The pen in Camellia’s hand circled every list of places looking for employees. She also crossed out additional notes on when to put the application there.
Some time ago, she even applied online to some companies that only needed a high school diploma, but all gave similar answers.
“We are sorry, Miss Duncan, but you don’t fit the qualifications we’re looking for.”
Surprisingly, all those companies wrote the same thing. It was as if someone was dictating to them. And the only culprit she suspected was Blake Hagen.
“You bastard,” Camellia cursed as she threw a pen against the wall until the lid broke.
She folded her legs under her body and hugged herself tightly while burying her head between her knees.
As hard as she could, Camellia held back the sobs until she felt tight in the chest.
“Hhhh...,” she sighed, deep breathing with a sense of despair. “What should I do?” she murmured, asking.
Her head was filled with debts and money. If it goes on like this, she won’t be able to survive in a month.
“I need a job,” she huffed as she rubbed her face.
Just now, Camellia was about to move off the mattress when her mobile phone rang.
She quickly picked up the phone next to her when she thought about her father's situation.
“Hello,” she greeted without looking at the caller ID on the screen.
At first, there were only static sounds, and the call was still connected. Later, Camellia could hear a masculine breath from across the line, which she believed to be who the owner was.
“What do you want?” Camellia asked unceremoniously. She didn’t even care about the man’s reputation, so she doesn't have to make small talk or be sweet and polite.
For her, Blake Hagen is a monster who likes to annoy weak girls like herself, nothing more.
“Ah, so you know it’s me,” the man replied with a crisp chuckle.
His intonation was more like a mockery in her ears, but strangely, the man’s heavy baritone voice made Camellia’s body tremble, but she shook it hard.
If only they had met in different situations, it would have been possible that she could have been very friendly toward the man. However, remembering how arrogant he was when offering to sleep with him made Camellia furious.
She is not a cheap girl, and until such time as she won’t let the man touch her body with his masculine fingers.
“Stop bothering me!” Camellia growled with apparent anger, making Hagen silent for a moment.
Knowing that the conversation would not benefit her, Camellia was about to press the end button when suddenly her fingers were stopped in the air when Hagen said, “Wait.” with an intense and hard tone of voice.
This time, it was Camellia who was silent.
The atmosphere turned a little heavy, so the girl had trouble swallowing saliva.
Camellia chose to walk near the window despite her discomfort. As the sunshine pierced her eyes, she unfurled the drapes and squinted.
Gradually her vision adapted, and that’s when she could clearly see a black car parked outside the house’s fence.
Instantly Camellia’s breathe choked, and with restrained anger, the girl tightened her jaws.
“What are you doing in front of my house?”
As soon as the question was thrown out, the car’s window glass dropped slowly. And that’s when Camellia could see the figure of a man with sunglasses sitting in the driver's seat, whom she believed was Blake Hagen himself.
“Hello, Princess. It’s nice to see you from this distance,” the man said in a scornful and defiant tone at the same time.
As if he was about to say, “Come out. I’m waiting for you here,” which, of course, Camellia would never do.
“What are you doing in front of my house?” asked Camellia again in a high tone.
She closed the curtains quickly and walked away from the window. With a sad gaze, the girl rubbed her face suddenly.
Again, it was only silence that Camellia received in response, and not long after, Hagen said, “I just want to remind you not to waste time by applying for a job.”
“Stop pestering me. Let me do whatever I do,” Camellia said in a bitter tone.
“I give you three easy options, Princess. That alone is enough to solve your problem,” Hagen explained, which again seemed condescending.
“Shut your mouth and leave me alone, you bastard,” Camellia pressed before hanging up the call.
She squeezed the mobile phone in her hand with all the anger restrained.
In less than a minute, her phone rang again, and at this time, Camellia directly pressed the rejection button. She was too annoyed by the man’s selfish attitude and tried to control herself.
Camellia was about to throw the flat object on the bed when suddenly she got one incoming message that read, “You should just accept the offer to sleep with me. That’s much more profitable for you.”
Reading the message, it felt like Camellia’s face was hot and made her want to swear at the man she believed was still waiting for her outside the gate. However, the following message made her choke.
“By the way, I like your shorts. Next time, I want to see you wear a bikini. You have a very nice round ass.
Instantly, Camellia stared around. She was sure Hagen couldn’t possibly see her shorts from such a long distance. There must be something in her room.
Otherwise, how could he know what she was wearing?
“Stop spying on me, you perverted man!”
Camellia’s footsteps as she crossed the sidewalk looked haggard. The girl even used a sling bag over her head to dispel the scorching sun that was slowly rising.And by enduring hunger, Camellia also quickened the pace.Several times her head turned back because she felt as if she was being followed, but still, there was no one around.“Calm down, Camellia. It’s just your imagination,” she whispered as she continued walking.When she approached a small restaurant, Camellia’s steps came to a halt. Her face lit up slightly when she found the job advertisement in the glass window.The girl glanced briefly at the vacancy before she finally went inside and ran into one of the waitresses who were not far away from her.“Hay, can I talk to your manager?” asked Camellia suddenly, which caused the waitress to look at her twice.“Excuse me?”Camellia cursed herself after hearing the hostile tone of the waitress. She felt very impolite, but the urgent circumstances dispelled all the manners she
Hagen’s hand stretched slightly as soon as he felt Camellia’s resistance weaken. He also removed the twist of his arm from the girl’s body.Gradually, he backed away. However, his gaze did not escape her in the slightest.“You’re really a man who has no feelings. A Heartless Jerk!” The girl was cursing with a fiery look.Hagen’s eyes, which had been looking at her with desire, turned a little sharper.“Ah, Princess, I didn’t even say anything that could hurt you,” he said with a smirk.When Camellia was about to say a swear word, she suddenly heard a loud, embarrassing sound coming from her stomach. It made the two speechless.It looked like Camellia’s cheeks turned red quickly, which stopped Hagen in his tracks. The color change on the girl’s cheeks caught his attention right away.However, suddenly Hagen laughed in a tone that showed disbelief.The glare that Camellia threw at him made Hagen not care. As soon as his laughter subsided, Hagen put his poker face back on.He asked, “You
Camellia kept her attention on the barren pantry. She was once more threatened with starvation, which made her want to sob. Particularly since all she discovered was a pile of stale bread.The girl fought back the tears that were about to fall, her hands shaking and her body slightly limp.“I spent the entire day hunting for a job, but it was not that simple.” She cried out, “What I have to do, Daddy?” in a low voice.Camellia realized she was out of options because all that was left was a couple packages of noodles and some bread.When the sound of her house bell sounded, the girl’s hand was just ready to take the bread.She closed the fridge softly after giving up on her meal plans. Her brow was furrowed and her heart was full of questions.When she reached the door in a hurry, Frank was waiting there.The man’s face was the same as hers, and the smile she had been wearing that was about to burst out turned into a frown.The two now exchange glances. They appeared to despise sharing
Camellia was awakened by the scent of butter and coffee. The girl looked around, her head rolling and her eyes blinking a few times. She had a confused expression on her face. Her forehead furrowed in shock as she took in the room’s incredibly familiar ceiling at first sight.As soon as the aroma reached her nose, her stomach started to churn painfully.She exclaimed, “Ouch.”Camellia rolled a little on the bed and buried her head in the pillow. “Ou, Ou, Ou.”“I warned you, but you’re only making things worse for yourself by being stubborn.”When a man’s voice unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, she was on the verge of crying.The sound source caught Camellia’s attention as she turned her head and blinked. Her eyes rounded for a split second. She tried to stand up with a gasping breath, but her stomach once again prevented her from doing so, keeping her on the bed.Hagen took a calm breath and gave the girl in front of him a chilly stare as she appeared to be trying to escape his gr
“Bed partner, he said?” As soon as Camellia locked the door to her home, she mumbled.Since then, two days have passed, but Camellia’s mind has never forgotten the message written on the piece of paper that Blake Hagen left behind. When she suddenly remembered the man, she even cursed at him.Hagen seemed certain that he could have her body, which made her angry.Camellia stomped on the door lock, and she said angrily, “I won’t let him get the answer he wants.” She turned around and was about to walk towards the house’s gate when she felt a pang of half-anger.She planned to seek employment opportunities today. In her dictionary, there was no word for surrender. She did not need to be terrified of Blake Hagen because she saw him as nothing more than a bully. Camellia vowed that the man would eventually lose interest in her.“Keep an eye on me, Heartless Jerk. I’ll show you that you’re not someone to be scared of.”The feeling overcame Camellia as she crossed the path to the gate and s
Hagen’s steps sounded heavy as he crossed his office room in downtown Lancester. The fifty-story building he named Blake Tower seemed to stand gallantly among the jungle of other concrete structures.Athena, Hagen’s secretary, looked pale as soon as she saw his arrival from the direction of the elevator. The twenty-five-year-old woman stammered and immediately chased after him with an uneasy gesture.“M-Mr. CEO,” the woman called with a trembling voice and her hands intertwined.She seemed to block Hagen’s steps towards the office deliberately.When Hagen noticed Athena’s familiar behavior, he realized what was going on, causing him to hold his wrath and his hands in his trouser pockets to clench into fists.Hagen halted his wide footsteps, and with a look as sharp as a dagger, he glanced toward the door and Athena.“Did that bastard do it again in my room?”Hagen’s voice sounded calm, and his expression also seemed flat, but for people who were already very familiar with him, it was
Camellia beat the bed several times as soon as she recalled what she had done to Hagen while at the bus stop. The image of the sighting incident on his masculine face made the girl want to hide for some time.“What are you doing, fools?” she whined as she buried her head in the pillow.“You can do that. What if he pays you back with something unexpected?” Camellia cursed as she bit her thumbnails nervously. “You already know how crazy he is.”She recalled the incident. At that moment, they were both shocked after her hand landed on the surface of the man’s cheek.Time seemed to stop for a moment. However, the engine sound from the direction of the man’s car brings them back to their situation. Hagen’s security assistant, who had been silent behind the wheel since they arrived, finally came out and approached, but Hagen’s stern voice stopped his footsteps.“Stay inside, Garry. Nothing happened,” Hagen said at the time with eyes that didn’t once escape Camellia’s gaze.Hagen also added,
Camellia tried to contact Bella the night after the incident, and from the two’s long conversation, her best friend also gave one very risky suggestion.“What do you mean?” asked Camellia in a slightly incredulous tone at her best friend’s suggestion.There was a tired breath across the line, which made Camellia feel guilty.She had already asked the only friend she had much help with, and hearing Bella take a breath, it felt like Camellia wanted to do the same.“Look, you won’t know if you don’t try. So, this is your last option if you want to find work,” Bella stated confidently. “After all, I know this man very well. He will help you. Trust me.”Upon hearing it, Camellia stood up and circled her nearly furniture-free room.She bit her bottom lip continuously as she cast a glance toward the window.Camellia doesn’t know why she felt something as if someone were watching from the outside, but no matter how much she peeked out from behind the curtains, there was no one there. That’s w
Camellia’s head dropped as she stepped off the bus that was taking her to the bus stop on the way home. She didn’t look around because she had been thinking so much about the woman earlier.She didn’t even look up when she accidentally bumped into someone in front of her. She just said sorry without even turning her head. Then she walked past the burly body in front of her.However, her steps stopped as she heard a masculine voice call for her.“What’s in your beautiful head, Princess?” asked the man who instantly made Camellia freeze before she finally turned to the source of the voice, which was now standing right behind her.Camellia just stared sadly at that handsome face that seemed to be looking for an answer for a moment. But, of course, she surely wouldn’t say anything after everything happened.After all, it wasn’t his business if she felt dumped.The truth, Camellia felt saved by the incident with the woman earlier, because she could be more aware of the intentions of the ma
Camellia opened the door of her house, where Frank was already standing at the front with both hands full of gifts. The man’s straight face showed that he didn’t agree with being given such an unreasonable task, but his loyalty kept him from saying anything.With a passive gaze, he greeted Camellia with no enthusiasm.“Mr. Hagen asked me to deliver all of these.”Camellia, who was stunned by the man’s many belongings, could only freeze at the doorway. She just stood there for a moment, glancing at all the gifts.“He said... that party is in two days,” she whispers in a confused tone.It seemed that Hagen had predicted that she would ‘agree’, so he was so confident that he sent all of the gifts and deliver all the clothes and other items for the party even before Camellia answer his called.Camellia took a deep breath after realizing his intentions with all the things delivered to her house. She just exhaled slowly; don’t know what to do with the situations.“He’s too confident,” she m
Camellia looked reluctant when Hagen opened the car door for her. She looked around, looking for a way home other than the ride Hagen had offered, but knowing that the money in her purse would not get her home, Camellia sighed and looked witheringly at the man’s car.“Going home alone is not a good solution right now. It’s too late, Princess, and I can’t leave you alone,” said Hagen, who opened the car door wider again.With a head gesture, he told Camellia to come inside. She thought for a long time before finally letting her inner voice overcome her logic.“I’m not going in until you promise me something.”Seeing Camellia’s serious gaze, Hagen waits patiently with one hand in his trouser pocket. His eyebrows seemed to invite Camellia to continue.While swallowing and looking straight at his obsidian eyes, Camellia said, “Don’t follow me into the house. You just walk me to the front door.”Hagen paused to think about her request. He was going to say something but finally pursed his l
The men in the room all grunted at the same time, which made Camellia jump in surprise and make her shoulders tense. Meanwhile, Hagen, who kept his eyes on her, seemed deaf to the subtle insinuations of his friends.“Yes, he can throw us out, Miss Duncan.” A blonde-haired man named Gavin threw his joke, causing laughter from all the men there. “Isn’t that so, Jax? Mr. Hagen can expel me, you, Rey, and every Red Cage in this room!”The man who had greeted them, Rey Fredrick, only glanced briefly at his friend, Gavin.Meanwhile, Jax, also known as Jaxon Bradwood, the owner of the white chair that Camellia almost sat in earlier, didn’t respond at all. And the man with a friendly smile who was sipping his drink in the corner of the room, Connor Black, seemed to laugh softly.“He’s a man with a great sense of humor,” replied a man who had been sitting quietly on the opposite sofa, Nicko Anderson.Hagen just glanced lazily at the man who had spoken. Meanwhile, Camellia, who didn’t know the
When their kiss broke, Camellia’s body shook slightly until she almost lost her balance, but Hagen quickly held her waist, which felt right in his grip to support her body. She tried her best to hold onto Hagen’s arm as he hugged her from the front.The red hue on her cheeks now seemed to spread to her ears, making Hagen bite inside of his lip and hold her between his palms.For some reason, he wanted to brush her long hair back, then play with it a little and admire the slight change in color on her sensitive skin.When Camellia saw that Hagen was looking at her, she quickly turned away to hide the shame that was starting to take over her.“I-I want to go to the toilet,” she muttered while lowering her head and trying to look away.Camellia was about to turn around and walk the other way to avoid touching him. However, Hagen, who knew that Camellia would not find a nearby toilet without someone helping to point the way, finally followed her from behind.“The toilet isn’t over there,
Camellia held Hagen’s arm tightly as her head spun around, especially at the crowd of people around them who were about to enter Magnolia building.When a big man was about to bump into her from behind, Hagen reflexively hugged her feminine body. He directed a burning gaze at the half-drunk man, who began to realize his mistake.“I-I’m sorry,” the stranger muttered as he walked backward and away in a hurry.Meanwhile, Camellia, who was still in Hagen’s arms, seemed to be squeezing his shirt to keep her balance, which made her almost fallen.“Stay by my side,” Hagen said in a low voice, right in her ear. The noises around them made it difficult for them to communicate. Then Hagen pulled Camellia to his side, one arm around her waist.“I don’t want you to get lost, Princess,” Hagen said lightly, but Camellia didn’t respond at all. She resigned herself to being led by Hagen past the two doormen in front of Magnolia.“Boss,” said one of the bouncers on the left side, so that his friend a
Both Camellia and Hagen ate in silence. However, not long after, Hagen grabbed Camellia’s hand as soon as they finished eating their burgers about ten minutes ago.Hagen was eager to take Camellia somewhere, but Camellia looked confused at him.“Let go of my hand first, then I’ll follow you,” she said, but Hagen didn’t even listen, making Camellia throw a glare, which he didn’t respond to.“What about watching a show?” asked him suddenly, which made Camellia silent immediately.She glanced at the deserted street of Magnolia. It seemed that everyone was already there, making her curious.Knowing Camellia’s gaze, Hagen gently tugged her hand in his grasp, cueing her to follow him.With a doubtful gaze and a bit of confusion to decide, Camellia looked as if she were at war with her own mind, but Hagen immediately encouraged her.“As long as you’re with me, you’ll be safe. No one will dare bothering you.”Camellia was only eighteen, so she was forbidden from entering places like Magnolia,
Camellia’s eyes rounded when she saw Hagen walking towards the café where she was. With her head turned around, the girl was also looking for a way to get out of there.However, she still didn’t find a way, so Camellia felt trapped as soon as she heard the sound of the bells on the door starting to ring, and Hagen’s figure was already in the doorway with his attention focused on the table she was occupying.With an uneasy gaze, Camellia watched Hagen, who was walking slowly towards her.Now, she felt deja vu because she remembered her mother, who had also passed through the same door and path when approaching the table.And when the man arrived, the first thing Blake Hagen said was, “The woman you saw with me earlier is nothing.”Instantly, Camellia’s lips thinned. She didn’t think the man in front of her was so confident.Without being told, Camellia was also not interested in asking about or snooping into his personal life.“There’s no need to tell me anything about your private lif
Camellia sipped her milk shake very lazily. The girl even looked pensive, with blank eyes looking towards the wall.Every now and then she took a breath, and then exhaled slowly, like a tired person.She leaned back in her chair after a long time, her gaze shifting to the visitors around her.It seems that Lancester is very crowded with visitors from different cities. That’s because of an underground boxing match that will be held later tonight by the Red Cage organization at one of their clubs, Magnolia.Unfortunately, Camellia didn’t have access to it, though she also wanted to see the most-awaited event by half the Lancester residents.“What a pity,” she grumbled.She changed the position of her legs before finally returning to exhale heavily.“Hhhh...” the girl said with a slightly sullen face.Camellia glanced at her phone a few times, just to make sure Brandon was replaying her message.“Why should he send me to this place?” She whined, annoyed with her boss’s attitude of asking