The next day, Haylee went to school as usual. Since Niel put her in such an awkward situation yesterday by choosing her as his partner for the literature presentation, Haylee expected that he might find ways to try getting close to her today. Strangely, he didn't do that at all. He was still like how he used to be before. Being the hot guy who only talked with the popular rich girls. Meanwhile, Haylee was still that regular girl who was out of his league.
They only glanced at each other once in a while but never engaged in a direct conversation. Haylee got the impulse to approach him and talked with him casually. Yet, she couldn't find the guts to do so, not after Brianna attacked her verbally yesterday and accused her of seducing Niel. Her mind had suddenly been attacked by that perception as if everyone will think like that about her if she ever talk to Niel casually without any solid reason.
Niel on the other hand was enjoying his day as usual. He wasn't felt both
Niel's POV:It was a tiring day. Here I am inside my penthouse sitting in front of all these white-collar people that kept holding a business meeting for me. Since Grandpa Fred died, my whole daily routine changed. I used to have a lot of free time before. Usually, after school, I would play video games for hours without anyone telling me to stop. Why would they need to stop me anyway? I'm a smart student, my grades were great. So, no one actually told me what I should do or what's not to do with my free time. I could do whatever I want as long as I passed my school tests and examinations with flying colours.Unfortunately, the death of Grandpa Fred had turned my life the other way around and I was forced to enter the real adult world without having a choice. No more video games after school. Instead, I was forced to attend meetings almost every day. Actually, it was only from Monday to Thursday.Monday was the meeting for managers of all departments in the comp
"Why are you so late to open the door?! Are you harbouring some girls in there?!" Haylee was extremely annoyed that Niel took time to open the front door of the penthouse. She looked at him ferociously as her mind was filled with hatred with her own vile imagination about Niel. 'He must be hiding someone else inside,' she thought badly about him. Niel felt like his great reputation crumbling down before his eyes right at that moment. His forehead furrowed a bit, showing a clear frustration on his face as he looked straight at Haylee in the eyes. "Why are you here?" He whispered-yelling at Haylee in annoyance. "What do you mean? What are you doing in there? Who's with you? Who are you trying to hide from me? Let me in," Haylee spurred some nonsense questions at him. She tried to barge into the house but Niel held her body, stopping her from coming in rudely. "Stop! Stop! Baby Girl, stop it!" He hindered her from entering while cupping h
"Okay," Haylee agreed simply.Then, she lay down on the bed with her front facing downward and took her phone. She started playing video games on it and ignoring Niel completely.'Wow... look at this little brat. She became spoiled now that she had me. Indeed, she's such a baby girl,' Niel criticized her in his heart."I'll be over probably in one or two hours," Niel said more.Haylee didn't even look at him. She just gave him an okay hand gesture and continued playing with her phone in seconds. She intended to kill the time by just playing games while waiting for Niel to finish his job. She didn't even have any intention to leave the penthouse since she wanted to make sure Niel really didn't bring any other girls there after the meeting.Niel shook his head in disbelief. 'This girl really dare to disrespect me now. She didn't even apologize to me after humiliating me,' he muttered in his heart. He left the room and was about to go back to his meet
Haylee's POV:Did you ever have a crush on someone and you kept falling in love with him over and over again? The feelings got deeper each day that you felt extremely suffocated when you couldn't see or touch him. That's exactly what happened to me.Niel was someone untouchable by me at school. But when we were here inside his house, we had our little world where I could touch him and had him whenever I want. Nasty, wasn't it? But who was there to stop me anyway? To stop us? No one.I didn't even realise that I had a crush on him before. Probably because I didn't put my hope that high. I mean, why would a guy like Niel like me? Considering the difference between our world at school. He was a hottie and I was just the average like most of the others.Girls at school had this kind of perception, that if you want to get Niel's attention, you need to be or do something extra. A simple confession like 'I love you. Do you love me?' won't be enough. You had to b
The next day, Haylee went to school again as usual. But now, she felt a bit better mentally since she just met Niel last night. She entered the classroom and sat at her table. Helen and Melly were chit-chatting in front of her table while waiting for the study session to start. "Have you heard? Brianna gave Niel a Rolex Daytona Platinum watch worth eighty thousand dollars?" Melly whispered to Helen. Yet, Haylee could hear them clearly since they were just in front of her. Her eyes widen in shock. She speedily stood up and grabbed Melly's shoulder so that Melly faced her. "Really? Why would she give him that?" There was a clear dissatisfaction in Haylee's voice. Melly and Helen looked at her in confusion. "Why are you looking so angry? How am I supposed to know why Brianna gave Niel that watch?" Melly replied, feeling weird about Haylee's reaction. "Yeah. Why are looking so angry?" Helen asked her the same question too. "Well...
The day was indeed terrible enough for her from the early morning when she saw Niel was wearing the watch that Brianna gave him and Brianna throw a flying kiss to him. Then the numerous flower deliveries that came to the class for Niel added some salt into the wound inside her heart. She thought that was it. Probably no more, right? What else could be added up to break her heart more? It was recess time and after having their lunch, Haylee, Helen and Melly hung out at the back door of the classroom. They just stood there with their bodies leaned against the wall, watching over students who passed them by along the corridor outside the class. The love was in the air, everyone was walking side by side with their loved ones. "What the hell is this? What kind of atmosphere is this? Is today a dating day?" Melly complained as she saw another couple walk past them. "You know... They said that only those who are single will complain at a day like this," Helen said.
Haylee gasped in disbelief when she heard a male voice outside, asking her to come out. She knew that voice quite well. It was Niel's voice. "Come out now, Baby Girl. I don't want to destroy school property," Niel said again and knocked on the door a little. Haylee took a deep breath and slowly calmed herself down. 'Why is he here?' She wondered. "Haylee Johnson, open the door now. I'm not kidding," Niel was getting impatient. The sound of his voice turned serious as if trying to intimidate her. Haylee slowly unlocked the cubicle door and without delay, Niel pushed it opened and dragged her out by grabbing her shoulder harshly. "Oouuhh..." Haylee let out a cry. "What are you doing? Didn't you hear the bell ring just now? Why are you here? Why aren't you back to the class? Are you trying to become a delinquent now?" Niel snapped at her, feeling annoyed with her behaviour. "Why do you care anyway? Why are you even here?" Haylee r
A little gasp escaped her mouth and Haylee quickly pushed his body away from her. Niel scoffed at her as his body fell backwards to the other wall of the cubicle. He stood straight again and tidied up his shirt that wrinkled a little. "I want to go back to the class now," Haylee said speedily to him. "Good then. Just so you know, I didn't pay your school fee for you to slack off like this. How are you going to enter college later if your grade is messed up?" He lectured her again. Haylee just kept silent, didn't dare to talk back at him. She suddenly felt like she was being told off by her father. Niel got out again from the toilet cubicle and went to wash his hands at the sink. Haylee just followed him from behind, getting out from the toilet cubicle too. Niel stared at his reflection on the mirror in front of him and fixed his hair a little. Then he turned around to face Haylee who was standing behind him. "I'll come to the lakehouse tonight," he sa
After Haylee was done cleaning herself up, Niel finally brought her up to the top floor again. It felt truly uncanny when he saw her smiling, laughing and even making some jokes to him while they were inside the elevator. He felt horrible inside because he remembered what happened to her last night. The fact that she forgot all about it was clear proof that her mental health was deteriorating.They entered the penthouse again and Niel's eyes swiftly went to look at the living room. The television was gone and the mess there had been cleaned up. The food was also had been served on the dining table."Where's the TV?" Haylee asked. She was weird that the television was gone. She tried to recall what happened last night but her head felt hurt instantly. She cried out in pain while holding her head with both arms."What's wrong?" Niel grabbed her body from falling. The woman looked like she was about to faint."Aspirin..." she said and Niel helped her to sit at the dining table first befo
Upon seeing her leaving the open kitchen and entering the bedroom, Niel rushed to the elevator and went up to his penthouse again. He took his spare key card of the condo unit and went down again. He just left his laptop on the floor in front of the condo. It only took him less than five minutes to return and he quickly went into the house.The first thing he did was go to the open kitchen and grabbed all the knives and cutleries. He put them inside a black plastic bag and hid them inside a bin. Then he carried the bin and put it into a cupboard inside another bedroom. He threw a bunch of towels and a blanket inside the cupboard to hide the bin even more.Then he came out to the living room and slowly went to the bedroom that Haylee entered before. He carefully twisted the knob to check if the door was locked. It was and he just stood there thinking about what he should do next. There was not a single sound from inside and that made his heart race. He didn't know if she was okay or hu
Seeing her become speechless, Niel smirked and just walked towards his bedroom again. She was so frustrated that she grabbed an empty wine bottle and threw it toward the television in the living room. The cracking sound of the screen made Niel panic and he ran back to the living room to check on her. He saw her grab another few wine bottles and try to throw them on the television again, just like before. She was acting like a lunatic and so he quickly hugged her body from behind, locking both her arms from moving to stop her violence. "You don't know shit! You don't know what it's like to be me! You don't know shit about me! I'm fucking tired of you! I fucking hated you! I fucking hated living with you!" She shouted frantically while struggling to free herself from him. Niel grabbed her body firm and even tighter, slowly had his eyes reddened and his cheeks felt hot. He didn't know why he was so angry at her yet felt hurt at the same time while looking at her losing her sanity. Hayle
Ashley gasped in disbelief at her words. She stared at Niel and saw the change in his expression. He looked absolutely grim. But Haylee simply looked relaxed as if she was not even in trouble.'So, what would happen if Haylee fails the subject?' Niel thought. Surely, one thing led to another. She would probably deliberately fail the other subjects too so she would need to repeat the first semester. If that happens, she would be moved to a new batch of students next semester and she won't be in the same class with him anymore for the next five semesters. And if somehow Haylee refuses to repeat the first semester and quit Kingston, she could appeal to get into Hudson University for July intake. She was being clever to him. She knew how to threaten him now too. In short, Niel could not afford to kick her out of the group and make her fail the subject, or else he would be the one at loss here. Slowly he released her arm and let her go reluctantly."Exactly," Haylee said arrogantly and wal
Haylee could feel her cheeks turn hot due to the embarrassment. The hall turned silent for split seconds with a lot of eyes staring at her. Niel boldly beckoned her to come to him. Haylee slowly walked down the stair pathway to go to the front. But then she noticed the mad looks Ashley and Linda gave her. She stopped unconsciously, reevaluating her choice whether she should go to Niel or not. It was obvious he wanted her in. In fact, it was not just Ashley and Linda who were looking at her hatefully right now. Haylee noticed that some other students were looking at her disdainfully too, probably those who had asked Niel to take them into his group before but got rejected."Why are you just standing there? Come here," Niel rebuked her gently, beckoning her to come to him again."Niel, how about if we just take Linda? Haylee didn't seem like she wanted to be in our group," Ashley suggested bravely."Why are you deciding for her?" Niel rebuked her coldly, totally a different treatment co
"Do you really think that I won't have a spare key card?" He ridiculed her and took out another key card from his pocket.She scoffed at him instantly. 'I knew it. He would never let me have my own privacy,' she muttered inwardly and just put the key card inside her backpack."That's not fair. I thought it was supposed to be my own place," she said deliberately to show her dissatisfaction."How is that not fair? You had access to my penthouse as well," Niel replied with a chuckle."Is this mean that I'll be living alone for real now? Can Martha live with me?" Haylee asked. Deep down inside, she was anticipating for that to happen for real. "No. I never said that. You're going to still be living with me, in my penthouse, our house. That condo unit was just for emergency. We're going to be studying here for three years. I'm sure at some point your friends or my friends would want to visit our place. So we need a split residence for that. Aren't you the one who didn't want people to kno
"Anyway, your food looked tasty. How long had you known Haylee?" Lily asked more. Her questions were all over the place, non-relating to each other."Hmm..." Niel was about to speak but the woman asked him some more."Haylee said her brother was rich. You're close with her, so you must know her brother too, right?""Brother?" He knitted his brows in confusion and instantly looked at Haylee. She met his eyes and made a poker face at him, silently sending a signal to that guy to go along with her lies."Yeah. Haylee brought a lot of expensive makeup to class, so we asked her how she was rich. She said she had a rich brother," Lily explained cluelessly."Right..." Niel nodded while giving Haylee a playful glare. 'So now I become her rich brother,' he muttered internally."Of course, I know her brother. We're partners," Niel added the lies."Partners?" Now Lily and Haylee said in unison."Yeah. Haylee's brother worked with me. I sent him abroad to handle some projects. He won't come back
"He was the one I'm talking about before. He's my former classmate during high school," Haylee said."Damn, girl! You got into the wrong gang. We're obviously out of your league," Bruno quipped at her and the rest just chuckled in agreement."Are you together with him? He seemed close with you," Lily asked. She suddenly turned into this kind of over-friendly girl to Haylee."We're just normal friends," Haylee avoided telling them the truth."Bring us together for lunch. Introduce him to me please..." Lily begged. She never would have imagined it getting an opportunity to know Niel in person."You don't even want to know his name first?" Haylee teased her and the girl laughed shyly."His name was Nathaniel Anderson. We called him Niel during high school," Haylee said deliberately to let them all know.A while later, the lecturer came into the lecture hall. He was Professor Damien, an old man in his late forties. As soon as he entered the hall, he went directly to Niel and had a handsha
Weeks passed and they finally started college at the end of February. After the orientation week ended, all the undergraduates at Kingston University started their first class the following week. Haylee and Niel pretty much acted like strangers at college. Niel drove by himself to class even though they were going to the same destination because he sometimes would need to go to the company during his free time if his presence was necessary there. So, Haylee too was the same. She drove by herself to classes using the red Ferrari car that Niel gave her during Christmas last year.After coping with her depression about not going to Hudson for a few weeks, Haylee slowly learned to accept her fate of going to Kingston. She tried to look at the bright side. Home was not far, so she didn't need to think about paying to live in a hostel. And surely, if she was somehow in trouble, Niel was around to help her fix it. Her life was easier that way.She attended her first lecture wearing designer