(The previous day...)
It was April 1st.
This was the best time for someone to declare their love because if they got rejected, they could just laugh and say, "haha, April fool!"
The same thought crossed Sonia's mind. Finally, she had summoned all of her courage and walked up to her idol, James Austin, on whom she had been crushing for many years.
"Hey, I have been crushing on you ever since we first met. I've got a good feeling that you and I are destined to be together. Although I am still not up there yet, one day I am going to become an icon in the fashion industry and become someone who is good enough to be with you. Would you please put me on your list of possible girlfriends?" She begged.
Before she finished speaking, she heard a mocking laughter coming from behind her. "How interesting! 'Destined to be together'! Is that what you tell yourself when you cry yourself to sleep at night? Are you really that pathetic?" The woman ridiculing her was her sworn enemy, Fabian Claire, who elegantly walked towards James and held his arm without hesitation.
Was she marking her territory? The thought filled Sonia with an unbearable sorrow.
James, however, shook his arm, trying to draw it back, but eventually he allowed it. "Sonia, I..." He didn't know what to say to her, but before he could even think of anything, Fabian cut him short. "We're getting married!"
The words came, out of the blue, and hit Sonia like a bolt of lightning. She should have laughed three times and told them that she was just joking, but the muscles on her face were stiff and she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her throat was blocked by a lump of sourness, taking away her ability to speak.
With a smug smile on her face, Fabian deliberately leaned her head on James's shoulder to add salt to Sonia's wounds. "James, dad wants us to go back for dinner. Let's go!"
James extended his hand and patted Sonia on the head, as if to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Sonia," he sighed heavily and then walked away with Fabian.
Bang!
Again, Sonia heard her heart shatter into a million pieces. She felt like everything in her world had frozen over and the cold winds were slamming her face like tiny little icy nails.
Perhaps the only thing that could mend her ailing heart at the moment was a good bottle of wine.
The True Color Bar was across the street, and she walked in without a conscious thought.
The bar was very quiet.
As the only customer, Sonia sat at the bar counter and ordered a glass of long island ice tea, which was the most suitable cocktail for a lovelorn person.
She had overestimated her drinking prowess and as such, she was completely inebriated by her third drink.
Before long, another customer walked into the bar.
He was handsome and radiant, like the sun in the early spring and the bright moon in mid autumn, that lit up the whole dark bar in an instant.
The previously listless waiters immediately became energetic and rushed to ingratiate themselves. However, he didn't even glance at them. He was as cold as ice, which had been frozen for thousands of years and couldn't be affected by any sort of temperature whatsoever.
On any other day, Sonia would have never spoken to a stranger. But today, she was so drunk and broken-hearted, that she picked up her glass and staggered towards the stranger.
"People who come to the bar in the daytime are either crossed in love or bored. Which one are you?" she said, staring him up with her drunken, hazy eyes.
Daniel ignored her and continued to drink on his own, as if he hadn't heard what she had said.Sonia, however, didn't mind his arrogance. She sat down on the stool next to him and said, "Well, I guess you are the latter. People who look like you can only make others fall in love with you. It must be nice. Look at me! I confessed my love to my prince, the man I had loved for five years. And guess what? He's marrying the woman I hate the most."
Sonia eventually vented her grievances by finishing the rest of her cocktail. "I'm done feeling bad for now. Since we're the only ones here, let's have fun and drink together, shall we?"
Daniel raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. Although the girl had a plain face, she had a great body, much like a diamond in the rough. Her two beautiful eyes, however, were limpid and pure like autumn water. Each time she raised an eyebrow to look up she looked even more charming. It was her eyes that made her unique, as they could make even a plain face like hers look beautiful.
He didn't know why he nodded his head. Was it because of some magic, or because he was moved by her tantalizing eyes.
Sonia smiled again, revealing her white teeth. "Let's play dice! You have to guess the number and if you guess wrong then you'll have to drink shots."
How fun!
A disdainful smile appeared at the corners of Daniel's mouth. He had nothing else to do anyway. Why not play a drinking game with another stranger in a bar!
Two hours later…
Daniel was drunk beyond comprehension.
Sonia could never had imagined that she would win twelve times in a row."You must be cheating!" Daniel accused in a drunken state."What? You're the one throwing the dice. How can I be the one cheating? Just admit it, you didn't think I was going to win. Well, that's how gambling works!" Sonia giggled. She had never had any luck in gambling all her life, as such, she didn't expect her luck to be so good today.However, Daniel wasn't convinced. "Fine! Again!" He was determined to make a comeback.Sonia's thick eyelashes flickered open. "Okay! This is the last one. The big one! I have already lost everything today! So why the hell not. Marriage isn't a big deal! I can get married whenever I want. How about this? If I win again, you will have to marry me!""Deal!"The only thought in Daniel's mind was to win this game. Besides, he wasn't used to losing to anybody."Great! I like you!" Finishing her words, she pushed the cup closer to him. "It's your turn. I'm guessing it's a small numbe
Sonia knew that the issue between herself and Fabian was about to skyrocket. Based on this, she asked Daniel to wait before approaching her."I heard everything you said that day." Fabian sneered. "I am the one James loves. You don't even know half of what he does to me. In fact, he proposed to me within a few days since we've been together. In fact, he even said how I had so many admires that he was afraid that someone else would take me away."Sonia snorted. Unlike Fabian, she had more important things to get to, and she didn't want to waste her entire day by arguing with her. "You're thinking too much. Yesterday was April Fool's. I was only kidding.""Stop pretending!" she snarled. "I know you love him. Yesterday, he was so afraid that I'll mistrust him that he even said that he'll never fall in love with someone like you. You're like a mouse who has just crawled out of the trash bin. He's disgusted to be linked to someone like you. In fact, he even asked me to tell you to stop day
"Thank you Daniel.""For what?""For helping me. Can we put off further measures till after the engagement party tomorrow is finished?""It depends on you." He shrugged. It didn't really matter if it was delayed for a day."Thank you." Sonia finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had to do everything to save her dignity tomorrow.With that, she invited him to have lunch with her.When they walked into the restaurant next to the community, She ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, then she went Dutch and paid for her own bill."Let me pay." Daniel motioned to take out his wallet, but Sonia, who didn't seem to hear him, just handed the money to him.After taking her seat, she smiled and said, "We met by chance, and after this awkward marriage, we won't meet each other ever again. We should just pay for ourselves."Daniel nodded in approval to her words.Not long after that, the waiter served them their order."Help yourself. The food here is cheap and delicious. And more importantly,
His voice was low and it obviously hinted flirtation. For a second, she stood stunned. But slowly, his words began to sink in. She clearly understood what he was implying. And as a consequence, her face blushed crimson red. "Don't mention it. I have forgotten it," she said, trying to maintain her composure.Daniel's black eyes blinked, unable to believe she had forgotten it.He remembered everything, clear as day! Every second, the scene played in his mind.He woke up feeling hazy today. At first, his head felt unusually unclear, and he was unable to remember a thing! But soon, it began to fill up. Missing pieces of yesterday, came to his mind, one by one. He was a neat freak. No woman could touch him even if he was drunk. But when she was around, the defensive system seemed to be invaded by virus, breaking down instantly. To start with, she wasn't like any other woman he had come across. She was both beautiful and pure. Even her smell was intoxicating. At present, he couldn't control
Sonia's eyes started to become misty as she turned away, shaking away her thoughts.Daniel slid his thumb down her chin. "Look at me," he said softly. He didn't want her to feel wronged. In fact, that's the last thing he wanted her to feel. He wanted her to feel as if she was the only one in the world for him.Hearing that, Sonia sniffled and gazed up at him innocently. "What's so attractive about you?" she murmured."I'm better looking than him," he snorted. His dark eyes glinted under the dim light."You wish." She barked out a laugh, but before she could say anything else, he leaned over and kissed her. His kiss was like a shock of electricity. She trembled against his touch as she leaned closer into his arms.Her face reddened. She didn't expect that the cold man would have such an arrogant side. He even dared to kiss her in public!Since Daniel was now her boyfriend, she couldn't reject his hold, but she definitely wasn't going to let go of him that easily.Sonia lifted her foot
Taking a deep breath, Sonia turned around slowly and said, "If you're so sure of yourself, let's take a bet!""Okay!" Fabian smiled complacently. She had been competing with Sonia for such a long time. She knew her so well that she could easily predict her moves. Sonia was obviously inferior to her. She was like a stupid bug whom she could bait and trap easily at will. Right now, she swallowed her trick hook, line and sinker. "Today is April 3. If you don't break up with that man on June 3, you win the game. But you would lose the game if you two break up before the agreed date. As punishment, the loser would have to wear a bikini and dance in the Century Square!""Okay!" Sonia agreed without hesitation. She then took her cellphone out of her pocket and asked Fabian to repeat the conditions of the bet. The recording would serve as the proof of their bet, in case she planned to back out when she lost. "You just wait and see how I will punish you!" She sneered as she walked away.Lookin
"Go ahead." Thinking of this, Sonia sighed in relief. She would do anything as long as his list of requests weren't asking too much of her."First, no affairs. You don't cheat on me. Second, you'll have to take care of me," he said seriously as his lips straightened into a thin line.How dare he? The first condition didn't even make any sense! The second one was that he obviously intended to treat her like a slave. As they say, if one handed you lemons, you can just go and make lemonade. She shook her head at the thought.But as long as she could win the bet against Fabian, then she could bear all of it. After all, it was only for two months. "Fine, but you should also behave yourself. Don't take advantage of me," she warned him. "I've seen every part of your body, and there is absolutely no part that I haven't touched. What else can I take advantage of?" he teased.Sonia flushed, wishing that the ground beneath her could swallow her right up. She wanted to curse him into the oblivi
She quickly picked up the bath towel and wrapped it around herself. Her face was tomato red. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. His eyes lit up almost immediately, looking like a kid whose Christmas present got in early. In the blink of an eye, he stood in front of her. She was so scared that she completely forgot to run away. She bowed her head and stepped back, wanting nothing more than to keep a safe distance from him.However, every time she stepped back, he took another step forward. They continued doing this till he had her backed up in a corner."What– what are you doing?" she stuttered out, clutching her bath towel.Daniel's strong arms blocked her from going left and right, locking her beneath him. He leaned in so close that she could almost hear his heart beating in his chest. "Did you do that on purpose?" he whispered, his breath fanning across her nose. His voice was hoarse and raspy as if he had just gone days without a cup of water. She inhaled sharply."No
Sonia smiled and touched his handsome face. "Although you seldom smile, I know what things make you smile.""Really?" He raised his thick eyebrows. "Tell me.""When you tease someone, you smile. When you play a trick on someone, you smile. When you make a fool of someone, you smile an evil smile. When you are unhappy, you sneer coldly with your mouth closed, and..." She trailed off and her eyelids flickered. When he looked at her like this, he smiled. His smile was real and very gentle.She liked to see his smile because she had never seen him smile to others that way, not even to Leila. It seemed like this smile was really exclusive to her. As a matter of fact, there was another reason why she didn't regret giving up Instituto Marangoni—if she hadn't given it up, she never would have met him."You're so into me, aren't you?" He said in a low and joking voice. Sonia blushed, but it was masked by the dim light."Don't flatter yourself." She turned over and buried her face into the pill
"I..." James wanted to say something but stopped after giving it a second thought. At first, he was forced by his mom to give up, and he was afraid that he was too young to give her a future. After that, he went into Bella. He couldn't do anything due to the strife between him and his family. And now, the only thing he could do was put aside his love for her. All of these turned into a kind of silent sorrow that choked his throat."I'll love you more and make up for everything that happened for the past five years," he continued.Sonia put on a smile that was full of sorrow, bitterness, and despair. He did love her, but he did not care about her at all. She had waited him for five years, and had actively confessed her love to him. However, he didn't welcome her in his arms, making her look like a big fool. After getting drunk, she married someone else and lost the most precious innocence that she had been saving for him."Did you ever think of me when you were about to marry Fabian? I
Enemies are bound to meet in a narrow alley. Fabian alone was a hurdle to deal with. And now, with Leila's arrival, things were bound to be harder. Sonia was consumed by fear.If Leila became an unfair judge, it could spoil Sonia's life.As expected, the points that Leila gave were very low, and she also pointed out a lot shortcomings. Relentlessly, she accused Sonia of not following the theme. She also said her work lacked creativity and essence.'What the hell!' Sonia shouted in her mind. According to her, Leila was a petty person who had used personal issues in the professional sphere. It was quite a low blow. On top of that, Daniel could be watching the show right now. 'Aren't you afraid that he will see the ugliness inside you?' she wondered.The two judges who had been bought off by Fabian's family also took the chance to add insult to injury. As ordered by Fabian, one gave her score five and the other gave her six.Even the host was shocked by the result.Even though Sonia and
Leaving the villa, Fabian went straight to Bella, hoping to find James. She had a lot of questions to ask him.James had already anticipated her arrival. Sitting on the main chair, he looked indifferent and there was a slight sneer on the corners of his mouth."How dare you give me the score eight whereas Sonia gets to have ten? After all, I am your fiancée! I deserve more than her!" She was writhing with both hatred and jealousy.Her words left him unmoved. Slowly, he took a sip of his tea and said, "I was considerate enough to have given you eight. If you hadn't been my fiancée, you would have received the score zero from me.""What... What do you mean?" Fabian stammered, unable to believe her ears. 'Did he actually said those words?' she wondered with fear."Don't think you can fool me. I know all about the dirty tricks you have used to win. And the worst part is, you didn't follow the original design. An average tailor would have done a better task than you. It is beyond me why yo
Daniel has always refused to talk about private matters. What was more, he also hated it when others made trouble out of nothing. She didn't want him to be annoyed, and she always knew exactly how she should act in front of him.But how could Sonia do whatever she wanted in front of him without hesitation?Knowing him, he should have hated this kind of woman the most, but how come there was no disgust in his face whenever he looked at her? How could he indulge her, even?"Dan, have you come up with a way to deal with Valery?" Leila asked as if she had thought of something. He had Sonia here and Valery in Dragon City. One was as cunning as a fox and the other was as vicious as a tiger. Leila couldn't feel at ease wherever he was."Not until her men have finished traveling the world," Daniel said with a sneer."I'll go back to Dragon City with you. Tell them that we're going to get married. After all, we used to be..." Daniel instantly interrupted her by saying, "Don't worry. I have fou
On the way back, Sonia’s excitement faded. She felt like she was breaking out in a cold sweat.Mandy told her that she had both good and bad news, but in Sonia’s mind, she didn’t hear any good news at all.‘Oh my gosh. No, no, no. I’m so doomed!’ Sonia realized she was holding her breath and found herself holding her face in frustration.She continued to have a monologue in her thoughts. ‘Why did James have to be one of the judges in this show? Why would I have to see him this way?And why does Fabian even have to be in the same competition as me?Her family is already so wealthy. She doesn’t need this, so why did she have to join? Ugh, it’s not going to be a competition anymore. It’s decided, right? I guess this will be like a walk in the park for her.James will obviously favor Fabian and give her the best scores while I’ll try so hard and it might not even matter!’ Sonia let out a heavy sigh. She felt exasperated at the thought that she couldn’t stop patting her face.Leaning back
In the camp area, the leader suddenly received a phone call from her boyfriend, who was working for the Weather Bureau. Apparently, the No. 5 wind ball had suddenly turned and condensed into a super typhoon, and it was coming towards them. She told others that they had to go back to the coast immediately, inevitably scaring the girls. They packed up their stuff and jumped on the boat. They were in such a hurry that the leader actually forgot to do a headcount.Only Mandy knew that there was one person who hadn't come back to the campsite.She didn't expect that God would help her teach this insidious green tea bitch a lesson. Well, she deserved to be stuck here and feel the violent storm all alone.Mandy sneered and followed everyone to the boat.Meanwhile, on a dark hillside, Sonia woke up.At once, she felt pain on her forehead and knees.She had no idea what had happened to her. All she knew was that she had been standing on top of the hill when someone pushed her from behind. She
There was a giant three-layer cake on the table. The bright candle light swayed in the wind, like the stars shining in the night sky."Happy birthday," a gentle voice said from behind.Today was her birthday? Shocked, Sonia looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was June 12th.'Oh my God! It really was my birthday,' thought she. She even forgot it herself, and she didn't expect that he would remember it!"Ice guy, how did you know that today is my birthday?" She turned around and looked at him. His cold face was tinted with the same color as the candle light, making it look very warm. The smile on his face was as charming as sunshine. It made ripples in her heart."It is written on our marriage certificate," he said. Then he held her by the shoulder and took her to the table. "Make a wish!"She nodded, put her hands together, and closed her eyes.What was her wish?Over the past five years, she had made the same wish on every one of her birthdays: she wished for James to like
"Of course. There's even a saying that says 'It takes a decade to stay in a ship together, and a century to..." She stopped her babbling just right before she said the words "to share a bed together" when she saw the look of gloom and disdain in Leila's eyes. The last second, she twisted her tongue and said, "To share a house," instead. She wanted to talk about the fate of their friendship, but the topic was clogged in her throat.It would have been dangerous to talk of such things, and would probably start a fierce cat fight between her and Leila.Daniel had a blank expression throughout the event, but when he heard this, a subtle smile appeared on his face. The thought of him still being the only man who had been in the same bed as her, relieved a lot of the sadness he had been feeling the whole week.When he realized he was slipping and acting strange, he quickly restrained his mouth and acted somewhat annoyed. There was a certain perplexity in that situation that aroused his emoti