Chapter 1

ICE made a scornful look when she saw who had entered her office inside her boutique.

What is this man doing again in her boutique?

"Muffin, it's lunch time." He happily announced and lifted the paper bags he was carrying. She was so sure that what's inside these paper bags is food.

"Aren't you getting tired of what you're doing?" She asked him.

It seems that God made it every day, as long as she was in her boutique, he would serve him food every lunch. And not only that, he always drives her to the boutique and even fetches her after. He actually surpassed as an avid lover!

"Nope! Never." He said and began to serve the food.

Sometimes there was something touching her heart with what Bastie was doing. But she often resents it because she knew the reason why he was doing this.

He watched the man as he was busy with what he was doing. The man is Sebastian Antonio, Bastie for short. His hair is shoulder-length and somewhat curly, it matches his sharp nose, narrow lips and somewhat chinky eyes. The man will not be left behind if you are talking about his body. Broad shoulders and she knew what's inside his t-shirt. How many times has she seen his abs in the past outings of their friends? In other words, Bastie is handsome. The type of a man when seen will definitely make women turn their heads and will have a second look. 

"What? Don't tell me you fell in love with me?" There was a jest in his voice and he winked at her.

She blinked a few more times before she realized what Bastie had said.

"You wish!" She said and took the food he was offering.

"Ouch! That hurts!" He said while putting one of his hands on his chest.

She gave him a scornful look and a sad face. "It will never happen!"

"Icelandia Del Mundo one day it will happen trust me." He declared arrogantly..

She gave him another scornful look , "Trust me, it won't!" She declared and started eating.

Bastie shrugged his shoulders and started eating as well.

"What are your schedules this week?" He asked after some time.

"The hell you care." She said pissed off while chewing her food..

"Let me remind you that I am your——"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear that!" She exclaimed.

She didn't like it whenever he was saying that. For her, she was just an obligation for Bastie.

"I'm just stating a fact." He said. 

"I don't know how you do that."

"Which one?"

"You're like a puppet! Always obey whatever your parents want you to do." She commented while trying to finish her food.

Bastie put down her cutlery and stared at her intently, "W-What? W-Why?"

Gosh! Why suddenly she's stammering!

"Well, contrary to your beliefs, I'm not a puppet. I do what I want to do." He still did not take his eyes off her.

She nodded, "Then why don't you just leave me alone?" She asked and turned her attention back to the food because she felt uncomfortable by the way Bastie looked at her.

"Because I don't want to." He said simply. 

She was about to answer when he spoke again, "Did I ever cross your mind?" Suddenly his question made her look at him again. He was staring at her intently.

"No." She answered although she's wondering why he suddenly asked such a question.

"Really? Even just a second?"

"No." She tried to answer him firmly. 

"Strange, because you are always on my mind." He said casually. 

She's trying to read his mind. Was he trying to joke around?

"That’s not my problem anymore." She said..

"Yeah I know. That's the reason why I don't want to leave you alone actually." He said while handling her bottled water. 

Her brows furrowed and he continued talking. "I'm still solving that problem on my own."

She put down her cutlery and met his gaze, "You know what? One day, I know you will leave me alone."

A corner of Bastie's lip lifted and folded his arms to his chest while he is not taking his gaze away from her. "You know what? One day, I know I will enter your mind. You can think of me too."

She frowned at him. "Never!"

"Don’t be so sure about that."

"I can say whatever I want to say." She said annoyed and drank some water.

"Who says you can't?" He smirked. 

After some time, he stood up and put away what they were eating. "I'll pick you up later." He was about to go but he stopped the moment he heard her. 

"You don't have to. Stop being my shadow."

"I said I will pick you up later and that's final." He said and went away. 

Pissed off, she stared at the picture of her and her sister. They were so happy in that photo. It was taken on one of their out of the country vacations. They were very close to each other, even though they have a 6 years gap in their age.

It's been 9 years but she can still feel the pain and longingness. So she swore that she would not let what happened to her sister happen to her as well. She will never be a puppet that will just keep obeying her father. 

ICE WAITED for thirty minutes for her pick -up. He received a message from him earlier that he will come anytime soon.

The truth was she was annoyed more than with herself. Why is she waiting for that monkey? Well, because apparently he said, he is already on his way.

"Aherm! It doesn't seem like you! Just admit that you're being used to it."

Said that little voice in her mind. No! She doesn’t get used to it and she can’t get used to it!

She was currently arguing with her mind when her pick-up finally arrived.

"Muffin, I'm sorry..."

She just continued in his car and ignored Bastie. He quickly followed her but she still preceded by opening the car door.

A few moments later, they were making their way home.

"My last meeting took a while, that is why I was late." Bastie explained while driving.

"Nobody asked." She said flatly. 

"I just want you to know." He said as if trying to keep from getting angry or annoyed with her.

Okay! Maybe sometimes she’s too harsh with Bastie.

"What sometimes? All the time!"

Because there are times that she felt that he was treating her like a child. She's very independent for pete's sake! She doesn’t have to be taken care of! So she gets annoyed often with him because he was always following her. 

She simply glanced at him. The expression on his face was gloomy.

"Because of you madame! The man picked you up and then you are giving him this kind of attitude!"

She sighed. Yes it’s true that she often gets annoyed with Bastie, but she doesn’t want to make him angry. She doesn't know why but she felt uncomfortable when Bastie got annoyed or pissed off which rarely happens.

Bastie was the only one she knew who could endure her behavior. Well of course apart from her best friend Jade.

"Sorry, I should not have said that." And upon saying that, his face suddenly lightened up. It was like a magic that happened in just a snap of her finger.

"I know you don't mean to," He said and happiness was evident in his voice. "Let's have dinner first."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you asking me to go on a dinner date with you?"

A corner of his lip lifted. "First of all, I'm not asking, I'm telling you that we will have dinner. 2nd if you want to think of it as a date, then it's a date." He was just focusing on the road while saying that.

She pouted her lips and twitched it from left to right over and over. Bastie stopped the car, they were probably in the parking area without her being aware because her mind was full of what he said.

"I like that expression of yours. Especially when you are thinking of your next answer to me." He noticed.

Over the past year, she has noticed that Bastie has memorized her behavior, her expressions, what she likes or dislikes. At first, she thought he was the only one capable of that. But for some unknown reasons, she realized that she was also gradually becoming like that to him as well over the years. She knows what he likes, what he hates and she can tell whenever he is not in the mood.

"You know what? Sometimes for a puppet, you're cool too aren't you? Sometimes you have a backbone too!" She said to him. 

"However, I'm not a puppet like you say. You just don't want to accept the fact that I'm doing this because I want to." He answered while he used his fingers on his one hand to clipped his hair from the center of his forehead and pulled it backwards.

The word surprised was not enough to describe her reaction when Bastie's clean face was exposed to her - meaning there was no scattered hair on the side of its cheeks. Bastie always does that, but whenever he does it her world stops for a while and can't help but to stare at his handsome face.

His face seemed so smooth that no pimple marks were evident. While she was almost getting insane during her monthly period because it seems like there was a feast of pimples on her face whenever she's about to have a period. 

She heard a loud snap of a finger in front of her and Bastie's grin gradually became clearer.

"Are you fantasizing about me?" He teased.

She frowned. "Let’s eat, maybe you are just hungry!"

Bastie just let out a loud laugh.