Chapter 1: Victimless Crime

I know a lot of women who love to get involved in life with life, but only now have I met a man who is not only nosy but also weird and rude.

My gaze cast down on my wristwatch. It is three o’clock in the afternoon. Dad is not in the office yet and the man who is sitting in the visitor’s lair has no plans to leave.

Earlier I was standing beside the water dispenser near the door. I didn’t want to go near Papa’s big table because in front of it was sitting the weird man who had been glaring at me since I got inside the office.

How can I get rid of him?

I look at the window. There is a bonsai pot there. If I slap him in the face with it, will he excuse himself? When I looked at the large wooden table, I saw a large binder. Such a perfect thing for smacking his face full of resentment in the world. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone glare at me.

“Do you need something other than falsely accusing me of a victimless crime?” I asked him.

It was only at that moment he averted his gaze. I breathed a sigh of relief. I don’t know who the man in front of me is, but I just saw him sitting in the visitor’s lair when I entered the office earlier.

He looks like Papa’s client or business partner. I wasn’t raised rudely, but that man looked strange when our gaze met earlier. Well, he was accusing me of something with that kind of look on his face. When I asked what was going on, he then started accusing me of being involved in a crime that took place in Baclayan, a town in Boljoon.

“Where is your father?” he suddenly asked after a few minutes of silence.

Phew. I thought he was just here to blame me. My lips twitched into a smile. “He’s still traveling to get past the city.” But a few seconds passed when I realized something. My lips parted as I looked at him again. “How did you know my Dad owns this office?”

“I looked into your family’s information.” He intently stared at my face again. “And I got two shreds of evidence that you were there when the crime happened in Baclayan.”

“Eh?”

He got something from his pocket and then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and a necklace. I frowned.

“See it for yourself,” he said then stood. He stepped close and stopped in front of me. I was startled when he took hold of my hand and then placed the crumpled paper and necklace atop my palm. I winced when I felt his hold tighten.

I looked down at what he’d handed. Looking closely at the paper, I covered my mouth when I saw my name written clearly on the crumpled paper. And when I looked inside the necklace’s heart-shaped pendant, I saw a picture of Levi on the right and my picture on the left.

Wait. Didn’t I give these things to Levi? How did these end up in his hands?

The man grinned when he saw my petrified face. He leaned his face closer and whispered beside my ear, “Tell me that you have nothing to do with what happened two months ago, Rishel Joy Larica.”

My hand trembled as I held the paper and necklace. I looked up, staring into his mysterious eyes, and swallowed hard. No. How could I tell him what I saw that night?

I shook my head. “It has nothing to do with me,” I whispered and averted my gaze, clenching my fist where the paper was.

He suddenly grabbed my chin and turned my face to him. My eyes widened in fear. “W-What are you doing?” I tried to remove his hand holding my chin, but I could not remove it. There was nothing I could do but stare at his face with a playful smile hanging on his lips.

Jerk. He’s enjoying this taunt. I hate him.

He smiled and then brought his face closer to mine. “We both know that you have something to do, Rishel. Don’t deny it. I hate pretentious rich brats.”

“W-What?”

“If tell your father about this… do you think you can escape his wrath?”

My lips trembled and I glared at him. Telling my father that I have something to do with what happened two months ago is simply asking for my death. Even if it was against my will, I still drew a breath and looked straight into his eyes. “W-What do you want then?”

He stared at my face for a few seconds. I didn’t know if he saw how nervous I was, but he let go after a minute or two. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I saw him draw something from his pocket and he handed me his phone. “Here, save your number.”

Even if I don’t want to I can’t do anything. I obeyed him. Then I handed it back to him, but my eyes widened when he brought his face close to mine again and whispered in my ear. “Relax, I won’t eat you if you’ll behave.”

My body stiffened as I clenched my fist. That was a threat!

Did he think highly of himself? Wait and I’ll kick him right in the face when I got the upper hand soon!

I glared at him, but he just flicked my nose and laughed. He turned around, walking back to his chair.

Without saying a word, I left Dad’s office. If I stayed there for another minute, who knows what I will do with that arrogant bastard!

The salty wind from the sea gently hit my face as I left the office. The second floor of the Larica building is an open area facing the sea, so I saw the glistening seawater after leaving the office.

It was past three in the afternoon so the sun was hanging a bit low on the horizon. The sky was turning orange as well and I saw some kingfishers flying above the waves.

The corner of my lips curled up and I forgot the weird man inside the office. Sometime later I went down the nearby stairs and exited the Larica building. I plan to take a walk on the dock first to relieve my stress today.

Honestly, I just went through the Port to hide from Mama the books and merchandise I bought earlier. Mama doesn’t want me to buy things I don’t need so I hide those items in the room next to Papa’s office.

It’s safer there and Papa doesn’t visit that vacant room. He’s just too busy so he gave me that room as my shelter when I’m hanging out by the Port.

Papa knew I was buying things like that but he didn’t interfere as long as I don’t neglect my studies. It’s the reason why I was so nervous when that weird man threatened to tell Papa about the letter and the necklace.

If my father ever found out what happened that night, he would forbid me from buying merchandise and books. And I won’t let that happen.

My feet halted and I looked ahead. I’m at the dock. At the end was the small yacht. I walked along the dock while entertaining myself with the flying colorful birds in the distance.

I suddenly remembered what happened three years ago. It was also a yacht where Tiden, June, and I was hanging out. Papa said it was a gift to the three of us for graduating high school.

If Tiden and June were here, I would probably be happy strolling the dock. But they’re busy with the band. They are members of the band called Vine which my idol Levi’s a member of too. Those two are the first reason why I support that group so much but after knowing Levi, I had grown my admiration for that man.

But I always think they’ve come so far that I can’t reach them anymore. Even though I want to stay by their side as their number one fan, I can’t do it. Aside from the fact that my parents forbade me, I am also unable to walk the path they were treading.

They are like stars that I can’t reach. It’s always like that.

I pulled out the cell phone and saw the new message from Mama. She wants me to come home to Boljoon. Sighing, I stared ahead at the setting sun.

It’s almost six o’clock, realizing I’m staying in the dock for almost two hours. A careless breeze blows past me and strands of my hair fly in the air.

Looking down, I stared at the home screen where Levi’s side-view photo was displayed. In that picture, he isn’t facing the camera. All the photos of him on the internet were sided view and if not, his bull cap is down hiding his face from the world.

Maybe that’s a tactic to maintain a mysterious prestige?

I chuckled, thinking that I had seen Levi’s face at the University before they went viral and became very famous. But those times are rare, just a count on a hand so I want to get a picture of him facing the camera.

“When is your next concert?” I whispered while scrolling on F*.

But while scrolling on my social media account, I heard quick footsteps running close in my direction.

Wait, it’s forbidden to run on the dock yet they still do. Are they not informed? But there is a large signage at the entrance that prohibits running on the dock unless those bastards can not read.

I turned around to see who are these bastards when a hand gripped my shoulder, startling me! My hand lost its strength and I dropped my phone in shock, it fell straight into the sea. I even heard the water splash!

“What the heck!” I yelled in shock, staring intently at the phone that was sinking under the water.

Goodness! The important files for my final grades are there!

My teeth gritted in anger and I clenched my fist, annoyed. I wanted to dive into the sea but the sun had set and it was too dark to see anything under the water.

But my main reason is the seawater’s too dirty for my sensitive skin.

My eyes squinted hard when I remembered the hand that gripped my shoulder — the culprit of everything!

I turned around, glaring at the man who was standing behind me. He was wearing shades and a cap that was hung low so I could only see his sharp nose and a pair of thin lips.

Hateful! I snarled at him.

What should I do now to pass the final grading? Ass! Why is this man so stupid?!

“Didn’t you read the sign there at the entrance? No running! Don’t you know how to read, huh?! You cause me great mishap!”

Even the man did not know what to do with the fallen phone. His lips pursed into a thin line and he averted his gaze. I knew right away that he didn’t mean it but who will shoulder the blame?

“You!” I drew a breath. “Compensate me —”

I couldn’t continue my words because a second dumb ass ran towards the man standing in front of me. Instead of stopping, that idiot pushed the man’s back forward. “Bro! You ran fast!” he yelled and laughed.

My eyes widened when the man who gripped my shoulder earlier lost his balance. But wait, why is he falling in my direction?

I hold my breath when the man pulled me into his arms. Parting my lips to protest, I yell in shock after I realize that the man’s falling out of the dock with me in his arms.

Seeing the pastel skies as my body’s falling into the calm waves, I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Bastard, let go!”

But it’s too late.