FOUR

Cindy's jaw dropped to the floor as soon as she heard him.

Yes, she heard him clearly. But did he say the ship was moving?

How did she not notice?

Her mind flooded with panic. She realized she was being kidnapped. Why had she trusted this man?

She knew her life was in danger now, and there was no going back. If she had informed her family, they would never have let her come on this date.

It was her fault for coming this far and not realizing she was being deceived.

Maybe that's why he never wanted to reveal his identity! That's why he hid his face.

It started to dawn on her slowly. She was in serious trouble.

She began to miss her sweet mom, her loving grandma, her friend Baby Rexa, and her best friend, Juan.

Maybe death had been calling her all along. She had ventured out too much and gone beyond her limits.

With a little sigh, she turned to look at Mr. Stranger, who had been paying attention to her as if he could read her thoughts.

She didn't want him to know she was scared, so she quickly changed her expression.

"Moving? To where exactly?" she asked, trying to stay calm.

His brows moved briefly.

"I knew you'd ask. But don't worry, don't be scared."

"I didn't say I was scared," she replied, and he let out a short laugh.

"You don't have to say it; it's written all over your face, silly," he smirked, leaning back and resting his arm behind his head.

Cindy bit her lip hard. Great, he could read expressions too. What didn't this guy know?

She started to think again, what if he wasn't human?

Soon, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Coming!" Cindy exclaimed, pulling her dress up before rushing to the door.

In a silent corner, Mr. Stranger observed her, wondering why she was behaving that way.

This was his first time dealing with simple girls. His previous encounters were always with girls from high-class families, and they knew the classy etiquette.

He knew he had a lot to teach her. And because it was her, it was going to be a lot!

Cindy opened the door and was greeted by two elderly women who seemed to be attendants.

"We want to see the master, ma'am," one of the ladies said.

Cindy didn't understand why this elderly woman was addressing her as "ma'am." They were probably old enough to be her mother.

"Master? Who?" Cindy asked.

She immediately felt Mr. Stranger's silhouette from behind and his grip on the door. She almost froze, knowing they were very close and could touch each other.

"What took you both so long?" His voice was grave.

"We are very sorry, master. It won't happen again," the other lady pleaded, bowing low.

"We'll quickly rush it before we get there," the first one said.

"Take your time and give her the best that you can," he said before walking out of the room gracefully.

Cindy slowly released her breath, realizing she had been holding it.

"Ma'am?" the lady called.

"I'm Cindy. You can call me Cindy instead," she quickly said.

"Okay, Miss Cindy. We'll need to take care of your appearance now," she told her.

"Take care of my appearance? But I'm fully dressed," Cindy said, looking down at her nice dress.

She didn't want to take off this beautiful dress so soon. She hadn't even shown it off the way she wanted to.

"We're heading to a high-class ball party in a few hours, and we need to get you prepared," the lady said, leaving Cindy speechless.

So she had been panicking for nothing?

She bet if Mr. Stranger could read her mind, he'd have dumped her in the sea earlier.

Before she knew it, she was seated in front of a large dressing mirror.

Her toes tickled. It seemed they'd be heading to another event.

She was glad because she would be able to meet other people there and maybe figure out things related to her situation.

She nonchalantly closed her eyes, waiting for them to perform their magic.

At Juan's Mansion

The door opened, and a tired Juan slowly rubbed her sleepy eyes as she entered her home.

She was welcomed by a guest!

Juan's parents occupied one side of the sofa, while a particular family sat on the other side.

"Juan," her mom stood up quickly and went to her.

Frodd stepped aside as her mom reached to hold her instead.

"I'm so relieved to find you home. What took you so long?" Her mom grabbed her cheeks as she spoke.

"Who are these people?" Juan asked.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," her mom smiled.

"Come have a seat. The guests are not here for us; they came for you," her dad mentioned.

"It's 10 p.m. Are they that homeless?" she spat, rubbing her red eyes.

"Juan?!" her mom shut her off.

"I'm really tired and sleepy now. The guests should schedule another time to see me," she said, trying to walk away.

"Juan, come back here, young lady!" Her mom grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Why are you spouting nonsense in front of your in-laws?"

"In-laws? Are you joking?" Juan spat.

"Of course I'm not! They are our family friends. Soon, you will be getting married to their son, one of the richest billionaires I know!"

"Oh wow, impressive!"

"And guess what? The family accepts you and doesn't mind if you decide to get married to their son in the next minute. He's always going to be available."

"Where is he then?" Juan scanned the room curiously.

"He's not here."

"But you just said he's always going to be available?"

"Oh, don't worry. We'll make sure he comes here tomorrow," her mom smiled.

"Shit. I was ready to strip him and crush his balls," she muttered silently to herself.

"Did you say something?" her mom asked.

"Silly me. I'm very irresponsible; I shouldn't simply ignore my in-laws," Juan smiled as she walked toward them.

Her mother returned to the sofa.

She was surprised Juan was rather calm today with the guests. She knew what her daughter was capable of, and by the way, this was the fifth family coming to ask for her hand in marriage. She was scared that Juan would turn the tables quickly and disgrace them like last time.

"Good evening, in-laws. I'm so grateful to see you!" Juan went for a handshake, and slowly, her hand slipped into her handbag.

"I'm glad to see you too!" the woman said, returning the handshake.

Before she knew it, Juan took out her pepper spray and sprayed their eyes.

"Ahhhh!" the elderly lady screamed, throwing off her glasses.

Juan reached out to her husband, doing the same.

"Oh my! I can't see!" the man panicked.

"This is my way of saying 'No' in capitals," she hissed.

"Juan!"

"Daughter!" Her parents tried to interfere, but she threatened them with the spray.

"You'd rather not interfere in my business!" she spat, and they stepped back quickly.

The two guests managed to find their way out of the house, and Frodd helped slam the door shut.

"Garbage!" Juan wiped her hands after finishing her work.

Her mom and dad stood there, not surprised.

"Do you ever want to get married at all? You just chased off one of the most notable families in the country," her dad told her.

"Good. Any family even more notable than them comes, tell them she's unavailable!" she snapped and started to walk up the stairs.

She stopped when she saw Frodd by the stairs. The way he looked at her, he was inwardly relieved and proud in some way.

She took a deep sigh and walked the remaining distance up.

At Elites Towers

After what seemed like forever, the limousine finally stopped.

Cindy had been eager to get out of the car because she was dying to meet her fiancé once again.

She hadn't seen him since he left her with those attendants.

The car door opened, and Cindy stepped out gracefully, wearing a pure sequin dress made of diamonds.

Her hair was styled in such a prestigious way that if Juan were there, she'd barely recognize her little Cindy.

"Breathe out," Cindy heaved.

This place was too opulent for her to handle. There were many people coming in and out, and they looked and smelled like luxury was their second nature.

"Can I have your hand, lady?" someone called, and Cindy looked up to find a strikingly handsome young man.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He looked like he was from an insanely wealthy family.

She wondered why handsome rich men kept appearing out of nowhere just to meet her.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't. I'm looking for—"

"Don't worry, I'm his close friend, and I was told to lead you in," he said.

Cindy gulped and stared at his outfit. He was dressed so finely too!

She awkwardly placed her hand in his, and he began to lead her inside.

They arrived in a magnificent ballroom, and Cindy couldn't comprehend it all. Places like this only existed in the books she had read. It felt like she was now in one of those books, living the lives she had always dreamed of.

From an ordinary countryside girl to a luxurious grown lady.

Cindy was still glancing around but didn't notice that the handsome man who had led her in had left. She was now alone. Where would she go?

The noisy crowd suddenly became quiet as a footstep echoed in.

The ladies quickly stepped out to have a look.

Cindy recognized the scent. Even though it hadn't been long since she met Mr. Stranger, she could identify little details about him.

His presence slowly approached, and Cindy finally saw him coming. He had this mighty, mischievous aura that made her feet tremble.

He was wearing a different mask, but he was still tall and incredibly handsome.

The ladies watched him as he walked up to Cindy, who was glued to the floor like a stick.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

If Cindy had known this was an opportunity, she would have grabbed it like glue. But little did she know who he truly was.

She didn't know how to respond, but just like in the books she had read, they always nodded.

She gave a slight nod and took his hand.

She was scared because she was holding him for the very first time.

He took her gently, placing his hand on her waist, and Cindy naively locked eyes with him.

She was afraid of keeping eye contact, so she sometimes diverted her gaze. But Mr. Stranger seemingly wanted to look at her face all day.

The music started, and others joined the ballroom to waltz.

On the other side of the ballroom, two girls were busy discussing what they saw.

"He's with another girl?" the first girl, Elliott, said.

Elliott was a close friend of Mr. Stranger, but she was beginning to develop hatred for Cindy at first glance.

"It hasn't even been a few days. How did he find a replacement so quickly?" Lilac, the other girl, said.

"For payback? Maybe?" Elliott assumed.

"I bet the girl doesn't know who he is. She'll realize she's making a terrible mistake!" Lilac spat.

"I'll make sure she realizes it herself!" Elliott scoffed.

Back in the ballroom.

"You never learned how to waltz, did you?" Mr. Stranger asked, staring deep into her eyes as he moved her.

"I'm glad you don't know everything about me," she said.

"You still didn't introduce yourself to me."

"Do I have to? You know everything after all."

"I only know that you exist," he scoffed, and Cindy breathed out.

"Fine. I'll tell you who I am. But when I do, make sure you introduce yourself too. Will you?" she asked.

"How about you start first?" he smirked.

"I'm Cindy Pearl. I'm 23. I work at a school. I love reading, cooking, and knitting. Those are my hobbies."

"Cindy..." He pronounced her name, and it sounded magical in her ears. Why was he so good at everything? "I'm sure you would never want to know what my hobbies are, huh?"

"What are your hobbies? I would like to know," she asked, and he smirked darkly.

He suddenly stopped and moved her toward a different section of the ballroom.

Cindy didn't know where he was taking her. Perhaps he wanted her to see his hobbies instead of mentioning them.

"How old are you, by the way?" she asked as they moved toward an elevator.

"I'm 26," he said nonchalantly while pocketing his hands.

She counted on her fingers.

"Three years apart. We are three years apart!" she chuckled.

Mr. Stranger smirked. Perhaps she didn't know what awaited this little pet.

As they moved into the elevator, he leaned against it, and Cindy watched it close before looking at the tall figure next to her.

"So you still don't want to tell me your name?" she asked, and his brows moved. He must have been smiling behind the mask again.

She really wanted to see his face smiling for real.

"You've already given me one," he said.

"But you don't like it?"

"I wouldn't respond if I didn't. I do," he said, and she blushed heavily, looking away from his face.

When the elevator opened, they arrived at a classy corridor.

"Are your hobbies that far?"

"They're rather deep and hard," he smirked darkly.

Cindy didn't like that look coming from him. It seemed he was thinking of something negative, and it began to scare her.

A particular door opened, and Cindy was welcomed into another large, opulent room.

The room was decorated in rich, dark woods and gleaming gold accents. The lighting was soft, creating a warm, almost intimate atmosphere. Shelves lined with old, leather-bound books stretched from floor to ceiling on one side, and luxurious furniture was tastefully arranged throughout the room.

Mr. Stranger guided her to a plush armchair and gestured for her to sit. She did so, feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety.

"So, what do you think of the place?" he asked, his voice smooth and confident.

"It's beautiful," Cindy replied, looking around in awe. "But why are we here?"

He leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "This is where I spend most of my time. It's a place for my...hobbies."

Cindy felt a shiver run down her spine. "What kind of hobbies?"

He smiled, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "All in good time, Cindy. All in good time."

Cindy's heart raced as she tried to make sense of the situation. She had come so far from her simple life, and now she was in the presence of a man who seemed to hold so many secrets.

Her heart began to race when his steps became very calculated.

She knew something was going to happen, but she forced her mind to ignore it.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

He took off his shirt this time and raked his hair backward, revealing a sculpted torso that seemed almost unreal in its perfection.

"You're still standing?" he asked, assuming she understood why they were there.

"No," she blurted out, her voice trembling.

"Huh?" He looked at her with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

She pouted her lips and spoke in the most innocent manner she could muster, "I'm not ready to know what your hobbies are any longer. Please."