Chapter 7

"Well?" Juan asked again, startling Alexander for a moment. "Would you want to try her for a month?"

"Try her for a month?" he echoed.

He had never considered living with the same girl for a month. He changed girls as often as he changed clothes. The idea of seeing the same girl every day seemed unbearable.

He raised his eyebrows at Juan, leaning forward slightly. "What do you mean, try her for a month?" he asked.

"She would act like your girlfriend for a month. If you fall in love with her, she stays with you. If not, she goes home," Juan explained confidently, making Alexander laugh richly.

"Silly," he smirked.

"Come on. I'm sure you won't resist her. She's a sweet girl," Juan insisted.

"I don't try girls more than once. My longest relationship was a week," he said scornfully.

"Why don't you push your limits? Huh, big boy? Or are you afraid?" she teased, her eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Trying her for that long would be dangerous. Besides, she's safe with her parents," he replied.

"C'mon, brother!"

"Don't call me that. I'm not your brother!" Alexander snapped.

"But you never told me your name, so I decided to call you what I'm comfortable with!" she yelled.

"Don't call me brother if you want to stay on my good side," he thundered, and Juan clenched her fists.

He was being stubborn, but Juan knew she could handle him and wasn't afraid.

"Just wait here," she said firmly. Alexander recognized the fierce look on her face.

She walked over to Cindy and her mom, who were chatting. Interrupting them, she said, "Cindy, Mr. Stranger agrees to visit your home and spend time with your family before he leaves!"

"Really? Oh my God!" Cindy exclaimed excitedly.

"Who's that?" Cindy's mom, Anitta, asked.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce my new friend," Cindy said, cheerfully bringing Alexander over without explaining anything.

Anitta looked at Alexander and was taken aback. He was incredibly handsome, even with his identity concealed by a mask. She had never seen anyone like him and wondered if he was real.

"Is this your friend?" Anitta pointed at Alexander.

"Yes, he is," Cindy confirmed confidently, despite Alexander being her first male friend.

Alexander felt nostalgic. This was the first time he was meeting Cindy's mom, and he suddenly felt the urge to be responsible and respectful. He wanted to introduce himself or at least greet her, but he was used to people showing him respect and honor instead, even those older than him.

"Ma'am," he said, extending his hand for a handshake. Anitta was surprised.

Alexander realized he was making her feel uneasy and started feeling uncomfortable, knowing he wasn't handling the situation well. He quickly retracted his hand and made a simple bow.

"My pleasure to meet you," he said.

"It's my pleasure to meet you too, dear," Anitta smiled.

Cindy noticed the growing awkwardness and quickly intervened. "Oh goodness, we don't have much time. We can do the casual greeting when we get home. So, hubby, you said you'll be visiting our home, right?" she asked.

"Huh?" Alexander stammered.

"He actually did. The taxi is here too," Juan interrupted, and Alexander looked at her in disbelief.

Did she just—?

He bit his lip hard, and Juan winked at him.

Everyone started moving towards the cab when Alexander halted, causing Cindy to stop too.

"I can't come with you," he said.

"But you already promised to come along. My mom would be very disappointed if you refuse," Cindy said.

He knew this was Juan's plan to get them together. He didn't like it, considering he had a lot of other things to take care of. He thought that after the one-night dinner with Cindy, that would be the end, and they'd go their separate ways.

Cindy looked at him, sensing he was about to reject her. "Can I make another offer?" she asked innocently.

With a rough sigh, he looked at her. "Offer? Again?" he groaned.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too greedy," she said, fiddling with her fingers cutely.

Alexander sighed again, more carefully.

"Tell me what you want," Alexander said, and she looked at him, her cheeks turning a deep pink.

"Aww, thank you. My offer has two parts," Cindy said, making Alexander's jaw drop. She continued regardless. "First, I want you to visit my home and spend the night with me. Secondly, I want to invite you to the event happening tomorrow at the orphanage. My whole family will be attending, and I'd like you to be there."

Alexander stared at her, unsure of what to say. Who did this girl think she was, ordering him around and telling him what to do? He didn't even realize when he agreed to her offer. Had he lost his mind, or did she have some sort of charm that worked on him?

"I change my mind," he said, and Cindy's lips parted in surprise.

"Okay, fine. Fine! Forget about visiting the orphanage. You can just come over to my home and—"

"Cindy!" he growled, raising her chin so she had to look into his fierce, blazing eyes. "I no longer want to visit your home. I no longer agree to the offer. Our deal is over! I’m not even supposed to be here. Do you know who I am? I only invited you for dinner, and I didn’t want anything attached. Read my lips, this is where it ends. Store that in your memory!" He yelled and walked away.

He was very angry, she could hear it in his voice, and he tried not to hurt her in the process.

Cindy's brows creased as tears slowly glimmered in her eyes. She could feel her heart racing and skipping beats, making it hard to breathe. Her heart couldn’t digest the sudden emotions. She had never been heartbroken before, considering how sweet, carefree, and pampered her life had been. This was her first time, and it was tough for her to handle.

"No... No," she whispered, tearing up badly.

Juan quickly came out of the car and found her crying on the spot.

"Cindy," she rushed towards the trembling girl and held her quickly before she could fall.

"He left," Cindy cried bitterly.

Juan looked around and realized Alex was nowhere to be found. How did he leave so fast?

"Shit. How could he?" Juan gritted her teeth.

Cindy wiped away her tears quickly. "I shouldn’t have been too greedy. It's my fault he left. I wanted his company so much that I was making him do so many things just for me. I forgot he also has his life to live. It's my fault," she said, crying.

Juan realized this was Cindy's first time crying after so many months. She hated the fact that this stranger was the one to cause her sweet Cindy to tear up. If she could meet him again, she'd definitely beat him to a pulp.

"It’s not your fault, okay? Stop crying, sweetheart."

"It’s my fault. I’ll never see him again," Cindy continued to cry, and Juan placed her face on her shoulder.

"It’s okay. You shouldn’t cry. I understand he’s your first, but he doesn’t want you. You should move on too," Juan told her, but Cindy just couldn’t stop crying yet.

AT MONTANA HIGH:

The news of the bullying incident spread quickly around Montana High. The clips went viral too. The principal was unfortunately drawn into the matters that happened in the class. Within minutes, he was seen walking into Class 12 and found them in the middle of the scene.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, and some of the students rushed back to their seats while others stood behind.

Riri immediately turned to Hailey. "Oh my God, who invited the principal?!" she gasped, covering her lips with her hand.

"Talk to yourself, not me!" Hailey spat back in fear.

Ivan pulled Autumn up on her feet. He wasn’t expecting to see the principal, but he was glad he was there.

"I can tell you everything," he said, stepping forward with all eyes on him. "Riri and Hailey are involved in this. They’ve been taking turns bullying Autumn for no reason. And just today, they placed candle sticks in her hair and tortured her severely. Everyone kept filming it. No one cared to help her," he said, feeling so much anguish as he explained.

"I cannot deny it. An anonymous student sent me a clip, and I must say, it was tragic," the principal said, turning to Riri and Hailey. "You know who you are. Step out!" he ordered.

Riri bowed her head and stepped out along with Hailey, who followed behind her.

"I don’t know what to say to you two. But your act was very cruel. How can you do that to your fellow classmate? You both deserve a severe punishment!"

“I have just the kind of punishment that suits them,” Ivan said. “Let them do 360° frog hops around the school, barefooted, until lunchtime, with bags on their heads.”

Riri gasped, and Hailey began to cry on the spot after hearing him.

“Didn’t you hear him? Take off your shoes and pick three bags each for your head!” the principal ordered.

“Three bags? I haven’t eaten this morning!” Hailey cried.

“I have a fractured leg as well,” Riri said.

“You didn’t remember all that when you were bullying others, huh?! Get off your shoes, nuisances!”

They had no choice but to immediately obey him, and everyone brought out their phones to capture the moment.

This is going to be fun.

I can already laugh; it’s going to be hilarious!

I love Ivan’s payback!

He’s so sweet!

Riri and Hailey resumed hopping, already sweating.

“Let me make this fun,” Ivan whispered to Autumn before moving toward the girls.

“While hopping, repeat saying, ‘I’m a fool. I totally deserve this.’”

“I’m a fool,” they kept saying.

“I totally deserve this!” they chanted while hopping out of the class.

5 pm

Autumn kicked her feet slowly as she moved out of the school, with Ivan in front of her.

“Thanks for saving me today, Ivan. I’m so grateful, and it was so sweet of you,” she told him, feeling incredibly shy.

He stopped to look at her. “It’s actually nothing. But you should be fierce sometimes. I won’t always be there to protect you, okay?”

She pressed her lips tight and nodded. “Aren’t you going to join your friends? They are heading home now,” she said, looking over at their car.

“I’ll be going to my aunt’s place instead.”

“Really? Your friends still don’t want your company?” she asked, and his next expression made her frown.

He was really sad, probably trying to hide it from her. “I don’t think I need them either,” he said, then looked at her. “I’m sure I’ll be fine without them.”

Autumn frowned. She could see the pain in his eyes. It was difficult to leave your favorite friends, especially knowing that they didn’t like you in the first place.

“Please don’t be sad. It makes me heartbroken too,” she said.

She wanted to ask him if he’d like her to be his friend but didn’t know how to say it. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. “Ivan, since you don’t have a friend, well, I don’t have a friend either. Maybe we can be friends, right?” she asked.

His late response felt like standing on a precarious bridge. She really anticipated hearing his answer, and her heart kept beating crazily.

“I thought we were already friends?” he asked with a creased brow.

“Really?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah, of course. Come here,” he said and pulled her into a hug. “Of

She didn’t care if the world hated her, as long as Ivan treated her as his friend. Nothing else mattered. She smiled brightly and melted into his chest.

“I’ll cherish you too,” she mumbled into his shirt.

When they pulled away, some students were already watching them. Their togetherness attracted onlookers.

“Maybe we should go home now so that we can avoid this awkward stare from the crowd,” he told her.

Autumn bit her lip. She didn’t want to go home now; she was enjoying Ivan’s company. She wanted to keep staring at his face and feel loved and pampered by him every second.

“Can we stay for a few minutes, like two minutes?” she asked, and he shrugged.

A car horn sounded, and Autumn realized her mom was there to pick her up.

“Shit!” she cursed.

“Your mom is here?” Ivan asked.

“I know. So, I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said and, standing on her toes, kissed his cheek.

“Bye!” she smiled and ran away, feeling embarrassed.

Ivan touched his cheek, feeling the spot she had kissed. No one had ever done that to him before, but it felt really nice. He stood there for a while, just thinking about her.

<<>>>

Cindy sat on her bed that night and picked up her phone. Even though her mom had tried to comfort her, she still didn’t want to give up on Alex. No one could make her give up on her hubby! Just no one! Somehow, she knew he’d be back for her.

She took her phone and texted him, starting with a simple “hi.” When he didn’t respond, she went straight to the point. Her apologies followed.

“It's Cindy. I'm really sorry, hubby. I didn’t mean to heap all my desires on you. I was wrong for not giving you the space you needed. I was really selfish, I know. I’m not here for a second chance. I just felt guilty for making you upset and for you leaving so abruptly. Please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, and I'm so sorry, Hubby. I hope you see this message, and even if you don't respond back, know I'm really, really sorry. Good-night," she typed, her fingers trembling as she hit the send button.

Cindy laid back on her bed, her eyes wet with tears. She wasn't sure if she'd get any sleep that night because of her anxiety. After rolling in bed for a few minutes and checking her phone repeatedly, she finally sat up.

Restlessly, she walked to the window and opened it. The evening breeze hit her face, and she forced a smile. She hadn't been able to smile as frequently as she used to. As she lowered her gaze, her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she saw a black limousine parked outside the house.

She quickly hid behind the wall, her heart racing. Was he actually here the whole time, or were her eyes playing tricks on her? She was about to rush towards the door when a figure stepped out of the limousine. His scent filled her nose, unmistakable and familiar. It was Alex.

Her heart raced even faster, knowing that Alex was right there, at her house. She was expecting the whole house to tremble from the presence of someone as mighty as him stepping foot there.

Turning around, she blinked her eyes at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Hubby?" she whispered, barely able to believe her eyes.

Alex stood there, dressed in casual nightwear, his hair brushed back. He was holding a fluffy teddy bear.

"Teddy?" she thought, confusion mixing with her surprise.

"You wanted me to spend the night here. I hope I fulfilled your request?" he asked, his voice gentle. Cindy blinked, the tears streaming down her face.

Without a word, she rushed towards him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. The teddy bear slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, but neither of them noticed. Alex wrapped his arms around her, holding her just as tightly.

"I'm so sorry," Cindy sobbed into his chest. "I didn't mean to push you away. I just wanted to be with you."

Alex stroked her hair gently. "I know, Cindy. I understand now. I was harsh, and I'm sorry too."

They stood there for a moment, just holding each other, until Cindy pulled back slightly to look up at him.

"Why did you bring a teddy bear?" she asked, wiping her tears.

Alex chuckled softly. "I thought it might cheer you up. And... I wanted to make things right. It’s silly, I know."

Cindy shook her head, smiling through her tears. "It's not silly at all. It's perfect. Thank you."

Alex picked up the teddy bear from the floor and handed it to her. "Here, it's yours."

She took the teddy bear and hugged it tightly. "Thank you, Hubby."

Alex looked around the room and then back at Cindy. "Can we start over? Maybe just as friends at first, and see where it goes?"

Cindy nodded eagerly. "I'd like that very much."

"Good," Alex said, smiling. "Now, let's get some rest. It’s been a long day."

Cindy led him to the guest room, and after making sure he was comfortable, she returned to her room, feeling a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time. As she lay down, she clutched the teddy bear close to her chest, a smile on her face.

For the first time in a while, she felt hopeful about the future.