The four of us moved here when were sixteen and live here onwards.
It was very awkward at first, but for me, I'm glad I'm not living in that suffocating house anymore. Speaking of them, my family already moved to Italy to support my sister Anna in her music career.
She was already twenty and at the peak of her career. So my parents did not let her stay here but offer me instead. If it's other children, they might be sad, but for me, it was freedom. I don't need to practice piano or violin anymore.
I toasted the bread and went to the fridge to get the milk. I saw two cartons of milk with different brands. Layla said yesterday that she bought milk. Not caring what kind of brand Layla bought, I get the nearest one. They were both kinds of milk anyway. However, when I reached the nearest milk, a cold voice sounded behind me.
"That's mine."
My heart skipped a beat out of shock. I turned around and saw Kane in his usual black hood. His black wet long fringes were covering half of his left eye. However, it did nothing to diminish the existence of his bright black orbs. Like a black hole pulling you in, I stared at him for a while and only recovered after.
Since I saw Kane eight years ago, he was becoming more handsome as he grew. Added to his coldness and mysterious type, he gained a lot of fans in senior high. Just...don't let him talk.
"Sorry," I said and then picked up the other one. I poured the milk into the two glasses.
Ding!
Hearing the timer from the bread toaster, I turned around and my heart almost popped out at the sudden appearance of Kane. Really, this man, did he enjoy surprising people? Good thing my heart was not that weak.
"What..." I asked but it sounds like a whisper. He was very close. I could clearly see his high bridge nose, his slender jaw, tightened plum red lips, and taunting eyes.
He even bent down because I only reached his chin. I'm not small, I am considered one of the tallest girls in the class, this man was just insanely tall.
Because of the slight movement, his other eye was revealed, adding a more proactive aura around him. He was a half Chinese and half American, so his skin was very fair, mine, however, was like snow with little freckles, so I'm a little envious of his fair skin. His thick lashes and dark eyebrows met mine. And he said in a very teasing cold tone,
"You took my bread."
"....."
What
the?!!Then he grabbed the bread from the toaster and took a bite from it while still looking at me. He looked like those werewolves who were marking their mate, and I am of one the people who wanted to take his mate. Ehh??Why
doIhavethosethoughts?Breaking the eye contact, I did not argue with him over some bread that I toasted since I am patient and benevolent. I walked towards the refrigerator and grabbed biscuits.
"That's mine also," Kane said in a deep voice.
I inwardly rolled my eyes. Geez! This man! Can he just give me one?! And why the heck all the food in this ref was his?! Really, this was what I've got for being lazy to shop.
Being annoyed by "that's mine" of his, I closed the ref with all my might. Better to drink milk. Who said having no bread with milk was not good? It was all I want after all. Note the sarcasm.
When I sat down on one of the stools. I saw Kane smirking lightly before he turned around.
Jerk!! My face was red because of rage and shame. He was doing it on purpose!
A shadow at the top of the stairs caught my eye. I saw Layla in her very
conservativeoutfit. Note the sarcasm. I sighed. This girl, from what I observed from sticking to her since I was ten dislikes this kind of dress but despite that, she found comfort in it. Strange wasn't it?"No bread?" She said once she got near to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kane stopped walking and remained standing.
"Nope. A stingy
owner owned them." I said emphasizing the word while glancing at Kane's back.Layla just shrugged and drank the milk.
I saw Kane turn around and glared at me. He then got two pieces of bread and put them in the toaster. I just watched in amusement. I had an inkling of what he wanted to do. After a Ding, he took the two pieces of bread, place them on the plate, gets some butter, and placed them in front of Layla's table.
Layla just raised her brow with questioning eyes at Kane.
"Have some bread." Then he walked away after saying that. Of course, the reddening of his ears did not escape my hawk eyes.
"What's the matter with him?" Layla asked particularly to no one and just ate the bread.
I cringed at that. One was suffering from unrequited love for almost eight years and the other was so dense and had no care. I sighed. Really, I did not know that being a bystander would take great effort to not yell at both of them.
Since I was quiet and usually watched other people around me as a habit, I could notice some obvious things that people doesn't see.
I concluded, with my eight years of watching Kane, that he 'really like' or 'maybe love' or 'head over heels' for Layla. Or whatever that was called.
Kane had been in love
with Layla since young.Unfortunately, Layla, the girl who was trying so hard to be a bad girl, yup, that was I guess for her crazy antics in her actions recently, was oblivious to it.
Actually, I really liked Kane for Layla. Even though Kane was a jerk to other people, to Layla, he would become a dashing prince, a hero who would save the damsel in distress,
an angel who loved unconditionally.Unlike those bastard who was trying to hook up with my friend, Kane was sincere to Layla. And he seemed like a faithful guy. He had no other scandal or any relationship with other girls. From what I observed, he only treasured Layla in his heart. A good guy for Layla indeed.
However, this guy was really a coward when it comes to Layla. He was not afraid to voice out his opinion or offend other people with his foul mouth. But he became a mute sometimes and a freaking rock when Layla was in front of him. Like today, he just offered bread and escaped without explaining why he cared for her.
Duhhh. Layla would not take the hint you were giving. That girl was lazy to put together all the puzzles. Why not speak directly to her? Layla could still differentiate between good guys and bad guys. And for sure Layla would like him back. Who would not love a guy who was so caring to them? Sigh
From what I concluded this guy did not know how to convey his feelings towards the opposite sex. He only knew how to curse and offend people.
But for this silly man to confess? I think it would take him a lifetime to do that. However, this love story should not end one-sidedly like that.
He should thank his lucky star in this life. Because I'm here. And as a faithful friend, who wanted my friend to find a good guy and eliminate those bad guys ogling around her, I would take a step and help this man. Even though, I hated his rude mouth.
Oh, time to play cupid.
"Kane. My car's brake is broken. I'll send it to the car shop later. Can we get a ride with yours?" I asked loudly before Kane went out. Layla looked at me in disbelief. "For the first time, you brokesomething.Tell me, how did it feel?" I looked at Layla strangely. Did I really not break any things before? Am I that careful of my things? Well, it was good news, right? Kane turned around and said sternly to me. "Ride with Layla. She has two cars." Idiot!This
Kane looked at me like he was seeing a ghost.Oh. Did I hit a bullseye?I become more confident and proud after seeing his expression. So I continued."You know Kane, I don't like you personally but I think you're a good man to Layla. Do you want Layla to stop dating those absurd guys and playboys?"Kane did not answer, he just looked down. However, his jaw was clenched.I took it as a yes."If you hate seeing those maniacs hover around her, then go forward and confess to Layla. But of course, you will not blindly confess. If you do tha
I am always right.Me being an avid reader of thousands of stories out there made me a psychic.Of course, I am kidding. My perception is just better than other people. It made me good at reading people.I stared at the new guy, named Eduardo, as his eyes followed Layla's every move.This guy was definitely into Layla.On the way to the classroom, Eduardo walked closer to us. He tried to strike up a conversation with Layla which Layla ignored.Eduardo just smiled. He then turned to me, the woman who was Layla close to.Ugh...."So you are Stella Mckenzie? I have met your sister, Ella, in France. I attended one of her concerts.""Oh...Nice." What else could I say?"How long have you been friends with Layla?"You are being direct just after one question?I awkwardly stepped closer to Layla who was busy bickering with Levi."Since childhood.""You know her very well then, huh? Then,
The always solemn and majestic white mansion suddenly turned into a wild and loud place in just one night.There were people partying everywhere. The loud sound of music almost burst my eardrums preventing me to eavesdrop from the surrounding people. The flash of neon lights blurry my sights. In the sea of intoxicated people in the living room, it was hard to recognize which one who's who.Currently, I was being dragged by Lila towards the living room where people with high hormones dancing without a care. "What's the point of coming here but you won't dance? Come! Dance with me!" Lila's strength was not something to laugh at. She can't beat a whole grown man without giving the other party a chance to fight back. As someone who was not sporty, I don't stand a chance. I could only hug her arm as I forced my feet took root in the ground. "No-! I don't want to!""Then why the hell did you come here for?!""Just stay with me~" I acted pitifully which was working well since Lila stopped
I could only watch in silence as Lila took that Josh on the second floor. I don't know what they were talking about, but that Josh had a lecherous smile on his face as he followed Layla in.I closed my eyes. Layla said to trust her. But I could not help but worry. When my gaze brush past the entrance again, I saw a man coming in.My eyes lit up.Kane?But when the disco light brushed past the man, I saw the differences.It was Eduardo.Did he come here for Layla?Eduardo looked around. Even though he was standing at some distance, his tall figure attracted some crowd. When lights passed him, his handsome face was revealed. Just standing there, he gave off a charisma that was hard to resist.Some girls saw him and approached him quickly. The number of the girls who surrounded him was five times the number that approached that Josh guy.When some people noticed the gathering crowd near the entrance, they also walked towards the crowd to see what was going on.Eduardo Calvano was tall,
I looked around to find a place to hide. If he saw me, he would surely ask me again where did I see Layla. I can lie once about the place but not twice. Especially not to him. My original plan was busted because of Kane's appearance.I would be found out. I could tell from my instinct that this man was dangerous as that motorcycle racer!I ran to the dance floor where many people were crowded.The music was deafening. Bodies were grinding on me. But I endured the heat and watched the man.As I expected Eduardo was looking for me, when he found out I am gone from the corner he did not bother to look at the dance floor. His eyes turned to the second floor. He went to the staircase and started going up.My eyes were wide. Oh no! He would interrupt whatever was happening on the second floor!It was okay if Kane was not there, but Kane just came. If he interrupted Kane, Kane would lose his chance.My brain ran from left to right. As I was about to go upstairs and take a look, a hand sudden
The loud music abruptly stopped. The crowd around us distanced away and surrounded us in a huge circle. No one intend the help the man who was punched. They were all just curious and excited. A drama has occurred! I was stunned for a while. My tears that were about to fall halted due to the sudden change of situation. I did not expect that I would be starring in one of the dramas that would be happening today. The man on the ground cried in pain. "What the hell did you punch me for?! I am a victim here as well! That slut-!" The man was not able to finish his sentence as Kane suddenly grabbed his collar and punched him once more. Smack! The punch was so crisp and loud that the people surrounding us hissed. Their gasps woke me up from my shock and I hurriedly ran to Kane's side. He was still holding the man on the collar who tilted his head back from the impact with a menacing gaze. Although the lights were dim, from where I stood, I could see Kane's jaw was clenched. The veins
I know Layla was stronger than average guys. With the added element of surprise and some underhanded methods, she could beat a stronger man by herself.Layla rolled her eyes at me."If I have killed him I would have called you earlier to dispose of the body." "Please don't make that kind of jokes."Who knows if my crazy best friend arrived on a path of no return? What if she accidentally beat someone to death?That thought made me shudder. Should I cut ties with her then?Layla appeared behind me. "It's a masterpiece, eh?" She said while smiling.I looked at her like she was some devil. Layla's dangerous hobby of screwing bad guys still terrified me to the bone. What if those bad guys retaliated against her?I consider again if I should cut ties with this woman. But my action betrayed me. After recovering from my initial shock, I crouched down and check the man's wallet and phone with precise action.After taking pictures of his ID and his current state, I hacked into his phone. Layl
After listening for an hour, I came to believe that Kane did really visit me in those times as he told me some of the things he was concerned with. It seemed that he bottled it all up. Kane pouted, "When I came to visit you, aside from the first few times, you don't look like you missed me. You are happy with them. Especially with that person named Hugh. You are being too close to him. Are you sure he doesn't have a crush on you? Whenever your group hang out, he was always there." "Because he is part of the group. Don't worry about Hugh, I think he has a crush on Lilac." "Your dormitory friend? But they looked like they hate each other." "Didn't we also start that way?" Kane chuckled, "Right. It only changed when you played Cupid." I could not help but smile at the memory. Wait.... I slapped Kane's arm. "You are changing the topic. I am still angry at you." Although I said that, there was no really no anger in my heart anymore. I just wanted to make it difficult for Kane for
My consciousness started to stir as I felt someone wiping my face. The wet towel then wiped my neck, arms, and hands. Although I am already aware, my body was numb and I couldn't move. I wasn't in the mood to bother about it. The one who was wiping my hands and face was so gentle in his movements, that I slowly fell to sleep afterward.The grumbling in my stomach woke me up. But the dizziness made me groan.I felt a movement beside me. That person gently brushed the hair away from my face."Dizzy?" His gentle voice was familiar but the aching in my head made me muddle-headed to think bout it further.I muttered, "Head...hurts..."That person massaged my head and spoke in a low voice, "You should drink a hang-over medicine. Here...." That person's voice was low and magnetic. It calmed my heart immediately.With my eyes closed, the man lifted me up until I was able to sit up from the bed. The man grumbled as he helped me drink, "....Paul made me drink you again, right? That man never l
When I disappeared that year, the Cruz family suddenly break ties with the Golden Corp. Then they began attacking the Mckenzie family. There was a huge case involved regarding the murder of Mrs. Cruz. When I first heard about it, I was shocked. According to Denise, the Mckenzie family was behind the accident which caused Mrs. Cruz and the unborn child to die. I put the pieces together and understood why Uncle Tristan used such methods to threaten us. Although it was a bit unfair that I am the one receiving the scare of his threats, I still felt bad about it. It turned out that the Mckenzie was more disgusting than I thought. I don't want to admit that I came from that family. My parents were actually the person who caused so much pain to Kane's family. After knowing the truth, my anger towards Uncle Tristan and Kane dissipated a lot. I had become more obedient as a hostage which in return, Uncle Tristan gave me a bit more freedom. He allowed me to socialize here and let me meet m
Three years later.... Many friends and families of the graduates came to attend the graduation. I have become one of the elite students who graduated with flying colors. I looked around the hall looking for familiar figures. "Stella Mary, congratulations." My classmate, Hugh, with a thick Russian accent, came to congratulate me. He was one of the friends I made here at the university. "Thanks, Hugh. Did your family come?" "They will arrive later. You know how my family always comes late." I laughed at Hugh's answer. "Stella Mary! Congratulations! I know you will come out on top of your course!" One of my dorm mates, Jamie, hugged me. She put the flowers she brought into my hands. "Hey, don't huggle Stella on your own. My turn." Lilac, who came after Jamie, pushed the latter away and hugged me. Jamie and Lilac were both of my dorm mates for three years. We have become friends since then. It's been three years since I stayed at the university. I did not expect I would stay
Snow was falling. As far as my eyes can see, the whole world was covered in a white blanket. Just where the heck am I? Am I in the north pole? I was unconscious the whole time. When I woke up, I was already in this small villa where snow was constantly falling. I bet I am in another country. Because there was no way it was snowing in the middle of summer. And the mountain of snow outside the window just tells me that I am in a cold country where snow was falling for a long time now. I hugged the thick overcoat and felt saddened by the fact that I am a hostage. "Young Miss. The adviser is here." Adviser? I moved my wheelchair and went to the study room. Fortunately, these people did not mistreat me even though my status was a hostage. They provided me with everything I need like food and clothing. But I couldn't get my phone or tablet back. Any kind of communication was cut off. The only people who were allowed to talk to me were these guards. Because I know that it was Uncle Tr
Kane's eyes were bloodshot. "It is you who said to me that I should love only one woman who moved my heart. And it is Stella. I won't love anyone but her in this life. No matter if she was once a Mckenzie, I don't care. Even if you don't accept her, I will only love her. The Mckeznie? To hell with them. I don't care what you do to them. But you have to return Stella to me." Tristan's face turned dark as well. "You can love anyone but not her. She has a blood of a Mckenzie, a red-head-" "I don't care! I love her, Dad! To me, she is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life. If you can't accept that, then I won't force you. Just tell me where she is." "I can't. With her around, our fight with the Mckenzie will complicate you. You are already unstable. If she is by your side, it will affect your decision-" "I am not interested in fighting the Mckenzie. You can fight with them the way you want." "Kane...Are you saying you would rather choose that woman than our family?" Tristan
..... "Master, I have received a call from Young Master Kane. He is on his way here." The head butler came to report to Tristan. The head butler felt uncomfortable for lying to his young master. But he couldn't disobey his Master's orders. Tristan was standing on the window looking at the bright moon above. He did not react to the head butler's report and just continue to stare at the dark sky. When the head butler thought that he would be dismissed, the man asked. "Has she arrived safely?" The head butler bowed and answered, "Yes, Master. The people there called me a few minutes ago that they have arrived at their accommodations." "How long is it until her legs will heal?" "It's about a month, Master." "Don't let her come out of that place then. Watch her closely. If she ever made contact with my son, changed the address. I don't care which country she lives." The head butler hesitated a bit. "Master...I know I am going out of line by asking this, but is it really alright
"I don't believe it as well. So I dig deeper into this so we can prove that the Cruz empire is innocent. However...." "But what?" Kane asked in a heavy tone. "Things got more suspicious. The more I investigate the more I found their movement fit all the missing pieces in the puzzle. I think someone higher up in your company has control over all of this. " "...Send me the details." Kane was having difficulties accepting all of this. He wouldn't believe it as long as he see it with his own eyes. He could not accept that his own people would do this to the people close to him. A while later, he received an email from Eduardo. Kane printed all of them and was stunned when he read every page. If it was other people, they wouldn't be able to find out the involvement of Cruz Empire in this incident. They were meticulous enough and did not leave any traces. However, Eduardo was not an ordinary person. He has the means to dig up and his intelligence could find the minute flaws that the
They were the people who kept sending threats with fresh blood. They are the people who caused me to have an accident.Dread came to my whole being. I looked up at the thin middle-aged man with red eyes.Are they here to kill me?This was the first time I saw them in action. There was no doubt that they were here to harm me.I could not help but tear up.After battling with Mckenzie and persevering, I thought I could finally start a new life without being afraid anymore. But it looked like I could not do that anymore.I stared at the man with tears in my eyes, "Are you here to kill me then?"The thin middle-aged man just looked at me, "I want to. But if I do that, I am afraid it will drive my son insane. Like what happened to me."Huh?Son?Suddenly, the familiarity that kept nagging me found its missing piece. The deadpan face overlapped to the face of a handsome middle-aged gentleman."Uncle Tristan?" I asked in bewilderment."So you still recognize me, huh?"His words confirmed my