Chapter 4B

She left and returned to her room. Her hands took the books one at a time. She then placed each of them on the empty bookshelves until she reached the last one. She then placed the box in the corner alongside the books that had been inspected for damage.

Her lips formed a wide smile. Her hand reached for the book she was reading. She went to bed and continued reading there.

His smile is devilish, almost demonic.

"It's time," he exclaimed.

He stood up and —-

Jewel yawned and set the book aside, feeling sleepy all of a sudden. She tried to rub her eyes to keep her consciousness from slipping away, but that didn't stop the weight of her eyelids.

Even before she closed her eyes, she noticed someone at the foot of her bed.

She awoke later, out of breath. She sat up quickly and panted heavily. Her fist tightened as she remembered that strange dream. She then heard a ring. The constant ringing of her phone jolted her awake.

She reached for it and answered the phone without looking to see who was calling. "Hello," she exhaled.

"You won't believe what I'm about to say."

Hazel's voice rang out to her. Her brow was creased with a frown. "What is it?" she asked, leaning back against the headboard. She closed her eyes and tried to remember her dream.

It's the same dream as before.

But not in a room this time. They were out in the middle of nowhere. She was on the sand, and the man was on top of her. It was very dark. In the endless dark sky, stars twinkled.

"Ara Toga agreed to be my friend!"

Hazel's loud cry jolted her out of her trance. She coughed a little, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. While talking to her friend, she was recalling her lustful dream. "W-Well, that's nice, but who is that?"

On the other end, she heard a laugh. Her lips pressed together as her brow furrowed. As her mind wandered again in that dream, she took a deep breath to calm her troubled heart.

That man had something in him.

She shivered whenever she remembered how he held her in his arms, and she didn't know why. Others may regard him as the literal man of her dreams, but she would rather have a man in real life than ponder a faceless man in her dreams.

Hazel's laughter had ceased. "You don't know Arach? That's unfortunate, girl. She's the most followed erotic author on Bokipad!"

When she heard Hazel yelling from the other end of the line, she jolted out of her trance again. Her face was twisted. For Pete's sake, she wasn't deaf!

Even though Hazel couldn't see it, she put on a fake smile. "Is it Bokipad that you've —-"

Hazel interrupted her. "Oh, yes!" The young lady squeaked. "You're right, girl! Come on, I told you to install Bokipad on your phone. You'll never regret it. There are millions of erotica in Bokipad. You don't have to hoard all erotica in bookstores, girl. Leave it to the others!"

As excitement entered her body, her lips formed an 'o.' "Is it all erotica?"

"No, there are good stories there. Almost all genres are represented in Bokipad, so it's not just for erotica."

She shook her head as her excitement faded. "However, I prefer physical books."

"Of course, try it. You'll eat your words."

She burst out laughing. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! I'm reading it right now."

Her lips were pursed in a smile. She stood up and walked straight to the bathroom. "All right," she said, "I'll take a bath first."

"Go! Let me know when you've installed it."

"Okay."

She hung up the phone and placed it in the bathroom sink. She then took a shower and then washed her underwear. There was something there that appeared to come from her. She didn't want Dalya to wash them. It's humiliating.

She emerged from the restroom and changed into a new dress. She sat up in bed and went to her phone's app store. She found Bokipad and downloaded the app. She noticed it on her home screen a few minutes later. She finally got into the app after creating an account. Her upper lip twitched with a smile.

She perused hundreds of professional and amateur book covers. What Hazel had told her seemed to be true. There were numerous books to select from.

She texted the girl.

[To Hazel: Completed. Suggestions? ]

After a few seconds, she received an incoming call, which she promptly answered.

"Hey! Isn't it cool? I told you there are a lot of books in Bokipad."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "All right, what now? I've already saved some books in my library. Any recommendations?"

"Hello, did you know Ara has a Bokipad account? Check out her profile right now!"

"What is her username?"

Hazel answered her. A few minutes later, the girl asked. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah, I'm looking through her profile. Mmm... 32 works? Erotica?"

"Oh yes! Happy long weekend, girl!" exclaimed Hazel.

She smiled. "OK, I'll read that —-"

A knock on her bedroom door startled her. She sat up in bed, her back straight.

"Jewel Laine?" asked someone outside the door. It was her mother's voice. "Please open this door."

Her pupils dilated. She quickly gathered all of the erotica books on the bed and stuffed them under the mattress. "Haze? You call later. Mom is here!" she said quietly.

She didn't wait for Hazel's response and immediately disconnected the call, exited Bokipad, and set the phone down on the bedside table.

She took big steps to the door while fixing her hair and dress. She also smiled before opening the door. "Yes, Ma?" she greeted.

When their gazes met, her mother's brow furrowed. "Your father told me you fell into the river. Is that true?"

She scratched the back of her neck to demonstrate her shyness in front of her mother. But she was taken aback when her mother exclaimed, "Don't scratch your neck, Jewel Laine! Stand up straight!"

She swallowed forcefully and complied.

"Did you get that?"

Jewel gave a nod. "Yes, Ma."

"Who gave you permission to go out at three o'clock? Are you insane?"

Her shoulders shook. "Sometimes...?"

Her mother snorted and purposefully dragged her back into her room. Her pupils dilated. The forbidden books may be found!

When her mother shoved her inside the walk-in closet, she sighed in relief. She almost got busted!

She turned to face her mother, who was perusing the dresses. "What's the matter, Ma?" Jewel inquired, perplexed.

"The Mayor is downstairs, and you must dress appropriately. They have come to ask for your hand in marriage."

"W-what?" she wanted to argue, but the words were stuck in her throat.

Her mother chose a blue dress for her and handed it to her. It had a simple yet elegant appearance.

"I'll send Dalya here. Prepare yourself. I'll spank you if you look ragged in front of the Mayor. Don't embarrass our family name. Hurry up and they've been waiting downstairs for a while."

It was their second marriage proposal to her. A frown was gradually drawn on her face.