with genuine concern.Sirena shrugged, trying to act indifferent. "Same old, Gavin. But I’m used to it. Besides, I’m not letting them ruin my day," she said resolutely, even though deep down, she felt a bit relieved that someone cared.Gavin gave her a small smile and placed his hand on her shoulder, offering quiet yet meaningful support. "If you need someone to vent to, I’m here. You don’t have to face it all alone, okay?"Sirena looked
“James? That perverted man, what is he doing here?” Sirena thought to herself.“Well, there he is. So, what do you think? Handsome, right?” Elda asked with excitement.Sirena felt her heartbeat quicken. The man who had just turned his gaze was none other than James—the irritating bed partner who always managed to get on her nerves.James was the last person Sirena expected to see in this place, especially looking so formal and respected.She struggled to suppress her shock, though it remained internal. “That perverted man,” she thought irritably.Elda, oblivious to Sirena’s surprise, became even more enthusiastic. “Well? Isn’t he handsome?” she asked again, nudging Sirena’s arm.Sirena forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor in front of Elda, masking her sudden annoyance.“Uh… yeah, I guess,” she replied curtly, trying to redirect her focus and resisting the urge to stare at James too long.“Then let’s head inside and join the seminar,” Elda said, pulling Sirena’s arm, despite her
Sirena stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had applied light makeup and styled her hair as beautifully as possible, wearing a mocha-colored dress that contrasted perfectly with her fair skin. Tonight, she would have dinner with James, as he had requested.She let out a soft sigh, trying to calm the nervous flutter in her chest that refused to subside. She knew it was just a dinner, but an unshakable sense of anxiety always crept in whenever she was around James. His piercing gaze had a way of seeing deeper into her than anyone else ever could.After adjusting a stray strand of hair near her temple, she picked up a small clutch and stepped out of her room. Tonight, she resolved to keep her emotions in check, even though deep in her heart, she knew there was something different about being with James.As she left her room, Brianna's voice called out, "Oh, Siren, there's a car waiting in front of the house. They said they're here to pick you up. Are you going somewhere?""Yes, Mo
A waiter arrived and poured the finest wine into their stemmed glasses."Let's toast," James said, raising his glass.Siren hesitated momentarily but followed James's lead, raising her glass. Their eyes met briefly, and Siren could feel the intensity in James's gaze, as though he wanted to close the distance between them."To your success and everything we’ll go through together," James said with conviction, his eyes never leaving Siren.Siren simply nodded and gave a faint smile before sipping the chilled, rich wine. As the atmosphere grew calmer, Siren found a small glimmer of hope to confront her doubts. Though her emotions were still mixed, the moment gave her a semblance of peace.James set his glass back on the table and smiled, satisfied with the softening atmosphere. "I’d like to do this more often with you," he said, hinting at his desire to deepen their connection."Alright," Siren replied.“Oh, I have something for you,” James said, pulling a small square box from his jacke
On her way to class, Sirena kept overhearing female students talking about James, who had visited the campus yesterday. James had suddenly become a campus celebrity with a swarm of admirers. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if they knew she had once been James’s bedmate.As Sirena approached her classroom, she caught snippets of a conversation between Claudya and her friends.“Are you serious? Your parents know Mr. James's family?” Ana asked.“Of course,” Claudya replied with a broad smile. “And apparently, James is single right now. Hmm... isn’t this the perfect opportunity for me?” she chuckled.“Wow, if you and James got together, you’d be the perfect match,” said Glade.“Totally! He’s handsome, and you’re gorgeous. You two would be a power couple,” Cherry added.“Absolutely,” Ana agreed.Sirena listened to their conversation about James and Claudya. Although she didn’t care, her heart felt strangely unsettled and irritated.She tried to maintain her composure despite their e
“Siren!” Elda ran towards Siren, who was sitting under her favorite tree on campus, wearing earphones and listening to calming music.“Siren!” Elda tapped her shoulder.Siren was momentarily startled when her shoulder was tapped. She quickly removed her earphones and turned, finding Elda crouching next to her, her face full of energy."Elda, what's up?" Siren asked with a faint smile. She was used to Elda's always cheerful energy."I have good news, Siren! You won't believe it!" Elda said, grinning, her eyes sparkling with excitement.Siren raised an eyebrow, curious. "What? Tell me!"Elda took a deep breath, ready to share the news that seemed so important to her.“Ronald, he’s back at campus after taking a year off.”Thud!Siren was utterly shocked to hear that. Yes, who doesn’t know? Everyone on campus knew that Ronald was Siren’s ex. They met when Siren first started college, and Ronald was her senior."Ah, so he’s back after such a long break?" Siren asked.Elda nodded enthusiast
“Siren!” Ronald called out as the class had ended and all the students were leaving the room one by one.Siren, still sitting in the classroom, turned toward Ronald with a cold gaze.“Do you have to look at me like that? This is our first meeting after everything that happened,” Ronald said, looking irritated.“What do you want? I don’t have much time,” Siren replied, still with a cold tone.“I’m sorry for what happened to your family, especially the death of your late father,” Ronald said.“Oh, yeah. Thanks,” Siren answered, standing up from her seat while grabbing her bag.“Excuse me, I’m leaving,” Siren said as Ronald blocked her way.“You’re being so cold to me. Do you really have to act like that?” Ronald asked.“Because I have no reason to be friendly with you,” Siren answered, walking away, leaving Ronald feeling frustrated.“Damn! She’s still so arrogant, even after losing everything!” Ronald grumbled.Siren stepped out of the classroom with mixed feelings. Every corner of the
Bruk!"Is this how you behave now, Siren?!" Ronald asked firmly, his sharp gaze piercing through."What do you mean?" Sirena asked, frowning in confusion."How much money do you need? Do you want branded goods or a car? I can give you all that. Why would you stoop so low to become some old man's mistress?" Ronald asked, clearly upset.Sirena stared coldly at the man in front of her, feeling both angry and hurt. She clenched her fists, trying to suppress the pain gnawing at her chest. Her sharp eyes locked onto Ronald's, filled with suppressed rage. "Ronald, you have no right to speak to me like that," she said, her voice cold but firm. "And what do you mean by accusing me like that?"Ronald scoffed. "I just want to know why you're involved with that old man. You must be after his money, right?" he accused.Sirena tried to hold back her emotions. "You know nothing about my life now, Ronald. Maybe you've forgotten, but you were the first person to leave me when I needed support."Ronald
"Sirena!" called Elda, running toward Sirena, who was napping in her favorite spot, resting her head against a shady tree trunk."Sirena, wake up! It's urgent!" Elda said, gently tapping Sirena's shoulder until she opened her eyes."What is it?" Sirena asked, frowning in confusion, still half-asleep."Look at this!" Elda showed her phone screen. On it was a picture of Sirena kissing a mysterious man inside a car. The camera clearly captured Sirena's face, but the man's face was blurry and unrecognizable."Do you know that because of this photo, the entire campus is in an uproar? They're claiming you're some sugar daddy's kept woman!""What?" Sirena gasped, utterly shocked.She sat up straight, her face turning pale with panic. "Are you serious, Elda?" she asked, grabbing the phone from her friend's hand to get a closer look at the picture. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and confusion."I'm serious, Sirena! Everyone's talking about it. Some are even placing bets on who the myste
Currently, James and Sirena were in the car. During the drive, James's phone kept ringing, but he refused to answer it. He stayed focused on driving, while Sirena occasionally glanced at him, confused.After the fourth call, Sirena finally spoke."Why don’t you answer? It might be important," the beautiful woman suggested.“It’s not important!” James replied, his eyes fixed on the road.Hearing his firm response, Sirena chose to stay quiet and turned her gaze to the window.“I want to revise our contract,” James suddenly said, catching Sirena off guard.“Why so sudden?” she asked, genuinely surprised.“I’m strictly forbidding you from drinking with any other men besides me!” James declared firmly.“W-what? Why would you do that?” Sirena protested, clearly unhappy.James turned to her with a serious expression, trying to convey his feelings.“Because I don’t want any other men seeing you when you’re drunk,” he said with conviction. It was clear James didn’t want anyone witnessing how a
“This tigress, really,” James muttered, feeling utterly ridiculous for not being able to control his pounding heart and blushing face.James tried to focus on the road, but it was nearly impossible to ignore Sirena's intense gaze and her soft hand still cupping his cheek. “Siren, come on, sit properly. It’s dangerous if you keep this up,” he said with a tense smile.Sirena chuckled, her gaze unapologetic. “You really are handsome, James. Especially like this—it’s even more obvious,” she teased.James bit his lip, struggling to control his erratic heartbeat. He knew Sirena was drunk and probably wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow, but for some reason, her words and gaze were so enticing, breaking down his defenses.“If you keep this up, I might completely lose control,” he whispered softly, knowing full well Sirena might not fully grasp what he was saying. Gently, he took her hand away from his face and guided her to sit properly.“Siren, if you want to keep praising me, save it fo
Without letting go of her hand, James led Sirena out of the cinema area and started looking for a sushi restaurant in the mall. As they walked, Sirena felt a surprising sense of comfort with James's demeanor. They resembled an ordinary couple. She glanced at James briefly—always captivating and handsome. Her heart suddenly raced, prompting her to quickly avert her gaze from him.Eventually, they found a quiet restaurant and went inside. After sitting down, James picked up the menu and handed it to Sirena. “Order whatever you like,” he said with a smile. Sirena smiled faintly. “Alright then, I won’t hold back. Be prepared for a hefty bill,” she joked, making James chuckle. “Are you doubting my wealth?” James teased. Sirena shrugged nonchalantly. “Aren’t I the perfect match for you?” James continued with a playful grin. “I’ve got plenty of money, which I know you like. If you’re with me, you get the money and me. A buy-one-get-one deal.” James smirked proudly while Sirena chuckled
"So, what do you want to watch?" James asked as he and Sirena arrived at the cinema. "Hm... I want to watch a horror movie," Sirena answered confidently. "Not scared? Oh, or is it so you can cling to me out of fear?" James teased. "Keep dreaming. That will never happen," Sirena replied with absolute certainty. "Alright, we'll see about that," James said with a smirk. "Wait here, I'll get the tickets." James smiled as he walked toward the ticket counter, occasionally glancing back at Sirena, who was enthusiastically scanning the movie listings. He could sense her excitement about this outing. "Does she really need to look that excited? Such a cute little tiger," James thought to himself with a small smile. While selecting the tickets, James couldn't help but imagine how funny it would be if Sirena ended up getting scared and clinging to him, despite her earlier confident denial. Meanwhile, Sirena stood casually, looking around the cinema area. She couldn't remember the last tim
“Siren!” Ronald called out as the class had ended and all the students were leaving the room one by one.Siren, still sitting in the classroom, turned toward Ronald with a cold gaze.“Do you have to look at me like that? This is our first meeting after everything that happened,” Ronald said, looking irritated.“What do you want? I don’t have much time,” Siren replied, still with a cold tone.“I’m sorry for what happened to your family, especially the death of your late father,” Ronald said.“Oh, yeah. Thanks,” Siren answered, standing up from her seat while grabbing her bag.“Excuse me, I’m leaving,” Siren said as Ronald blocked her way.“You’re being so cold to me. Do you really have to act like that?” Ronald asked.“Because I have no reason to be friendly with you,” Siren answered, walking away, leaving Ronald feeling frustrated.“Damn! She’s still so arrogant, even after losing everything!” Ronald grumbled.Siren stepped out of the classroom with mixed feelings. Every corner of the
“Siren!” Elda ran towards Siren, who was sitting under her favorite tree on campus, wearing earphones and listening to calming music.“Siren!” Elda tapped her shoulder.Siren was momentarily startled when her shoulder was tapped. She quickly removed her earphones and turned, finding Elda crouching next to her, her face full of energy."Elda, what's up?" Siren asked with a faint smile. She was used to Elda's always cheerful energy."I have good news, Siren! You won't believe it!" Elda said, grinning, her eyes sparkling with excitement.Siren raised an eyebrow, curious. "What? Tell me!"Elda took a deep breath, ready to share the news that seemed so important to her.“Ronald, he’s back at campus after taking a year off.”Thud!Siren was utterly shocked to hear that. Yes, who doesn’t know? Everyone on campus knew that Ronald was Siren’s ex. They met when Siren first started college, and Ronald was her senior."Ah, so he’s back after such a long break?" Siren asked.Elda nodded enthusiast
On her way to class, Sirena kept overhearing female students talking about James, who had visited the campus yesterday. James had suddenly become a campus celebrity with a swarm of admirers. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if they knew she had once been James’s bedmate.As Sirena approached her classroom, she caught snippets of a conversation between Claudya and her friends.“Are you serious? Your parents know Mr. James's family?” Ana asked.“Of course,” Claudya replied with a broad smile. “And apparently, James is single right now. Hmm... isn’t this the perfect opportunity for me?” she chuckled.“Wow, if you and James got together, you’d be the perfect match,” said Glade.“Totally! He’s handsome, and you’re gorgeous. You two would be a power couple,” Cherry added.“Absolutely,” Ana agreed.Sirena listened to their conversation about James and Claudya. Although she didn’t care, her heart felt strangely unsettled and irritated.She tried to maintain her composure despite their e