《The Prodigy Boy Is Actually A 25 Old Girl!?》 Chapter 1 - Ch. 1 The Beginning A beautiful melodic sound made everyone close their eyes just to enjoy the angelic musical notes. A girl with waist-length hair danced her expert fingers over the piano keys in a music studio. Her graceful movements followed the rhythm of pressing the various ck and white piano keys. Every now and then, her body moved along with the dynamic sound of her finger pressure. As the melody peaked, her petite torso sat upright as if watching the blue sky. On the contrary, when her fingers conducted the soft tone, her body bent slightly. Undoubtedly, this girl was very gifted in ying this instrument called the piano. People would call her a genius because the music was so immersive that it seemed to be able to enter into the depths of a person''s soul. When she yed a passionate piece, that girl could make the listeners excited and enthusiastic to do something that initially made them give up. She was capable enliven the almost extinguished me. When the girl yed a touching song, she made her listeners feel the sadness she felt to shed tears. Are you curious what this girl''s name is? She was Kaylee Roesaline Zouch or better known as Roe. Roe was your average twenty-five-year-old girl who lived in a harmonious family and loving parents. She had no siblings and did not have many friends as she was a silent type. She would not strike a conversation if no one talked to her. Not that she did not want, but she could not. Roe did not know how to interact or open a topic first, so she only talked when people speak to her. She did have a dear friend and adored her along with the friend''s younger brother as if they were her siblings. During her lifetime, her parents taught her to be elegant and ssy. Her parents wished nothing but to have her married to a wealthy husband and lived happily. It seemed they even had their candidate, and soon enough, she would be engaged to someone she rarely met. Kaylee Roe had shown her talent in ying the piano since three. She has now managed to be a professional pianist who often joined orchestras or apanied famous singers as their pianist. However, she hid this fact from her parents as she knew they did not want her to pursue her so-called ''useless'' dream. That was why she kept her profession as a pianist hidden and acted as if she was the waiting ''bride'' for her future husband. Even though she often appeared at big events to show off her skills, she rarely appeared in front of the camera. Whenever someone wanted to make a public an orchestra concert and asked for a group photo, Kaylee always refused and walked back to her private dressing room. Even if she had to appear in front of the camera, Kaylee would order her makeup artist to make her look different so that no one would recognize her face on her daily days. Kaylee did not want her real face to be known to the whole world because she hoped her family didn''t realize what she was doing. That''s why she rarely appeared on television shows and never epted interviews for magazines. She just wanted to y the piano on stage and then went straight home after removing her makeup. Therefore, it was no wonder that many did not know what a genius pianist''s real face looks like even though her name was known to the point, she became a legend. When Kaylee Roe appeared as a pianist at a concert, she would ask a makeup artist to change her appearance to a different person. But when she attended formal banquets from her family, Kaylee would appear as Kaylee Zouch with simple makeup showing her humble yet charming appearance. No one would suspect that Roe was Kaylee or vice versa. Kaylee was not the prettiest girl in the world, but her looks were not ugly either. Nevertheless, she was good looking and capable of stealing every man''s breath every time she offered them a smile. Kaylee was still pretty, with jet ck hair flowing straight until it stopped just above her waist with or without makeup. Her ck eyes matched her hair too. Her nose was sharp but not overly sharp, and she had thin pink lips like pink lemonade. Two cute dimples appeared on both cheeks every time the girl smiles, and everyone would feel their heart melt when they see her smile. She was quite feeling content with her peaceful daily life, until one day... her dear friend asked for help. She loved this friend dearly, and she would do anything to assist her without further asking what kind of help her friend wanted. It never urred to her that her best friend''s request far exceeded her intellect to make her regret that she immediatelyplied with her request. If only she could reverse the time, Kaylee would think twice beforeply with her friend''s request. Her best friend asked Kaylee to disguise herself as her friend''s brother so she could take the entrance exam to a prestigious university. Her younger brother majored in music, and his choice of university was the same campus as herself when she was in college. Her best friend''s younger brother could y the guitar very skillfully. He could even imitate other people''s y with just one hearing. Her best friend''s brother was more genius than Kaylee when it came to genius. Unfortunately, there was one fatal weakness of the boy. He cannot read musical notes, which was an absolute requirement for the prospective new colleger. The university entrance exam was tough and required all students to read musical notes. The aural test to test their hearing skill and how they performed their recital pieces and the sight-reading test must reach the specified perfection. The boy might pass with the aural and recital test, but he would fail miserably on his sight-reading entrance exam. "That can''t possibly happen. Even if I seed and get epted, your brother will be caught unable to read sooner orter. Your brother and I have different faces, after all." "Don''t worry, don''t you have a skilled makeup artist? I have prepared additional skin patches to make your face look more masculine, like my brother. No one would notice that you are a twenty-five years old girl." "My posture is different from your brother." Kaylee was still trying to get out of this request because she couldn''t imagine herself acting like someone she wasn''t, let alone being a teenage boy like her best friend''s brother.. "Who said that? You are almost the same height, and your body is also thin. No one will be suspicious. Take it easy." "Everyone will know that people who take the entrance exam ande to campus are not the same person." "No problem. Because after the exam is over, you will continue to rece my brother to take the college education." WHAT?! And here was the beginning of her journey. She was graceful and loved tidiness and cleanliness, turning into a teenage boy who was cheerful, energic, and.... totally not herself! Chapter 2 - Ch. 2 From A Silent Girl To A Playful Boy On the entrance exam day... Kaylee walked into the exam room nervously. She wasn''t nervous about taking this exam, but she was very nervous because she had to change her habits. She remembered that her best friend''s younger brother was very sociable and instantly made friends with ease. On the contrary, she was... Sigh... Dear author who created me, please help me through this exam and survive on this battlefield. Fortunately, her friend''s brother was almost the same height as her, and their posture was more or less simr. As her friend expected, no one would suspect that Kaylee disguised herself as her best friend''s brother. It''s just that... she had to wear a br wig to match the boy''s hairstyle and apply some additional skin to add fat around her face. She also had to wake up early in the morning to be polished by her make-up artist to make her look like her friend''s brother. She also had to wrap her chest with a white cloth to hide her average-sized bossoms. The appearance was okay. Kaylee wore a shirt that buttoned up and neat cloth pants. Even though her friend''s brother would have nagged at her appearance, Kaylee didn''t care. After all, this was an entrance exam. Of course, it must be formal and neat to get a good first impression. Furthermore, the judges would surely score the applicants'' appearance. But... she waspletely awkward and didn''t know what to do while sitting on the assigned seat. "Hey! You''re also going to major in music?" Suddenly a boy hugged his shoulder roughly, making Kaylee startled. "Yes," Kaylee replied briefly, removing the teenager''s hand from her shoulder. She shuddered with horror that her body was so close to a man. She had never been close or did some intimate with a man before this. Fortunately, she could take over her panic and acted as reserved as she could. Now she started to regret having agreed to her friend''s request. If she had to face a guy like this, what would happen if she had to disguise herself as a teenage boy for the next three years? No. No. Kayle would finish it in two years. She had attended this campus, and shepleted her study time in less than three years. She could do it again. "Cool! My name is Jacob, you?" "Kay... Nichs Larson. My name is Nick." "Larson? Are you Wendy Larson''s brother?" Bat-thump! This kid knew her best friend!? What should she do? "Do you know Wen... my sister?" Kaylee tried to keep her voice sounding rxed even though her heart was racing fast. "Are you kidding? I am her number one fan. Isn''t she a songwriter of Life Chronicles? All the songs sheposed that the singers ended up singing soared and upied the number one position in America. I never thought I would be on the same campus with her brother!" Kayleeughed nervously at that. "Hey, guys, look what we have. This kid is Wendy Larson''s brother!" Simultaneously, everyone immediately surrounded Kaylee''s table, making Kayle panic in her heart. She wasn''t used to being surrounded like this, let alone the majority of them were boys! Even though they were all much younger than her, they were still not children but grown men. Kayleements her reckless decision. She should have turned down Wendy''s request. "Cool, man. Wendy Larson is your sister? Can I meet her?" "Can I have her autograph?" "Hey, what''s your name?" "What musical instrument do you y?" "Can youpose a song too?" So many questions were being directed at her, and Kaylee had no clue what to do. Kaylee closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had learned during this week before taking this entrance exam. Right. Kaylee spent this week studying Nick''s traits and habits. She always followed Nick wherever he went and tried to imitate hisnguage style and how he walked. In fact, she also tried to y the guitar ording to Nick''s style, which was not as difficult as she thought. After calming herself down, Kaylee took one of her most extended breaths of the day. You can do it, Kaylee! She tried to cheer herself and motivated her to perform her acting skill. "Hey, take it slow, you guys. First of all, my name is Nick, and Wendy is indeed my older sister. I can y guitar, but I can''t sing so don''t ask me to sing. As forposing songs, I really can''tpare to my sister''s abilities. And you know that my sister is the best amongst the best." then Kaylee put an elbow on the table to prop her chin on aside. "How about you?" One by one, they started to introduce themselves, and in just a short time, Kaylee made new friends. Several girls also wished to be friends with her and enthusiastic about holding hands with her. Almost all prospective colleagues came to her to get acquainted with her. All girls'' eyes looked at her with adoration look, and the boys treated her as if she was one of them, making her wonder... did she by any chance a genius in acting too? Should she change her career and became a famous actress? How is it, author? Can I swift my role from a pianist into an actress? [author: uhm¡­ No] Kaylee had a hard time memorizing her friends'' names, but at least there were a few that she had already remembered. Strangely enough, the girls seemed frantic whenever she called their names. What a weird bunch of teenage girls.. Thought Kaylee, not knowing that her looks now enable to enchant young girls as she looked handsome. Furthermore, the girls thought she was Nichs Larson, adding to her poprity Chapter 3 - Ch. 3 How Could A Boy Produced Feminine Aura? They were still chatting for several minutes before the two adults, who might be their examiners, entered the room. They carried two thick brown envelopes. One of the examiners exined all the rules and examination systems they would face. The exam was divided into a written exam, recital performance, and speed reading test. All electronic tools must be turned off during the exam¡ªno cheating in any form and no whispering. The written exam was held for a full two hours containing over a hundred questions on musical theory. For Kaylee, who had graduated from this university, these kinds of questions were very easy for her. She was the first to finish her written exam and gave it to the examiners. Luckily, they allowed her to leave the room to rest for a while. Kaylee took this opportunity to reminisce. She also tried to test her disguise by meeting with one of the financial staff who had previously handled her schrship around seven years ago. "Hello..." Kaylee lowered her voice to make it sounded like a boy and greeted a woman who was busy doing something on herputer. "Hello, how can I help you?" "Have we met before?" Kaylee deliberately puts on a big smile and moves her eyebrows mischievously... imitating Nick''s habit of sometimes flirting with women who are older than him. "Are you a student here?" Wow! This woman didn''t recognize her at all. Her make-up artist was really gifted, and she should give her bonus after this. "No. But I''ll be a student here in a few months." came the overconfident answer from ''Nichs Larson.'' Ugh! She''s never acted like this before. She was always humble and not arrogant in front of others. Why could she behave like this so easily as if she was born to act proud and cheeky? Really. Following Nick, for twenty hours each day was a terrible influence for her. "Well, good luck. The entrance exams here are not as easy as you think." "I''m always lucky, ma''am." Kaylee continued in a deep voice before finally turning around. She no longer wanted to y and decided to rest before the next exam came up. Kaylee had to lower her voice, and she also had to walk with wide strides turning and whistling happily. Not to mention that she had to put on a friendly smile that was so charming yet yful of every stranger she met... making her incredibly exhausted. Kaylee felt that she would have nightmares every night if she had to live as Nick for the next three years. After waiting for almost an hour, finally, the recital exam began, which was immediately followed by a reading test or what is often called Sight Reading. Instead of ying guitar, Kaylee preferred to y piano because it was her ''ultimate weapon'' to get a perfect score. Therefore, in this entrance exam, she decided to y the piano instead of the guitar. She did not need to worry about Nick''s rebuttal as she had already asked the young boy''s permission. Even though Nick registered into guitar ss, he allowed her to y the piano on her recital performance. In fact, Nick had no intention of going to college. He wanted to be a musician right away and go on tour with his new-founded band. However, his parents forced him to go to college and would not allow him to go if he didn''t get a university degree. That was why Wendy, who loved her brother so much, asked her help to rece Nichs and entered the M university, which was famous for its musical arts. Unlike the written exam, which was held in a closed room, this recital exam was arranged in the main hall with a grand piano on the stage. There was also a drum on the moveable mini stage behind the curtain. The mini-stage would move outside and inside whenever a drummer applicant unted his skill. Participants who want to show off their guitar, violin, or wind instruments had to bring their own instruments from home. Participants'' names would be called one by one to y their best song with a maximum time of five minutes. There was no requirement as to what piece they have to perform as long as the song''s difficulty level was in ordance with the examiners'' standards. They previously sent audio of their musical performance to take this entrance exam. Of the thousands who sent their audio via email, only one hundred entered the selection round and took this exam. And out of these hundred, not a single one could sit still while waiting for their turn to be called out. All of them tried to practice ying their instruments in their respective minds. Nobody did not feel nervous and anxious, even though some try to cover up their nervousness by joking with their friends. Even Kaylee was feeling restless and nervous. Well, she didn''t feel worried that she would fail her performance. Instead, Kaylee felt confident that she would get a perfect score. She was sure that the name ''Nichs Larson'' would appear at the top when the results were announced. Kaylee was a perfectionist professional pianist, aka a PPP girl. Her ability to y the piano and deliver a song like someone telling a story was undoubtedly well. But¡­ Right now, this twenty-five-year-old girl who was in disguise was feeling restless because of something else. She was worried that the skin patch on her face would be damaged and would break her mask. She was more worried about her future, where she had to study in this ce and was surrounded by many boys. Should she resign? If she failed this test, she wouldn''t need to go undercover and be Nick all the time. But¡­ "Mister Nichs Larson." Suddenly, other applicants'' noisy chattering went silent when they heard Larson''s name. Kaylee decided to focus on her exams, and now she has entered ''serious'' mode, and nothing could stop her from delivering perfect musical pieces. Not even her concern about her future could not stop her. Kaylee walked into the main hall and climbed the stairs to reach the top of the stage. She sat on the piano chair with the elegance and aura of a professional musician. Then she yed a song she was very good at since high school. Liebestraum number three by Liszt. A very romantic song with soft, sweeping strains. She could present all theplicated ornaments on the piece perfectly without a hitch. The girls who watched her were mesmerized by the charisma that came out of Kaylee. Currently, Kaylee looked like a teenage boy, so the charisma made girls fall in love with Kaylee. Even the boys were stunned by Kaylee''s performance. They feel both fascinated and jealous of her superb performance. How could a teenage boy their age be able to create a masterpiece with such passion as this? At the same time, one of the examiners had other opinions from others. How can a boy bring out a feminine aura to the piano he ys? When he closed his eyes, it was like he could imagine the one who yed the piano was a girl instead of a boy. How strange. Chapter 4 - Ch. 4 Meet Declan Black It''s been two weeks since Kaylee reced Nichs taking the university entrance exams. She worried that it turned out that Nick failed to enter the university because of her. On the other hand, Wendy and Nick looked rxed and indifferent to the results that woulde out. They believe in Kaylee''s abilities as a professional pianist. Moreover, Kaylee yed a piano instrument, which was her primary field during the recital exam. Despite her worries, Kaylee decided to go about her daily life as usual. She practiced in her private music studio andposed several songs written by Wendy before being handed over to a group of singers. In the midst of her busy life, her parents called her toe home. Since she graduated from college, Kaylee decided to be independent and rented an apartment that was very close to her studio. She did not want to use her parents'' names to seed in her career and chose to struggle in her own strength. Even so, she still loved her parents and looked at them with great respect. Whatever they want, as long as she could do it, Kaylee would fulfill their wishes. That''s why she canceled her appointment with one of the singers who would discuss the festival''s music arrangement today. She prioritized her parents more than her job. That day, Kaylee wore a feminine and elegant knee-length dress. She also wore natural make-up to add to her beauty. She arrived at her family''s residence at the exact hour she promised. This was the real Kaylee. She was always on time and did everything perfectly. She did not talk much but was very quick at listening. There was a saying that it was better to be silent but grasping the whole conversation than talking but not understanding what is being said. That''s what Kaylee did as an excuse to cover up her personality that did not get along well with strangers. Because of this, Kayle rarely voiced her voice. She preferred to hear all kinds of information received. She could sort it out to consider the options she would take and throw out useless things. Even when dealing with her parents, Kaylee never denied or confirmed her parents'' words arrogantly. She would take their advice if it were good ones. If her parents'' advice did not match her lifestyle, she would ask permission not to do it in a polite tone without hurting their feelings. Like when she decided to start her career as a pianist, she made her parents understand her desire to pave her own path. However, they rejected the idea and always talked about how useless a career she had but did not restrain her from doing whatever she wanted. Nevertheless, Kaylee never told them that she was aposer to a famous song that popr singers sang and made them think that she was only a pianist who belongs to an orchestra group. The old Zouchs were well-known bank owners that have spread all over the world. Imagine if the news about their sole daughter was aposer and many fans were eager to see her... Mister and Mrs. Zouch would give her a long earful speech as they did not like their privacy to be known by outsiders. Needless to say, Kaylee could livefortably and have all her needs met even if she did nothing. However, she did not want to be a spoiled princess with no skill to proud of. What she wanted to do now became an arranger in any kind of music. Whether it''s ssical music, contemporary, country, and other genres, her dream was to master various music types and produce a beautiful tune that everyone could enjoy. She already reached halfway until her mother brought shocking news. "Mister ck will be here soon, dear. Please get dress and make sure you will dress neatly and elegantly. He wants to see you, my dear." "..." As usual, Kaylee was silent to hear that even though she didn''t like her mother''s sudden notification. Mister Den ck was her parents'' choice for her arranged marriage. For some reason, this mother, who was so dear to her, was obsessed with wanting to get along with Mister ck. Kaylee had never met Den before, but she had heard of him through her permanent orchestra members. Just like herself, Den was a pianist as well as aposer who was very skilled in his field. The difference was, Den still used his family name as the owner of some of the most expensive properties in America. They even have a private ind near Honolulu. Surprisingly, Den was not interested in continuing his family business and preferred to pursue music. Now the man was a music ambassador and lecturer at some prestigious university. Kaylee didn''t know what university he was, and she wasn''t interested in finding out either. Kaylee did admire the man''s handiwork, but she also saw him as a rival. That''s why she didn''t like the fact that she was soon to be ''engaged'' to a man she had seen as a rival. If possible, she wanted to express what is in her heart and yell loudly until heaven and earth heard her and understand that she did not want to get married. She did not want to have a special rtionship with any man. Kaylee just wanted to focus on her career and reached her goals. Only after that would she think about settling down. Despite being want to scream out her heart, Kaylee tried her best to restrain herself. She did not want to hurt her parents'' feelings, which she would surely regret. That''s why she locked her mouth tight. Exactly five in the afternoon, a luxury ck car arrived at the gate of her house. Not long after, a grown man with neat hair and an expensive formal suit appeared. Whatever the man wore from head to toe, there was nothing unbranded. Truly a man from super societies. Kaylee, who still couldn''t see the face of her ''fianc¨¦'' because the distance between the lobby of the house and the living room was quite far, felt a little curious. Why did she feel like he had met Den before? Ah, maybe she''s seen him in a magazine? No. Impossible. Kaylee rarely reads magazines or keeps up with thetest gossip on television shows. She most hated to spend her time on various useless things. Therefore, she couldn''t have seen Den in a magazine or on television. Den walked with dignity toward Mister and Mrs. Zouch, who were enthusiastically weing him. Only then could Kaylee see Den''s face. A memory shed in her mind¡­ made her deathly pale. This guy.... Den ck was one of the examiners when she took the M university''s recital exam!? Chapter 5 - Ch. 5 Mrs. Zouchs Enthusiasm Mister Den ck responded to all of Mrs. Zouch''s chattering with great patience. Kaylee wanted to roll her eyeszily because, ording to her, her mother''s question to Den was an ''investigation'' to find out whether this man was worthy of being her son-inw or not. Kaylee stared intently at Den without making both her mom and the man noticed her. Den ck was indeed a handsome man with brown hair neatlybed backward and a firm nose that showed his inevitable dignity. His sharp jaw and intelligent eyes made everyone feel nothing but respect and honor for him. But, no matter how handsome the man was, Kaylee still had no interest in him. She once heard from... whoever that person''s name is, that love woulde unnoticed, and she could feel it when she met the one. However, she felt nothing toward the young mister ck. Surprisingly, she also felt that Den did not feel attracted to her making her feel relieved. Even though she was an introverted girl, that doesn''t mean she knows nothing rted to romance. Generally, if a guy is attracted to a girl, he would try to talk and find out what the girl likes. She might as well tell the man would try to woo the girl, yet she did not know what kind of act the men would do to woo a girl. As for Den¡­ this man didn''t even try to speak to her. In fact, he didn''t even spare a nce at her to make Kaylee sure that this man wasn''t interested in her. Not that she minded. She never became a spotlight girl nor seek for audiences, anyway. Despite the fact that both parties had no interest in each other, Mrs. Zouch apparently was much more interested in making Den ck her son-inw. She even seemed eager to tie the knot between the young duo. Well, Kaylee could not read her mother''s mind nor wanting to know what had the older woman nned for her. She sipped her tea silently while listening to the things her mother had to talk about with Den. "Mister ck, I heard recently that your mother is desperate to find you a wife. Isn''t there any girl who attracts you? How about my sweet daughter, Kaylee?" Kaylee almost choked on her drink when her mother mentioned her name. Her face paled when she realized a pair of sharp ck eyes looked at her like an eagle preying on a mouse. ''Author, why did I meet such a scary character at the beginning of the chapter?'' Author: Some aliens prate my brain and can''t answer your question now. Kaylee: * speechless * Anyway, Kaylee put her teacup on the table to hide her trembling hands and turned her gaze towards her mother. "Mother, please, don''t involve me," begged Kaylee in a very low voice but still heard by the two adults. "Ah, she''s shy. But actually, she is a loveable kid, and not many dislike her. Almost everyone loved her and wanted to be her acquaintance. Isn''t that, darling?" "..." what?? i''ve never heard about this! [author: me neither] "A lot of sessful young men chased her and asked her in marriage, but well, she hasn''t found the one." Kaylee felt like covering her face with both hands. She felt ashamed and felt like she was a product while her mother was a broker promoting her. Furthermore¡­ since when had a man proposed to her?! As far as she could remember, no man ever asked her hand in marriage, and she was positively sure that she was not a loveable person. ''Mom, why are you telling lies to people who are visiting our home for the first time, ah?'' Kaylee couldn''t voice her protest because she knew her mother didn''t like to be argued. Kaylee just hung her head in shame and kept all her frustration. "I came here because I''m tired of hearing my mother''s nagging. I heard that you are good friends with my mother, so you guys nned this arranged marriage." Kaylee gripped her lower garment nervously at Den''s words, who didn''t want to beat around anymore. "It is true. Your mother and I were schoolmates, and we aspire to marry off our two kids. Unfortunately, we were separated for years since I married my husband. Who would have thought when we met by chance three months ago, it turns out that your mother has a son and I have a daughter. What a perfect match, don''t you think?" Mrs. Zouch spoke at length without stopping as if she didn''t need to breathe in her talking. "And what a coincidence, you two are both only children so that you can fit out each other. You are also both talented pianists. Ah, do you know, Kaylee often won the championship when she was still in school? I am very sure you will suit each other. I guess you guys are made for each other. Is not it?" NOOOOOOOOOO!!! Only Kaylee could hear her desperate scream. Kaylee wanted to dig a hole and hide her head in it. She didn''t know what kind of face to put on when Mister ck nced at her. She couldn''t even look up! It looks like today is the worst day of all time. >>>>> From author Hello, my beloved readers. Thank you for reading my story, and wait for the next chapters so far patiently. It is a brand new, and actually, I''m quite clueless about what should I write next (I have other 3 ongoing novel at the moment, so my mind is prioritizing those 3) If you like this story, please give me your opinion and perhaps give an idea of what kind of plot you want for Kaylee (well, I need your advice XD) Don''t forget to give it a review and give a vote every day. It might motivate me to continue this story and publish it frequently. Luckily, one of my ongoing novels will end soon, so I can focus on writing here in two weeks (I hope so) Feel free to check up on my other works 1. My Only Love: The Targeted Heiress (ongoing) 2. The me Queen And Her Sly Lover (Almost end soon) And if you like fantasy with different realms and magic on it, feel free to check out Elementalist: Time Controller (still ongoing) Happy reading, and enjoy your weekend! PS: Only for today and tomorrow, I will publish five chapters each day.. After that, going to focus on my going-end-soon novel first, then refocus on here. Chapter 6 - Ch. 6 Does He Want To Marry Her? The lunch event at Mister Zouch''s residence went well. Although Den was eager to get home and resume his pending work, he remained polite and respectful towards Mister and Mrs. Zouch. The truth is his mother had forced him to find a wife and demand a cute and adorable grandson since five years ago. Now he was almost thirty-three and still single, making his mother even more persistent in finding a wife for him. Well, Den wasn''t in a rush to get married and enjoy his bachelor life, so he did not worry if he did not have a partner. He never felt awkward when attending an event alone without a partner. After all, he could ask his best friend for help on his date if his mother forced him to go on the blind date. Fortunately, Den had moved into his own apartment, so he did not have to listen to his mother''s nagging for the whole twenty-four hours. Den loved his mother dearly, but he didn''t want to hear her ranting about the same things every day. Then, one day when Den came home to his parents, his mother came to hug him and told him how happy she was to meet an old friend. She even said to him that his beloved mother had made a promise with her best friend to marry off their two children someday. And coincidentally, his mom had him while the other had a daughter. Mrs. ck ensured him that she already spoke about good things to make Mrs. Zouch delighted. This made Den look at his mother in disbelief. Why does he feel that his mother sold him away? Since then, he has avoided his mother and rarely returned home. It''s just that¡­ his mother has a warrior fighting spirit and did not want to surrender to get what she wanted. Mrs. ck contacted him every day on an almost hourly basis to persuade him to visit the Zouch family residence. Of course, Den quickly knew about his mother''s n to make him meet with young Miss Zouch. In the end, Den gave in and fulfilled his mother''s wish even though the truth was that he felt incrediblyzy toe to this house. He was very sure he would not be attracted to young Miss Zouch because his heart was already owned by someone else, and that person was not Miss Zouch. In order to please his mother and also stop her nagging tongue, Den decided toe to this house. Mister and Mrs. Zouch greeted him enthusiastically, while Miss Zouch¡­ greeted him politely without the same enthusiasm as her parents. Mister Zouch didn''t say much, and when he spoke, the only words spoken were about the financial business or the development of the country''s economy. Den enjoyed talking more with Mister Zouch, but Mrs. Zouch scolded her husband that today was not the right day to talk about the country''s economy. In the end, the talkative hostess led their conversation, and Den could only listen and respond patiently. Now he understood why his mother was good friends and so eager to get along with Mrs. Zouch. The two of them were very simr. Both were talkative and able to speak without taking a breath. Without realizing it, Den had a soft spot for Mrs. Zouch. Hearing her voice that kept saying words made him think of his mother. Ah, it has been almost two months since he returned home. Suddenly he missed his mother. After returning from this ce, he would go to his parents'' house and only felt reluctant after remembering something. It doesn''t seem like his mother will let him go before hearing the good news of this meeting''s oue. Hhhh... Luckily Mrs. ck was the mother he loves the most, otherwise¡­ Den might block her contact from his life. Den was too busy listening to everything that Mrs. Zouch''s talked about as if it was his mother who did the talking. Therefore, he did not have time to nce at a girl sitting next to him. It was not like Den didn''t care about the girl, but he had forgotten entirely that his purposeing here was to meet his mother''s future daughter-inw. Usually, he did not easily forget things and focus on his goals. But because he suddenly thought of his mother, Den became forgetful about his surroundings and listened and answered every question from Mrs. Zouch. He didn''t even feel offended when the woman asked something personal, as if he had considered this woman like an old friend. On the other hand, Mrs. Zouch did not forget the purpose of his future son-inwing to this house and realized that the young man had not admired the beauty of her only daughter. Kaylee wasn''t a shining or attention-seeking kid, and she knew that. But at least she wanted her daughter to be able to get more attention from other people... especially from this charming and heavenly handsome young man. "Mister ck, I heard recently that your mother is desperate to find you a wife. Isn''t there any girl who attracts you? How about my sweet daughter, Kaylee?" Den''s faint smile aimed at the talkative woman vanished as if a ssh of cold water awakened him. Reflexively, Den nced at the girl sitting next to him with a probing gaze and wondered, does he want to marry this girl? Miss Kaylee Roesaline Zouch looked timid and didn''t dare look into his eyes like a mouse running to escape the clutches of an eagle. This girl was quite a beauty, but¡­ Kaylee was not his type. >>>>> From author Sorry, this was not a ''love at first sight'' story, so please bear with me. Happy reading! Chapter 7 - Ch. 7 Declans Best Friend After Den said goodbye to the Zouch family, he got into his car and drove to his favorite cafe. Upon arriving at the cafe, a tinum-haired young man with beautiful blue sapphire eyes smiled at him and waved his hand. "Hey, pretty boy! You came finally. I''ve been waiting for you." Den rolled his eyeszily at the nickname ''pretty boy'' from his best friend. "What are you? Are you a kid? Until when are you going to call me like that?" "Until you get married." "If I get married, you will stop calling me pretty boy?" Den snorted as if he couldn''t believe his best friend would actually get rid of that nickname he had been pinning since ten years ago. "Right. I will call you pretty man." Den rose to his feet and moved as if he wanted to change seats making his best friend hold his arm whileughing in amusement. "I''m just kidding." "¡­" Den did notment as he felt something cold on his arm. Again¡­ his friend''s skin temperature turned cold like ice. Axrd Canvedish was a college friend and theplete opposite of him. Axrd was someone who smiled easily and rarely got angry. He could even carry himself well no matter whether the interlocutor was a much senior or younger person. When Axrd was reserved and dignified, Den felt like he was talking to his father. Other times, Den felt like talking to a child when the young man was being mischief and pulled his leg. To be honest, Den wasn''t someone who wasfortable spending time with people like Axrd. But, somehow¡­ he felt that the young man had his own charisma that made him feelfortable being friends with him. Without realizing it, time flew by, and they had been friends for more than ten years. Even so, he still couldn''t find an answer to his friend''s unusual cold skin. Sometimes the man''s body temperature was too cold to freeze things around him, but sometimes the man''s temperature returned to normal. Of course, Den had asked him this and suspected that Axrd had a gic disorder and that his body temperature would fluctuate. But the man replied casually, and he didn''t need to worry about it. "What''s wrong? Why do you look like you just see a ghost?" "Your hand is cold." came the short reply from him. Axrd lifted his hand from Den''s arm then stuck his hand into his jacket pocket without losing his yful smile. "Isn''t it freezing today?" "Now is summer." "I know. But today is very cold. " "Then stay at home." "I can not. I have to take care of mypany¡­ hey, are you going to be sponsoring a fashion show at the g auction event? Can I promote my essories?" "I''ve made the agreement letter. You just have toe to the office and sign it. Mrs. Perkins will help you as usual." "Wow, that was fast. How do you know I want to offer my product?" "I can read your pattern." Axrd chuckled at that, then remembered the arranged marriage that Mrs. ck made for her only son. "How was your first meeting? Is Miss Zouch as pretty as people say?" "Just so-so." "In what way? Is it true that she''s not pretty? " "If you are really interested in her, why don''t you be her future husband?" Axrd smiled faintly at that. "You know I can''t fall in love." "Well, try saying that when you find the one." "It''s not like you found one. Wait... Have you found it?" Axel asked teasingly. "¡­" But Den didn''t answer him and just took a delicious sip of his ck coffee. "Impossible. Have you found the one? Who is it? Is it Miss Zouch?" Den frowned at his friend''s guess. Did his best friend''s ears have a problem, so he couldn''t hear that he wasn''t interested in Kaylee Zouch? Or maybe he had to split Axel''s brain to find out what kind of circuit was formted in it. "Remind me why I still want to see you again even though you are so annoying?" Axrd''sughter escaped from his throat hearing that and settled his arm around Den''s shoulder as if he were hugging a child. "You know you can''t escape my charm." Den rolled his eyeszily, but the corners of his lips lifted slightly because what the young man said was true. Satisfied with enjoying coffee with his best friend, Den returned to his apartment and turned on hisptop to view a video he had seen in the past two weeks. The video was a recording of the recital exam at M University two weeks ago. The only thing that made him found it memorable was the piano recital of an applicant named Nichs Larson. The sound of the piano clinking and the way the boy channeled each melody''s dynamics made him feel like walking on a green meadow. There was no mistaking it¡­ this child¡­ indeed this teenage boy was the person he had been looking for! He was sure of it. "Nichs Larson, huh. I can''t wait to see you on campus." Why does Den want to find someone? What will happen when Den and ''Nick'' (Kaylee in disguise) meet on campus? Will Den realize that one of his students is his mother''s daughter-inw candidate? Stay tuned in the next chapters. Chapter 8 - Ch. 8 Innocent Kaylee After waiting for almost a month, finally, the announcement of the entrance exam results came out. Kaylee, Wendy, and Nick immediately checked the results through the official campus website. They went straight to the announcement page in the new student candidate forum. Of the hundreds of applicants who took the entrance exam, only twenty passed remarkably. Nichs randomly looked at the website page from the bottom and then scrolled up to find his name. In truth, the three of them weren''t that worried about the oue that woulde out. They all felt very confident that the name Nichs Larson must be in one of the top twenty prospective students who have taken the exam. And exactly as they expected. The name Nichs Larson was listed at the top, indicating that he got the highest score among hundreds of applicants. Wendy and Nick smiled happily, very satisfied with the results. Indeed, Kaylee''s ability was not in doubt. Luckily they chose Kaylee to disguise as Nick and took the entrance exam. Before this, their choice was Nick''s arch-enemy named Jeanifer, who also had a simr physique posture as him. The girl was also able to read a series ofplicated musical notes as if she were reading a standard alphabet. Above all, Jeanifer was a guitar yer like Nick, and her abilities were unquestionable. They had only one little problem. Nick could not trust the girlpletely because she liked to ridicule him and was thrilled to see his downfall. If he asked the girl for help, most likely, Nick would be at the bottom of the rankings, or worse¡­ he wouldn''t have passed this entrance exam. The choices were ''old witch'' or ''innocent girl that could be tricked easily.'' Of course, they chose the innocent Kaylee and tricked her intoplying with their request. Readers: Poor Kaylee Kaylee: I know. me on the evil author. Author: But I''m not evil T.T Now Nichs did not have to worry about his father and mother''s nagging about his final education diploma. Both parents were not dictatorial parents who force their children to follow their choices. On the contrary... they were very supportive of his choice of wanting a career as a musician. Since he was in high school, he had formed a band, and now their group''s name was on the rise, and doing tours in several cities. Mister and Mrs. Larson were very proud of their youngest son''s sess. Having achieved sess at such a young age was something to boast about. But Mr. Larson still wanted his son not to stop his education, so he forced him to go to college and graduate with good grades. Mister Larson did not force his choice on Nick and let the teenage boy choose the subjects he preferred. And the young man decided to major in music with guitar as his primary instrument. Unfortunately, Nick could not read musical notes because he had been self-taught all this time. He only learned guitar by looking at U-tube and paying attention to the famous guitarists'' ways of showing off their skills. He studied it using his eyes and ears. After that, he would quickly practice and imitate it without guidance from someone. He never read the musical notes nor learned it. Hence, Nick became a musical note-blind. He was fortunate to have Kaylee as a good friend of his sister''s, and he felt like he hit the jackpot when he heard his sister seeded in getting Kaylee to grant his wish. "Isn''t the score too perfect?" Kaylee muttered, still worried that her guise would be exposed. "Are you kidding? This score is perfect for me," eximed Nick proudly. "I can count on you. I can''t wait to see A''s in all my subjects!" was the shameless exmation from the boy. Kaylee frowned at this. "I think I want to throw you to the Mars." Wendy and Nickughed at that and didn''t take it seriously. They knew Kaylee would never throw him as the girl loved her ''brother'' way too much. "All right. Since you will be a student in this city, Nick will have to go abroad for a while so no one would meet Nick by ident." "You kicked me out?" Nick pursed his lips in a pretense of displeasure at what his older sister said. "You said you have a concert scheduled with your team in Japan. When are you leaving?" "Next week," Nick replied, still pouting his mouth. Seeing her brother''s adorable cute face, Wendy ruffled Nick''s hair whileughing yfully. "Hey, I''m not a kid anymore, duh," grumbled Nick but couldn''t hide his chuckling. Even Kayleeughed with amusement when she saw the interaction between the siblings. "If your height exceeds me, I will not consider you a child anymore," announced Wendy defiantly. "Tch. Just because I''m still short, you bully me just like that. Just watch, I''ll definitely grow again next year." "Good luck with that," teased Wendy, still ruffling her brother''s hair humorously. "But¡­ what about your parents? Do they know about me posing as Nick?" "Of course they don''t. They would cut me in half and then feed my flesh to the Pit Bull Terrier." The way Nick exined it with a scared expression and a half-whispered tone as if afraid that his parents would hear him made Kaylee''s body shudder with horror. "No way!" eximed Kaylee in a choked voice as if she was also afraid of other people listening to their conversation. Nichs''s parents couldn''t be that cruel, could they? Kaylee: The author is truly evil Author: Whaaaat? Chapter 9 - Ch. 9 Tricking The Innocent Kaylee Her face, which had looked lively before, now turned white and panicked, thinking about what would happen if Mister and Mrs. Larson found out that she was disguising herself as their youngest son. What should she do? Wouldn''t it be safer if she stopped this act? After all, Nichs had already been epted into university, so her role as ''Nick'' was already over. Tap! A gentle pat on the shoulder interrupted her reverie, and sudden bursts ofughter assaulted her ears. "Hahahahahahahahahaha¡­ oh my god! Do you believe it?" Kaylee''s forehead frowned even more cluelessly, and she just stared at her best friend in confusion. "Darling, my brother is just kidding. Our parents won''t do what he says. After all, they already knew and agreed to our n. They know that Nick doesn''t want to go to college because he already has his own band." Kaylee gave Nick a look of exasperation and anger. How dare this kid to scare her to death?! She almost got a heart attack! Even though there was so much she wanted toin to the teenager, Kaylee still didn''t make a sound and clenched her jaw. This was the weakness of the introverted Kaylee. She easily believed what other people say without thinking that there might be a chance that the person was tricking him. There were not a few people who want to take advantage of it and lie to her skillfully. That was why Kaylee preferred to seclude herself and keep a low profile so that no one was aware of her existence. Instead, she wished she had supernatural powers that could make her invisible¡­ which was such a childish thought. Fortunately, Wendy was not someone who likes to take advantage of other people''s weaknesses and sincerely befriends Kaylee. Even Wendy and Nick would defend her if anyone tried to bully her or trick her. It''s just... this time, they really had to ask Kaylee for help, and they had no other way to make Kayleeply with their request other than by tricking her cunningly. At that time, Wendy made Kaylee''s heart overwhelmed with the joyous asion. Kaylee was very excited about attending the music of the year festival in Boston. When Kaylee was off guard, Wendy asked a series of questions, which made Kaylee answer nothing but ''yes'' only. "Are you happy today?" Wendy asked in a loud voice because of how crowded the festival music noise. "Yes!" answered Kaylee in the same booming voice as her friend, jumping up and down to the rhythm of the loud music. "Do you like my surprises?" "Yes!" "Are you a ck Moon fan?" "Double Yes!!" "Will you help me?" "Yes!!" "Can you disguise yourself as Nick and go to M University?" "Yes!!" that''s when Kaylee stopped jumping and looked at her friend in confusion. "Ha??" "You already answered yes, so you can''t take it back." That was the beginning of why Kaylee yielded her best friend''s request even though she actually didn''t want to be someone who was not herself. Despite being clueless to be someone like Nick, Kaylee did not refuse it because she already thought of Nick as her brother and sincerely wanted to help the boy. Wendy and Kaylee had been friends since they were kids. Kaylee even watched Nick grow up. Nick''s first step, the first word that Nick spoke, as well as the one helping Mrs. Larson, reced the child''s diaper was Kaylee. Because of that, Kaylee also really loved Nick like her own sibling. Only with Nick, Kaylee did not feel awkward. But when dealing with other men, Kaylee would be silent and want to get away from the man immediately. Including her ''fianc¨¦.'' When Den visited her housest month, Kaylee didn''t say much and only answered when anyone asked her. First, she didn''t want to get too close to him. Second, she didn''t wish Den to realize that the ''Nichs'' who was ying the piano at that time was her. Den did not seem interested in getting closer to her, either. Thus, Kaylee could rx in her ce. It looked like this arranged marriage will be canceled, considering that neither party was interested in marriage. Kaylee thought that her mother had given up on her and did not force her to marry Den. Since then, that man has stoppeding to her house. And the discussion regarding their matchmaking was no longer discussed either. Little did she know, Mrs. ck and her mother were already preparing for their engagement ceremony. Well, Den didn''t know about this either, so Kaylee wouldn''t be left dumbstruck alone. [Kaylee: What is that supposed to mean?] "Hey, what are you thinking?" called Wendy broke her reverie. "Nothing," was the short reply. "Looks like I''ll have to cut half on my work after once the school year starts." Kaylee could imagine her busy life as a first-semester freshman, and her job would certainly be neglected. "Ah, right. Take it easy. I''ll help you." "Thanks. You''re really my heroine." Wendyughed at her, "You know you don''t need to be grateful. Nico is the one who should be thankful. That self-conscious kid just walks away when he sees the results of the announcement. He hasn''t said thank you at all." Kaylee realized that Nick was no longer there with them and went somewhere when she was lost in thoughts. This time it was Kaylee whoughed. "It''s okay. It''s his habit, right?" The two of them giggled together. Nichs was known to be a very spoiled kid, but at the same time, he could act polite and self-aware when dealing with other people. The child was also well-known for his fiery emotions when anything upsets him. But only for his two ''older'' sisters, Nico acted like a spoiled kid and never hesitated to ask for anything. *** The day passed quickly, and the day when Kaylee entered the campus to rece Nick arrived before she knew it. Kaylee had to get up at four in the morning to perform her undercover routine. She put on fake eyebrows to make her eyebrows look thick. The faux leather patches on the sides of her face, and she rolled her long ck hair into a bun before being covered with a short boyish brte wig. She also had to wrap a white cloth around her chest so that her medium-sized bosoms would not stick out. Kaylee wore a white T-shirt and was then double it with a sleeved id shirt. She also wore torn jeans, and shepleted her transformation into a Nichs Larson. Now Kaylee was standing in front of the campus gate with a doubtful look. Will she be okay? Will this disguise go smoothly? "Hey, Nick. We meet again!" Once again, a boy hugged her shoulders roughly¡­ almost strangled her neck!? Do all men greet their friends like this? And she has to learn to get used to it? "You''re right. We finally made it in here. Can you imagine it?" Kaylee imitated Nick''s excited and energetic speaking style while trying to untie her ''friend''s'' strangle. "I know exactly what you mean. It''s all like a dream. Imagine, out of the five hundred who signed up, only twenty people were admitted. And we are those twenty people. Look, my body is very excited today." the boy was bouncing with joy to show his enthusiasm. Kayleeughed at the funny behavior of the boy, who was very much like Nick. Perhaps having just graduated from high school, Kaylee could see the childish attitude she encountered in almost every new ''friend'' she had. Kaylee tried to think of all the boys who would be her friends during her ''college'' period as Nick. It felt much morefortable to imagine those boys as Nick, and she could be friends with all of them. She really hoped so. Chapter 10 - Ch. 10 Which Toilet She Enter? It has been three months since the first day of entering ''college'' life as Nick. Kaylee had never felt so tired like this. She had to go to college from morning to evening, then continued to meet her clients untilte at night. She became a freshman in the morning and aposer Roe at night. What an exhausting daily life! Not to mention she would join the training if there were a rehearsal schedule with the permanent orchestra members, which would take more than two or three hours. Her body felt sore, and she had a fever at the beginning of her busy double daily life schedule. She barely could catch her professor''s lectures and only counted on the recording. Just in case she fell asleep in the middle of the lecture, she brought her recorder pen to record everything the professor taught the ss. Well, she did not fall asleep, but her mind was on something else. She had promised to one of her loyal clients to arrange music for the uing winter festival. She already made some example tracks, but she found it hard to meet the client''s standards. As a result, she stressed herself without telling anyone and had a fever, making it harder to follow the ss. Luckily she was able to force herself to eat and drink as much as possible, so she recovered quickly. Wendy even helped her cook porridge when she was sick. With great care, Wendy took care of her and helped herplete her college assignments. Just like Kaylee, Wendy was also an alumnus at M University. Therefore, Wendy had no trouble working on an essay for history lessons. Kaylee also could focus on working her winter festival music program while Wendy did her assignments. And finally, her client loved her works and her works as aposer already done. Now Kaylee was getting used to her tight schedule, and it was no longer easy to fall ill. Even though she felt exhausted, Kaylee actually enjoyed the daily campus life. Back when she was in college, she only fancied being friends with girls. Shepletely shut the man down if a boy approached her or just asked her to chat. She even tried her best to make the group assignment''s members be all girls, making the boys dislike her. She knew she wasn''t loveable, and people thought of her as a hateful girl. Kaylee used to be considered an overbearing and arrogant kid, and she didn''t care about her image at all. She just wanted to finish college well, which she ended with a perfect score on each subject material. But now, because of her new appearance as a boy, she couldn''t help but open herself up to befriending boys. Unexpectedly, making friends with boys was quite fun. Sometimes they spit a joke that would never appear between girls. There was also a story about his experience in a haunted wood. All kinds of stories that she never heard when hanging out with girls. Girls usually could only gossip or criticize someone behind their back. Some were goods, but some were bad... well, mostly bad things. Why are the girls like to mock other people that had no rtionship with them? Even though Kaylee was a girl, she did not like to bad-mouthing other people behind their back because she did not want to hear bad things about her too. If you don''t want to get bad treatment from other people, then don''t mistreat others. That''s her life principle. On the contrary, boys did not like to gossip the way girls did. They talked about something that was fact and happened ording to their experiences. Well, sometimes their conversation also leads to something vulgar, like telling how big the busts of female lecturers who teach literature lessons or when they would whistle in flirtatious whistle when a female student walked past them. Or some pervert boy would peek into the girls'' changing room in secret, making her want to knock their head. Aish... she would never get used to things like this. One more thing that made her had to think twice. Toilet. When nature called out to her, she had to make sure no one went into the toilet. Secretly she walked into thedies'' room to empty out her dder. Before that, she would check if there was someone near her before she entered the toilet. She also made sure that no one walked in the corridor before actually leaving the women''s toilet. Basically, she needed to be cautious whenever she wanted to empty her dder. What would happens if her friends see her going in and out of a girl''s toilet room? Well, it would be no problem if she was Kaylee, but it would cause a lot of trouble if she entered it in boy''s appearance. Kaylee couldn''t bear to imagine it, nor did she want to find out. Since the author created her and forced her to live in this world, she had to ept her fate. [author; Yes! I love the innocent Kaylee} One day, she was forced to go into the men''s toilet room because many people passed around the corridor, and she could not hold her needs. She feigned a stomachache by clutching her stomach and walking into the bathroom. Luckily no one suspected, and Kaylee escaped her disguise. s, no one ever expected that her innocent, pure eyes have never seen anything that triggers lecherous thoughts to be infected because one of the students pulled down his pants and took off his underwear while walking in front of the mirror! What a crazy kid! Were all boys have no shame of showing off that long object to their friends? Kaylee felt her head dizzy as if blood was rising and gathering above her head. Since then, she determined not to enter that ''dangerous'' ce and would hold her dder as long as she could. This M University was her battlefield, and she needed to protect her dignity as a puredy. It was enough for her to make a mistake once and got in there. Kaylee didn''t want a second time and tried desperately to get rid of the ''long object'' image, which was like an elephant''s trunk. Author: Elephant trunks?? Chapter 11 - Ch. 11 His Words Tasted Like Ice Cream A female student approached Kaylee when Kaylee walked towards the library area... maybe even flirting with her, no one would know. "Hey, Nick. I heard you got the highest score on the practical exam yesterday. Can you teach me some guitar techniques, please?" The girl was wearing a shirt with the opened three top buttons showing her long cleavage. Even without the buttons open, Kaylee knew right away that the girl''s bosoms were enormous... three to four times bigger than hers. For a moment, Kaylee stared enviously at the girl''s breasts. How did this young girl have such arge and charming chest? Even though she was not a fan of attention, Kaylee was still a girl. She desired to be considered attractive when she meets the one. Kaylee wanted to show her best appearance when she has a first date with her lover. Currently, Kaylee has not found someone who could thrill her heart and was not interested in marrying the man her mother chose. Even so, that doesn''t mean she would n to be single all her life. Kaylee also wants to settle down and have several children to apany her. She hoped that the man who will be her husband could understand her and epted what she is. But¡­ most men who approached her just want their sexual needs to be sated without thinking about her feelings. In this continent, there were not a few young virgins at her age. On average, they all gave up their virginity when they were sixteen years old. Even her father and mother didn''t mind if she lived with a man and slept with him. As long as she did not have children out of wedlock or created scandals that ruin her family image, Mister and Mrs. Zouch let her meet with whomever she wants. Unbeknown to her, her parents allowed her to have met with anyone because they knew Kaylee was an introverted child, and it was not easy to make her let strangers enter her territory. If Kaylee were Wendy, who loves to change boyfriends like changing clothes, then maybe her parents would be many times tighter and restrain her activities. Therefore they both gave Kayleeplete freedom because they knew their daughter could take care of herself. Kaylee did not realize that she had been staring at the young girl''s chests, who was approaching her for five full minutes making the girl misunderstood and thought Kaylee was attracted to her chest just like any other guy. The girl deliberately bent her body so Kaylee could see the cleavage and her chest curve more clearly. The innocent Kaylee didn''t know the girl''s intentions and acted casually as if she were sorting out a solo song''sponents that could be turned into an orchestra song. "Okay, I''ll teach you. On a note, can you button your buttons first?" Kaylee raised her hands and unconsciously buttoned the girl''s shirt button with her own two hands. She believed that a good girl should not show her private body parts so easily as she would look cheap and no guy would respect her. Hence, she buttoned the girl''s shirt herself without knowing that her actions were actually provoking the girl''s indecent thoughts. "Why? You can''t stand it, can you?" teased the girl while licking her lower lips to seduce ''Nick.'' The girl felt certain the boy in front of her was no different from other guys she tempted. She would take the boy''s virginity, and she would be the number one ''cherry taker'' girl. Unlucky for her... ''Nichs Larson'' was totally different ''guy'' she ever met. "That''s right. I can''t stand to see many young men look down on you. You are worth more than that. So you better start respecting yourself." Kaylee replied while stroking the girl''s shoulder gently and smiling sweetly after sessfully buttoning the girl''s upper cloth. "Feel free to contact me whenever you have free time, and I will teach you. See youter." Only after that, Kaylee pulled her hand away and walked past the girl as if she walked past other pedestrians. The young girl named Amelia looked at Kaylee with a gaze full of admiration, and people could see a heart shape appearing in her eyes. This was the first time that a young man had appreciated her and treated her with great respect! Amelia fell in love with Nick as in ''Kaylee in disguise'' and told her friends what she had just experienced. It immediately spread across the campus like a virus, and many girls wanted to find out the truth. They came to meet ''Nick'' and wanted to try to approach him. Some deliberately fall in front of Kaylee, and some tried to hug Kaylee from behind. Whatever it was, Kaylee always treated them all with great respect and offered them a kind ''brother'' gesture. Kaylee even gave them a warm smile and a genuinely friendly manner. Well, she never knew that those girls deliberately attack her to bring her to their bed. Otherwise, she would faint at this second. The words that came out of her mouth was a piece of advice that everyone would mock her. Perhaps, they might bully her and gave her an ''old virgin hag'' nickname. But her appearance as Nick was way beyond a ''nerd,'' and the way she spoke and smiled made her words actually tasted like melted chocte ice cream on the girls'' tongues. Not to mention, Kaylee looked at them as if they were a priceless treasure in this world, making every girl on the campus was willing to heed her advice. Well, what could I say? Kaylee had no younger siblings and only one younger brother who loved her as much as she did. Seeing the girls surrounded her and approached her, she couldn''t help but treat them as her sisters. This was precisely what made all the girls on campus fell deeper even more at ''Nick.'' They thought Kaylee was different from other young guys who would definitely ''eat'' them as soon as they received their temptation. They had never met a young boy like ''Nichs Larson'' who did not immediately invite them to sleep together but gave them a sweet, heart-warming aura. Too bad they didn''t know that the ''Nichs'' they knew was a genuine innocentdy who treated them like a kind sister. Chapter 12 - Ch. 12 Mr. Black Is Gay?! Just as Kaylee was almost reaching the campus library, someone calling her name made her yearn to find a book dyed once more. Why did she find it so hard to go to the library? me on the author. Author: Why me again? T.T Then who is at fault? Right when she just came out of her ss, one of her friends invited her to go to the dance building. Her friend was in love with one of the hip-hop dancers at the dance hall. But because he did not dare approach her, the boy often asked Kaylee to apany him. After being satisfied to see the mock-performance of his friend''s dream girl dancing so skillfully, his friend let her go, and Kaylee continued her footsteps to the library. But a teenage girl stopped her and asked her to teach her guitar. After making an appointment to provide free private lessons, Kaylee returned to continue her visit to the library. Now she only needed to reach out for her hand and stepped through the library door¡­ but she had to cancel it because someone was calling her name again. Kaylee felt like she was on a super close trip but felt so far away having to stop here and there. She had no one but the author to me. Author: T.T Hhhh¡­ Kaylee could only sigh in resignation and then looked at a teenage girl who was one of the singing ss students. "Yes? Can I help you?" "Mr. ck was looking for you earlier." "¡­" Kaylee wasn''t too surprised to hear that. Since she was entering her first day at this campus, one of the lecturers at this campus called her into his office. And that person was none other than Mr. Den ck! Does the man know her disguise? Did the man suspect her? Kaylee did not want to take a risk, and she was trying her hardest to avoid the man. After all, Den ck wasn''t the one who teaches her ss subjects, so she was pretty sure Kaylee didn''t need to see him. She was always looking for ways to avoid Mister ck''s summons and managed to find the right reasons not to see him. She even often hid on the rooftop where no one could find her, nor would she meet the man by ident. When she found out that Mister ck was taking time off due to running a familypany out of town, Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief and could roam around the campus freely without needing to be careful not to bump into the man. After two months of not hearing from the man, Kaylee thought Den had given up seeing her. But it turned out¡­ that man was looking for her as soon as he returned to teaching at campus? What did the man want from her? Could it be he noticed her disguise? What should she do then? "Nick, I heard Mr. ck has been looking for you for days at the start of the term, is that true?" "I think so." "Did you do something wrong?" "Not that I can think of. Why?" "Ah, I see. In that case, you better be careful with him. It looks like you are his target this time." "Do I want to know what that means?" The girl turned left and right to make sure no one heard their conversation. After confirming there wasn''t anyone in the library area''s corridor, the girl leaned over to Kaylee''s ear to whisper something secret. Kaylee was ticklish because this was the first time someone had whispered directly in front of her ear. The girl''s gust that hit her cheek made her want to move away, and the voice that was whispered very slowly and assault her ear hole made Kaylee suddenly want tough as if someone was tickling her body. Even though all inches of her body wanted to dodge, Kaylee persisted and listened to the girl''s whisper carefully. The moment the girl finished her sentence, Kaylee''s eyes were wide as if they were about toe out of their ce. "WHAT?! Mr. ck is gay!?" "Shhh!" The girl immediately hushed Kaylee by putting her index finger to her lips. "Don''t be so loud." "Why do you think that?" ording to her, Kaylee couldn''t believe this fact at all because the man who came to visit her house a few months ago did not convey the impression of a same-sex lover. "Everyone also knows about this. Mr. Den was always mean to girls but incredibly nice to boys. He also drops marks on girls he doesn''t like but always gives boys good marks." "¡­" "There have been many victims, and strangely enough, all our male friends are looking for a way to win over Mr. ck. If you can win him over, he would give you a free short cut ticket pass to graduate from this campus." "Impossible. He doesn''t have the power over this campus." "He has it. He is the biggest benefactor on this campus." "¡­" "I don''t know if you are lucky or not. If you are his favorite student now, your college life will run smoothly. But¡­" "But what?" "You will be invited to sleep together at the end of each semester." "¡­" "I understand how you feel. I will help you this time and tell him that you have an important assignment from your professor. But I can''t help you with the next one." Kaylee did notment and let the girl leave her. She was not even interested in going into the library to find the book she wanted. Is it true that Mister Den ck is gay? Was the man trying to find her not because he was suspicious of her disguise, but because he liked her as a man? She was too shocked to the point she no longer knew what she could say. She was speechless, and it seemed like her campus life was not as peaceful as she thought. Kaylee: Author! Don''t make my lifeplicated, please! Chapter 13 - Ch. 13 Her Heart Beat As Fast As Plane! Since that incident, Kaylee has managed to avoid Mister Den ck''s summons. Without realizing it, she became closer to girls than boys because only the girls would help her find excuses for her to avoid the summon. She did not know that the girls were unwilling to give her as Mr. ck''s gay lover, and they feltfortable with Kaylee rather than with boys. Well, she was basically a girl, so she was much morefortable spending time with girls than boys. Kaylee remembered she had almost no friends in her school days because of her shyness and silence. She never speaks if no one talked to her. Yet now, she could talk freely and strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Well, it was all thanks to her observation of Nick''s behavior and disposition. Even though she still was a shy girl and preferred to stand in the corner, she felt she could do almost anything, and no one would judge her. She could hide her face behind Nick''s identity and do whatever she wanted. Therefore, she took this golden opportunity to hang out with girls as much as she could. Go shopping, gossiping about a hot guy and etc. Nevertheless, she would never forget her second identity and act like Nick that sometimes would boost himself as the world''s most handsome guy. It was very narcist, she knows, so don''t me her as it wasn''t like she wanted to boost her appeal around. Unbeknownst to her, Kaylee''s actions that seemed to distance herself from boys and even opened her hands to girls made her male friends felt envious of her. The girls even looked like having fun with ''Nick'' rather than with them. They became jealous and annoyed because they thought Kaylee was arrogant and didn''t want to be friends with them anymore after bing an idol among girls. "Hi, Jack, would you like to have lunch with me in the cafeteria?" as usual, Kaylee invited her first male friend to eat together. "Of course..." "Ehem," "Sorry, Nick. I forgot Mrs. Smith called me for an additional lesson. See you in the next ss." Kaylee did not feel suspicious when someone interrupted Jacob''s first response. She did not question why Jacob refused her invitation suddenly. Innocent Kaylee did not know that her male friends started to distance themselves from her and avoid her. She didn''t feel strange about the change in her friends, and she gave no care about it. After all, she was even more relieved that no one was hugging her shoulders unnoticed anymore. Neither did she need to hear outrageous, vulgar words that made her face could burn with shame. However, when her professor instructed the students to form a group, Kaylee realized that no male friend had invited her to create a group together. In fact, Jacob, her first friend since she took the college entrance exam, didn''t even talk to her. There is definitely something wrong. Thought Kaylee while pondering what was wrong. And now¡­ their professor told all male students to bring something from the warehouse and move it to the main hall. Kayleeined to herself when her friends put the heaviest burden on the pile of boxes that Kaylee brought. She even had to carry two heavy boxes. Two!? What is this? Is she being bullied? Seriously? In this era? Hhh¡­ Kaylee had no other choice but to carry these two boxes with all her might. Her body was not very small, and she was quite tall with about 5.6 feet in height. No one would suspect that she was a girl disguised as a teenage boy. Even so¡­ Kaylee had never done any weight training before, and she hardly ever did any exercise. The only sport she did was the treadmill whenever she had free time in between her tight schedule. Kaylee felt overwhelmed lifting two boxes weighing about ten or maybe fifteen kilograms made her hands feel numb. Kaylee tried to keep the boxes from falling. She felt her face burning and sweaty all over her, but she insisted on keeping those boxes. The boxes she was carrying was very heavy, more than she could bear. Her legs began to wobble, and her hands began to feel numb. The moment she reached her limit, Kaylee''s hand fell limply, releasing the boxes from her arms. Kaylee gasped in a panic because the boxes she was carrying would fall, and its contents containing award trophies and souvenir mugs for the musicpetition at the weekend would crack. Fortunately, there were two sturdy hands to rece her before the boxespletely slipped out of her hands. "What are you doing?" someone''s cold voice resounded above her head, giving her a goosebump. Kaylee stared in surprise when she saw that the person who had helped her lift the two boxes from her hands was the person she had been avoiding. Den ck! "Mrs. Agatha told us to move these things to the east hall," Kaylee replied while enduring the pain in her hands. She was sure there was a red mark from the base of the box tip pressing the skin against her arm. Luckily she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt so no one would see her red mark skin. Kaylee deliberately wore a thick shirt and long sleeves so that her body looked bigger like a boy in general. s, she had absolutely no idea that she would meet that man in this unexpected ce. What should she do now? What kind of answer should she give if the man asked her why she never came to his office? "I didn''t ask what Mrs. Agatha told you to do. I asked, what were you thinking to let go of your grip? You realize we won''t have mugs or trophies for this weekend''spetition if all these breaks." scolded Den in a stern tone. "I''m sorry." without realizing it, she turned into a Kaylee and forgot her role as ''Nick.'' Besides, Kaylee felt that what Den said was true. If she dropped it and the mug and award trophy break, the two-day event would not run smoothly. She felt utterly guilty and didn''t dare look up, just like Kaylee would if she was ovee with guilt. If Nick were the one who experienced this incident, that boy would apologize and immediately amend his mistake. Instead of standing still and lowering his head. But, well... Nick could not possibly be unable to lift these two boxes considering that the child loved to exercise and trained his muscles. Nick kept his body in shape because he loved to attract attention. ''There is no girl who dislikes young men with abs.'' that''s what Nick told her. Author: me too XD So she was sure that boy would never make this mistake in the first ce. "Are you Nichs Larson?" Kaylee bit her lip before answering his question, "Yes, sir." Only Kaylee heard the sound of her immeasurable pounding heart. Maybe her heartbeat was faster than a race car or a jet coaster in Wondend. Perhaps even as fast as an airne? Author: Which normal person''s heart could beat as fast as an airne? Usually, the female lead in a novel would have a pounding heart when she meets the main male character. Their hearts were pounding because they felt nervous facing their beloved lover. But right now, our main character was not fluttering because she has met her lover.. But she felt terrified because she met the scariest man in history. Chapter 14 - Ch. 14 Kaylee Confronted The Boys "Stop acting like a frightened kitten. Hurry and go deliver this item to the east hall." "Y... yes." Kaylee mustered thest of her strength to receive the boxes that Den would give her. She grimaced in pain as soon as the edge of the lower box hit the fulcrum on her hand. Strangely, the weight she had felt lighter than earlier made her wonder if she had suddenly gained superhuman strength after resting for a few minutes. Then she realized Den only gave her the one containing a trophy that was not as heavy as one containing a dozen ceramic mugs with violin instruments as its pattern. It seemed like she only had a bag of two kilograms of rice, which she could handle much more manageable. Kaylee saw that Den himself carried a box filled with mugs, and walking leisurely ahead of her made Kaylee stunned. Did that man just help her? Kaylee couldn''t help but recalled the girl''s warning advice who had told her that Den was unusually nice to boys. Is this what the girl meant? Kaylee swallowed nervously at the thought of a gay being after her and wanting to¡­ bed her?! She never even had a rtionship with a man, let alone did a skinship. Now realizing that Den ck was gay and was approaching her, she couldn''t help but nerve-wreck. "What are you daydreaming for? You''re wasting my time. Hurry up!" said Den impatiently, breaking her reverie. Kaylee quickly caught up with him and walked silently, following Den''s wide footsteps. Well, at least the man helped her lift the unbelievably heavy box, even though he was gay. She could only say her gratitude silently without voicing her voice. After finishing delivering the boxes in the east hall, Den immediately left without giving Kaylee a chance to thank him. Kaylee stared at Den''s back with an astonished look. Why didn''t that man scold her because she never came to his office room? Is it true that the man is gay? In her entire life, Kaylee could never identify someone''s intention who had an attraction to her. She would never know that a man approached her or tried to woo her if that person did not directly express his feelings. When someone did confess his affection to her, only then would she notice the man. His attitude, and small sweet gesture, she could recognize it more than before the man confessed. Now she knows (from the teenage girl who told her) that Den was gay and attracted to her, so she''s looking for something that can confirm the truth of this information. However, Den didn''t nce at her as if she was nothing in his eyes. He even spoke to her in a cold tone that made her wonder for the umpteenth time. Is Den ck really gay? Kaylee just sighed resignedly and decided not to think about it too much. Whether Den ck was gay or not was none of her business. She only needed to avoid him if it turned out that Den was indeed gay and after her. After all, she would not let her ''brother'' be the target of gay sex. Not long after, her friends showed up carrying a box each. Why did they bring only one box when she had to take two? Isn''t this unfair? "Hey, Nick. You''re taking so long. It''s already our third round, and you just showed up now?" The cynical nces and mocking smiles that adorned her friends made her realize... she was indeed being bullied. Did she do something? Did she do something that made them hate her? She didn''t remember doing anything to offend them. So what made them all change their attitude? Kaylee nced at Jacob, who was standing at the very back of the group of friends. Jacob shook his head while looking at her with concern as if to tell her, ''Sorry, I can''t help you.'' She wondered why she felt more exhausted than usual today. Every day Kaylee had been trying hard to act like Nick''s habit even though she was starting to feel tired of being someone she was not. Then she met Den, who drained her energy and soul a few moments earlier, and now she had to be confronted by a bunch of childish teenagers who somehow decided to corner her. If her acting as Nick didn''t work, why would she y the role? After all, they all didn''t recognize the real ''Nichs.'' Whether ''Nichs'' was a pleasant person or a quiet person, no one would know as they never met the real one before. But... ''Stop acting like a scared kitten.'' Den called her a ''kitten'' for goodness sake. Even though those words were not addressed to her directly, she still felt offended. She is not a ''kitten.'' She is not even a random kid who just finished high school. Kaylee would be twenty-five this year. She has produced many ssic-modern pop mix music types, which had be top music trending in thest few months. She was even invited and performed solo at the birthday of one of America''s distinguished public figure. Kaylee could not ept it if someone called her ''kitten.'' She hates cats the most. Author: Cats are cute, aren''t they? No! Cats are not cute at all and are very naughty to make her room like a battlefield whenever she left the tiny furry monster alone in her room. Therefore... "What are you doing?" Kaylee asked curtly. "Why are you doing this?" "Tch! Look how proud he is," mocked one of her friends and was followed by a sarcastic snort from the others. "You''ve changed. You''re not what you used to be. If you don''t like me, just say so. There''s no need to stab me in the back." "Okay. We''ll have an honest talk with you. GET OUT of our sight!" "What is the problem?" Kaylee tucked her hands into her trouser pocket casually. She imitated Nick''s style of aspiring to confront the other person directly. "We both took the entrance exam. We also shared experiences and discussed the sexy posture of gals. I don''t see any problems between us." "The problem is that you are taking all the attention for yourself." "That''s right. You monopolized the attention of the girls and the lecturers. Your grades have always been perfect and outstanding, man. But look, what did you do these days? You don''t even care about us anymore. You think we don''t feel the change in your arrogant attitude?" Ha? Since when has she been so arrogant? Kaylee thought back to what she did to make them believe she had turned into an arrogant girl... er... boy. Then she realized thattely, she had been deliberately keeping her distance from all of them and preferring to be with girls. Could it be because of that? Ugh! It looks like¡­ she has to cut down on her time with girls. "I think there is a misunderstanding between us. I know how to fix it. Will you give me a second chance?" in a tone full of confidence and convincing, Kaylee made a proposal. >>>>> From author I''m sure it already appear on new ranking book, so please support me by give vote everyday. I might be able update daily if Prodigy Boy get in top 10 and bonus chapter every Sunday if get in top 5. Feel free to give me some idea for the story as I will start writing again around Mon or Tues (gonna finish my almost end ongoing novel first) Dont forget toment and give review for our innocent Kaylee Happy reading and enjoy Valentine with your loved ones! ?????????????????????????????? Chapter 15 - Ch. 15 You Smell Good Hi, I''m back! I''m so thrilled to see my new baby ''Prodigy Boy'' get in the top 10 new rankings. Keep supporting me and vote for me to motivate me to continue this story. If you wish to talk to me or know more of my works, feel free to follow my IG @vorstinstory or join my discord server: https://discord.gg/a7ypnYw7TF *** Kaylee always holds whatever she says. When she made offers to her jealous friends, she did what she had to offer. That day she offered to teach them how to touch a woman''s deepest heart. Even though the girls here looked like be seduced easily, they actually like to be praised and appreciated. They don''t like being treated like cheap girls, and Kaylee trains the boys not to talk vulgarly in front of the girl they like. Kaylee also gives courage to guys who are afraid to confess love and tell them how to captivate a girl''s heart. They are all musicians because they study at M University. Each will give off strong charisma when ying their instruments. And one of the things that captivate girls is ying music. Kaylee helped them improve their instrument ying technique as well as ways to improvise without having to follow directions in their music textbooks. If someone were too fixated on their music book and focused on their fingers to not make mistakes, that person would never be able to understand the songwriter''s intention of creating the song and conveying it to the listeners. The melody that he produces would sound nd without a soul so that it would not be able to reach the listeners'' hearts. The yer''s charisma would note out either if the person''s eyes were only stuck in the music book. The way Kaylee taught and trained them was enjoyable and easy to understand so that her friends could immediately grasp what Kaylee teaches very well. Well, even though Kaylee was a silent person, it doesn''t mean she doesn''t have the ambition to achieve perfection. Kaylee was a perfectionist in her field. And any music she created or yed with her orchestra group had to sound perfect. Thus, Kaylee was ustomed to training, and teaching her orchestral group to teach a bunch of excited teenagers was not difficult for her. Kayle was also willing to make time for small study groups and discuss literature and history lessons. She was even willing to give wrong answers on theoretical exams, so she no longer got perfect scores. Even during the practical exam, she was deliberately making mistakes in the middle of her performance. This way, everything was resolved naturally, and Kaylee could live her double life in peace. "Hey, Nick! It''s so unusual for your grades to drop. What''s wrong with you? You don''t usually get a B on your recital exams." asked one of his male friends. For a moment, Kaylee was confused by her friend''s question. Two weeks ago, they were hostile because her grades were too perfect and jealous of her. Now that her score was dropping, why should they concern? If a man says he can''t understand a woman''s feelings, a girl can say the same. Women would never understand the way a man''s mind is. "The song I yed was too difficult because I had a lot of fingering styles to learn. Maybe it was also because I wasn''t in the mood to practice, so my fingers missed ying the highest notes." that was Kaylee''s confession, which was uttered in a nonchnt tone as if a B was not the end of the world. For Kaylee, who is a perfectionist, of course, a B grade is the end of her world. When she got a B grade, Kaylee would get stressed and depressed and decided to practice in her studio all night without sleeping. Now¡­ somehow, she doesn''t feel depressed about getting imperfect scores. Could it be that right now, she isn''t Kaylee Zouch? Or could it be that she had made a mistake on purpose and prepared herself for a B? Kaylee didn''t know the answer. Plus, Kaylee didn''t have a training mood because her body was too tired to finish several songs at night. So she''s not entirely lying. And one more thing that made her not in the mood for training. The recital exam that day was a guitar instrument exam that made her not too enthusiastic to practice. The guitar was not her ''dominant'' instrument. She preferred to y the piano to the guitar. Moreover¡­ every time she yed the guitar for more than an hour, her right hand felt sore and numb, while the fingers on her left hand felt painful. Kaylee even began to feel that her fingers had calluses making the skin less smooth than it used to be. If her mother had found out that the skin on her fingers had calluses, she would have screamed hysterically and dramatically while forbidding her to y guitar again. Kaylee sighed,ining about how much slow that time this world had rotated. If only she could speed up the time to two yearster when she graduated from college, she no longer needed to impersonate Nick. "I''m really surprised by you," Jacob stated, again hugging her shoulders without warning. For some reason, Kaylee was so used to this friendly embrace that she no longer felt the need to remove that hand. "What makes you surprise?" on the other hand, Kaylee asked curiously as she put her hands into the pockets of her torn jeans. "I remember you yed the piano in the entrance exam for the recital performance section. I thought your primary major you took was piano. It turns out that the major you took was guitar ss? I think you''re more suited to be a pianist than a guitarist." Jacob exined, followed by a nod of approval by the others. It felt like Kaylee wanted to shout at them, ''I am a pianist!'' But she restrained herself and justughed indifferently, which was finally followed by anotherugh. "But, by the way, Nick," suddenly Jacob whispered towards Kaylee as they all walked into the cafeteria with Jacob and Kaylee in the back row. "What is it?" "You smell so good. I never knew you had such a mild, pleasant scent. What perfume are you wearing?" "¡­" Kaylee immediately turned her face away when Jacob''s face got closer, only to sniff her neck. Imagine¡­ a young man sniffing her body!! How strange... why does her face feel hot? "I don''t use any perfume," Kaylee replied hastily while speeding up her steps, following her other friends. Jacob frowned at his best friend, ''Nick,'' running away from him as if the young man was a virgin girl who was approached by a man for the first time. [author: She is a virgin girl] "Is there something wrong with my question? He doesn''t need to avoid me like I''m some virus.." Jacob shook his head and followed ''Nick'' with just a few steps. Chapter 16 - Ch. 16 Kaylees Undeniable Charm Once inside the cafeteria, Kaylee felt her heart jump in that instant as Jacob sat next to her. She had been able to act usually all this time and was used to sitting with the boys. But today, she couldn''t act normal at all, remembering how close Jacob''s face was to hers. She even felt a gasp of breath emanating from the young man, and their noses almost touched each other. Kaylee didn''t know how to calm her pounding heart and suddenly, whatever Jacob was doing next to her made her feel nervous. "Hey, are youing to thepetition event tomorrow?" asked Edgar with his mouth overflowing with food. "I don''t think so," Kaylee answered her friend while still trying to calm her chaotic heart. Please, move away from me! Prayed Kaylee as she hoped Jacob would shift his ass away from hers! Kaylee decided to focus on her meal while thinking about tomorrow''s event, and it worked like magic when she realized her heart was calming down. Tomorrow in the main hall of M University there would be a musicpetition festival, and one of the jury who will score the contestants is Roe and Wendy Larson!! Kaylee would not be able to appear as Nichs Larson, and she would have to find a good excuse not toe because Roe had toe. "Why? Do you have any events this weekend? I heard your sister would be one of the juries. Oh,e on, let''s watch it together. I want you to introduce me to your sister. I''m your sister''s big number one fan. You remember that, right?" Jacob begged as he hugged Kaylee''s shoulder tightly, making Kaylee''s head leaning on the young man''s shoulder, which caused blood to rush to her head. Dear Lord, did I do any sinful act in my past life that I had this overwhelming trial? "I''m going to New Jersey to visit my granny. I promised her I would see her this weekend." Kaylee''s answer made Jacob and his friends sighed in disappointment. Well, Kaylee was telling the truth because Nichs Larson was going to New Jersey to see his grandmother, who was sick from missing her grandson too much. Wendy has often gone to New Jersey at least once a week. She would make time to visit her grandmother. However, Nichs rarely went there because of the concert tour schedule held by the band manager. Kaylee pulled away gently to release Jacob''s embrace from her shoulder. Really¡­ for some reason, Jacob likes to touch her shouldertely, even though the other kids did not have to hold her shoulder when they felt her rejection. "I''ve finished eating. I''d better go to the library to find some good material for us to study. See you in ss." Kaylee lifted her food tray and ced it in the dirty tableware shelter. After that, she walked out of the canteen to go to the library. Only when she is in the library can Kaylee be herself. No one will bother her or talk to her. Kaylee could enjoy her days in peace without having to act that was not her. "Nichs Larson?" Kaylee''s footsteps stopped when someone called her name. Why does she feel dejavu? It looked like her name was called every time she wanted to go to the library. Could it be¡­ Mr. ck looking for her again?! Kaylee immediately turned to the person who was calling her name and looked at a young girl restlessly. She really hoped it wasn''t because Mr. ck told this girl to call her into his office. "Yes?" please, don''t say that Mr. ck is looking for me. Dear sweet author, please don''t make Mr. ck summoned me. The readers must be bored already of this scene. [author: Okie. I''ll grant it.] "Can we talk for a moment? I have something to tell you." Phew! Fortunately, not because Mr. ck wanted to find her, but it turned out that this girl wanted to talk to her. "Of course you can. What do you want to talk about?" "Uhm¡­ can we go somewhere quieter? I don''t want anyone to listen to our conversation. Kaylee realized that the young girl was fidgeting with her fingers on her lower skirt. Why does this girl look so nervous? What does this girl want to talk about? Kaylee looked around and realized there were so many people passing by them. This girl might want to talk about something so secret that she doesn''t want anyone else to hear about it. "Alright. I know a pretty quiet ce to talk. Let''s go." invited Kaylee in a friendly manner, and the two of them walked towards the fountain. Usually, the fountain pool area was very crowded because it was used as a stage for pop music children. But at this time of the day, when pop music kids still have ss schedules, the area here was almost noiseless. "Now then, there''s hardly anyone here. What do you want to talk about?" "Ah¡­ that¡­" the girl hesitated when she was about to say what she wanted to say. Kaylee waited patiently for her without pressing her. "Tomorrow, a pianopetition will be held." "Yeah, I know." "Are youing?" Why is everyone asking her this as if she is an important person who has toe to the annual pianopetition? Well, Kaylee was indeed an important person because she will be the jury, but Nichs certainly is not an important person in this event. Besides, all students who do not join thepetition have no obligation toe. Well, maybe some would be told toe over to increase their assignment scores, but Kaylee''s grades weren''t bad, and she didn''t need an additional score. Because of that, she¡­ ehem¡­ Nick did not have toe to thepetition tomorrow. "I will note. I promised my grandmother to spend the weekend at her house." The girl looked sad, hearing the answer to make Kaylee stunned. This girl couldn''t possibly talk to her just because she wanted to ask this question, right? "Is this what you want to talk about? I guess we shouldn''t keep this conversation a secret if you were just wondering if I woulde or not." after all, this girl wasn''t the first to ask if she would be attending tomorrow''s event or not. "Ah, that. Do you know I was one of the contestants in that race?" "Really?" at once, Kaylee''s eyes sparkled when she heard that, unconsciously making the face of the young girl in front of her blush. Kaylee had always admired talented people the most and had never been jealous of anyone more remarkable than her. She would especially appreciate the children of the younger generation who are more gifted than her. She knew the annual pianopetition held by M University was of a very high standard. If this girl passed the first elimination round and entered the livepetition, this girl was not an ordinary girl. Unfortunately¡­ the girl got the wrong idea and thought that now ''Nick'' had fallen in love with her and her hopes soared. What will happen next? [author: It seems Kaylee''s charm attract both genders over time] Chapter 17 - Ch. 17 Please, Go On A Date With Me Kaylee walked into the apartment with very heavy footsteps. She even felt that the earth''s gravity today felt so strong that it was hard for her to straighten her body. If it weren''t for her young face and the fashionable clothes she wore, people would have thought Kaylee was an old man who was almost a century old. As soon as Kaylee opened the door to her apartment, her best friend Wendy immediately hugged her neck with enthusiasm. "Hey, my handsome girl, how was your college day?" "Worst," was the short answer. "What happened?" "Today, there is a girl who confesses her love for me." "Ha? How can?" oddly, why did Wendy''s voice sound so enthusiastic in her ears? "Tell me in detail." "¡­" Kaylee was speechless at her best friend''s request. But finally, she agreed and told her what she had experienced today. (shback) "Uhm¡­ Nick, I¡­ I have one request." "Sure. What request?" "If... If..." the girl linked her index fingers shyly as she lowered her head and nced at Kaylee with a look like someone who was in love. me on the innocent Kaylee because she was extraordinarily insensitive and did not notice the girl''s suspicious attitude. "Yes? If what?" instead, Kaylee asked the girl to continue her words and her voice sounded very curious, making the young girl chuckle. "If in case I win thepetition tomorrow... Please go on a date with me." BOOM!! As if Kaylee was at the foot of a volcano, she could hear the sound of an eruption from above her head. Suddenly Kaylee became a motionless sculptural statue, and as if someone was taking her breath away, Kaylee stopped breathing! Is it a dream? Can someone wake her up from her slumber? Or should she go to the doctor to check her ears? No, maybe that girl was speaking in thenguage of another, so Kaylee couldn''t understand what that girl was talking about. "Nick... Nick... are you okay?" Kaylee stepped back when she realized that the girl was directing her hand to touch her cheek. She cleared her throat a few times and licked her lips which suddenly became dry in an instant. "Wh... What did you say earlier?" Kaylee immediately closed her mouth tightly when she saw her pale face and wet eyes. "I like you. Don''t you like me?" "That¡­" Kaylee was running out of words when she saw the girl lowering her head with a heartbroken. Aaaarggh! If only she were a girl, she could reject all the men in this world who approached her. After all, that is a privilege a woman has. She is free to refuse and needs not to be afraid to break men''s hearts. After all, Kaylee didn''t do it on purpose either. Nothing could prevent men from falling in love with her and going after her. But Kaylee didn''t like them and kept her distance, so she was nicknamed ''Ice Queen'' by her friends. But now she is Nick. She could have rejected the girl''s feelings, but she was afraid that the girl would fail at thepetition event again if she refused. Ugh! What should she do? (shback end) "Hahahaha¡­ hahaha¡­" Both Kaylee''s foreheads frowned as the real Nichs burst outughing as soon as she finished telling what happened today. As far as she remembers, Nick was not in her apartment. Why did that kid suddenly appear out of nowhere? "Then what is your answer?" asked Nick, wiping the tears that had escaped his eyes fromughing too much. "I didn''t give her any answer. I just wished her ''good luck'' for tomorrow''s event." "So you don''t ept her feelings or reject her?" "If you were in my position, what would you do?" "Is she pretty?" Kaylee recalled what kind of face the girl had confessed her feelings to him. The girl had beautiful ash-blonde hair and slightly cute curly hair at the bottom ends. Her eyes are the most beautiful eyes Kaylee has ever seen, and¡­ Wait a minute¡­ why does she even adore a girl''s beauty? "I think¡­ she''s quite a beauty. I know that she is your type." Kaylee answered finally without disclosing the description she had just thought of. "Oh, yeah? Then I will ept her feelings and date her!" Kaylee picked up the square pillow on her couch and threw it at Nick. "You always ept the feelings of all girls. You yboy!" Kaylee''s mockery made Nick and Wendyugh. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Wendy asked her brother because the young man would go to New Jersey to stay one night at their grandmother''s house. "My ne leaves at nine in the morning." "Say hello to our dear grandmother. Tell her I can''te because I have to attend a pianopetition tomorrow afternoon." "Okay." The three of them had dinner together after ordering food delivery services while chatting lightly. This was Kaylee''s life when she has time off from work. She spends more time with Wendy and Nick than at her home. Not that she didn''t like her parents'' house, but Kaylee almost felt she couldn''t breathe every time her mother tried to influence her mind about getting married. Well,tely, her mother hadn''t brought it up since Den''s arrival a few months ago. But instinct tells her that her mother hasn''t given up on making Den her son-inw. Unfortunately, Kaylee couldn''t guess what her mother had in mind. The next day, Kaylee¡­ Roe and Wendy Larson had dressed up gracefully and elegantly to be the juries of thispetition. Wendy looks so noble and shows the charisma of a leader by wrapping her hair in a bun. As for Roe, she let her ck hair loose while the two sides were tied in a braid and put together at the back of her head. Wendy wore a pastel cream dressbined with a white cardigan. Meanwhile, Roe wore a baby pink croissant halter dress, making her look cute and beautiful. Of course, Roe didn''t forget to ask her make-up artist to make her face look neither Kaylee nor Nick-like. This time¡­ the role of Kaylee Roesaline Zouch is that of a Roe, a legendaryposer who all musicians much admire. When the car they were riding in arrived in front of the campus lobby, Jacob was the first to walk over to the two of them. "Hello, Miss Larson. I''m Nichs''s friend here. Nice to meet you." everyone could see the adoring and full of worship light in Jacob''s eyes as he stretched out one hand for a handshake. Wendy nced at Roe, who was now coughing a little, realizing that Jacob wasn''t lying at all when he said he was the number one Wendy fan in the world. Didn''t the young man expect Nick to introduce him to Wendy? It seems that even without Nick''s presence, Jacob was able to approach his idol. Chapter 18 - Ch. 18 Jacobs Idol The first-roundpetition event went well. Of the approximately fifty contestants, only twelve contestants made it to the next round. One of them was Alicia Johnson, the young girl who has confessed her feelings to ''Nick.'' At first, Kaylee hoped that Alicia would not be as great as she thought and would fall in the first round. Who would have thought, it turned out that this girl shines the most among the other contestants. Without prioritizing her interests, Kaylee still assessed Alicia''s performance professionally and rationally. She was always untroubled and doing her job seriously. But when it came to recess, where all the jury were provided with a room, only then did Kaylee encounter a nerve-wreck. "Wendy, what should I do? If that girl really wins¡­" "Hey, take it easy. The next song won''t be as easy as before. We still have a chance. But, I have to say, that girl reminds me of you." "Me?" "Do you remember the first time you entered the international piano championships? You''re the one who shines the most among the other contestants." "Well, I think she will be a great professional pianistter." Wendyughed with amusement. "Now you admire her. You''re not worried that she''ll chase you when you meet on Monday." "Are you my friend? Please, don''t remind me of that." Kaylee took a deep breath and then decided to walk outside for some fresh air. The next round starts in about half an hour, and the juries decided to rest their eyes and back muscles as they had been sitting in the same position for more than four hours. Kaylee didn''t walk away from the break room because she didn''t want it to be considered rude to explore this campus without permission. Well, it doesn''t matter to her exploring this campus because no one will stop her. But she didn''t want to be interrupted by the kids from seeing her or Wendy. Not to mention that Jacob was eager to talk with Wendy. She had to be careful if she didn''t want Jacob to find out that she was Nick. Fortunately, Jacob idolizes Wendy and not Roe. Otherwise, the young man will be suspicious of her. After all, since the first day Kaylee set foot on this campus, Jacob was the closest friend to her. She was afraid if Jacob would notice her as ''Nick'' if Jacob stood near her long enough. Meanwhile, in another room, Alicia tried to contact ''Nick'' restlessly. At the same time, Jacob also tried to get Nick with an enthusiastic heart. One wanted to hear answers to her confession while the other desired to tell Nick that he has met his sister. But both of them couldn''t reach Nick because their friend didn''t pick up the phone. Well, actually, the person they were calling was Kaylee, and right now, Kaylee turned on mute mode on her cellphone, so she wouldn''t know that someone called her. "Alice, I never knew you were so good at ying the piano. You''re almost on Nick''s level." praised one of his friends to make Jacob interested to hear it. "O, right? I remember Nick ying Liezt''s song during thest recital. He is a genius at ying the piano." "Why doesn''t he join this race? I''m pretty sure he has a great chance of winning." "I''m also surprised. He''s obviously talented and genius at ying the piano, but why did he even take guitar music sses as his major?" Jacob listened to his friends talk with great interest. He had never thought this way before because Nick''s choice was none of his business. But after listening to his friends'' talk, Jacob became curious about why Nichs Larson didn''t take the piano ss as his major? Jacob once listened to Nick''s piano ying on a television monitor because the recital was held behind closed doors. Still, his appearance was broadcast on television for other applicants to see. Even though he had only listened to his y once, Jacob knew immediately that the boy was a prodigy boy. His bodynguage style, expression, and long-pressing fingers dancing on the piano tuts could steal the listener''s breath. For some reason, Jacob suddenly missed his best friend. Even though they will meet on Monday, he wanted to talk to his best friend. Regrettably, Nick didn''t pick up the phone, so Jacob decided to look for Wendy to ask about his brother, who hasn''t been contactable. Well, the real reason was because he wanted to see Wendy again. [author: *speechless*] When Jacob arrived in the corridor where the juries were resting, Jacob''s footsteps stopped when he saw a girl in a pink dress daydreaming out of the window. Her figure from the side looks like a silhouette of a beautiful girl admiring the beauty of the universe. At first, he didn''t pay much attention to Roe because he was more interested in meeting Wendy. Now when he looked at the girl who seemed oblivious to his presence, Jacob realized that this girl named Roe was charming. No wonder his friends admired Roe and called her the ideal girl. Her tiny frame and looked so fragile makes anyone want to protect her. Her thin lips and dimples that always appear every time the girl smiles captivated all the hearts of men in this world. Jacob knew Roe was aposer and arranger who was quite outstanding in this country. Even her name was well known in the European continent and had invited her to the noble ball party. Sadly, Roe never epted the invitation and chose not to go abroad. Nobody knew why Roe refused, and they could only wonder why Roe gave up this golden opportunity. Jacob moved his foot to get closer to Roe, and his ear caught a muttering of a melody he often heard. Isn''t this¡­ Nick often mumbled this melody whenever he was in a daze. Why could he hear it from Roe? Or is it a popr melody this year? Why wouldn''t he know about it? Jacob''s footsteps stopped, and at that moment, he noticed the small movement Roe was making. At this point, Roe moved her finger over the window sill as if she were ying piano keys. Precisely seeing this, Jacob frowned even more. Why does Roe have the same habits as Nick? And why is Roe singing the melody that Nick sings a lot? When Jacob closed his eyes, he even felt he was hearing Nick singing the melody! What is this? Chapter 19 - Ch. 19 Is Roe... Nick In Disguise? Jacob was so carried away by Roe''s melody that he unconsciously walked over to the girl. As they got closer and closer and Roe began to catch the shadow next to her, the girl turned to Jacob and was a little surprised to see her friend... er... Wendy''s fans there. "Hi, Jack. Did youe here to see Wendy?" Jacob didn''t flinch from his ce and stared at Kaylee without blinking. "Jack?" "How... how do you know my name?" Jacob had noticed that the girl''s face had turned pale but then immediately turned back to being friendly. "I remember you introduced yourself when greeting Wendy this afternoon." "Ah, I see." Jacob wondered if he introduced himself by the name Jack this afternoon? He remembered introducing himself as Jacob. His close friends would call him Jake instead of Jack, and the only people who called him Jack were... Nick! Ah, maybe just a coincidence. There was no way Nick would suddenly turn into a girl as beautiful and elegant as Roe. After all, Nick was an energetic kid and not at all graceful. "I''ll call Wendy if you want to meet her." "Ah, no need." stop Jacob before Kaylee leaves. Kaylee looked at Jacob in surprise, while Jacob himself was also confused about why he prevented her from leaving. "Uhm... I heard you''re Wendy''s best friend." Kaylee smiled without knowing that her friendly smile could steal the breath of the young men who saw it... including Jacob. Usually, Kaylee would not be friendly to strangers, especially to men. But Jacob is not a stranger but a close friend (although Jacob doesn''t recognize her). Therefore Kaylee could not be cold with the young man and couldn''t help but smile friendly. Well, she literally forgot about her worry if Jacob would recognize her or not. "That''s right. She''s a good friend of mine. You seem to really admire Wendy the way you look at her." Instantly Jacob''s face flushed at the ear, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly. "I do admire her, but... somehow, I feel embarrassed if you say it directly." Kayleeughed with amusement at Jacob''s words which she thought were adorable. This was the first time she has seen Jacob, who was shy and like a child who is meeting a stranger for the first time. When Jacob was with ''Nick,'' the young man was always outspoken and always approached him. But now, the young man looked embarrassed and as if he was running out of material to talk about. Little did she know, Jacob currently has a heart attack because of herughing gesture. Her cute smile and one arm bent under her chin... made Roe look very appealing to his eyes. Without realizing it, Jacob touched his left chest with his right hand, and he swallowed hard when he felt his own heartbeat. He had never pounded like this against a woman before. He wasn''t even this nervous when he met his idol, Wendy Larson. Then why was he pounding against Roe? "Kay... oh, Roe. They''re distributing dinner. There''s a cake made of nuts. Can I take it?" "Of course." "Hi, weren''t you the Jacob who greeted me earlier?" Wendy walked over to Kaylee and looked at Jacob from top to bottom. "Yes. I didn''t expect you to remember my name." Both Kaylee and Wendy could see Jacob''s adoring gaze, only... this time, his adoring gaze was on Kaylee. The innocent Kaylee didn''t pay attention to it, but Wendy realized it. That''s why Wendy looked at Jacob investigating as if she were appraising a product. "We''d better get back. We have to get ready for the next round." Kaylee nodded in agreement, and both of them headed to the break room after saying goodbye to Jacob. Jacob looked disappointed that he has to part with Roe, but he did not stop the girl and let the two women walk past him. The moment Kaylee stepped over Jacob''s shoulder, the wind from outside the window blew in, making her hair fluttering. At that moment, a mild refreshing aroma wafted by Jacob made the young man raise an eyebrow. Jacob looked at Roe with the same thousand questions. Why does Roe have the same scent as Nick? Not only are the hand habits and the mumbling melodies the same as Nick''s, but the mild, delicious scent is the same? Roe even called him Jack! "Is it possible... Roe is Nick in disguise?" [author: Nope. Nick is Kaylee in disguise] "Roe, Wendy! This is bad. Our solo performers suddenly didn''t show up." Roe and Wendy looked at each other and then looked at themittee person who was responsible for keeping thepetition running. "I didn''t know if we had a solo performance event. Do you know this?" Wendy asked Roe, who answered it with a shake of her head. "Our team leader decided to surprise the contestants. We nned to invite a pianist to encourage and also shock the weak contestants. It''s quite good for the elimination rounds that would knock out at least two or three people. But that person fell out of the stairs and sprained his right hand and leg so that he couldn''te." "Then, we will cancel the solo performance event and proceed ording to the original n," Roe suggested, to which Wendy''s head nodded at once. "No. Our chairman insists on holding this solo performance, and he chose you." "Me? But I don''t know what song to y." "This." themittee girl gave the book to Roe while exining further. "You have fifteen minutes to learn it, then get on with it. We''re counting on you, Roe!" Meanwhile, Jacob, who witnessed the scene, gawked widely. How could anyone learn a song in fifteen minutes and yed it that could shake the contestants'' spirit? Not too far away from the campus hall, Den just received news that the person who would perform the solo performance had an ident and couldn''t make it. "What? Then who reced him?..." Den heard an answer from someone who called him. "Roe? I''ll be there in a minute.." Den decided to hang up the phone and take his car keys to go to M University. Chapter 20 - Ch. 20 Jacob Has A Crush On Roe In the jury room, Wendy allowed Jacob to enter because Jacob was not a contestant and was a good friend of ''Nick'' as well as her big number one fan. That''s why Wendy invited Jacob inside, which made the young man very happy. At first, Jacob wanted to chat more with Roe, but as soon as they got inside, Roe became like someone else and immediately sat down to study the music book given by one of the organizers. The girl looked serious in studying each note listed on the book and moving her cute fingers on top of the book. "Can she do it?" Jacob doubted that Roe could put on such an extraordinary performance to make the contestants mentally shaken. Moreover, he knew it was absolutely impossible for someone to learn a ssic song in just fifteen minutes. "Take it easy. This is one of her abilities. Roe can learn a new song in five minutes. Therefore, the allotted fifteen minutes is a lot of time to memorize the song." Jacob''s eyes widened at that. "She memorized it?" "Yup. That girl is a genius at learning and memorizing new songs. So I won''t be surprised if after this you will turn into her fan." Jacob was speechless, and at once, he felt his face turn hot as if he had been in a sauna room for hours. Seeing the cute demeanor of the young man next to her made Wendy chuckle. "You''re so adorable." "Miss Larson, wanna some cupcake more? I wanted to give it to Miss Roe, but it looks like she can''t be bothered." "Isn''t this made of nuts?" Wendy asked her fellow jury as she took thest cupcake. "I think so." "Roe can''t eat peanuts. I''ll just eat it." "Why can''t she eat peanuts? Is she allergic? " "Yes. She won''t be able to breathe once she eats peanuts." Wendy replied, taking a delicious bite of the nuts cupcake. Unbeknownst to her, Jacob frowned at Row. He remembered the incident when he had lunch together with Nick in the campus cafeteria. At that time, Nick and Jacob ordered the same meal package and got nut bread as their additional snack. "Jack, you want to take my bread? I can''t eat peanut butter bread." "Why?" "I''m allergic to nuts." That''s what Nick told him when he gave him his peanut butter bread. This made Jacob even more wondering if Roe was Nick in disguise. Without his brain''smand, Jacob nced at Roe''s face from her eyes and admired hershes. Oh, God¡­ he had never seen those doll-like prettyshes. His eyes shifted down to her tiny nose, and cheekbones entirely covered with soft skin made him want to caress her and feel how smooth the skin was under his palms. His eyes continued to shift until they came to two mounds in front of the girl''s chest, and suddenly Jacob looked away. Jacob pinched his thigh as hard as he could while scolding himself. Why would he be rude to a nice girl like Roe? He could not look at her with disrespect, let alone imagine Nick turning entirely into a real girl who was as beautiful as Roe. There''s no way Nick is Roe. Correct. It is impossible. It just so happened that they had the same habits. Roe is a good friend of Wendy Larson, and Nichs Larson is Wendy''s younger brother. Maybe Nick and Roe have been together a lot, and without realizing it, they have the same habits and wear the same perfume. Coincidentally, they also have the same allergy, and both call him Jack¡­ Wait a minute. Even if it happened by coincidence¡­ isn''t this coincidence too suspicious? Jacob could no longer control his curiosity and decided to ask Wendy directly. "Miss Larson. I heard Nick''s not in New York right now. I tried calling him, but he didn''t pick up my call." "Ah, maybe he''s still busy apanying my grandmother. You want me to call him? He always picks up my phone." "If you don''t mind, can you contact him using a video call?" "Video call?" an eyebrow raised in surprise at this, but then she decided to grant his request. Jacob smiled broadly when Wendy agreed. If only Nick had picked up Wendy''s phone and saw for himself that this young man wasn''t Roe, Jacob could feel calm and indulgent in liking Roe. Uhm¡­ did he just admit that he had a crush on Roe? "Hey, Nick! Did you bother Grandma while there?" "Tch, of course not. Why are you vid-calling me?" "It seems that one of your friends is missing you." "Ha? Who?" "Who else if not your college friend, Jacob? Here." without waiting for his clueless brother''s response, Wendy showed her cellphone screen to Jacob, making Jacob beaming to see his friend''s face on the other side. "Hey, Nick. Thank goodness you were there." "... hahaha..." Nick didn''t know what to answer because he didn''t know Jacob at all and was afraid to say something wrong, so he decided not to talk much. "What''s up, man?" "Why didn''t you pick up my phone? I''ve been trying to contact you for a long time ago." "Sorry. I can''t leave my grandmother. In fact, I gotta go now. See you on Monday." Beep! And Nick immediately hung up the call, making Jacob speechless. Nick never hangs up on his call. Well, he didn''t care anymore because he felt overwhelmed by the feeling of relief that Roe wasn''t Nick in disguise. Not long after, Wendy got a message from her brother that made herugh. ''What was that!!?'' ''Kaylee''s college friend asked for a video call with you. It seems he suspects that Kaylee is you. I have no other choice but to contact you directly.'' ''Tell me in advance next time!'' Wendy rolled her eyeszily to read her brother''s reply. How could she tell Nick without making Jacob suspicious? What a stupid brother. Chapter 21 - Ch. 21 Declans First Love Den arrived just in time as Roe exited the waiting room and stepped onto the stage with an elegant gesture. Den never met or heard of the girl''s recital performance in person. He knew everyone recognized who Roe and admired her piano performance. But Den never heard of it because he thought, no matter how much he listened to Roe''s ying, no one would be able to steer his heart and soul through music other than that ''person.'' Den sat on the highest end of the chair line while watching Roe''s movements, who was now bowing to salute the audience. "Tonight''s guest is Roe?" "Roe going to y the piano?" "And we can hear it for free??" "Is it a dream? I don''t want to wake up from this dream." Den could hear noises from the audience who were surprised to see Roe appear on stage. They were all surprised but looked very enthusiastic and couldn''t wait to see Roe sitting on the piano chair and dancing her jaunty fingers over the piano keys. The solo performance should have been James Wong, a most talented pianist from China. The energy and emphasis in transmitting the melody were extraordinary, making anyone shudder to hear it. Den agreed that James Wong would appear to shock the contestants because he himself chose that person to be the contestants'' stumbling block. Every year, this pianopetition event always has a mental-break test before reaching the final round. Last year Den made the contestants change their song into the same piece out of the blue, making five contestants drop out in the next round. This year, at themittee team leader''s request, he suggested presenting a pianist figure who has a strong aura and authority and set the contestants'' assessment standards to match the same aura as this pianist. This would weaken the contestants'' spirit and made them feel insecure and uneasy. Den agreed and chose James Wong to be the figure of the pianist. He even created a particr masterpiece and gave it to James Wong to learn from a month ago. But suddenly, the pianist had such an unexpected carelessness that his arms and legs were dislocated and swollen. He had never heard Roe y the piano, and he did not know if she could discourage the contestants or not. If Roe''s piano ying is weak, this year''s pianopetition''s difficulty level will be considered low. Den hoped that at least Roe wouldn''t be too weak to y his song. Especially he made the song for a male pianist, and there was no way a weak-looking female pianist like Roe could bring out the song''s true colors. The sound of noises fell silent as soon as he saw Roe sitting so elegantly on the piano chair. The contestants, who had been waiting in the waiting room and seeing the stage atmosphere through therge television provided, decided to leave so they could see Roe''s live performance directly. Kaylee''s hands rose directly above the piano keys without touching the ck and white object. Unnoticed by everyone else, the audience, the contestants, including Den, and the rest of the juries held their breath, waiting for Roe to drop her hands to start the piece. Meanwhile, Kaylee, who was still hanging her hands on the piano keys, closed her eyes while remembering the series of musical notes she had read. In order to learn a song that she had never heard or yed before, Kaylee was willing not to eat and let her stomach feel hungry. Plus, this song was not the kind of music style that suited her taste. This song''s character was aggressive and dignified, as if she heard abined sound formed from an orchestra. There was the sound of brass, strings, and percussion in one. But she had to y those voices in the piano sound. She did not know whoposed this piece, but judging from the melodic pattern and dynamic distribution style in each area, Kaylee suspects that the songwriter was ck Moon. If that''s true, then Kaylee would y it wholeheartedly and step out of herfort zone. This was the first time she has yed her idol''s masterpiece. She never met ck Moon because that person never appeared in magazines or on television. But every time she yed ck Moon''s song in her studio, Kaylee feels like she''s one step closer to that person. After memorizing the intricate parts of the song she learned, Kaylee took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. In the next instant, her two hands dropped in one loud crash, creating a chord that sounded so daunting and dominated all the contestants'' aura. Kaylee started her first chord with an enormous me, ording to the creator''s wish. And the girl continued her recreation with the same passion and never extinguished. In fact, it seemed, the mes were getting bigger and bigger, making everyone break out into cold sweat. Each of the spectators, including the juries, felt the hair on their necks lifted at every key yed by Roe. Even the songwriter, Den¡­ stared at Roe in amazement. He could feel a warrior''s fiery spirit at Roe''s y as if it wasn''t a girl ying his song. Den didn''t even feel this astonishing when he heard James Wong ying his song. How could¡­ a girl as elegant and frail as Roe could create such a domineering aura filled with dignity? "Roe... she is a genius." suddenly, his ck eyes sparkled at the girl who seemed to merge with the ck grand piano on the stage. Den did not know why, in this room which was filled with many people, suddenly became empty, and his eyes could only see the figure of Roe ying the piano up there. The way the girl performed his song, the girl''s aura when ying the music aroused his previously hidden passion. This was the second time he had this feeling. He felt a light leading him to walk towards the exit from his dark world. The first time was when he was about tomit suicide eight years ago. However¡­ that person''s piano ying saved him. At first, he thought Nichs Larson was that ''person,'' but¡­ somehow¡­ his instincts told him that Roe was that ''person.'' Is¡­ Roe, his savior? Is Roe his first love? [Den: Better that Roe be his first love instead of Nick ] Author: Roe and ''Nick'' and your mother''s chosen bride are the same person, duh! Chapter 22 - Ch. 22 Mysterious Yet Charming As soon as Kaylee finished ying the final melody with a remarkable performance, only then did everyone remembers to take a deep breath. In the next second, an ear-splitting pping sound was heard from all corners of the room, and not a single one didn''t give standing apuse. Kaylee smiled broadly, and somehow her aura turned into a soft and mild girl, making Den and Jacob, who noticed the vibe change was stunned. How could someone who looked daunting and dignified now turn into a person as delicate as a feather flying in the wind? "Thank you, everyone, and I remind you that my presentation earlier is a standard requirement of assessment for the contestants." The contestants who had been looking at Roe with gazes of amazement and adoration suddenly turned pale when they heard the girl''s final words. They have to try to have the same aura as Roe to qualify for the finals!? How could they do that? Some of the contestants suddenly panicked and secretly tried to recall what Roe had looked like before. They were too fascinated to learn anything from the girl''s presentation. If they had known that their performance would be assessed based on Roe''s performance, they would not be caught off guard and tried to learn Roe''s movements when pressing piano keys with her fingers. Den noticed the contestants'' atmosphere change who stood at the end of the room near the stage. At first, he thought it was only two or three people who experienced the mental breakdown. He did not expect that the twelve contestants looked panicked and like kids who were lost without knowing where their parents were. Den smiled crookedly at their panicked expressions. Themittee considered him sadistic because he gave a tough challengest year so that five people aborted at once even though they only needed to eliminate four people. Who would have thought James Wong''s recement was more sadistic than him and made the twelve contestants had a mental breakdown. Of course, this included Alicia Johnson, whose face has now turned white. She wasn''t sure if she coulde out the winner if the standard of judgment were Roe''s performance. Kaylee realized that the twelve contestants standing next to her stage were panicking, and their expressions instantly made her feel bitter. All of a sudden, she didn''t have the heart to make them feel intimidated by her performance. In addition, three of the contestants, including Alicia, were her ssmates at this campus. Hence, she decided to change the narrative provided by themittee. "Even though my presentation is used as the standard, it doesn''t mean that you have to follow my style of y. My little advice to all of you¡­" Kaylee looked at the panicked contestants who were standing below the stage. "Is to be yourself. What makes you shine is not because you look at other people or imitate that person''s style. Believe in yourself and put all your heart into giving your best show. That''s when you will shine brightly on this stage." One by one, the contestants'' faces brightened again, and they are now finding their confidence and ready to ''fight.'' Jacob, who saw Roe''s way of stimting the contestants'' fighting spirit, became even more wonder-stricken by the girl, and without realizing it, his gaze never left her beautiful face. Not that he could take away his eyes as he never shifted his gaze since Kaylee yed the piano. At the same time, Den chuckles, and his eyes showed a glint of attraction to the mysterious girl who, rumors said, never wants to appear in front of the camera. He thought Roe never epted in-person interviews or appeared on variety shows because she was a shy and timid girl. Who would have thought that girl was able to utter words that could revive the contestants'' self-confidence. Not only that, the girl''s smile was so pleasing to the eye that anyone wouldn''t be able to change their attention off her. "Well, well, well." a voice appeared next to Den. "We n to make two or three contestants fall easily. But it seems, this time, the juries have to think hard to determine who will continue to the next round. There are quite a lot of gifted yers in this contest." Den snorted at his sentence. "I heard you chose her to rece James Wong. Why did you choose her?" "I have no idea. I only think that she is the only one who can save this challenge. She''s the best soul yer I''ve ever met." "I didn''t know she is a soul yer." "Now you know." Den gave a faint smile without taking his eyes off Roe. A soul yer was a musician who could stir the human soul who heard the instrument he ys. When the musician performed a sorrowful song, the listeners would feel sad too and shed tears. However, when the musician performed a lively and cheerful song, the initially grieving listeners would also feelforted and feel joy. There were not many soul yers in this country because it was challenging to touch the human soul through their musical instruments. Most musicians rely on their ying technique and think only about perfection. Even Den himself was not the best soul yer, but when he let his emotions control his soul, he turned into a soul yer. If Den wasn''t emotional and in a rational state, he would never have been able to create a melody that could thrill the listener''s soul. "Roe," murmured Den. "Do you know her full name?" asked Den to the team leader of thispetition eventmittee. "Hm¡­ I don''t know. It just Roe. That was all the name she had. She is very secretive and does not reveal what her surname is or where she lives. Isn''t she mysterious?" Den didn''t answer and was still staring at Roe as the girl stepped backstage. Mysterious, yet charming in her own way.. Thought Den. Chapter 23 - Ch. 23 You Look Beautiful Kaylee felt like she wished to dig a hole and hide her face while Jacobplimented her endlessly like she was a goddess. "Wow, miss Roe, your y was superb beyond words. I barely noticed that I held my breath for ten minutes. You look like someone else the moment you touch the piano keys and run your fingers over them. The sound of your ying, the aura that emanates from your body movements, was really¡­ really¡­ otherworldly being! How did you do that?" "Jack, you''re too much." "No, no, no. I''m not too much. I''m talking facts here, am I?" Jacob asked his friends who joined in thepetition. "That''s right. I was shocked when you told us that we had to match the way you yed. But after hearing your words of encouragement, we felt that we found who we are as pianists." "It is true. Thanks to seeing you y and hearing your motivational words, we feel like a music goddess is blessing us." "Uhm... there is no music goddess." Kaylee stated, which was immediately followed by everyone''s amusedughter. "We know that there is nothing such a music goddess. But if there is one, I''m pretty sure it will be you." Kaylee didn''t know what to do anymore because right now, she felt like she was overly¡­ nervous! As far as she could remember, she had never been surrounded by this many people. Well, there would have been a lot of crowds around her the moment she stepped off the stage, but Kaylee always managed to escape and return to her private dressing room. Now¡­ she couldn''t run away, and these teenagers crowded around her, praising her, making her not know what to do. Wendy noticed her friend''s difort and immediately reminded the contestants of the event that was still going on. In the end, one by one, they all walked back into the waiting room to prepare themselves mentally before their names were called out to appear in front of the audience. But it seemed they were too excited about talking to Roe that they were still talking about their music goddess without knowing that Kaylee could listen to their conversation. "Do you see that? Roe isn''t arrogant at all." "Totally agree with you. She is nothing like those terrible rumors. What Ice Queen!? She was kind and warm to us." "She looks innocent, though. I think people who jealous of her took this advantage and spread bad rumors about her." "Might be. Gosh, I like her very much!" "Me too. From now on, she is my role model." Jacobughed with amusement at the blushing Roe. "Looks like this is your first time facing a crowd like this." guessed Jacob because he also knew very well that Roe rarely appeared in front of her fans. Jacob thought Roe was an arrogant woman and kept a distance from ordinary people, so Jacob preferred Wendy, who was more cheerful and greeted her fans with an open heart. Who would have thought Roe''s true nature as someone shy and innocent to make Jacob fall in love with her even more? "Who said that? A lot of people have surrounded me." denied Kaylee in a stern tone, but her face was still as red as a tomato to make Wendy and Jacob could not believe her words. Well, Kaylee was not lying because, for thest three months, she has been surrounded by teenage boys on campus. [Author: That doesn''t count, right?] "You look so beautiful." Jacob blurted without his brain''smand making Kaylee stare at him in disbelief. Jacob smiled sheepishly when he realized the words he was dering. "Ah, that... I mean ..." Argh! Because the words have already been spoken, Jacob would not chicken out. "You seem to shine on stage, but when you meet your fans, you appear more radiant. Wouldn''t it be great if you met your fans often? I''m pretty sure they will also feel happy talking to you." Wendy smiled gently and gave this young man one point plus. Then she nced at her friend, who currently looked confused, not knowing what kind of response was given. Ah, no. Wait. Wendy rechecked her friend''s eyes and realized that her dear innocent friend is in ''other dimension'' mode! Could it be¡­ Roe didn''t listen to Jacob''s exnation just now, and her mind turned to the question, ''Why is Jacob praising me?'' "Ehem¡­ ahem¡­ Roe, we have to go back. Soon the next round ofpetitions will start." Wendy elbowed her best friend''s waist slowly and managed to bring the girl out of her ''other dimension.'' "Ha?" "We''re almostte." "Ah, right. We have to get ready." Kaylee immediately walked over without ncing at Jacob, headed into the main hall, and sat on the jury bench. Jacob, who saw Roe walking without ncing at him, was confused by her attitude change. Did he speak wrong? It seemed Roe hated meeting strangers. But... isn''t Jacob himself a stranger to that girl? Then why was the girl being friendly and smiling sweetly at him? Is it possible¡­ Does Roe like him?? Jacob covered his mouth with one hand to hide his happy smile as his face turned red. Ah, will he be allowed to see Roe again after this and ask for her number? Alright. Once the event was over, he would go to Roe to ask for the girl''s number. Meanwhile, Kaylee, who had sat in her ce, couldn''t stop wondering. Why did Jacobpliment her on being beautiful? Not that she had never heard of this kind ofpliment. It''s just that hearing the word ''beautiful''e out of Jacob''s mouth, who is her best friend on campus, was very strange. Somehow she felt guilty and had negative thoughts. What if Jacob found out that Roe is Nick? What if Jacob found out that all this time Nick, who has been his best friend on campus, is a girl? Will Jacob be mad at her? Would that young man hate her? Somehow Kaylee didn''t like to think that there was a chance that Jacob might hate her. Even though her college friends would turn against her and be hostile to her, Kaylee hopes that Jacob is someone who will stay by her side and be friends with her. The young man was her first male friend on campus and treated her the same from start to the end of the day. Even though Jacob had not helped her when their friends were against her at the beginning, the young man did not join them nor bullied her. Kaylee felt that if she had been a girl in front of Jacob from the start, that young man would have protected her and wouldn''t let anyone bully her. Somehow Kaylee felt like that, and somehow¡­ she felt her heart didn''t stop beating every time she remembered the young man''s smile when praising her. Her face felt hot as she remembered the young man''s adoring gaze directed at her, making her hold her cheeks in her hands. What is this? What is this feeling? Is it possible¡­ Chapter 24 - Ch. 24 Isnt He Too Young? Somehow, Kaylee managed to get rid of her thoughts about her feelings for Jacob and focus on thispetition event. She gave fair judgments and did not vote for favorite contestants. Even though she hoped Alicia Johnson wouldn''te out as the winner, Kaylee remained on a professional jury and properly assessed Alicia''s y. In the end, Alicia came out as the runner-up champion, making Kaylee feel relieved and guilty at the same time. She knew that Alicia wanted to win this race so badly, but Kaylee prayed that the girl didn''t win. She felt guilty and sorry for having prayed for her failure. She felt even more guilty when she felt relieved that Alicia would no longer see her and demand answers from her when they met on Monday. Even though her job today was just a jury like she does every year, why is her job today more specifically tiring? "Miss Roe, Miss Larson, and Mr. Gardnerr thank you for your participation in this event." said one of thepetitionmittees while giving a souvenir to the five juries. After chatting lightly for a few minutes, Kaylee saw Jacob waving his hand at her and made her immediately feel unfamiliar great happiness. Kaylee cleared her throat a few times as if trying to remove something inside her throat. Wendy chuckled, noticing the bright hue on her friend''s face, and couldn''t help but tease her. "Isn''t he too young for you?" Kaylee red at her friend while pursing her lips. "How could you. I don''t know what to do now? Should I go to him? Or should I avoid him? What if he thinks I''m arrogant? How about¡­" "Wait, wait. I''m just teasing you. Why do you take me seriously? Ha!" Wendy gasped when she realized something. "Is it possible¡­ you like him¡­ as a man? Seriously?" "I... I..." "Go to him, girl." Wendy pushed Kaylee''s back towards Jacob, who was still waiting beside the hall door. Kaylee looked at her friend''s face doubtfully and was filled with confusion. "This is the first time you''ve liked someone. Why don''t you try it?" "But... isn''t he too young for me?" Kaylee repeated her best friend''s question making Wendy roll her eyeszily. "Age is not a problem. You just need to get to know him and find out whether you want to spend your whole life with him or not. Isn''t it better for you to marry the person you like than to marry the person your mother chooses?" Kaylee bit her lip doubtfully while contemting each sentence of her best friend. Although Mrs. Zouch did not currently discuss her arranged marriage with Den ck, Kaylee was unsure that her mother would give up marrying her off to him. If only she confessed to her mother that she had someone else in her heart and managed to convince her parents that she would be happier to be with the person she likes¡­ wouldn''t that be better? Finally, Kaylee decided to go up to the young man who was still smiling at her. Jacob has been smiling at her a lot when she appears as ''Nick.'' But somehow, now she seemed to see something like a halo around the young man''s face while smiling at her. Somehow she couldn''t act like she usually did when her eyes met Jacob''s blue eyes. Did Jacob''s eyes shine so beautifully when the young man smiled? Why now Kaylee realized something she had never realized before? "Hi, Miss Roe." "Hi, Jack." "This is for you." Jacob gave Roe a bouquet of pink carnations. "Let me guess. You are supposed to give this bouquet to Wendy." Kaylee knew very well that Jacob must have provided Wendy with a bouquet because that young man was a fan of her best friend. "Ah, I gave her another flower. I just bought it a few minutes ago. I think the pink carnation is perfect for you." "??" Kaylee felt like she overheard a drum sound inside her chest when she heard that answer. "Ah, thank you." Finally, Kaylee said her gratitude while smelling the flower and lowered her face. She felt that right now, Jacob''s pair of blue eyes were looking at her with a look that could make her heart jump so that she didn''t dare look at him. On the other hand, Jacob was even more fascinated by the girl''s red hue in front of him. How adorable! "Miss Roe, can I..." "Miss Roe, here you are. I''ve been looking for you earlier." a loud voice from the end of the corridor interrupted Jacob''s words and caught the attention of the two. "Mister William." Kaylee greeted the director of themittee politely. This man was the one who invited her to be a jury here. But she couldn''t hide her surprise when she saw Den ck walking beside Mister William. She shifted her gaze when that daunting man looked at her with a probing look. "This is¡­" Mister William noticed Jacob''s presence beside Kaylee and wondered what someone was not amittee member or a jury was doing in this private corridor. "I am a student of this campus." "Ah, shouldn''t you be with your friends right now?" Jacob sighed, realizing this new arrival man had driven him away indirectly. Jacob nced at Roe, who was now looking at him regretfully. Even though he had to leave this corridor, Jacob was happy because he felt sure Roe indeed liked him. The girl seemed disappointed to see him go. "See you next time, miss Roe." Roe nodded her head once and looked sadly at the young man''s back. "What an amazing representation, Miss Roe." Mr. Williams''s praise made Kaylee couldn''t help but nce back at the man and gave him a faint smile. "Ah, introduce my friend. He also teaches at this campus. " "Den ck," stated Den, stretching a hand to shake hands with Kaylee. With a hesitant gesture, Kaylee took the extended hand and shook hands with the man. "Roe." Dear lord. Why is she so unlucky today? Before this, she was worried that Jacob would feel suspicious that she was Nick, and now her worries back and was afraid that Den would recognize her as Kaylee Zouch. Not to mention, those sharp ck eyes still looked at her as if he was an investigator. Calm down. Just calm down. Kaylee persuaded herself as if chanting an incantation. It had been more than two months since she had seen Den as Kaylee. The man definitely wouldn''t remember her, let alone recognize her. Hence, she didn''t have to worry and¡­ Kaylee widened her eyes as Den didn''t let go of her hand and lifted it towards the man''s mouth. OMG! Den ck kissed the back of her hand while looking at her eyes!! Chapter 25 - Ch. 25 You Have Beautiful Eyes Kaylee tried to pull her hand back when she felt like Den had finished kissing her hand. But she couldn''t do it because the man was holding her hand tightly. It didn''t hurt, but Kaylee felt ufortable when a strange man touched her hand for a long time. She tried to pull her hand again, but Den still held it without any intention of letting go. "Uhm... can you let go of my hand?" finally, Kaylee decided to speak. "Since when did you y the piano?" Den even asked back without responding to her request and still held her hand. Let go of my hand! "Since I was little. I''m not really¡­" Kaylee''s face became pale as she felt Den rubbing her fingers and palm with his. What is this man doing?! Den finally let go of her hand to make Kaylee breathe a sigh of relief, but now she was looking at him in annoyance. Really¡­ what was that man holding her hand and stroking her digits for? Mister Williams shook his head at what Den has done to an innocent girl like Roe. "Deck, don''t tell me you''re still looking for that person?" "¡­" "Is she the one?" Den shook his head in disappointment. Kaylee stared at the two men with disbelief. Have they both forgotten the fact that Kaylee is still there and can hear their conversation? "Roe, are you finished?" Kaylee thanks her creator (the author) for sending a savior to part with these two entric men. At least, the author was not as evil as she thought. [author: told you, I''m not evil.] "Yes. Let us go home." "Good evening, Miss Larson. If you don''t mind, how about youe with us? We would like to treat you over dinner." Den raised an eyebrow at his partner while Kaylee was eager to refuse because she did not want to linger around Den. "Not today, Mister Williams. Maybe another time." Kaylee sighed with relief when she heard her friend''s refusal, but her relief didn''tst long as Mister Williams offered her something else Wendy couldn''t refuse. "Then, let us escort you to the lobby." "Sure," Wendy replied, feeling disrespectful if she refused the kind offer from the organizing team leader of this race. In the end, Wendy walked next to Mister Williams in front while Kaylee walked with Den behind the duo. "Is it toote for me to say I really enjoy your y?" was the first conversation from Den to break the silence. "No," answered Kaylee softly without turning to the man beside her. "Why do I feel like you are avoiding me?" "It''s just your feelings, Mr. ck," she replied once again in a polite tone. "Am I making you ufortable, miss Roe?" "¡­" If you already know, don''t ask anymore. "Do I have reason to be ufortable?" "Because I like you." Kaylee''s footsteps stopped, and suddenly her whole body turned into a statue. What is this? The man never nced at Kaylee but admitted that he was attracted to Roe? Is Den ying with her? Den realized that the girl walking beside him had stopped her footsteps and stopped and turned to the girl. "Miss Roe?" "Thank you for thepliment, Mr. ck. But your joke is not very funny." "Do I look like I''m joking? I do like you." "I understand. You like my y on the stage¡­" Kaylee stepped back without realizing it as the man walked forward toward her. Somehow the man''s aura felt so daunting and overbearing that she didn''t dare to fight. "Is it difficult to understand? I like you as a man." It felt like Kaylee wanted to run away and hide in a room where no one would find her. If she were a Kaylee, she would have immediately gone off to run away and would never again meet a man this scary. But now she is Roe. She was so sure that Den didn''t know that she was Kaylee, so she tried to steel herself not to lose under this dominant male influence. "Is it because I resemble the person you are looking for? I heard your conversation with Mister Williams." "Maybe. But you are not that person." "Then... why?" "Why do I still like you?" guessed Den while lowering his head to get closer to Kaylee''s face, which made the girl seemed to run out of oxygen. Too close! Their faces were too close, and Kaylee could no longer walk backward because without realizing it, Den led her towards the wall so that now her back was leaning against the corridor wall. Kaylee gripped her dress''s fabric with both hands as Den''s ck eyes stared straight into hers. "I just realized you have beautiful eyes, Miss Roe." Kaylee felt lost in the battle. She would never be able to keep up with this man''s incredibly majestic aura and inevitable dignity. In the end, Kaylee decided to nce at the side where her best friend had disappeared from her sight. ''Wendy, why did you forget me, ah?'' Kaylee could only cry inwardly while ming her best friend for epting the men''s offer to escort them to the campus lobby. Den smiled lopsidedly, seeing the bunny looking scared under his eyes, and decided to end his teasing. "Looks like I do make you feel ufortable," he said as he took Kaylee''s hands that were gripping the fabric of her dress as if her life depends on it. Kaylee''s heart was pounding violently when she felt how gently the man opened her grip. His gentle touch was in stark contrast to his terrifying aura that made Kaylee confused. "These two hands are too precious. Don''t hurt yourself, miss." Gently, Den let go of Kaylee''s hands then walked after his partner, and Kaylee followed the man silently. Den nced backward, and his face showed an amused smile seeing the girl followed him meekly. After arriving at the lobby where Larson''s luxury sedan was waiting, Den opened the door and ushered Kaylee inside. "Thank you." even though Kaylee didn''t dare look at that man, she still knew how to thank and be polite to the man who had opened the door for her. It''s just¡­ she said it without even ncing at the man. After Kaylee and Wendy''s car drove out of the campus gate, Mister Williams couldn''t help but be curious. "Why are you taking so long?" "I want to know more about my future wife." "Ha? Who? Why didn''t I know you had a wife? Hoy, when are you getting married?" Mister Williams rushed after Den, who was already walking towards his car. Chapter 26 - Ch. 26 He Fell In Love Monday, for the first time in Kaylee''s life, she feltzy to do anything. She waszy to go to campus, she waszy to go to work, and she was incrediblyzy toe out of her apartment. This morning, for some reason, her pillow seemed to hug her tightly and whispered a devil''s whisper by telling her to skip one day. Kaylee smiled broadly and agreed with the whisper while rubbing her cheek on the pillow. Ah, sofortable. It felt very warm, and as if someone was caressing her head, Kaylee fell asleep again. Unfortunately, that annoying persistent rm sounds every ten minutes, making Kaylee unable to sleep anymore. Ugh! She really didn''t want to go to college. Can''t this time Nick rece her for one day? Aha! What a great idea. For today, Kaylee would send Nichs to the campus. With a quick motion, Kaylee took her cellphone while turning off the annoying rm. Then she looked up Nick''s name and contacted the young man. "Nick! I have a request from you." "What request?" "Can youe to campus today? I feel toozy to go there." "But I''m in California right now." "Ha?? What do you do there?" "Our manager suddenly gave us a concert schedule here. So I left Jersey yesterday afternoon in preparation for this concert." Hu hu hu, Kaylee felt like crying, but no tears came out. "I understand. Then¡­ bye," "Ah, wait. Why is your voice weak like that? Did someone bully you on campus? Who is it? I''ll rece you as soon as I get home to teach that person a lesson." Kayleeughed with amusement at the young man''s words which he uttered furiously. It''s magical, just hearing the encouraging words of her ''brother,'' Kaylee felt that she had regained her enthusiasm. "No one is bullying me. You also know that I''m not a girl who is easy to be bullied." "¡­" "Why do I feel like you don''t believe me?" "Kaylee. If it weren''t for you being the Zouch family''s daughter, there would have been many people who would bully you." "Do you have to say it like that? I''ll hang up now..." "Wait! Do you want something from here? I''ll bring you a souvenir." "Hm¡­"Kaylee tapped her chin with her index finger thoughtfully. "I want you toe home safely." Nickughed with amusement at that. This was the thing that made him adore Kaylee the most. The girl was never selfish and always thought of the interests of others more than herself. Still, Kaylee was too extreme to forget about her interests, so that sometimes she bes unhappy with the decisions she made. "Of course, I will return safely. I''ll see youter this weekend. Love you, sis." "Love you back, bro." After ending the call, Kaylee immediately got up to get ready to go to campus. Not too far from her apartment, Den entered the dining room, kissed his mother''s cheek, and greeted his father. Den decided to go back to his parents'' house yesterday evening because his mother called him and told him how much she missed him. Therefore he came back here and stayed overnight here. While he was enjoying his breakfast, Den remembered his meeting with Roest weekend. He felt suspicious that the girl was Kaylee Zouch because he remembered what Kaylee''s voice sounded like. Even though Kaylee was not his ideal girl and seemed indifferent to not paying attention to the girl when he came to visit the Zouch family residence, Den noticed each small movement of the girl sitting next to him. Her voice when speaking and the movements of her fingers were often fidgeting over her lower cloth. It didn''t take a fool to guess that the girl was afraid of him. At that time, Den was not interested in the girl, so he did not try to improve the situation. However, it would be a different story if it turns out that Kaylee is Roe, a genius who could charm him. He fell in love with that girl. Not because of her physical appearance, but because of the girl''s piano ying. And now that he likes Roe, the little things that girl had were so lovely in his eyes. The girl''s pair of eyes, cute little nose, and bunny-like behavior looked so adorable. However, he wanted to confirm it first, and he hoped his mother could give him an answer. "Mother, how much do you know Kaylee Zouch?" Clink! Mrs. ck dropped her fork on the floor, causing her husband and Den to stare at her in confusion. "Oh. My. Gosh! You mentioned Kaylee''s name! Does this mean you agree with this arranged marriage? Does that mean you want to marry her? Isn''t she beautiful? She''s also a lovely kid¡­" and h h h. Den sighed at his mother''s exaggeration. He only asked one question about Kaylee Zouch, but his mother had responded dramatically. "Honey, if you keep talking, how can we hear our son''s opinion?" Thanks to God that his father voiced his opinion and calmed his overdramatic mother. "Ah, right. What is it again? What do you want to know about Kaylee?" "I''m just wondering if she has a career other than being a pianist in her orchestral group." "Not that I know of. Why are you asking like this?" "Then do you know Kaylee''s full name?" "Of course I know," answered Mrs. ck with pride. "Her name is Kaylee Roesaline Zouch." Roesaline? Roe? Den smiled lopsidedly at that, and without further words, Den enjoyed his breakfast deliciously. Den''s silence made Mrs. ck is frustrated and impatient. "Den, tell me, do you agree to marry her?" "No. But I will consider it." "Really?" "I am done. Thank you for the meal." Den rose to his feet and kissed his mother once more on the cheek before he excused himself from leaving. "Den, I''m not done talking. So do you agree or not?" Mr. ck shook his head at his wife''s voice, which was so ring he was sure their neighbors heard her voice. [author: it turns out that Mr. ck is overdramatic too] "Ah, when will that kid make me die of curiosity until he satisfied? No, I must call Britney." Mrs. ck immediately contacted her best friend and told the woman that her son was bing interested in her best friend''s daughter. "Really? Does this mean our n will work?" "Whether it will work or not, they won''t be able to escape this weekend." The two womenughed like aughing demoness making both Den and Kaylee feel chills running down their spines. "Is my mother nning something behind my back?" guessed Den in his mind. Meanwhile, Kaylee thought she was not feeling well and immediately took vitamins to maintain her health. It would be troublesome if she fell ill again, not knowing her mother already nned something behind her back. On the other hand, what are thedies'' husbands thinking? Mr. ck : My poor son Mr. Zouch: My poor baby girl Chapter 27 - Ch. 27 Its Time To Move On During the trip to campus, an M University professor contacted Den and asked about Nichs Larson''s development. "Mr. ck, have you told Nichs Larson?" "I''ve been trying to summon him since the beginning of the semester, but that kid had a tight schedule." "Hisst test score dropped, and his guitar recital the previous week was not that good. We have to move him immediately before the winter program starts." "I understand. I will try to talk to him again." Den stored his phone in his pocket, gazing out at the road while the driver drove his car. Early in the semester, he wanted to meet with Nichs Larson to find out if it was the boy who had saved him eight years ago. But the boy always found reasons not toe, and in between, the piano professor contacted him. The professor had heard the recording with Nichs ying the Liebestraum song and was excited to have Nick in his ss. Besides, Den got the news that Nick''s guitar ss progress was not very good, making him and the piano professor convinced themselves to transfer Nick to piano ss. The child was more talented and charismatic when ying the piano than ying the guitar. Nichs Larson was born as a pianist, and all professors could see this. But why did that kid choose guitar ss as his domain major? Well, it was not his business. Den closed his eyes as he recalled the memories eight years ago. At that time, he tried tomit suicide and drove his car into the opposite road truck. He was severely injured and was in aa for several weeks. Den did not want to wake up and allow himself to get weaker before he finally dies. Den knew that he was the only child of both his parents. He knew that his parents would be mourning over him, but¡­ He couldn''t live anymore. He didn''t want to live anymore and had no desire to fight for life. However¡­ the sound of ying the piano moved him and slowly healed the wounds of his soul. Den was eager to see who was ying and wanted to talk to that person. But he was in aa, and no matter how hard he tried to move his body, he couldn''t open his eyelids. Sometimes¡­ he could feel someone holding his hand and encouraging him to get up. "When are you going to wake up? Your parents must be waiting for you toe home." The voice was like beautiful music in his ears, and that person''s gentle grip touched his dying soul. "Today I am very sad because my uncle didn''t let me y with new friends. Sometimes I feel like my family is too restricting me." Like a good listener, Den listened to all theints of the person. "Very weird. I can never express my heart to other people, but I can speak freely to you. I hope you don''t mind." Den didn''t mind at all. Instead, he wished that person would always apany him so he could open his eyes. He longed to see the face of the person who had given him the spirit to live again. He wanted to thank that person and wanted to hear her piano ying every day. A warm little hand while holding his and a soft sweet voice¡­ Den felt himself finding purpose in life again. s, when he woke up from his longa, the girl has already gone back to her home country. He remembered that the person''s hand was not smooth like a normal girl but was covered with calluses from the fingers to her palms as if the girl was often doing hard work. Is this girl poor and must clean the house and clothes to get a penny? Den was very sure that the person was a teenage girl, plus the piano ying was always soft as if a woman was ying it. But¡­ when he heard Nichs ying the piano on the day of the entrance examination, Den thought it could be that the person who met him and apanied him ying the piano was a little boy. A boy''s voice does sound like a girl''s voice, and the way boys y could also sound feminine like a girl. The small hand that grasped his hand also could be a boy''s hand. Because of this, Den thought the person who saved him eight years ago was a ten-year-old boy. Den was quite stressed at the thought. All this time, he thought that the person who brought him out of his dark world was a girl. He even fell in love with her. But it turned out¡­ his first love was Nichs? What''s more, their age gap was fifteen years! Den wanted to confirm this and tried to meet the boy, but at the same time, he was also afraid to hear the answer. What if it turned out that Nichs was his first love? Hence, he did not try to meet the child and let the boy discard each of his summonses. Den remembered meeting Nichs officially when he helped carry a cardboard box filled with a souvenir cup and mug. He heard the child''s voice and tried topare it with the voice he remembered. His heart said it was the same voice, but his brain was rejecting it altogether. There was no way a boy''s voice could stay the same when he has gone through puberty. The boy''s voice would inevitably be louder and less feminine when he hit maturity. Thus, Den decided to forget his first love for a while and didn''t call Nick anymore since then. Besides, it''s time for him to move on from the past. At that time, his ident happened in Barcelona, and he doubted whether his savior still remembered him. He only knew, his savior had a dream to be a pianist and aspired to study at M University. Therefore, Den immediately looked for a way to be a permanent instructor at M University just because he hoped he would meet that person one day. Although it took him a long time because he also had to take care of the family business, finally, Den became a lecturer at this campus and had been teaching for four years. But¡­ until now, he still hasn''t found his savior even though he has searched and heard of every pianist''s ying on this campus. None of them were soul yers like that kid. And the only one who was a soul yer is Nichs Larson. Den opened his eyes when the driver informed him that they arrived in front of the campus lobby. It is time for him to end his first love. Before that, he had to go to Nichs and make sure that the boy was his savior.. If it is true, he would thank the boy and help him to graduate from this campus as best as he could. Chapter 28 - Ch. 28 Piaxcuseme?? Kaylee walked through the corridor of her campus while heading to the ss while looking for someone. Who was Kaylee looking for? If not... Jacob? For some reason, not seeing the young man''s face made her sigh in disappointment. Kaylee decided to walk towards her ssroom and shrieked when someone grabbed her neck from behind, almost strangle her neck!? "Hey, Nick. You disloyal friend. How dare you not pick up my phone and hang up on me!" Kaylee sighed with relief, hearing Jacob''s voice behind her, but really¡­ can''t this young man be a little polite towards her? Hu hu hu, this is what it was like to be disguised as a teenage boy. Jacob''s treatment of her when she was Nick and Roe was very different. [Author: Of course. Which normal man would strangle his beloved girl''s neck?] "Hahaha... when do I hang up on you?" "Are you pretending to have amnesia? Obviously, I asked your sister to call you in Jersey, and you immediately hung up on your sister''s video call." Ha?? Howe Kaylee never heard of this? Well, she knew Jacob kept trying to reach her via miscall recordings from her phone. And there was one more number she didn''t know who was also trying to get her. But at that time, Kaylee was focused on being a jury and preparing for a solo performance, so there was no time to return their calls. "Hahaha¡­ I''m sorry. I have to take care of my grandmother." Kaylee managed to break free from Jacob''s death strangle with great difficulty and tried to calm her heart which had not stopped pounding. Now that she realized she has a crush on Jacob, Kaylee became more aware of the young man''s existence. And the man''s boundless closeness made her unable to get rid of Jacob''s pleasant and refreshing aroma. Now she understood why Jacob liked to sniff her and said that she had a pleasant scent. Kaylee also loved the young man''s scent, and her smile was carefree, giving a heartwarming feeling. "Hey, Nick. Have you known Roe for a long time?" "... I guess so." "Can I have her contact number?" "¡­" Kaylee wanted to answer that she could and was excited to talk to Jacob as herself. But¡­ "Alright. I will tell youter after I ask for her permission." "Yes, yes. Do that." Jacob nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Kaylee does have two numbers. One belongs to Kaylee, where her family and school friends contact her as Kaylee, while the other belongs to Roe, in which the orchestra group and clients asking for Roe''s services get her. When her college friends asked for her phone number, Kaylee gave her the number ''Kaylee'' because they didn''t know the real Nick. Hence, it didn''t matter if she gave her number because she didn''t want to buy a new number anymore. However, which number should she gave to Jacob? The man already knew her ''Kaylee'' number, so she should give the ''Roe'' number. Still, she did not know if giving Jacob Roe''s number was a good idea. But she also really wanted to act like a girl when talking with that young man. What should she do? Perhaps¡­ she should buy a new number? "Nick, Mr. ck is looking for you." Adam walked over to Jacob and Kaylee, telling Kaylee that one of the piano''s professors was looking for her. "He said you shoulde to his office today as soon as you have free time. He said he wanted to talk to you about something urgent." Kaylee swallowed nervously at this. She had felt quite relieved when she hadn''t heard the man''s summon for a few days, but this time Den called her and told her to spare some time? What important issue did the man want to talk to her about? "Why am I having such bad luck?" murmured Kaylee without realizing that her two friends heard it. "Why do you think you have bad luck? I think you are fortunate to have Mr. ck''s favor." "It is true. If I were to major in piano, I would find a way to get his favor." Jacob continued agreeing to Adam''s words. "¡­" Ugh! Should they remind her of the rumors? Besides, don''t they mind being taken advantage to a gay? "Forget it." In the end, Kaylee decided to meet Den ck after her first ss was over. After all, she had two hours free before attending the next ss. But¡­ when Kaylee arrived at that man''s office, why was Den ck not even there?? Kaylee sighed in resignation and nced around the office. Furniture, tables and chairs, and other items were dominated by ck and gray. There was absolutely no bright color in this ce apart from the walls painted white. Kaylee walked over to the ck grand piano next to Den''s desk and nced at a bunch of musical papers on the piano stand. Feeling bored waiting for Den without doing anything, Kaylee tried to y the song on the paper while standing up. She yed the music slowly as if she wanted to savor every moment the melody resounding. How strange¡­ why does she feel familiar with this melody pattern? Suddenly the door to the room opened, making Kaylee pull her hand back and stand upright facing the overbearing Mister Den ck. "Youe?" "Aren''t you the one who called me, sir?" "I did. But I didn''t expect you toe right away after avoiding my calls for a few times." Kaylee cleared her throat as though he was ming her indirectly. "What urgent matter do you want to discuss, Mr. ck?" "I heard that your progress on guitar is not satisfactory," replied Den indifferently as he walked towards his desk. "Instead, I got a request from Mr. Harvey to transfer you to his ss." Mr. Harvey? No-no-no. There is no way she would transfer to that professor''s ss. Mr. Harvey was her mentor and tutor when she was in high school. She managed to avoid the man on this campus and didn''t choose his ss. But now, her former mentor is asking Den directly to persuade her to change majors? "Sorry, Mr. ck. But I have to refuse the request. As you know, I''m not very good at ying the guitar. That''s why I chose this ss to hone my skills." "Are you trying to tell me that you are so good at ying the piano that you don''t want to deepen your skills?" "I didn''t say that. But I think I''m quite satisfied with my current piano ying skills." "Prove it." "What?" "y a song that no one has heard before." Piaxcusme? *piano+excusme= piaxcusme Chapter 29 - Ch. 29 A Song No One Heard Before ''y a song that no one has heard before.'' What kind of song is that? If someone has never heard ssical songs, then that person will never know ssical songs, but ssical fans will know ssical music. Likewise, if a ssic person has never listened to a pop song, even a modern pop song famous to the world would not even be known to that person. Now Mr. Den ck asked her to y a song that no one else has heard? "Uhm¡­ can you be more specific? What kind of song do you mean? ssic, jass, contemporary, modern pop?" "Any song as long as no one has heard of it." was the t answer from the expressionless professor. Kaylee sighed, thinking about the list of less popr songs. Even though Den told her to y a song that no one else has heard, it doesn''t mean that man knows all the songs in this world, right? Kaylee just needs to y a song Den has never heard of! "I''m going to y Bach''s Prelude and Fugue in B t." "I''ve heard of it." She knew it! Den did want her to y a song the man had never heard of. "Chopin''s piano concerto?" "Ever been." "Rhapsody in Spain by Mchy." "A boring song. Think again." Kaylee bit her lip then thought of a song she was sure Den wouldn''t know. "What about Require to Kill? I''m pretty sure you''ve never heard of it." The corners of Den''s lips twitched at the confident tone of the young man before him. Plus, he didn''t expect a child as young as Nichs to know this dark-themed song. "Bad news for you, Larson. I''ve heard it so many times it makes me bored." "What? Impossible." "That was ck Moon''s first musical piece for some movie''s soundtrack. Now, think again." Kaylee stared in disbelief at this. How could Den know that Require to Kill was created by ck Moon? And that, too, the man knew it was ck Moon''s first musical piece. Kaylee even did not know about that. More importantly, how could Den knew such an unpopr song to the point that almost no one would recognize the song. "H... how do you know that it was ck Moon who created it?" Kaylee was sure that no one has ever heard this song. This song was yed as a movie''s soundtrack in a cinema once, but the movie received such negative criticism that they had to stop it. As a result, all the music that became the film''s soundtrack disappeared and was no longer yed on radio shows or anywhere else. Even though the movie was not that good¡­ er¡­ it was very bad because, ording to Kaylee, there were too many scenes that were not appropriate to be shown to the public, but the soundtrack song entitled Require to Kill impressed Kaylee. Because of this song, Kaylee began looking for the creator''s name, who turned out to be ck Moon. Since then, Kaylee has followed and purchased all of ck Moon''s albums and has be that guy''s number one fan. Apart from songs that the public has forgotten, ck Moon''s other songs have be famous and are Kaylee''s favorite songs. Unfortunately, ck Moon did not prioritize his career as a songwriter, so the album he released was still only around two to three albums. Nheless, as soon as ck Moon released the album, the album''s songs hit number one in the country for an entire year. "How do I know the song is not essential. It looks like you don''t have any more songs avable. That means you will change sses to Mr. Harvey starting today." "Wait a minute. What does this have to do with my ability to y the piano and y songs that no one has ever heard? Isn''t this unfair? You could not impose my desire to enter guitar ss, let alone change sses." Den felt his patience is running out because he wasted his precious time bickering with this young man. He looked at ''Nick'' with a cold gaze and did not hide his obvious displeasure at all. Kaylee swallowed nervously and immediately felt regretful. Because she felt used to her role as Nick, Kaylee wasn''t aware that she consciously convey her feelings through her voice. Now, this scary person was looking at her with an annoyed and cold gaze. "Mister Larson, I''m sure you already know our assessment standards when you enter this campus. We will not allow students who do not intend to develop their true potentials to ck off. We think you have more potential to y the piano than the guitar. That''s why Mr. Harvey wants you in his ss. If only you could prove you can y guitar well, then we won''t force you. But you could not. Now, if you want to stay at the guitar ss, can you guarantee it you will get the best grades on it?" Kaylee clenched her hands on both sides with a pounding heart. The man asked her for guarantees which she could never give. She was a piano yer and not a guitarist, but the real Nick was a guitarist. A genius one. Until whenever Kaylee would never be able to get the guitar ss scores as best as in piano ss. Unless she practiced guitar for ten hours every day on holidays like when she used to practice the piano, she might reach it. But she had no time to practice, and there was no way she would change ss in risk her undercovers would be exposed. Or¡­ maybe there is another way to get her out of this problem. "If... I y a song that no one else has heard, am I allowed to stay in guitar ss?" Den nodded his head in answer to her question. "Okay. I will y this song. " "What is the title?" "There is no title. This song was never yed anywhere." Kaylee has one more song¡­ her own music. The first song sheposed when she was in high school. She never showed it to her family nor Wendy and Nick. At that time, she felt ashamed and did not dare to y her first song publicly. She was afraid that people would criticize her and insult her song because she thought the music sheposed was horrible. That was why Kaylee never continued the song or improved it. All she did was bury theposition andpose a new piece. Since then, she had never yed that lousy song, and she was absolutely sure Den had never heard this song. Kaylee walked over to the ck piano and sat on the piano chair in a rxed manner. Then¡­ Chapter 30 - Ch. 30 I Will Call You Black Moon As soon as Kaylee yed the first chord of her song, Den felt he was transported to a past that he has never told anyone else. Eight years ago, Den left New York and went to Spain to lessen his stress and pressures from probing eyes that wanting to see his downfall. But instead of calming down, he was even more depressed. In the end, he had an ident, and it was a miracle that he could still breathe and live. The moment he regained consciousness, the only thing he could see was pitch ck. Den couldn''t open his eyelids, nor could he move a muscle. He felt as if none of his senses were functioning. Den knew that he couldn''t see, couldn''t smell, and his skin felt numb. The only thing that still works was his ears which heard voices. The people he suspected were doctors or whoever had saved him speaking a foreignnguage that was not English. He does speak some Spanish, but that doesn''t mean he wants to bother listening to their conversation and chooses not to try to wake up anymore. It would be better if he was here and left to die without any of his family members knowing where he was. Until one day, his ears caught a whisper. "Pst, what are you doing here?" "Who is he?" "I have no idea. A truck driver identally hit his car, and he was brought here immediately. Luckily the driver''s employer was willing to take responsibility and pay for the sustenance. But we don''t know the identity of that person at all. He did not carry a wallet or cellphone at all. We didn''t find his identification card." Of course, they wouldn''t find it because he left them in his renting-vi. That''s why nobody contacted his family, so he was very sure Mr. and Mrs. ck still doesn''t know his current condition. "Is he going to wake up?" "Well, I doubt that. No one talks to him, and he had no family here to pray for his recovery. How about you talking to him?" "Me?" "Instead of you wandering around this ce and getting lost, it might better for you to talk to him." "Getting lost? Am I still a child?" "Aren''t you?" "¡­" "I still have work to do. Don''t go anywhere and stay here, okay?" After that, Den did not hear the voice again. All this time, he had listened to the voice of a person speaking in Spanish, and this was the first time he had heard an English conversation. Is the person who just arrived a tourist? Den did not know, nor did he care. The important thing is there was no longer a whisper, and now he could sleep peacefully... or so he thought. Somehow he felt someone walked over to his bed and¡­ touched his hair?? Strange. Why could he sense that person and feel his hair moving gently? "It''s so ck." muttered the same voice he had heard. "Your hair is just like mine. It''s pitch ck." No. His real hair was not ck. Den deliberately dyed his hair pitch ck before leaving for Europe because he thought his mood matched ck very well. "Look, today is the full moon." Full moon? That means it is night now. Den thought to himself. "ck Moon. I think that name suits you. I will call you ck Moon from now on." It felt like Den wanted to look at this kid sarcastically. His family name was ck, but it was undeniable that his name wasn''t Moon. "Hey, do you like listening to music? I can y the piano for you. What a coincidence there is a piano in the next room. But¡­ I don''t know if you can hear it or not. No problem, the song I''m going to y is horrible after all." Had Den not been in aa, he would have rolled his eyeszily. If this kid knew the song was horrible, why would that kid insist on ying it? Den was still in aa and showed no sign of responding to the kid who asked him to talk without giving up. After that, the child walked out, and the piano''s sound began to be heard faintly. No wonder the child called the song he would y was terrible because the first chord yed was a minor chord. Strangely, the longer Den listened to the child''s y, the more he felt that something foreign was creeping into his heart. Without knowing it, tears trickled out of the corners of his eyes. This caught one of the nurse''s attention, who happened to enter his treatment room to check on his condition. And now, eight yearster, Den never once forgot the music and chords that the boy yed. Each tune of the first part and the impression he felt when he heard the child y was still fresh in his memory as if his meeting with that child had just happened yesterday. Den felt he couldn''t breathe once Nichs Larson hit the first chord and started running his fingers over the piano keys. Same chord¡­ same melody pattern¡­ even the feeling he was experiencing right now was the same. The child''s y was able to rouse his soul and made him find his true purpose in life. Maybe people generally wouldn''t like to hear a sad song like this, but Den found the true meaning of life through this second-ss song. He felt his heart fill with regret at the thought of giving up and killing himself. It was this child who saved his soul. This child took him out of his despair and made him struggle to keep on living. Finally¡­ after years of searching for the whereabouts of this child, Den managed to find him. Does Nick remember him? Did the child realize that he was using the name ck Moon that he had given him? He never had the dream of bing a musician. He never even nned to release an album. But in order to find this child, Den was willing to take his time topose song after song and use the name ck Moon to be his pseudonym. He was even willing to fight tooth and nail to be a lecturer at this campus, considering how much the child wanted to study in this ce. Now, the boy has managed to enter this campus, and Den has managed to find him. But¡­ ''I want to study at M University and be a professional pianist.'' Why did this kid choose a guitar ss when his dream was to be a pianist? It was still a mystery yet to be unpuzzled. Chapter 31 - Ch. 31 Black Moons First Song After ying her song twice, Kaylee decided to end the song on a threshold. Besides, she hasn''t continued with the chorus yet, and the music wasn''tplete. Hence, the song ended with an ambiguous ending. Kaylee got up and turned to face her professor, but suddenly she jumped backward, making her butt hit some piano keys when she realized Mr. ck suddenly stood before her. "How do you know that song?" "You... have you heard of it?" "No." was the short answer from the man made Kaylee sigh with relief. "I was just wondering how you could y a song¡­" "I know. The song sounds terrible." Kaylee continued cutting off Mr. ck. "Terrible is not the right word. Maybe the worst song I''ve ever heard is a better word to describe it." Kaylee frowned at that. She knew that her first song was terrible, and she deliberately admitted it first because she didn''t want to hear it from this annoying guy. But why did this person even spread salt on the wound that had just healed? Den smiled sideways at her, making Kaylee want to argue with what he said no matter whether this man would get in the way of her college days or not. But when she noticed, the unusually gentle and soft eyes from the man made her swallow all the words she wanted to say. Why is this man looking at her so gently? What a strange man. "You have not answered my question. Where did you learn that song?" "I created it." Kaylee gasped as she shed her answer. She wasn''t nning and didn''t want this person to know that she couldpose a song. But somehow, her mouth betrayed her brain and answered the man''s question honestly. Den nodded his head in satisfaction. He did not need to touch this boy''s hand because he was 100 percent sure that this was the boy who apanied him for the two weeks he was in aa in Barcelona. [author: Isn''t he your first love?] Den: Shut up! He''s no longer my first love but my savior. [author: T.T] "I didn''t know you couldpose a song, Mister Larson. Will you be taking aposing ss in the third semester?" "No. I''m not very good atposing a song." after all, Nick had no interest in takingposing sses either. Not that she was interested as her schedule would get busier if she took the ss. "It is unfortunate. I think you have a talent forposing songs." "Instead of discussing that, am I allowed to remain in my elective ss?" Den stepped back to take something from his music bookshelf. "I''m not going to persuade you to move out, and I will let Mister Harvey know that you are not interested in changing ss. But in exchange¡­" Den took out a file containing a very worn sheet of music notes and handed it to Kaylee. "I want you to take theposing ss next semester. And learn this song along with the movement patterns on the melody. I will help you by giving you free tutoring." Is Mr. Den has a hearing problem? Which part of ''I''m not very good atposing a song'' that he doesn''t understand?! Even so, why was her hand moving on its own? Why did she receive the file from that man''s hand? It felt as if her body was moving on its own, following all that man''s orders. Kaylee found it so frustrating, and she couldn''t do anything to make this man leave her alone. It was unfortunate that now Den would not allow her campus life as peaceful as she nned. After finding his first love... Den: I told you, he''s my savior!! Ehem¡­ I mean¡­ after Den found his savior, he decided to make sure Nick graduated from this campus brilliantly. If Nick did not have talent in his guitar ying, then Den would hone Nick''s other skills. Even though Nick''s song sounds terrible, the chords that Nick ys were actually not bad. He just needs to change the melody a little and then make the chorus less gloomy than the first part. ording to Den, Nichs had the talent of his sister in creating a song. He just needed to increase the young man''s confidence and encourage him to develop his hidden potential. "Mister Larson, do you know Roe? I heard she is your sister''s close acquaintance." Kaylee swallowed hard at this. Why did this man suddenly mention her name? "If you want to graduate from here remarkably and making your parents and sister proud, try imitating the Roe way of ying." What?? "She''s just like you, a soul yer. She is the best soul yer I have ever known, and I am sure that, one day, you will be able topete with Roe''s abilities." For some reason, Kaylee felt her face be hot at thispliment. Why did this man seem so sincere when heplimented Roe as if he admired Roe''s y? At first, Kaylee thought that Den approached herst weekend because he just wanted to make a joke on her, so she felt annoyed when Den intimidated her at that time. She had no idea that Den would sincerelypliment her for her solo performance. ''I like you as a man.'' Wait a minute. If Den ck admired her solo y, why did that man say that? Isn''t Den ck gay? Are the rumors circting on this campus wrong, or is Den approaching Roe on purpose to get rid of the rumors? "Mister Larson," Den tried to call Kaylee, but she was too caught up in her thoughts not to hear the call. "Larson!" "Yes?" Kaylee gasped when she heard a loud voice calling out to her. She felt guilty when she saw Den raise an eyebrow while looking at her as if he was investigating her. "Is there something strange with my words that you daydream while I''m talking?" "No, sir. I''m sorry." Kaylee replied politely because she didn''t want to irritate this scary man more than this. In the end, Kaylee was forced to agree to Den''s terms because she didn''t want to linger in this ce. "Okay. I will learn this song." With azy movement, Kaylee opened the dark yellow folder, and the first paper she saw was the title of a song. "Require to Live." hummed Kaylee unconsciously. Require to Live?? Chapter 32 - Ch. 32 Declan Black Is Black Moon!? Require to live? Why does it ring a bell inside her mind? Where has she heard of it? Kaylee could not hold back her curiosity, and without realizing it, she started mumbling a melody and tapping her finger on the edge of the yellow folder. Whatever she does cannot escape Den''s hawk gaze. Does this kid recognize the song? Den heard Kaylee''s faint murmuring sound, and his eyes noticed a finger tapping on his music sheet. Not only a soul yer, but this young man can sing songs on a music sheet without holding a piano? Not long after that, Den noticed a frown on Nichs''s forehead, and the young man immediately put the folder on his desk, then spread the paper on the table. Den hid his lopsided smile when he saw the young man''s behavior who wanted to see the music sheet thoroughly. Kaylee herself felt her heart flutter because she knew this song so well. She knew what the song was like but never heard it thoroughly. The first time Kaylee heard this song was when her friends invited her to watch a movie when she was a new student at M University. The movie showed many violent scenes and explicates how the antagonist serial killer muttes his victims. Scenes that were not very suitable for young audiences, but this movie rmendation was aimed at all ages. As a result, this movie was only shown in the cinema for only a week. Many criticisms and reproaches from the public making the cinema had to revoke it. But there was something very memorable about the movie that caught Kaylee''s attention. Kaylee didn''t know the movie''s plot story because she closed her eyes every time there was a scene that was so gory. But the soundtrack on a scene so intrigued her that she couldn''t help but memorize it. The music made her as if she was attending a concert rather than in the cinema with her friends. When her friends discussed how horrified they were or what theirments wanted to be nauseous considering the violent scenes that were so sadistic, Kaylee recalled the musical melody that caught her attention. The contents of the soundtrack onlysted less than a minute, but it was enough for her to remember. She was a music prodigy, after all. Kaylee still remembered the song''s melody and chords until now as if it were her daily song. Unfortunately, she never listened to the song wholly because it didn''t exist on the inte or any ck Moon album. And now¡­ she''s had the chance to see all of her all-time favorite songs! Kaylee was eager to bring this music sheet home and y it on the piano. But... Howe Den ck has ck Moon''s music sheet? Kaylee nced at Den, who still had a t face towards her. "You¡­ How can you hold ck Moon''s music sheet? I''ve been looking everywhere and asking other musicians, but I can''t find it. How did you find it?" "I did not find it." was the short answer. "I wrote it." Kaylee blinked her eyes several times as if she heard it wrong. Is this person ying with her? How could Den ck write this song? How could this be¡­ Kaylee suddenly fell silent when she realized something. Den ck. ck Moon. ck?? Kaylee gasped as she realized the single most important point here. "You... You are ck Moon!?" no one knows whether Kaylee''s eyes could be bigger than they are now or not. If they could, maybe her face would be filled with eyes so that it looks like a one-eyed monster. "That''s me," confirmed Den making Kaylee''s knee went to jelly. Den ck is ck Moon? ck Moon is Den ck? What¡­ What¡­ What... What great news!! Kaylee soon changed her attitude toward the man and smiled widely¡­ the widest smile she has ever shown at the man. Den wished to tell Nick to keep this little secret a secret because he did not want his pseudonym to be exposed. He didn''t even want Nichs to know about it, but because Nick was his savior, the kid had a ce in his heart. Plus, it seems that Nick was a fan of ck Moon after learning that this young man knows one of his songs. "I would appreciate it if¡­" however, he couldn''t continue his word when Kaylee cut him off. "Is it true that you are ck Moon? The person whoposed Require to Kill and made the album called Mysterious One from New York?" "¡­" "Does this mean that I''ve been on the campus where ck Moon is all this time?" shrieked Kaylee,pletely forgotten her role as Nick. Den became confused by the change in the youth''s behavior in front of him. Why did this child be so excited after finding out that he was ck Moon? "Mister Larson," "I will do it." "What¡­" "I''m going to take an additional ss from you. Thank you for having me, Mister ck." "That¡­" "By the way, why are the song titles different? Shouldn''t the title be Require to Kill? Why does it say Require to Live here?" "¡­" Den sighed while shaking his head. He had absolutely no idea that Nichs Larson was so talkative that he couldn''t finish his sentence. "The correct title is Require to Live. But the producers decided to change it at thest minute and didn''t show the whole song." "Ah, I see. I noticed that the first part was made tenser with so many chords popping up, but in the second part of the theme to the end, the melodic pattern started to change for the better. Require to Live. I think it suits better than the other one." Kaylee stroked the title on the paper as if the writing was something very precious, while her gentle smile showing two cute dimples made Den blinked his eyes. Wait a minute! Why did he see fluffy pink around the boy?? And why he skipped a beat toward that sweet, gentle smile?? He should go to psychology after this. Chapter 33 - Ch. 33 Is His Preference Change? Den did not realize his eyes could not shift from the young teenager''s smile and the light of the young man''s eyes that seemed to shine beautifully. He even felt his heart pounding because of the young man''s smile. What is this? "Mister ck? Mister ck!" Den cleared his throat several times to break free of his reverie. "You can go." "Uhm¡­ about that extra lesson." "We will start¡­" "Can we start today?" for the umpteenth time, Kaylee interrupted Den''s speech and asked something unexpected. "¡­" Den did not like anyone interrupting his talking. Although Nichs Larson was his savior and felt indebted to this boy, Den still did not like this child interrupting his speech. But¡­ why does he not feel irritated at all? He did not even reprimand this young man and let him interrupt his speech repeatedly. Plus, a pair of ck eyes that shone like stars at night, as well as his voice filled with high expectations, made him, for some reason, unable to refuse this boy''s request. s, he remembered he had a meeting with his managers, and he was almostte, so he had to refuse this request. "I n to start it next week. But if you want to get started quickly, we can start tomorrow." "Really?" "Now go. I still have some business." Den tried to evict this young man indiscriminately. For some reason, his heart felt like a bomb that could explode at any time if he continued to be with Nick. The innocent Kaylee didn''t get the clue that Den drove her away and was not offended by the man''s rude tongue. Instead, Kaylee tidied up her idol''s music sheet and stored it in the yellow folder. Then she said goodbye to go and walk out. But as she opened the door, Kaylee remembered something. "Mister ck," Den, who had breathed a sigh of relief as Kaylee walked away from him, now became rigid in his ce. Why does his name sound so sweet when Nichs calls his name? Den nced at the young man with a raised eyebrow as if asking, ''What now?'' "I forgot to say something. ck Moon is my idol, and now, you are my favorite professor." Jeb! It was as if Den could hear the sound of arrows piercing his heart as he saw a smile as sweet as honey and a radiant expression like the sun rising on the eastern horizon. Den raised one hand and moved towards his left chest as his office door closed tightly. He swear he could still feel the rapid beating in his heart! What is this? Why is he even pounding by this boy? He didn''t even feel the throbbing like this when he was with Roe! Is it possible that he closed his heart to a woman for so long that his preference began to change? Is he now turning gay like the rumors spread by girls who do not like him? No. That is not possible. Definitely just a coincidence. Nichs was his savior eight years ago, and all this time, Den thought Nick was a girl. For eight years, he thought of the girl and tried his best to track the girl''s whereabouts in New York. That is why, when he found strong evidence that Nick was his savior, his heart unconsciously returned to his feelings eight years ago. He had to avoid Nick so that he would not fall deeper by this illegal feeling. He is straight, for goodness sake. His mother would faint if she knew he likes the same gender even though he was pretty sure he likes girls. Den was still thinking about this even though he was already in hispany meeting room. He heard various reports such as cooperative projects withpanies in the UK began to show profits or branches ofpanies in other cities started to weaken. His ears listened to their progress and suggestions, but his brain could not concentrate on this meeting. He did not even respond when one of them asked for his opinion on the increase in shares inpany A that was more sessful thanpany B. Den nced at the directors, who now looked at him in amazement and straightened his body while tidying up his expensive suit. "Send me the proposal letter, and I will see if it will bring benefit to us. Let''s call it a day." The directors exchanged nced with confusion at their superiors. It was not umon for Den ck to end a meeting without a definite conclusion. Even more unusual, the man daydreamed in the middle of the meeting and did not criticize each division''s performance. They felt confused at the same time, feeling incredibly relieved. For this day, their ears are saved from the harsh earful critic of the CEO, and they are allowed to leave this room faster. Den did not care about his managers'' stares and immediately got up and left the room. After handing over the rest of his work to his faithful assistant, Den contacted his two friends. Exactly at four o''clock in the afternoon, Den had finished three sses of margarita when his two friends came to their favorite bar. "Hey, Deck. It''s so unusual you have a drink on a weekday. I thought you don''t like to get drunk at work time?" Without answering his tinum-haired best friend''s question, Den stood up and hugged the young man making Axrd stunned. "Uhm¡­ what are you doing?" Den let go of his hug and turned to a honey-haired woman with beautiful green eyes and hugged the woman tightly. The woman he huggedughed a little and returned Den''s hug with open arms. "As I thought. I would rather hug a girl than a man." "Are you picking a fight with me?" Axel grumbled, feeling he was being made a third wheel. "When will you let go of each other?" "How should I know? He doesn''t let me go." the woman tried to break it off, but Den had not let her go. Den shook his head as he tightened his hug. "Let me hold you like this for a while." "Ugh! Get a room." rumbled Axel while walking toward the bartender. "How much did he drink?" The bartender showed him three digits of his fingers, making Axrd rolled his eyes. "Louisa, he''s drunk." "I''m not." denied Den. "I think he is.." giggled Louisa agreed to Axel''sment. Chapter 34 - Ch. 34 Did I Ever Say I Love You? "So why are you calling us while you''re drunk during work hours? You realize that Louisa and I are also working, right?" "Oh, hush, Axel. All of us know very well that you would rather walk out of your office than face the female employees swarming around you like ants." Axelughed with amusement at Louisa''sment. "It is true. So, what happened?" Before answering Axel''s question, Den took another ss of margarita, making Axel shake his head. This was the first time he had seen Den drink more than two sses even though the man had a very low tolerance for alcohol. "I think I''ve gone crazy." "Why?" Axel became interested in what had made his best friend feel that he had gone crazy. He drank his own drink while waiting for the answer that woulde out of Den''s mouth. "Looks like I''ve fallen in love." Spurt! Axel nearly spat out his drink and choked up a few coughs. On the other side, Louisa''s body stiffened, and her eyes became cloudy, but she turned cheerful again and asked in a normal tone. "Who''s the lucky girl?" "It''s a boy." Cough! Axrd choked on his own saliva, and for the umpteenth time, he patted his chest to relieve his cough when he heard an unexpected answer from his best friend. Den fell in love? That''s a big news because Axel knew that no matter how beautiful a woman approaches Den, he never gets into action. Even when Den asks Louisa for help to be his date so that his mother would no longer arrange some blind date, Den felt nothing toward that girl. Now Den admits he has fallen in love? Of course, Axrd was very curious and wanted to meet the woman who has seeded in opening the door to the closed heart man. But it turns out that Den is in love with a boy?! That''s shocking, crazy, and dead news. Since when did Den be gay? Should he start avoiding him? Without realizing it, Axel shifted his chair away from Den, and it was unfortunate that the man noticed his slight movements. "Hi, sweetheart. Why are you avoiding me?" Den put his hand around Axel''s cold neck and pulled the man closer to him. "Now that I see it, your blue eyes were so mesmerizing." Axrd was used to cold temperatures, and in this world, the only person who could stand in the middle of winter without wearing a jacket or thick clothes was him. But the moment he heard Den''s whisper for praising his eyes made his back shudder with horror, and he had the urge to pour cold water on his friend''s head. No. He had the urge to puke at Den''s face! Meanwhile, Louisa was frozen for a while without knowing that Den currently flirted around with her other male friends. The moment she noticed that the two men''s faces were getting closer, Louisa stood up and slid her hands between the two of them to separate them. "Den, you''re drunk. It''s time for you to go home." "No, I don''t want, and I''m not drunk." "Yes, you are. Come on," Louisa tried to grab the man''s hand to take him home, but she felt like she was pulling the chain that was embedded in the wall. "Axel, help me, please." "Uhm... Why do I skip a beat with his look?" uttered Axel, making Den scoff. "Axel!!" "I''m just kidding." Axel raised his hands in surrender as he could feel the girl''s bad mood. "Besides, I don''t think he wants to go home yet. Let''s stay here for a while." Den smiled, amused at his friend''sment, then raised his ss which was already filled with his favorite margarita. "Did I ever say that I love you?" asked Den, finishing his drink in one gulp. "Are you sure you want to let him stay here longer?" Louisa raised an eyebrow at Axel, who now looked pale. Well, from the start, Axel''s handsome face always looks pale because his skin was as white as snow. But when Den said the man loved him, Axrd''s face grew paler so that the color of his lips was not much different from the skin on his face. "He''s really drunk." was hisment. "Told you." "One more!" eximed Den to the bartender, asking for another shot. "No-no-no. I think it''s time to go back." "Thank God," Louisa rolled her eyes as soon as Axrd prevented the bartender from preparing a drink for Den. After paying for the drink Den bought, Axrd led the man to his car. As soon as Den got into his car, the man immediately copsed and fell asleep in the passenger seat. "Phew. Is he possessed? Maybe someone used voodoo on him?" "Seriously? You believed that?" "Who knows?" Louisa shrugged her shoulders nonchntly. "Come on. I''ll take you home." offered Axel as he opened the door next to the driver like a gentleman. "How about him?" "Don''t worry. I''ll bring him home after you." Louisa gave him a thin smile, but after Axrd didn''t see her face, her smile turned sour. If Axel weren''t with them, Louisa would use this opportunity to take Den to the hotel. That way, she could make him take responsibility for raping her while drunk. Den hardly ever drinks high alcohol drinks because he knew he had a very low tolerance for alcohol. She had no idea that Den would drink alcohol to the point of getting drunk, and she missed this golden opportunity. Why did Den contact Axel? The man should have just contacted her only. Louisa got out of Axel''s car with a heavy heart and parted ways with the two men. To approach the two hottest men of all time, Louisa acted as a gentle, sweet girl to make the two men feelfortable with her amd ept her to their circle. Louisa was patient enough to wait to hook one of them until she realized that Axel had decided not to fall in love. She changed her target and now her eyes only aimed for Den. She was quite satisfied that the only woman who became a close friend of the man was herself. But her patience was running low when she heard that Mrs. ck had chosen a daughter-inw. Why did that woman choose another girl when she already won her heart? Who is that girl? Who is the so-called dream bride that Mrs. ck chose for Den? She had to find out. Chapter 35 - Ch. 35 Declans Distress Den groaned in pain when he woke up. His head was spinning, and he almost saw everything in double. Shit! He really was drunk, wasn''t he? Den sincerely wished he could forget the sweet smile and gleaming eyes of Nichs Larson through drunken himself to death. But¡­ the result was quite the opposite. He even wanted to see that smile one more time. Hhhh¡­ Den let out a very long sigh realizing that he couldn''t back down anymore. Is there really no cure for his absurd preference? Is he now officially gay? Then what about Kaylee? Den remembered he was also attracted to the girl and did not mind if his mother decided to marry him off to her. Den looks back on his moments when he was with Roe, and nothing could match his pounding heart when hepared it to Nick''s smile. He massaged his temples with both hands because he felt dizzy. Den couldn''t tell either he felt dizzy because he was drunk or dizzy thinking about the possibility that he was gay. After calming himself down, Den got up from the bed and realized that he was already in his room. Since when did hee home? Could it be that Axrd brought him home? Luckily he contacted the man right before he lost his mind. If there were someone he could count on and put all his trust in, Axrd Cavendish would be the first person he would contact. Den walked out of the room to get some drinking water because he felt his throat felt dry. He was sure that Axel hade home and that now he was in the apartment alone. But as he sipped his drink, a familiar voice sounded from the edge of his apartment door. "Oh, you''re awake?" Den was not at all surprised how Axel could enter his apartment without telling him. The man already knew the code for his apartment door, and it was Axel''s habit to go in and out of his house without announcement. "Thank you for driving me home." "Anything for my beloved." Axel''s answer made Den frown in disgust. "What was that for?" "Don''t you remember what happened a few hours ago?" Den tried to dig into his memory when he was drunk, and a series of images in his head popping up as if he was watching a video ying. For a moment, Den froze in ce and didn''t budge. But secondster, he burst outughing, making Axel perplexed. "Sorry, it looks like I''ve be a jerk." "You have no idea. Anyway, is it true that you fell in love with the same sex?" "I don''t know." "What happened?" "There is this boy. He''s a freshman at my campus." "Then? What he did make you fall in love with him?" What did Nick do to make him flutter? The answer is nothing. The young man did not seduce him nor approach him. But all Nick did was smile and express his heart so sincerely that it could touch his most hidden heart. "No. I''m not in love with him. Just a momentary feeling, I''m sure it will fade with time." Den said it with great confidence. "Do you know the Larsons?" "Larson? Do you mean the family restaurant Larson and their daughter was a songwriter in this city? Yeah, I know them. What about them?" "Is it possible that before their current sess, they had experienced poverty or something?" Axrd looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "The Larsons are old rich people. Mr. Larson is the third generation of Old Larson seniors. They never lived in poverty. Why do you ask?" "Sometimes, I wonder how you can memorize the background of the wealthy family in this country." "Hey, is your question just to test my vast knowledge?" Den rolled his eyes, hearing his best friend''s narcism. Then he got lost in his thoughts. He began to wonder about the mysterious kid who apanied him in Barcelona. Den felt sure that the child was a girl and came from an underprivileged family. The kid neverined about her... or his family''s economy, but sometimes the kid wouldin that he had to distribute flyers to earn some pocket money. If Nichs Larson had never lived a life of poverty, how could that young man need more money? Nichs Larson wasn''t the one who saved him. Den''s hopes were high because he was sure that he would not be affected by the boy''s charisma after this. But¡­ The young man recognized the song and admitted that he created it. The boy even said that the song heposed was awful and had never been shown to anyone else¡­ that was precisely what his savior said. Then, Den recalled how the young man smiled and looked at the music sheet''s writing with passion and adoration. Without realizing it, his heart was beating fast again, making him put his drink ss on the kitchen table. "I''m so dead." "Ha? What? What happened?" Axel became even more confused at Den''s pained expression. What now?? "I''m trying to get his face out of my mind, but that damn smile and his eyes keeping back. Well, he had cute dimples when he smiled." strangely enough, Den said thest words with a gentle smile. Axrd became motionless in his ce. Is it a dream? It''s hard to ept that his best friend¡­ his dearest best friend, praises someone''s smile. And that person isn''t a girl but¡­ a boy!? "I think... I should go home now." Axrd rose to his feet slowly, but he sat back down when he saw Den ncing at him with his eagle gaze. Huhuhu¡­ He could never refuse hidden orders from the eagle eyes of his best friend. His eyes radiance so sharp it was almost the same as Falcon, his white eagle pet. "Just go. I guess I need to cool my head for a bit." came the resignation tone from Den. "Are you alright?" "You think? I feel sure I''m a straight guy, but¡­" "So it was shocking news for you as well. Is that why you ended up drinking alone this evening?" "¡­" "What about Miss Zouch? Besides, your mother has already arranged for you to her. Try calling her and meeting her. Maybe there is something about her that will make you neutralize your feelings." Will Den take his best friend''s suggestion? Chapter 36 - Ch. 36 Today I Met Black Moon Den spun his smartphone on his desk while weighing Axel''s words. Should he or should he not call Kaylee? Even if he called her, what would her reaction? Plus, he didn''t ask for Roe or Kaylee''s contact number at that time because he already had one. All thanks to his mother, who gave Kaylee Zouch''s contact number without him needing to ask for it. At that time, his mother kept trying to persuade him to woo Kaylee, but Den wasn''t at all interested, so he didn''t contact her. Now that he was about to get the girl, he didn''t know what to do. He had not the chance to fix the girl''s impression toward him, and he did not want to make the girl ran away the minute he called her unnoticed. Well, he heard that Kaylee was a sweet girl and polite, so that girl can''t be rude by hanging up on his call, right. Even though the girl looked like a frightened bunny in his eyes, Kaylee wouldn''t behave offensively toward him. Den took his smartphone and looked up Miss Zouch''s name on his phone. After he waited for a few ringing sounds, his call brought to the voice mailbox made him raise an eyebrow. It looks like he has to meet the girl in person. In the end, Den decided to head over to the Zouch residence tomorrow afternoon after he has finished tutoring Nick. Nick. Den sighed as his mind thought of this young man''s name. "Don''t think about him. You''re a straight guy, Den. Just think about Kaylee. Kaylee¡­" Den realized this is the first time he said the girl''s name instead of Miss Zouch or Miss Roe. Strangely, he could taste a sweet tingling when his tongue rolled to speak that name. Let''s hope his meeting with the girl could work well tomorrow. Little did he know, Nick¡­ er¡­ Kaylee locked herself in her studio only to y ck Moon''s song all day. She even didn''t join the practice with other orchestra team members. Fortunately, her part was only a little, so it wouldn''t be a problem if Kaylee did note to practice. That''s why Kaylee indulged herself in ying her idol masterpiece until the sun has set without her knowing it. Even so, Kaylee never felt bored and yed the song many times as if she wanted to imprint each melody on her soul. She waspletely unaware that an unknown number had contacted her while her mother and Wendy had called her tens to hundreds of times. When Kaylee felt her stomach growled, and she began to feel unable to contain her hunger, only then did she stop ying the piano. She stored dozens of papers carefully, being mindful not to damage them. She treated the music sheet as if she were cleaning a priceless treasure. Not long after, Kaylee unlocked her studio door and opened the door only to hear someone''s worried tone. "Calm down, Brit. I''ll definitely find her." "Wendy?" Wendy looked at Kaylee anxiously, "Ah, I found her. I''ll call you again." then her gaze turned to anger. "Kaylee Roesaline Zouch, where have you been all day?!" "Ha?" "And why is your appearance like that?" Kaylee nced at her own body and realized that she hadn''t changed, and her appearance was still in her disguise as Nick. "Ah, I went straight here from campus. I guess I forgot to change. I''m hungry now. Have you eaten?" "Have I eaten?? Have I eaten?!" Wendy really wanted to give an earful scowling to her innocent friend, but she couldn''t get angry when she saw Kaylee''s honest gaze, who didn''t know anything and stared at her confusedly. "I have not eaten. You better change your clothes first, and then we''ll find something to eat." "Cool. Wait a minute." Kaylee turned around to take women''s clothes from her backpack and headed for the bathroom. After changing clothes and removing all the extra skin on her face, Kaylee walked over to Wendy, who was now in a better mood. "What is wrong with you? Why are you getting hyped up?" "Isn''t this all because of you?" "What did I do?" "At least turn on your phone''s ringtone mode, so you know we''re all calling you." Kaylee scratched her neck, feeling guilty that she forgot to turn off mute mode on her cellphone. She reached into her sling bag to retrieve her cell phone. Her eyes widened when she saw the number 99+ miscall on her cellphone. And on average, all who contact her were her father, mother, and Wendy. Because there were too many names of the three people popping up, Kaylee decided to get out of the miscall page so that she didn''t see a single unknown number contacting her. "Why are you all calling me?" "Of course, because of your worrywart mother." Kaylee rolled her eyes at her best friend''s answer. "Oh, please. I live in my own apartment now. Why do I feel that all of you still treat me like a child?" "Aren''t you a child?" "I''m not. Why do you always pull on my leg on my happiest day?" "What? What happy day?" Wendy just realized that her best friend had been smiling at herself like crazy. "Did something happen?" "You remember when I said I would meet ck Moon one day, but you thought I was crazy?" "Yeah." "Do you also remember when I talked, I dreamed that I wanted to have a husband like ck Moon, but you scolded me because I didn''t know what ck Moon''s face was like?" "Yeah? So?" "Guess what. Today I met ck Moon." "Nay, I didn''t believe you." "I know you would say that. Here is the proof." Kaylee gave the yellow map to Wendy and her eyes caught an unfamiliar title. "Require to Live? I never heard about it before." "Don''t mind the title. Try to sing the first theme." Wendy shook her head while obeying her friend and suddenly realized that the melody she was muttering was a song that Kaylee often yed! "This... is really ck Moon''s work!?" Wendy eximed in disbelief, then snorted to see Kaylee''s eyes that were so filled with happiness made Wendy clicked her tongue. Aiya, Kaylee. You made all of us worry because you yed your idol song for hours!? It almost gave them a heart attack! Chapter 37 - Ch. 37 Wendy Is Scared "So who is he? Is he fat and ugly and smelly?" Wendy asked without further ado as soon as they got a seat at the pizzeria. "What... why do you think like that?" "Usually, people who hide themselves without showing their appearance are only ugly people." "Well, not everyone." "I can see that you are smiling like a maniac. What does he look like, then?" Kaylee recalled what Den''s face looked like, and the next second she took a light breath by resting her chin on her folded hands. Her eyes seemed to dream of something good, and her crazy smile adorned her beautiful face like a person in love. "Isn''t this strange? Before this, I was afraid of him. I even tried to avoid him as best as I could." "Hm? You avoid him?" now Wendy is bing more and more interested in ck Moon''s true identity. "But when I found out that he was ck Moon, suddenly all my feelings of fear and irritation just disappeared." Wendy took a pizza slice while listening to her friend, then took a bite of the pizza with a rxed motion. "Then what is he like in your eyes once you find out he is ck Moon?" "He''s so¡­ so¡­ dreamy." Kaylee giggles while cupping her hot cheeks. She remembered how the man said ''I like you as a man''st weekend and how the manplimented her on her piano skills¡­ all of which made her body feel a strange tingling yet pleasant sensation. Wendy rolled her eyes to see that her best friend seemed blinded by love. "What now? So you decided to marry this man?" "Wh... What?" Kaylee turned pale and stuttered as she answered her best friend''s question. "Didn''t you say you dreamed of getting married to ck Moon when you met him?" "I was young at that time. I don''t mean what I say. Besides¡­" Den didn''t like her anyway. "Besides what?" came the t question from her friend, making Kaylee frowned in confusion. "Wendy, why do I feel like you''re being cold to me?" "¡­" "Are you still angry?" Wendy stopped eating her pizza and put the rest of the pizza she had eaten on a te. "I am not angry. I''m just having a bad day, that''s all. Sorry to affect your happy mood." "What happened?" "Not something important. I''ll be back." Wendy got up to go to the public toilet. If on a normal day, Wendy would be happy to see the happy-merry Kaylee. She even would congratz and gossip about the man because Kaylee could finally meet her number one idol. But all day, Wendy was troubled with fear because no one could reach Kaylee. This was the second time she had felt this feeling of fear. Wendy could understand when Britney Zouch, Kaylee''s mother, cried because she was worried about her daughter''s missing. Kaylee was like her own sister. That''s why Wendy could barely control her anger when she realized that the girl had forgotten to unmute her phone and had been locked herself up in the studio all day without informing someone. Well, if only that ''crazy person'' never terrorized Kaylee eight years ago, they could rx around and let Kaylee wondered the town on her own. But... Wendy decided not to get angry so as not to make Kaylee suspicious. That poor girl had experienced severe trauma years ago to the point she wished tomit suicide. Moreover, she has recovered by forgetting all the bad things in the past and embracing her new life. Kaylee''s parents were not too restrictive of the girl either, even though they put many eyes surround Kaylee to protect their only daughter in secrecy. Everything was done so as not to trigger Kaylee''s buried memory. They did not want the girl to remember what happened ande back traumatized by the ''incident.'' After washing her face with cold water, Wendy patted her cheeks a little hard. After that, she tried to smile in front of the mirror, not to ruin her friend''s happy mood. The important thing was nothing happened to Kaylee, and they found Kaylee in the end. Everything will be alright. Wendy tried to convince herself, and after she felt that she was in a better mood than before, she decided to return. However, she felt her heart stopped when she couldn''t find Kaylee in their seat. Where is the girl? "Kaylee?" "Yes?" Wendy jumped up in surprise when she heard a voice from behind her. "You scared me! Don''t do that." Kaylee looked at her best friend in confusion while blinking her eyes a few times. "You spent too long in the restroom, so I caught up with you. But apparently, I was also dying to pee, so I emptied my dder as well. Why are you acting so strange today? You look anxious. Did someone bother you?" "No. It''s just your feeling. Come on, let''s go back." Kaylee thought that something terrible had happened to Wendy''s job, so Kaylee didn''t feel suspicious at all. Is it possible that Wendy''s client today is so fussy? Or maybe Wendy''s period ising? Speaking of the period, Kaylee felt like her tummy had been squeezing since a few minutes ago. Is it time already? Once at the apartment, Kaylee contacted her mother, and Mrs. Zouch picked her call, not before the second ring. "Kaylee, darling. Thank goodness you picked up your phone." Kaylee giggled at her mother''s words. "Mom, I''m the one who calls you right now." "I know, I know. Where have you been? Why don''t you answer our calls?" "I was in the studio, and I forgot to unmute my phone. Forgive me. I promise this will not happen again." "You bad girl. As punishment, you have to go home tomorrow and don''t stay in that apartment anymore." "Mom, I''m an adult now. Besides, my apartment is close to the studio." Plus, Kaylee wouldn''t be able to perform her undercover rituals if she returned to her parents'' house. "But..." "Is there anything you want to talk about?" "W... what do you mean?" Britney thought her daughter was suspicious with excessive worry and stuttered in reply to her daughter''s question. "Aren''t you guys calling because you want to tell me something?" "Ah, yes." Britney breathed a sigh of relief as she patted her chest gently to calm her poor heart. Luckily, Kaylee won''t see her weirdposure as if she hid some secrets. "Mr. ck invites us to his sixtieth birthday. We hope you cane with us." "You guys called me repeatedly just to tell me this?" how strange. Thought Kaylee. "...." Chapter 38 - Ch. 38 Please Have Mercy On Her Poor Heart Kaylee had no clue why three people tried to call her repeatedly just because she didn''t pick up the phone. She could understand why her mother would call her often and check on her condition ever since she decided to live independently in her apartment. She could understand a mother''s worries, so Kaylee neverined when she got dozens of miscalls from her mother. But now, not only her mother but her father and Wendy contact her until their missed calls filled her phone logs. She didn''t even know how many times the three of them called her. And all those relentless calls only because her mother wanted to let her know about the invitation? They could tell her the following day or when she returned to the Zouch residence this Friday. "You guys called me repeatedly just to tell me this?" "What''s wrong with that? The sooner you know, the better. So you wouldn''t have an excuse that you have a schedule or something to avoid the ck family. I know you are afraid of the young Mister ck, and I know it will take time for you to get acquainted with the young man. But at least you shouldn''t refuse the kind invitation from the senior Mister ck." "Mom," "Darling, I''m not bothering you to ept this arranged marriage these days. I hope you understand how hard I restrain myself not to talk how big my desire to make the young handsome ideal son-inw be my daughter''s hubby." cut Britney without giving Kaylee a chance to speak. "Please grant my request toe to the event. Hm? Aren''t you my sweet girl that never disappoints me?" Kaylee sighed, then smiled softly even though she knew her mother wouldn''t be able to see it. "Okay. I''lle. When have I ever disappoint you?" "That''s my girl. So, are youing home tomorrow?" "Uhm¡­ I can''t. But I will be back on Friday." "That''s too long. I miss you, my baby girl." "Mom," protested Kaylee in a spoiled tone. "I''m not a baby." "You still are, darling. Until forever, you are my baby girl." "And mine." was the low voice from her father, making Kaylee chuckle. "Fine. It''s up to you. I will always be your baby girl. Good night mom." "Wait, I still want to talk to you." begged her mom while Mr. Zouch told her to let Kaylee rest for the day. "Let her sleep. It''s alreadyte she had early practice. Isn''t that right, baby?" "Yeah¡­" Kaylee doesn''t have training tomorrow morning, but she does have to wake up early to prepare for college. It took her almost an hour to apply the additional skin and wrap the white cloth on her chest. Of course, Kaylee didn''t tell her parents about this. Otherwise, they might pass out to hear their dear daughter disguised herself as a boy and made friends with many young men. "Good night, darling." "Good night, mom. Good night dad. Love you so much." "And we love you more." Kaylee smiled with satisfaction after chatting with her parents then decided to take a warm bath before going to bed. The next day, Kaylee walked into her ssroom with leisurely steps while whistling happily. She couldn''t wait to meet Den ck to start additional tutoring. "Yo, Nick." Instantly Kaylee''s footsteps stopped as soon as someone greeted her. Her smile grew again when she saw his friend''s face, which was as bright as the rising sun, approaching her. "So how is it? Did you ask her?" "Who?" "Have you asked permission from Roe?" Kaylee''s mouth dropped open as she remembered her promise to give Jacob''s contact number for Roe. Shepletely forgot! She even hasn''t bought a new number yet. "Ah, sorry. I forgot to ask." Jacob put on a cute grim face, causing her barely hold in herughter. This young man acted like a cranky kid because she didn''t buy him a new toy, but Jacob didn''t scold her nor feel annoyed. "I''m so sad." Jacob cried, leaning his head on Kaylee''s shoulder like a child who wants to seekfort from his mother. "You neglected me. Huhuhu¡­" Kaylee couldn''t help butugh at her best friend''s ridiculous behavior. What''s more, Jacob''s dark-blonde hair tickled her neck, and the fragrance of her friend''s odor was hypnotizing her once again. "I am really, really sorry. How about I make an appointment for you guys? You can meet her in person." Besides, Kaylee also wanted to talk to Jacob as herself. "Really?" Jacob immediately lifted his head and looked at Kaylee with a beaming face making Kaylee skipped a beat. It''s so blinding¡­ Kaylee felt she was looking at the sun without sunsses, and there was a halo-like radiance around this young man''s face. "When have I ever lie to you? I''ll tell you the ceter." "Yes! You are the best, man." Jacob hugged Kaylee tightly without warning, making Kaylee frozen instantly. This was the first time she''s been hugged by a man! Oh boy, please have mercy to her poor heart. "See you in ss." Jacob continued, releasing his arms and running, jumping with joy as if he''d just won a match. Kaylee cleared her throat a few times to calm her racing heart. ''Calm down, Kaylee¡­ right now, you''re Nick. Nichs can''t be having a pounding heart just from being hugged by his male friend.'' ''Stupid girl. How could youpare yourself to Nick? He is a boy, and you are a pure maiden in disguise.'' Miraculously, Kaylee felt she saw the shadow of an angel and devil sitting rxedly on her shoulders. ''Don''t listen to this stupid devil. She doesn''t know what she''s saying.'' ''Did you just mock me?'' ''I''m not mocking you. I''m talking about the fact that you have a low IQ.'' Kaylee massaged her forehead in frustration at the little imaginary thing''s bickering. "Go away!" Kaylee ordered while brushing her shoulders to get rid of those imaginary things. Miraculously, Kaylee''s heart calmed down again as soon as the two contradictory voices disappeared. In the end, Kaylee walked to her ss and was ready to go through her college day with a reserved heart. But¡­ Why did her stomach suddenly hurt? Chapter 39 - Ch. 39 Had A Period Cramp As Kaylee feared, her period hade, and now her stomach felt like it was being squeezed, twisted, and stirred roughly, making her unable to concentrate on her college lessons. Her enthusiasm for meeting Den and appearing as an ordinary girl to Jacob disappeared instantly. Her body felt weak, and it felt like she didn''t want to do anything. Kaylee deliberately chose a desk in the corner and the back row. She did not want her ss professor to realize that she was utterly inconsiderate of this ss. She always took the pain-killer just in case, but it seemed that the pain-killer isn''t working anymore because she still has pain in her stomach. In the end, Kaylee decided not to attend the next lesson and even had to postpone tutoring time with Den. She wanted to go home and lie down on her bed. Unfortunately, Mr. Den hasn''t arrived at the campus yet, and she gets word that the man will not arrive until around one o''clock in the afternoon. Kaylee couldn''t survive if she had to wait three hours for this man to arrive. Therefore, Kaylee asked Jacob for help to tell the man that today she wille home. "Are you okay? You look pale." Jacob couldn''t hide his worry when the usually cheerful and bright face Nick turned pale. "I think I ate something wrongst night. I''ll be fine resting this whole day. Sorry, it seems I can''t help you meet Roe." "No problem. The important thing is you take care of your health first. Besides, I still have a lot of time to meet her." Kaylee smiled faintly at that. Jacob was a dependable friend and didn''t fret about his own selfishness. This boy was really sweet, making Kaylee admire this young man even more. In the end, Kaylee came home andid down like a lifeless person as soon as her bodynded on the bed. Both of her hands gripped her belly to suppress the pain while her teeth bit her lips so hard they almost drew blood. Now her body was in a ball-like position, and no one knew how much pain she felt right now. Kaylee couldn''t remember when she fell asleep, but as she often did, she felt a gentle caress on the top of her head and a soothing massage on her belly. Because her body was too weak and powerless, Kaylee let whoever changed her sleeping position and massaged her stomach to make all the cramps go away. This person had a magic hand to relieve all her pain. Kaylee tried to open her eyes every time she felt someone was present by her side. But the moment she opened her eyes, she didn''t find anyone there. Because of that, she only thought of it as a dream, and this dream repeatedly happened every time she had her period. Did Kaylee never suspect that what she was going through was not a dream? Of course, she did. Kaylee even tried to look for signs or clues that an intruder had entered her room, but there was not the slightest hint that someone had infiltrated her apartment. She had changed her room key password many times, and the dream kept happening. Kaylee decided what she was going through was just a dream and didn''t care about it. But¡­ strangely, she never had a dream like this when she had her period in her parents'' house. Kaylee walked towards the kitchen to get a ss of cold water. She felt no difference when she opened the fridge and reached for the bottle from the shelf. Kaylee closed the fridge, and just as her eyes almost caught a foreign object in the fridge, her ears heard a telephone ringing tone. In the end, Kaylee turned to her room just as the fridge door closed, showing a small paper containing writing stuck to the door. Since Kaylee didn''t notice the paper, she immediately walked back to her room to reach her phone. Kaylee frowned when she saw a series of unfamiliar numbers appear on her cellphone screen. Who contacted her? Is it her college friend? Kaylee didn''t have many friends because she was not a girl like Wendy. The girl was always easy tomunicate with strangers easily and immediately became friends with that person right away. It would take Kaylee for months, maybe even years, to feel close to someone so she could be herself. Well, her bad habits have now changed thanks to her disguise as a happy, friendly Nick. Now she no longer felt awkward when she met strangers and was less fortified when strangers approach her. Kaylee cleared her throat a few times to turn her voice lower, feeling sure it was an acquaintance from M University calling her. "Hello?" "Hello? Isn''t this Miss Zouch''s number?" Kaylee nearly dropped her cell phone when she heard a cello-like from a grown man. Wait¡­ isn''t that Den''s voice? How did Den know her number? And again¡­ what if Den asked for Nick''s phone number? Which number should she give? She even forgot to buy a new phone number?! What should she do??? "Hello? Is anyone there?" Kaylee immediately changed her voice back and put her cellphone to her ear. "Yes. This is Kaylee''s speaking. Who am I speaking with?" Kaylee asked politely even though she already knew who contacted her. "¡­" But not having a sound across there made Kaylee feel uneasy. Does the man know? Hopefully, the man wouldn''t recognize her voice as Nick. "I''m Den ck. How are you?" Kaylee nced at the clock and immediately returned the man''s greeting. "Good evening, Mister ck. I''m doing great, thank you." Kaylee bit her nails nervously as she waited for Den to speak again. "Are you busy tonight, Miss Zouch? Am I disturbing you?" "No. You are not. Is there something I can help with, Mister ck?" "Yes, there is. I want to fix our first unpleasant encounter over dinner. Are you free now?" "That¡­" Kaylee stroked her stomach and wondered if she could meet the man with her current condition. What kind of answer would Kaylee give? Chapter 40 - Ch. 40 Her Heart Beats For... In the end, Kaylee agreed to Den''s dinner invitation. She was already taking pain killer medication, and she felt that her cramp was not as painful as this afternoon, so she agreed to the man''s invitation. When Den offered to pick her up, Kaylee firmly refused. She didn''t want him to know where the apartment was and managed to persuade him to meet in person at the dining area. Kaylee wore a ck dress with white open shoulders cor. Shebined it with a white pea coat and elegant mini heels shoes. She let her hair loose and tinted her lips so that they wouldn''t look pale. Even though Kaylee''s body was currently not in her prime, she never showed people that she was sick. Apart from Wendy and Nick, who often see her weak when sick, Kaylee refused to show her weakness in front of others. That''s why Kaylee preferred to go home rather than the rest of the campus, knowing that she is sick. If Kaylee were sick in her past school days, she wouldn''t need permission because no one would notice her. No one would ever know that she was ill nor cared about her. It was only Wendy to know about it, and it was enough for her. But at M University, Kaylee befriends almost all the students. Starting from a fellow ss majoring in guitar, friends from piano ss and girls from singing ss also know her. Sometimes they invited Kaylee to practice together when she had free time. At first, Kaylee felt ufortable with the presence of so many people around her, and it felt like she wanted to run away. But after undergoing her three months of college, she became ustomed to her campus life. Without realizing it, her character, who couldn''t open the conversation or was awkward towards strangers, began to change little by little. Even when Den called her for the first time, Kaylee felt neither awkward nor panicked. If it had been Kaylee who had received Den''s call for the first time, she would not have picked up or refused the man''s invitation to dinner. But now, she could speak fluently as if meeting strangers was her daily meal. She didn''t even mind epting the man''s invitation. Plus, Den ck was her idol, whom she craved to meet ever since she got to know the name ''ck Moon.'' Which stupid girl refuses to have dinner with her number one bae? Unfortunately, the innocent Kaylee doesn''t notice the changes herself, let alone her own feelings. After reaching a restaurant where Den was waiting for her, Kaylee stepped inside. She took off her pea coat while one of the waitresses greeted her. "Good afternoon miss, have you made a reservation?" "Yes. It is Mister Den ck." "Please follow me." Kaylee followed the waitress and went up to the second floor, where the visitors were quieter. No. It wasn''t quieter, but it was more like almost no one here. She only found a man sitting by the window with his gaze looking out over the night view. The man was wearing a ck shirt with a long ck coat. It seemed that Kaylee had never seen this man wearing anything other than ck. Well, except for the hair. The man''s hair was dark brown, which almost looked ck if there was no light. Kaylee walked over to the man, and her heart was pounding when the man turned towards her as if he had noticed her presence without any notification. Den rose to his feet and took a few steps to reduce the distance between them, then took her right hand as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Good evening, Miss Zouch." Den brought her hand to his lips, and he gave a light kiss on the back of Kaylee''s hand. Kaylee lowered her face to hide her blush and couldn''t help but ask, did Den ck kiss the hands of all the girls when he met them? She remembered Den kissing her hand when she appeared as Roe forst weekend''s pianopetition. Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Den treated all girls the same. She thought that Den was pretending to be approaching her and doing whatever he wanted to because he wanted to corner her. She thought Den was angry that she had reced James Wong, the man''s choice of pianist, when the pianist from China got injured. But now, she felt sure that Den did not get angry at her because of that recement issue. Nevertheless, why did she even disappointed that Den treated all women the same? Little did she know, Den never kisses any woman''s hand. Den was cold, aloof, and distant as if he built a high wall every time a woman approached him. The first girl that made Den fascinated was Roe. When Den met Roe for the first time, he immediately recognized the girl as his mother''s dream daughter-inw. That was why Den wasted no time trying to get close to the girl and grabbed her hand. Now Den meets Kaylee Zouch face to face, making his interest reached a high note. He couldn''t find any signs of a face like that of a noble princess Roe on Kaylee''s face, but the girl still looked beautiful with her simple makeup. The girl''s voice was the same as Roe''s, and the scent of her hands¡­ like a rose that had just blossoms in the morning. There was no mistaking it. Kaylee is Roe, the mysterious girl who reced James Wongst Saturday night. Even this girl''s skin was the same as Roe, and Den was sure of it because he never forgot how it felt this girl''s hand on his palm. Den smiled to himself. If his hand feltfortable touching Kaylee''s skin and wanted to be with this girl, wouldn''t that mean he was a straight guy? [author: Or you are a bisexual XD] [Den: I wish I could kill you someday] "Thank you foring, Miss Zouch," Den said without letting go of Kaylee''s hand because he felt sofortable holding that tiny smooth hand. The man had no idea that a heart attack was currently striking the poor ''rabbit'' in front of him. Why does her heart always flutter when shees face to face with Den as a girl? This time Kaylee was very sure. Her heartbeat was not due to fear as she had been feeling. It''s because of something else, but she doesn''t know what words are suitable for her feelings right now. What is this? Chapter 41 - Ch. 41 The Most Lovely Creature Den led Kaylee to sit on the chair while pushing the chair like a gentleman. This was the first time a man had treated her like a princess, and she couldn''t help but feel her heart starting to vibrate at this sweet gesture. After that, Den sat across Kaylee while smiling thinly at her, making Kaylee not know what to do other than lowering her face. Wait a minute. Wasn''t Den just asking her out to dinner to fix the impression of their not-so-good first meeting? Why did she feel like she was on a date with that guy? And also¡­ why weren''t there any other visitors on this second floor besides the two of them? Kaylee had no idea that Den''s eagle eyes were always gawking to her expression, and now the man showed an amused smile that his date was ncing in all directions as if she was looking for something. "What''s wrong?" Kaylee gasped as she listened to the man''s cello-like voice and lowered her face again. "It''s nothing. Don''t you feel that it''s strange?" Kaylee asked in a very soft voice, but Den found her voice so sweet in his ears. This was the first time Kaylee spoke without one having to ask first. During their first meeting at the Zouch residence, Kaylee wouldn''t talk, and her words would stop once she answered, ''it''s nothing.'' Kaylee, who sat in front of him, was somewhat different from the Kaylee he met at the Zouch residence. At that time, Den remembered Kaylee didn''t dare look him in the eye at all and looked agitated as if she had prepared to run away from him. But now, the girl didn''t look like a frightened rabbit-like when he was with Roe. Even though Kaylee didn''t feel entirely at ease, but at least the girl didn''t intend to run away. Instead, he noticed a blush on both cheeks the moment he kissed her hands. "What makes you feel strange, Miss Zouch?" "When I came downstairs, the diners at this restaurant were so busy that many were queuing outside. But on this floor¡­ it''s very quiet." "I thought you didn''t like crowds." Kaylee blinked a few times as she tried to digest Den''s words. What did this empty second-floor ce have to do with her dislike of crowds? Kaylee''s blinking eyes were just average, but somehow Den saw the girl''sshes rising and falling seductively as if calling out to him. Without realizing the two of them, Den gave a gentle smile as he looked at each girl''s expression solemnly. He never knew that Kaylee had a million cute expressions. Whether it was an expression of anxiety, fear, or the courage to defend herself as he cornered Roe, he loved all of it. And now, the girl''s confused expression looked so adorable. Her nose scrunched cutely while her forehead frowned, making him want to kiss them. Kaylee was still trying to think hard to digest Den''sst sentence when she realized the man''s gaze could not leave her. Instantly Kaylee ran out of words and lowered her face again. She had never received such a gentle look in one''s eyes when looking at her. The man stared at her as if he adored her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Kaylee didn''t know why Den looked at her that way, but she did know that her heart needed a doctor to treat it so she wouldn''t have a heart attack. "Uhm... Mister ck, why are you looking at me like that?" "Because I want to enjoy the most lovely creature in front of me." was the short answer making Kaylee wanting to faint. She never knew that this man could say some sweet words that melted any girl''s heart. If Kaylee didn''t know that Den ck was ck Moon, maybe she would ignore it and try not to be affected by his flirtatious words. In fact, she would not have epted this man''s dinner invitation in the first ce. But, ever since she found out that Den ck was ck Moon, somehow she couldn''t think negatively about him anymore. After all, the person who managed to produces such a romantic yet majestic masterpiece couldn''t be a hideous person, right. "You''re ttering me, Mister Den." "Am I? I spoke the fact, though." "Good evening, Mister and Madam. Have you fixed your order?" Kaylee felt saved by the waitress''s presence and immediately opened the menu to order the food she wanted. Since her stomach was not in good shape and her appetite was not very good, she decided to order light dishes such as vegetables and soup. After that, Kaylee was back to zero as she didn''t know what to say to break this awkward silence. Luckily, Den helped her by opening a conversation. "I heard from Mrs. Zouch that you joined an orchestra." "Yes, I am." "Do you mind if I know the name of your orchestra group?" "It''s NYA (New York Angel) Orchestra." Den chuckled at the name. "It is such a coincidence. My group name is RSH (Royal Symphony Heaven) Orchestra. We are both rivals, Miss Zouch." "Yes, I noticed that. Our two groups have beenpeting for the best orchestra group for the past two years." "That''s right. But strangely, I never saw you in the NYA group," stated Den made Kaylee choke on her own saliva. Kaylee''s body became tense as she realized she had made a big mistake. NYA''s pianist is Roe, not Kaylee! Meanwhile, Den could barely contain hisughter at the girl''s bunny-like behavior. It seemed Kaylee wanted to run away from him right now, but Den would not let her get away from him. Plus, Kaylee was the only girl he has fallen in love with after epting that his first love... his savior, was a boy. "Ah, now I remember. Their pianist''s name is Roe." as if oblivious to Kaylee''s panic state, Den continued his statements making the girl grip her skirt tightly and lower her head to hide her face, which was now filled with dismay. Den couldn''t bear to see the girl looking helpless, so he decided to correct this misunderstanding. The man got up and knelt with one knee and opened the grip of Kaylee''s hands gently. "These two hands are too precious. Don''t hurt yourself, miss." Kaylee felt her heart stop beating at that moment. Where had she heard these words? Chapter 42 - Ch. 42 I Fell In Love Kaylee remembered that when Den cornered ''Roe'' by acting as if topliment her, the man also said the exact words as he opened her grip gently. ''These two hands are too precious. Don''t hurt yourself, miss.'' Is it possible¡­ Den knows? Does this man know that she is Roe and Roe is Kaylee? "You... you know?" "What do I know, Miss Zouch?" Den knew what the girl is asking but pretended not to know. "That¡­ that I¡­ I¡­" Kaylee stammered, not knowing whether she should continue her words or not. If Den didn''t know that Kaylee and Roe were the same girls, wouldn''t that mean she''d exposed her identity? On the other hand, if this man already knew but Kaylee acted as if she wasn''t Roe, wouldn''t this man know that she was lying? Kaylee didn''t want to expose her identity as Roe. At the same time, she didn''t want him to see her as a liar girl. "Yes? That you are¡­" his pause made Kaylee making Kaylee even more panic. Den chuckled at how cute it was when he saw Kaylee''s eyes looking at him, begging even though he didn''t know what the girl was asking. "I''m just teasing you, Miss Zouch. I already know that you are Roe." "What?" Kaylee''s voice seemed to fade because of the great shock she had now. "How?" "From the very beginning when I heard your voice. I know the Roe I metst weekend was you." If so¡­ when that man said ''I like you as a man,'' was that confession aimed at her or Roe? "Do you remember what I said that night?" Kaylee didn''t know how fast her heart was beating right now. She was sure she could match the speed of a racer''s car. Moreover, Den was still holding both her hands, and the man kneeling made Kaylee unable to hide her face. Den could see her face below, which made her unable to escape anymore by hiding her face. Is there a hole in the midair? She really had the urge to hide her burning face. "I like you, Miss Zouch." "But... I thought the one you like is Roe." "Roe is you." was the short answer from the man. "What is the difference then?" "But... you hate me when you came to our house." "I didn''t hate you. But I admit, I had a little interest in you at the beginning." "So, you don''t like me. You like Roe better than me." somehow, Kaylee felt like her heart was being stabbed when she uttered those words. "No. I fell in love with the girl who yed piano on the stage. Tell me now. Who was that girl? Was it you or another girl?" Kaylee felt her breathbored like she had run a marathon making her run out of oxygen. She felt as if there was an electric current running from her chest to her head. She felt her brain went numb and couldn''t think. The only thing she could feel was a tight, soft grip on her hands and a pair of eagle-like eyes that looked so domineering looking at her with¡­ with... Kaylee didn''t know what word would be urate to describe those daunting ck eyes. It''s very strange. Before this, Kaylee had thought she was a little bunny whenever she was gazed at by that eagle-like eyes. She felt she was prey to be caught by the eagle and used as a meal for the predatory bird. But now¡­ somehow, she felt she felt safe when that man looked at her with his gxy-like ck eyes. Those unwavering gazes made her answer the man''s question without being able to stop it. "It was me." Den smiled with satisfaction at this and surprised Kaylee with his next deration. "Then you know I fell in love with you." Howeeeee!!! Kaylee did not think she could bear all this shock. Starting from the man who already figured out that Roe is Kaylee, then stated that Den likes her as a man, it was like someone dropped a bomb on her. Yet, as if that man was not satisfied to attack her poor heart, Den confessed his love at her!? She idolized ck Moon and even dreamed of having a husband like ck Moon without knowing what he really was like. Even so, she knew her dream was just a dream that would nevere true. But who would have thought¡­ ck Moon¡­ err¡­ Den ck would confess his love for her! Is it a dream? "Uhm... I think... it doesn''t make sense." Kaylee tried to pull her hand out of the man''s grip slowly, but the man''s grip was so strong and firm that she gave up on breaking free. "Why?" "We''ve only met a few times, but you''ve already said you like me. Aren''t¡­ we need time?" "I agree with you." Den didn''t need time to realize his feelings. He never felt what he felt when he was with Kaylee when his mother brought him up with the girls on a blind date. In contrast to other girls who seem aggressive and impatient to be his wife, Kaylee did the very opposite. She seemed eager to run away from him and tried to avoid him. From the very beginning, when he met Kaylee, he was already curious about this girl. But his heart was still closed because of thinking about his first love, so he did not pursue nor approve of his mother''s matchmaking. Miraculously, this girl was able to make him forget his first love when this girl yed his song so mesmerizing. This girl managed to burst into his heart without his permission. How could he let go of a girl as charming and beautiful as this girl? Instead, he wanted to immediately take this girl to his parent''s house to tell them that he wanted to marry this girl. But he didn''t want to rush. He knew that this bunny-like innocent girl would try to run away from him if he was too pushy. Therefore, Den did not encourage Kaylee and granted anything that made the girl feelfortable. "We can take it slowly as you wish. Instead, I hope you consider my feelings." "Is it because this is the wish of our two mothers?" "No. Because I want you to be my wife." Blush! Kaylee did not expect to get such a direct attack from this man. She did not expect it at all, Den who looks aloof and ignorant from the outside, turned out to be an aggressive man! Den tried his best to hide hisughter, seeing Kaylee lower her head even more as if to hide her expression. His hands seemed to have their own thoughts and began to caress to enjoy his future wife''s soft skin. Surprisingly, why did he find some rough skin on Kaylee''s left hand?? It felt like.... her hand had some calluses?? Chapter 43 - Ch. 43 Yes, Sweetheart? Den still rubbed Kaylee''s left hand as if massaging her little finger without knowing his actions made the innocent Kaylee even dizzier due to her pounding heart. Why does this guy like to stroke her fingers? She remembered Den did the same thing when she shook hands with the man as Roe. Why did the man rub her fingers for? As if lightning hit her, Kaylee remembered that her left hand was not as smooth as the other one. Kaylee pulled her left hand to avoid the man''s probing hand, but Den would have none of it. The man turned her hand and noticed a few calluses on her hand. "Your hand have calluses. Do you y strings?" Kaylee nodded her head. "Sometimes I y guitar and violin." Den''s pair of ck eyes shone at Kaylee with an admiration that made Kaylee flushed red. Not that she hasn''t blush before this, but if her blush could be redder, then maybe her cheeks would be as red as boiled crab. "You can y the violin? I like hearing the sound of that instrument." "I can y it for you if you want it." "I''d love to," said Den while giving a smile that could make Kaylee tremble strangely while the man still didn''t stop stroking the calluses of her fingers. Den felt strange and familiar with Kaylee''s hand. He felt that this girl''s left hand was the same hand he had held in Barcelona. But that''s impossible. His savior was Nichs Larson, and he was one hundred percent sure because he was ying a song that only the two of them knew. But why¡­ Kaylee''s hand was simr to the hand of that kid who apanied him for two weeks? "Uhm... when will you let go of my hand?" Kaylee asked shyly. "Never." Kaylee bit her lips as she did not expect that answer. "I mean... my skin is not smooth like others. My hand looks ugly." "No. Your hands look pretty." To prove his point, Den opened the girl''s palms to give each finger a feather kiss. Kaylee felt hot steam rising from the top of her head, and she didn''t know whether her heart was as fast as a racing car or if it had already stopped. Didn''t Den agree they would take it slow? But why is this man''s gesturepletely ipatible with his promise? She didn''t know how many times he had kissed her hand, and she didn''t know how long Den had touched her and stroked her. "Uh¡­ Mister ck, please¡­ stop it. Someone will see us." Den smirked when he answered her, "Nobody will see us. I''ve already reserved this entire floor." WHAT!? Kaylee directed her eyes to all directions in this room, and it was true, there was no one on this floor except the two of them. Neither did the waitressese over to them before Den called them. Wait, wait, wait¡­ Didn''t Den say he wanted to treat her to dinner to fix their impression of their first encounter? Why should he reserve the entire floor for that? Is this... "Is... is this a date?" "Yes." Den pressed his lips together, trying to refrain fromughing when he saw the panicked eyes glistening on her eyes. It seemed like it was time for him to stop teasing her before Kaylee fell unconscious. He couldn''t possibly let her pass out on their first date, could he? Den let go of the girl''s hand and rose to his feet again to sit back in his chair. Only then could Kaylee breathe freely and find her oxygen while trying to inhale as much as she could. For some reason, Kaylee was having trouble breathing, and she felt like some fireflies lurking above her head when Den looked at her gently. Her body felt hot and cold as if she had a fever when she felt a gentle caress on her fingers. Kaylee even still felt a strange but pleasant sensation on her left fingers as if the man hadn''t let go of her hand yet. Kaylee lowered her head again without knowing what else to say. Now she grasped that Den liked her and intended to make her his bride. Tonight''s meeting was also the first date. Remember, the keyword is... First date¡­ This is her first date! Not significantly her first date with Den, but literally her first date with any guy. Kaylee didn''t know what to act or talk about. She didn''t even dress up and put on modest make-up thinking this was just a casual appointment. Fortunately, she has been educated by her parents always to look elegant and ssy. Therefore, it had be her habit to dress up every time she came out of her house. But¡­ if Kaylee knew that this was her first date, she would have chosen a prettier dress and put on make-up to beautify herself. Usually, she will dress up, but because she is getting used to her role as Nick, who doesn''t care about his appearance, her unfit body condition makes her feelzy to dress up. Hhhh¡­ Kaylee exhaled a heavy sigh realizing how stupid she is for not trying to show her best looks. "Miss Zouch, apart from ying music, what activities do you like?" Den started the conversation again when he realized Kaylee has managed to calm down. Kaylee was grateful that Den didn''t make their first date awkward and led all their conversation. The man also stopped making an extreme approaching and brought their chatter light and rxed. When the food they ordered arrived, they were still talking as if they had never run out of topic to talk about. Little by little, Kaylee began to feelfortable with Den and open up to him. Without realizing it, Kaylee had the initiative on her own to open a new topic of conversation as if she were talking to a close friend. "It''s Den." suddenly, Den dered something unrted to their conversation. "Excuse me?" "Just call me Den." Kaylee immediately fell silent, and for the umpteenth time that day, her face felt hot. "Den," murmured Kaylee in a very soft voice, but Den still heard her. "Yes, sweetheart?" BOOM!! Well, what can I say? Even though Den said he was willing to take it slow, but obviously, the man couldn''t do it. Chapter 44 - Ch. 44 Basketball Match That night when everyone who lived in this country had fallen asleep, only Kaylee still hadn''t closed her eyes. She did not know why her eyelids refuse to close, and her thoughts drifted to her previous date with Den. Sometimes she smiled to herself while covering her face with her pillow, and sometimes she shifted to worry when she remembered that she would meet Den as Nick. What should she do when she met that man? If only Den hadn''t confessed his feelings, and she had never heard what endear name he called her, Kaylee was pretty sure she could act normal when she met him. But¡­ how could she act normal when her heart was pounding every time she remembered her date? Even just thinking about that man, her heart was already beating so wild that it made her want to scold her heart so that it would behave like a good girl. After what seemed like an eternity, finally, Kaylee fell asleep without her realizing it. The next day Kaylee left for the campus at eleven o''clock in the afternoon because her ss schedule started from noon. That''s why she could rest in her house longer while working on the rest of the song''s arrangement requests from her clients. After that, she returned to ying the ck Moon''s masterpiece, Require to Live. It seemed like she would never get tired of ying this song. But why is it that every time she ys the first note of ck Moon''s theme song, she reminisced about her date yesterday? In the end, she couldn''t focus at ying it, and she often made mistakes when she yed a bunch of seemingly intricate quaver notes with pentatonic motifs. Kaylee decided to stop ying the piano and carried out the rituals of her role-costume. Kaylee walked out of her apartment and headed to the bus stop to campus. Every now and then, she would rub her stomach to relieve the pain of the cramps. Even though the cramps weren''t as painful as yesterday''s, Kaylee still felt uneasy. Fortunately, her period cramp only urred on the first day. She hardly felt cramped again from the second day to the next. Kaylee just needs to avoid extreme activities to not go to the bathroom too often to change her sanitary. Unfortunately... her wish was not fulfilled. Her college friends immediately flocked to her as soon as her ss was over. "Yo, Nick! Let''s have a basketball match!" No way! "I''ll pass today." "What? Why? We are short on people." "You know I can''t y Basketball. I suck at it. " "But girls from singing ss only show up to see you y." "¡­" It felt like Kaylee wanted to cry. Is there a way to avoid her friends'' requests? "Hey, guys, what''s up?" Kaylee''s hopes soared as Jacob walked over to them. "Jack, they are short on yers. How about you join them?" "Sure, why not? What are we ying?" "Basketball! Let''s go!" Jacobughed at his friends'' enthusiasm as he pulled Kaylee''s hand and made the girl shrieked in surprise. Kaylee tried to keep up with Jacob''s pace and only breathed a sigh of relief when Jacob let go of her hand as soon as they reached the basketball court. Kaylee joined other friends in multi-story seats to watch a basketball game between music and painting majors ss. "Hey, Nick, you''re not joining?" one of her friends asked Kaylee as if they were all waiting for Kaylee toe to y. Don''t they know that she is terrible at ying Basketball? Kaylee''s team always loses every time she joined them because of her weak throws or often misses. Surprisingly, the girls even liked her and cheered her even more. Kaylee was a girl inside, but she couldn''t understand the way of thinking of a girl who was not her mind. "I will bring defeat on our team." "That is precisely what we are waiting for!" Kaylee raised an eyebrow at her friend to wait for the continuation of the young man''s sentence. "We''ve already ced a bet on your opposing team." What? So they made a bet to see her lose? Kaylee wanted to reprimand them and scold them, but she knew they would look at her so sarcastically that Kaylee did what she didn''t want to do. "Hohoho, that''s why I don''t want to y. I expected that you would bet on my loss," boasted Kaylee while rubbing her nose proudly, making her friends joke at her witty. "Whooo-hooo! Go go, Jacob! Go go, Jacob!" Kaylee could hear the girls cheering for Jacob, who was now dribbling the ball towards his opponent''s ring. Like the other girls, Kaylee also wanted to cheer on her friend. Even more so, she hoped that the young man managed to put the ball into the opponent''s goal ring. Jacob continued to dominate the match and got past the opposing members trying to grab the ball. He made a misleading movement expertly and made it to the area of ??the opposing team''s ring. As soon as he felt close, Jacob caught the ball with both hands and threw it straight into the opponent''s circle goal. "WHOOOOO!!!" eximed the girls simultaneously as the ball went in and out of the goal ring against Jacob''s team. "Go for it, Jake!" Jacob''s friends'' cheers were no less exciting, making Kaylee also get influenced and cheered on her best friend. "Go beat them, Jack!" Kaylee''s cheer made Jacob smile broadly at her and threw a hand at Kaylee as if he were doing a fistbump. Kayleeughed at Jacob''s reaction and threw her right hand towards Jacob to greet the young man''s fist bump. Among other friends, Kaylee felt veryfortable with Jacob. There was alreadymon knowledge circting the kids. Wherever they saw Jacob, they would see Nick also and vice versa. Hence, if one wished to find Nick, they could search Jacob first and vice versa. No one knew who started it first, but Jacob and Nick often bumped into each other and finally decided to go to the cafeteria or the library together. Unfortunately, the two of them couldn''t always be together because they take different ss schedules. Kaylee took guitar ss while Jacob was a percussion student. "Hey, look at the girls there. They all forget about the other yers and only look at Jacob. What an eyesore. He shouldn''t be here." Kaylee rolled her eyeszily when someone mocked Jacob. She nced at the young man with a look of displeasure to make the person think Kaylee was challenging him even though she didn''t. "What are you looking at?" Gulp! Why did it turn out like this? Chapter 45 - Ch. 45 Lets Have A Music Battle! Ever since Kaylee was a child, the only thing she avoided the most was arguments between schoolmates. She never wanted to get involved or be the source of her friends to quarrel. She always tried to be invisible and not to be the center of attention. Her grades were not good but not so poor either. Her parents also never forced her to be number one in school. The only thing that made her shine the most and attracted everyone''s attention was when she sat on the piano chair and her fingers danced on the piano keys. Aside from that, Kaylee did not shine no matter what she did. Her appearance was not as fashionable as now. She always wore thick sses and braided her hair in two, making her look like a nerd. Although she was an easy target to be a victim of a bully, no one dared to tyrannize her. That''s because they knew that Kaylee was the only daughter loved by Mister Zouch, the owner of thergest and most influential bank on the five continents. They would not dare to offend Zouch''s family if they did not want to get enormous loan interest or have difficulty borrowing money. Of course, many want to be friends with Kaylee, but with her dull appearance and her more cornered demeanor like a wallflower, no one was interested in being friends with her. The only friend who was still friends with her was Wendy alone, and they were friends until now like sisters. While people think Kaylee was a quiet person who didn''t know how to strike a conversation, Wendy and the Larson family were well aware that Kaylee was not a silent child as people think. The girl was very simr to her mother, who was super talkative and loved to speak. Despite all of that, Kaylee only fancy talking when she has opened her heart to that person. Otherwise, her mouth would be tightly locked, and no one would be able to withstand the Ice Queen''s silence. Kaylee was not aware of her true nature and thought she felt morefortable alone. In fact, Kaylee could be an easy-going girl if she opened her heart. The girl just needed a little encouragement to pull out her friendly nature. That''s why Wendy and Nick didn''t hesitate to ask Kaylee to disguise as Nick because they knew the girl could handle it sleekly. Unfortunately, our innocent Kaylee did not know her own nature and was now struck by an incredible panic when she stared at her fellow freshman from another ss department. "What are you looking at?" Miraculously, Kaylee did not back down from her ce and even frowned, a sign of dislike making the challenger think she epted the challenge. Well, Kaylee frowned not to take the young man''s hidden challenge, but she did it because she was confused about what she should do. "Yo, chix, man," Fortunately, one of her ssmates defended Kaylee and retaliated against the challenger. "Mind your own business. I want to deal with him." the challenger pointed his index finger at Kaylee, making the girl feel cold sweat running down her back. What should she do now? "Nick, do you want to deal with him?" "No. I have no reason to deal with losers." OMG! OMG! Where does her couragee from?! Dear Lord, please help her to get through all this. "What did you say?!" the challenger hissed more angrily and stared at Kaylee with an offended look. "Oh, not just a loser, but apparently, he has a hearing problem." It felt like Kaylee wanted to jump away from this basketball court area. Kaylee was solely regretting to call the young man a loser, but her friend instead poured the oil in the heated-up fire. Kaylee needed to stop her friends before the war breaks out on this campus. But she did not know how to stop it, and now her friends were bing more and more aggressive. "He is a loser, not on par with us." continued her friend, getting an agreement look from others while showing an annoying smirk. The actions of Kaylee''s friends made the challenger feel furious, making Kaylee had a headache. "Hmph! Did I hear it right? An idiot call me a loser? I heard you were in thest rank. At least I''m not an idiot like you." the unnamed challenger insulted Fritz, Kaylee''s friend who said the challenger was not on par with them. "It''s not like you are above me. I heard you are the most useless, the stupidest, and most hated student on this entire campus." "I dare you to say it again." the challenger stepped forward, making Fritz move forward as if ready to fight him. "Fritz, wait up." Kaylee tried to pull her friend''s arm to hold him, but the young man''s energy was far greater than hers. "Wait, you guys. We can''t fight." Unfortunately, her voice was drowned out by her friends'' loud voices, who supported Fritz while the challenger group backed the challenger. Kaylee was still trying to resolve their dispute, but someone shrugged her shoulders back. "Nick, move out of the way if you don''t want to join." "What?" Kaylee became more and more panicked when her friends even rudely pushed her away, making her sway and fall into the trapped seat. In an instant, Kaylee gripped her stomach as she felt her cramp period return as her body was pushed. Kaylee didn''t even have time to think about the pain when she saw her friends start fighting and bickering. The boys who were ying basketball stopped their activities and ran to them all to settle the quarrel. But instead of stopping their quarrel, they joined in beating their opponents who had beaten their friends. Jacob was thest person to arrive at the quarrel scene, and his eyes darted to find his best friend. If Nick were involved in their quarrel, then Jacob would join in to help his friend. Since Nick didn''t take part in the fight, why did he bother to join in and hurt himself? What a bunch of kids! [author: aren''t you a kid yourself?] Jacob decided to walk around and was very surprised to see his friend get up from his seat and climb to a higher ce. Then¡­ "STOP IT, YOU IDIOOOOOTTT!!!!" Kaylee''s voice that was very loud and full of a very daunting aura silenced those fighting boys. They all thought that the one who stopped them was one of the lecturers or student councils in charge of disciplining students. No one expected that it was Nichs Larson who stopped their fight! Jacob blinked a few times as he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn''t hallucinating. In all his memories since meeting Nick, he never remembered that the young man could be so angry and radiate a frightening aura. Sometimes Nick likes to daydream when he was alone or be silent when he felt annoyed with the behavior of his friends who love to peek at women''s skirts from under the stairs. But he had never seen the young man get so angry or shout so loudly. Hell! He didn''t even know that Nichs Larson could be fierce! Kaylee no longer cared about the strange look from her friends, moved down to them, and stood between the two groups. Kaylee was currently in a terrible mood because her monthly period and emotions control her so much that she couldn''t think with hermon sense. Kaylee pointed her index finger at the challenger and looked at the young man defiantly. "Let''s finish it like a gentleman. Let''s have a music battle." The challenger was frozen for a while, and then heughed out loud at Kaylee''s words, followed by his friend, who gave mockingughter at her. "Don''t you know who we are? We are the best group band on this campus. The music director has even chosen our group to host performances at various events. You will not win against us." "Hmph! What''s so great about being a band without an audience? Don''t you know who I am?" "Who are you?" "Adam, can you tell him who I am?" Adam chuckled, amused at Kaylee''s order tone, then answered it as he walked closer to Kaylee. "Nichs Larson. The younger brother of Wendy Larson, creator of the Chronicle of Life album and this campus Prodigy Boy." he continued, cing one hand on Kaylee''s shoulder. "Don''t forget, all the students on this campus wille to watch Nichs y." continued Jacob, who was now standing on the other side of Kaylee. Kaylee put on a smirk as she noticed the challenger''s pale face. They might be the band of choice on campus, but they know all well that no one really watched their performances and deemed their music was just like any other music yed on the radio. While Nichs Larson¡­ his name has been spreading since the day of their entrance exam, and no one did not know who Nichs Larson was. Without the need to hold a music battle alone, the challenger''s group of bands has lost to Nichs Larson. Chapter 46 - Ch. 46 Why Did She Become Famous? In the next lesson ss, Kaylee could not concentrate at all and instead cried silently. She even banged her head on the table,menting her unfortunate fate. ''Stupid Kaylee. Stupid, stupid, stupid Kaylee. Why did you do that for?'' Yup. Currently, Kaylee regretted her actions and now could not escape from this music battle. Plus, their opponent was a pop-rock band that was ultimately not her style. Her music style was a modern contemporary or pop-ssical genre. Well, she could y a little bit jazzy, but definitely not rock. And now, the theme chosen in their music battle was the rock-like music, making Kaylee nervous. Even though she was a genius and could learn all kinds of music genres in a short time, it doesn''t mean she fancied to y that kind of noisy music. This type of rock music was very much at odds with her elegant, graceful, and ssy nature, such as the type of ssical music reserved explicitly for aristocrats. If this kind of rock to be yed, only Nichs could y it. Huhuhu¡­ what should she do? Why did she have to be famous on this campus? Before she could stop the music battle news from spreading, everyone was aware of the battle and was eager to see their performance. The rumors that spread like viruses were terrifying. Kaylee hoped that the earth would open up and devour her to the bottom. That way, everyone would sympathize with her for having an ident and not expecting too much of this music battle. Kaylee could only curse her period time. Every time she had her period, she would quickly get irritated, and her mood would worsen and act like someone who did not know the ''fear'' word. When Kaylee couldn''t stand her terrible mood, she would turn into someone who was not herself at all. She became more courageous and made trouble as if she was drunk, but she would regret it all day and shut herself in the room. That''s why, every time she had her period, Kaylee preferred to stay away from her friends and went to the library reading books. Hhhh... Kaylee did not know how many times she sighed, so many times that she lost counts. She was stillzy to move even though her ss was over and the professor had left the ss. Kaylee, who initiallyid her head towards her left side, now raised her head to change its position to the right. Her eyes were suddenly taken aback when they saw Jacob stare at her with an interested gaze with a big, dazzling smile. Since when did Jacob sit next to her? Why was that young man smiling like that at her? Didn''t he know that a smile like that could make her heart melt and want to be carried away by the water wherever the current took her? [Author: Of course he doesn''t know] Kaylee lifted her head and straightened her body while clearing''something'' in her throat. "What''s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" "I didn''t know you could be this ferocious. Has anyone got into you?" "¡­" "Besides, why did you guys fight in the first?" "It''s because of that skull head making fun of you," replied Adam, who now joined them and sat in front of the two of them. "Making fun of me? Then?" "We intended to keep quiet, but that person bothered Nick. It makes my heart boiling." "Ha? Aren''t you angry because they made fun of Jack?" Kaylee thought everyone was helping her because they didn''t like hearing people make fun of Jacob as much as her. Hence she didn''t understand why Adam gave the impression he was feeling angry because someone bothered her? "We don''t like his way of talking about Jake like that, but that''s not enough to beat the kid. I got annoyed when he gave that mock challenge tone at you." "Good job." Jacob aimed his fist at Adam, who his friend immediately greeted in the style of another teenage fist bump. "I will also be angry if someone disturbs you." The young man said to Kaylee, making the girl skip a beat. "W¡­ Wait a minute. Why did you do that? You don''t have to do it." "Hm? I have no idea. I feel like you are exceptional, and suddenly I feel annoyed to see someone bothering you." Adam''s confession earned a nod in agreement by Jacob while Kaylee opened her mouth wide. "I never expected to hear this from someone who had bummed me before," Kaylee snorted sarcastically, making Adam scratch his head. "Aiya, Nick. Do you still remember it? At that time, we were childish." "Hm. It''s good if you know that." Adam and Jacob''s giggle made Kayleeugh with them. This was the difference in the friendship between women and men. If between women, once one of them made a mistake, their grudge would remain for years. Meanwhile, they were easier to forgive and return to friends among men without remembering their past mistakes. For some reason, Kaylee felt morefortable with guys than with girls. Well, of course¡­ she could only hang out like this only when she was impersonating Nick. Once her appearance changed and she became Kaylee, she couldn''t possibly be friends and joke like this with her friends. "Btw, Nick. When are you going to meet Roe with me?" Jeez! Kaylee almost forgot about this. She had promised to bring the young man to her, and Kaylee never broke her promise. Hence, she decided to appear as Roe tonight. After all, she''s having a meeting with her client tonight. She could meet Jacob first before going to the meeting ce. "How about six o''clock in the evening? I heard Roe was in her studio discussing songs with her client. You cane to the studio." "You mean it? Where is the studio?" Kaylee gave the young man the address of her studio before she contacted her make-up artist. She could remodel her appearance on her own without a make-up artist, but her speed and neatness were not as good as her make-up artist. She remembered that she had additional lessons with Den from three o''clock for an hour. She had two hours to transform into Roe before seeing Jacob. If she asked her make-up artist for help, then the disguise would be done an hour faster than she''d done it on her own. At precisely three in the afternoon, Kaylee arrived at Den ck''s workroom for additional pending lessons. After knocking a few times and getting no answer, Kaylee decided to open the door without feeling guilty. As expected, Den had yet to arrive at this ce, and without realizing it, her heart was pounding again as she waited for the man''s arrival. Why does she feel like she''s waiting for her date toe? After taking out her notebook on what she had learned from the song Require to Live on the long table, Kaylee decided to practice for a bit. She warmed up by ying the scales on the twelve major and minor scales along with arpeggios and chromatic scales. Her fingers were very skilled at ying all scales perfectly without any mistakes. Even as her fingers jumped to do an arpeggio, not a single finger missed notes or slipped the tuts by ident. She yed all the scales and arpeggios wlessly and perfectly neat. Even though she finished ying all the scales, there was still no sign of Den''s appearance, so Kaylee decided to y contrary motion on all scales. Little did she know that Den had arrived in front of his office and heard all the scales she yed. Den wondered why the scale that Kaylee yed was so perfect without even a single error note. Usually, even the most outstanding pianist would make mistakes when ying one of the harmonics minor scales or ying an arpeggio. But Nichs was able to y all twelve minor scales so perfectly. The young man didn''t even sound exhausted, as if he already knew how to press the keys with a loud voice without using the weight of his muscles. Interesting. This boy didn''t lie when he said he was satisfied with his piano skills. Den thought Nick still needed a lot of experience and knowledge in ying the piano, but it seemed that there was nothing to teach the young man if Nick could y all scales so wlessly. The neatness and stability of the unhurried tempo indicate that Nick had be a professional pianist. This made Den even more confused. If he bes a professional piano at eighteen, when did the boy start to learn piano? Since he had been eavesdropping on the child''s finger practice from outside for too long, Den decided to enter his room. However, he did not expect to receive such a broad smile and glowing gaze from the young man to greet him! Den closed his eyes to remove the young man''s face and tried to remember the girl he had just metst night. Unfortunately, Kaylee often kept her head down and almost never smiled at him. Wait a minute¡­ why is heparing the smiles of the two of them?! Chapter 47 - Ch. 47 What Is Love? Kaylee smiled broadly when she saw her idol finally appear, and their first lesson was about to begin. Although Kaylee didn''t need to learnposing since she could already do it on her own, she didn''t mind taking this extra ss. After all, their music style in arranging a piece was very different, and Kaylee would not be able to imitate ck Moon''s style without getting direct guidance from the person himself. Therefore, she was excited to be able to expand her knowledge inposing a song under ck Moon''s guidance. Will she be called a cheater? Maybe. But she won''t be one as long as she didn''t change Roe''s style because her fans already like her music style. Kaylee just wanted to feel like she gets closer to ck Moon, her idol, by understanding how the man''s way inposing a melody. It was like that. Kaylee intended to learn earnestly like an amateur student. But when Kaylee remembered everything that happened on her datest night, she couldn''t help but blush. Luckily, Kaylee remembered that her role today is Nick and her appearance had no sign that she is Kaylee. She didn''t know how Den had immediately noticed Roe''s disguise and exposed her second identity, but she felt sure that Den wouldn''t have guessed that ''Nichs Larson'' was her. Hence, she made sure that her mind always remembered that she wasn''t Kaylee right now. She was Nick and knew nothing about yesterday''s date. With great difficulty, Kaylee finally managed to act normally without feeling awkward and greeted Den usually. "Good evening, Mister ck." Kaylee was surprised to see Den sighed in resignation as if he didn''t like the sight of her. She wonders if she did something wrong? Or was the man annoyed that she was using the piano without his permission? Impossible. The man couldn''t be that petty. Kaylee followed Den to the long table and sat across from the man. "Have you finished learning Require the Live?" "Yes." Kaylee handed Den the notebook of her notes on the man''s song. She felt absolutely confident that her records were so neat and thorough that they were almost perfect. "Hm. Not bad,"mented Den without giving the impression he was impressed by Kaylee''s notes. This made Kaylee a little disappointed and kept silent. "Since you already understand the character of this song, do you think you can improvise it?" Den''s question made Kaylee blink in confusion. Why would that man want her to improvise the song? Shouldn''t the man have told her to try toe up with new music based on this genre of Require to Live? "Sorry, I do not understand. You want me to improvise?" "Is there any problem?" "No, sir. I just don''t understand." "Sometimes improvising a song is much moreplex than creating a piece. Do it and give me the results one hour from now, whether you finish it or not." Kaylee took her notebook back and sat down to start doing what the man had asked. Surprisingly, Kaylee felt as if Den was keeping a distance from her. The man only looked into her eyes when he was talking to her. After that, he would look away and walk away from her. Kaylee wondered if she pissed the man off? Or does the man has a swing of mood change? When she first came here, the man looked t against her. But a momentter, the man looked at her with a softness that was very difficult to understand. The next second, the man even looked irritated with her even though Kaylee was sure she didn''t do anything to offend him. Come to think of it, didn''t that man seem to kick her out two days ago? Did¡­ she really do something wrong? Or perhaps, the man was angry that she canceled yesterday''s lesson and postponed it? It was Kaylee who had asked to start their lessons as soon as possible, but she was also the one who had dyed it. No wonder the man is angry. Somehow Kaylee''s mind is currently focused on finding a way so that the man doesn''t feel angry with her anymore. Without realizing it, she was not doing what the man told her to do at all. Well, even if her mind did not get distracted, Kaylee wouldn''t be able to improvise this song either. Sometimes, she even found it difficult to add additional ornamentation or develop a melody to each bar in her own song, let alone improvise someone else''s masterpiece. She wouldn''t be able to do it. She preferred producing rhythm music and improvising rhythm chords into apaniment melodies or chordal. It''s not that Kaylee couldn''t improvise a tune. But at the very least, her hands should be on the piano keys to figuring out the best additional ornament. But the man didn''t order her to hold the piano nor say anything about her exercising without permission. However, it looked like Den was annoyed that she yed his piano without permission. Kaylee nced at Den, who was now sitting in front of his desk, typing something on hisptop. Is the man working? Kaylee has heard rumors that Den was the CEO of a technology and securitypany in this city. Den shouldn''t need to be a lecturer at this campus, and that man would still be rich even without using his parents'' names. At first, Kaylee thought, the man relied on his father''s big name and used it to be a benefactor and gain power in this campus. But she was wrong. After talking about a lot of things with the manst night, Den confessed that he became a teacher at this campus because he was in debt with someone. Now that man has found that person, and it was time for him to repay that person''s kindness. After that person graduated from this ce with brilliant grades and became what he aspires to be, only then did Den decide to quit his teaching job. Kaylee looked at the man''s face, who looked much more handsome as he put on a stern expression. She wondered, who was the person that man was referring to? Is it a boy or a girl? Either way, Kaylee did not have to worry if Den falls in love with that person, right? After all, their ages were too far apart that Kaylee didn''t have to worry about it. Wait a minute. Why was she afraid that Den would fall for someone else? It''s not like that she liked him like a girl who loves her lover. Well, she did idolize him, and she knew how he felt about her. But she still didn''t know how her feelings yet. Did Kaylee like that man as a man? Or is it just her feelings of momentary because she idolizes him? Will Kaylee one day fall in love with this man? Besides¡­ what is love? Kaylee had never felt this strange feeling that her friends often talked about. Even if she had felt it, Kaylee would not have recognized it. As far as she could remember, no man had pursued her earnestly. Yes, they confessed their love for her, but they disappeared without news the next day. After spending three years in high school, Kaylee found out that there was some kind of bet among the boys to make her ept their confession. Since then, Kaylee had be pessimistic and no longer cared about the youngds who approach her. On the contrary, she was more closed off and didn''t allow any man to get close to her. Come to think of it, Jacob was the first boy she let talk to her when she was Roe. She allowed him to speak to her and approach her even though her appearance was that of a girl. Kaylee remembered how her face felt hot, and her heart skipped a beat when she recalled the way Jacob looked at her in awe. It was the first time she had received such a look from a man. Therefore she couldn''t help but had a pounding heart. Kaylee even remembered that she always felt happy and calm whenever she saw Jacob''s big smile at her. The young man had a charm that was hard to resist making Kaylee unable to escape from him. But¡­ Her heartbeat towards Jacob was nothingparable when she was with Denst night. It seemed her heart was only fluttering for Den no matter when she felt intimidated by him or because she felt she liked him. Does this mean¡­ she likes Den? Then what about Jacob? Ugh! She had promised the young man to see her as Roe this afternoon. Why does she feel like she''s cheating? No. No. Kaylee still had not in a rtionship with either of the men. Besides¡­ she even didn''t know whether this feeling was love or not. So it couldn''t be called cheating. "Mister Larson. Are you done?" Kaylee gasped at Den''s t voice, and suddenly, her heart started beating fast again. Well, this time, she was nervous for fear that the man would get even angrier at her for not doing her job at all. Oh, dear! Chapter 48 - Ch. 48 Not As Innocent As She Looks Along the campus corridor where the students were chatting cheerfully and enthusiastically, a child walked like a turtle with a zombie-like eye expression. That kid was none other than Nichs Larson, aka Kaylee in disguise. Her heart still hurt when her idol gave her an earful scolding, and he looked at her as if she was an annoyance. Jacob happened to have picked up a book in his locker cupboard next to Kaylee, so he recognized the back of his best friend, who was walking past him. The young man immediately approached Kaylee and put his hand on his friend''s shoulder as he always did. "Hey, Nick. Come with meter¡­ woahh¡­" Jacob immediately pulled his hand and jumped away when he saw the ck dots in his best friend''s eyes. He even swore on his dead cat that he could see a ck halo-like surround Kaylee''s head. Is this story''s genre shifted into a horror one? "Nick? Are you okay? Why did you suddenly be like a zombie?" Kaylee scrunched her nose while frowning at her best friend''s question. She always did it every time someone made her annoyed. Then she turned and banged her head against the locker cab. "I''m dead. I''m totally dead. Don''t mind me because I''m already dead." "What? What are you talking about? Is some girl rejected your love confession or what? Why didn''t you tell me if you were chasing a girl? I can help you. I''m a love expert, you know." Kaylee scoffed at her friend''s remark. "Not that one. It''s worse." "Aiya, I can''t read your mind. Tell me what happened?" "Mister ck hates me now." Jacob frowned and spoke in a grim tone. "What? You better start to be careful because your college life won''t be peaceful after this." "Ah?" "Mister ck will convince your professors to give you low marks, and you will not graduate from this campus on time." "Impossible." "Also, maybe after this, you won''t be allowed into the ssroom for no apparent reason." "Noooo¡­" Kaylee became speechless and broke out in cold sweat. No way, no way. Den couldn''t possibly do that. The man might have been angry that she hadn''t done what he told her for an entire hour. But¡­ that man couldn''t possibly destroy her future... er... his student''s future so much, right? Right? Kaylee wouldn''t care if she couldn''t graduate from this campus because she already has her own graduation certificate. But what about Nick? His name will be tarnished, and his parents will feel ashamed. She can''t let that happen. Kaylee had to figure out how to get Den to forgive her and not push her inhumanely. Kaylee was too lost in her thoughts without realizing that Jacob clenched his mouth to prevent the sound ofughter from escaping. But it feels really hard to keep hisughter when he saw his friend''s face, who looks serious thinking about his words. "Pft!" Kaylee had heard a chokedugh that escaped Jacob''s mouth and nced at the young man with a suspicious look. Then¡­ "Hahahaha, you should see your face. You actually believe that?" Kaylee blinked a few times, and then she opened the locker door to put her notebook inside and closed it with a loud ''bam'' sound. After that, Kaylee walked out of the door without paying attention to Jacob, who was stillughing at him. This boy! He did too much! The young man almost made her hate Den and think the worst was going to happen. But it turned out what Jacob had said was just a bad joke. A nasty one! This was the first time she''d been annoyed with Jacob. Usually, she found Jacob''s jokes funny andughed with him. But this time, the boy''s joke simply couldn''t make herugh. The young man scared her, and she foolishly believed everything that the young man said. "Nick, hey, Nick. You''re mad?" "¡­" Kaylee still ignored him and continued walking towards the campus gate. "Nick, I''m just kidding. You don''t need to be oversensitive. You''re not like this on normal days." "¡­" Feeling ufortable being ignored by Kaylee, Jacob grabbed his friend''s shoulder and was very surprised at what he saw. Nick''s ck eyes looked teary, making him unable to speak. Why did Jacob feel his heart ached, like something sharp stabbed his heart when he saw those glistening eyes. And again, why did he feel like wiping his best friend''s tears? Nick was a young man, and this kid could take care of himself, but why his protective instinct told him to protect this kid? In fact, not only Jacob but Adam and other boys who started to get close to ''Nick'' felt the same way. Without them knowing, their protective instinct kicked in. That''s why Adam and others did not ept when someone bothered ''Nick'' and Jacob felt guilty and full of remorse for spitting cross-limit jokes. Kaylee didn''t know what Jacob wanted with her. Seeing that the young man had no intention of speaking, Kaylee jerked her hand away and walked quickly towards the bus stop. Meanwhile, Jacob just stood there looking at Nick''s back with a confused heart. He ruffled his hair with one hand while ming himself. "What a dumbass, Jake." Kaylee got on the bus and sat in the back. Fortunately, the bus was not too hectic so that she could peel off the extra skin and wig freely. She also took off her jacket and reced it with a baby pink woman pea coat. After cing the extra skin and hair wig inside her backpack, Kaylee already transformed to Kaylee. As soon as she arrived at the bus stop in her studio area, Kaylee got off and walked towards the studio. The moment she entered the lobby of her studio building, someone who had worked there for a long time greeted her with a shy smile. "Miss Roe..." "Hi, how are you?" "I''m great, miss. This is for you." the person gave a gift containing a lunch box to her. Kaylee felt ufortable because this person often gave her something almost every time this person came to work. Sometimes giving her flowers, or a white shirt with her face is a photo in front of the shirt. Now this person is giving her food? Well, Kaylee couldn''t refuse this guy''s offering either. Isn''t it rude to reject someone who goes to great lengths to make something with a sincere heart? Hence, Kaylee epted them with no arrogance and treated this person very well. Fortunately, this guy''s work schedule was only Wednesdays and Saturdays, so Kaylee did not have to see this person every day. "Thank you. Have a great day." Kaylee got into the elevator and pressed button five to go to her private workroom. She opened the parcel to peek at the food contents, which turned out to be sushi! Instantly she felt saliva gathering on the corners of her mouth and couldn''t wait to savor this sushi. But¡­ how did that person know her favorite food was sushi? Ting! Kaylee closed the lunchbox back and headed to her dressing room, where her make-up artist Lydia was waiting for her. "Hi, Lydia. Did you wait long?" "Well, I just arrived five minutes ago. Why do you suddenly need my help?" "I was going to meet a young man, but he annoyed me to the bone. It looks like I no longer need to dress up." "Ho? Is this a date? But, don''t you have an appointment with your client?" "I have. Therefore I will meet with this young man before discussing with my client." Kaylee answered as she started to take off her coat. Then she went into the bathroom to wash her face and shower for a while. She also showered her hair, which was already sweating because it had to be covered inside the wig. While drying her hair with the hairdryer, Lydia informed her that there was a high-society association downtown. And she heard something interesting that she couldn''t help telling Kaylee. "I heard they are expecting your presence." "Me? I didn''t know they were interested in musicians." "Duh. Not Roe, but Kaylee Zouch." Kaylee frowned while blinking because she didn''t understand why someone wanted to meet Kaylee Zouch? "Why? Apart from being my father''s daughter, I have no other influences. Is it possible that someone wants to use my connections to approach my father?" This wasn''t the first time someone has tried to approach Kaylee just to meet her father. Therefore Kaylee preferred people to think that she never leaves the house and lived in her parents'' house. She has rarely shown her face in purposed. She never even showed her face as Kaylee Zouch in public media. Her life was very private, and no one knows what Kaylee Zouch looks like other than her old school friends or her employee in this building. Even though her friends know, they would not reveal it on social media either. Kaylee knew her friends would not wanting to see a nerdy, old-fashioned girl like Kaylee was bing more famous than them. That''s why Kaylee deliberately dressed old-fashioned and aloof in her school days. Isn''t Kaylee innocent? Yes, she is. But in some situations, she is not as innocent as she looks. Chapter 49 - Ch. 49 Who Is Kaylees Date? Kaylee smiled with satisfaction as soon as Lydia finished retransforming her appearance to be Roe. She looked even prettier than usual as if Roe was going to a concert and doing a solo performance. But¡­ isn''t this too much? She would only meet her client, and she was sure that Lydia already knows about it. "Lydia, you know I don''t have a concert schedule. Why are you dressing me like this?" "Didn''t you say you were going out on a date? Of course, you have to look pretty for your first date." "I''m not going on a date. I just only will meet him. That''s all." "The meeting between a girl and a man is called a date. There is no other word that fits it." "Are you my make-up artist, or have you changed your profession to be my advisor?" Lydiaughed with amusement when she heard that then walked over to the wardrobe to choose the right clothes ording to her make-up. "I think this dress is perfect for you. Not too formal and not too casual." Lydia pulled a white knee-length dress with a ck ribbon belt in the middle of her waist. "Lydia, this is too¡­" "Trust me. I can''t possibly make you feel humiliated. You are my favorite model, and I feel so happy to doll you up. Now, go change before your prince charming arrives." "He''s not my prince charming." Kaylee was still annoyed with Jacob and was eager to cancel this meeting. But¡­ she couldn''t possibly be annoyed and vexatious while Jacob was clueless, could she? Kaylee took a deep breath and finally decided toply with her make-up artist''s suggestion. She also tried to get over her annoyance with Jacob and act normal. Unfortunately, it was hard to get over her irritation¡­ coupled with her menstruation. Hhhh¡­ can''t time go faster? She wanted her period to end so that her bad mood wouldn''t act up. "Wow, sushi. You still have time to buy sushi?" "Ah, it''s a gift from Osbert." "From the freaky one?" "Lydia, he''s not a freak. Please be polite toward each other." "You are too soft-hearted and too naive. No wonder Nick alwaysined..." "What''s this got to do with Nick?" Lydia gulped in nervous while shutting her mouth tightly, making Kaylee squinted her eyes at her suspiciously. "Anyway, you should fire that person. My instincts say he''s not a good person." Before Kaylee could respond to her make-up artist''s words, the phone in her room was ringing. "Hello?" "Miss Roe, someone named Jacob is here to meet you." "Yes. Please take him to the cafe on the second floor." Kaylee answered politely before hanging up on the call. Kaylee exhaled and inhaled several times to ease her irritation with her friend. She is Roe right now, and Roe knew nothing about what happened between Jacob and Nick. She had to act normal so as not to make Jacob suspicious. "Kaylee, how about the sushi?" Kaylee stopped her steps when she heard the word sushi, then walked towards the table to open the lunch box given by Osbert. She took one of the sushi¡­ then another before she closed the lit again and gave it to Lydia. "You can eat it or share it with your sister. Thanks foring here. Bye." Lydia smiled amusedly while shaking her head. Didn''t that girl say that she was annoyed with her date? Why now Kaylee looks impatient to meet that young man? Who is that young man? Ah, it felt like she wanted to peek at what kind of person it was. But before that, she needed to tell someone first. ''Your most beloved sister is on a date inside her studio building.'' Lydia sent the message to someone, then smiled as she tried to imagine what that person''s expression would look like when reading the news. In a remote ce where a group of youths was practicing in a music studio, the guitarist put down his guitar to get his drink bottle. He also checked his phone and realized someone sent him a message. At first, he opened the message casually while sipping his drink. But the moment he read the word ''date,'' his forehead frowned and removed the tip of the bottle from his mouth. Kaylee is on a date tonight? With whom? If you wonder why Nick immediately guessed Kaylee, now you know that Nick adored Kaylee more than Wendy. "Yo, Nick." The (real) Nichs turned his head towards his friend who was calling him. "I have an idea for the next part." then his friend yed his electric guitar to show it to Nick, the leader of their band. "How is it?" "That''s great. Add vibrations to thest note and insert chord diminish seven on the third chord." His friendplied and repeated the idea by adding additional elements to Nick''s suggestion. Everyone who heard it smiled with satisfaction at the music that sounded better than before. They were fortunate to have Nichs Larson among them. That child was a genius in improvising and making a song more soulful that could thrill the listeners'' minds. Nick looked back at his phone while reading the message over and over again. There was no way anyone could approach Kaylee. Apart from himself, he was absolutely confident that the girl would not let the men approach her. Is Lydia trying to make fun of him, or is the girl trying to get revenge for destroying her blind date two weeks ago? Who is Kaylee''s date? Is he the freaky one or some unknown random new guy? Argh! Nick would not be able to calm down if a strange man approached Kaylee, and that person would take advantage of Kaylee''s innocence and ravish her. Her innocent was beyond words, and no one could save her. He had to tell Wendy about this. After sending a message to his sister, Nick returned to continue his training while trying to eliminate negative thoughts towards Kaylee''s date. The girl would be fine. At the same time, Kaylee¡­ Roe came out of the elevator with a big smile to act normally. She looked for Jacob, who was now sitting at the end of the cafe next to the ss window. It seemed that the young man was daydreaming, and his gaze was looking at the city view from the second floor until he didn''t notice her presence. "Hi, Jack," said Kaylee, making Jacob turn to her. Before this, Jacob had been worrying about his small quarrel with Nick. Somehow he felt ufortable and restless when he fought with the young man. His mind was filled with finding a way to apologize and make the young man forgive him so that his mind was not in his meeting with Roe. He even nned to postpone it, but he did not know Roe''s contact number, and he couldn''t reach out to Nick. Jacob couldn''t suddenly not appear without a reason to make Roe wait for him, could he? Hence, he decided to keeping even though his heart was not entirely enthusiastic about meeting this beautiful and charming girl. However, when his eyes turned and saw an angel-like face, his worries and anxieties vanished at once. He knew that Roe was indeed attractive and that he had fallen in love with her, but he had no idea that this girl would be lovelier than before. "M¡­ Miss Rose, you look beautiful tonight. Am I bothering you? It looks like you have an important event." "No. I''m free at the moment." a slight red hue appeared on Roe''s cheeks. See? Kaylee should have insisted on lessening her overly make-up. Now Jacob thinks she''s going to attend an important event because of her doll-up appearance. "Ah, I brought you something," Jacob handed Roe a small cute box. "What is this?" "Just open it." Roe opened the cute little box and peeked at its contents. Inside there is a mini chocte cake decorated with an adorable bunny doll as a topping. Her smile brightened when she saw the chocte cake. "This... how do you know I like chocte cake?" "I do not know. I''m just guessing. Ah, take it easy, that cake doesn''t contain nuts." "You even know that I''m allergic to peanuts? If I didn''t know you, I would think you were my stalker." Jacob scratched his neck with a bashful smile. "Actually, I overheard it from Miss Larson." Roe smiled, amused at the young man''s behavior. Only when he was with Roe did Jacob act like a shy child and speak very softly. Ah, it''s tough to be angry with this young man for a long time. Jacob is too sweet to be scolded. Moreover, he has brought her favorite chocte cake. Which girl doesn''t melt if someone gave her the sweetest bribe? "By the way, Miss Roe. Do you know what Nick likes?" "Nick? Why do you ask?" "I identally upset him today. Usually, I don''t care about my fights with my friends, but I don''t want our rtionship to be ruined because of my careless joke." Roe smiled gently at him. Ah, this man also felt guilty for cracking a joke that scared her. How could she not forgive this young man? "Nick¡­ he is actually a simple person. He would get angry if someone gave him a bad joke. But his anger will quickly die out as soon as he eats something sweet." "Hm? Why is he like a girl?" Kaylee smiled faintly at that. Well, the description she gave was not the character of Nichs Larson, but herself. Of course, Kaylee couldn''t possibly tell about this, right? Chapter 50 - Ch. 50 Because I Like You Unexpectedly, Kaylee enjoyed the chat time with Jacob. The young man looked so radiant and melted the cold temperature that was about to enter the winter season. Kaylee found herself doesn''t want to meet her client and continue to be with this young man. Not only did he have a smile as bright as the sun, but this young man was able to influence her mood. Kaylee thought she would find it difficult to contain her irritation and bad mood, but this young man could get rid of all her annoyance, and now she could talk cheerfully and joke with him. It felt like the young man was a mood booster for her. The two of them were too engrossed in talking to forget the time. Luckily, Roe''s assistant memorized the girl''s schedule, so she walked over to the two of them to tell Roe that her client hade and was waiting in the meeting room. "Ah, sorry. I have to see a client," stated Roe in a tone full of regret. She also looked disappointed at how short their meeting was. "It is okay. Was the meeting taking long?" as if Jacob caught a hint of Roe''s disappointment, he was willing to wait for the girl''s meeting to be together with a little longer. "About an hour or so." "After that? Did you have any other meeting?" "I don''t think so. Why?" "Then... do you mind if I wait for you here?" Roe''s eyes lit up at this. "Not at all." Kaylee''s assistant was puzzled seeing her employer''s big smile and sparkling eyes. This was the first time she had seen the pianist she assisted look so radiant when talking to a fan. She wondered if maybe Roe had feelings for this young man and not considered this meeting as a fan service. Unbeknownst to everyone, there were a pair of eyes that also observed Kaylee and Jacob''s interaction. However, his reaction was not the same as Roe''s assistant, who also felt happy. On the contrary, this person''s response looked furious. This person gripped a piece of Roe''s studio brochure paper tightly until it formed like a crumpled paper. His eyes were filled with hatred, especially when they looked at Jacob. As Roe and her assistant turned to walk towards the elevator, they didn''t see this person because this person had gone somewhere. While waiting for Roe, Jacob decided to go out for a walk to buy some candy while contacting Nick, his angry best friend. But¡­ Nick didn''t answer his calls at all, making him sure that his best friend was still angry with him. He didn''t understand why Nick was acting like a girl, but he didn''t care about it. Jacob assumed that maybe Nichs was with Roe or with Wendy too often so that the boy was acting like a trolling girl. After buying candy ording to Roe''s instructions, Jacob returned to the building and waited at the second-floor cafe. He decided to y an online game with his friends and spent time drinking watermelon juice. Without realizing it, time was running fast, and Roe was almost done serving consultations from her clients. At the same time, Den''s luxurious ck car arrived at the parking lot, and the man entered Kaylee''s studio room with unhurried steps. The receptionist recognized Den as Roe''s rival and was a little less fond of weing him. "Good evening, sir. What can I do for you?" "I have an appointment with Miss Roe." "Please, wait a minute." the receptionist did not understand why Miss Roe was willing to meet Den ck at this studio ce. Or is it possible that this man is lying to be allowed to go upstairs? The receptionist decided to ask Miss Roe first. Because Roe was still chatting with his client at this time, her assistant picked up the call. "Mister ck? He is here? Wait a minute." Danielle, Kaylee''s assistant, opened her tablet to check Kaylee''s schedule today. And it turned out that there was indeed the name Den ck after this meeting. It''s just that¡­ the information regarding this meeting is¡­ ''second date''?? What is the ''second date'' supposed to mean? Furthermore, where the hell her employer had her first date with Den ck!? Then what about the young man Roe met before? Out of curiosity, Dani scrolled over to see a description of the schedule for her meeting with Jacob. But there was nothing. There was no name nor description of anyone there before this meeting. Even though she was like a curious cat, she still did her job professionally and did not probe her employer''s private life. Dani walked over to the round table, which was the ce for discussion between Kaylee and several famous singers and musicians. "Kaylee, Mister ck has arrived here." "Ah? Why is he here?" Why does Kaylee look confused? How should Dani answer as she knew nothing if Kaylee already had a first date with the man? "His name is written on your schedule today." was her answer with a polite tone. Kaylee tried to remember how her schedule today came with the name Den. Then her memory drifted offst night, where she met Den as Kaylee. At that time, Den volunteered to drive her home, which she couldn''t refuse. The man already knew that she was Kaylee and Roe, so she thought she had nothing more to hide from him. Hence, she allowed the man to drive her home, which made her nervous to death. She also remembered the man saying something he wanted to pick her up today after she finished work, making her gasp almost choke on her saliva. Oh my! She forgot that today Den would pick her up! Stupid Kaylee, why did you forget it? If she had remembered, she wouldn''t have made the appointment between Roe and Jacob this afternoon. No. She would send Jacob home if only¡­ argh! She didn''t know anymore. "Dani, can you take Den to my room?" "You mean the fifth floor?" Kaylee nodded her head without caring the astonished look of her assistant. "Okay," Dani replied, then told the receptionist to take their unexpected guest to the fifth floor. Just like Dani, the receptionist looked very surprised to hear the orders from her superior. For as long as she could remember, Miss Roe has never allowed anyone to go up to the fifth floor, her most private ce since she worked in this studio. Kaylee made her ess card to the fifth floor, and only Kaylee, Wendy, and the receptionist had this ess card. Client guests would be taken to the meeting room on the third floor or meet casually at the cafe on the second floor. That''s why it was overwhelmed news for both the receptionist and Dani, who heard Kaylee''s order to bring Den ck to the fifth floor. That means Den''s existence was significant and meaningful to Miss Roe. The receptionist immediately changed her attitude and greeted Den''s arrival with great respect. Well, she didn''t want to be fired for being rude to her employer''s important guest, right? "Pleasee with me, sir. I''ll escort you to Miss Roe''s office." Den didn''t care at all about the receptionist''s change in attitude and followed the middle-aged woman in silence. After getting into the elevator and letting the receptionist stick the ess card, and pressing button five, the woman spoke again. "Miss Roe''s room is at the end of the floor. You won''t miss it." "Thank you," Den responded politely and let the woman walk out before the lift closed. Meanwhile, Roe escorted his four clients to the main lobby and watched them leave professionally. She still had a smile on her face as she made thest appointment, her assistant immediately noted. Once their figures had disappeared into the car, Kaylee''s smile vanished, and she immediately ran up to the second floor to meet Jacob. "Hey, Jack." Jacob, who was still busy fighting the boss in the dungeon, immediately went offline when he heard the sound of singing bird-like without caring that his friends would curse him for suddenly disappearing. "Miss Roe, are you finished?" "Yes. But, I''m sorry, I can''t apany you after this." "Did something happen?" "Actually, I ..." "Are you avoiding me?" "What? Of course not. What am I avoiding you for?" "Then, can you grant my wish?" "What kind of request?" "There will be a music battle on my campus next week. Nick also joined our band. I''m just wondering if you coulde to watch us." Jacob begged shyly yet stated it with a hopeful tone while scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly. Hearing this Request, Kaylee became silent. Music battle? How could shee if she was the one who yed the guitar as Nick in the music battle? "I''m sure you can win. I don''t think my presence is needed." "That''s not true. Your presence is very much needed." "Why?" "Because..." Jacob seemed hesitant to continue his sentence, but in the end, he looked at Kaylee with a stern gaze while holding Kaylee''s right hand with a light touch causing a warning rm in her head. "Because I like you." WHATTTTT!? Chapter 51 - Ch. 51 I Dont Mind Calling You Love What kind of girl dislike hearing a love confession from a man? All the girls in this world, including Kaylee, of course, are happy to listen to it. Whether the girls would reciprocate the man''s feelings or not, their hearts still felt jittery, and as if butterflies danced around her head, they felt like they stood above the clouds. Unfortunately, Kaylee has often heard this phrase since high school to the point she got used to it. Moreover, the fellow who confessed to her would disappear the next day. Not literally disappear, but they would act as if the love confession never happened. As a result, Kaylee no longer believed in love and closed herself off. She thinks high school love was just puppy love, and she decided to build an invisible wall and not hang out with friends of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, she was toofortable with her self-isting condition that her habit was carried on until she graduated from college and had a job of her own. Kaylee did not even expect love toe anytime soon because she knew she wouldn''t be able to love easily due to her past school experience. She thought she wouldn''t find any love or someone who managed to enter her heart when she decided to help Nick in his ce. And yet, she is receiving two expressions of love¡­ three actually if you count Alicia. [author: No, it doesn''t count] Yesterday, Den expressed his love for her and made her feel sure that he meant every word of his confession. Less than twenty-four hours, Jacob said he likes her too? Could it be her flowers was blooming toote that now she received two love confession? Maybe Jacob''s liking expression was different from Den''s, so Kaylee decided to act normal. "I like you too, Jack. Otherwise, I won''t be willing to see you again." Kaylee pulled her hand out of Jack''s grasp while replying with a yful tone. "Ah, so it was as a friend." Kaylee swallowed nervously, and suddenly she felt guilty when she saw the disappointed face of the young man. Jacob was a cheerful child and so charming that a gloomy and disappointed face like this does not match his real nature. Somehow Kaylee''s heartfelt saddened when she saw the young man''s dejected expression. "Well, you know what? You are the first guy I let someonee to my space. Usually, I''ll stay away and act cold if anyone tries to get close to me." "Really? You''re not like someone will avoid others." "Yeah? I guess I could only be like this when ites to you." "So, you like me more than a friend, right?" "Uhm..." Kaylee was fidgeting in her ce while continuing her answer, "I think so." Jacob''s gloomy face was immediately reced with a bright smile that could blind the eyes. Instantly Kaylee''s heartfelt warm and happy to see that radiant smile again. She really doesn''t like seeing her best friend gloomy and would rather see him smile andugh like this. Very weird. When Jacob feels sad, she''s sad too. On the other hand, if the young man feels happy, she will also feel happy as if she had experienced it herself. Is this what people called love? "So, you wille to our music battle?" Ba-thump! Kaylee didn''t want to disappoint the young man, but she couldn''t possibly grant his wish. "I''ll see if I have an appointment scheduled or not. But I couldn''t promise I woulde." "Yes, that''s enough for me." Kaylee giggled when she saw a never-ending wide smile on this young man''s face. "Miss Roe, can I have your phone number?" "Eh? I guess you can." Well, well, well... who has ever thought that young Jacob would be as aggressive as Den. Now I wonder who would win over Kaylee''s heart first? [readers: DECLAN!!] After seeing Jacob''s departure, Kaylee returned to the fifth floor to meet her number one idol. "Good evening, Mister ck," greeted Kaylee as soon as she entered the room and saw the man was looking at her photo on the wall. "Mister ck?" Den raised an eyebrow at her as if he wanted her to correct his name. "Uhm... I mean... Den." a hue of red appeared on her cheeks when she said the man''s name. Den had told her to call him by name, but Kaylee was still not used to it, and every time she mentioned the man''s name, her face felt hot. Den smiled softly, seeing the beautiful girl in front of him lowered her head sheepishly. This girl is adorable, and she surely would be the end of him. "Have you eaten, sweet Rose?" "Ha?" she felt she had a heart attack just now. "Uhm¡­ Not yet." "Then, let''s go eat first." Den walked over to Kaylee and took the girl''s right hand as if it was a regr daily habit. Kaylee widened in surprise as soon as big hands cupped her tiny hands, and she couldn''t do anything to avoid it. Didn''t this man agree to take it slow? But this man even treated her as if she had be his lover. Wait... is she now officially his lover? That couldn''t be, right. She hasn''t answered his love confession¡­ which means they''re not officially dating yet, right? Kaylee was a newbie in romance and had no idea what kind of status they were currently in. She didn''t even know what it was like to love someone, but at least she knew that she liked Jacob. But why¡­ her heart constantly flutters when she is with Den? Does that mean she likes Den too? Is it possible for someone to like two men at the same time? Kaylee was still thinking about this during the trip until she didn''t realize Den called her over and over again. "Kaylee, love," "Ha?" somehow, her sense was back to her the moment she heard love from the man''s mouth. Den gave a light chuckle in amusement and couldn''t help to tease her. "Do you prefer me to call you my love so that you don''t daydream anymore? I don''t mind calling you love every day and every time." Blush!! Kaylee turned her face out of the car window, pretending to enjoy the evening view they were passing by. "Uhm¡­ sorry that I thought of something else. What did you say earlier?" Kaylee asked without looking at the man. She still didn''t dare¡­ to be precise, she felt embarrassed when her eyes met the man''s ck eyes. "Have you heard about my father''s birthday this weekend? I overheard my father invited your family." "Ah, right. My mother already told me." "Will youe?" "Mister ck is the husband of my mother''s best friend, and he was very kind to invite us. Of course, we wille. Ah, but¡­ I haven''t bought a present for Mister ck yet. What do you think is the most suitable gift for him?" "Do you want to make a good impression on your father-inw?" Whaaaat?? "Ah? That¡­ no¡­ I didn''t mean it like that. I mean¡­" Really¡­ this guy is going to kill her with a heavy heart attack one day. Kaylee now felt sure that Den had absolutely no interest in taking their ambiguous rtionship slowly. What does he mean by father-inw? Wouldn''t any other normal guy say ''my father''¡­ or at least ''your future father-inw!'' Mister ck senior is not yet his father-inw! What''s more¡­ Kaylee has never met Den''s father at all. Kaylee only met Mrs. ck when the woman visited her mother at her home. "Mister ck... I mean... Den, stop teasing me." Denughed with amusement at the sweet request of the girl sitting next to him. He loved seeing the confused face and nervous tone of her voice. But he would grant all requests from his future wife even though he still wants to flirt with his little lover. Yup. Although there were no words to say they are officially dating, Den already considered Kaylee to be his girlfriend. Like it or not, Kaylee must ept this fact and get ready to receive another heart attack. "If you are confused about giving gifts to my father, how about tomorrow we shop together to find gifts?" "Tomorrow?" "What time will you finish your work?" Eh?? Kaylee opened her smartphone to see tomorrow''s schedule. The note on her cellphone was connected to the tablet her assistant is holding. If Kaylee had a new sudden n when Dani was not with her, she could put it herself while letting Dani know thetest update. She looked at the notes. Kaylee had a ss schedule andter NYA practice agenda in the evening. Apart from that, she didn''t have any other programs. "I have a practice schedule with the orchestra group and finish around seven in the evening." "Are you practicing at your studio or somewhere else?" "At the theater belonging to our conductor." "Okay. I''ll pick you up there at seven. Then we can go shopping to find my father''s present." Kaylee blinked a few times before realizing something. Why did she feel like Den was trying to get her to meet him every day?? Hahaha¡­ that''s impossible, right. [Author: Possible if Den fall in love with you XD] Chapter 52 - Ch. 52 Inseparable Duo "Ah? Can''t live without you?!" Kaylee quaked when Adam and his friends suggested a song that they would y to their music battle. "Yup. The newest song from The Adam''s, and I think this song is the most suitable for battling those cocky rock band kids." Adam replied, agreeing with Fritz''s proposal. "Hoi, Adam. Are you sure you''re not a member of The Adam''s?" Adam snorted in annoyance that he was tired of hearing the same questions over and over again since The Adam''s band had risen to prominence over the past few months. "How many times have I told you I''m not The Adam''s." Kaylee gave a burst of hearty amusedughter along with her friends, seeing her friend frown. Then she nced once more at the printed paper which contained the music sheet of ''Can''t live without you.'' The Adam''s was a group of young people who formed their own band three years ago. At that time, they were still minors and not as famous as they are now. At first, they were just ying around to form a band because there was a music festival at their school. To enliven the atmosphere, they wore quirky hats with long ornaments that covered their faces. Their unique and entric appearance was the main attraction of the audience. It was as if they attended a mask custom-made musical concert. Who would have thought their school friends loved their performance and always asked them to appear as musicians every time they held an event. Even though The Adam''s, which consists of five members, was still rtively young, they are very creative. They created and designed their hats for their appearance, and each hat were different designs every time they performed. And one of them recorded their performance and put it on a private U-tub channel. The number of viewers and subscribers increased every minute, attracting several famous music producers in a short time. Long story short, this music producer recruited this band. He was willing to be The Adam''s private agency to introduce their music and unique appearance to the world. Most of Kaylee''s friends envy The Adam''s members because they were all recruited instantly by one of the country''s most prominent entertainment agencies. They made baseless assumptions that The Adam''s had a big whale channel to join the showbiz and how lucky they were because they get contracted effortlessly. But only Kaylee knows how much struggle each member of The Adam''s has to get to this point. Some of them were having headaches thinking about the next hat designs, while the others spent a lot of time creating an original song to the point he disregarded his school lessons. Nevertheless, they never failed in their studies and passed each school exam remarkably. How did Kaylee know about all of this? That''s because Nichs Larson is the lead guitarist of The Adam''s. Nick often asked Wendy and Kaylee for their opinion on the band''s newest song before submitting it to their music director. That is why Kaylee knows every detail of the songs on all The Adam''s albums and is very familiar with them. The only problem is¡­ Well, Kaylee wouldn''t have any problem if she yed The Adam''s with the piano, but it would be a super problem if she had to y guitar. On average, The Adam''s song has a music interlude filled with guitar solos, and Kaylee would never be able to fill that part. In particr, in the Can''t Live Without You, she knows the song''s guitar solo''s interlude was too extreme for her. It seemed that after this, she has to go to Wendy and Nick''s house to learn this guitar part from her best friend''s brother. "Hey, Nick, you can learn the guitar solo part, right?" "Hahaha¡­" Kayleeughed nervously in response. "I will try." "Cool. The girls will go crazy over you if you seed in imitating The Adam''s lead guitar yer''s style. " "Eh? By the way, if I''m not mistaken, the guitar yer''s name is¡­ Nick?" Gulp! "I heard his name is Nicky, but maybe that''s just his nickname." "Aren''t you happy your name is popr?" teased one of her friends. "Hahaha¡­" Kaylee didn''t know how to respond and could only hear their conversation. "Have you seen Jacob?" finally Kaylee voiced her heart because she hadn''t seen the young man since earlier. She was a little nervous and didn''t know what to act like face-to-face with Jacob. Moreover, the man openly confessed his feelings to her. But right now, she was Nick and knew nothing about the boy''s affection for her. Kaylee was a little relieved that she didn''t have to meet the young man this early in the morning, but she couldn''t help feeling anxious about what to do when she met himter. After all, they had a bad exchange yesterday. "Nope. I haven''t seen him since this morning. Maybe he doesn''t have a morning ss." Ah, right. It is Thursday, and she just remembered, Jacob didn''t have a morning ss schedule. Because of this, Kaylee decided to return to her ss and focus on her studies. She preferred to act normal and not think about the young man''s confession yesterday. When her ss was over, Kaylee was surprised by Jacob, who suddenly appeared before her eyes making her almost jump backward. "Jack, you scared me!" Jacob smiled broadly and thought Kaylee''sint was just a joke. He had no idea that Kaylee was entirely shocked by his sudden ghost-like presence and thought his best friend was overreacting. "Give me your hand." Luckily Kaylee did not have a bad temper like yesterday or the day before yesterday, so she was not too sensitive when Jacob startles her half to death. One of Kaylee''s weaknesses was that she doesn''t like to be surprised the least. She disliked seeing horror movies or entering a haunted house, which will shock her and make her heart jump out of ce. Luckily, she could calm her heart as soon as possible andply with what Jacob asked without feeling annoyed with the young man. As soon as her palms were open in front of Jacob, her best friend settled his hand over hers. When Jacob opened his palm, five kinds of sweet candy fell andnded on Kaylee''s palm. Aren''t these all her favorite sweet candies? Kaylee couldn''t help but smile realized this young man followed her advice when she became Roe. "Ho? You smile. That means you''re not angry with me, right?" Kaylee immediately ttened her face and killed her smile to tease her best friend. "Who is smiling? You saw it wrong," she replied dryly and walked past Jacob. When Jacob didn''t see her face, Kaylee smiled amusedly as she tried to hold herughter out. "Hoi, Nick. Why are you so petty?" Jacob immediately caught up with Kaylee and put his hand around his friend''s shoulder while sulking. "Come on, I''m sorry. I promise I will never spit bad jokes like that again." begged the young man in puppy eyes. "So this candy is to bribe me?" "Yeah... ah, I mean no. I didn''t bribe you, but I regret what I did." Kaylee elbowed her best friend in the waist to release herself from Jacob''s arms,ughing amusedly. "Thank you for the candy, but actually, I''ve forgiven you since yesterday." "Ha! I don''t believe it. Why didn''t you pick up my call all day?" "Why do I pick up the phone from the person who pissed me off?" Kaylee replied in a witty tone while holding back herughter that had often appeared between her words. "And you still say you''ve forgiven me since yesterday?" "I did say it, but I didn''t say I already forgave you when you called me." "You... Come here you." Kayleeughed as she ran towards the next ssroom. Their friends who saw their silliness shook their heads andughed with amusement at their actions. Their campus atmosphere bes lively and fun when there was a pair of duo Jacob and Nick. If one of them was not there, somehow, the campus atmosphere felt empty. It feels like their campus life will not beplete if they don''t see the almost inseparable duo. In the afternoon, precisely three o''clock in the afternoon, Kaylee walked back to Den''s room to continue their supplementary study session. This time Kaylee would make sure not to repeat the same mistakes as yesterday and focus on Den''s assignment. As usual, Kaylee opened the door when no one responded to her knocking. After making sure no one was there, then Kaylee walked inside. This time she didn''t dare touch the piano without permission and wait well at the long-drawn table. Kaylee has tried to give a little ornament to improvise the song Require to Live. She did it on the piano at homest night after returning from a quick dinner with Den. Kaylee didn''t have to wait long because this time, the door opened, and she was ready to greet the man with her usual big smile. However, the one who arrived at the door was not Den, but a woman? Chapter 53 - Ch. 53 I Will Date Both Of Them "Are you Nichs Larson?" questioned the woman as she walked towards Kaylee in disguise. This woman looks very beautiful with light golden blonde hair and beautiful sparkle brown eyes. Who is this woman? She was sure enough thedy was neither the professor on this campus nor the students. This woman looked like in herte twenties or early thirties due to the shape of her face and eyes that seemed so mature. "Yes, and you are?" "My name is Cassidy, assistant to Mister ck. He told me toe here to tell you that your extra lessons will be lessened to once a week. So today, you can go home ande again every next Wednesday." Ha? Don''t they agree to undergo this extra lesson twice a week? Why is that man cutting back now? "But, I had finished the task yesterday. Should I leave it here or wait for our next meeting?" "I can take it if you want. I''ll be back in the office soon and give it to Mister ck." Kaylee thought for a moment to think about it. She could have let this woman bring her assignment results, and Den could immediately check her work. But at the same time, she felt doubtful. She understood that Den wanted to keep his identity as ck Moon a secret, and Kaylee did not know whether Den''s assistant knew ck Moon''s identity or not. If it turned out that this woman didn''t know ck Moon, it would be safer if she didn''t leave her assignment notes with that woman. "Oh, there''s no need. I''ll hand it over myself when hees here." Cassidy smiled slightly at the answer before excuse herself to return to the office. After the woman came back out of this office, Kaylee sighed in disappointment. She was eager to correct her yesterday''s mistake and show the man her enthusiasm in learning under Den''s guidance. But it seemed that the man has been angry and is now cutting back on their extra ss schedule. Well, this additional schedule was just Den''s suggestion and was not part of her program course. And that man still made time during his busy life as a CEO at hispany as well as a lecturer on campus just to provide additional sses for Kaylee. She shouldn''t be surprised if the man would be angry because Kaylee didn''t take the lesson seriously in her study and didn''t do the assigned task. Kaylee herself would also feel annoyed and irritated if her orchestra members never practice at home and give a bad performance during group practice. Kaylee put the books and stationery back in her bag with anguid movement before leaving this room. Her NYA orchestra practice began at five in the evening, so she had two hours to rest. However, Kaylee was not a girl who likes to sit still while doing nothing, so she decided toe to Wendy''s apartment. Fortunately, Wendy was at home and had no schedule to meet with anyone, so Kaylee could freely confide in her best friend. She also told about Den and Jacob, who suddenly confessed their feelings to her. And now, she couldn''t help but assumed that Den had considered her as his lover due to his bold flirting. The man also did skinship too much, even though Kaylee had never responded to his confession. Wendyughed at Kaylee''s expression made her unable to hold back from teasing her. "So, which one will you choose? Den ck, who looks mature and will treat you like this world''s queen, or Jacob, the young man below you who can always raise your mood?" "Stop teasing me. I''m serious here." "So am I," argued Wendy. "Is it possible for someone to like two men at the same time?" "Is it possible for someone to like two fruits at the same time?" "Wendy," "Kaylee," imitated Wendy with a light chuckle. "Your question is the same as which one I prefer between apples or grapes." "You like both," dered Kaylee making Wendyugh. "Exactly. Apples taste sweet and boost my mood, while grapes make me drunk and forget all my problems." "One will not get drunk while eating grapes." "Tsk. It was only parables." Wendy rolled her eyes at her extremely innocent best friend. "So it shouldn''te as a surprise that you like two men at the same time. Plus, you''ve never been in love before, and all the guys who approach you are jerks. Now when two people tried to woo you with sincerity and express love for you, you couldn''t help but skipped a beat at them. Am I right?" Kaylee nodded her head excitedly with her sparkling eyes looking at her friend in amazement. How could Wendy understand what was in her heart? The girl seemed to be able to read all of Kaylee''s thoughts right now. "Then what should I do now? I can''t possibly keep going on a date with both of them. It made me like a ygirl." she groaned in disgust while scrunching her nose. Wendy giggled at her innocent friend''s remark and embraced her shoulder while soothing her anxious friend. "Don''t worry. You will find what your heart wanted over time." Kaylee tilted her head curiously while waiting for the continuation of her best friend''s sentence. "Right now, you may not be able to tell the difference, but when you spend your time with them and find out what kind of character they are, that''s when you will be able to tell the difference." "How so?" "It''s hard to exin in words. It could be that they are not the people you want either. So, just enjoy their approach and go on a date with both of them." eximed Wendy in a teasing tone. "Wh... WHAT?!" "Who is dating?" Suddenly Nick''s low voice was heard, and now the young man approached them, releasing his backpack carelessly. "Nick, you got home on time. Right now, Kaylee is being courted by two charming men." "Two? Please, don''t tell me it was that freak..." "No." interrupted Wendy before her brother finished his words. "It was her college friend and the dreamy bachelor, Mister Den ck." "Ooo..." was the shortment from Wendy''s brother. Kaylee did not mind that Wendy told her brother about the bizarre situation she was in. The three had opened up to each other and revealed their deepest secrets that they had never told anyone. That''s why Kaylee didn''t feel embarrassed at all when Nick found out that two men were courting her, let alone she liked both of them. "If you were me, which would you choose?" "I''ll be dating both." was the obvious answer from the shameless young man. "You are indeed my brother." Wendy patted her brother''s shoulder softly, making Kaylee puzzled. Why does she feel that being friends with this pair of siblings is a bad influence on her life? Yup, they were a bad influence for her. "But, Kaylee. You are not me, and you are not the type to date some random guys at the same time. If you want to choose a lover, choose someone who makes you feelfortable. You will suffer if you get into a rtionship with someone you don''t feelfortable with." Wendy nodded in agreement with her brother''s words. "Wow, my brother is already an adult, huh." teased her while ruffling Nick''s hair. "Tch! Am I a kid? In this world, the only one who still treats me like a child is you alone." "Ho? So you don''t like it? Huh?" Wendy strangled her brother''s neck and increasingly ruffled her brother''s hair, making Nick wriggle and whined at Kaylee. "Kaylee, save me. My sister is going crazy." Kayleeughed at the interaction of the two while persuading Wendy to let go of her brother. Then, Kaylee decided to go to the theater not to bete in following routine rehearsals. "Wait a minute. I''ve prepared ginger tea for you." Nick got up from his seat and went to the kitchen area to get the ginger tea he had made this morning. After that, he heated it for a while then gave it to Kaylee to make the girl smile happily. "Wow, you still remember?" "Of course. I''ve memorized your routine schedule." Kaylee smiled widely as she epted the warm drink and drank it until thest drop. "Thanks. See youter." When Kaylee left their apartment, Wendy looked at her brother with an apprehensive smile. "What?" "Isn''t your caring too much?? You even still remember her period schedule." "¡­" "Nick. She is Kaylee." "I know." "If you don''t take care of it soon, you won''t be able to step back again." "I..." "Hey." Nick''s words were immediately interrupted when Kaylee''s bell-like voice suddenly assault their ears, making the pair of brothers and sisters turn to Kaylee anxiously. Did Kaylee hear their conversation? "Nick, I forgot to tell you something. There will be a music battle next week, and my band chooses your song. Can you teach me how to y your guitar solo part?" "Sure." Nick''s answer made Kaylee grin broadly, revealing rows of perfect white teeth. "You''re the best. Thanks!" "¡­" "¡­" Wendy sighed, realizing that her brother didn''t look away from the door. Chapter 54 - Ch. 54 Something Is Missing In one of thergest theaters in New York City, an orchestra is ying a masterpiece grandly. However, the conductor was not satisfied with their training results, so he told them to rest before starting again. The conductor approached Kaylee, who was still sitting on the piano chair while watching the song''s music sheet. Just like the conductor, Avan, Kaylee felt that something was missing from this song. "Roe, what do you think of our recital just now?" "I think it''s pretty amazing," answered Kaylee politely. "But... I feel that something is missing." Avan snapped his fingers delightedly that his pianist was thinking the same thing as him. "Exactly. I also feel it, but I can''t find any w at all. The strings sound perfect, and there was no fals voice, so were the brass yers. Their breathing matches the rhythm of the strings'' melody, and the tempo also stable. So what''s the missing piece?" Kaylee also thought the same thing and did not know the fault of this masterpiece entitled Wonderful Day. After scrutinizing every note in her sheet book, Kaylee still couldn''t find what was missing. She was still too busy looking for this unknown something missing, so she didn''t realize that someone had arrived and entered the practice room secretly. "All right, it''s half-past seven now. Let''s repeat this song one more time." all musicians approved the suggestion of the conductor, and each one returned to their respective seats. After the string yers were ready with their instruments as well as the brass yers, the conductor raised his hands. After turning to Kaylee to give a signal, Avan lowered his hands, followed by a majestic brass sound as the song''s opening. As Kaylee expected, all the NYA yers were professional yers and were the best in their respective fields. The way they yed the instruments and the stable tempo were so perfect that it''s hard to find fault. But¡­ Kaylee still felt something was missing. She even was not satisfied with herself ying the piano. Really¡­ what''s wrong with all of them? Or perhaps, there''s something wrong with the song? After ying Wonderful Day, whichsted nearly thirty minutes, the conductor decided to end their practice. Each of them tidied up their own instruments except Kaylee because she didn''t have to fix the piano as it would be staying in this room. Instead, Kaylee looked back at the sheet music scores with a probing and questioningly looked. She was too engrossed in her search to notice that her group members were whispering about someone to catch the conductor''s attention. Avan was puzzled by the sight of his orchestra members staring at a corner of this practice room. When the man in histe thirties turned his head towards the target, his pair of eyes were wide opened. Isn''t that person Den ck? What are the RSH pianists doing here? Did hee here to spy on their practice? After all, it''s December, and in three months there will be apetition for the position of the best orchestra in the country. He did not expect that the RSH orchestra was ying dirty so openly. But why did that man look closely at his pianist? He couldn''t possibly want to recruit his best pianist in the world, right? "Pst... pst..." Avan called Kaylee in a low voice like a whisper to break the girl''s reverie. "Roe... Roe!" Only when Avan called her a little bit louder, Kaylee tilted her head in confusion. "Yes, sir Avan?" "Take a look there. We have uninvited spies." Ha? An uninvited spy? Kaylee shifted her gaze in the conductor''s direction, and her face flushed when she saw Den smile at her while waving once to greet her. Den''s small gesture made all of the NYA members, including Avan, gasped in shock. The whispers grew louder as if they didn''t care whether Den and Kaylee would hear them or not. "The man greets Roe." "Is it possible he came because of Roe?" "You think they are dating?" Kaylee suddenly felt her body being showered with dozens of curious eyes staring at her. Nervous and trying her best to put on an expressionless face, Kaylee closed her sheet book and put it in her bag. "Sir Avan, thank you for today, and see you next week." Kaylee immediately walked over to Den and promptly invited the man to get out of this practice room. Den could barely contain hisughter when he saw the blush all over Kaylee''s face. As soon as the two of them exited the room and the practice room door closed tightly, the atmosphere inside became excited. "They are dating?!" "Geez! Who would have thought the silent Ice Queen Roe ended up hooking up a man one day?" "Hmph! They are like Romeo and Juliet." quipped Avan, seemed not to like seeing Roe''s closeness to his rival''s pianist. "Aiya, sir Avan. Our two orchestra groups are not hostile to each other until they bleed. Don''t pray that the two of them have a tragic romance like that fictional character." Well, the truth was that Avan doesn''t mind if Den and Roe were seeing each other. But he was annoyed that the rival''s pianist had listened to their practice. The man must haveughed at their unsatisfactory performance, which made Avan very upset, especially when he realized that Den ck tried to hold back hisughter. Little did he know, Den was holding back hisughter because of his innocent lover''s funny behavior and notughing at his orchestra group y. As soon as the two arrived at the theater''s main door, Kaylee stopped walking and turned towards Den. "Why didn''t you tell me that you arrive?" "I don''t want to interfere with your practice. Besides, I love watching you y the piano." Here wee, another praise attack that made her heart jumped out of its ce. Kaylee lowered her head in a shy manner, making Den want to tease her by also lowering his head to see her face. "You don''t need to feel embarrassed every time you hear mypliment. Because I like you more and fell in love all over again every time I see you." Kaylee bit her lip as she nced at Den, who smiled broadly at her, making the poor bunny unable to breathe. She did not know that this man could smile broadly like this. Isn''t this guy usually very stingy with a smile? But as soon as this man smiled at her, Kaylee felt that someone had stolen her breath. "Come on, let''s go before it gets toote," urged Den while holding her hand. She didn''t know why, but it seemed that man couldn''t live without holding her hand, and for some reason, Kaylee was getting used to his touch, so she didn''t mind every time he grasped her hand without her permission. It''s just¡­ is it normal for an ordinary friend to hold hands? Could it be that this man thought of her as his lover? Kaylee wanted to ask, but she was afraid to hear the answer. No. She didn''t even know what kind of answer she wanted to hear. Kaylee was oblivious of what her heart wanted, but she knew she had absolutely nothing against him touching her skin. Whether when holding hands, or when the man gently stroked the top of her head, or when the man kissed the back of her hand, Kaylee couldn''t find herself hating all the man''s gentle touch. Den invited her to have a quick dinner at one of the restaurants, and it was after ordering their food that Kaylee opened her mouth to speak. Only, she couldn''t ask about their ambiguous rtionship, so she decided to ask another question. "Did you hear our practice?" "I did." "What do you think?" "You want to ask my opinion regarding your orchestra group y or your performance?" "Eh? Didn''t I y together with the group?" "It is true. But my eyes and ears only see and hear your y." Kaylee nearly choked on her saliva and tried to clear her throat a few times to calm her beating heart. "Have you been looking for sweet words on the intetely? You''re getting better at uttering those cheesy lines," muttered Kaylee while lowering her head. Den chuckled at this. "I just say what''s on my mind. I don''t find it cheesy. But, if you do ask for my opinion regarding your group, something is missing from your performance." Exactly. That''s what Kaylee thought and wanted to know what other people like Den thought about their recital rehearsal. Kaylee wanted to ask, but she didn''t know if Den was willing to give a suggestion to his rival group. However, Den proved her wrong. The man startled her by continuing his sentence. "You are too perfect, and you have no soul in your performance. Even you were overthinking in the middle of y so that the sound you produce sounded dull." "¡­" This is the first time someone has criticized her ying. What would Kaylee''s reaction be like? Chapter 55 - Ch. 55 You Are My Wife As long as Kaylee could remember, ever since she became Roe, no one has criticized her ying. That''s because her solo piano performance was so breathtaking that one found it hard to see its w. Plus, Kaylee is a soul yer, so no one would be able to criticize her due to her ying always seed in reaching one''s deepest soul. Even when she did something wrong during practice, the conductor would neither criticize nor me her. Even though Kaylee wanted to ask for opinions or suggestions, no one gave it as if they were all afraid to offend her. The only person who dared to admonish and insinuate her y was that ''person.'' However, Den proved her wrong as the man criticize her piano ying even after he admitted he couldn''t take his eyes off her performance. "I think you''re right. But I didn''t expect you to say it like that tantly." Den smiled softly at that. "Hasn''t anyone reprimanded you before?" Kaylee shook her head. "Either because they are afraid that I will be offended and scold them or because they just don''t know what''s wrong with my ying. No one told me my fault or med me when I made a mistake." "Maybe because your y is perfect. Plus, it''s rare for people to tell the difference between a soul yer or not." "Can you tell the difference?" Den nodded his head in answer. "That''s easy enough." "Seriously? It''s weird. I can''t tell the difference at all. How do you do that?" "I''ll teach it to you another time." That means there will be the next meeting... er... date after tonight. Why does Kaylee feel that Den is leading her on his hidden trap? "Den, if you were NYA pianist and knew this weakness, what would you do?" The man smirked when he heard Kaylee''s question, which indirectly asked for an opinion to cover up the weakness of an overly perfect appearance. "Asking one of your rivals for advice, what reward do I get if I tell you?" Kaylee cleared her throat a few times, and for some reason, that man''s devilish smirk gave goosebump to her whole body. "I¡­ I¡­" flustered Kaylee, not knowing what to say anymore. Den chuckled, seeing the flustered face of his tiny lover, and decided to end his teasing. It looked like the girl would faint right away if he continued it. "I am just kidding. I will tell you if you ask my advice. You don''t have to hesitate to ask me for anything." stated Den in a firm and gentle tone, making Kaylee''s heart melt. "Do you know whoposed Wonderful Day?" Kaylee nodded her head. "I know. Sandy Zhou, aposer and songwriter from Singapore-China, was born in 1990 and died at fifty due to a rare disease." "Then, do you know his goal of creating this song?" Kaylee tried to dig into her memory when she learned this song''s history when the conductor asked the members to learn it. Each musician must understand the character and purpose of the music they y to know how to perform it properly. That''s why, before the practice session for this song started, each member had to find out the background for this song themselves. Who created it, what is the purpose and for whom this song was created. "I know theposer created this song to wee the birth of his son that he had been waiting for. His wife had miscarriages five times. He wrote this song and yed it to his pregnant wife. Miraculously, her womb didn''t weaken like before, and their first child was born healthy." "Correct. Can you imagine the feeling of someone who prays for the safety of others and can''t wait to meet that person?" Kaylee thought about the question Den had asked and tried to imagine that she was Sandy Zhou. She did pray for the health of her parents and all the people she loved. She also prayed for their safety as they all travel overseas by ne or train. But she never had anyone she wanted so badly to meet, let alone hope to see that person soon. So she doesn''t know how it feels. Well, she indeed was eager to meet ck Moon, but she never expected her dream woulde true one day. "That¡­ I can''t imagine it. How about you? Have you ever experienced it?" "Hm. I''ve experienced it." Den''s answer surprised Kaylee made her wonder who the hell was it that Den was dying to meet. "The feelings Sandy felt when apanying his wife''s pregnancy process were anxiety, fear, worry, but at the same time, he became more impatient to see his baby every day. He yed various kinds of serene songs to keep his wife in a good mood and well condition while trying his best to make her happy. Right on the day his wife gave birth and heard the sound of her baby crying..." "He felt immense joy that words cannot describe." interrupted Kaylee, now beginning to understand what the creator felt, making Den smile. "Exactly. Being too excited and enthusiastic, a bunch of music and melodies popped into his head, and his brain seemed to sing every time he looked at the face of his newborn baby." Hearing Den''s words made Kaylee''s heart rejoice as if she had witnessed Sandy''s face,ughing with satisfaction and joy when holding the newborn baby for the first time. But there was still one thing she didn''t understand. "Now I understand how Sandy felt when he created this song. But I still don''t understand what it has to do with our y being too perfect." Den smiled crookedly at this and could not help but tease this innocent girl. "If you were my student on campus, I would make this your essay assignment." "But I''m not your student," Kaylee muttered softly while drinking her water. "Indeed. You are my wife¡­" Spurt! Kaylee choked on her drink, hearing this. Not his lover, but now she is his wife?! "That''s why I will tell you right now." Den didn''t give Kaylee a chance to react and continued his words, making Kaylee couldn''t help but listened to his words attentively like an obedient little wife. "You are all professional yers and consider technique and perfection was the most important things. That''s not wrong, but not entirely true either. You are more focused on not making mistakes than on conveying what Sandy Zhou wanted to transmit." "Joy? That''s it!" A nod from the man followed Kaylee''s remark. "Thank you very much. This time I know what I have to do. I owe you a huge one." "I did it for free, but if you feel indebted¡­" Den leaned forward to bring the two closer together, which made Kaylee even more nervous in her ce. "You can buy me lunch tomorrow." Gulp! Tomorrow?? They already have met starting on Tuesday, Wednesday and today, and now the man also asked her to meet again on Friday. Plus, this time, the man asked her to lunch instead of dinner? Wouldn''t the length of their meeting be longer than usual? "Den¡­" muttered Kaylee softly and barely made a sound, but Den could still hear her. "Yes?" "You said... you said you would take it slowly." "I did." "But, isn''t this too fast? I mean¡­ we don''t need to meet every day." Moreover, they will meet again on Saturday at Mister ck senior''s birthday. "I think it''s considerably slow." Ha?? ''If this is slow¡­ then what are you going to do if you do it fast?'' thought Kaylee without realizing it; she voiced her inner mind! "I''ll take you home to your parents to ask your hand in marriage." Gasp! Kaylee didn''t know whether her face could get hotter than this or not because she was so sure she could boil an egg and get it cooked in a matter of seconds! Den leaned forward even more so that the faces of the two were only inches away. "Besides, love. There is one thing you should know that I am holding back." "Wh... What?" Den turned to the side as if he wanted to show her something to make the girl also turned her head to see what the man wanted to show. Kaylee''s ck eyes widened when she saw a pair of lovers kissing affectionately without paying attention to the people around them. This country is indeed a liberal country, and not least Kaylee found lots of couples who are making out knew no time and ce. But Kaylee was an innocent girl who never did intimate skinship with the opposite gender, let alone making out brazenly like that. Den was the first man who dared to touch her and hold her hand openly without asking permission. Now that man is trying to tell her he''s holding back from¡­ not kissing her!? Kaylee turned her head back to withdraw the intimate scene, but she had no idea that this time Den''s face was getting closer to her. Now that she turned her head back, their two noses were touching! [Kaylee: Dear sweet author, please have mercy on my poor heart T.T] Chapter 56 - Ch. 56 Declans Mission Den has a mission of his own, which is to make Kaylee smile. Somehow whatever he did always made the girl bow her head and look away. It seemed the girl often avoided his gaze and preferred to stare at other things except him. Kaylee did smile at him, but it was not a hearty smile thates from the heart. Even if the girl would smile at him, he couldn''t see it clearly, considering the girl lowered her head too much to the point he lost count. Hence, his brain worked hard to make the scared bunny get used to his presence and smile at him freely without resistance. Who would have thought, just by giving a suggestion to improve the girl''s orchestra group y, Kaylee showed him the sweetest smile. For a moment, Den barely managed to keep his hand for himself and was eager to taste the girl''s seductive pink lips, but he managed to restrain himself. This girl looked like a rabbit who would run away immediately if he was too aggressive. Den had to get this girl ustomed to their closeness so that she would have no opening to escape from him. Den wasn''t lying when he announced he falls in love with his little lover more and more with each meeting they had. Every time Kaylee showed a different expression, it made his desire to monopolize this girl even bigger. Until this day, he never knew that he would want to monopolize someone to the point he wished to lock her up in his house so no one would steal her away. And today, the girl smiled very sweetly and broadly at him while saying thank you. Her ck pearl eyes glowed like a glittering star at night while talking to him. This made Den almost unable to hold back, and when the girl asked about the eleration of their rtionship, the man''s patience line was snapped. He couldn''t help but take advantage of his teasing to lure this bunny into his trap. "Besides, love. There is one thing you should know that I am holding back." "Wh... What?" Den deliberately didn''t answer her question right away, but instead, he nced at the table where a pair of lovers were making out. This time he didn''t rent the entire room because he wanted to make Kayleefortable with him. This girl wasn''t fond of being in the spotlights, but clearly, Kaylee seemed morefortable being alone with him when she''s in a crowded ce. At least that''s what he learned after going out with the girl twice. Den took a mental note on every date with her to find out the girl''s habits, likes, and interests around them. He wanted to get to know this girl inside and out and also wanted her to know him. Because of that, he did not answer right away and let Kaylee find out the answer for herself by looking at the lovers who considered the world belonged to them. Den nced back at the girl to see what her expression was like. He could not hide his satisfied smile witnessing the girl''s eyes rounded wide and blushing all over her face. Her rose-like aroma was intoxicating, and the skin on her face was smooth and made him want to touch it. Without realizing it, his face moved closer to enjoy the sweet scent of the girl. He didn''t expect Kaylee to look back, and now their faces were facing each other with their noses touching. Den and Kaylee both could feel each other''s breaths, and it seemed neither of them had any interest in breaking away. Since Kaylee was still frozen in ce, Den tilted his head slightly and moved further to bring his lips closer to the target he craved. Kaylee gulped nervously, realized what the man was about to do, and without realizing it, she held her breath! Her heart thundered like a raging sea wave in a storm. She felt her blood rush to her face, made her head feel dizzy. While the gap between their lips was barely visible, Kaylee moved backward, suddenly deciding to give up. She felt that not only did her head feel hot, but her whole body was also burning as if she was in a sauna room. Isn''t it winter soon? Why is the room temperature hot here? Thought Kaylee in puzzlement while fanning herself by her hand. Den hid his disappointment when he saw Kaylee suddenly retreating, but he didn''t say anything and straightened up again. Fortunately, the waitress came to their rescue by bringing their food. Den didn''t mention the event of their near-kissing and struck up a new topic. Little by little, Kaylee''s nervousness faded, and she no longer thought about the most heart-thrilling scene a few minutes earlier. Little did she know, Den didn''t n to stop there. He almost tasted the tiny lips that had been the target of his eyes, and the girl gave him hope by not moving, only to crush it instantly by retreating in thest second. But this time, Den let the girl and returned to make Kaylee feelfortable with him. After finishing their dinner, Den took Kaylee to a shopping mall to find a birthday present for Mister ck senior. "Den, what kind of gift does your father like?" Den smiled happily at that. At least Kaylee didn''t call his father ''Mister ck'' anymore, which meant that the girl had epted him. "Hm... He will like whatever you give." "How can you be sure?" "Because you are his future daughter-inw." Den never missed an opportunity to flirt with his little lover, only to see a blush fill Kaylee''s pretty face. "Den, stop teasing me. I''m serious. I have no idea what to present." Den smiled with amusement with his satisfaction at the innocent and timid reaction of the adorable bunny. His right hand snaked around her waist to bring her closer to him. This small gesture was every day between lovers, but not for Kaylee! So far, Den has only held her hand and never hugged her. Now that Kaylee was used to holding hands, the man leveled up by embracing her waist! Even though Kaylee was nervous to death and almost walked like a robot, the girl did not refuse him. Instead, she felt protected and safe in the man''s arms. Plus, Den''s distinctive masculine scent made her heart feel at peace. It was as if she was walking on the fluffy clouds apanied by the beautiful butterflies that danced around her right now. "My father is a watch fan. You could say he was a watch collector." "Watches?" Kaylee decided to ignore her beating heart that seemed to skyrocket into space and focused more on looking for a birthday present. "Then, I know a suitable ce." Kaylee broke free from Den''s embrace and took the man''s hand to pull him toward a shop. Den smiled with satisfaction seeing Kaylee take his hand with her own initiative. That was an improvement, noted Den to himself. The two of them entered a store for the brand''s watch most coveted by collectors around the world. They looked at the pane disying various watches with great interest. Kaylee tried to point to one of the clock models while looking at Den with a questioning gaze. Den frowned as if in thought, then shook his head slowly. Then they walked to another storefront, and Kaylee did the same to ask Den''s opinion. Until they were in the fourth pane, a watch caught Kaylee''s attention. The watch was pitch ck with white gold trimmings on the circle. There were also three minicircles in the center of the clock, like three holograms of a rotating clock wheel. Kaylee pointed at the clock while looking hopeful at Den, which received an agreement nod from the man. Her smile widened as Den agreed to her choice without knowing that Den had the urge to kiss her once again. Patience, Den. You don''t want to make her run away. "We want to take this one," Kaylee spoke to the clerk politely. "Good choice, miss. This item just arrived, and the quantity is very limited." praising the clerk making Kaylee grin broadly. They waited at the checkout counter, and Kaylee let the clerk stored her watch of choice in an elegant ck box. "I hope your father likes it." "He will love it." was the soothing reply from the man. "Thank you for helping me choose the prize." "Hm. I''ve been helping you choose gifts as well as giving you advice on your group. Don''t you want to give me something?" Kaylee scratched her neck whileughing nervously. "What do you want?" "Follow me." Kaylee tilted her head in wonder but let the man take her hand for the umpteenth time and came out of this watch shop. It wasn''t long before they arrived at the women''s clothing shop, making Kaylee wonder what they were doing here. "I want you to wear my dress of choice on Saturday." What?? Chapter 57 - Ch. 57 Shameless Cunning Man Den chose some baby blue and rose gold dresses for Kaylee to try on. That girl often shopped together with Wendy, but she was never with a man to pick her clothes. This was the first time she had experienced how a man was helping her choose clothes and telling her to try them on. She felt her heart won''t calm down every time shees out of the fitting room to show Den her new look. The man gave her apliment that made her want to submerge her face in cold water to relieve her hot body temperature. It seemed, in Den''s eyes, no matter what clothes Kaylee wore, that girl looked stunning that could steal every man''s breath. In the end, they took almost all of the clothes Den had chosen for Kaylee. If Kaylee hadn''t insisted on not taking them all, then Den might have picked up all the dresses in this shop. "Den, this is too much." "No, darling. There are still many things I want to give you." "But..." we haven''t officially dated yet. How could I ept these overwhelmed presents? Thought Kaylee silently. No, that''s not it. Only Kaylee thinks that way while the man seemed like already presumed that they are in a rtionship. Kaylee wanted to ask, but she didn''t have the courage to hear the answer. What if it turns out that Den already thinks of her as a lover? Doesn''t that mean she''s already attached to this man? Kaylee still didn''t know what she wanted, and she didn''t know how she felt about Den. Den had made it clear that the man wanted Kaylee to be his bride, and she knew she liked this man, but¡­ were her feelings enough to make her want to be this man''s wife? While Kaylee lost in her own world, Den caught something behind them, causing him to nce back. The corner of his eye had seen someone carrying a camera, but when he looked back, no one was carrying a camera. Was it just his feelings, or was one of the paparazzi following Kaylee? He just realized that now Kaylee''s appearance and makeup belong to Roe''s appearance, the famous pianist and song arranger. "Kaylee, do you usually dress up as Roe when you go out?" "No." although Kaylee was confused by their sudden change of topic, she answered calmly. "I will only appear as Roe during training or when I meet my client. On a normal day, I will dress up as myself." "But now you are Roe, though." Kaylee blinked a few times to digest the man''s words. Her thoughts drifted back to several hours ago when Den picked her up. She remembered, as soon as she saw Den sitting in the corner of the practice room, Kaylee quickly marched toward the man and took him out, making her gasp with horror as she covered her face with her hands. "I forgot to remove my makeup." groaned Kaylee in a choked voice. Den chuckled at another expression of his beautiful lover. How many faces can a Kaylee Roe be able to put on? Why was the girl''s every facial cast so captivating that Den felt sure that no woman could ever steal his breath as Kaylee did? "Is it possible you forgot to remove it because I picked you up?" Kaylee''s pair of ck pearl eyes glistened at this. She pleads through her eyes to Den with the utmost urgency not to tease her. Right now, she was bewildered and didn''t know what to do. No wonder why did she feel that many people were looking at her with curious eyes. People were starting to recognize her as the pianist Roe. "Do you want to go home now?" offered Den, noting that Kaylee looked so panicked she almost gave up. Kaylee immediately nodded her head in agreement with the man''s offer. If only she had the appearance of Kaylee, she wouldn''t have to worry about lingering outside a little bit longer, nor would she care about the stares of those who always followed her away because Kaylee was a nobody. Even though Kaylee was the Zouch family''s daughter, no one knew what she looked like except for her school friends, and her parents were not people who like to appear on social media either. As long as no one knew that Kaylee bears the name Zouch, no one would notice her even if she strolled through the shopping centers in this city. Fortunately, not everyone is a fan of ssical music, and not everyone knows Roe''s face because Roe rarely appears in front of the camera. There may be some who recognize Roe''s face but feel doubtful. So far, Roe has never gone out to shop or appear in public, so their gaze targeted at Roe was curious. They wondered if the girl who was dating a handsome man was Roe or if her face was simr to the gifted pianist. "Come here," Like an obedient wife, Kaylee obeyed and let the man put on his oversized coat, making her snuggled into the man''s arms. The shameless cunning man couldn''t hide his grin and took this golden opportunity to hold his lover in his arms. The innocent Kaylee couldn''t think nor give a care about the man''s hidden intention. She was busy hiding her face, and her finger clutched Den''s cloth tightly as if her life depended on it. Kaylee could only breathe a sigh of relief when she got into Den''s car, and there weren''t dozens of eyes to see her anymore. She touched her forehead and realized that she was breaking out in cold sweat. She could also feel her heart pounding with fear and overly anxious to the point she found it hard to breathe. Kaylee never knew why she felt so frightened at the thought of so many people looking at her with probing eyes. Did she do something wrong in the past? Why did she feel like she had done something unforgivable? "Are you alright?" a deep, cello-like voice sounded very gentle next to her to the point it could get rid away all of her anxiety. Kaylee turned to look at Den, and she held her breath when she saw that the handsome man''s face was looking at her worriedly while stroking one of her cheeks. His big palm was warm, and also¡­ her heart became more peaceful when she felt the soft touch on her face. "Your face looks pale. Here, have a drink." Den gave her a bottle of drink that he bought before returning to the car. Kaylee epted it and took a sip of the drink until thest drop. "Is facing the public''s gaze that scary?" Den asked after Kaylee''s expression improved, and the girl''s body was no longer shaking. He even felt the skin of Kaylee''s hands turn cold as he took the girl''s hand. Den didn''t know who was colder between his little lover''s hands or those of his best friend. It seemed like Kaylee was too afraid to be the center of attention of so many people. Moreover, since they entered one of the shopping malls, there have been many eyes watching Kaylee. "I''m fine if people see me on stage. But¡­ when I get off the stage, I don''t know why¡­ but I will get sick if a lot of strangers'' eyes probed me." "Forgive me. Next time I''ll make sure you remove your makeup first, so you don''te out looking like Roe. " Kaylee lowered her head, realizing that this man would undoubtedly ask her out¡­ um¡­ on another date. "Why apologize? This is not your fault. I''ve been through this disease for a long time, so at least I''m used to it." "No. Still my fault. I don''t want my future bride to feel ufortable or suffer." Ba-thump! "Den, I¡­" Kaylee couldn''t find the words when Den''s thumb touched the corner of her lips. The man''s hand was gigantic on her tiny face, and now the big hand rested under her chin while his thumb runs down the curve of her lower lip. This movement made her unable to breathe, and there was a storm in her pounding heart. The touch was very light but evoked ''something'' in Kaylee that she never knew she had. Her body temperature was burning, and her breath turned intobor. Kaylee felt herself no longer breathing when she saw Den''s face approaching her. Is that man going to kiss her? Is he... "Kaylee, next time something makes you feel ufortable, tell me right away," stated Den as he removed his hand from the girl''s chin. Kaylee''s soul still hasn''t returned to her body, and her brain is still in the process of analyzing what happened to her right now. When she realized that Den was not doing anything that could make her heart explode, Kaylee shifted her gaze to the front and answered the man''s request. "I... I will do it." Den smiled with satisfaction at this and started driving back to Kaylee''s apartment. Arriving in front of Kaylee''s apartment, Den got down to open the passenger door and help his girlfriend get out of the car. "Thank you for today," said Kaylee politely. "I... I..." "Yes?" "When we had dinner the night before, you said I was your wife. But¡­ I''m not your wife yet." Kaylee gulped nervously while lowering her head. "I don''t even know our current rtionship status. No, it''s not that. I don''t know how I feel myself. I¡­" "¡­" Chapter 58 - Ch. 58 Ill Make You Love Me "Is this too fast?" Kaylee couldn''t find her voice when the man immediately guessed what she was thinking. In the end, she nodded her head slowly that confirmed the man''s guess. "Do you hate me?" "No. I like you¡­" Kaylee immediately closed her mouth tightly when she realized she had confessed without her brain''s permission. This tongue of hers! Is there no way to subdue her tongue so as not to spit out a word she doesn''t want to leak to other people? It felt like Kaylee wanted to dig a hole to hide her face, especially when she noticed Den suppressing his amused smile. Ugh! How embarrassing! "I mean¡­ I do like you, but I don''t know if I want to marry you. No, it wasn''t like that. I¡­ I¡­" Kaylee stuttered, didn''t know how to express her heart. "Kaylee, have you ever been in love before?" Kaylee shook her head once. "I don''t even know what love is." "So I will be your first love if you fall in love with me." Kaylee''s jaw fell wide when she heard that shameless word from the man''s mouth. Where did that man have such confidence that Kaylee would fall in love with him? "It seems so, but how can you be sure I will fall in love with you? It might be I will nce at other people and also¡­ Ekh?" Kaylee''s words were interrupted because Den now wrapped his arm around the girl''s waist and pulled her until Kaylee''s whole body bumped into Den''s sturdy towering figure. "Wh... what are you doing?" "I''ll make you fall in love with me." dered Den with his trademark smirk. This man a little bit pushy... no, not a little, but a lot. And yet, strangely, every touch and voice in his pushiness seemed so gentle and tender. A pair of eagle-like eyes that seemed to devour its prey also looked tender when he looked at her. The man looked at her as if she was his most precious thing in the world, making Kaylee unable to deny this man''s feelings. The girl even felt herself burning by the mes and melting away if she kept staring at this male eagle''s eyes. Kaylee decided to close her eyes because her heart was not strong enough to look at that man. Den knew Kaylee had closed her eyes on purpose because she couldn''t bear to see his desire in his eyes. But he used this opportunity to tease his little bunny. "Did you close your eyes expecting me to kiss you?" Kaylee opened her eyes at once without knowing that her entire face was painted with a dark crimson hue down to her neck. "N¡­ No! Who¡­ who is expecting¡­ you... you..." Kaylee stuttered, and her eyes lingered all over the ce but this shameless man. She never knew that Den had this side of him, and his level of shamelessness knew no bound! "My sweet love, you should ask, and I will give it to you," stated the brazen man to make Kaylee even more panicked, and this time she tried to escape from the man''s arms. But Den tightened his embrace on both hands so that Kaylee could not possibly get away from that man. Kaylee rested her palms on the man''s chest to act as a barrier between their bodies. She barely found a gap between them made her shivered due to a strange tingling sensation. At the same time, she was also trying to push his body away by putting the weight on her palms to release herself. But instead, she felt something in the palm of her hand resting on Den''s left chest. She felt a rapid, steady heartbeat from the man''s heart. Den''s heartbeat was no less fast than her! Feeling curious about the man''s heartbeat, Kaylee stopped struggling and enjoyed the heartbeat under the palm of her right hand. "You... your heart is also pounding." Den smiled softly at the girl''sment. "I''m always pounding when you''re with me." Blush! Kaylee snuggled her head to hide her face from the man without knowing her sweet, adorable reaction, making Den grinned from ear to ear. Didn''t this mean that the girl had allowed him to hug her even tighter? Ssh! The corner of Den''s eye caught a brief sh of light from the side, causing him to look over immediately. It was no mistake this time. There was someone who followed them ever since they came home from the shopping mall. Is it one of the paparazzi?? Or is it someone else with bad intentions towards Roe? Without letting go of his hug, Den investigated the neighborhood around the housing in this ce. This ce was not dark, but it looked too quiet without a single sound being heard. It was alreadyte at night, but it was not yet midnight, so he was sure that not everyone was asleep by ten o''clock. Is this ce safe for Kaylee, who lives alone in her apartment? Well, this girl would be fine when she left for work in the morning or during the day. But what if this girles homete at night? Den couldn''t help worrying about his lover''s condition, who in a few months would be his bride. "Kaylee, are you going to continue living here? Why don''t you live with your parents?" Den loosened his hug but didn''t let her go. "I wanted to live independently, so I moved here. This ce is neither too expensive nor too cheap. Plus, this ce is close to my studio, so I only need to take the bus once." An eyebrow of Den raised at this. "You are Kaylee Zouch. Why do I feel like you are worried about expenses?" "What if I am the daughter of my father? I''m no longer a child, and I don''t want to keep using my father''s money. I''m not a girl who is spoiled and begs for money from my father''s hard work." Den felt even more in awe of this girl, and his eyes looked at Kaylee with immeasurable tenderness and love. "I love you," Kaylee gasped in shock at this man''s sudden love expression. Aren''t they talking about the reason Kaylee moved out of her parent''s house? Why did this man suddenly confess his love to her? "I... I..." "I love you too," What??? "That... I didn''t say that." "You will say it one day." was the overconfident promise from the man that made Kaylee speechless. "Until when are we going to be like this?" Kaylee felt that she couldn''t bear her heart''s beat, which was as fast as a rocket into outer space. Plus, Den didn''t let go of his arms at all, and the intoxicating masculine scent of his assault on her nose caused her head to see butterflies flew above her head. "Until you grant my wish." Ha? "What wish?" "Have lunch with me tomorrow." Tomorrow? But she still has a ss schedule on campus. She wouldn''t be able to meet Den during her ss hours. "I heard you are a professor at M campus. Aren''t you teaching on weekdays?" "No. I don''t have a schedule on Friday." "Ah, I see." Oh no. How could she refuse this one request? It doesn''t matter if she epted the invitation to dine with the guy at any other hour, but she couldn''t possibly take it while still in her role as Nick. "You don''t want to?" "Not that I don''t want to, but¡­ I can''t see you tomorrow afternoon." "Do you have a schedule with your client?" "Well, you could say that." "So it''s not because you want to avoid me?" "Wh¡­ what? Of course not. I''m not avoiding you," but I hope you release your arms soon. It was only Kaylee who could hear herin. Den sighed in resignation, not wanting to force her. After all, he has seen Kaylee three days in a row and will meet again on Saturday. In truth, meeting only one dinner a day was utterly unsatisfying for Den, but he was willing to give this entire world time to let her get used to his presence and take it altogether. "Alright. I will let it slide this time." Den let go of his hug, and his words made Kaylee sigh with relief. Since the sky was already dark and Kaylee was lowering her eyes'' level, she couldn''t see a crooked smile emzoned on Den''s face. "Then, good night," Kaylee said as she turned around to enter the apartment building. But her steps stopped when Den held her hand and turned her body abruptly. In the next instant, a pair of spongy foreign objectsnded on her lower cheek¡­ to be precise, on the corner of her lips! Instantly Kaylee''s entire world stopped rotating, and her body became a statue on the spot. "Good night," whispered Den softly, causing Kaylee''s heart to explode like a volcano erupting at that moment. Den turned Kaylee''s body and let the girl walk back into the apartment building. He could barely contain hisughter when he saw the girl''s robotic walkway. How adorable! Chapter 59 - Ch. 59 Im No Longer That Innocent Kaylee walked like a robot as she entered her apartment. The more she walked in and arrived at the elevator, the more pounding her heartbeat. Not only that, but her face also felt hot¡­ to be precise, the spot that Den kissed seemed so incredibly scorching, like when she identally touched the burning pan on the stove. Slowly her hand rose to touch the part that was in contact with Den''s lips. It was as if she could still feel the man''s lips on her mouth''s corner. What would happen if the man''s lipsnd above her lips instead? The thought of this made Kaylee''s face boiling that one could see steam rising from above her head. Even when she walked into her house, Kaylee''s whole mind was still centered on the soft, tickling sensation on the edge of her lips until she didn''t realize that her apartment light had turned on. "Kaylee?" Kaylee couldn''t even hear someone calling her name, nor could she see someone walking up to her. "Hoi, Kaylee!" This loud calling enough gave her a startled to make her jump back while holding her chest. "Gosh! Nick, you startled me." "Who told you to stargaze? Why did youe home sote?" "I... I''m looking for a present." "Present? What present?" "The husband of my mother''s best friend is celebrating his birthday this Saturday, and my parents told me to find a present for him." "Ooo... You''re walking alone?" "No. I''m with¡­" Her face suddenly flushed, remembering the incident a few minutes ago with Den. Nick noticed the blush on Kaylee''s face and couldn''t help but tease her. "Hoo? Are you with any of the guys that catch your eye? Which one is he? Was it the apple one or the grape one?" Kaylee hit Nick''s shoulder with exasperation to hear the young manparing the two men she liked as fruit. "You bad boy. Stop teasing me. What are you doing here?" "Didn''t you ask me to teach you the guitar part of my song?" "Ah, right. So you will teach me now?" "I''m leaving for Washington for the fall festival tomorrow at noon. After that, I''ll go to LA on Tuesday, and I only would be back here next Thursday." "Ha? Then when are you going to teach me? " "Duh, that''s why I''m here." "Wait a minute." Kaylee immediately ran to her room to put down the watch package she had just bought, then took her acoustic guitar and returned to the lounge where Nick was waiting for her. "Are you serious? You''re going to use an acoustic guitar?" "I don''t have another guitar." "But I hope you will perform with an electric one." "No way! It hurts my fingers," she whined like a child. "Are you joking with me? Please don''t ruin my song." "I won''t." "Then use the electric one." "No," Nick narrowed his eyes at Kaylee while the girl lifted her chin as if she wasn''t afraid of the gaze of the young man who was challenging her. "Unless that you y it by yourself." dered Kaylee, made Nick tilt his head in surprise. "What you mean is..." "You will perform in my ce and ensure that our team will dominate this music battle!" Kaylee exined excitedly like a burning enthusiasm. "What? But I don''t know your friends." "Tut. They are your friends." "Duh, you are the one whoes to campus every day. Nu-uh. I don''t wanna do it." Kaylee grabbed Nick''s hand and forced the young man to sit on the couch next to her. "Come on, help me this time. I''ve been helping you by disguising as you every day. I only asked for your help once, and after that, everything would be back the same way before you know it." If Kaylee managed to persuade Nick to y in the music battle, not only will he be sure to win, she could also appear as Roe to meet Jacob. This is called killing two birds in one stone! But... why did she feel like she was cheating on someone when she nned her intention? No, no, no. It can''t be cheating as long as she wasn''t anyone''s lover. Even though Den had confessed his feelings, Kaylee had never said yes, and the man was too shameless pushy to corner her, causing her clueless at how to push him. Well, it''s not like that she wanted to push the man. On the contrary, she felt like there was a force inside her heart to make her want to be in that man''s arms. How strange. "Alright, I''ll do it only for this time," announced Nick broke up Kaylee''s reverie. "Seriously?" Kaylee no longer thought about her anxiety because she was too excited to hear that the young man agreed to her request. "Kaylee, don''t tell me you nned to ask me to y in the music battle from the start." "Hehehe..." was the pure angelic-like smile from our innocent Kaylee that made Nick shifted his ass away from her. "Are you Kaylee? Where is my beloved naive Kaylee? Return my innocent Kaylee to me." "What do you mean innocent? Naive? I''m no longer that innocent girl that you can trick." giggled Kaylee while smiling in full of satisfaction seeing at the young man''s bbergasted expression. "What happened to you?" "Isn''t it because of you?" "What did I do?" "Being you for several months opened my mind. As it turned out, dealing with strangers and making friends with guys wasn''t as scary as I thought. On the contrary, I actually enjoyed it so much as if I was born to be friends with everyone." "That means you can turn into Nick and y in the music battle, right?" Kaylee nced at Nick with a sneer that made Nick break out in a cold sweat. Since when was his innocent sister able to show cynical looks?? "Don''t try to trick me. If you''re a man, you have to keep your word." Kaylee got up to stretch her muscles, then sat back down,fortably positioned the guitar on herp. "Now, teach me your guitar solo." "What for? Aren''t I the one who will perform?" "Aiya, even though you will perform, we will have our first practice tomorrow, and in every free time, we could make. Of course, I have to look like I''ve practiced at home and yed your guitar part right. They won''t be surprised if their dear friend Nick would y his solo part wlessly." Nick''s jaw dropped, and he shook his head. "Sister Kaylee, your attempts to portray me are really¡­" Nick raised his thumb at her. "Only one?" "Wow, I didn''t know you were this greedy. But¡­" Nick opened his other thumb and pointed it at Kaylee. "Two thumbs up for you. If I had four hands, I would raise all of the thumbs for you too." Kaylee and Nickughed together before the young man finally taught Kaylee his part, and the girl was serious about learning it. The next day, Kaylee had no trouble ying her solo part while practicing with Jacob and the others. Adam yed the second guitar, Jacob yed drums, and Fritz yed the lower bass. Even though Kaylee''s ying was not as perfect as the original yer, at least her performance was not too bad for a fake guitar yer. Now the problem is¡­ "Who will sing?" "It''s certainly not me. I''m tone-deaf, and my voice is out of tune." "I can''t sing either. How about you, Jake?" Jacob shook his head. "I am a drummer, not a singer. It looks like we have to find a singer from the singing ss." Simultaneously they all looked at Kaylee with a knowing smile making the girl frown in confusion. "Why are you all looking at me?" A few momentster, Kaylee arrived in front of the singing ss, where the girls gathered to hone their vocals. Somehow, her friends told her to seduce a female singer to sing in their group. The keyword is ''seduce.'' How could a girl like her seduce another girl? She is not a lesbian! But, they need to find a female singer. In this music battle, they would perform three songs, and all audiences will judge each song. The band that gets more fans woulde out as the winner. They have found one song, which is The Adam''s song. Jacob has an acquaintance with a male singer, and that person has agreed to sing for them. While the other two songs, Kaylee couldn''t understand why her friends chose songs that required a female singer. That''s why they relied on Kaylee to ''seduce'' one of the best singers on this campus to sing with them. Kaylee wanted to protest why she had to be the one to do the seduction. She already felt tired of getting a woman''s recognition, and now she has to seduce other women to be singers in their team? Why couldn''t the boys do it themselves!? Kaylee sighed in resignation and nced inside the practice room to find her ''target'' without realizing everyone noticed her arrival. "Hey, isn''t that Nick?" "Is he looking for someone? " "Maybe he''s looking for me?" guessed one of the girls with a yful smirk to make her friendsugh. "Ah, there''s no way he''s looking for you. He must be looking for me." to prove the sentence, this girl got up and walked over to one of the idols on this campus. "Hi, Nick." Kaylee was a little surprised when someone called her name, but she still replied to the girl''s greeting with a smile. "Hi," "Are you looking for someone?" "I''m looking for Leticia Campbell. Is she here?" "You mean the Lettuce?" Ha? Lettuce? "Hoi, Lettuce, our campus idol is looking for you." Haaaa?? Instantly all the girls in the room looked at Kaylee with awe, but a secondter, looking at a girl with a cynical gaze made Kaylee shudder in horror. Why is the girls'' gaze in this singing course so frightening? Do not ever mess around with a bunch of jealous girls.. Noted Kaylee. Chapter 60 - Ch. 60 Leticia Campbell "Are you looking for me?" Kaylee blinked several times at the cynical tone and unfriendly expression of this beautiful auburn-haired girl. Isn''t this the first time Kaylee has received a look of displeasure from a girl? Usually, the girls on this campus would feel happy and couldn''t wait to chat with her as soon as she greeted them. Not that she fancy to receive a worship-like treatment from the girls, she was just curious why this girl seemed to have absolutely no interest in her appearance as Nick? "Yes. I don''t know if you already know about¡­" "I don''t know." interrupted Leticia causing Kaylee to be at a loss for words. "And I don''t care. Now, excuse me. You disturbed my training." "Wait! She''s joking. Tell him you''re joking." Kaylee increasingly didn''t know what to do when she saw another girl suddenly appear and hold Leticia in her ce. It seemed that this new girl was the girl''s best friend. "Hi, Nick. Forgive my friend; she always acts like this when she''s in a bad mood. What did you want to talk about earlier?" "¡­" Kaylee noticed Leticia''s reluctance and nced at her friend irritably while trying to escape her friend''s grip. "Not an important issue. I wondered if Miss Campbell could help us, but it looks like..." "Oh, she''ll help. " "Wh... !?" Leticia wanted to protest but was interrupted by her friend. "You''ll help. No worries, Nick. She''ll help you with anything." "Thanks. But, I preferred that I heard it from miss Campbell herself. Are you willing to help us?" Kaylee asked Leticia again and refused to ept answers given by others. After all, Kaylee asked Leticia, not her friend or any other girl. So she didn''t want to hear another answer that wasn''t from Leticia''s mouth. What Kaylee was doing was so unusual that it made Leticia and her friends nce at her with surprise and disbelief. Kaylee could guess that all this time, people would immediately assume Leticia agreed upon hearing an answer from her friend. But Kaylee didn''t like it. She didn''t want to force her will, and if Leticia didn''t feelfortable singing with the members of her band, then Kaylee wouldn''t force her. Leticia realized Kaylee''s approach was very different from other people and respected her opinion. Instantly she felt guilty for having thinking badly and prejudiced against this campus idol. She decided to fix her expression and ask more clearly for the help this young man wanted. "What kind of help do you want?" her guess is Nick wants her to sing for the music battle next week. A guitarist from Nick''s rival team had asked her to sing with them, but Leticia refused. She doesn''t like the rock genre, and they were too pushy and terrorized her phone until her mailbox was full of their mails. "We hope you can sing with our team at the music battle next week. I heard that you have a beautiful voice and perfectly fit the song we are going to perform." "Have you ever heard me sing?" Eh?? "Never. But your reputation precedes you, and I trust your reputation more than everything." Kaylee delivered her opinion while putting on her best smile without knowing her smile made the two girls who were currently standing in front of her flutter! No wonder this guy became this campus idol. Thought Leticia. "Okay. I will sing with your team." her announcement shocked her friend but made Kaylee beamed in joy. "Thank you very much, Leticia¡­ Ah, I mean, miss Campbell." Kaylee has a habit of calling out someone''s name when she feels good. Fortunately, she quickly regained consciousness and immediately fixed her way of calling the girl. "Letti. Just call me Letti." Who would have thought that the girl would allow her to call her name directly? After exchanging contact numbers and giving Letti two songs to learn, Kaylee returned to update her friends about the good news. As expected, her friends were thrilled and praised Kaylee''s flirtation skills leaving her speechless. So they purposely sent Kaylee to singing ss because none of them dared to face Letti''s cynicism? What a bunch of childish boys! On the other hand, Leticia, or what her friends call Lettuce to mock her, was practicing her vocal when one of the most beautiful girlses to her. "Hey, ugly Lettuce, why was Nichs looking for you?" "¡­" Letti pretended not to hear her and read the musical notes on her music book. But she couldn''t concentrate when this bitchy friend who believed she was the most beautiful girl in the world grabbed her music book. "Stop it, Ayana! Don''t disturb me!" "Or what?" challenged Ayana, followed by her girls'' group as they cornered her. Letti clenched her hand to fists at how coward Ayana is because the girl relies on her gang to corner her. Whenever she was alone, that girl would never dare to approach her. "What are you girls doing?" Instantly everyone turned towards a shoulder-length dark brown-haired young man, making Ayana and the girls became obedient girls. "Ayana, give the book back to her." was the order of the young man made Ayana frown in displeasure. "Give it to me." the young man changed his orders when he saw that the girl did not obey him. In the end, Ayana gave the book to the young man and beckoned her gang friends to walk away. The young man had not had time to return it to Letti when the girl had grabbed the music book back without saying thank you and just drove away. Seeing the act of ungratefulness from Letti, Ayana snorted at the young man. "Dear cousin, what do you like about her?" "When will you stop pestering her?" "Until you stop pursuing her. I hate her, and I don''t want to see her with you." was the hateful answer from Ayana before she rejoined her friends. The young man watched Letti''s movements tidying up her book, and his eyes were like a ma following the girl''s movement. What should he do to get the girl to nce at him? However, when he recalled how the girl''s eyes softened at this campus idol, his jaw clenched tightly. Chapter 61 - Ch. 61 She Felt Hot When Remembering The Kiss After returning from campus, Kaylee stopped briefly at her studio to put her textbooks into the studio. Tonight until Sunday, she will stay at her parents'' house, so it was impossible for her to bring her college textbooks home. Kaylee wouldn''t be able to answer if her mother caught her college textbook and started interrogating her with all kinds of questions. If her mother found out that she was posing as Nick at M university, there was no doubt that her dear mother would faint. Arriving at her private studio building, Osbert surprised her by handing her a drink bottle. "Miss Roe, this is for you." Kaylee wondered, isn''t Osbert supposed toe to work every Wednesday and Saturday? Why is that man appearing on Fridays now? And again¡­ she felt unusually ufortable when she kept receiving gifts from this person. "Ah, I''m sorry. But it''s better that from now on you don''t have to give me gifts every time youe here. I hope this is thest time." After receiving the drink bottle, Kaylee walked towards the elevator to go up to the fifth floor without noticing a pair of eyes staring at her obsessively. Every now and then, Kaylee checked her phone to see whether Jacob sent her a pm or not. Since she gave her contact number to the young man, Jacob often sent her a picture with a light joke that could lift her mood. The young man was indeed like a sunrise, and she couldn''t help but admit that the boy''s charm was irresistible. Kaylee did her best not to change her writing style to Nick''s and made sure she used Roe''s number when replying to Jacob''s messages as Roe. After putting her music books into her private room, her primary phone rang, indicating someone had contacted her. Kaylee smiled delightedly when she saw her mother''s name appear on the monitor screen of her cellphone. "Mama, I''m going home today." "When will you arrive? I can''t wait to meet you." "Hm¡­" Kaylee checked her watch before answering her mother''s question, "In about three hours. I''ll stop by the apartment to get some clothes¡­" "What for? You have a lot of clothes here." cut her mother without listening to the continuation of her daughter''s sentence. "I just bought a dress for tomorrow''s event and this dress¡­" "No need. I have prepared the right dress for you. Trust me, you will be the most stunning girl, and no one would be able to turn their gaze to you. Do you know this dress was a new brand¡­ h h h¡­" Kaylee listened to her mother babbling patiently because she was used to it. Even though she seemed to be listening patiently, her hands moved to pick up her backpack and then walked out to return to her apartment. After feeling that her mother was quite satisfied babbling and boasting about her gown, Kaylee delivered the unexpected bomb at her. "Mother, Den already bought me a dress, and he wants me to wear it tomorrow." "WHAT!? WHY YOU DIDN''T SAY SO BEFORE?!" Kaylee had to keep her phone away from her ear due to her mother''s thundering voice. She recalled an incident where she coincidentally stood in front of the midrange speaker, and someone identally dropped the mic creating a screeching sound that hurt her ears. "I''m trying¡­" "You should have said it earlier, you naughty girl. Of course, you have to wear the clothes chosen by my handsome son-inw." "¡­" Kaylee sighed in resignation, realizing that her mother had imed Den was her son-inw instead of her daughter''s lover. Wait a minute. Did Kaylee just admit that Den was her lover? "Since when did you be close to Den? Why didn''t you tell me, honey? How many times have you guys dated? Has he confessed his feelings to you? Does he like you? Is he¡­" And here she is¡­ her mother has turned into a professional interrogator while she is the defendant being investigated. "Mother. I''ll go home first, and I''ll tell you. How is it?" "Yes, yes, yes. Come home now, my sweet baby girl. I''ll cook your favorite meal tonight." "Well, I''m looking forward to it. Bye, mom." Kaylee smiled, amused at her mother''s big enthusiastic voice, but when she remembered she had to feed her mother''s curiosity, she couldn''t help but feel hesitant. She was reluctant to talk to her mother because she knew she could never hide anything from her. Kaylee didn''t want her mother to know that Den had professed his feelings and¡­ and¡­ and kissed her¡­ Kaylee''s face felt burning as soon as she remembered when Den kissed the corner of her lips. Surprisingly, she even felt the corners of her lips feel hot, as if that brief kiss scene had just happened a few minutes ago. Kaylee cupped her cheeks with her hands while sighing inwardly. If her facial reaction gets heated whenever she rememberedst night''s scene, what should she do when she meets Den tomorrow night? Plus, she didn''t know whether she could escape her mother''s interrogation or not. Her mother would have been even more excited to discuss their marriage if she found out that a man... Den had kissed her. Kaylee felt still not ready if she tied herself in marriage. Besides, she was still not entirely sure of her own feelings. The girl who waspletely unaware of her feelings that had started to grow in her heart forgot something. She left the drink bottle filled with fruit juice made by Osbert in the room. Osbert, who has been working here for a long time, somehow managed to duplicate card ess to the fifth floor. As usual, every time he finished work and was about to go home, he woulde to the fifth floor to pick up the pen or pencil that Kaylee used for work. Even the paper that Kaylee throws away in the trash, sometimes he also took it to be collected at home. Today was the same; he nned to take something that would not make the owner feel suspicious that something was missing. And the moment his eyes caught a bottle of the drink he gave Kaylee on the table, his eyes grew menacingly furious. Chapter 62 - Ch. 62 Her Heart Is Not Ready! Mrs. Britney Zouch directly weed her daughter with enthusiasm and promptly took Kaylee''s hand to go to the dining room immediately. Even though she wanted to let her daughter enjoyed her dinner time together with her parents, Mrs. Zouch keeps wondering about the development of Kaylee''s rtionship with Den. Every now and then, Kaylee would answer her mother''s questions, but mostly she would remain silent because her mother kept on chattering without allowing other people to talk. "Darling, let her finish her meal first. If she keeps hearing your babbling, she will feel full and not have an appetite for your cooking." Kayleeughed with amusement at her father''s quirky rebuke while her mother frowns in displeasure at her husband''s teasing mocking. "Nonsense. My sweet baby would never disappoint me, isn''t that right, baby?" "When did I ever disappoint you?" Kaylee said while kissing her mother''s cheek to make Mrs. Zouch beamed. "But, mama. I''m not a baby. Please, stop treating me like one." "She is right." Kaylee beamed at her father because, for the first time, Mr. Zouch agrees that she is not a weak baby who always needs attention from her parents. "Really?" "Yes, really. You are our little girl now." Suddenly Kaylee''s satisfied smile disappeared and was reced by a scrunching nose making her parentsugh. "So, darling, please don''t torture me and answer me now. Did he confess his feelings to you? Did he ask you to marry him? What is your answer? Oh, please don''t tell me that you said no. Come on, tell me now. You promise to tell me everything." Well, she did promise her mother to tell her, but not everything. "Mother, please let me finish my dish first, okay." "Okay." Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief to hear her mother agree to her request, but the feeling of relief onlysted for a moment when her mother returned to bombarding thousands of unanswered questions. Fortunately, Mr. Zouch intervened to help her so that Kaylee could still enjoy her mother''s cooking deliciously. Once they finished dinner, Kaylee decided to take a shower and change into clean clothes. She deliberately enjoyed her showering time for a long time and soaked in a giant bathtub. She yed with the bubbles created from the soap with both hands while smiling to herself. It has been a long time since she spoiled her body with a warm, bubbling bath, and her favorite rose scent stimted her tired body into rxation. She didn''t have a bath-up in her apartment because she only rented a simple apartment to avoid the public eye. Only when she returned to her parents'' house could she find as much time to soak as much she liked. However,tely, she''s been too tired, and the work pressure mixed with college assignments was so draining that she spent more time sleeping than enjoying her bathing time. But today, Kaylee wanted to pamper her body because it has been a long time since she felt the pleasure of soft soap and bubbles that cover her entire body from neck to toe. Apart from that, she wanted to linger here so that her mother wouldn''t interrogate her too much. Even though her mother felt she would die of curiosity, she would never tire her out. Once she saw that Kaylee was tired and sleepy, her mother would tell her to sleep. And sure enough, when Kaylee came out of the bathroom and met her mother, Mrs. Zouch immediately told her to go to sleep as soon as she saw Kaylee yawning wide. Kaylee smiled happily, knowing that at least for tonight, she could avoid her mother''s endless interrogation. She went into her princess-like room and checked her phone to see that two people had mailed her. One was from Jacob, while the other was from Den. Since this is Kaylee''s because she left Roe''s phone in the studio so that no one interrupts her day off, she knew right away that Jacob mailed her thinking she was Nick. Kaylee opened Den''s short message asking about her daily life, and her face turned red when she saw that the man had written that he missed her very much and couldn''t wait to see her tomorrow. Kaylee was fanning her face with both hands, wondering why the room temperature was getting hot. In the end, she walked to the window of her bedroom to open the window to let the cold night breeze blow her face. Her body was shivering a little from the cold but enough to subdue the heat in her body. Really. Kaylee couldn''t understand why her body felt burning every time she thought of Den. Or is it possible that she is sick? After feeling her temperature had returned to normal, Kaylee closed the window and turned around to reach for her phone. After pondering for a while, Kaylee decided to give the man a short ''Good night'' reply. She opened the messageing from Jacob and winced at the contents of the message. ''Nick, let''s join the winter camp program!'' There is absolutely no way she would join that program. M university always holds camp programs twice. Winter and summer camp program. The camp will be held for three days and two nights and will have a music talent show on itsst day . Well, Kaylee wouldn''t mind joining the camp and ying music all day for a full twenty-four hours. This camp was a dreamy activity for musicians and those who desire to y their musical instrument all day long without being a bother. When she was in college, Kaylee never missed this music camp and always invited Wendy toe along. Even now, Kaylee was excited to join it, but¡­ There was only one problem. Kaylee has to share a bedroom with her friends. If she were female and enrolled as a female student, Kaylee would not have a second thought to join this music camp program. But she is Nick and is registered as a male student. Automatically she will sleep in a room with her male friends, maybe even¡­ take a bath together? Brrr¡­ Thinking of this made Kaylee''s whole body shudder with horror because she didn''t dare to imagine it. She was still traumatized and couldn''t get rid of that ident regarding the ''elephant trunk'' at the beginning of the semester. Kaylee did not want to see other parts of a man''s body that would poison her innocent mind. Kaylee replied to Jacob for refusing the man''s invitation without giving a reason. She could not possibly admit to the young man that she was a woman and could not share a room with the other boys. ''I''ll pass.'' ''Eh? Why?'' an immediate reply appeared without Kaylee having to wait long. ''I don''t like cold weather.'' Kaylee knew that her excuse sounded ridiculous, but that was the only answer she could think of at the moment. ''Boo! Boring!'' Kayleeughed at the reply. She knew Jacob would not believe her ridiculous excuses, but the young man wouldn''t force her to tell the truth. The man knew his boundaries and never made her ufortable. That''s why Kaylee always feltfortable when she was with that young man. Kayleeid on the bed looking at the two young men''s log messages, which confused her. The two people confessed their feelings to her, and Kaylee had to admit she was excited about their confession. The difference was, Kaylee believed she was morefortable and would be happier if she was with Jacob. Didn''t Nick tell her to chose a man that makes herfortable? But¡­ why did her heart and mind always think about Den? She felt as if her whole body wanted to return to the man''s arms. Suddenly Kaylee remembered the moment when Den hugged her abruptly so that their two bodies had no gaps, making her face feel hot again for the umpteenth time. Ugh! Don''t think about it, Kaylee. Hurry up and sleep! Kaylee ordered to herself. Nobody knows since when Kaylee fell asleep, but the girl had slept soundly without knowing that her mother nned to reach out to Den ck tomorrow. The next day, her mother invited Kaylee to perform a beauty ritual at her favorite salon. As usual, Kaylee was always a pushover regarding her mother''s request. Hence she couldn''t say no. She let her mom dragged her to the salon and went shopping in town. After beautifying themselves and shopping for a while at the biggest shopping mall, Britney Zouch dropped a bomb right in Kaylee''s nose. "Darling, Mister ck is on the way here and picking you up." "Wh... What??" "I will meet my old friend, and I feel bad if youe with us. It will be boring for you. So, you better go on a date with your future husband." "B... But... but..." "Speak of the devil. Herees your future handsome hubby." Instantly Kaylee felt her heart shattered as her mother nced at a handsome man walking towards them with all his glory. Shouldn''t she be seeing that man in a few hours? Why did her mother make her meet that man right now? Her heart is still not ready! Chapter 63 - Ch. 63 It Was Tough To Keep His Hand A few moments earlier¡­ "Sir, Mister Old ck is expecting you to be in his office." Den had just arrived at his parents'' house when his father''s assistant, who had been working at his father''s side, approached him. "I understand." Den instantly marched up to the second floor, where his father''s reading room was located. After knocking on the door and getting permission, Den went inside and neared his father''s desk, who was currently seriously reading a document. "I heard you''re looking for me?" "Ah, you have arrived. It seems that your mother was fond of the youngdy of the Zouch family. Your mother urged me to tie you into marriage immediately. What do you think about this?" "What do I think?" "You have never shown interest in the opposite sex before. You have never brought a girl home either, even though you know your mother wants to see you settle down. So far, you have always firmly refused every girl that your mother arranged for you. But I haven''t seen you reject this arranged marriage with this young girl. Do you like her?" Den smiled softly as Kaylee''s smiling face towards him appeared on his head. Mister Old ck noticed that very rare smile on his son and knew right away that his son already was smitten by the youngdy Zouch. "More than that. I don''t know how much I will like her. All I know, my feelings for her are growing day by day to the point of no turning back. I love her." "So you want to marry her?" Den nodded his head once in response to his father''s question. "But I don''t want to rush down our marriage. She''s just getting used to our intimacy. I don''t want to scare her off." Mister Old ck chuckled at his son''s words. "I don''t know whether I should be happy or worried that you finally find love. If only that girl weren''t from the Zouch family, I wouldn''t have worried." Den paused while digesting his father''s words. Why does he feel that his father is worried about making the Zouch family his inw? "Did something happen?" Mister Old ck handed Den the document he just read. At first, Den was puzzled why his father gave the document, but when he read its contents, his forehead frowned, showing displeasure. "Why are you investigating her background?" "This is the first time your mother has insisted on making someone her daughter-inw. Of course, I have to check the girl." "Kaylee is a good girl." "You wouldn''t say that when you read all the documents." "¡­" Den turned to the second sheet and saw a photo there that surprised him. Then he read the whole thing until he came across the words ''ssified.'' "This¡­" "I don''t know whether youngdy Zouch is a good girl or not. But we both know the Zouch family was not your ordinary one. Den, think carefully. Do you want to get involved with this family? If you''re going to y and have a temporary rtionship, I''ll close my eyes and let it slide. But marriage is not something simple. You know that." "¡­" Den read all the writing concerning Kaylee and her family, then smiled faintly. "Dad, how did you feel when you met mother?" Mister Old ck raised an eyebrow at his son''s question. "Didn''t I tell you before? Your mother is everything to me. I will not be able to breathe without..." he stopped when he realized the meaning of his son''s question. "Den, you..." Den smiled softly at his father. "I don''t care what Kaylee''s past is like or her true identity. I love her because she is her." Mister Old ck looked straight into his son''s eyes and did not find the slightest hesitation from the pair of eagle-like eyes. In the next second, the man who was having his sixtieth birthday chuckled at the seriousness and determination his son had. "Fine, if that''s what you want. As long as you''re happy." "Thank you. But¡­ can you not investigate your future inw''s family background? Don''t you want to have a daughter? Your prospective daughter is charming and also innocent." "Is she now? I can''t wait to see her tonight. I promise I won''t look into her again." Den smiled with satisfaction at that, and after chatting for a while, Den decided to rest in his room. However, just as he finished changing clothes, he heard his phone rang. His forehead frowned slightly when he saw the unknown row of numbers. Who contacted him? "Hello?" "Hello, Mister ck. This is Kaylee''s mother speaking." Den immediately changed his voice to be friendly and polite in response to his future mother-inw''s greeting. Den ached to take a short nap because yesterday he was workingte to finish his pending work. He wanted to make time to be with Kaylee and ignoring some unfinished assignments. Hence, he finished it all in one go yesterday when he didn''t meet his charming princess. But when Mrs. Zouch asked him to pick up Kaylee and apany the girl until tonight''s event, Den happily epted. That''s why he immediately went back to the shopping mall, which his future mother-inw told. Miraculously, his tiredness vanished in an instant when he saw Kaylee''s fairy-like beautiful face. "Good day, Mrs. Zouch." greeted Den politely when he came face to face with the two of them. "Why, hello, Den. I''m d you can make it today." Den? Since when did her mother start calling the man by his name? Since when did the two of them be close?! Kaylee frowned in bewilderment. "Pleasure is mine." "Well, I''m afraid I''ll bete. Enjoy your date." Mrs. Zouched gave a quick wink to her daughter, making Kaylee couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. Mother, why did you leave your daughter alone?? Obviously, only Kaylee could hear her grievances. And again, why did her mother feel one hundred percent sure that she would date Den? Why did she feel that everyone in this world felt sure Kaylee would be Den''s wife?? Is she no longer able to run away? Does she have to ept the fact that her mother and Den have imed that she would be that man''s wife-to-be? "Kaylee, have you eaten?" Kaylee shook her head while clutching her stomach, which now echoed, demanding to be fed. Earlier, Kaylee had persuaded her mother to stop by a restaurant because she was already feeling hungry. Instead, her mother carried her around as if the energetic woman didn''t realize her only daughter was starving. Wait a minute. Was it possible that her mother had postponed their lunchtime on purpose, knowing that Den was on his way here? Instantly Kaylee''s face became sullen, realizing her mother''s hidden n. She loved her mother and never wanted to disappoint her. But sometimes, Kaylee hoped that her mother would stop controlling her life. "Kaylee?" called Den to break her trance. "Not yet." Was the short reply from the not-so-good mood girl. Den realized his beloved mood wasn''t in a fine state. He decided to take the girl to the ice cream shop and order chocte ice cream. As expected, Kaylee''s mood was enlivened when she saw a row of ice creams with different vors. "Hm¡­ we should buy some ice creamter. I''m worried you will get sick if you eat ice cream on an empty stomach." "Eh?" Kaylee looked at Den with a disappointed look and, at the same time, hoped that the man could understand what she was thinking. Of course, Den knew what his innocent lover wanted, but he was purposely act oblivious and gave no reaction. He wanted to do whatever pleased Kaylee at the same time, he wanted her to voice her heart''s desire. "What''s the matter? Do you want to eat ice cream now orter?" Kaylee wanted to answer ''now,'' but if she went along with this guy''s scheming trap, wouldn''t that mean Kaylee was willing to join the man''s game? She decided to turn it down, but it felt like she saw the ice cream have an arm and waved at her. If only the ice cream line had a mouth and could speak, Kaylee felt sure that the ice cream piles wouldpete with each other for her attention. Kaylee swallowed hard before she finally gave in to her own desire. Which girl can resist chocte ice cream? Especially Kaylee, who has a sweet tooth and ice cream fan. But she was too embarrassed to confess in front of the man, so she just reached for the end of that man''s coat and said, "I want it now." Kaylee lowered her head while her other hand pressed against her chest to relieve her rocket-fast pounding heart. The innocent girl did not know this action capable of stealing a certain heart for the umpteenth time, and Den almost lost control and attack her on the spot. Why does he find it more and more challenging to keep his hand to himself every time he witnesses the reaction of this irresistible, adorable, lovely girl? Chapter 64 - Ch. 64 Victoria Cliverston Kaylee''s mood was getting better after eating her favorite vor of ice cream and being able to enjoy herte lunch with the man with a warm, friendly spirit. Besides, the man managed to make her feelfortable even though every now and then, he would hug her shoulders or lowered his face towards her unexpectedly, making her heart jumped out of its ce. Afterward, Den took the girl home to dress up for tonight''s event. "I''ll pick you up at six," stated Den without making an offer that the girl could refuse. However, Kaylee didn''t want to trouble other people, so she refused the man considerately. "No need. I will go together with my parents. Besides, you''ve been with me all day. I don''t want you to be exhausted." "Oh, are you worried about me?" "Wh¡­ what? No... it''s not like that. I just¡­ I¡­ after all, I wille together with my parents." "I don''t mind picking up all of you." "No, no, no. I do not want to burden you." "I understand. You just want to be alone with me." WHAAAAT!? How could this person think she only wanted to be alone with Den? She had the urge to open up his brain to understand how this man''s brain works. How could someone have this high confidence and so shameless uttering those cheeky words? Under normal circumstances, Kaylee would be eager to get away from this man. But strangely, her heart was pounding and her face heated up again, and suddenly she had a strong desire to hide her face again in front of that man''s chest. Blush! Instantly the hot stream raised from her head at the thought of thest thing. How could she think she wanted to snuggle her head inside that man''s arms? "Th... that... Stop teasing me." "Alright. But I want to be alone with you, though." Huwaaaa!! Why is this guy still teasing her? Kaylee could not speak anymore, so she chose to lock her mouth tight. Every time she said something in self-defense, the man twisted her words to his liking, which put her at a disadvantage. It would be better if she chose to remain silent and not speak anymore. After all, her life principle had always been ''silence is gold,'' so she decided to talk to this man as little as possible. Unfortunately, even though she decided to stop talking, her heartbeat wouldn''t stop racing. Is there no other way to relieve her beating heart? Kaylee closed her eyes when she felt a gentle pat on the top of her head. Her chest rippled delightfully as she felt arge hand rubbing her head down to one side of her cheek, making her nearly choke, and she could not breathe. "Go inside. You must also be exhausted apanying your mother all day. See you tonight." Kaylee wanted to respond, but she had a hard time finding her voice. For some reason, her vocal cords disappeared and caused her to have a temporarily mute. In the end, Kaylee nodded once as if to obey and confirmed all the words of the man. Den smiled, amused seeing the girl''s cute behavior made him feel never bored to tease his little bunny. After seeing Kaylee''s back disappearing into the Zouch family''s estate, then Den returned to his parents'' house to rest briefly before weing the guests to celebrate his father''s birthday. Not too far away from the ck residence, a young man was engrossed in ying online games without realizing that his mother approached him and twisted his ear. "Aaaaa, ow, ow... Moooom," whined that young man while trying to let go of his mother''s death twisting. "Didn''t I tell you to get ready? Why are youzying around and ying a game, huh?" "Isn''t it just that old geezer birthday? I heard no one wants us toe because the eldest uncle will be there." "This is an excellent opportunity to meet your uncle. So far, you haven''t met your uncle, and I bet you don''t even know his name." "His name is mister ck... Auww..." cried that young man because his mother was pulling his ears again. "All cks will obviously carry the name ck." groaned the frustrated mother. "One of the professors at my college also bears the name ck, but he is not from the ck family. Auuww¡­ Mom, it hurts! What if I won''t be able to hear any more?" "I don''t care about the lowly professors on your campus. Now, hurry up and change, and you should be ready in half an hour." "Haa?? Isn''t it still four o''clock?" protested the young man but immediately closed his mouth again when he saw the fierce gaze from his mother. "Do not talk too much! Today you have to meet your uncle!" "Why? Don''t you also dislike your cousin? Why do I have to meet him?" The young man quickly dashed away when his mother''s hand moved to pull his ear back. "I will get ready now." "Hmph!" the mother turned and walked out of her son''s room when the boy asks her. "Mom, what''s my uncle''s first name? Wouldn''t it be weird I didn''t know my uncle''s name when I greeted himter?" "It''s Den ck." "¡­" "Now, get ready!" Den ck? The young man frowned at this name because his uncle''s name happened to be the same as an M university lecturer. "Hahaha¡­ No way. How could the most hated Mister ck by female students be my uncle? Maybe they just have the same name by chance." Right. Why is his uncle, who already owns his ownpany and gets his absolute trust from Mister Old ck, to work as an ordinary lecturer on campus? It doesn''t make any sense! Far away from the young man''s house, Mister Old ck''s assistant, who had been by his side for more than thirty years, gave him an unsightly report. "Master, Mrs. Cliverston announced she woulde tonight with her son." "Since when did she arrive in New York?" "Sincest May." "WHAT?!" Mister Old ck was furious that it was toote to find out that his niece had arrived in this city. "They have been here since half a year ago, but nobody told me!?" "Forgive me. It seemed that this time they hade here secretly on purpose. And only today did thedy contact to announce her arrival tonight." "Where''s Den?" "Young master is on his way home after dropping off Miss Zouch." "Tell him and see what his reaction looks like. If necessary, tell him not toe to the event if he still doesn''t want to meet the Cliverston." "Yes, sir." Victoria ck, who has now changed her name to Victoria Cliverston, is his elder brother''s only daughter. Before his brother died, he had promised to protect and care for Victoria like his own daughter. He did it and took care of the girl, but the child was very arrogant and often made him solve the problems she created. He was even in a tight spot when his niece used his son of abusing her to make Den hate her. Den decided to live independently and get out of his house because Mr. Old ck was more concerned with Victoria''s welfare than Den. He knew that he was in the wrong and had been selfish. But Victoria was the only daughter left by his deceased brother, whereas Den¡­ Mister Old ck took a deep breath as he started to think about things he shouldn''t be thinking about. He felt guilty enough because he neglected that poor boy and devoted his attention to Victoria. But that boy never med him even once. On the other hand, Den always fulfilled his obligations as a son and did whatever it takes to please his parents. Everything would be easier if Den hated him too. That way, he would feel less guilty and think that Den should ept his fate. Victoria has long expressed her ambition to get her rights as the rightful heiress. A dozen years ago, Mister Old ck was able to turn her down because Victoria was too young and an ignorant woman. Another case with Den. Mister Old ck has educated his son and prepared him to be a leader in the ck Pearl corp. Who would have thought that his son would reject him and choose to build his own business? Fortunately, his son epted his position in the corp when he decided to retire. Since Den managed hispany, the growth of thepany was progressing fast and experiencing huge profits. Now, Victoria was back, and it doesn''t take an expert to guess what she wants. What''s more, the woman brought her son to meet him with Den. The woman must have wanted Den to give her son a position in thepany and then take over Den''s position little by little until he lost his position. Had that woman not been involved in Den''s start-up business misfortune eight years ago, Mister Old ck would have happily persuaded Den to help his niece''s young son. Right now, however, he left all decisions to Den.. If the man were not willing to see Victoria, he would not force him. Chapter 65 - Ch. 65 Victorias Son Den entered his parents'' house with rxed and light steps when his father''s loyal assistant came to greet him. "Good evening, Mister ck. Master wanted me to let you know about something. Lady Victoria wille tonight with her son." "I understand." "Yes?" the assistant looked baffled at the almost expressionless reaction from Den. The old assistant thought the man would frown in dislike hearing the news, or he would march to his master''s room to discuss Victoria''s arrival. But there was no reaction as if the man gave no regard about the woman''sing to the party. He didn''t even have the time to ask for his master''s son opinion because Den had walked off to his room. No one knew what the man was thinking after receiving this news. Mister Old ck was worried that his son would decide not to show up tonight because of Victoria''s arrival. He also felt certain that Victoria knew Den wouldn''t dare to face her and run away like he had nine years ago. Den fled to go to Europe at that time, but no one knows where the man went and disappeared for nearly two years. When the man returned, Den seemed to be like a different person, and since then, he has decided to build his own business empire. He only hoped that the meeting between his son and his niece would go well. Not long after Den fell asleep to rest in his room, Victoria and her son arrived at the ck family residence. The butler weed their arrival, but Victoria treated the middle-aged man who has been a butler for more than twenty years as if he was an invisible man. "I heard that my cousin had arrived here. Where is he?" Her son rolled his eyeszily at the arrogant tone that seemed to be mocking the poor butler. He wondered why his mother hates his uncle so much? He was also curious whether this Uncle Den was the same person as the professor on his campus. Since he was majoring in percussion and Den ck wasn''t a drum teacher, he hardly ever met the guy. "The young master is resting in his room, mydy." "Hmph! Just say he doesn''t dare to see me." the woman smirked evilly as if she won some lottery. "Where is our room? Oh, make sure to give my son the biggest room in this house." Victoria''s son sighed and could only shake his head at his mother''s orders. In truth, he didn''t care which room he slept in as long as this butler didn''t tell him to sleep in the warehouse. But somehow, his mother indirectly wanted him topete with Den ck, which was absurd. Den ck was over thirty and has had tremendous business experience over the past seven years. As for him, what could a neen-year-old youth do against a Den ck? His mother has already gone nuts. "Mother. I''ve nevere to this house before. Isn''t it better for me to sleep in your room?" "Are you a kid? You have to sleep in your own room, and from now on, you will live here." "Haaaa?? What? Why have I never heard about this?" Victoria''s son became more panicked when he saw so many of his belongings were moved from the car to the second floor. Since when did his mother pack his things!? "Does grandpa know about it?" "Of course. He allowed you to live here. " "¡­" "Come on, let''s go to your room. I want to know where you will stay." "But¡­ I don''t want to live with the old man. I want to be with you." "Hush! It is time for you to stay here and learn the business from your uncle. Learn how he works and take what he has slowly." "Is that what a mother should say to her only son?" "Jacob Cliverston," roared Victoria, making Jacob sealed his lips. The young man''s footsteps stopped as his mother turned her head over to him and gave him a warning gaze. "I have allowed you to study at M university to pursue your ridiculous dream. Now, it''s time for you to follow my wish." Jacob''s forehead frowned at what his mother said, but he couldn''t argue with that. Victoria touched her son''s shoulders while looking at him gently. "My Jackie, you know what I''m doing is for your own good. I love you so much that I can''t see anyone else holding what should be yours." "I know." was the short answer from the young man. "Great, let''s see your room now, shall we." The young man took a deep breath before following in his mother''s footsteps. He decided to act as if he was following her mother''s wishes. After all, he was already studying at M University, and his mother approved it. He knows his mother deliberately told him to stay here to study the ck family business even though he was majoring in music. All he needed to do waszy about studying here and make his grandfather feel sure he didn''t deserve a job in hispany. His mother also would not me him because she had allowed him to study in different majors. Jacob did not like to think things tooplicated, and he chose afortable and safe route. Being an entrepreneur and leading a meeting was not his lifestyle. The young man preferred to y with his friends, and he feels he can be himself whenever he ys music with his friends. Jacob gave a faint smile, thinking that his mother wouldn''t pester him with things he didn''t want after this. Living in his grandfather''s house wasn''t something bad. It''s just that¡­ the distance between his grandfather''s house and the campus¡­ was so far away made him want to cry. If he has a morning schedule on campus, what time should he wake up? Ah, he doesn''t want to stay here. Should he contact Nick? Maybe he could stay over at his best friend''s house if he had a morning schedule. He would call Nick to ask if he could stay over at his house twice a week after this. On the other hand, Nick, in Jacob''s mind, aka Kaylee, looks at her reflection in the mirror. Currently, she was wearing a light blue sky gown with a V neck and thin shoulders strap. At the waist, there is a colored ribbon belt that matches white flower pins as essories. The soft blue color fits perfectly with her fair skin, and even though she doesn''t think she is a girl who likes to boast over her beauty, Kaylee admits that she looks stunning wearing this dress. She looks innocent while at the same time looking elegant. She couldn''t wait to show it to Den. Eh? Did she just think she wanted to show him her best look? Why? The door to her room suddenly opened, which made Kaylee get rid of her previous thoughts. "Oh, my dear! Look at you! My future son-inw has good taste in choosing dresses for his wife." "Mom¡­" whined Kaylee heard her mother''s tone, who seemed more impatient to marry her off to Den. Really. What kind of mother who eager to married her only daughter to a guy? "I''m so happy for you, darling. Finally, you found your spouse that is perfect for you." "But..." "Don''t you like him?" "I do, but ..." "Then what are you worried about?" "I still don''t know if I want to marry him. Isn''t this too fast? It''s not like people would get married right away once they meet for the first time." "Your father proposed me three months after our first encounter." "Wha... Mom, I''m not you, and Den is not dad." "Oh, you called his name? So it means you''re officially an item now?" "..." could you please listen to me for once?! Kaylee couldn''t voice her grumbled and only roared inside her heart. "Where is Lydia? When will shee?" "Soon." Kaylee had given up wanting to protest and answered her mother''s question. Not long after, Lydia, Kaylee''s favorite make-up artist, came and greeted Mrs. Zouch in a friendly manner. "Good evening, madam. How are you?" "Finally, you''re here. I''m fine, my dear. I will entrust my girl to you. Make sure she would be the only star shining tonight." Lydia gave her a hearty chuckle at Mrs. Zouch''s request. "Then you ask for the right person, madam." After Mrs. Zouch left the room to let Lydia dolling Kaylee up, the make-up artist gave an amused smile seeing Kaylee''s pouting lips. "Kaylee, why is your face frowning like that? I can''t doll you up if your mouth puffs out like that." Kaylee rolled her eyeszily and then ttened her expression. After everyone finished dressing up, the Zouch family headed to the ck residence with their luxury limousine. No one would know that our three main characters would gather in one ce at the same time, and this will be the first time for Jacob to meet the real Kaylee. Chapter 66 - Ch. 66 Matching Attire Around half-past seven in the afternoon, people began to appear at the gate to the ck family mansion. As a good host, of course, Mister and Mrs. ck themselves weed them all. They could let the servant weed them, but it was no longer a secret that Mister Old ck and his wife liked to engage with many people and wee the guests themselves. Mrs. Helena ck was a little surprised when she saw Victoria''s face also standing next to her to wee guests. She didn''t like her husband''s niece very much, but she still smiled at her. "Honey, you forgot to tell me that your niece came here," whispered Mrs. ck to her husband after making sure no one heard her voice. "She came suddenly. I didn''t have time to tell you." Mr. ck also whispered to his wife without breaking his smile when weing one of his business partners. "By the way, from today, Jacob will stay with us." Mr. Old ck endured an amused smile when he saw his wife''s pair of beautiful eyes ring wide at him. He was very sure that Helena would definitely give him an earful scolding if no one else were around. Not long afterward, Victoria was surprised by the face of a man who walked up to them dressed neatly as if this person was going to attend Mr. Old ck''s birthday party. "Den." Helena''s mood enlivened once she saw his son approached them with all his handsomeness. "My son looks so handsome," praised Helena with a satisfied smile seeing her son''s face, which looked extraordinarily handsome with the midnight blue tuxedo. She had been worried that her son would refuse to show up because of Victoria''s sudden arrival. Apparently, her worries were in vain because now her son appeared with all his full glory. Mister Old ck also sighed with relief to see his son came out of his room and appeared before Victoria. He investigated his son''s eyes and facial expressions but found nothing. Den acted as if the young man didn''t care if Victoria was around or not. "Wait a minute. Don''t you like wearing ck clothes? Why are you wearing other colors?" even though Den''s tuxedo suit was dark, someone would still detect a bluish color on the man''s outfit. "You will find out,ter." was his short answer, deepening her curiosity. "Kaylee and her family already near. I''ll go wee them." "Ah, I know! Have you agreed with Kaylee to wear the matching attire?" teased Mrs. ck earning a wink from her only son. "Bad boy. Now, you dare to taunt your mom!" she grumbled, making her husband and son gave a heartyugh. Den walked past Victoria, and his smile disappeared at once. He only nced at the woman briefly as if the presence of his cousin did not mean anything. He did not mind her sudden presence in this house as this house belongs to his parents. But it doesn''t mean he would act friendly to that woman. Realizing that her younger cousin didn''t greet her made Victoria feel resentful and eager to get rid of the man out of this family. ''Hmph! That boy must have dared to underestimate me because my uncle backed him up. We''ll see when I meet him without his so-called father.'' Den could neither hear the scheming nor care about his cousin. Right now, he was waiting at the door of the house and smiled broadly when he recognized the Zouch family car. He let the Zouch family''s private drivers open their car doors. But the moment he saw Kaylee''s face, Den stretched out a hand to help the girl get out of the car. This has not escaped the sight of Britney, who is now teasing her by moving her eyebrows, making Kaylee''s face burning with ashamed. Her mother didn''t help her at all. How could she face the man if her own mother teamed up with Den to tease her? "You look gorgeous." was the genuine praise from the man. Kaylee also saw the man''s appearance and realized that Den looked twice as handsome as usual. "You look handsome too." Den smiled with satisfaction at thepliments that came out of his little bunny''s mouth. "Isn''t this the first time you wear clothes that are not ck?" Kaylee remembered that this man always wore ck clothes when he met her at the studio or on campus. "Because I want to wear the same attire as you." Kaylee sealed her mouth tightly when she heard another cheesy response. Now she understood why the man bought her a dress. She should have known the man had a hidden motive when he asked her to wear the gown of his choice. Poor Kaylee. The little bunny officially became the eagle''s prey, and it was only a matter of time before the eagle would devour herpletely. "Good evening, Mister Zouch, Mrs.¡­" "Ehem¡­" Britney Zouch cleared her throat while giving a warning look. "Britney." corrected Den with a smile. "That''s more like it." agreed thedy making her husband and Kaylee rolled their eyes. "Wee to our humble house." "Oh, Den. You''re too humble. Where is Helena?" "My parents are inside. Pleasee in." Mr. and Mrs. Zouch walked in, followed by Den, who was still holding Kaylee''s hand. Kaylee felt ufortable whenter everyone would see their intimacy. She tried to break free from Den''s grasp, but as she expected, the man wouldn''t let her go. "Should we hold hands?" Kaylee whispered as she closed her mouth from the side. She didn''t want her parents, who were walking in front of her, to hear her voice. "No." was the short answer from the man. Kaylee failed to see the mischief look in the man''s eyes because she felt relieved when the man let go of her hand. The poor little bunny had no idea that Den''s hand now snaked around her waist andnded on her sidefortably made Kaylee''s heart stop at that moment. "De... Den." her eyes were pleading cutely at the man. However, she couldn''t find the resistance and let the man guide her closer to him. "You can refuse me, you know." Kaylee bit her lip because she knew it so well. She could have rejected him and walked away from this man, but¡­ she had no resistance against this man. It seemed like her body had its own thinking! Den grinned from ear to ear seeing his little lover gave no resistance. He knew this girl still needed time to adapt to him. He has heard himself that Kaylee had zero experience with love but admitted that she likes him. That was a good start, and he only needs to push harder to make her think nothing but only him. When Mr. and Mrs. ck saw the Zouch family''s faces, Helena ck walked over to Britney with a happy look. "Britt!" greeted Helena, hugging her best friend tightly. "Ah, Helen. You look fabulous." Helenaughed at her friend''spliment, "Not as gorgeous as you. But, well, I preferred our girl. Kaylee, darling." Den let go of his hand to let his lover walk toward his mother. "You look... wow... I can''t even describe it in words." Kaylee couldn''t help but blush to hear thepliment from her future mother-inw¡­ Ah, I mean, her lover''s mother. No, it''s not that. Kaylee lowered her head, realizing her own mind already considered Den as her lover. Den walked over and led the Zouch family to his father. As usual, Mister ck and Mister Zouch got along right away by talking about business, and the like made their two wives elbow their husbands in the waist to get their attention. As if getting thedies'' cue, Den gently pulled Kaylee''s hand to introduce her to her father. "Dad, this is Kaylee. Sweetheart, this is my father." Everyone who heard his endearment at Kaylee almost chokes at disbelieving. On the other hand, Britney and Helena squealed in the joy that finally, Den and Kaylee were an item. Well, they are not. Not yet officially, but Den deliberately made them believe they are, and there is no way Kaylee could escape from this shameless cunning man''s trap. Den knew that the people who wille here were his father''s business partners and influential people in the country. What''s more, everyone already knew that the Zouch family was present to celebrate his father''s birthday even though there was no business rtionship between the two parties. On average, all of them who attended this party would seize this opportunity to get closer to the ck family. At the same time, they wanted to make acquaintance with the Zouch family. And it just so happens that the Zouch family has a daughter, and Kaylee Zouch is undoubtedly the fairest girl in the world who can make the eyes of the youths unable to shift from her. If Den doesn''t mark what''s his, some annoying random bug will steal his beloved girl without his knowledge. Hence, he decided to make everyone believe Kaylee is his.. Well, she will be his soon enough. Chapter 67 - Ch. 67 She Gets Smarter Kaylee felt cold sweat running down her spine when she realized everyone was stunned when she heard Den calling her affectionate endearment. She had noticed a woman standing next to Helena ck. She did not know who that woman was, but because she was standing next to Mrs. ck, doesn''t that mean that woman is also a part of a family? Apart from the woman who showed dislike for her, the others seemed beaming with a content smile at her. Kaylee decided to ignore her lover¡­ Uhm¡­ that man''s endearment nickname for her and greeted Mr. Old ck properly. "Good evening, Mister ck. Happy birthday and God may bless you with healthiness and boundless joy. This is for you." Kaylee gave a small ck parcel to Mr. Old ck. The man took out the ck box from the gift bag and opened it. His eyes were sparkling when he saw what was in the box. "Oh, dear. Did my son tell you about my collection?" "Yes, he did. Do you like it?" "I don''t like it. I love it! It makes me want to hasten your marriage." What?! Not only Den, who is shameless beyond word, but his father was way worse? Well, the apple never falls far from the tree, after all. The red hue on her cheeks was making everyone, but one enjoyed her bashfulness. "Uncle, whose marriage?" For the first time, Mr. Old ck just remembered his niece''s presence. "Ah, where are my manners? This is my niece from Canada, Victoria Cliverston. Vicky, they are the Zouch family." Victoria''s jaw dropped when she heard the name ''Zouch''e out of her uncle''s mouth. Is this family the ''Zouch'' that has hundreds of thergest banks spread around the world? And her uncle wants to pair the only daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the world with Den?! If Den married the youngdy Zouch, Den''s position in the ck corppany would be more secure. This would make it even more difficult for her son to win over Den''s trusted people, let alone that man''s position. She had to think of a way to stop this matchmaking. She won''t let Den take over everything that should belong to her¡­ her son''s! All of the ck corp belongs to her son¡­ belongs to Jacob! Victoria looked at Kaylee with investigating eyes. This girl is indeed a beauty that it is difficult to describe in words. Her hair was shining like priceless ck pearls, her skin was white like snow in winter, and her chewy lips looked like the most delicious strawberries in the world. If only Jacob were twenty-five or this girl was a teenager, Victoria also wanted a daughter-inw like Kaylee. Unfortunately, she only had one son, and the boy was still eighteen years old. Ah, it''s okay. Age is not a barrier. After all, Jacob is no longer a child and should have known what love is. If she can make her son fall in love with this youngdy, her n to snatch Kaylee from Den is more manageable. After chatting for a while, Helena told Den to invite the Zouch family inside first. As Britney Zouch expected, her daughter was the center of attention as soon as they entered the show''s main hall. No one does not adore the beauty of her fairy-like daughter. The youths couldn''t stop staring at Kaylee and wondering, why did a girl as beautiful as a fairy in a fairy tale never appeared all this time? On the other hand, the girls looked at Kaylee with envy and jealousy for walking next to the most handsome bachelor in this country. They all came here to hook the man''s heart when they heard that Den ck would appear at his father''s birthday. Since Den ck started his own business and was sessful, the man hardly ever appeared at the top socialite events, and no one knew that Den ck was the ck corp''s sole heir. ck''s surname was somon that they would not think Den ck of Oscar Security is the only son of Mister Old ck. And now, the news that Den ck is the heir to the ck corp makes the girls very enthusiastic abouting to this ce so they can grab the opportunity to be Mrs. ck. But who would have thought that man had made his choice, and they couldn''t protest at all because Kaylee''s beauty was very otherworldly. Not to mention, the girl was the beloved daughter of the infamous Mister Zouch. Infamous? Yes. It is because Mister Zouch was a cruel and heartless man when facing a stranger who was not at his level. However, Kaylee never knew about her father''s nature as the old man only showed nothing but a doting father and a loving husband in front of his dear ones. Den never left Kaylee''s side during the event, not to give the men a chance to approach his little bunny. On the other hand, Victoria felt excruciatingly annoyed that her son didn''t show up even after telling him toe into this room at precisely seven o''clock in the evening. Vicky tried to reach out to her son''s phone, but the insolent kid instead turned off his phone. She decided to go out to find her son, but she couldn''t find him. "That ungrateful child. How could he have mastered this ce and hid from me?" It''s no secret that Jacob was an expert at hiding when he doesn''t want to obey his mother. This annoyed Vicky, and she had no other choice but to return to the event room. After all, most of the guests were colleagues of her uncle. Some of them were important people with great potential to help her get rid of Den. She decided to identify everyone there and sort out which ones she could invite to be her allies. After nearly half an hour of meeting so many people, Kaylee began to feel her cheekbones tired. She smiled too much and responded to people who talk to her. If only Den weren''t there with her, Kaylee wasn''t sure if she could survive or not. Kaylee was not someone who likes to talk to strangers nor to be the center of attention. Fortunately, Den was standing by her side, who somehow managed to get the people who approached them to leave immediately after just saying hello or presenting themselves. She had no idea that Den was deliberately staying by her side to drive away from the men who were about to approach her and give off a cold aura to the girls who were trying to get his attention. Kaylee felt that she could no longer handle the pressure and needed fresh air, so her fingers grabbed the end of Den''s sleeve without realizing it. "Yes, sweetheart?" "Can I go for a moment? I feel stuff here." "Come with me." Den took her hand and led her out of the room and toward a balcony extended to the backyard. Little by little, Kaylee started to breathe more freely, and her head didn''t feel dizzy anymore. When they arrived at the balcony''s end, Kaylee saw a collection of beautiful flowers with various colors that made her smile. "This ce is so pretty." "Indeed. Very beautiful." "I know, right?" Kaylee turned her head towards Den, who had been looking at him with a gentle gaze filled with millions of loves. ''Indeed. Very beautiful.'' Did the man just say it to praise her beauty? Kaylee turned her head back to hide her blush. She didn''t know what expression on her face right now, but she was sure that her face was flushed red because now she was feeling the same heat as before. Kaylee hugged her own body without realizing it while stroking her arms because the temperature was freezing. Den noticed that his little lover was shivering and took off his tuxedo before wrapping it around Kaylee''s body. "Ah..." Kaylee was surprised that she didn''t expect this sweet gesture. "Thank you." "I can make you feel warmer than this." "How?" Den answered her by hugging her tightly, making Kaylee''s heart rocket up into outer space. "Uhm¡­ That¡­ Den¡­ I¡­" stuttered Kaylee as her heart was pounding too much that she couldn''t speak. "Yes?" Den smiled amusedly above the top of her head as if she didn''t understand what the girl was trying to say. "I... I... I''m thirsty," stated Kaylee, suddenly making Den''s lips twitch. "Can you get a drink for me, please?" Hm? Since when did his innocent bunny get smarter? Since this ce was quite far from the event hall and no man here that would approach his ''wife,'' Den decided to grant her wish. "Alright. Wait here." Kaylee nodded her head quickly, making Den want tough. After tapping the top of Kaylee''s head gently, the man walked inside to get a drink. Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the man''s back had disappeared from her sight. Really... someday she will die of a heart attack if she continues to stay by that man''s side. Unfortunately, her feeling of relief vanished when she heard a voice calling her name. "Roe?" Kaylee was rmed hearing that name, and when she shifted her gaze to the call source, her expression turned horror. "Jack?" What''s Jack doing here? And how could that young man recognize her as Roe?! Chapter 68 - Ch. 68 Is This Really Jacob? A few hours earlier... Den woke up after taking a nap not longer than half an hour. He decided to go to the kitchen to brew coffee without knowing that there was a pair of wide-eyed watching him from the corner. "Unbelievable! You''re actually my uncle??" Den nced sideways and saw the face of one of the students at M university inside his house. He remembered this child''s face because this young man had told him that Nick couldn''t take extra lessonsst Tuesday. But he didn''t know this boy''s name, and he didn''t care. "So, you''re my nephew?" came the t tone from the man. "Mister ck, you are the son of my grandfather?" Den did not immediately answer the young man''s question but took a solemn sip of his coffee. "What do you think?" Den asked back after taking a sip of his warm drink. "Uhm... by any chance, do you hate me?" Jacob felt that his uncle didn''t like him, so the man was indifferent towards him. "I don''t have any reason to hate you, do I?" "Yes, but my mom hates you a lot. I don''t know the reason." "How about you?" "Me?" "Do you hate me?" "Well, I can''t hate someone barely I know." "Agree." "Don''t worry, Mr. ck. I will not take your position at Grandpa''spany. After all, I don''t have the ambition to control argepany." The movements of Den''s hand that was holding his coffee cup stopped when he heard this. He put the coffee cup on the table then looked straight at the young man. At first, he didn''t want to talk to this young man too long because this child was the son of that narrow-minded woman. But when he heard the youth''s sincere tone and clear eyes without any ulterior motive, he reminisced on someone. "You just like your father." "You know my father?" "Yeah. He was a great man." Jacob grinned to hear someone praising histe father. "Mister ck, mom informed me to stay here from now on. If you don''t mind, are you willing to tell me about my father? He died when I was a child. I don''t really remember him." Den smiled softly, hearing the boy''s request. "Sure. By the way, call me uncle. I''m not your professor here." "Yes, sir! I mean, uncle." he corrected his calling while smiling cheerfully. He thought Mister ck¡­ er¡­ Uncle Den was an unapproachable man. But that man proved him wrong. It was so easy to get the man to talk, and he was unexpectedly very friendly to him. Or so he thought. "But in one condition. Every time I tell you about your father, you have toplete an assignment from me." "What kind of assignment?" he didn''t know why, but his feeling was not good, waiting for his uncle''s following words. "Project assignments that take ce at ck corp." was the answer making Jacob''s jaw fell. "Wh¡­ What? No. Why should I do that?" "You are the grandson of Mister Old ck and the sessor of the ck corp. Isn''t it the right time for you to learn the business now?" "But. You''re the real sessor!" Den stared nkly at his coffee cup. "It''s not mine. I don''t have the right since the beginning." "What? Why can''t I understand whatever you''re talking about?" "I know where my position is. I never take something that is not mine." "I still do not understand. Is there something wrong with my ears?" Jacob rubbed his ears while disgesting his uncle''s words. "You don''t have to understand." Den lifted his coffee cup only to gulp the ckish drink. "It''s almost time. Go get ready." Den patted Jacob on the shoulder once before finally returning to his room to take a shower. Jacob frowned and cursed himself. Why should he be born as a descendant of the ck corp founder?? Why did everyone around him want him to take a position in thepany? Being a CEO or a director was not his style at all! In the end, Jacob walked back to his room and acted like a good boy to get ready for his grandfather''s birthday. He deliberately changed his clothes quickly so that his mother wouldn''t nag him because he was slowing down. As soon as his mother finished checking his appearance and smiled with satisfaction seeing him, Jacob immediately came out of his room and decided to hide in a poorly lit balcony. The balcony was so dark, and there was barely any lighting that his mother wouldn''t be able to find him here as long as he didn''t make a sound. He will be hiding here as long as possible so as not to appear at his grandfather''s birthday. Jacob didn''t know what his mother''s ns were, and he thought Uncle Den would help him get his mother to give up, making him the leader of hispany. Who would have thought that Den seemed enthusiastic about educating him and teaching him about their family business project? How very troublesome! After hiding there for who knows how long, Jacob started to feel bored, and his legs felt itchy, and he wanted to take a walk in the backyard. But he didn''t want to risk his mother finding him and dragging him into the main room so he could meet all kinds of people. Thus, Jacob reached into his phone and chose an online game to y with his virtual friends. While he was fighting the head of the boss in a dungeon, his ears caught a sound. His eyes nced briefly and saw two figures holding hands out and walking towards the end of the balcony. They didn''t notice his presence because he was sitting on the floor next to the door. Furthermore, a small table and two wooden chairs were in ce that covered his whole body, making no one would realize his presence. Are they the guests who are already bored with the event and decide to make out in this ce? Well, he didn''t care and returned to focus on his battle against the final boss. "This ce is so pretty." Jacob''s fingers that danced on his phone''s screen stopped when he heard a sweet voice like an angel''s song. Isn''t this¡­ Roe''s voice?? Jacob tried to peek through the gap in the table and find a girl''s figure at the end of the balcony. He could not see the girl''s face because of the position of her back facing him, but he could see her uncle''s face as clear as the blue sky, and he immediately knew his uncle fell in love with the mysterious girl. Moreover, he saw how gently his uncle put on his tuxedo coat to warm the girl. His eyes widened to see his uncle hugged the girl without warning. Wow... he never knew that his uncle would be so forward to his lover. It seemed the rumor about Mister ck being gay was incorrect, after all. "Uhm... That... Den... I..." How strange. Why does it feel he heard Roe''s voice every time the girl talked? "Yes?" "I¡­ I¡­ I''m thirsty. Can you get a drink for me, please?" "Alright. Wait here." Jacob used this opportunity to get out of the shadow and walked over to the girl slowly. The girl still had her back to him because she was facing the backyard, so she didn''t notice him. He looked at the girl''s back, which was now covered by his uncle''s tuxedo. Even though this girl was wearing heels and showed no sign that this girl was Roe, Jacob felt he was looking at Roe when he saw her back. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Jacob opened his mouth and called the girl. "Roe?" Jacob frowned when he saw the face of the strange girl he had never met. Is he wrong? So this girl isn''t Roe? But why did the girl seem surprised to see him? "Jack?" "¡­" Jacob didn''t make a sound and wondered where did this girl know his name? And why is this girl''s way of calling her name the same as Roe? "Uhm... I mean, I didn''t know that someone is here." the girl looked away as if trying to avoid his gaze only to make him feel more suspicious. "I know it''s you, Roe." Jacob still had doubts that this girl was Roe, but he acted the opposite. "You can''t fool me." His suspicion grew stronger when he saw the girl''s pale color and her fingers fidgeting in her ce. "Jack, I can exin. I¡­" "So, it''s really you? What are you doing here? " "I..." "What is your rtionship with Den ck?" "..." "Why is he hugging you? No, why are you letting him do it? Why?" demanded Jacob without knowing he scared the girl off. For the first time, Kaylee was afraid to meet Jacob face to face. She felt the young man''s eyes radiance unusually piercing that it stabbed into her soul as if this young man was a two-faced demon who was ready to eat her alive. "Roe, who are you?" Jacob gripped her wrist in a firm grip, causing a painful groan to escape from her lips. Is this Jacob that as bright as the sun? Chapter 69 - Ch. 69 The Shocking Announcement "Jack, please¡­ let me go. You''re hurting me." As if someone pulled his sanity back to his head, Jacob quickly released his grip and walked backward away from the girl. "I''m sorry." Kaylee lowered her head while stroking her wrist, which was sore, and there was a hint of red mark around it. "Jacob? Why are you here?" a baritone voice was heard, making Jacob feel goosebump. He felt guilty for hurting her hand, but he didn''t expect that he would have to face the jealous aura of his uncle. "I was hiding from my mother. I''ll excuse myself." Den raised an eyebrow in wonder at Jacob''s behavior. The boy didn''t look at him like this afternoon. At the same time, he could feel the tense atmosphere surrounding them. What happened? Den walked over to Kaylee, who was currently lowering her head. "Sweetheart, what happened?" asked Den softly as he handed the girl a drink. Kaylee shook her head and epted the drink with relief. For some reason, she was terrified of being alone with Jacob, and the moment she heard Den''s husky voice, her heart seemed to jump with joy, filled with relief. Very weird. Why did Jacob suddenly turn out to be scary like that? "Kaylee, what''s wrong?" Den put his finger below her chin only to guide her to look at his face. "Tell me, love. I can''t read your mind, and I don''t like to see you like this. What is it?" Kaylee couldn''t understand why her heart felt at peace when she heard that man''s super soft tone and worried look. She thought she felt morefortable with Jacob. But when she was herself, Kaylee found it was morefortable being with Den than Jacob. Is it possible that she feltfortable with Jacob because she yed the roles of Roe or Nick? Kaylee didn''t know the answer, but she did know one thing. She found the oasis when she leaned her head against the chest of the man who was currently staring at her like she was his only queen. "I''m sorry. Please, let me be like this." Kaylee clutched his cloth while snuggling her head deeper, making the man frozen without her knowing. This was the first time Kaylee has taken the initiative to hug him to make Den feel both confused and flowery. He doesn''t know what happened, but Den thanks his nephew for making his lover acting spoil at him. [author: if only you know that your nephew hurt Kaylee''s wrist] Kaylee closed her eyes, enjoying the musky scent, and smiled as she listened to the firm and steady heart rhythm of Den''s chest. She felt warm and protected as the man''s two hands wrapped around her back protectively. Kaylee doesn''t know what love is. But if love is a feeling of peace andfort in a man''s arms, then maybe¡­ Kaylee has fallen in love with this man. "Den¡­" Kaylee lifted her head and rested her chin against the man''s chest. "Hm?" Den slightly lowered his head to see the gleam in his lover''s eyes which looked like a precious ck pearl. "Did¡­ your family also invite Jacob?" "Jacob? How do you know him?" "He ... He is Nick''s friend." Kaylee lowered her gaze as if she was afraid that Den would realize that he was the Nick in question. "I believe Wendy Larson is your best friend, but I never thought you were very close to Nick?" "Of course. I''ve seen Nick since he was born into this world. He''s like my own brother." Den smiled wryly at this. "Ah, I''m so jealous." "What? Haa?" "I wish I could see you in your childhood." "¡­" How she reacted in response to this cunning man''s shameless words. Kaylee gave a slight push to free herself from the man''s arms while clearing ''something'' in her throat. "Haven''t we been out here too long? We better get back." Den chuckled, hearing her innocent lover''s request. Nevertheless, he granted her wish and returned hand in hand. When they were inside the building, and the room temperature wasn''t as cold as it was outside, Kaylee returned the tuxedo to Den. "Would you mind?" Den didn''t need to exin his question because Kaylee understood what the man was asking. Her cheeks blushed, and she felt her heart flutter, but she nodded her head once. Kaylee held the tuxedo jacket lower and let the man''s burly hands enter the sleeve hole. Then she turned around and helped the man into his tuxedo jacket like a good wife helping her husband get ready to go to work. "Thank you, love." "You never missed the opportunity to tease me, aren''t you?" Den showed his trademark smirk and brushed his finger above her nose. "What can I say? You''re too irresistible." "You''re too shameless." retorted Kaylee in a very soft voice, not knowing Den heard every word from her lips. "Thank you." That''s not apliment!! Kaylee decided to waved her white g and kept quiet again. How could she forget this guy loved twisting her word and turned every situation to his liking? She preferred not to say anything so as not to have a heart attack. As soon as they got into the room, everyone suddenly turned their head towards them, making the two of them stare at each other in confusion. "Here they are. Come here, my son, and bring your bride-to-be too. " Haaa?? Thousands of questions popped up simultaneously in Kaylee''s mind, but the question vanished when she saw thousands of eyes staring at her. She felt like she was having a nightmare, and this was her worst nightmare. She knew their gaze aimed at her, not the ones with hostility nor used her of something she didn''t know. But she couldn''t help but feel anxious and felt like she drowned in a bottomless sea. Her breathing was getting faster, and her head felt dizzy as if she was running out of oxygen. On the other hand, Den frowned didn''t understand what his father was nning. He did want to show everyone that Kaylee was his, but that didn''t mean he would announce the world. Not that he minds, but he knew his lover wouldn''t be able to face the public''s gaze at her. As he suspected, he saw that his little bunny''s face turned pale, and the hand that was gripping his hand became cold as ice. "Kaylee," called Den softly, but the girl couldn''t hear him because she was too panicked. "Sweetheart?" this time, Den caught the girl''s attention by cupping her face and leading her eyes towards him. "Don''t worry. You just need to look at me and think nothing of it. Hm??" "But¡­ everyone¡­. they''re looking at me." "No. They''re not looking at you. I will be right here with you. Come on." How magical. The moment Kaylee looked into the male eagle''s eyes, all her worries and panic vanished as if she had never experienced it before. Somehow, the man gave her courage and walked towards the center where Mr. Old ck called out to them and became the focus of everyone''s attention. "See? Everything is alright." Den lowered his face to whisper to her as their distance from the older man grew closer. "It''s because you are by my side." "And I''ll never leave," added Den causing a certain heart to pound hard. For a moment, they gave no care about anything, and it seemed like this whole world belongs to them only. "As you can see," came the authority tone from the old man, making Den and Kaylee snapped into reality. "They are a great couple, and we have wanted to have a daughter for a long time. That''s why, on this particr day, I want to officially announce the engagement between my son, Den ck, and Miss Kaylee Roesalie Zouch." Mister Old ck''s announcement was greeted with apuse by all guests, including the Zouch family. Den nced sideways for his mother''s figure and squinted his eyes suspiciously. Is this his mother''s doing? Lately, he felt like his mother was nning something behind his back, but he couldn''t find the sign. His mother indeed nned this unexpected engagement!? Well, Den doesn''t mind because he wants to marry his little lover, but that doesn''t mean he likes someone controlling his life without his knowledge. What''s more¡­ Den nced at Kaylee and was a little surprised to see her almost nk expression. This is bad! Has her soul left her body? Not far away from the couple, Jacob stood in the corner of the room watching the small interactions between the lovebird. Jacob had never met his uncle before, but he immediately admired him when he knew Den ck was his uncle. He saw how the man calmed Kaylee as they walked towards his grandfather. It is true what his grandfather said. The two of them are a match for each other. Even though Jacob wanted to fight to win over the girl''s heart, he would never win against his uncle. ''I never take something that''s not mine.'' Jacob felt absolutely sure¡­ Den would never let someone else snatch Kaylee from him, even if it was his own nephew. Chapter 70 - Ch. 70 Youre A Good Kisser Kaylee didn''t know when her soul returned to her body, but she instantly lowered her head as she regained consciousness. She knew everyone''s gazes weren''t the same as those in her nightmare, but still¡­ she broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that many pairs of eyes were looking at him with probing gaze. Kaylee shifted her gaze lower to her hand, which was now being held tightly by Den. Through the man''s grasp, Kaylee felt as if a voice was whispering into her mind and said she would be fine. ''Be brave and look what lies in front of you.'' that was what the voice said. Someone''s voice that felt familiar, but Kaylee couldn''t remember whose voice that was. The slight movement of Den''s thumb, which gently stroked the back of her hand, could erase all her anxiety. Kaylee slowly raised her head and looked at each person who congratted her. Mr. and Mrs. Zouch witnessed the change in expression of their daughter and breathed a sigh of relief to see that their daughter had not fainted on the spot. "She did it. I told you she would face the crowd quite well," said Britney proudly. "She was born to be a star in this world, but she lost her memories. Are you sure this is the best way to make her back?" "I don''t know. But I want to give the best for her." "By marrying her off to the ck family?" Mrs. Zouch didn''t answer him and watched his daughter from a distance with a happy smile. It doesn''t matter whether Kaylee''s memory wille back or not. As long asughter continues to adorn her daughter, Britney will do anything for her daughter. And yet, deep down in her heart, she prayed hard that one day her only daughter could remember. After exchanging pleasantries and received congrattions from the guests, Den took Kaylee back out and into the adjoining reading room in his room. As soon as Kaylee did not see anyone in the room, her shaking legs be limp. She would fall if there were no strong hand to support her bnce. "Are you alright?" "I... I think so." Kaylee answered in a whisper-like voice. Her mind still drifted to the unexpected announcement made by Mister Old ck. She also realized that her parents were silent not to protest this announcement which means they also know about it. Or maybe her mother was the mastermind behind this unexpected announcement. She was one hundred percent sure that her mother was an aplice to Den''s mother, considering both of them were eager to tie the knot between them. Instantly Kaylee nced at Den with an using look which made the man grimace. "Did you know about this?" "Believe me. If I had found out, I wouldn''t have brought you back there." "Why? Don''t you want to be engaged to¡­" Kaylee quickly sealed her mouth as soon as she realized her mistake. Den smirked as he pulled Kaylee closer to him, making the girl hold her breath because of their sudden closeness. "I not only want to be engaged to you, but I want to make you my wife. I want to announce to the world that Kaylee Roesalie Zouch is mine. You don''t know how much I hold myself back from scolding men who are ogling your unearthly beauty." "Wh... What?" Kaylee slightly pushed him away to break free, yet the man didn''t move an inch. It was as if she tried to move a mountain which was an impossible mission. Very weird. How could this person frighten her and make her want to run away when another time, this person managed to make her feelfortable and protected? "Den... I..." "Yes?" "I¡­ I''m thirsty! Can you¡­ mph!" her eyes widened when she felt something soft and spongy jelly-like pressed her lips. She blinked her eyes once, twice, and many times before she realized Den kissed her!! And that too... on her lips!! Lucky for her, Den did nothing aside pressed his lips above hers before pulling himself. Otherwise, she might pass out right away. "What a coincidence. I''m thirsty too, but I craved something else at this moment." Kaylee didn''t know what else she had to think of to get this guy to give her some space. Her heart couldn''t stop pounding as if a storm suddenly broke into her heart. A pair of eagle-like ck eyes seemed to hypnotize her, making her unable to rebel. On the contrary, Kaylee felt like sinking into those beautiful sharp ck diamond eyes, and she was too embarrassed to admit it. "I¡­ I¡­" Den showed his trademark devilish smirk when he realized his lover¡­ his fianc¨¦, was thinking of a way to make him let go of his arms. "I... I''m..." "Yes, sweetheart?" "I¡­ I''m hungry. So¡­ can you¡­ mmph!" Once again, Dennded his lips above hers, making Kaylee unable to continue her request. It''s just that¡­ Den''s kiss this time was different from before. The man took a tiny suck and¡­ chewed her lower lip made Kaylee feel like she saw a firefly above her head. "Me too," whispered Den over Kaylee''s lips made the girl''s knees tremble violently, and she couldn''t stand up anymore. "You... You... Didn''t you say that we... should take it slow?" "We already engaged. What do you think?" Kaylee''s eyes glistened to hear this cunning man''s response. What does she think? Of course, it''s way too quick for her and dangerous for her poor heart. "Please, what should I do... to make you ..." "You don''t need to do anything. I already fall in love with you." Den could barely contain hisugh when he saw the frustrated and desperate expression of his innocent lover. Den loosened his hug a little so that his hand could reach the girl''s leg, only to carry her made Kaylee let out a startled cry. "Wh... What are you doing?" Kaylee panicked, and her head gets even dizzier. Despite being afraid of what this man might do to her, her hands curled around Den''s neck reflexively. "Rx. I won''t do anything you don''t like." was the promise, but Kaylee couldn''t believe his words. She knew this man had a thousand ways to make her fall in hisid trap and turned the situation to his liking. If she was not careful enough, she was afraid the eagle would devour the bunny at the end of the day. Den sat Kaylee down on thefortable couch with great care before he too sat down to join her. He crossed his leg over the other to position himself facing Kaylee, who was sitting next to him. One hand was raised to lean back against the reclining chair and ced his temple on his knuckle to adore his fianc¨¦''s blushing look. "Why... are you looking at me like that?" Den grabbed Kaylee''s cheek with his free hand and stroked it gently down to feel the curve of her sweet lips. His movements made Kaylee''s heart pound again, but there was no resistance from her. "Kaylee, when are you going to admit it?" "Wh... what do I have to admit?" "You''ve fallen in love with me." Her lips parted slightly in surprise to hear the man''s shameless brazen words. "I¡­ I''m not in love with you¡­ I¡­" Kaylee swallowed hard when suddenly Den''s face had approached her. "I can feel it when I kiss you." "No. That¡­" Kaylee was still trying to deny it, but the words she wanted to say were swallowed again as Den continued his sentence. "I''ll show you." The man proved it by kissing her once more and this time more passionately and demanding than before. Kaylee couldn''t find her resistance and only epted the man''s fierce passion through those soft cold lips. Den snaked his hand behind her waist to lift her body and bring it on hisp. Kaylee shrieked out and identally opened her mouth, giving Den ess to slip his tongue to taste her sweet honey cave. Their tongues intertwined into a hide and seek game made Den even more excited to chase her, while Kaylee felt that her head was filled with something she had never felt before. She felt that fireflies were filling her brain, making her unable to process what was going on while something strange was gathering in her lower abdomen every time Den''s tongue met her shy one. Not long after, Kaylee''s hands moved by themselves and grasped Den''s brown hair while weing his fondling with the same passion. This made Den startled, but a secondter, he grinned while crushing his lover''s delicious strawberry lips. Both of them were gasping for breath when their making-out session ended. Surprisingly, Den saw something different from his fianc¨¦''s eyes. Those eyes were not as innocent as he recognized them but¡­ excited and yful naughtiness? "You''re a good kisser." was the seductive words from the vixen while licking her lower lips in an alluring way. Den frowned at this remark. Where has he heard of it? In the next second, Kaylee closed her eyes and fell unconscious, making Den return to the real world from his own mind. ''What was that?'' Chapter 71 - Ch. 71 Does She Have A Sister? Den looked at Kaylee, who was sleeping with a raging mind. What made him amazed was not that Kaylee''s change of attitude, which suddenly became aggressive and seemed daring to respond to his bold advances. But because he remembered something he should have forgotten for a long time. For some reason, Kaylee''s words before she fell unconscious reminded him of someone. Was it nine years ago? It was the first day he arrived in Spain and spent the day in one mini bar for hours. He decided to stay there, perhaps for a year or two years, until he found what he wanted in this life. He didn''t tell his father nor call his dear mother as he needed time alone. He needed to think everything in a clear mind without the influence of the ck family. He thought he could be at peace on this first day because no one would approach him. And no one would recognize him. Finally, he was at ease without family pressure from his paternal''s side. s, some annoying, overly make-up girl decided to ruin his peaceful alone time. She made an advance at him, and she even touched him as if she couldn''t keep her hand to herself. "Hi, handsome. Why are you alone?" Luckily Den wasn''t so drunk that the girl''s dangerous temptation didn''t consume him. However, he didn''t resist the girl''s touch as if a weird ma was pulling him towards this girl. The girl expertly made him lost with his lust and made love to the girl. He even agreed to have sex with the girl but managed to control himself once he found out that the call girl was a virgin. Unfortunately, at that time, he needed a friend, and the girl provided herpany. In the end, they both slept together and hugged each other all night. Den didn''t really remember what happened, but he did remember he molested the virgin girl and put some hickeys all over her body. He nned to talk about what happenedst night the following day. But the girl had left without leaving a name or phone number made him think the girl was thinking of their hot-filled passion night as a one-night stand. That''s why Den stopped thinking about it and moved on with his life. He had forgotten the girl for so long that he got into an ident in Barcelona and he fell in love with someone who had been there for two weeks. And now¡­ Kaylee''s behavior and those sputtered words... why did it remind him of that mysterious girl? Den tried to remember the girl''s face but in vain. Their first night happened at night, and he was a little drunk. Even so, he never forgot that girl''s eyes were filled with yfulness and naughty ideas that no one else had thought of. The way the girl licked her lower lip seductively and grasped his hair tightly¡­ everything was exactly the same as Kaylee! No, no, no. There''s no way that girl is Kaylee. Kaylee was like a pure angel and too innocent and na?ve for her own good, while that girl¡­ she was unrestrainedly wild, and no one would dare mess around with her. One was like a innocent bunny, while the other was like a seductress vixen. They are a totally different person. Den tried to convince himself at the same time¡­ he had a little hope that Kaylee was that girl. That girl was the first one who pulled him out of the darkness after all. He was grateful yet regretful. If only he asked her name, he might repay in more honor way. Den remembered that there was something the Zouch family is keeping secret about Kaylee. There was a ''ssified'' mark when he wanted to know the girl''s teenage years. What is the thing the Zouch trying to keep hidden? Den took part of her hair and put it aside to see her face. "Kaylee, who are you?" *** A little girl crept walking towards the music room where she heard a piano ying. The girl opened the door and saw another slightly older girl ying the piano so beautifully. She strolled not to be caught by the older girl and was about to frighten her from behind. The little girl was ready to take a breath with her back straight to startle her but froze when she heard the other girl''s rxed tone. "I know you''re here." "How did you know?" The girl stopped ying the piano and turned around to look at her sister with a mischievous smile. "You have a long way to go before pull my leg." said the older sister while poking her sister''s forehead with her finger. The younger one pouted her mouth and stomped her feet because she failed to get revenge on her older sister. "It''s not fair. Mama, mama, sister is at it again." The elder sister giggled and stuck her tongue at the younger sister. The scene around those two girls crumble and now change into some grass field. The two little girls were in their teenage age and were on a pic with their family. The older one was enjoying the sunshine while humming to sing a song. Not long after, the younger sister approached her sister and rested her head on the girl''s thigh. It''s different when they were kids who seemed to bicker often. The rtionship between the two got better. "Sister, are you going to be a pianist in some orchestra?" "Nah, it''s not my dream. I''m gonna go to Paris and be a fashion designer." "But how about your talent as a pianist?" "I''ve be a pianist, and I''m proud of my abilities. I don''t need to learn it." "I am jealous of you. I wish I could y the piano like you too." "You''re a cellist, and you''re good at it. Besides, you can y piano as well." "But not as good as you." "Believe in yourself. You''re a soul yer just like me. I like hearing you y the piano instead of ying it myself?" "Really?" "You know I love you, right?" "I love you too." The younger sister smiled widely at her older sister, and the scene around them changed again, and both of them were high school students. "Sister, when will you go home?" "I told you, I won''t go home until papa forgives me." "He already forgives you." "Yeah, right. Like I''ll believe that." "Why don''t you believe me? If I show up there in front of you because papa sent me, would you believe it?" The elder sister raised an eyebrow at confusion. "You won''te here. You are direction-blind and scared to be in a new ce that you don''t recognize." "Well, you''re there, so I''ll figure it out. And guess what? I''m right behind you." The elder sister frowned further when she heard a slightly familiar voice just right behind her. She spun her body, and her eyes widened when she saw her little sister. "Kaylee!! What are you doing here??" Instantly Kaylee woke up from her dream with panting breath and sweat pouring from her forehead to her back. Who is that girl? No. Who are those girls? One of them was clearly her, but the older-looking girl with her hair always tied in a ponytail¡­ she had never met her before. No. Kaylee had met her before, but¡­ she couldn''t remember. ''Sister,'' Does she have an older sister? Isn''t she an only child? If she does have an older sister, why aren''t there any pictures of her sister in her house? She didn''t even see the two daughters in the family photo posted on her parents'' house walls. Is it true that she has an older sister, or what she saw was a mere dream? "Sweetheart?" Kaylee gasped and moved backward reflexively when she heard the sound of a baritone near her ear. Her breath was raging because of the unknown fearful feeling attacking her entire muscr system, making her build a very high defensive fortress. Kaylee even had forgotten the man who called her and considered Den as her enemy. "Kaylee?" Kaylee frowned even deeper when the man called her name. How did this man know her name? Who is this bulky guy? Pang! Her head ached as if someone was about to split her brain. Some images about this man shed like lightning inside her head make her nce back at the man. "Den?" "Yeah? How are you feeling?" Den remained patient even though he feels strange about Kaylee''s change of attitude. Seconds before, the girl looked terrified, as if she believed he was a criminal who had kidnapped her. He thought Kaylee didn''t recognize him making him wonder if this girl has a brain disease? Fortunately, the girl remembered him again, and her previously pale face was now colored again. "I''m fine. I just ... I think I want to go home." "Sure. But¡­ there is something you should know." "What is it?" "Mr. and Mrs. Zouch has been home since nine." WHAT!? Chapter 72 - Ch. 72 Im A Good Kisser, Arent I? "I''m sorry, dear. But I can''t bear to see your mother, who looks like she would faint at any moment, so I told her to go home. Her face was pale as white as snow. You can''t possibly let your sick mother lingering here for a long time, can you?" Kaylee gave a thin smile as if she agreed to the kind-hearted woman, but she knew better than anyone here that her mother faked her illness! She really couldn''t believe her father and mother left her alone at the ck family residence. Even though everyone knew about their rtionship and her engagement to Den had been announced, it didn''t mean Kaylee wanted to spend the night here. After all, since when did her mother, who looked healthy and well-shaped since this morning, suddenly fell ill? This country will experience a crisis if her mother falls sick because of exhaustion. Kaylee knows her mother''s character very well, and she knows very well that her mother pretended to be sick so that Kaylee had an excuse to spend the night here. Just as Kaylee expected, Mrs. Britney Zouch didn''t stop smiling at the entire ride home. "I can''t believe you entrusted our daughterpletely to that young man. He looks unreliable," grumbled Mrs. Zouch while massaging his temple. "Hush. Den is the only young man with a clean and legal family background. You know we have to have clean family connections to help us covering that incident." "But why it has to be ck? Mr. Old ck won''t stand still without investigating our daughter." "I believe in Helena. Take it easy, darling. She''ll be fine. She is our daughter." "Precisely because she is our daughter, I''m worried about her." "Darling¡­" "I''ve lost her once, and I don''t want to lose her again. The man will be out of jail in a few months. If she didn''t remember who she is, I''m afraid I will lose my daughter this time. Our daughter." "You won''t. Trust me. Den is the key. He can protect her from that person." "How can you be so sure?" "If someone could bring her back, it is that young man." "How do you know?" Mrs. Britney only gave her assuring smile as an answer. Returning to the ck residence, Kaylee nced at Den with a pleading look. She doesn''t want to spend the night here. If she did, what if this shameless cunning man took this opportunity to take advantage of her? She knew her resistance toward this man was almost none, and she would not be able to escape if this man had seduced her. Besides, she needed time alone to digest the meaning of the dream she had seen. Throughout her memory, she had never had a dream like this. Even if Kaylee had a dream, she would not think much of it and think of it as an imaginary form made up of her own imagination. But this time, it was different. Kaylee felt that her dream was not just a dream. There was something about to emerge out of her. At the same time, she felt this ''something'' feeling afraid toe out. "I''ll take her home." Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief when Den announced it to the ck elders. After saying goodbye to the cks, Kaylee followed Den''s steps towards where the man''s car was parked. She was confused that it was unusual for him to be quiet and not hold her hand. Not that she wanted to hold hand with the man, but she was just a bit curious. Is the man feeling angry? Was the man irritated that she refused to spend the night? Regardless, Kaylee felt her heart restless when the man gave her a silent treatment. Nevertheless, the man still treated her like a gentleman. Den opened the car door and invited Kaylee in, making her heart warm. Even so, Kaylee still felt uneasy. Before she got into the car, she came face to face with Den and stared at his eagle-like ck eyes fearlessly. "Den, are you mad?" "Hm." "What? What did I do?" "I''m mad in love with you." came the confession with a teasing smirk causing Kaylee to be speechless. "You... I''m serious." "Do I look like I''m joking?" "Then... why... why you..." "Yes?" Why you''re not holding my hands? Why are you silent and said nothing? Kaylee couldn''t voice her inner heart and stayed still. "Sweetheart? I told you I can''t read minds. If you don''t tell me what you think, how can Ifort you?" Although the man''s tone sounded soft in her ears, the man did not touch her at all. Usually, Den would pat the top of her head or rub her cheek gently. Once again, it was not because she craved the man''s touches. She was just curious. Little did she know, Den deliberately kept his hand to himself to control his awakened desire. He already tasted her lips once, and he doubt could control himself if he touched her smooth milky skin. "It was nothing." was her short response before she got into the car. Den nced at Kaylee, who now had a disappointed face making him wonder, what had he done to make the girl disappointed? The man closed the passenger door and walked around to sit at the steering wheel. Silence filled the car, and this made Kaylee fidgeting in her seat. Very weird. Usually, Kaylee weed this calm feeling and didn''t mind if no one talks to her. But why doesn''t she like this silence? Was it because she was used to that man always opening up and talking to her? So that when the man was silent, Kaylee became restless? She hoped the ride would arrive at her apartment faster, but strangely, the man drove his car unusually slow. As they exited the highway, Den turned his car towards the rest area and parked the car there, making Kaylee wonder. "Kaylee, we need to talk." Ba-thump! Kaylee felt her heart stop at that moment when she heard the serious tone of that man. Why did the man''s aura suddenly change, and the atmosphere became eerie? "Okay?" Kaylee felt like she wanted to run away right now, but her body couldn''t move as if those sharp ck eyes had hypnotized her. "Do you remember what happened before you faint?" Kaylee blinked several times while digging into her memory. Her face flushed red in an instant as she remembered what the man had done to her right before she was knocked unconscious. "You... didn''t you kiss me?" Kaylee lowered her head as she had no courage to keep her eyes on the man''s sharp one. "I did. But you kissed me back." "I did what? No! I already lost consciousness when you kissed me. You lied!" retorted Kaylee with burning embarrassment while encouraging herself to look at the man''s eyes. Their two eyes met each other without giving up. One looked probing while the other looked at him as if she wanted to tell the man that Den couldn''t lie to her. Den frowned when he found no sign of doubt or lie in the girl''s eyes. Kaylee was sure she didn''t return the kiss and had fainted the moment he kissed her. The image of Kaylee staring at him with vixen-like eyes and her passionate kiss on his lips reappeared in his head. Den was absolutely sure he wasn''t drunk because he didn''t drink alcohol, so he was sure Kaylee''s turning aggressive attitude wasn''t an illusion. "I didn''t lie. You even told me that I''m a good kisser." "Wh¡­ What? No! I don''t believe you." Kaylee was starting to get annoyed with the lies. "Do you need me to prove it?" "Yes. Prove it¡­ hmph!" Kaylee realized toote that the man''s hand had slipped into the back of her neck, and suddenly the man kissed her¡­ Again!? As expected, Kaylee couldn''t rebel against that man. Instead, her body told her brain to stay still and enjoy the man''s love on her lips. It''s just¡­ why did that man''s kiss feel so overpowering as if to suck her soul? And it is true. Kaylee felt her soul andmon sense have left her brain and gone somewhere as soon as the man''s tongue entered through the rows of her pearl-like teeth. Kaylee did not know how long it took her mouth to be attacked by this predator. One minute felt like an hour, and she was sure that her lips were going to get swollen. Surprisingly, she even felt lulled and groaned of delicious sighs as if she was experiencing overwhelming pleasure for the first time. Never did she imagine, making out with this man could produce an immense euphoria in her brain. Her breath was panting for oxygen she could inhale when the man finally ended their making out. "So... how is it?" "Ha?" Kaylee''s brain had stopped functioning as she felt the man''s tongue explore her tiny mouth so that she couldn''t digest the meaning of the man''s question. "What do you mean?" "I''m a good kisser, aren''t I?" Ha? What? "Don''t you want me to prove it?" WHAAAAT!? That''s not what I mean!! Only Kaylee could hear herint. Chapter 73 - Ch. 73 He Is Jealous Kaylee covered her mouth with both hands and shifted her ass away from Den until her back hit the car door. The man smirked in a way that could make a shiver ran through her spine, causing her heart to beat dangerously. "Why are you away from me? Don''t you know that the more you avoid me, the more I want to chase you?" Suddenly Kaylee felt the oxygen in this car drastically reduced, making it difficult to breathe. Her heart was hammering very hard without her being able to stop it for a while, and she couldn''t take shifted her gaze from those domineering eagle-like eyes as if there was a ma that made her couldn''t take her eyes off from the man. She didn''t know how to get her out of this eagle''s nest. Kaylee wanted to get out of the car, but she didn''t recognize the road here. Moreover, it was dark outside and looked more dangerous than inside. No, no. Being around this man who looked like a predator preparing to pounce on her was far more dangerous than outside. And yet, she preferred inside this nest rather than out of this man''s wings. Ugh! Why doesn''t this guy stop the car in front of her apartment? If only they had arrived in front of the apartment, Kaylee would not hesitate to get out of the car right now. If she knew this was going to happen, it was better for her to spend the night at the ck''s residence. Ah no. It''s not a good choice either. Kaylee wouldn''t sleep well, thinking there was a chance this man would attack her. No one would know what this man was thinking, and it seemed the ck elders would not save her from bing the eagle''s meal. While they were alone, this man had stolen kisses three to four times from her. She didn''t dare imagine that if everyone was sleeping and this man had quietly entered her room. Well, she was sure this man would not sneak into her room as the man already promised he wouldn''t do something she dislikes. But still... she didn''t know how much longer she could survive from a heart attack with the thought this shameless cunning man might do something to lure her. "Den¡­ what do you want? Can I go home, please?" Kaylee had no other choice but to plead. She didn''t know why but her instincts told her to plead with him desperately as if she felt sure Den wouldn''t go far after hearing her desperate wish. Den''s eagle-like eyes softened to see that his little bunny had run out of ideas and could only beg him. Facing teary eyes with a soft voice while asking him something desperate, how could he possibly refuse it? Den took her hand and brought it to his mouth only to give her a loving kiss on her hand. "I just want you to tell me what you think. You are my bride, and I saw you down. I wonder if someone or I did something to make you sad." "By... kissing me?" Den chuckled, seeing her pouting while scrunching her nose. "That is your punishment." "What??" "I can think of many ways to punish you, my sweet love." Den pulled her closer until both their face almost touch each other. "The next time you don''t tell me what''s bothering you, I''ll punish you." Kaylee bit her lower lip in confusion. They are not married yet, but this man wants to know all on his mind? "I am not your wife. Even though I am your wife, shouldn''t you respect my privacy? I¡­ I can''t tell you all my thoughts." Den gave a light chuckle hearing her words. "Not all, darling. I only want you to share your burden with me. If someone stressed you out, justin to me. If someone makes you sad, you can run to me. If you want to take revenge on the person who hurt you, let me know. I will make that person regret making you sad. I just want to see you smile andugh all the time even though I''m not there." the man brushed his nose against her, which gave a skipped beat to a certain heart. Kaylee lowered her head and couldn''t hide her smile. Is there someone who could cherish her so much like this? This guy was extraordinarily pushy to the point she wanted to escape from this man''s clutch. But this man always thinks about her situation and attaches importance to her mood. She didn''t realize it before, but she recalled how effortless this man enlivened her mood when she had a terrible mood. Kaylee knew Den was eager to make her his wife and couldn''t wait to tie the knot together. But this man was still thinking about her situation and protecting her while Mr. Old ck announced their engagement to everyone. This person was not only like the ''grapes,'' which made her not think about the problems she was facing but also able to make her feelfortable and protected when she was with this man. Kaylee nced at their intertwined joined hands and yed the man''s fingers with her two hands which looked much smaller than his gigantic hand. "Den¡­ I¡­ Why is it me? I mean, how did you fall in love with me? Is it because I am my father''s daughter?" "I already told you before. I fall in love with the girl who yed the piano. I fall in love with you because it is you. Not because you are your father''s daughter or because our mothers were best friends and wanted to matchmake us. I love you because you are the one who stole my breath." The longer Kaylee heard that man''s expression of love, the more tingling her heart became as if taking her flying into outer space. She had never felt this good before, let alone heard an expression of love. Kaylee truly felt happy when she heard someone confessing love to her. But the excitement was nd andsted only a moment. On the contrary, she felt boundless pleasure filled her heart the moment she heard this man expressing her love for her. Kaylee gulped when she felt his finger below her chin. That man guided her to look at him, making Kaylee couldn''t escape from those love-filled ck eyes. "I love you, Kaylee." "I¡­ I can''t say that I love you, but¡­ I''ll admit that I want to be with you." Kaylee could feel her heart pounding again when she saw the big smile at the man. It doesn''t take an expert to know this man was happy. Was this man delighted to hear what she said? Even though she didn''t say the L-word? "That''s enough for me." came the hoarse voice from the man as he leaned his forehead on the girl''s. "So... what happened?" "Ha?" "Why do you look sad when we leave my house?" Kaylee shifted her gaze to avoid this man''s probing look. She couldn''t possibly admit she was sad that this man didn''t hold her hand, could she? It would be too embarrassing if this man knows the reason for her gloomy expression. "It was nothing, really." "I doubt that." "No, it was not important." denied Kaylee firmly while pulling away and straightened her back. "Please, just let it go. Take me home now," begged Kaylee using her only triumph card. "That only works for earlier and maybe next time. But your pleading won''t work for now. Tell me, who made you sad?" "No one." "Kaylee, do you want me to punish you again?" "¡­" Kaylee turned her head to see the view outside to hide herplexion. She still refused to tell the man the reason as if she would die of embarrassment if she told him. "You still don''t want to tell me? Does it have something to do with Jacob?" Kaylee frowned in confusion at Jacob''s name. Why is this man mentioning Jacob''s name? "Do you like him?" Den''s guess made Kaylee turn to him with a surprised look. "So you do like him." it was a confirmation instead of a question. "No. It wasn''t like that." "But I can see he likes you. It looks like your rtionship with him is more than just a friend of your friend''s brother." Kaylee gulped in nervously as she realized there was another glint in the man''s eyes. His eagle-like eyes were not gentle nor tender when he looked at her. On the contrary, those eyes were burning with¡­ anger? Is this man jealous? Well, she indeed once liked Jacob more than a friend, but now¡­ she was sure for herself that she wanted no one but this domineering eagle-like sharp ck eyes man. She needed to do something to quell this man''s jealousy. "It was you. It had nothing to do with Jack." "Jack?" Den raised an eyebrow in displeasure hearing that nickname. Kaylee gasped, realized her mistake. People who are not closely rted will not call Jacob with Jack. What should she do now? Chapter 74 - Ch. 74 Because You Did Nothing Den couldn''t understand the meaning of the tense vibe around the balcony when he arrived, bringing a drink for Kaylee. He didn''t even expect that Kaylee and Jacob knew each other. Even though he acted obliviously in front of Kaylee, he was no fool to notice the adore look from his nephew at his bride. He could sense Jacob had a thing toward Kaylee, but he gave no care because he believed Kaylee doesn''t have the same feeling as the young man. However, Kaylee looked disappointed when he drove her home and when he saw a surprised look when he guessed whether Kaylee liked Jacob, his heart burned with intense jealousy. He didn''t care if many people admired Kaylee because that girl deserved admiring nces from everyone in this world. After all, he was sure that, no matter how many would chase Kaylee or circle her like bees, the only man who would stand beside her was him. But, it would be a different story if it turned out that this girl actually liked someone else. That''s why his heart became jealous, and he was too jealous to realize Kaylee''s following answer. "It was you. It had nothing to do with Jack." Den only noticed how Jacob''s name rolled in his bride''s tongue and didn''t hear the word ''it was you.'' "Den, please hear me out." Fortunately, Den was still thinking clearly and decided to hear the girl''s words. "There is nothing between Jack¡­ Jacob and me. I don''t feel sad because of him. It was you that making me down." Her exination brought him nothing but further confusion. Since when did he ever make her sad? He knew he used to tease the girl to the point of making her flustered and wanting to run away from him. But he never did make the girl sad nor hurt her. He loved her too much to see her in pain, but he loved to see her various expressions every time he ''bully'' her. "What did I do?" "You... you did nothing." was the doubtful answer from the girl making Den gritted his teeth in dissastified. In an instant, the jealousy he felt a moment ago disappeared, reced by a thousand other questions. He tried to remember everything he did besides kissing her out of her soul without her consent. Well, the girl didn''t resist him, so it slightly possible because of the kiss. Then what did he do to make his bride so gloomy? The girl said he did nothing but precisely because he did nothing that makes her sad. He tried to dig his memory and recalled that the only thing he did was hold himself to hold her hands. Could it be... his little bunny felt lost when he didn''t hold her hand? So she felt sad because he tried to keep his hand to himself? How could he resist her charm if she admits that she felt gloomy because he was too afraid of scaring the bunny away due to his awakened desire? Den looked at his little bunny in a new burning passion look. That girl still refused to look at him and preferred to see outside view as if there was a scene more beautiful than him. How adorable. Den decided to do something, opened the door, and got out of the car, making Kaylee turn her head in confusion. The girl''s heart elerated when she saw the man circling the car, and the door on her right was wide open. Kaylee couldn''t think and didn''t notice that the man pressing the button next to her made her chair move backward. That man hovered her now halfying on her seat, made the girl hold her breath. Both Den''s hands trapped her head, making it had no escape for her. "There. Finally, you looked at me." "Wh... what are you doing?" "I want an answer. What did I do to make you feel gloomy?" Den already found out the answer, but he still wanted to hear the answer directly. "I¡­ I told you. You did nothing." "Then?" His face was dangerously close above her, causing her to feel the man''s breath tickling her skin. Kaylee tried to shove the man with both hands by pushing the man''s chest. But the man didn''t flinch, and she didn''t know if this man was too big or because she didn''t have the resistance to push this man away. "It because you did nothing that I felt sad." Kaylee blurted out without her brain''smand. The moment she realized her mistake, Kaylee covered her mouth with her hand to prevent it from opening and spoke something she didn''t want to reveal. "What do you mean?" the poor bunny didn''t know the man rejoiced in his heart but still act oblivious. Kaylee shook her head as if telling the man, ''It was nothing,'' but the man wouldn''t buy it. "You feel sad because I did nothing, right? So if I do this¡­" Den gave a feather-like kiss on her forehead, making a certain heart jumped out of its ce. "Would you feel better?" Kaylee couldn''t respond as she was busy controlling her pounding heart. "Or this¡­" Den gave the same feather-like kiss on her both eyes, making the girl closed her eyes. "How about this ..." he did it again on her nose before pulling her hand away from her lips. "Or this one." hended his lips above her lips and lingering for a long time there. It was not as passionate as before, but Kaylee could feel his affection from his gentle, loving kiss. "Tell me, sweetheart, are you feeling better now?" "I¡­ I''m not. I''ll get better if you take me home now." Indeed, Kaylee got smarter with words against this sly and shameless man''s trap. It made Den hopeless to lure this not so innocent bunny to his game. "But I don''t want to take you home." "Den," begged Kaylee as she didn''t know how much longer her sanity would be intact if this man kept seducing her with his expert kiss. How could this man be so good at kissing her? ''I''m a good kisser, aren''t I?'' Well, this man indeed a good kisser.. Noted Kaylee. Chapter 75 - Ch. 75 I Was Born To Be A Star No one knows for how long Kaylee held her slightly opened lips. Even after sheid on her bed while trying to sleep, she still could feel the burning sensation on her lips. Her eyelids refused to close, and her head filled with Den''s face. That handsome face was so close to hers and those intoxicating lips¡­ Kaylee shook her head while trying to get rid of the previous scene in vain. Instead, she thought about what the man said, which sounded so suggestive and deep in her ears. ''Tell me, sweetheart, are you feeling better now?'' For the umpteenth time, Kaylee felt the room temperature was hot. Especially she still could feel her lips burning as if the man''s lips were still on them. Ugh! At this rate, she wouldn''t be able to sleep for the next few hours. She was wide awake, and her mind filled with the handsome man to the point she couldn''t get rid of it. Kaylee removed the nket and sat on the bed. She decided to contact Wendy just to find out if her best friend had fallen asleep or not. If not, she would go over to the girl''s house and stay up all night gossiping to get rid of the man''s passionate kiss. Unfortunately... Wendy did not pick up the phone, which means her best friend has slept. Having no other choice, Kayleeid back down and closed her eyes. She tried to count the sheep jumping over the fence in her imagination while wishing she could fall asleep without thinking about the scene that kept her awake. One¡­ Two¡­ And who knows which number that finally Kaylee drifted off to dreand. This time she was visited by a strange dream¡ªa bizarre one. She was in a twenty-four hours cafe and sat by the window watching the nuances of Christmasing in a few weeks. She saw her reflection in the windowpane and winced in confusion at her unusual appearance. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her clothes were something she had never worn before. She wore hot pants with high boots and a striking red jacket with fine fur on the fringe. Not to mention, her lips were dark red with some ck line around her eyes. What happened with her make-up? Why does her appearance look like a... call girl? Not long after, she heard a familiar voice in her ears and turned to look at the source of the sound. Her eyes widened when she saw Wendy walking over to her, and at that moment, Kaylee awoke from her dream. Kaylee woke up and realized that the sunlight had entered through the window of her room, which indicated that morning had arrived. She held her head, which felt dizzy, and for some reason, her whole body felt tired as if she had done something excessivelyst night. Fortunately, it is Sunday, and she lives in her own apartment instead of her parent''s house. Her mother must have thought she lived in the ck mansion and was sure she wouldn''t contact her. Hence, Kaylee decided to go back to sleep feeling unusually tired. Just as she was about to take off to her own world, the apartment bell rang, creating a frustrating groan escape from her lips. Whoes so early in the morning like this? Doesn''t anyone realize that it''s Sunday now? Kaylee walked out of her room withzy movements while yawning wide to open the door to her apartment. Once she opened the door, her temples frowned in confusion to see her best friend''s face decorated with a big smile on her doorstep. "Wendy? Why are you here?" "Didn''t you call me yesterday? I thought you wanted me toe." "Ah ... right." Kaylee chuckled, remembering that she had dreamed of that girlst night. "What a coincidence, yesterday I dreamed about you." "Eh? What dream is it?" "Hm... I don''t remember." Wendy deftly put her groceries in the kitchen and took out all the vegetables and meat she had just bought at the market. "What did you buy?" "I''ll make fish soup for you." "Really? It is such a coincidence. I feel like my head is dizzy, and my stomach feels weird." Wendy only gave a thin smile and began to fill the pot with water before cing it on the stove. Seeing the movements of Wendy, who were so attentive to her like an older sister, made Kaylee curious about the dream she saw when she fell unconscious. "Wendy, we''ve been friends since childhood, right?" "Yeah." replied the girl while focusing on the cooking. "I was even there when your mom gave birth to Nick. We all always y together and tease Nick until the boy cries." Wendy giggled reminisces about their nasty moments together to tease and ''bully'' the baby boy. But in the end, they still loved their little brother and did whatever they could to bring back theughter of the cute baby boy. "Of course I remember. I even remember you telling everyone Nick was your brother and not mine. You always wanted to have a younger brother, but you¡­ I mean¡­" Wendy cleared her throat before continuing, "Both of your parents decided not to have any more children." Kaylee was innocent but not a fool to not detect something wrong in her friend''s tone. "It''s because I am an only child. But¡­ why do I feel I have a sister? Wendy, I once had a sister, hadn''t I?" Wendy''s movement that put the spices into her cooking paused for a moment before answering Kaylee''s question with a question. "Which sister? Do you have a long-lost sister that I''ve never know?" Kaylee sighed in resignation at her best friend''s question. It seemed that what she saw was just a dream. "I have no idea. I''ve been seeing a weird dreamtely. " "What dream is it?" "I have a sister, and we have been very close since childhood. It''s just¡­ her nature is contrary to mine. I prefer to stay in a corner, whereas she¡­ my sister preferred to be in the spotlight." ''I was born to be a star.'' was the same voice she once heard. "I was born to be a star." imitated Kaylee unconsciously to make Wendy stopped her activity. "What did you say?" Chapter 76 - Ch. 76 They Are A Match Of Heaven! "What did you say?" "Ha?" Kaylee was confused by her best friend''s question and wondered if she had said anything. "You said something." "I did? What did I say?" strangely enough, Kaylee mysteriously couldn''t remember what she just said. No. She doesn''t even realize that she had just thought something, let alone said it. It was as if she had an easy-to-forget dream when she woke up from her slumber. "Never mind." Wendy decided to return to her cooking and act indifferent to Kaylee''s changes. "By the way, I heard the news." Wendy steered their conversation to divert Kaylee''s mind to other things. "What news?" "It''s about your engagement with the most wanted bachelor Den ck." Kaylee straightened her back and lowered her eye level as if she was a child who had done something naughty, and her teacher caught her in the act. "Wow, you got him, girl. How does it feel?" "Wendy. Please, stop," begged Kaylee, but it made Wendy tease her furthermore. "Did you kiss him? How does it feel to kiss one of the most dreamy bachelor men?" "Wendyyyy¡­" whined Kaylee while pouting her lips like a fish. Wendy giggled at the whining and ushered her to wait in the simple dining room. "Now, go there and wait for me like a good girl. Otherwise, I will tease you until you can''t get out because of your reddened cheek." Kaylee was getting sullen to hear that but followed her best friend''s wishes nheless. She sat on the couch, turning on the tv, and selected a music channel. "By the way, I couldn''t find any picture of both of you." "I think it''s my father''s doing." Of course. Mr. Zouch never failed to hide his precious daughter''s face. Not long after, chef Wendy''s special fish soup was ready to be served, and Kaylee enthusiastically finished her portion like a child who can''t wait to eat chocte candy. Wendy smiled with satisfaction to see her best friend finish her homemade soup. She checked her cellphone and her serious expression made Kaylee curious. "Who contacted you?" Wendy gave a cheeky smile bringing Kaylee into pitless confusion. "It''s a dating website. I will try to date new people through this new tform." "Ha? Then what about Robert?" "He can go to hell." "¡­" Kaylee was speechless and decided to drink her drink until it runs out without mentioning the name of her lover¡­ er¡­ her best friend''s ex-lover. "You didn''t meet him on campus, right?" Kaylee shook her head quickly. "Of course not. I''ll be dead meat if I meet him. You don''t know how hard I tried to avoid him every day. I even heard that he wanted me to transfer to his ss." Wendy scoffed hearing that. "He must have suspected that you were not the real Nick. He knows the three of us too well." "I know. Lucky for me, the piano department building is different from other music majors. I just need to stay away from the building and avoid the major campus events. As long as I do that, my identity as Kaylee will remain safe." "How about we go shopping after this? I know a good store that sold the newest ck Moon album." "Really? You know I want it!" The two of themughed together and finished their soup before preparing to leave. A bell from her inte rang, indicating there was a guest in front of her apartment. "Yes?" "It''s me." Ba-thump! It''s Den! What''s that guy doing here? She didn''t remember that Den had told her that he woulde here! Kaylee nced at her friend, who was now looking at her with a questioning gaze. "Who?" "It''s him!" It took Wendy a few seconds to understand who ''hi'' was. She squealed with joy and immediately approached Kaylee with an exuberant gaze that made Kaylee confused. "Let him in!" "Ha?" "Go do it." Kaylee had to open the lower door with the switch from her inte and let the man climb to the floor where her apartment was. Not long after, the house bell rang, and Kaylee couldn''t stop her hammering heartbeat. What''s more, her head was now reminded of her kiss scene with the man. Ugh! What should she do to face this man? She felt like digging a hole to hide her face right now. After taking her most extended breath of the day, Kaylee unlocked the door to her apartment and opened it to reveal that devilishly handsome, cunning man. The wide grin made her heart jittery in excited, and she swore she could see a blinding halo-like shadow around the man! "I miss you," greeted the man while giving a light pinching on her cheek, causing a certain heart drummed at rapid speed. "Well, hello there. You must be Den ck." Den nced up to see an unfamiliar girl standing right behind his fianc¨¦. "I am. And you are?" "My name is Wendy Larson, Kaylee''s best friend." Wendy introduced herself without feeling reluctant to make Kaylee massage her temple. "Nice to meet you." "So do I," the two of them shook hands in a friendly manner, and Wendy secretly investigated this man from head to toe. This guy is very handsome and seems like someone dominant and possessive of what he has. Everything was clearly visible from the man''s hand that was almost waiting at nothing wrapped around Kaylee''s waist and the way he led his fianc¨¦e to enter his zone. This man also seemed to genuinely love Kaylee, considering how gentle those sharp eyes while looking at the girl. Wendy worried that Kaylee''s partner would be abusive and took advantage of Kaylee''s innocence. But it seemed this man would never take advantage of his friend''s innocence and would treasure her friend. Wendy was also aware of her friend''s shy behavior but did not reject the man''s touch. That was the rarest things she''d ever seen. Ah, Kaylee. It seems that you have found what your heart wants. Now she understands why Mrs. Zouch is very determined to marry Kaylee to Den. They are a match of heaven! Chapter 77 - Ch. 77 Fluffy Pink Cloud Kaylee didn''t know what to do when her most trustedpliance betrayed her and left her alone with this devilish cunning man. "I remember I have some unfinished business," remarked Wendy as she walked away, leaving them as if she didn''t notice Kaylee''s pleading gaze. She did notice it, but instead of helping her, Wendy gave her a yful wink making Kaylee hopeless. "You have an interesting friend." "Is that apliment, or are you teasing me?" Den smirked in amusement while circling his hand in her waist to pull her closer and reply with the most natural tone as if her question only had one answer, "Both," Kaylee scrunched her nose with pout lips and tried to struggle to break free in vain. His intoxicating masculine scent hit her nostril, and the warmth of his body spread through her petite figure, causing her heart to pound wildly. When will she get used to this man''s touch? Every time she got used to it, this guy would increase their intimacy to the next level. This man''s ''slow'' progression was as fast as a sh of lightning. Perhaps her slow definition was like a walking turtle or snail, but this man''s definition unquestionably not slower than the descending eagle. "Den, why are you here?" "I miss my fianc¨¦e. What''s wrong with visiting my most beloved one?" "You should tell me." Kaylee pouted after she decided to give up on breaking free because this man''s hand was so firm and secure around her waist. "Why? So you could doll up to impress me?" "What?" "No need to do that. You already beauty in my eyes." It sounded cheesy, making one hear it feeling a goosebump, including a certain ''traitor'' who decided to hide in the corner to observe the couple. She never thought that the man would give her dog food in the broad light. Nevertheless, Kaylee didn''t found it cheesy, but she could feel this man''s earnest words, and she couldn''t miss the adoration look from the man causing a sweet tingling sensation to explode inside her heart. Kaylee lowered her gaze realized that she could no longer face those eagle-like sharp eyes burning with passion toward her. His intense adoration and desire were too much for her pure, innocent heart. "Kaylee, go on a date with me." invited Den without letting go of his hug. Kaylee realized that she would not be able to escape today even though she was determined to reject this man. Even though they haven''t officially discussed it, the whole world already knows that Den ck and Kaylee Zouch are engaged. What''s the point in her constantly thinking of ways to reject this man? Den always made her unable to say ''no'' with his twisting words and turning her situation to his liking. "I want you to meet someone. I''m sure you''ll like it." added the man with a gentle voice. Kaylee noticed the changing vibe around the man when Den mentioned someone. Who is this someone? In the end, Kaylee nodded her head in agreement with the man''s date invitation. "Are my clothes suitable for meeting people you want me to meet? Or do I have to change clothes?" Den loosened his hug and looked at the casual clothes Kaylee was currently wearing. She wore a pink sweaterbined with white leggings. Ever since Den met her, he only saw Kaylee wearing an elegant dress or gown that gave off a noble-like aura, but this time, this girl looked like a free spirit ordinary girl. "You don''t need to change. This outfit is perfect for you." "Then, let me take my jacket." Kaylee went back inside and let Den into her house. The man was standing by the door, ncing at the room he could see. This ce indeed showed Kaylee''s character, who loves perfection and simplicity. As they were about to enter winter soon, it was so cold outside that Kaylee needed a thick jacket, a scarf, and a woolen hat. After putting on her jacket and grabbing a wool hat and scarf, Kaylee walked out to Den before closing the door to her apartment. Den took Kaylee''s scarf to put it around the girl''s neck, making Kaylee couldn''t help but blush at his sweet gesture. "The weather today is unbearably cold. I don''t want you to get sick." "Thank you." A certain peepers gape at the sweet interaction of the lovebirds. Why did it feel like she could see the fluffy pink cloud around those two? Wendy immediately hid her head as the lovers walked toward her to the elevator, which was next to the corridor where she was hiding. As soon as the two of them entered the elevator and disappeared, Wendy came out of her hiding ce. She smiled broadly when she remembered how suitable the couple was, and she was very sure Kaylee would be able to live happily together with that man. Even a fool could see the adoration look from the man when Den stared at Kaylee, so she was very sure that man was the perfect man for the innocent girl. But when she remembered her meeting with a particr ''girl''st night, it made her smile disappear. What if the girles back? Would that girl ept that Kaylee was engaged to Den? Can that girl take Den''s presence in Kaylee''s life? ''Kaylee, I hope you get your memories back. At the same time, I wish they would never return. I''d rather see you living freely like this than remembering what could kill you.'' Wendy looked down where she saw Kaylee and Den walking toward the man''s luxury car, hand in hand. Now she understands why Mrs. Zouch wants to marry Kaylee to Den. The man had absolutely no idea of ??Kaylee''s past and had no rtionship with Kaylee. In contrast to Mr. Zouch, who wants to make his daughter remember again, Britney Zouch wants her daughter to live her life like any other normal girl without knowing what her past was like. Little did she know, the person who most desired to make Kaylee regained her memories was Britney Zouch. Chapter 78 - Ch. 78 He Fell Deeper Kaylee was stunned when they arrived where the writing ''Grace Orphanage'' was engraved on one of therge stones in front of the building. Why did Den bring her here? "Look! It''s uncle Den!" Kaylee''s eyes widened when she heard the loud voice of a cute little girl followed by other little heads who came out to see Den. In an instant, everyone ran out towards Den and what happened next literally left Kaylee voiceless. Den picked up one of the children and let the child kiss him on the cheek, while the other kids hugged Den''s leg, and some bounced around with shrieking joy. "Did you do your homework?" "Of course! Madame Esther praises us for being smart." eximed one of the kids, draws a gentle smile from Den. Kaylee looked at Den and the kids in turn. She knew Den could act gentle with her and teased her. But when that man interacted with other people, Kaylee could feel this man''s aura turning cold and seemed to be keeping a distance. She was somewhat surprised by the change in his attitude when she apanied him to interact with guests at Mister Old ck''s birthday. However, Kaylee did notment because she understood why the man changed his attitude when speaking to his father''s business associates. She had witnessed firsthand how her father gave a domineering aura to one of his men when one made a mistake. Kaylee also remembered¡­ Suddenly an image where a scene of a man kneeling with a frightened expression appeared in her head. It was the first time this unusual terror expression emerged inside her head. The person begged and pleaded for his life to be spared, making Kaylee broke out in cold sweat. The moment she turned behind her and saw her father holding a firearm and pointing it at this poor guy, Kaylee felt her heart stop at that instant. "Pa... pa?" "Kaylee," the soothing voice that calling her brought her back to reality. "What''s wrong? You look pale." Kaylee blinked several times to remember what kind of image shed in her mind, but nothing. She couldn''t recollect what she saw. Despite forgetting what she saw, Kaylee knew one thing for sure. She saw something that caused her to break out in a cold sweat. "Are you okay?" "En. I just didn''t expect you to be very good with children." somehow, Kaylee managed to calm down as if she saw nothing. Den didn''t believe her words for a moment. He had seen an immense fear dancing in her gxy-like eyes when the girl lost in a daze. What did the girl think to make her pale as white as snow? Could it be because many eyes looked at her? But they were only kids. On the other hand, Kaylee decided to focus on Den and these adorable kids without knowing that the man investigated her facial expression, which gradually returned to normal. Usually, people who like to give unapproachable vibes weren''t fond of children. Even if this man brought her here to impress her, the kids couldn''t lie. Kaylee could see that they all looked genuinely delighted to wee this man. Furthermore, she noticed this man''s unapproachable vibe vanished as if there weren''t any obstacles around him. "Do youe here often?" Kaylee couldn''t help but curious about this man''s true nature. How is it possible that one could have so many characters, and Kaylee felt she needed a long time to understand this man? A voice called out to Den when the man was about to answer her question. "Den, you''re here." Reflexively, Den and Kaylee turned towards the source of the voice that sounded much more mature and saw a middle-aged woman walking towards them. "Madame Esther. How are you?" "I always feel better every time youe here. And who is this lovelydy standing next to you?" Kaylee felt her face heating up when she heard thepliment from the woman who seemed to be the owner and the person in charge of this ce. "She is my wife." was the obvious answer, making Kaylee almost choke on her breath. Whaaaat!! Kaylee red at Den in disbelief while the man acted oblivious to her protested gaze. "Ah, so that''s mean you''re his future wife." Kaylee shifted her gaze to the nice woman wondering how this woman knew about it. As if the older woman could hear her question silently, madame Esther answered, "Den always likes to announce one step ahead than he should." Kaylee nced at Den, who was now giving her his trademark sly smirk, making her hopeless. Of course, this man likes doing it. When they weren''t officially dating, this man already thought of her as his lover. By the time Kaylee epted this fact, this man had already imed her to be his fianc¨¦e. Now that their engagement has been announced, that man introduced her to a stranger as his wife! Really. Doesn''t this person understand the meaning of the word ''take it slow?'' It''s already not considered as ''take it slow,'' regarding they were engaged after having a date three times. "Uncle Den. If she is your future wife, does that mean she will be our aunt?" "She already is." Kaylee frowned and wanted to protest. Even though they are engaged, that doesn''t mean they will get married. Nobody knows what will happen in the future, and maybe Den lost his interest in her, and¡­ Somehow her heart throbbed in pain, thinking this possibility. "Good morning, fairy," Kaylee jumped out backward when she heard one of the kids call her with a particr nickname. Fairy? Who? Why did this kid look at her when she mentioned the fairy name. "You''re so pretty. Can I be like you when I grow up?" Haa? So when this kid calls fairy, this girl calls her? Kaylee nced at Den, hoping the man helped her, but this shameless cunning man only showed his amused smile at her without giving her a hand. Kaylee squatted down to level their eye level, so this little girl wouldn''t feel sick seeing her. "You don''t have to be like me. You are already beautiful as you are, and you will grow to be the most beautiful girl." "I will?" The girl''s pair of pale green eyes sparkled, and her voice sounded enthusiastic. "Keep your good heart and be kind to everyone around you. You will be the most beautiful this world could ever have." The little girl was satisfied by Kaylee''s answer and offered the fairy-lookingdy her cutest smile she could ever give. The little girl surprised Kaylee by resting her tiny hands on her shoulder, only to give Kaylee a peck on her cheek. Kaylee blinked her eyes several times while the little girl smiled sweetly at her. "Aunt fairy, I like you. Please don''t leave uncle Den for another guy." What?? Why does Kaylee feel that everyone around Den was equally shameless with this cunning man? She couldn''t help but flush over the little girl''s request. "It just so happens that today''s agenda to y music. Would you like to join us?" Hearing the word ''y music'' enlivened Kaylee''s mood and nced at Den as if asking for his opinion. The man chuckled and epted Madame Esther''s offer, then took Kaylee''s hand without dropping the four-year-old girl in his arms. "Oh, my. You look like a married couple with a cute daughter." Madame Esther''s words made Kaylee want to dig a hole to hide her burning face. On the other side, Den grinned from ear to ear at the spontaneousment from the older woman and had the urge to tease his little bunny further. But he decided to let it go as he wanted to enjoy this heartwarming atmosphere with his beloved. "Uncle, please y the piano for us today." one of the kids asks Den to y the piano as usual. "You know what, my wife is better at ying the piano than me." Kaylee gasped in disbelief at Den''s words while the children turned to her with a look of hope made her unable to crush their hopes. "What are you talking about? You''re more expert than me." Kaylee whispered while on tiptoe due to the difference in their height. Plus, today, she was wearing winter boots instead of her usual heels. "I preferred watching you y the piano." was the straightforward answer from the man making Kaylee felt hopeless for... who knows for how many times. In the end, Kaylee agreed to y the piano for the kids. There was an old upright piano as well as a guitarlele and a few other small instruments. Kaylee sat on the piano chair, asking the children patiently. "What song do you want me to y?" "Twinkle Little Star!" "No! Happy day!" "Or Baby shark!" "I know! I know!" eximed one of the boys. "Please y the mouse eat my soap!" "Ew!!!" Kayleeughed at the many song requests from these energetic kids. "I know what to do. I will y all of them." her announcement made the kids excited and surrounded her like ants swarming the sugar. Den, who has not taken his eyes off his ''wife,'' feels that he was falling in love even more when he sees the little interaction between the girl and the children. He wondered, when would that girl feel satisfied making him fall deeper with her? Chapter 79 - Ch. 79 Her Idol Is... As she promised, Kaylee yed all the songs ording to the children''s demands so expertly without stopping. The way she yed every children''s song that supposedly sounded in, she made it sound like fireworks that enliven the mood. Den could see the kids seemed too fond of Kaylee and enjoyed the girl''s performance. Some even climbed up to sit next to Kaylee and asked her to teach him. The girl patiently taught the kid and was friendly to all the children while answering all their unreasonable questions with great patience. Ah, my little bunny is ready to be the mother of my kids. Thought Den to himself. Luckily, Kaylee couldn''t hear his inner mind. Otherwise, she would have shrieked in panic, or worse; she would faint at that moment. That man''s slow definition certainly was something that one could neverprehend. "Aunty fairy..." "Uhm... my name is Kaylee." "Okay. Aunty fairy Kaylee¡­." "¡­" Kaylee sighed resignedly made Den couldn''t help but chuckled at her adorable expression of resignation. "Yes, dear?" "What''s your favorite song?" "My favorite song?" without realizing it, Kaylee nced at Den to make the man wondered. Why is the girl looking his way when she thought of her favorite song? "How about I show it to you? Would you like that?" The children nodded enthusiastically and waited quietly for Kaylee''s next performance. Kaylee put her hands on the piano keys and then closed her eyes to concentrate. Den rested his chin on his knuckle to adore her every expression. So this is the girl''s expression when she is about to y a role ording to her recital pieces. The girl is a soul yer, so it''s no wonder that she needs time to execute her ying to represent the music story to listeners. His eagle-like eyes were gawking her every facial expression without leaving a spot. Her curvy eyebrows, small nose, and slightly opened lips that looked tempting to be savored, and her delicate shoulders that move up and down following her breathing¡­ every part of hers were exquisite in his eyes. Just like the children couldn''t wait to hear what Kaylee''s favorite song was like, Den was also curious. He still couldn''t grasp why the girl nced at him when she received the children''s questions about her favorite song. After all, Den doesn''t know which song is the girl''s favorite or whether Kaylee has an idol or not. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to ask, but he didn''t want to hear the answer. What if it turns out that the girl''s idol is a man, and he can''t help but feel jealous? That''s why Den never really asked about the girl''s favorite song nor her idol. All he wanted to know were trivial things, like what activities the girl would enjoy or her favorite foods and other minor stuff. However, Den''s favorite thing when he was with the girl was seeing the thousands of expressions on Kaylee''s face. Or when the girl scrunched her nose when feeling irritated or in a bad mood. When that girl was in a bad mood, her seductive lips pushed forward, forming a duck face. It made him tempted to kiss her and devoured those unearthly sweet, full lips. As the girl flustered, the blush on her face made her look so adorable that he never got bored seeing her. And while Kaylee was feeling happy, the girl''s beaming face seemed so radiant that he could see the sunlight around the girl. Den doesn''t want to get rid of that blinding bright glowing, and he promises to make Kaylee smile happily more often. Den smiled a little when he saw Kaylee open her eyes and entered into her role to y the song. Both of her hands yed chords that were so perfect that the children gawked with amazement. On the other hand, Den¡­ his smile vanished when he recognized the song Kaylee was ying. Require to live. That is his song! No. It was the ck Moon''s song, and he was sure that Kaylee didn''t know ck Moon''s identity. So¡­ the girl''s favorite song is¡­ his song?? Does that mean¡­ that girl''s idol is¡­ ck Moon?? His gaze softened, and his eyes filled with immeasurable love that even he didn''t know how much greater his affection will grow. But¡­ he remembered that Kaylee had briefly nced at him before answering the kid''s question. Why did he feel that the girl knew that he was ck Moon? The only people who know him is ck Moon is Cassidy, his assistant, and also¡­ Nick. Did Nick tell Kaylee that he was ck Moon? Ah, it''s unlikely like that. The young man wasn''t the bber type, so it was highly improbable for the girl to know. However¡­ the longer he heard Kaylee ying the song, the more his forehead frowned. He felt sure that the entire song was not published anywhere. But why is Kaylee able to y the song from beginning to end? The girl yed it as if she had his music sheet. Did Nick give his music sheet to Kaylee? Well, he didn''t mind if Kaylee had the music sheet, but he felt restless with the feeling as if he had missed something. Unfortunately, Den has no idea that Kaylee and ''Nick'' are the same person. This probability never urred to his mind as it doesn''t make sense for one to disguise as a teenage boy on the campus. Why would Kaylee do that? As soon as Kaylee yed the final note perfectly, the children pped their hands and urged Kaylee to be their music teacher. Their enthusiastic requests overwhelmed the girl that she didn''t know what to answer. "Fairy Kaylee, how can you y such a difficult song? How did you do it?" "Right. Teach me too. I want to y like you." "Uh¡­ Uhm¡­ that¡­" Kaylee couldn''t continue her words when she felt her hand being drawn by another child. "Fairy Kaylee, can youe every day to be our music teacher?" "I agree. Our music teacher is not as pretty as fairy Kaylee. And her lesson is very boring. Be our teacher, okay?" "Puweleeeessss¡­" Kaylee lost her words and nced at Den for help. There was no way she could be a music teacher at this ce, considering her ss schedule and her job meeting several music clients at night. Fortunately, Den rose to his feet and approached them to help her. "Kids, your fairy will nevere here if you made some noises." Kaylee became speechless toward the shameless man. Nevertheless, the kids miraculously became quiet, and looking at her with a look full of hope made it difficult for her to refuse their request. But, she knew¡­ Kaylee could not possibly teach here on weekdays as long as she was still doing her role as Nick. "I''m sorry, kids. I can''te every day, but I can make it every second Saturday. What do you think?" "Yey!!!" Kaylee was relieved to hear the enthusiastic voices of the children who agreed to her suggestion. "Boys, what do you say when you get what you want?" "Thank you, fairy." came the grateful expression from the kids in unison. Kaylee realized the kids seemed more obedient to Den and would do whatever he said. Perhaps this man could help her to stop the ''fairy'' thing. "Den. Can you make them stop calling me fairy?" "Why? It suits you very well. " Kaylee was hopeless hearing his response and pouted her lips adorably, earning a slight pinch on her cheek from the man. Not long after, Madame Esther came into the room and announced that it was lunchtime. The kind woman also invited Den and Kaylee to a joint meal which they weed with open hearts. While Den was surrounded by children and chatting, Madame Esther sat next to Kaylee. "He''s lucky to have you." Kaylee couldn''t help but blush to hear the kind-hearted woman. "No. I think I''m the lucky one. I''ve never met anyone so patient with children, and they adore him as well." "I''m sure he would also say that about you." "Me?" "Before he brought you here, his mother was very excited to set him up with some girls. Den had deliberately brought the girls here, but none of them could stand the children. The kids didn''t like thedy either, and the youngest kids cried all day because they were afraid of the girl." Kaylee nced at Den frowning forehead. "So he brought me here to test me?" Madame Estherughed at the jealous tone in her voice. "Do you know what he answered when I asked who the girl he brought?" Kaylee shook her head and waited patiently for the continuation of the woman''s talks. "He said, ''she''s my mother''s choice.'' He always said that as if he didn''t want to spend a second with his blind date. He could not endure lingering with the girl chosen by his mother, so he was forced to bring her here. And ording to his sneaky intention, the girl could not stand and walk away from him." "¡­" Kaylee nced at Den with an indescribable gaze. ''She''s my wife.'' That was the man''s answer when madame Esther asked about her identity. For the first time, Kaylee felt as if her heart was overgrown with beautiful flowers that invited butterflies and bees. Chapter 80 - Ch. 80 Will You Marry Me? Kaylee had just realized that she had never seen Den''s gentle and caring side like this before. The man looked like he was free without any burden when he was with these children. Even when dating her, Kaylee felt that Den was still holding back as if he was hiding something. But the moment she saw the children swarming around the man and how Den interacted with them, Kaylee understood one thing. Den found his home. It seemed this ce was his oasis where he didn''t have to think about problems nor worry about anything. The man looked veryfortable and couldugh out loud when he was in this ce. It was as if the man could be himself ever since they arrived at this ce. It made her wonder what caused the man to be himself in the orphanage instead of his parent''s house. Kaylee couldn''t help but curious about this. "Madame, does Dene here often? It seems the kids know him very well." moreover, this woman called Den with his name instead of Mr. ck, and Den didn''t mind it. Kaylee also realized how Den looked at this woman with respect as if this woman were his ''mother.'' "You could say that. He is also our benefactor who helps us to meet all the needs of the children here. He was the one who prepared the Christmas event by giving them presents, or a field trip in the garden, or set up a pic. He was like a father figure for the kids." "Oh." that was new for her. Kaylee never thought that Den would care so much for the orphaned children. It was surprising yet a pleasant truth. When the man conversed with an adult or his family''s business partner, Den gave off such an overbearing vibe that it almost gives the impression of preventing other people from approaching him. When the aloof man was with her, Den dropped the bossy aura, yet she could feel the man was holding something back. But as soon as they arrived here and the children appeared to greet them, Kaylee could feel Den destroying all the cold and intimidating aura as if he weed every kid who approached him. Kaylee helped to spoon-feed a two-year-old baby boy while making a silly expression to persuade the child to open his mouth so she could feed him. Little did she know, Denughed at her adorable silly expression, and when the girl turned to the man because she felt herself being watched, the man looked away and chatted with the other kids. When Kaylee returned to focus on making sure the baby boy finished his food, Den nced back at her to enjoy her otherworldly expression that Kaylee had never shown him. After finishing their lunch, Den took Kaylee for a walk to the backyard. They could find a mini-maze park there. The maze was as high as Den''s chest so that one could see Kaylee''s head if the girl entered the maze. "We''re going inside?" Kaylee asked curiously because their footsteps led to the entrance of the maze. "Why not?" "I can still see the shape of the maze." Den chuckled as he enfolded the girl''s waist to pull her closer to him. Now Kaylee didn''t feel nervous or frozen as her body sticks to the man''s body. It seemed she had already get used to their closeness. Moreover, that man had kissed her passionately, making her feel less nervous even though he hugged her tightly. "This maze is for kids. Of course, we adults will be able to find a way out easily." "Then, why do we go inside?" "You''ll see." Den led her walking and twisting along the maze path until they arrived at the center, where there was a stone in the shape of a round table along with two smaller rocks that resembled chairs. The man led her to sit in one of the chairs by pushing her shoulder gently. "Wait here and watch." Kaylee wondered what this man was up to, but sheplied and waited. Out of curiosity, she turned her body to see where Den was going. Den was so tall that she wouldn''t miss the guy, but the truth is she did! She didn''t find the man. She couldn''t even see the man''s head. Where is he? "Den?" Kaylee got up from her chair to look for the man when she heard the sound of footsteps and chuckles from a group of children. Hm? What happened? When the kids entered this maze? Suddenly, many flowers appeared from all directions and flew upwards before finally descending towards Kaylee, making the girl dumbfounded. She felt like she was under a rain of flowers as various kinds of flower petals appeared and rained down on her. Kaylee turned her body while tilting her head up to see the flower petals. Most of them were pink and red, and the fragrant aroma began to attack her nostrils. It felt so magical, making her lips widened to a sweet smile and herughter escaped from her throats. The moment she stopped turning her body, the corner of her eye caught the figure of a man standing not far from her with one arm hidden behind his back. The man showed the most charming smile that made Kaylee''s heart entangled, and she craved to sink into it. Her heart was pounding, but she didn''t feel nervous as the man walked step by step to narrow the distance between them. For the first time, Kaylee didn''t feel like she wanted to run away when the man walked over to her and made her heart pound. Instead, she eagerly awaited the man and weed their closeness. When they were only a few paces away, Den took out his hand and showed a burgundy rose before giving it to Kaylee. "I know you think our rtionship is too fast, and maybe I can''t grant your request to take it slow. But I want you to know, I''ve never loved someone as much as I love you. When I stargaze, all I think about is your face. When I''m working, what I yearn for is your voice, and when I spend time without you, I want to hear yourugh." Kaylee''s lips parted slightly, and her breathing was getting faster along with the beat of her heart which she couldn''t control. She gasped in surprise when she saw Den reach into a tiffany box and kneel on one knee without shifting his gaze on her. "Will you marry me?" the man opened the tiffany box showing a beautiful diamond ring made Kaylee amazed. Kaylee moistened her dry lips with her tongue while trying to control her wildly beating heart. Wasn''t their engagement announced, and Kaylee not voiced her protest? Why did this man propose to her? "But¡­ we''re already engaged." "I want to do it officially, and I haven''t heard your answer in person." This man is really cunning. Kaylee still hasn''t confirmed his love confession and was still finding out what her heart wants. The moment their engagement was announced, Kaylee felt shocked and panicked, but she thought she would slowly ept this new reality. After all, Kaylee knew she felt happy and feltplete when she was with this man. She felt like her heart had reached out to that man, or maybe even that man already had her heart¡­ Kaylee didn''t know either. At least, Kaylee still had time to investigate what her heart wanted. If this man directly proposed to her and made her heart filled with heart-warming like this, how could she answer no? If she answered yes, that would mean¡­ Kaylee would be that guy''s lover. But if she answered no... she surely would regret it for life. For some reason, she wasn''t as much against this man''s advances as before. Kaylee stretched out her left hand towards Den and said, "I will marry you." "YEY!!!" Kaylee jumped in surprise when she heard the simultaneous screams of the children who had been hiding behind the maze wall all this time. Her cheeks reddened because she had forgotten about the kids. Den beamed in immeasurable joy while pinning his ring to her ring finger before giving a sweet kiss on the girl''s hand made Kaylee feel her body temperature hot. "The fairy will be our aunt!" cheered the kids while jumping evocativeughter from Den and Kaylee. For a few minutes, the children yed hide and seek in the maze while Den and Kaylee apanied them while sitting rxed hand in hand. "I never knew you liked little kids. Do youe here often? The kids seem to feel veryfortable with you, and I can see your rtionship like a family." "I grow up here before the ck took me in." Den dropped a bomb causing the girl to open her jaw wide. "You... you are an adopted child?" Kaylee never heard about this before. Den smiled faintly. "Is it bothering you?" Kaylee shook her head quickly, thinking she had offended the man. "It doesn''t bother me, it just¡­ it''s...." Chapter 81 - Ch. 81 The Devil Caught The Angel "Is this hard to believe?" "Yeah. People could see the resemnce between you and your father, and that too¡­" both of them were shameless when trying to make her into their family. "I can see that the love your parents gave was genuine." Den offered her a smile while stroking the top of Kaylee''s head gently. "I admire him and genuinely thought of him as my father." "I bet your parents thought about you like that too." "They are. But, sometimes, there are times when I feel like I''m in a ce that isn''t mine. I wouldn''t feel like this if my father were my father." "I don''t understand." "My father owns the ck corp, and there are many who oppose my position as his sessor. Especially from my paternal''s side, they tried desperately to block me and prove that I couldn''t do what my father did." Den lowered his hand from Kaylee''s head as he looked at one of the giggling children peeking out of the maze wall. He smiled amusedly at the boy''s response, who dashed away when Den caught him. Kaylee could see how rxed the man was when he was in this ce. The man often smiled as if he had no burden on his shoulders. She remembered that Den looked firm and distant as he greeted Mister Old ck''s guests. Even though the man smiled, Den never failed to put on a great dignity and cold vibe as if telling everyone not to approach him. It seemed Den could only act freely while in this ce. She wondered why this great handsome man finds an ordinary orphanage as his ''home.'' Now she knows the answer. "I can be myself when I''m here." Kaylee could see it and felt happy for him. She doesn''t know why the man loved this ce, but she could feel the peacefulness and heart-warming bond between Den and the kids. She knew that Den had stressed a lot with his profession as the founder of hispany and Mister Old ck''s sessor. Not to mention, his father''s family opposed him and disliked him only because he was an adoptive child. No wonder Den could be himself in this ce where no one would criticize him nor tried to get rid of him. "I love this ce. Would you bring me again?" "That I would do." was his response with a big grin. "So, is this why you started your ownpany?" Kaylee felt she was starting to understand him more and more, and without realizing it, she wanted to get to know him better. Den nodded his head while circling his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her closer and led her head against his. That man obviously could no longer keep his hand to himself and unconsciously always seeking the skinship. Miraculously Kaylee did not find anything strange with the man''s gesture as if his embracing her was their everyday activity. "One of my reasons. I want to have something that I can truly call mine. They will have no right to protest, and if they want to take what I have, I will fight them and keep mine." moreover, he had someone to protect... and now two. Den tilted his head until his eyes locked with hers with mischief glint. "That includes you." "Me?" "I will fight anyone who tries to snatch you from me." "Wh¡­ I''m not yours," Kaylee protested while trying to break free, but the man would have none of it. The grip on her shoulders was firm yet gentle, made her unable to break free. "Sweetheart, whether you ept it or not, the moment you said yes to my proposal, you already belong to me and mine alone." The girl''s face turned crimson while her heart hammered like the disco-style music. This man always had a way of making her want to bury her face in a hole. When she let her guard down and feltfortable with this man, Den changed the situation to corner her like a bunny in the trap with no escape. After that, this man would calm her down, and she foundfort in his arms the next second. Really¡­ this man''s approach and actions towards her were like an unpredictable roller coaster. "Has anyone ever said that you are a devil?" "Why?" Den chuckled to hear her question. "You''re the devil in my eyes." "Then you''re the angel that had been caught by the devil''s arm." Kaylee was speechless and didn''t know what else she could do to get back at him. The only thing she could do just let the man embrace her and kissed her crown. After being satisfied with apanying the children to y hide and seek in the maze, they went back into the house. Den and Kaylee said goodbye to Madame Esther. The kidsined but reluctantly let them go after Kaylee promised toe next week. "It seems the kids like you more than me now. Sweetheart, you stole my spotlight in their eyes." came the teasing protest from the man. "You should behave if you want to get your spotlight back." Kaylee won''t let this guy always win over her. "What reward would I get if I behave?" "Your spotlight." "What mine is yours, so my spotlight is yours." "¡­" what a sly man! "So¡­ what is the reward?" Den lowered his face dangerously close to the poor girl as she tried to find a way out of this shameless cunning man. They are in a public ce, for god''s sake, and this man acted as a passionate lover in front of people. Well, it was not umon to see lovers making out on the side of the road or in a restaurant, but still¡­ she wasn''t an attention seeker. Even though it was daily sights in this city, Kaylee was sure that at least one or two people would stop to see them. Plus, Den isn''t just anyone. He is a handsome man, and his well-built is incredibly appealing to all women. Kaylee remembered that the young girls kept stealing ncesst night when they were at Mister Old ck''s house to celebrate the older man''s birthday. Once someone noticed their intimacy, she was sure that the girls around them would inevitably worship her fianc¨¦. Kaylee felt herself experiencing a struggle between two conflicting desires. One desired to make all the girls felt jealous of her and imed this man as hers. While thetter wished to get away and not get into the invisible trap from this cunning man. Without her realizing it, Den''s face had be so close to her that the two of them could feel their partner''s breath. "Can I kiss you?" Like a ma that attracts her, her pearl-like ck eyes merge with his eagle-like eyes. For a moment, no one made a sound as if the time around them had stopped. Both of them felt drowned with their partner''s eyes to the point that the world belonged to them both. How strange. Why did that man ask permission to kiss her? As far as she remembered, the man had never asked permission and stole kisses from her several times. But this time¡­ why did the man remain motionless as if waiting for her approval? ''Just kiss him already.'' a voice in her heart urged her to im those alluring lips. But she still felt doubtful as she swallowed hard. It took all her strength to turn her gaze, and she nced away only to see that someone was staring at them with great interest. Kaylee lowered her head sheepishly and blurted out, "If you let me go, I''ll let you kiss meter." There was a dangerous glint in his eyes once he heard her words, but Kaylee didn''t notice it because her head was down. "Alright." Kaylee let out a relieved sigh when she felt the man''s hand no longer wrapped around her waist without knowing that she was already on the eagle''s nest. Den took her hand, and they strolled while enjoying the atmosphere of the evening air where the sun was starting to set. "Where do you want to go?" inquired Den after waiting for a few minutes to let his fianc¨¦ cool off. "Hm¡­ How about we go to the town square? I heard there would be a street performance to greet Christmas." "Are you sure? I''m sure it will be pretty much crowded." Den thought Kaylee didn''t like crowds, so he didn''t expect the girl to even take him to a ce that would be filled with a sea of ??people. "Come on. It will be fun." Kaylee eximed with enthusiasm like a child who couldn''t wait to go to Disnend. Well, how could he decline her request? He would do anything to make her happy. "Alright. Let''s go." Den took Kaylee''s hand gently, and they walked towards the parking lot where Den''s car was. They talked about a lot of things until they finally arrived at their destination. However¡­ Den steered his car toward a luxurious hotel?? Why did they even go into the hotel to park the car?? Chapter 82 - Ch. 82 Im Kissing You "Why are we here?" Kaylee panicked as soon as Den parked the car into the basement of the hotel parking lot. Den turned to her, and somehow, the man''s eyes were not as usual. The man''s gaze emitted a dangerous glint that made the hairs of her neck stand on end. "Den?" Kaylee was even more wordless and panicked as the man''s hand removed the scarf from her neck. What does this man want to do? Why does he loosening my scarf? Kaylee was confused and baffled at his sudden action. His face was dangerously getting closer to her, making her heart pounding hard like a drummer hit his drum. She''s worried that Den might hear the sound of her heart pounding, or maybe that man has heard it? "Can I kiss you now?" What!? So this guy stopped here and took off her scarf just to kiss her? Right now, only the two of them were in the car, and there seemed to be no one in this basement parking lot. Using the excuse that she was thirsty or hungry would also be useless. It looks like she''s running out of ideas to avoid this man''s blunt advances. And again, why did this man ask her permission now? Her instinct told her Den had something in his sleeves, but she believed this man would never do something she disliked. "O... okay." Kaylee could not stand the face of this devilishly handsome man who was increasingly filling her eyes so that she closed her eyes. She could feel the scent of the man''s breath against the skin of her face making her fidgeting her fingers in her seat. The gentle touch on her shoulders did not rx her, and when the man brushed her hair behind her neck, Kaylee stiffened. "Rx, my love. You look like prey in the hands of a predator." "Aren''t I?" Kaylee does feel like a little bunny that has been caught by an eagle''s w. "Yes, you are." Every reaction and desire to retort the man disappeared at once as he devoured her lips with great passion. For a moment, Kaylee felt like she was jelly by this man''s passionate kiss. When she felt that she was used to it and began to enjoy their making-out session, Den shifted his lips lower to the side of her jaw. This is new to Kaylee and too much for her pure, innocent mind. "Den... what... are you doing?" "I''m kissing you." was the straightforward answer making Kaylee wanted to cry. ''I knew it! He had a hidden motive when asking my permission.'' She tried to move backward until her back hit the car door with no room to escape. She felt helpless to the man''s assault and only could receive his overwhelming passion. The hot shiver ran down her spine when she felt Den''s lips arrive on her nape and gave her a light suck and nip, causing her sense to leave her mind. A sweet moan escaped her lips without being able to control it, and it seemed to encourage the hunger predator to continue his sensual movement. Her hands raised to touch the man''s chest, and no one knows whether these smaller hands would push Den or to feel the muscles behind his shirt. It seemed that her hands had a mind of their own for not doing either. Her hands rose to feel the hard shoulder of the man in front of her until they could feel the softness of the man''s brown hair. Her hand squeezed his hair while pressing the man''s head as if to bring the man''s lips to put more pressure on her sensitive, delicate skin. "Ahh..." was the pleasure sigh from the arousal girl. For a few seconds, Den fell silent and stopped his movements. There''s something strange. Thought Den. Somehow he felt dejavu and recalled the moment when he kissed this girl in his house. Den remembered how this girl suddenly changed and¡­ Den felt the girl''s hands fall limply while the girl''s head slumped to the side, making him swiftly catch the girl''s head. "Kaylee?" Den cupped the girl''s face with his two hands gently as he investigated her expression. The man breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the girl was just asleep. Den adjusted the girl''s position so Kaylee could lie downfortably. After that, he looked at the girl with a thousand questions in his head. This was not the first time he had felt the change in the girl''s vibe. He also remembered the gleam in the girl''s fearful eyes when they arrived at the Grace Orphanage. It was not the first time either because he had seen her when the girl woke up after kissing him. Honestly... who is Kaylee Roesalie Zouch? He certainly doesn''t care about the girl''s past because he loves Kaylee the way she is. Neither does he mind facing Kaylee''s change of character, who suddenly goes wild and seduces him with her sensual lips and mischief looks. It made him challenged to want to conquer this woman. But¡­ those eyes filled with fear were what made him unhappy. What made this girl so terrified that her whole body trembled? Considering that Kaylee was very much protected by Mister Zouch, of course¡­ this girl won''t feel scared without reason. He recalled the announcement of his engagement to the only daughter Mister Zouch spread immediately a few minutes after his father announced it. Even if his father doesn''t let journalists in, they won''t be able to stop their guests from spreading this announcement through their social media ounts. Den was even sure that one or two of them secretly took their photos, but not a single image of them appeared. He''s pretty sure Mister ck doesn''t mind his photo showing up that it is impossible for his father to erase some of the guests secretly taking pictures. And of course, it wasn''t Den who prevented the photo from spreading widely, which means¡­ thest suspect was Mister Zouch. The confused man picked up a lock of Kaylee''s hair before tilting it behind her ear. The girl''s face looked innocent, as if she knew no fear of anything. That girl looks defenseless when sleeping carefree like this. His gentle rub on her crown stirred the sleeping beauty up. "Kaylee," Kaylee blinked a few times and saw Den, who seemed to be looking at her anxiously. The man was worried that the girl would wake up and once again looked at him like an enemy, so he instantly withdrew his hand as soon as he realized that the girl had regained consciousness. "Den? Did I fall asleep?" The clueless girl didn''t notice a sigh of relief from the man when Den answered her question, "Yeah. Do you often fall asleep without you knowing it?" "No. This is the first. " "The second. You fell asleep in my parent''s house when I kissed you." Kaylee felt her head burning, remembering her first kiss with that man. "I¡­ I don''t know. Then¡­ I think¡­ you should stop kissing me." was the smart answer from the poor ''prey.'' The predator didn''t know whether tough or cry hearing her respond. He knew better than anyone, he couldn''t stop himself from kissing the girl, but he didn''t want to see the girl fell asleep in the middle of their making out either. Really, this girl is getting better at avoiding his ''slow'' advances. "Kaylee, has this happened before? Fall asleep after kissing?" without agreeing to her hidden request, Den inquired her while stroking the girl''s soft cheek. "No. You''re the first man I kiss." was the honest answer. "And thest. I don''t want you to kiss another man." Kaylee was speechless for the nth time hearing the order tone from the man. Both of them knew that Kaylee was introverted and liked standing in the corner without making a fuzz. She was not an attention-seeking person and always stays low wherever she is. Kaylee had always avoided every guy''s advance and refused all forms of their touch except for shaking hands. Den was the first to force his way into herfort zone, took her hand, hugged her, and kissed her. The man even brought her out and entered his zone, which made her helpless. She didn''t even know that the kiss could create such intoxicating euphoria. This man was the first to introduce her to a sensual taste that she had never felt before. Kaylee didn''t know if she could get the same feeling if she kissed another man who wasn''t Den. But she felt sure she would not be willing to touch other men, let alone kiss some random guy. "You''re the only man that I kissed." blurted Kaylee without knowing her deration make a certain predator almost lose control. "Are you ha¡­" she couldn''t finish her words as the man imed her full lips once again. "Let''s see if you fall asleep this time, shall we?" whispered the cunning man above her lips. Whaaat?? Chapter 83 - Ch. 83 Forgive Me, Please! Den had been wondering about the mysterious sudden change in his fianc¨¨e''s nature. After that girl was doing strange things that she never did, Kaylee suddenly fell asleep for no reason. And that too... in the middle their making-out time. The girl also had a fear that filled her eyes that Den had never seen before. As expected. Kaylee Roesalie Zouch is a mysterious girl and yet charming in her own way. That was the first impression of her when he fell in love with the girl. Nevertheless, he hoped that he would never see the rays of fear dance on those ck diamond eyes. That''s why he decided to find out what Kaylee''s past was like. He genuinely didn''t care what the girl''s past was like or the hidden background Mr. Zouch had so neatly covered up. However, if he wanted to get rid of those frightened eyes from Kaylee, then he had to find out the cause first. Despite his determination to seek an answer, he would save it forter. For now, the most pressing issue was getting the girl to talk to him. Den nned to find out if the girl would fell asleep again when he kissed her with great passion. But after making it hard for the girl to breathe, Kaylee did not fall asleep, and he only found the irresistible dted eyes and crimson cheeks that made him want to eat her alive. It was so irresistable and... Ehem... Let''s back to the main topic. Den suspected the change in the girl''s nature might be just a one-time thing. But again, he would save it forter and seriously thinking a way to make the girl forgive him. As soon as they got out of the car, Kaylee gave him a torturous silent treatment. She walked as fast as possible as if to avoid him and didn''t respond even though he had already offered to buy her favorite ice cream. This time, the girl was especially mad at him and refused to walk side by side with him. "Kaylee, would you forgive me, please?" "¡­" The sulking little bunny still refused to see him and walked until they met the crowd. Kaylee''s steps promptly stopped when she realized she couldn''t break through the crowd without getting bumped here and there. She decided to go back and chose to go home when she heard the sound of jazz music from the corner of the crowd. As a music lover, of course, Kaylee was eager to find out the source of this crowd. Moreover, these street musicians y Christmas songs with nuances of jazz and blues. Unfortunately¡­ she didn''t know how to break through this sea of ??people for a closer look. The only way is¡­ Kaylee nced back at where her annoying fianc¨¦ was standing there, looking at her with a nk expression as if he didn''t know what she was thinking. Or maybe the man didn''t know, but Kaylee still didn''t want to talk to him. What should she do? Little did she know, Den knew precisely what she was thinking. Her facial expression like an open book for everyone to read. He knew Kaylee wanted to look closer at the music source, but confusion broke through the crowd of people made her stop to advance. Needless to say, Den knew right away Kaylee wasn''t used to being in the middle of hive activity. Maybe that girl had walked around a busy shopping center, but at least the number of people in an elite shopping area was not as hectic as this ce. Not everyone could afford branded goods that cost their fortune, while this ce was a public ce where everyone coulde and walk. And don''t forget they will celebrate Christmas day so that they could hear Christmas songs and street performances on almost the corner of the street. "You still don''t want to talk to me?" Kaylee''s body froze when she heard the baritone sound next to her right ear, indicating that Den was standing right behind her. She also realized that Den was deliberately standing behind her to keep her protected from the haste pedestrian who identally bumped her slim figure. Kaylee was not short, but she feels she is the shortest girl in the world to face people like Den, who have monstrous towering built. "Sweetheart, forgive me, okay?" coaxed Den so gently in her ears while holding her right hand slowly. The man dared to put his other hand around the girl''s waist even more when Kaylee didn''t resist him. "Did you forgive me?" The sulky girl clenched her jaw and twisted her body to face her fianc¨¦. "You already promised me. You said you wouldn''t do something I don''t like." "What don''t you like?" "You kissed me!" groaned Kaylee as if she had reached her limit line. "You like it, though," "I¡­" she was too speechless and couldn''t deny it. She did like it but... "You don''t like it?" came the shameless inquire to the poor voiceless bunny. "Not too often." Kaylee lowered her head in ashamed and wished she could revert the time. Why did she even respond like that, as if she was admitting she liked the kiss? Well, she did, but this man''s mouth was too dangerous for her innocent mind... especially for her soul. She didn''t know why when this man did an intimate act; it made her feel like something wasing out of her heart. Kaylee didn''t know what that ''something'' was, but she knew she would regret it if she let her guard down and ''it'' escaped. It seemed this man could trigger something that should not be touched inside her every time this man''s advances leveled up. "Okay. I''ll kiss you once a day." Den gave his innovative shameless solution. "¡­" Is there an ending to this man''s shamelessness? Kaylee felt that this man''s shamelessness increased over time to the point she couldn''t measure it with words. Kaylee nced sideways to avoid the intense gaze from her fianc¨¦. She did not expect that what greeted her was the cold, oppressive gaze from a pair of unfamiliar eyes. Her heart was beating fast, and she felt cold sweat running down her neck, making her clutch her fiance''s cloth seeking mental support. "What''s wrong?" Den realized something was wrong with his fianc¨¦e and couldn''t help but forget about teasing her. Kaylee turned towards Den to make the man aware of the same gleam of fear dancing in her beautiful eyes. Really, what was this girl afraid of? Den wondered in his mind and followed Kaylee''s sight only to find nothing. Kaylee also shifted her gaze to look for something anxiously, made him wonder what Kaylee had seen. "Kaylee, what is it?" "There... I thought... someone follows me here." "Who?" "I... I can''t see his face." His? So it''s a male. Noted Den. Den reached into something from his coat pocket and pulled out a ball-like thing before tossing it up. Miraculously, the ball didn''t fall down but instead floated into midair and shot towards Kaylee''s sightline. Curious about what Den was doing, Kaylee nced at the tablet that the man was currently holding. "What are you doing?" "Find out what scares you." "I am not afraid." Miraculously, her anxious heart and intense fear vanished once she heard the man''s response. It made her feel protected when she noticed his serious expression to find out what had scared her. Kaylee gasped in awe when she saw this area''s scene from the tablet. Who had ever thought the ball thingy was a mini drone that could observe and capture anything it catches. If she wanted to find something¡­ or someone who was following her secretly, this mini drone was very efficient at searching for the culprit in the middle of the crowd. After scanning and looking for something suspicious for a few minutes, Kaylee couldn''t find anything. Unlike Den, who was already used to his job, he saw something fishy but decided not to tell Kaylee. "There is nothing." "It seems so. I think I saw it wrong." "Or maybe there is a fan who recognizes you." "It is impossible. Right now, I''m not Roe, and not many recognize my face as Kaylee. Besides¡­ Kaylee has no fans." "Yes, she has." Den gave his trademark smirk when Kaylee looked at him with a questioned look. "Me. I''m your number one fan." obviously, Den never missed an opportunity to show his adoration and love for this charming girl. "We already talk for a while. It means you already forgive me." "I have not." protested Kaylee but let the man pull her closer until there is no gap between their bodies. "So you want to go home?" "Ha?" "Since you haven''t forgiven me, doesn''t that mean you want to go home?" NO!! She still didn''t want to go home. She wanted to see the street performance and enjoy Christmas carols on this street. This man is extraordinarily cunning and always managed to corner her into going with what the guy wants. "I forgive you," she said those words atst. Den grinned as he brought the girl''s head right in front of his chest. As soon as Kaylee couldn''t see his expression, his smile vanished instantly. His two eyes nced to the side where his mini drone camera caught something. Seriously.. Never did he imagine that Kaylee had a stalker. Chapter 84 - Ch. 84 The Creepy Stalker The moment Den saw a familiar-looking feature on his tablet, he directly took action at hispany the next day. He was the founder of a security and technologypany that controlled almost all electronic objects. To track someone or look for something through CCTV cameras on each street was not difficult. Den checked CCTV cameras at shopping malls around Kaylee''s apartment and the girl''s studio building. While he was picking up Kaylee and escorting the girl home, Den noticed someone''s figure. At that time, he didn''t think about it because he thought the person was just an ordinary walker or happened to live in the girl''s residential area. Moreover, the distance between the studio and Kaylee''s apartment was very close. It only takes fifteen minutes on foot. Thus, it was not surprising to see the same people walking around the studio area or Kaylee''s house. Besides, Kaylee lived as an ordinary girl and stay low as the girl wasn''t an attention-seeker type. Therefore, it was unlikely for someone to target her. But it was unusual that this person appeared when Kaylee went to the shopping mall or wherever Den took the girl out on a date. This annoying stalker wore a hat to cover his face so that he couldn''t see the face. But his posture couldn''t fool Den''s eagle eyes. Den called one of his assistants, and soon a slender woman with light golden blonde hair with brown eyes entered his room. "Yes, Mr. ck?" "Ask Hawk to reach my second line." "Yes, sir." It didn''t take long before the small light on his office desk phone came on. Den pressed a button without ncing at the phone and began speaking with an authoritative tone. "I had sent you a recording video. I need you to check out this person." "Okay." "Do it in ten minutes." "Easy." Den was still looking at other recorded videos to find out when this person has been stalking Kaylee secretly while waiting for news from Hawk. Precisely ten minutester, a notification from hisputer appeared indicating Hawk had finished researching and sent an email. Without waiting anymore, Den opened the report''s results and saw the face of his fiancee''s stalker. To his utter surprise, this creepy stalker is working inside the Kaylee studio building? Isn''t that even more dangerous? At the same time, Wendy Larson and Danielle arrived at Kaylee''s studio building and called Osbert to the office on the third floor. Osbert was an orphan and started working in this cest year when Kaylee met him identally on the side of the road. Kaylee felt sympathy for him and decided to give him a job at her ce until the young man found another better job. However, after one year had passed, instead of looking for a better job, the young man did not want to quit his current job even though Wendy and Danielle often pressured him without Kaylee''s knowledge. ''That guy is dangerous, Wendy. You have to get rid of him right now before it''s toote. I won''t be able to protect her if that stalker attacks her.'' Wendy recalled the conversation when she met the ''girl'' two nights ago. The ''girl'' had often told her to persuade Kaylee to fire Osbert, but Kaylee was too naive and kind-hearted to have the heart to kick him out. Kaylee always said she needed a good reason to fire her employee, and Wendy didn''t have the proof that Osbert was bad news for the innocent girl. Wendy and Danielle joined hands to think of a way to get Osbert out of his own ord, but their attempts always fail. The moment Osbert entered the room with a downcast gaze, Wendy smiled sarcastically inwardly. If other people saw them at this time, everyone would think Wendy and Danielle were some bitches who were bullying weak people like Osbert. If only Kaylee were here, they were sure that girl would also think the same and defend this young man rather than her own best friend. They could only get this chance when Kaylee didn''te to this ce and was on campus. They decided to end this stalker''s evil intention toward Kaylee today. This was one of the main reasons why Wendy tricked the innocent girl into disguising herself as Nichs to go to campus. If Kaylee was too busy with her college assignments, she won''te to the studio too often and meet this pretentious dangerous man. "Osbert, you don''t need to work here from today on. You''re fired." The young man still lowered his face as if he did not dare look into Wendy''s sharp and firm eyes. But Wendy and Dani knew very well. This creepy stalker wasn''t afraid of them at all. Their guesses were correct when the young man lifted his head and looked straight at Wendy fearlessly. "My boss is Miss Roe. As long as she doesn''t say that I was fired directly, I''ll still work here." Dani had expected this, and she knew that Wendy was doing her best to remain patient so as not to punch him in the face. Dani thought she could be patient and proud enough for it. But the moment she saw the man''s crooked smile that seemed to be mocking them, her patience reached its limit. "We do not need to wait for her presence because we are sure Miss Roe will put you in prison." was the cold, indifferent tone from the friendly-looking Danielle. Wendy even felt the hairs of her neck stand up at the cold tone that her best friend''s assistant''s chilly demeanor. Danielle picked up a white tablet and searched for a video before ying it to show Osbert. The hidden camera recorded Osbert entering an elevator and using an ess card that he shouldn''t have to get to the fifth floor. Afterward, the video showed how Osbert entered Kaylee''s private room secretly and took a small object that Kaylee would never have noticed. Seeing this recorded video made Osbert frown in displeasure. Since when were cameras installed around the fifth floor and in elevators? He was sure there weren''t any cameras when he got into the elevator or sneaked into Kaylee''s private room. "You have two choices. One, leave this ce quietly and nevere back. Two, we will submit this video to the police and hand you to the authority. Your choice." Wendy nced at Dani in surprise. Why did this girl give Osbert an easy choice? If Osbert chose the first option, didn''t that mean they would let the young man roaming freely outside? They would never know when the stalker would harm Kaylee or kidnap her to satiate his sexual desire. Even though she was confused and wanted to protest, Wendy remained silent and let Dani take over. After all, they both know that Danielle was not just an assistant. "What is your answer?" came the deep ice-like tone from the assistant. "One. I will go willingly." "Good answer. Let''s hope you never get in jail, Mr. Osbert, because once you do, you will know what the hell is like." At first, Osbert didn''t especially pay attention to Danielle, who he thought was just an ordinary assistant who couldn''t do anything. The target of his hateful gaze was Wendy because it was that girl who repeatedly searched for his weaknesses to make excuses to fire him. But after their interaction, he realized¡­ the person who held the absolute authority was Danielle. The girl''s aura seemed stronger than Wendy Larson''s, as if he was dealing with a lioness. If only he had dealt with Wendy, Osbert believed he could win this ''game.'' He could kidnap Wendy, beat her, and invited all homeless beggars to rape her so that she wouldn''t have the face to bother him. Just like Kaylee, Osbert also stalked this girl and knows what her weaknesses are. Unfortunately, he miscalcted his n and never thought that his real enemy would be Danielle. This girl barely showed up and only came here when Miss Roe meets her client. Danielle always smiled and showed the impression that she was defenseless yet firm in following the existing schedule. But now, the girl was not smiling and looked like a mother beast protecting her cub from other predators. If he wants revenge, he has to find out about Danielle and get her out of here. Without saying much, Osbert decided to step down and resign from his job. After making sure the creepy stalker left the building, Wendy asked Dani. "What do you think?" "He will target me. He ns to find my weaknesses and get rid of me from here." "What? Are you going to be okay?" Dani showed Wendy her usual smile and said, "I''ll be fine. I''m not hired as miss Kaylee''s assistant for nothing. Mister Zouch wanted me to protect her and that I will do it with all my life." The assistant girl took her tablet when she heard a bell-like notification sound. ''Interesting.. Mister ck is starting to notice that stalker''s presence.'' Chapter 85 - Ch. 85 Why Her Heart Hurts? The clueless innocent girl walked into the campus with a merry heart and whistling happily while greeting the people along her way. Then, she saw a very familiar figure wearing a gloomy face¡­ near her locker. On normal days, Kaylee would greet him and act like a good friend, and joke around. But remembering what happened at Mister Old ck''s birthday made her hesitant to approach her best friend. Should she avoid him from now on? But she is Nick and not Kaylee. Wouldn''t it look even more suspicious if she avoided him? "Hi, Jack." Kaylee decided to walk up to the young man and greet him as ordinarily as possible. Jacob nced at her with a nce, then closed the locker indifferently without returning her greeting. "Jack? Jack, wait up." somehow, Kaylee felt ufortable when the young man was cold to her. After struggling to catch up with the young man with wider than usual strides, Kaylee grabbed the boy''s arm and demanded his exnation. "What''s wrong with you? Why did you give me the cold shoulder?" "What''s wrong with me? I should be the one asking that!" hissed Jacob bring her to further confusion. "What do you mean?" "It''s about Roe." Kaylee swallowed nervously. "What is it about her?" "Do you know she is Kaylee Zouch?" "... Yeah?" "Then, do you know she will be engaged to Den ck?" "¡­" Kaylee gasped in shock but didn''t acknowledge right away as she didn''t know how to answer. "Wow... what a good friend you are." sarcasm the young man. "If only I had known she was getting engaged to someone else, I wouldn''t have approached her. Thanks, Nick. You made me like a fool." Jacob walked away without giving her another look. Kaylee felt her heart twisted in a weird way and her tears threatening toe out made her feel hopeless. This was the first time someone had given her that sarcastic tone and cold shoulder. Not that she never received it, but she never cared about those people. But this was the first time her dearest friend treated her like this. Since she entered this campus, Jacob was her first friend, and the boy was her partner and almost inseparable. They even got the nickname ''inseparable duo'' from others. Kaylee felt the world around her darken when she heard Jacob''sst sentence. Kaylee decided to skip lessons and hide on the roof, looking up at the cloudy sky, simr to her mood. She didn''t mean to fool around with Jacob and genuinely wanted to be with the young man. Kaylee did not think that she would end up choosing Den in the end. No, it wasn''t like that. Den and the others kept cornering her, and if she could say, they forced her to be with Den until she had no other choice but to ept the man. No, it wasn''t like that either. If only Kaylee didn''t want to be with Den, she would do her best to run away instead of continuing toe back into the man''s arms. It seemed that her heart had chosen Den from the very beginning, but she realized it toote. Kaylee thought she would choose Jacob over Den and make a path for the young man to woo her. Unfortunately, the results did not match her expectations, and now she has broken the young man''s heart. What should she do? Kaylee still couldn''t find the answer, and now she has toe face to face with Jacob to practice for a music battle. Jacob, Adam, Fritz, and Letti have arrived at the music room to practice the uing music battle. Kaylee introduced Letti to the boys, and they, including Jacob, weed Letti''s presence with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, not once did Jacob nce at her. The young man considered it as if she was not in the room. Fritz realizes the cold war between his two friends. He approached Kaylee while whispering, "Dude, did you fight with Jacob?" Kaylee didn''t know what to answer and could only give him a straight thin smile. At least Jacob was still willing to help her to finish this music battle. It meant enough to her. "Letti, have you learned the song?" Adam asked politely, even more polite than he should have, as if Letti was some renowned public figure. "I''ve been studying it over the past weekend." "Very nice. Let''s try it first." After upying their respective positions, Jacob started by tapping the two drumsticks four times before everyone yed their instruments. The opening intro was eight bars, and Letti started to sing from the ninth bar with a jaw-dropping voice. Kaylee nearly yed the wrong chords on her guitar when she heard the beautiful voice from the girl. Her voice was like a sacred song that only a chosen angel could sing. Kaylee felt that the soprano singer on her orchestra team could not even bepared to Letti. Now she understood why the name Leticia Campbell was particrly well known on this campus. Her voice was another whole level! They were so engrossed in practicing that they didn''t notice someone had secretly opened the door and came in to check on them. The person who first noticed this uninvited guest was Letti because she often steered her eyes in all directions as if she wanted to interact with the audience when she appeared on stageter. And that''s when Letti''s eyes caught the familiar towering figure. She smiled slightly at that person, and her heart was blossoming as that person smiled back. "Pst... isn''t that Mister ck?" Kaylee heard a whisper from Adam, who walked over to her without stopping his bass ying. Kaylee nced near the door and saw Den standing there with his arms folded in front of his chest. Instantly she remembered her datest night where the man hugged her from behind while watching a street music concert. Luckily, Kaylee managed to get rid of that scene right away and did nothing wrong with her guitar ying. Every now and then, she would nce at Den and wonder what the man was doing here. She realized that Den''s gaze was not on her or her friends, but... Letti? A strange sensation ran through her heart as if tiny ants were covering her and biting her delicate skin. Kaylee didn''t know what feeling she just felt, but she knew¡­ she didn''t like seeing that guy looking at any girl other than her. Kaylee did not divert her sights from this handsome man without realizing it, making her target noticed that someone was watching him. As Den shifted his gaze toward her, Kaylee panicked and made a mistake creating a very unpleasant chord. Instantly, her friends stopped ying and nced up at her in surprise. "Nick, what was that?" "I''m sorry. Let''s start over again." Kaylee apologized without ncing at Den and only kept a strange feeling in her heart. Den winced when he realized his rescuer was ying guitar to the singing Letti. He had heard about the music battle between Nichs and the rocker band team in the band''s music department. But he did not expect Letticia Campbell to sing in this music battle. When he receives a message from Letti saying she will practice singing with the band''s music team for the first time, Den decided to check on her. Den nced back at Letti with a gaze, ''Seriously?'' Letti only gave her sheepish smile while putting her palms together as if to beg something. Den rubbed his temple in submission before smiling at the girl. ''Fine, do whatever you like.'' was the hidden words from his ck eyes. Without paying attention to the other kids or givingments, Den walked out of the room, leaving the others with different questions. Jacob: Why did my unclee here all of a sudden? Kaylee: What is their rtionship? The rest: Woah! What is the scariest professor doing here?? Since no onemented on Mister ck''s presence in this music room, they decided to continue training as if the most influential man on campus had nevere to see their practice. They were worried that talking about Mister ck''s arrival would make them sluggish. Mister ck was infamous for his harsh criticism. Seeing that man walk out withoutment, didn''t that mean their appearance was horrible? Ah! They don''t want to think about this and continue to be eager to practice to win this music battle. After they finished practice, Kaylee approached Letti to find out the girl''s rtionship with Den. But the girl had left because she didn''t have any things to tidy up. Fortunately, the girl didn''t go very far as a group of girls from the singing ss stopped her. "What are you doing?" "Who do you think you are? You believe the campus idol likes you just because he wants you to be his singer?" Kaylee was about to help Letti, but her steps stopped when she heard the voice of authority from behind. "What are you girls doing here?" Kaylee''s heart broke when she heard Den''s voice. She never saw the man would protect another girl like this. Kaylee clutched her front chest when she found it difficult to breathe. Why does her heart hurt so much? Chapter 86 - Ch. 86 Kaylees Tears The girls who wanted to teach Letti a lesson became nervous when they saw the most hateful professor walking towards them. "Let''s go. He could kick us and humiliate us here. Come on." urged one of the girls to the other one. Ayana snorted in annoyance but left the ce nheless. Letti turned around to thank Den in her usual way, but as soon as she noticed Nichs''s presence, the young girl instantly ttened her expression. "Thank you, Mister ck." was the grateful tone from the young girl. Kaylee knew the small interaction between these two different individuals was daily talking, but she couldn''t help but feel a secret bond between the two. Who is Leticia Campbell for Den ck? She never knew nor heard if Den gave special attention to a female student. "Mister Larson." Kaylee felt her body stiffen at the sound of the man''s t and indifferent voice once Letti had disappeared from before them. "Yes, sir?" it felt very difficult to y the role of Nick when she had difficulty breathing. She felt her chest tightening until she couldn''t breathe. She wondered if she wrapped her chest too tight this morning. Yet, Kaylee felt this tightening feeling was not caused by the wrapping cloth. "Your performance just now wasn''t satisfying. I doubt you will win the music battle this weekend." was the honest opinion from the music expert. She knows. If Kaylee kept ying and gave the performance like that, there was a chance that her team would lose. But Kaylee doesn''t need to worry because Nick¡­ the real Nick, would perform to rece her. "I got it. I will try harder." was the short answer from the girl in disguise before excusing herself to leave. Kaylee didn''t notice that her voice trembled a bit even though she thought she had managed to control herself. Her trembling voice sounded more feminine than the usual ''Nick,'' and this did not escape Den''s very sharp hearing. "Kaylee?" Den looked at Nick''s back with his brows knitted together. Why did he detect Kaylee''s voice in that young man? Den has often spent time with Kaylee and has imprinted the type of voice, the fresh fragrance, and the light in the girl''s eyes when she looks at him into his mind. It doesn''t matter where Kaylee is or what she looked like. As long as he hears her speak, he knows right away that that person is his girl. Before this, he didn''t realize it because he still hasn''t spent much time with Kaylee. Now that he has memorized almost everything about Kaylee, he could detect the slightest hint about her when talking to Nichs Larson. Very weird. Why could he think that Nick and Kaylee were the same people? That was utterly ridiculous. Both are indeed soul yers, but their way of ying was very different. Kaylee''s way of ying looks so elegant and has a strong aura to shake every soul who hears it. Meanwhile, Nichs¡­ the youth''s y sounded feminine and¡­ Den''s steps stopped when he realized something. He recalled Kaylee''s performance when the girl entertained the kids in the orphanage. Her vibe was quite simr to Nick when the young man did his entrance recital exam. Could it be...? Den reached into his cell phone, and after finding a name he was looking for, he touched the screen, which had the call symbol on it. On the other side, Kaylee, who was still recovering from this unknown ufortable feeling, felt helpless. She got a cold shoulder from Jacob, and now she had caught her fianc¨¦ flirted around with a young girl. What is the rtionship between the two of them? Why does Den seem so concerned about Letti and so protective about her? Well, he did nothing aside to warn the girls. Still... she could feel his protectiveness around the young girl. Indeed, that man was caring and affectionate toward his family, but... Letti was not part of the ck family. She remembered the man''s story saying that Den owed someone a debt and wanted to help the person graduate from this campus brilliantly. Is it possible¡­ the person in question is Leticia? ''Go, find the answers now.'' a voice in her head advised her not to make assumptions. If she kept asking herself questions without getting answers, she doubted she would be able to sleep well tonight. Should she contact Den? No, that was not a good idea. If she called him and asked about his rtionship with Letti, he would feel confused and suspicious of her. After all, Kaylee couldn''t know Leticia Campbell. But¡­ if Nick was the one who questioned him, would the man view him as a busybody person? Kaylee walked towards the cafeteria when she caught the figure of Letti walking alone. Without her brain''smand, her legs were already moving by themselves, following the young girl from behind. If she couldn''t ask Den, she could seek answers from the girl. Surprisingly¡­ the ce the girl was going to was¡­ Den''s office? And the way the girl paused to look around made Kaylee have to hide so as not to be caught, made her heart feel torn. Why is that girl acting like a secret lover who is in a forbidden rtionship? As expected¡­ the young girl stopped at the door of Den''s office. Without knocking or waiting for an answer from within, Letti opened the door and went inside. Kaylee bit her lip very hard to prevent tears from escaping from the corners of her eyes. She didn''t know why today she was so sensitive that tears kept threatening toe out. The stalking girl sauntered until she arrived at the door of Den''s office. Whether Letti was a sloppy girl or because today was her lucky day, Kaylee didn''t know. Relieved enough, Letti didn''t close the door and left a small gap for anyone who would peek inside. "Aren''t I doing great?" chirped the young girl with overly enthusiastic made Kaylee frowned in disgust. She was wrong at the girl. Kaylee thought Lethicia Campbell was silent type and liked to be alone. She never imagines that the young girl would flirt around and seduce the older man. "You''re doing a good job. But, why did you join them?" "Well, they asked me nicely and I want to mingle with new friends, I think." Kaylee held her mouth with one hand when she saw the man''s hand gently patting the top of Letti''s head. Her heart ached, and she was screaming inside her mind. It felt as if someone was gripping her heart hard to stop her pulse. The tears that had been threatening toe out were now beyond her control. Because she could not bear to see the scene before her eyes, Kaylee decided to leave without knowing the sound of sobs escaping from her throat. Den heard a strange sound from the front of his office and walked over to check the sound source. He opened the door wide and looked left and right as if he was looking for someone. After making sure no one is there, Den closes his office door and returned to Letti. "You didn''t close the door. Aren''t you afraid someone might know you being with me?" "Eh? I''m sure I closed the door." "I don''t mind, though. I want to let the world know that you are my baby sister. That way, no one will bully you in ss." A pair of brown eyes widened when they heard her brother''sst sentence. "You knew?" "I put a spy in your ss." "Eww¡­ What a nasty big brother you are. What are you spying on me for?" Den chuckled, hearing his sister''s protest. "Have you adapted to your new family?" Letti rolled her eyeszily, noticing her brother steered the conversation as easy as turning his palm. "The Campbell treated me well. I no longer feel isted and hang out with them." Den nodded his head in satisfaction. "Let me know if they ever mistreated you." Letti chuckled at her brother, who was very overprotective of her. Since Den found out she was his half-sister seventeen years ago, Den never missed a day to go to Grace Orphanage so he could see her and y with her. She knew Den wanted to persuade Mister ck to adopt her too, but¡­ that man didn''t want her to suffer under the pressure of the ck family. That''s why Den helped her find an ordinary good family and sincerely cherished Letti. The younger sister was grateful the Campbell took her and now she lived as any normaly girl could happily. "Forget about that. I heard the news." "What news?" "Your engagement with Kai... Key... Hm... who is it?" "Kaylee Roesalie Zouch." "Yes, that one. When are you going to meet her with me? I want to meet my future sister-inw." "You will¡­ soon. It''s not the time yet." "Why do we have to wait for the right time?" Den only gave her a smirk making Letti squinted her eyes suspiciously. "Brother... by any chance... do you have a ''prey'' at the moment?" "You know I do." Oh, poor little prey.. Letti felt sorry for her brother''s target, but she knew she was better out of her crazy brother''s ''hunting'' range. Chapter 87 - Ch. 87 I Feel Fine Wendy had just finished making music sheet notes on her program when Danielle called her. "Miss Larson, could you pleasee to the studio?" "Why?" "Miss Kaylee was supposed to meet some clients, but..." "But what?" "She decided not to assist them and locked herself on the fifth floor." "What?? Why would she do that?" "I don''t know, miss. But she had swollen eyes when she arrived. I think something bad happened to her." "Okay, I''ll be right there." Not long after, Wendy arrived at the studio and met the clients, who were supposed to have an appointment with Kaylee. Wendy tried to be patient when the first words that came out were theirints about her tardiness. "Why are you sote? So unprofessional." "Where is Roe?" "I want to talk to Roe." Wendy showed a professional smile and exined that she would provide their wishes regarding the music they wanted to have for the day. At first, they didn''t like her, but after persuasion from Wendy and Dani, they finally agreed. Unfortunately, they are incredibly chatty, and they rejected anything Wendy proposes and arranges. It was as if they would never be satisfied with the kind of music Wendy had to offer. "Dani, are they unbelievably annoying like this?" Wendy asked Danielle in a whispered voice, feeling suspicious these people were deliberately giving her a hard time because they didn''t want her to serve them. "Yes, miss. They behave the same way towards the young miss." "And Kaylee can stand them?" Danielle smiled softly at that. "You know, her patience is god-like level." That''s why the one who often meets clients and listens to what clients want is Kaylee. The girl was a good listener and had a higher level of patience than Wendy. Wendy couldn''t be patient with a client who wants and acts at will, so she chose to program mixed music on herputer. Wendy stroked her temples, trying her best not to explode. These people were musicians in charge of famous film production. They were very talkative, but they were Kaylee''s regrs and the biggest ''assets.'' Therefore, the poor impatient girl could only seal her mouth tightly while trying to catch any words thate out of her best friend''s clients'' mouths. But¡­ it felt like she was a toddler and couldn''t grasp what they were saying as they spoke as fast as a rocket. After suffering for what seemed like hours, their meeting time finally ran out. Wendy couldn''t wait to go to the fifth floor to check on her best friend''s condition. There was a restroom with a small but big enough for Kaylee to sleep in inside her workroom. Wendy entered the workroom and kept walking before opened the smaller room, only to see Kaylee lying on her bed with her back facing her. "Kaylee, how are you feeling?" Kaylee quickly rubbed her wetted cheeks before finally getting up to meet her best friend. She didn''t want to cry, but tears kepting out, thinking about the scene where Den touched another girl¡­ a girl much younger and beautiful than her. "I feel fine," she answered with a dropped head. She didn''t want her best friend to see her grieved expression. "I feel fine is not the right words." "Why? People can say, ''I feel fine.'' Everybody said it." "Yes, it''s true. But I know that''s not your real feelings." Kaylee was silent without giving any furtherment. Realizing that her best friend looked so depressed and didn''t want to lift her head, Wendy walked over to her and sat next to her best friend. "Did something happen on campus?" Wendy remembered Kaylee going on a date with Den with a cheerful heart. By the time the love-struck girl came home and called her, Kaylee sounded very happy and satisfied with their date. But suddenly, this girl became gloomy and sad after returning from campus. Wendy could only guess that something unpleasant had happened on campus. "It''s nothing. I want to be alone. Please." Kayleeid down and positioned herself facing the wall while her back was facing her friend. Even though Kaylee had stated her desire to be alone, Wendy could not leave her. She put a hand on Kaylee''s arm and gave her a soft pat like a mother who wasforting her saddening daughter. The two of them remained in that position in silence. Although usually, they would continue to chat endlessly while gossiping happily, this silence still made themfortable. Not long after, a ringing sound from Kaylee''s phone rang. It seemed that the gloomy girl didn''t care if anyone called her or not, so it was Wendy who grabbed the girl''s phone to see who had contacted Kaylee. "It''s Mister ck." Wendy tried to provoke the girl''s reaction by saying Den''s name. Kaylee''s reaction made Wendy stunned because now the girl pulled the pillow and covered her ears as if rejecting any sound about reaching her. Wait a minute. Why did Kaylee react like this, knowing that Den had contacted her? Did they have a fight? Is that why Kaylee locked herself up here? Wendy decided to let Kaylee rest without interruption. Therefore, she activated silent mode on Kaylee''s phone. At the same time, Den kept trying to contact Kaylee while standing leaning on his car in front of Kaylee''s studio building. His eyes were fixed on the fifth-floor window as if hoping he would see the face he yearned, but he knew¡­ that girl would not appear, considering the girl didn''t pick up his call all day. "Kaylee, why didn''t you pick up my call?" Den exhaled his heavy sigh while shaking his head. "Mister ck. It seemed someone already fired that man." reported one of his men after finding out about the existence of the stalker who has long worked in this studio. "Who fired him?" "It''s Miss Larson." Den was silent for a while and gave credit to Wendy Larson. "Track him down and keep an eye on him. Let me know if he approaches Kaylee." a maniac stalker like that man wouldn''t stop just he got fired. "Yes, sir." Den took a deep breath for the umpteenth time while looking at the fifth-floor window before deciding to return home. Arriving at his apartment building, he saw the figure of a girl sitting in the apartment''s lobby. The girl approached and greeted him with her best smile. "Den, I''ve been waiting for you for a long time." Den didn''t expect this girl toe, but he still weed her in a friendly manner. "You could call me if you came to visit." "I already called you many times, but you didn''t pick my call." It is true. Den didn''t pick it up on purpose because he preferred to reach out to his wife. "What''s the asion?" "Be my date for tonight''s party. The Reeves sibling is having a party tonight and inviting everyone toe." "I''m sorry, Louisa. But I can''t be your date. You can ask Axel for help, who I''m sure he will be happy to help you." "Why? I know you have free time tonight." "I''m engaged. I''m sure you already know that." "So? Are you afraid she will get jealous? Aren''t we just friends? I''ll help you exin it to her." coaxed Louisa in a sweet voice that could melt everyman but Den. The only girl who could melt his heart and stole his breath was Kaylee, and it will be her only. "I remember Maximillian Reeves also invited me. I think I''lle with my wife." If only Den hadn''t stood face to face with her and could see her expression, Louisa would have put on such a terrible face that it would make everyone who saw her feel afraid of her. What does this Kaylee Zouch like? Why can this girl wrap her finger around this man? Before the girl''s appearance, Louisa felt that she was the only girl who could approach the cold, unapproachable Den. Whenever Mrs. ck arranged a blind date for Den, the man would sometimes call her to act as a fake lover to make his date go and wouldn''t bother him. Den called her often, and almost every night they met¡­ even though their meeting was never alone because Den always contacted Axrd, at least she was the only girl he was looking for. But¡­ since the appearance of that unknown girl, Den rarely contacted her or asked her to meet. At first, she thought she still had plenty of time to win over him, but who would have thought¡­ the news of Den''s engagement to the Zouch family''s only daughter spread like wildfire. Louisa had repeatedly searched for this famous Kaylee Zouch but could not find anything about her. There were no photos, biographies, or the slightest news about Zouch''s only daughter. Even when she held a high society gathering and indirectly invited Kaylee Zouch so that the girl wouldn''te to Mister Old ck''s birthday, that girl didn''te to the show! Her family was not in business with the ck corp, so the ck didn''t invite her, yet they invited the Zouch family. Louisa tried everything to lure Kaylee Zouch out of the ck range. She thought Kaylee would choose toe to the gathering instead of to the same boring birthday party of Mister Old ck. Apparently¡­ Kaylee Zouch was not someone who was easily tricked by high-ss social events. She would instead be engaged to Den ck than join her society club. What a cunning bitch! Little did she know, Kaylee never fond of high-ss society clubs and preferred to stay low. Chapter 88 - Ch. 88 Louisas Plan Louisa, Axel, and Den were ssmates in their college days, and among the many girls who approached him, Den preferred Louisa. The girl was not perfect, and he knew there was something that the girl was hiding behind her pure and sweet angelic smile. As long as the girl doesn''t cross the line, he always considers Louisa, his best female friend. If Den hadn''t met Kaylee or fallen in love with her, maybe Den would have granted Louisa''s request. He always did and ready to be there whenever Louisa needed him. Years ago, Louisa tried to seduce him, and they even kissed under the moon because he got carried away. But their kiss did not create the slightest spark at all, making him feel sure Louisa wasn''t the girl he wanted. Like a gentleman, he apologized to Louisa and told her to p him or beat him for using her. But the girl gave an angel-like smile at him and didn''t mind their brief ident kiss. That night Den stated emphatically that their rtionship could never be more than friends. Den was sure that Louisa took his statement without knowing that the girl was secretly using her own way to win him over. Unfortunately, it was toote. Whatever the girl has nned would be fruitless because now a girl fills Den''s mind and heart. Even so, Louisa won''t just give up and is determined to reim what should be hers. "Fine. Thene together with your fianc¨¦e," she stated fiancee instead of a wife. She didn''t want to admit the man''s bold statement. "I truly want to meet her." Louisa kept her jealousy and her malicious feeling deep in her heart. Like a good friend, she was sweet, and she acted as if she supports Den''s new rtionship with other girls. Louisa wanted to know how beautiful the girl who had captivated Den and stole Mrs. Den''s heart. She tried to hire someone to find out the girl''s background, but the answer she received from the detectives was a ban on investigating the Zouch family. She knows the Zouch family was not ordinary because her parents have warned her not to mess around with that family. Although from the outside, the Zouch looks like a typical heart-warming family with a doting father and a loving mother, rumors say, Mr. Zouch was the most brutal person and feared by almost everyone in this world. Louisa was very sure, this arranged marriage between Kaylee Zouch and Den ck was due to pressure. Mr. Zouch must have threatened the ck to ept this marriage, leaving Den with no other choice but to ept his fate. On the other hand, Den also wanted to introduce Kaylee to his two friends. Not only to her two friends, but he also wants to tell the whole world that Kaylee was his and his alone. But he knows, Mr. Zouch would not like the idea of seeing his only daughter''s face scattered on any social media. He didn''t know why Mr. Zouch was very overprotective of his daughter even though the man has allowed Kaylee to live independently by buying a regr apartment. Den thought he knew and understood his future wife quite well, but he realized there was still a lot he didn''t know about her. He felt something imnted deep-buried by Kaylee made him want to dig it to find out. At the same time, he didn''t want to frighten her or suffer her when Kaylee found that ''something.'' This ''something'' was like a Pandora box which looked like it was precious but brought about an unexpected big catastrophe. "Go home, Louisa. I''m gonna take a rest." "But you wille, right?" Den didn''t answer and only gave a faint smile in response to her question. Even though the man didn''t answer her with words, Louisa knew Den wouldn''te. She had been with this man for more than a decade and was very familiar with Den''s habits. When Den doesn''t provide any certainty, then there is a chance that the man will not do what she expects. It seemed that Louisa wanted to press and persuade the man toe even without her fianc¨¦e. Better yet, the man hade as her date. But she knew at times like this she had to hold back. She must not reveal her true nature towards him and cannot force him to go to parties. "Okay. Rest well, Dec." Louisa wrapped her hands to the man''s torso intimately as if they were lovers. She knew that this was just normal action and that Den only thought of it as a customary hug. But... in the eyes of people who don''t know them, they would think that the two of them are lovers. She wondered¡­ what was Kaylee Zouch''s reaction like when she saw their intimacy? She didn''t try to figure out the answer when she realized Den didn''t return her hug at all. Usually, this man would return her hug and wee her like she was his bestpanion. Den even often wrapped his hand, enveloping her entire body looking for peace when this man was having problems with hispany. But this time, Den did nothing as if he disliked her embrace. Louisa let go of her hug and pretended not to feel disappointed at this indirect rejection. She gritted her teeth angrily as the man turned and walked towards the elevator without saying a word. The jealousy-stricken girl sprinted out of the apartment''s lobby and nced at a familiar ''peeper.'' "Did you take it?" "Sweet and clear." the person shows his camera screen to show some of the images he has captured. Louisa could see Den''s face as well as her hugging him with her face hidden in front of the handsome man''s sturdy chest. Although Den didn''t return her hug, the angle of the pose in this photo was enough to make people think they were lovers. She couldn''t wait to show it to Kaylee Zouch once she met the mysterious girl. She smirked evilly when she imagined what kind of expression Kaylee Zouch would put on when she saw this photo. Louisa couldn''t do anything about persuading the man to break up to that ''bitch'' girl, but she would stop at nothing to make Kaylee Zouch break their engagement. Chapter 89 - Ch. 89 Her Heart Is Torn The next day, Kaylee forced herself to get ready and go to campus as usual even though her mood was very cloudy. She spent her daily ss schedule in a reserved manner and spent time off in the library instead of having lunch in the cafeteria with her friends. Jacob avoided her and refused to talk to her while still feeling sad, thinking about Den cheating on her. Kaylee neededfort, and she knew Jacob could entertain her and make her forget about sad things. But... the young man still mad at her. Why did her heart have to choose Den? If only she knew Den was a jerk who likes to y her heart, she would prefer Jacob and would not let her rtionship with Jacob be ruined. Kaylee started to regret that she has fallen in love with someone. This was the first time she had fallen in love, and her choice fell on Den. She realized her feelings toote, but she felt the happiest when the man proposed her officially. She wished she could turn back the time when she still didn''t understand what her heart wanted. She hoped she never realized her true feelings and fled as hard as she could from the man''s pursuance. When Kaylee arrived in the music room to undergo their music battle practice, she was still as silent as the dead fish. Whether Kaylee was too diligent or the others forgot their practice schedule, only Kaylee and Fritz arrived at the music room. "Did something happen between you and Jacob? And don''t try to tell me ''it was nothing'' because I know something''s up." Kaylee smiled faintly as her friend realized the cold war between her and Jacob. "It''s nothing, really. I guess I messed up, and he pissed at me." "What happened?" Right before Kaylee could answer, the door to the music room opened, revealing a beautiful girl who made Kaylee''s heart gloomy again. She remembered the scene where Den treated the young girl gently as if Letti was someone who meant a lot to him. Kaylee didn''t know what Den would treat a girl who wasn''t herself, but at least she felt sure that man wouldn''t just touch a girl carelessly. When they attendedst weekend''s birthday, Den treated the girls as nothing and only looked at her. This was the first time she''d seen Den soften and smile at a girl who wasn''t her. "Hi, Campbell. Did you already memorize the variation part?" "I did. Where are the others? " "Don''t know. They haven''t finished their ss yet, I guess." Letti nodded in understanding then sat next to Kaylee. They were neither far nor near, but it was enough for Kaylee to smell her fragrant. It was freshening, and it suited her petite young figure very well. Is a girl like this the one Den likes? Is that man a pedophile? First is the rumor about Den being gay, which turns out to bepletely false news. Nor did she know why Den had allowed the words to continue and made no attempt to justify them. Is it possible that Den actually a pedophile? He purposely covered up his real fetish by letting people think he was gay? Kaylee nced at Fritz, who now heard some music on his iPod by putting the headset over his ears. "Fritz," called Kaylee in a very low voice. As expected, Fritz didn''t hear her calls while Letti heard them clearly. After confirming that Fritz wouldn''t listen to the conversation she was about to ask Letti, Kaylee turned her gaze towards the girl. "What is your rtionship with Mr. ck?" she inquired in a demanding tone without beat around the bush. Letti didn''t expect Kaylee to drop the bomb like this, and she almost choked in her breath. She gulped nervously while her heart pounded hard. The extraordinary singer knew her dear brother had no problems and didn''t mind if people find out that she is Den''s half-sister. But she strongly objected and didn''t want anyone to find out about their rtionship. Plus, the two of them grew up in two very different families. One lives with the ck and lives in luxury, while she was the child of an ordinary family. She was worried that this fact would be her brother''s weakness and bring his name down into the mud. "What are you talking about?" she is Den ck''s sister, and she had the reserve and calm behavior in every situation, even if she was in a pinch situation. Her dark brown eyes were clear as if she did nothing wrong, and Kaylee couldn''t find the lie. Even though she realized she was like someone who bullies the poor young girl, Kaylee couldn''t stop herself from finding out the answers. "I saw the way Mister ck helped you or when he patted your head with his hand. You look like a couple who are bearing forbidden love." "What?" Letti couldn''t hide her surprise at the most disgusting opinion she ever heard. She loved Den dearly, but there was no way she would do that kind man-to-woman rtionship thing with Den. Just imagining it, Letti had the urge to throw up. Yet, she could hold herself, and something else reced her nauseous feeling. She got mad someone insulted her brother. She knew more than anyone that Den sacrificed almost everything to look after her. Her brother protected her before they found Campbell to take her under their wings. "You can provoke me as you like, but I won''t sit still if you insult him. He''s not someone you can ridicule at will, and you have no right to prejudiced at him!" Kaylee did not expect that the pushover-like girl she thought was a polite and ignorant girl would act cold and scolded her in a strong demeanor. Letti was distant and polite while smiling friendly without making a sound when she was with her friends. But when the girl was chatting with Den, Letti looked like a happy little child. The young talented singer didn''t care about her image when she was clingy to Den as if asking for candy. And now, the girl scolded her in a challenging tone to defend the man? Why does it feel she was the bad person? This made Kaylee''s heart feel torn, and her eyes filled with tears at the thought of the possibility that Den didn''t love her as he said. Chapter 90 - Ch. 90 The Sleeping Lion "I thought you were different from the others, but you''re just a jerk like the others." Letti rose to her feet to change seats, and now she sat a little isted from the two guys. Fritz did not hear their conversation because of the loud music, but he caught the figure of Letti, who got up and walked away from them while Nick''s face looked very gloomy. "Something''s wrong?" asked Fritz after removing the headset and turning off the music on his iPod. Frits scratched his head in confusion. This was the worst music band he had ever known. Not only was there a silent cold war between the lead guitarist and drummer, now even their singer had bad blood with Nick. "Nick, what''s wrong with you? You don''t look like yourself these past two days. Why do I feel like I''m in the middle of a woman fight?" Thest question confused him the most. He didn''t know why but his friend was over-sensitive these two days like a girl fought with her friends like cats and dogs. Kaylee facepalmed her entire face while digesting Fritz''s randomment. What the young man said was true. She couldn''t be her usual self these past two days. The music battle will take ce on Saturday, but Jacob was still training and willing to appear even though the young man was angry at her. Letti also stayed behind even after she had prejudiced her and Den. She didn''t know why Den would treat Letti that well, but she couldn''t make assumptions like that. The two young ones were much younger than her, but they seemed more professional than her, who had been recognized as professional pianists. She was acting childish for her actual age, and it''s all because of her first time falling in love and heartbreak at the same time. She shouldn''t have put her personal issues with this campus life. Right now, she is Nick, not Kaylee nor Roe. She should be able to pretend she didn''t see that cheating scene and act like usual. Kaylee rose to her feet with renewed courage to walk over to Letti, leaving Fritz amazed and could only watch what happened. "You are right. I was a jerk, and I''m sorry for that. I don''t have the right to judge the man, but just for you know¡­ He''s engaged." Letti looked at her with a gaze as if asking, ''how did you know?'' "He''s engaged to my sister''s friend. Pardon me if I''m a jerk, but I don''t like seeing other girls clingy to my sister''s friend''s fianc¨¦." Did she say that? Yes, she did! Kaylee never knew that it turned out that she has a possessive nature towards what is hers. Yes. Den is hers and hers alone. She wouldn''t share him with other girls and wouldn''t do it in the future. "Oh..." Letti''s lips formed an O with a wide gaze when she heard Nichs''s exnation of himself being a jerk. How did she know that Nick was the younger brother of her future sister-inw''s friend? Den never showed her his fianc¨¦e''s face, and Letti only knew the name of her future sister-inw. She didn''t expect Kaylee Zouch to be friends with Nick''s sister¡­ well, how could she know? She never knew Nick before, even though she knew the young man was the campus idol nicknamed ''The Prodigy Boy,'' neither did she know his sister. "Okay. I understand why you did that. But you still have no right to insult Mister ck. I can assure you that we did nothing like what you think. So we''re good now?" Kaylee stared straight into Letti''s brown eyes as if considering whether this girl was speaking the truth or just saying sweet words to trick him. She wasn''t very good at reading people''s characters, but her instincts were always right whenever she needed it the most. And this time, her instincts told her this girl wasn''t lying. "We''re good now." Not long after, the door to the room opened once again, and this time, Jacob and Adam entered the music room. Their male singer, who was supposed to sing the Adam''s song, couldn''t make it again. "Didn''t he promise toe today?" the male singer didn''t show up for rehearsals yesterday afternoon, so they have to practice without a singer. "Jake, isn''t he your friend?" Kaylee is grateful that Fritz asked Jacob because she wasn''t sure if Jacob would answer if she asked. "He''s not a friend. He''s an acquaintance." corrected Jacob while rolling his eyeszily. "Anyway, I don''t think we should rely on him. Should we look for a new singer?" "We don''t have time for that. Plus, which male singer would want topete with the Rocker band?" Four pairs of eyes nced over at the clueless Letti and became puzzled upon receiving their gazes. "What?" "Campbell, do you know a male singer in your ss to be our singer?" inquired Adam politely so as not to scare off the only girl in this room. Letti shook her head in response to his question, "Most of my ss are female singers. There are three male singers, but¡­ they''re theater singers, and their voices won''t be suitable for the Adam''s music." "What should we do now?" "I think we''re going to be just fine." ensured Kaylee. "If we still haven''t found a singer, I''ll sing myself." she dered with great confidence to make her friends gasped in disbelieve. "You? Yes, you''re the prodigy boy, but we know you''re not a singer." Kaylee scrunched her nose at Fritz''s pranks. She knew she wasn''t a singer, but she knew Nichs... the real deal could sing pretty well. After all, the one who appears in the music battle would be Nichs instead of her. "It is why everyone called me ''the prodigy boy.'' You will find out on the D day. Just look forward to it." teased Kaylee while ying her fake thick eyebrows. Fritz and Adam looked at each other while shaking their heads in resignation. They had to perform three songs in this music battle¡ªone from the Adam''s while the rest was a song sung by Letti. As long as they could give their best for the two songs sung by Letti, they could still win this music battle. So they didn''t have to worry about Nichs singing, even though in the end, their best friend''s voice would break in the middle of the song. Their training goes on, and the day starts to change where they are still diligent to practice. And just as they thought, Jacob''s acquaintance still didn''t show up and made them feel sure the young man wouldn''t show up on the day. Kaylee nced at Jacob, who looked rxed and still ignored her as if she was like a wandering ghost. Was Jacob deliberately telling his acquaintances not toe to punish her? Was this the young man''s way of stating that they couldn''t be friends anymore? Kaylee wanted to ask about this directly and also amended their rtionship. It felt like she had lost something if the young man didn''t greet her when she passed him in the corridor or joked with her about a trivial thing or put his arm around her neck like a best friend. She followed Jacob from behind until they came to a corridor that was quieter than the rest. When she felt sure that Jacob was alone and no one was there, Kaylee decided to call the man. But her voice swallowed up again when Jacob cursed at something¡­ or someone. "Damn it! Why didn''t you pick up my phone?" Kaylee instantly hid behind the wall and peeked to see Jacob was talking to someone on his phone. "You promised that you woulde." Kaylee wondered if the person speaking on the other side is his acquaintance, who is supposed to be their male singer. What made her even more amazed was that the young man''s vibe was somewhat different than usual. When Jacob was with his friends, the young man was like a warm summer sun that could melt all frozen hearts. Jacob could be a cheerful little kid and full of a prince-like vibe when he is with her. And sometimes, he was like a kitten that loved to y and pull her leg. However¡­ that young man instantly turned into someone she didn''t know. When Jacob found out that Roe is Kaylee, Jacob showed another side of him. It was the first time Kaylee learn his rare scary side. He was like... a sleeping giant cat... No, he was like a sleeping lion. "Then why didn''t you say so? ... Never mind. You know what. I regretted friending with you." Pang! Why did she feel that those words were meant for her? Jacob stored his phone inside his pocket while ncing in the corner where Kaylee stood. Kaylee gasped in surprise and quickly hid as if Jacob had never seen her. The young man frowned as he didn''t expect his best friend¡­ ex-best friend, to follow him all the way here. Jacob walked over to his friend with a leisurely stride as if he didn''t care about Kaylee''s presence. His steps stopped after he was five paces past his ex-best friend''s hiding position. "Is there anything you want to talk about to the point you stalked me?" Kaylee sighed restlessly while answered, "Yes." Jacob turned around and met Kaylee in the eyes.. "Then talk." Chapter 91 - Ch. 91 The Explanation "I didn''t know. I never knew Kaylee would get engaged to Mister ck." Kaylee did not know that her mother had nned the engagement behind her back. "Nor did I know that Kaylee will fall in love with that man." she never really knew that her heart would fall for Den. Everything Kaylee exined to Jacob was the truth and not a lie. But she said it by using the identity of Nichs, who seemed to understand what Kaylee felt. "When I heard that Kaylee was engagedst weekend, I was as shock as you are. As far as I know, she... she admitted she likes someone, but I''m sure that person was not Mister ck." Kaylee felt sure she liked Jacob and felt morefortable and excited about meeting this young man than Den. But as time went by, she realized her heart and soul had fallen on Den from the very beginning. "The reason why I didn''t tell you that Roe is Kaylee Zouch is that she doesn''t want everyone to know about her background. Her father, Mister Zouch, always protected her and hid her face from everyone. That''s why she always dresses up as someone else when she is on stage or appeared as the pianist." While Kaylee was talking exining why she was hiding Roe''s true identity, Jacob did notment and listened silently. "I never intended to y with you or trick you, Jack. I genuinely love to be friends with you and want to help you. But¡­ I guess my way of helping you is wrong. Forgive me." Kaylee ended her words with a voice that was getting lower and lower. She didn''t know whether Jacob would forgive her or not. Whatever the young man''s decision after listening to her exnation, Kaylee would ept it gracefully. Besides¡­ she felt guilty for tricking that young man. Not because she was hiding Roe''s true identity, but because right now¡­ the one who gave the exnation and seemed to give the young man hope was herself... Kaylee. Jacob didn''t know that the Nichs he was friends with was Kaylee. She was afraid that the young man would get even angrier and hate her if Jacob discovered this little secret. Kaylee had to make sure to cover her disguise until the end. Even though she had graduated from college under Nichs Larson''s name, she would never tell anyone about this, including Den. Kaylee exhaled a long sigh then walked away because she felt Jacob didn''t want to see her face anymore. She walked out past Jacob''s figure, still standing in ce. "Hey, Nick." Kaylee''s steps stopped when she heard Jacob call her. She turned to the young man who still had his back to her. "Yeah?" "Do you think she wille?" Kaylee didn''t need to ask the meaning of the young man''s question. She knew who the ''she'' is. Since Jacob found out that Kaylee Zouch was Roe and was engaged to Den ck, the young man never texted Roe. As if the young man had disappeared into the earth, there was not a single text that greeted her or simply said a ''good night.'' If Kaylee had not confronted the young man today, she would have let Nick take her role in the music battle. She would note and spend her free time at her home. "Do you want her toe?" "¡­" Jacob didn''t answer her question. It''s not that he doesn''t want to, but he doesn''t know what he wants. Jacob wished Roe toe so he could see her for thest time; at the same time, he doesn''t want her toe. He nned to confess his love on the music battle day when the girles to see him show off his skills. Unfortunately¡­ he couldn''t possibly do it after the harsh reality of a few nights ago. Jacob remembered he still hasn''t spoken to Kaylee, and the girl owes him one answer. He once said he liked the girl, and Roe admitted she liked him too. He wanted to know¡­ what kind of liking did she mean, and did she ever even see him as a man? Or is it that Roe doesn''t want to hurt him, so the girl uttered impulsively not to hurt him? No matter the answer, the truth is... he lost her. Jacob could never be on par with his uncle, let alone stand in their midst. He saw for himself how his uncle calmed the girl in the crowd when his grandfather announced their engagement. They have notably great chemistry as if they were made for each other. Kaylee never smiled with relief or found shelter when she was with him. She felt Roe smiling at him like a woman smiling at a child. It seemed that the girl only thought of him as a child because of his young age. Jacob turned around to look at his friend, who seemed to be waiting to respond to his question. "No. I don''t want her toe, but I won''t stop her froming." "Fair enough." Those were thest words hinting as if there''s nothing else to talk about. Even though Kaylee doesn''t know if their friendship can return to the way it was, at least this is enough for her. Since their conversation at that time, Jacob no longer avoided her and greeted her as usual. When they rehearsed the next day, the song''s vibe and performance improved and got better than the previous ones. Kaylee was quite satisfied with the results of today''s training, and she was no longer hostile to Letti. She entirely focused on the battle music rather than letting herself fall because of her brokenhearted feelings. Since she caught Den being so intimate with Letti, Kaylee never picked up her fianc¨¦''s call and always told her employees to say to him that Kaylee didn''te to work every time Den stopped by her studio building. Den always came in the morning before leaving for work and in the evening aftering home. Of course, Kaylee was not in the studio building because she had arrived at the studio at night. As much as possible, Kaylee avoided Den and busied herself with college assignments to forget her jealousy and try to extinguish her feelings for him. She was pretty sure her heart wouldn''t hurt too much if she didn''t love him. She was sure her feelings for him were not too deep, so it was not toote to put out her newfound affection. But¡­ What should she do with the extra lesson with that man? Now is Wednesday, and is the schedule for the extra lessons with Den. Should she cancel it today? Or should shee and tell the man that she no longer needs this additional lesson? The fewer the number of meetings she had with the man, the easier it was to get rid of her feelings toward him. Once she felt confident that she was strong enough, she would meet Den and return their engagement ring. She would break up with him and close her heart forever. Kaylee didn''t want to fall in love again, and she didn''t want to feel hurt because of jealousy. The jealousy she felt was so terrible that she could not think straight to the point where it almost made the clueless Letti hate her. There may be a reason why Den prefers Letti over her. The girl was not as innocent as herself. Even though she was a bit of a pushover, the girl was steel-hearted when someone attacks or insults the person she loves. Therefore, Kaylee decided to let the man go. For now, she would refocus on her role as Nick and act like she knows nothing about Den''s secret affair. Well, he had identally caught how Den cheated on her, so no one would find it suspicious if she acted hostile to Den. She was sure Nick would do the same as her. Kaylee knew that Nick loved her as much as he loved Wendy. The young man will not let it go if someone hurts her. She was pretty sure Nick would punch Den right away and defend her with great anger. She knew the young man would do it and how she wished she could whack him in the face in the name of Nichs Larson. But Kaylee couldn''t do it, even though she was currently disguising herself as Nick. Even if she had remodeled her appearance from head to toe to be someone who was not her, no one would be able to change her wounded heart. She was too scared to hear the true answer from that man. She was too cowardly to know the truth behind Den''s betrayal treatment. Hence, she did not dare to confront her fianc¨¦e. Kaylee had arrived in front of Den''s office at precisely three in the afternoon. She hesitates to knock on the door, but she knows she has to meet Den as Nick. Kaylee knocked three times on the door after taking a few deep breaths while calming her restless beating heart. For the first time, a voice sounded from within to permit her to enter the room. With azy motion, Kaylee turned the doorknob and opened the door, then¡­ Chapter 92 - Ch. 92 What A Naughty Girl Kaylee stepped inside and saw her fianc¨¦¡­ her professor was sitting there typing something on his ckptop. She thought that her feelings would not waver and would still be calm even though she saw the man''s face. Even if she failed to keep her calm, she would feel hurt again, considering that man had a secret affair with another girl. But it was neither. On the contrary, she felt unbearable longing and yearning for that man''s touch. She didn''t know that she missed her fianc¨¦¡­ she craved the man''s big hand when Den held her hand¡­ or when the man stroked her cheek or patted the top of her head gently. They haven''t seen each other in two days because Kaylee never picked up the man''s call. She felt hurt, angry, disappointed so that her entire system refused to hear or see him. Kaylee knew that Den hade to the studio building and her house apartment. Her employees always deliver her reports about the man''s arrival. And she could see Den''s luxury ck car in front of her apartment when she heard the bell sound of her house. But never once was she moved to reach the man. Now¡­ for some reason¡­ the pain in her heart, jealousy, and disappointment she had during the past two days miraculously vanished when she saw the handsome man''s face. The man had a charisma that no words could describe when he put his attention solely focused on his work. The man''s position was facing nine o''clock so that only the left side of the body was visible in her eyes. The shape of the man''s chiseled jaw was like a sculpture of a Greek god, and the form of his arm muscles, which was visible even though it was covered with ck shirt sleeves, made Kaylee gulped tensely. The man''s left hand, which rubbed his chin as if he was thinking about something, added to the effect of his good looks, making Kaylee unable to take her eyes off. Shouldn''t she still be mad at her fianc¨¦? But why is she now worshiping his good-looking instead? "What are you doing standing there?" inquired Den without taking his eyes off hisptop as if his current job was more important than ncing at Nichs. Kaylee knew that her appearance was as Nick, and that man would never know that she was Kaylee. But realizing that the man wasn''t even ncing at her somehow made her feel sad. She wondered if it was Kaylee who hade now, would that man still be working? Kaylee would never know the answer and decided to forget about it. She walked straight until she came to the long table near Den''s work desk. She decided to sit in the corner but not too far as she almost hit the end of the room on her right side. As usual, she took out herptop, music book, and writing tools and arranged them neatly on the table. While waiting for Den to finish his job, Kaylee decided topose various ornaments to the song Den had assigned. Not long after, Kaylee felt a vibration from her backpack. She opened her bag to find her vibrating phone, indicating someone called her. Kaylee nced at her phone screen, and suddenly, her face turned pale when she saw Den''s name written on it. Her eyes briefly turned to Den, who still seemed to focus on hisptop, but she noticed a Bluetooth headset in his ear! The man is calling her. There''s no mistaking it! Kaylee instantly rejected the call, turned off her phone, and then stored it back in extremely slow motion. She hoped that Den wouldn''t notice her strange movements as she tried topose herself. That man couldn''t possibly have known her disguise, could he? How could that man contact her when she disguised as Nick and was in the man''s office? Without looking up, the corners of Kaylee''s eyes moved to the side to see the man''s reaction. Den''s forehead frowned, and Kaylee suspected that the man had tried to call her again only to get a notification that her phone was no longer active. Den disliked her turning off her cell phone, but she was forced to do so. But.. why should she feel guilty? The man cheated on her, and Kaylee didn''t pick up her phone on purpose for these two days. She didn''t have to feel guilty, and now Kaylee was starting to feel calm. Even though from the outside Kaylee seemed to be acting as usual, but her heart was pounding with panic. How could she not? After Den gave up reaching out to her, he got up and sat next to her. Next to her!?!? What was that man sitting next to her for? Hadn''t that man been sitting across from her all this time? "Have youpleted the task I gave youst week?" "Yes, sir." Kaylee immediately gave the results of her assignment to Den. The man received her assignment book, and whether the man realized it or not, his fingers touched Kaylee''s fingers as if giving a light caress made Kaylee gasped in surprise. Den stared at her with a raised eyebrow making Kaylee even more panicked. Very weird. Why did it feel like she had been electrocuted when Den''s finger touched her hand? Hasn''t she been holding hands with that man so many times, even kissing? But why could she still feel the electric shocks? "Is there something on my face, mister Larson?" Kaylee blinked several times while shaking her head and replied, "No, sir." Den gave no reaction and returned to scrutinize Kaylee''s assignment. While the man focused on her work, Kaylee took this opportunity to shift her ass a little. The girl in disguise tried as far as possible to distance herself from Den without being obvious. Her heart hammered hard, and her gaze fixed downwards so that she didn''t know Den had a chance to nce at her, and a knowing smirk was stered on his handsome face. *** Two days ago, Den contacted the student administration to find out about someone. "Good afternoon. I''m Den ck and need help finding information from one of the students¡­ His name is Nichs Larson¡­ Yes, thank you." In the afternoon, Den received a notification on hisptop indicating an email had arrived. He read it and saw Nichs Larson''s contact number. He felt very familiar with the row of numbers and insert it into his smartphone. For a moment, Den fell silent¡­ too fixated into ce that he felt the world stop spinning. His smart brain was quick to catch up and his lips curled in knowing smirk. "What a naughty girl.." was hisstment. Chapter 93 - Ch. 93 Meet Osbert Kaylee was on her way to the studio by bus. After taking off her disguise and storing her wig into her backpack, Kaylee took a deep breath and looked at the road she was passing by. The cityscape of New York looks as bustling as ever, and nothing has changed from the residents'' activities other than the growing spirit of Christmas. Regrettably, Kaylee was not that enthusiastic about Christmas this year. She''s not even in the mood to go to her studio any minute she''s off. Kaylee did not want to meet anyone and wished to shut herself up in her house. Kaylee facepalmed with a heavy sigh, remembering what happened in Den''s office. There was something strange about the man. Today Den was super clingy as if he doesn''t want to be away from her. Every time she shifted her chair away, the man came closer until Kaylee decided to give up. After all, her appearance was that of Nichs Larson, and she knew very well that Den was not as gay as it was rumored. The man would not touch her nor take any further action. It is true. The man didn''t touch her or assault her. But she could feel his heated gaze as Kaylee focused on doing the other task the man had given her. She couldn''t help but feel hot when she realized the man''s gaze on her. She had the urge to get out of this suffocating room. Instead, she nned to give up this additional study because she didn''t want to see Den again. But¡­ that man''s gaze, his clinginess made her unable to voice her wish. What did Den want from ''Nick''? Last week, the man approached Kaylee and kissed her so that she couldn''t think of anything but him. Then she found out Den flirted around with a much younger girl two days ago. And now, her cheating fianc¨¦ was super clingy to her despite that her appearance was like a teenage boy. The more she thought about this, the more annoyed she became. What is that man thinking, really? Kaylee had the urge to split his brain. Kaylee decided to stop by the sweet shop to buy some choctes. At times like this, eating something sweet could make her feel better. Once she arrived at the sweet shop, she sprinted over to the area of ??her favorite chocte brand and picked up some sweets. Then Kaylee paid at the cashier, and to her surprise, she saw a familiar person behind the cashier counter. "Osbert? You¡­ you also work here?" Osbert smiled shyly while lowering his face. "No, miss. I''m forced to work here." "Forced? What do you mean?" "I¡­ I''ve been fired. Didn''t you fire me already?" "I did?? Why did I fire you?" Kaylee took a deep breath as she remembered something. "It must be Wendy." It had been more than eight months that her best friend had been bothering her to fire Osbert even when the young man was doing nothing. Kaylee didn''t want to be an evil employer and fire just anyone for no reason. That''s why she didn''t listen to Wendy''s suggestion and pretended not to hear it. But now¡­ after more than three months, she was busy on campus and couldn''t take care of the situation in her studio, Kaylee gave control of the studio affair to Wendy. She never expected that Wendy would use her powers to fire innocent people. "I will talk to her. She shouldn''t have fired you without my permission." Osbert gave Kaylee a gentle smile. "Thank you, miss, but I can''t fight it. She¡­ she fabricated data to have an excuse to expel me." "Fabricated data?" "She¡­ made a video about¡­." Kaylee listened to Osbert carefully about Danielle''s video, which made Kaylee surprised. She couldn''t even believe that Osbert had the ess card to the fifth floor and took something from her private room. No. What made her feel confident that the video was fabricated because she knew there was no CCTV camera on the fifth floor. That ce was her personal space, and she disliked letting random peoplee to her most private room. "Impossible. Wendy couldn''t have done it. What did she do it for?" "I have no idea, miss. She and your assistant have been oppressing me for almost a year. They gave me a formidable job and tried to make me quit working there. But I genuinely like my job. I enjoy working at your ce, miss. Unfortunately, I don''t know why your two colleagues hate me." Kaylee felt a dilemma in facing Osbert''s statement. On the one hand, she felt sure that Danielle and Wendy would not be so mean to someone, but on the other hand¡­ she felt¡­ Osbert was not telling the truth. She didn''t know Danielle as much as she knew Wendy. Danielle had only worked as her assistant for two years, while Wendy¡­ that girl had been her friend for more than twenty years, and she knew very well the character and nature of her best friend. That girl was wicked and often tricked her into doing things beyond her means. But Wendy never forced her, and the girl knew very well what Kaylee could do and what she could not do. Kaylee even felt that Wendy seemed to know her quite well¡­ more than herself. Therefore¡­ if Wendy decided to bully Osbert and tried to get rid of that man from her¡­ it means that Wendy is protecting her. Could it be because that she was starting to feel ufortable about Osbert''s excess attention? Did Wendy feel her difort and misrepresent it? "Maybe, Wendy misunderstood your good intentions." Osbert looked at Kaylee with a confused look. "You always give me a gift every time youe to work and to be honest... I feel a little ufortable with your gift." "You don''t like it?" "It''s not that I don''t like it¡­ but¡­ I would prefer it if you didn''t give me extra gifts. I think Wendy noticed my difort and misunderstood me to think I wanted you fired. I will try to talk to her after this." Unbeknownst to Kaylee, Osbert clenched his hands tightly into fists. Fortunately, there was a counter table that became a barrier between the two of them. Otherwise, everyone could see the two fists on either side of Osbert''s body and would think that man wanted to hit the girl standing in front of him. Even though at this moment Osbert was feeling angry and wanted to hit something, his expression remained t and showed nothing. He didn''t think Kaylee Roe would still trust Wendy more than him. It seemed that he underestimated the close bond between Kaylee and Wendy. Chapter 94 - Ch. 94 Osberts Favor Kaylee didn''t understand what made Wendy bully Osbert without her knowledge and fired this poor man without her permission. Even so, she still believed in Wendy and did not carelessly order this young man to go back to work for her. Wendy liked to act on her own terms, but the girl always had a reason behind her actions. Therefore, Kaylee needed to talk to her best friend first before offering this young man to return to work at her ce. "I''m sorry to hear that. I''m going to talk to her, and you can try to find another job in the meantime. After all, working as an office boy at my ce isn''t a suitable job for you." "Thank you, miss. I will do that. But¡­ could you do me a favor?" "What is it?" "Would you like to have dinner with me?" asked the young man sheepishly as if he wasn''t the stalker that followed her for the past year or so. "That¡­" Kaylee scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly as she thought of a way to refuse this young man''s invitation without hurting him. She''s still traumatized because she hurt Jacob''s feelings without realizing it. Kaylee didn''t mean to hurt her first male friend''s feelings, but stupidly, she did. Even though Osbert was not her best friend and Kaylee didn''t have bad blood with this young man, she still respected this young man. She honors everyone she meets, especially if that person has worked at her ce for a year. But that didn''t mean she would grant Osbert''s wish, not when she felt some strange ufortable feeling every time that young man relentlessly gave her a gift. "Please, miss. Just one dinner, and I will never bother you," begged Osbert with a pleading expression that made Kaylee unable to refuse it. ''Go from there! Stay away from him!'' a thunderous voice buzzed in her head, making her almost dizzy. This voice appeared again. This voice always urred when Kaylee was experiencing something that was very unfavorable to her. Kaylee remembered when a group of envious girls surrounded her because Kaylee was the favorite and the genius of the whole campus; this voice appeared to warn her not to fall into the girls'' trap. Or when Kaylee walked into her apartmentte at night and saw some drunken street men from afar smoking or drinking. This voice told her to turn around and head back to the highway to go to Wendy''s house instead. And this time, the same voice came back as if Osbert nned something to harm her. The innocent girl also remembered when Wendy tried to persuade her to fire Osbert and vilify the young man without giving him any evidence. Of course, Kaylee rebuffed her best friend''s proposal because she didn''t want to fire people for no reason. Moreover, Kaylee knew that Osbert had no one and was struggling alone. The man also hasn''t found a job that suits his passion and feels at home working at her ce. Kaylee could not bear to fire the man and make Osbert unemployed. "Miss Roe?" Osbert''s soft, hoarse voice brought Kaylee back from her reverie world. She looked towards Osbert''s face and stared straight at those two eyes that looked sincere, hoping that she would grant his wish. "I''m sorry, Osbert. But I''m engaged. I don''t want my fianc¨¦ to misunderstand when he found out I had dinner with another man. Please, understand me." "Fianc¨¦? I''ve heard it." was his nonchnt response. Osbert hid his anger and jealousy so skillfully as if he didn''t care whether Kaylee was engaged or not. "But, miss, if you don''t mind, I have to say, that man doesn''t deserve you. He even has another woman behind your back. He doesn''t love you at all." Kaylee gripped her oversize shirt tightly heard it. She did not feel suspicious how Osbert could find out that Den had another girl without her knowing. The only thing that was on her mind right now was the scene where Den treated Leticia Campbell with such attentiveness as if she was the most significant person in the man''s life. Kaylee felt her heart sink again and helplessly. She wanted to end her miserable feelings by discussing them directly with Den butcked the courage to face reality. "Miss, just one dinner. I promise I will help you out of your misery." offered Osbert so softly to make Kaylee believe he genuinely thinks of the best for her. "Okay." finally, Kaylee agreed to his request and ignored the warning voice in her mind. If Den could make out with other girls, why couldn''t she? Plus, it''s not like she would cheating on him. This would be friendly dining and not more than that. She would not imitate what her fianc¨¦e had done. Kaylee nned to stop by her studio after this, but when she heard that Den was in the lobby of her studio, Kaylee decided to wait for Osbert toe home from work at the appointment cafe. The man insisted on dining at a cafe on a small street where there are hardly any pedestrians passing the road. Osbert told her that even though the restaurant was small, the food there was delicious and convinced her that Kaylee would like the cooking. Having promised to have dinner with the young man, Kaylee had no choice but to follow the young man''s wishes. Osbert''s work had only finished around six in the evening, which meant Kaylee still had half an hour to wait. Kaylee decided to order a drink first while browsing the inte on her smartphone. Kaylee looked for the hit song, and the appearance of the name ck Moon on the first homepage made her cringe. Right now, she has two contradicting feelings in her heart responding to the presentation of his fianc¨¦''s stage name on the top hits single album. She felt proud and excited about Den''s sess at the same time; she felt discouraged to hear the man''s newest song. Ever since she had witnessed Den betray her first-hand, Kaylee felt pessimistic about her fianc¨¦. All that man''s act of love that seduced her and gave her all thefort and euphoria that she had never felt before suddenly felt bitter in her heart. She no longer wanted to think about that man or Den''s expression of love which was so sweet and took her flying high. In the end, she decided to quit browsing the link and put on the Adams song to get either Den or ck Moon out of her mind. The Adams''s music genre was so different from Den''s that listening to Nichs''s country-rock music made her think less of Den. Strangely, as soon as she listened to the serene song of the Adams, her eyelids felt heavy, and she didn''t know how many times she yawned. Very weird. Why is she feeling so sleepy? What time is it? Kaylee peeked at her smartphone screen to see a row of numbers. The moment she realized that there were still fifteen minutes before Osbert came, Kaylee decided to rest her eyes by closing them. Without realizing it, she fell asleep soundly as soon as her eyes were closed. Not long after, a man came over to her and carried her out the back door. Strangely enough, the barista did not stop him and gave a knowing smirk. In her sleep, Kaylee dreamed of the same two girls back. The two girls are herself and her sister. Kaylee nced around and noticed the two of them were sitting in the fountain, watching the people walking with great interest. "See? I told you there are countless handsome young men in this country." "Ew, sister. I came here to lure you home and note here to¡­ to¡­ watch over the boys here." "My sweet sister," teased the elder sister while hugging the younger sister''s shoulders. "You like two guys at the same time, but you haven''t realized it." "Ha?? What do you mean? Who do I like?" Kaylee frowned upon hearing the elder sister''s taunts at her. How did her sister know she liked two boys at the same time? She never even met her sister, and only Wendy and Nick know about this. But, this feeling¡­ was she dreaming¡­ or was it her buried memory? "You think I don''t know about that ck moon guy?" In an instant, Kaylee''s ck pearl eyes opened wide when she heard the name ''ck Moon''ing out of her sister''s mouth. Miraculously, she still remembered what she dreamed of, as if she had just experienced it a few minutes ago. She even remembered; her face looked younger than now. Maybe¡­ she''s still fifteen? Or¡­ seventeen? Kaylee isn''t too sure of the answer either. Precisely because of this, she wondered. Was ck Moon her sister meant... Den ck? Does that mean¡­ she had met that man before? Kaylee wanted to find the answer when she felt she couldn''t move her hands. Kaylee realized she was no longer inside the cafe room but in an unfamiliar ce! Where is this?! Chapter 95 - Ch. 95 Second Stalker A young man with chestnut hair and a charming smile could attract women so effortlessly was sitting and reading a magazine feeling bored. ''Track the person and watch his movements. Report to me if he approaches Kaylee Zouch.'' that''s the mission given by his master. He had been watching his ''target'' for more than two days without any meaningful results. This is the third day, and there is still no sign of this person doing anything suspicious. After Osbert was fired and no longer worked at Roe''s studio, the young man applied to be a cashier at a candy shop. He recently found out that this candy shop is one of the ces that Kaylee Zouch frequently goes to when she craved some sweets. The spectator peeked through the slit of the shop window to observe the interaction between his master''s wife and the creepy stalker. For a moment, the stalker''s expression looked casual, as if the two of them were old friends making simple pleasantries. One would never think that that shy-looking man was Kaylee Zouch''s maniac stalker. After making sure Kaylee Zouch walked out of the candy shop without the stalker following her, Kristopher McCoy''s shoulder muscles rxed. At least he doesn''t have to appear to block the annoying stalker. Well, he craved to be in a fight as he was a fighter, but he definitely didn''t want to scare off his master''s wife. Kris had been keeping an eye on Osbert for a full twenty-four hours until he learned the man''s home address. Nothing fishy and nothing to get his adrenaline pumping. It was pretty much boring, but he did his assignment seriously. Since he had nothing else to do but watch Osbert, Kristopher was bored to death and enlightened himself by reading a porn magazine. Why did his master order him to watch Osbert''s movement? Den did inform him that Osbert is Kaylee''s stalker, but Kristopher couldn''t find something fishy about the man. If Osbert were a stalker, then that young man wouldn''t find a new job and keep stalking Kaylee every time. But¡­ now¡­ it seemed like he had officially be Osbert''s stalker considering he had been monitoring the young man''s every move for twenty-four hours in two days. Osbert took off his employee uniform shirt and walked out of the shop as the clock showed ten to six. Kristopher nced at his watch and was suddenly confused. Why did that young mane home from work ten minutes earlier than usual? Skilfully, Kris walked, following Osbert from a distance without being noticed. He didn''t have to worry that he would lose track of the man as he had controlled a ping pong ball-sized mini drone from above to keep an eye on the man. Kris felt a slight feeling ominous when he realized that Osbert was walking into an area that people quite rarely visited. His adrenaline rose, and a crooked smile was stered on his mafia-like face. Will something interesting happens in the end? Will he end up fighting and throwing his fists at will? His whole nervous system was itching so badly he wanted to hit someone, and he couldn''t because his master forbade him. But his master did not forbid him to defend himself or hold back when someone was about to hurt Kaylee Zouch. Because of that, Kristopher was very excited to look forward to what he will face. And something indeed happened! Someone suddenly appeared to attack him with a small de. Kristopher was excited and eager to beat his opponent, but he did not expect to see the most beautiful girl he had ever seen before. And apparently, that girl was very skilled at using knives!! Fortunately, Kristopher has a principle of not hurting beautiful girls, parents, and children. If not, he would have grabbed the cute girl''s tiny hands and hit the nape of her neck, causing her to faint. But he didn''t. On the contrary, he enjoyed taking the girl''s attack that he could ward it off so smoothly. The girl''s expression that looked calm while holding back frustration looked so charming that he wanted to hold her in his arms. Her straight shoulder-length caramel hair flutters in such a way that it reminded him of his favorite caramel candy. Not to mention, the girl had breath-taking gorgeous hazel eyes that made him want to linger looking at those eyes. "Hey, beauty. Why are you attacking me? Isn''t itmon for girls to use knives in the kitchen?" Kristopher could see the girl clenched her jaw in disgust when she heard his mocking tone. Kristopher didn''t mean to ridicule her, but the tone of his voice sounded offensive to the girl''s ear. "Who are you?" "Oh, you want to know my name? I will tell you my name after you tell me yours." "I don''t need it!" hissed the girl. "What do you want from the young miss? Why are you following her!?" Kristopher tilted his head in confusion, wondering, since when has he been following a girl? What''s more¡­ the longer he looked at the girl''s beautiful face, the more he felt he had seen her face. Where has he seen her? Then he remembered seeing a photo showing the face of Kaylee Zouch and the people around her. Even though this girl''s appearance looked different but she was undoubtedly Kaylee Zouch''s assistant! "You... Are you Danielle Wilkinson?" Dani gripped the knife tighter, increasing her guard against this strange man. How did this mboyant guy know her name? "Who are you? You better leave now before I hurt you." Dani''s threat made Kristopher smile lopsidedly. Kris knew very well that the girl could not possibly hurt him because the girl''s attack had not been able to hurt him at all. Not that the girl''s skill with the knife could be underestimated. Who would have thought Kaylee Zouch''s assistant wasn''t just an ordinary assistant? Even though he felt confident he could beat this girl young, Kristopher raised his hands in surrender. After all, he didn''t want to hurt a girl as beautiful as this extremely mysterious assistantdy. "I admit defeat, but unfortunately, I can''t just go, miss. My master will kill me if I don''tplete my task." "Who is your master?" inquired Dani in a demanding tone as if she refused any objection. "Den ck." was his straightforward answer to cause Dani had thunder-struck for a second. Den ck? "Den ck told you to stalk the young miss?" Dani knows that Den ck has noticed Osbert stalking Kaylee, but she didn''t expect that man to send someone else to be Kaylee''s second stalker!? "Woah, hold it there. I''m not here to stalk your young miss, which is my master''s wife." "They are not married." "They will soon enough." Kris is very familiar with the character Den, and the man definitely won''t wait long to im Kaylee Zouch as his wife. Danielle frowned in disgust at his brazenment. Like a master like a loyal dog! Both of them were shameless! "Then? If you''re not stalking my mistress, why are you here?" "I''m following the stalker¡­" his words paused when he realized something. It seemed that Danielle had thought the same thing because now the girl''s face had turned white as snow. "Shit!!" The two of them directly dashed towards a small cafe that Kaylee entered a few moments ago. Danielle cast her eyes across the room frantically looking for her young miss, but¡­ she found no sign of hers. "Miss Kaylee..." Danielle quickly reached into her white table and turned on one of the applications there. She didn''t care if the ''second stalker'' approached her to see what he was doing. "You put a tracking device on her?" "I had to." Danielle frowned furthermore when she saw a red signal flickering around them. That means the tracking device that she put into Kaylee''s backpack was still in this room. Knowing this made her hope that Kaylee was still not kidnapped. However, her hopes were shattered when she saw Kaylee''s brown backpack in one of the chairs here. "Hey, by any chance, do you happen to know where the owner of the bag went?" Dani could hear the voice of Den''s men asking a barista, but right now, what she''s focused on is giving Mr. Zouch a report about Kaylee''s situation. "No. I just arrived here." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I''m sure. I didn''t see her¡­ Ugh !!" Danielle gasped in shock when she heard broken ss, and her eyes widened wide when she saw the ''second stalker'' was choking the barista''s neck. "Did I ever mention the gender? How did you know it was a ''her'' if you''ve just arrived? Shall we start again? Where.is.she?" For a second, Dani couldn''t take her eyes off at this sudden change in this man''s demeanor. Previously, this second stalker seemed yful and not serious about doing his job, but the next second, this man turned into a domineering bad wolf! Who is this guy? What is his name? Dani couldn''t help but ask these questions. Chapter 96 - Ch. 96 Please, Save Me! Den was still in the studio''s cafeteria when he received a report from Kristopher about Kaylee''s disappearance. Once he got the news, he walked out to his office and ordered the entire team to track down Osbert and Kaylee Zouch. Meanwhile, Dani rxed casually at the cafe, watching Kris'' interrogate'' the barista. This cafe was not big and was on the corner of a small street with hardly any pedestrians passing it. And the only people who work here are the barista. Judging from the look on the barista''s face and gray hair, the older man was probably in his fifties or sixties. "I don''t know... I really don''t know... He just told me to give the girl sleeping pills. Then he took her to the back door." said the old man nervously with fear. Kris let go of his strangle and then smiled again when he stared at Dani. Dani did not care about the young man''s smile because, at this time, there was only one thing that filled her mind. She had to find Kaylee right away. The caramel-haired girl rapidly walked towards the back door and investigated every corner of this street. She chuckled in annoyance when she found out that there weren''t any cameras around. Dani couldn''t figure out which path Osbert took, either. "Hey, mboyant guy." ''mboyant guy? Does she mean me?'' Kris nced from the direction of his shoes to his clothes, which are winter clothes that are generally worn by young people today. Why did that girl call him a mboyant guy? "Aren''t you already stalking that bastard? Do you know where he lives?" "I know. But this guy is so smart. He won''t bring yourdy over to his house. After all, my partner is there to watch over his house for twenty-four hours. We''ll soon find out whether they are there or not." "Why do you look rxed?" "Because I''m sure my master will find Miss Zouch." Dani was somewhat relieved to hear this. She also knew Mister Zouch must also be looking for his missing daughter. Osbert¡­ that man is courting death. Mister Zouch won''t let him live this time. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Den and his team searched for Kaylee''s whereabouts, they did not find a single CCTV camera that caught the figure of Osbert or Kaylee. Both of them seem to disappear as if the earth swallowed them, making Den even more agitated and eager to beat someone up. Of course, the target was none other than Osbert. How dare that stalker kidnap his wife!? Who knows how many times Den nced at the clock, and his heart grew increasingly restless. It''s been almost four hours since he heard Kaylee was kidnapped, but no one has been able to find her. "Sir, we won''t be able to find her if we insist on using the regr system. We have to use that." Den was silent for a moment. The ''that'' is something new program created by his secret elite team and has never been tested directly in the field. But if ''that'' could find his wife in an instant, then Den would use it even though the risk to hispany was huge. "Alright, activate ''that'' now!" "Yes, sir." On the other hand, Kaylee just woke up, and a tremendous panic attacked her entire nervous system. Where is this? Why are her hands tied? Shouldn''t she be at a cafe and awaiting Osbert''s arrival? Why is she here now? Kaylee also realized that her shoes had been removed, and her winter coat was no longer on her body. What was on her body now a white long sleeve turtle neck shirt and the jeans she wore for college. And what made her even more panicked was when she saw countless photos filling the walls of this room. And those photos are¡­ her!! Kaylee saw her photo when she appeared as Roe ying the piano on stage, or when she appeared as Kaylee and met Jacob and dated Den. Her heart was pounding with fear at the rows of photos, and she felt cold water ssh her whole body from her head when she saw an arrow-like needle stuck in Den''s photo... on his head. She''s worried. She''s afraid that someone might hurt Den. Kaylee''s face turned pale like an unadorned doll when Kaylee captured the photo of two young peopleing out of the campus gate. This person¡­ this person also knows that she went to campus using Nick''s appearance!? Who? Who was stalking her? Kaylee''s breathing was getting faster and faster, and she started to feel tight and dizzy. She even couldn''t hold her frantic heartbeat. Usually, her heart would be pounding when she was with Den, but at that time, she felt safe,fortable and found peace when she was with him. But now¡­ her heart was pounding due to intense fear. Kaylee was unable to control her panic and carelessly tried to free her two bounded hands. Tears began to gather in her eyes as she also realized she was alone and that no one was helping her. "Shhh..." Kaylee shuddered in horror when she heard a voice from behind her. She was too scared to look back. She didn''t dare to find out who had kidnapped her. Kaylee swallowed hard and let the tears drip from the corners of her eyes when she felt the bed under her buttocks slide down. Kaylee groaned in disgust as she felt the soft touch of her earlobe and her tears grew more and more profusely as the man rolled his knuckle down her arm. "Miss Roe," Hearing the familiar voice in her ears made Kaylee''s heart suddenly stop. Osbert? The one who kidnapped her and tied her hands was¡­ Osbert? She should have listened to Wendy. She should have fired this man long ago without giving him a chance to n his kidnapping. "You are the most lovely creature I''ve ever met. As soon as I saw you, I knew right away that you would be mine." Kaylee shifted her head away when she felt Osbert''s breath on her face. Her tears continued to flow without her being able to control them. When Kaylee felt Osbert about to kiss her cheek, Kaylee mmed her shoulder against the kidnapper''s body with all her might. Osbert didn''t expect her to attack and now fell from the bed groaning in pain. Kaylee wasted no time and immediately took this opportunity to escape from this room. But her hands were tied behind her back, and she had a hard time opening the door to this room without knowing that Osbert had locked it. "NOOOO!!!" Kaylee screamed as her body was lifted and thrown over the kidnapper''s shoulder as if she weighed as a feather. The kidnapper threw her back on the bed and the man jumped on her to feast on her. "LET ME GO!!!" Kaylee tried to struggle but had difficulty avoiding this evil stalker''s assault due to her bounded hands. She felt a sloppy wet kiss on her ears, jaw, neck, and down to... Kaylee closed her eyes because she couldn''t stand the assault and kept crying. ''Den, please save me. Someone¡­ anyone¡­ sister¡­.'' Miraculously, Kaylee was no longer on the bed where Osbert was pinning her down. She stood in the middle of the darkness with no light or ground to set her feet on. However, she could still stand up as if there was a solid object to rest her feet. What is this ce? Kaylee was anxious standing in an unknown ce. But she felt that it was better to be here than to face that creepy stalker. Kaylee squatted by hugging her knees to bury her head. Then she cried her heart out there until she felt a very bright light from the front. The poor girl lifted her head and saw the light as she swallowed nervously. What is that light? Was that light the way out, or... was she going back to the terrifying scene earlier? "Kaylee!" Kaylee gasped in shock at the sound of a man calling her name. She promptly rose to her feet, and at that moment, she realized she was in another ce. Her hands were no longer tied this time, but she felt pain in her right hand from her shoulder to her wrist. Her whole body was shivering with cold because she was standing outside without wearing her jacket. How could she be here suddenly? But she doesn''t care. Her nightmare was gone, and now Den found her. The light she saw in the darkness earlier was the light of Den''s car. This made Kaylee feel immense relief and almost fell unconscious because she felt so tired. "Kaylee! Thank goodness." Kaylee grimaced in pain as the man hugged her tightly. Instantly the man''s body warmed over her cold body, and Kaylee did not mind being embraced by the man even though her hand felt painful. She didn''t feel disgusted at all or had the urge to wriggle when she felt Den shower her head with light kisses. "De¡­ Den¡­" Kaylee called out to the man hoarsely. "I''m here." Den loosened his hug to see his wife''s face. Kaylee started crying again when she saw the handsome man''s face looking at her with love and worry. "Den¡­ huwaaa¡­ I''m afraid¡­ he¡­ he¡­." Den tightened her hug, then nced at Kristopher, who had juste out of Osbert''s hideout who had locked Kaylee. Kristopher shook his head guiltily, causing Den''s pair of eyes to darken dangerously. That creepy stalker got away!? Chapter 97 - Ch. 97 Perverted Dream A young couple entered one of the most expensive suites in a hotel room. The girl who walked first entered their room and then looked at her lover. "Mister, did you rent a nice room on purpose to impress me?" "No." the man took off his oversize coat and then continued to unbutton his shirt. "I want to make you feelfortable." The girl walked over to the man and put her hands around his neck with a seductive smile. "Making love to you is enough to make me feel good. I love your kisses." "And I will kiss you again." the man pulled the girl closer against his sturdy body to im her sexy alluring red apple-like lips. They are entangled in a hot passion where the man walks forward while removing the girl''s fur coat and throwing it somewhere. They continued to walk towards the bed until the back of the girl''s knee hit the surface of the bed, making them fall lying on the bed with the girl beneath the man''s monstrous body. The man moved his hand from the girl''s delicate neck to descending to one of her curvy mounds. The girl sighed deliciously in the man''s mouth as she felt the soft squeeze on her breasts. The man was not satisfied just feeling the mound from behind the shirt so that his hand crept down and lifted the girl''s shirt. As soon as hisrge hand touched the skin of her slender belly, the girl squeezed the hair of the man''s head. The girl opened her eyes to see the man''s face and savor his handsome face. Miraculously, the girl just realized that the man''s face was¡­ Den!! Instantly Kaylee woke up from her dream with her heart rumbling loudly and breathing fast. What is this? What is this? Why did she dream like that with Den? How can she think of lecherous deeds in her dreams?? Is it because she has a hidden desire for that man without knowing it so that it appeared as a dream? Or because she almost¡­ Instantly her face turned pale when she remembered that she had been kidnapped by Osbert and almost got molested by that man. What happened? Kaylee tried to remember what happenedst night when Osbert almost raped her, but nothing in mind. How did she get out of there? How did Den find her? Kaylee tried to wake up, and her heart froze when something held her body. She can''t move! Was there another kidnapper who tied her up? "Shh. Do not move. It''s still too early. Sleep a few more hours." Kaylee''s body rxed when she heard a soothing whisper from above her head. "Den?" "En." Currently, Kaylee is sleeping on her side facing sideways with her right side facing up. Den''s right hand secured her body by wrapped around her waist and spooned her from behind. That''s why Kaylee didn''t know someone was sleeping with her when she woke up. Surprisingly, Kaylee didn''t mind that Den slept next to her. Since she felt terrified and disgusted by the other man''s touch, she felt veryfortable in her fianc¨¦''s arms. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. I won''t let anyone hurt you." Somehow Den found out Kaylee couldn''t sleep for fear that someone would attack her. She''s afraid she''ll see the creepy stalker''s face instead of Den when she awake. "Will you be here when I wake up?" "I''ll always be here." was the soothing answer while giving a light kiss on her crown. "Sleep now, love." Kaylee turned around because she wished she could see her fianc¨¦''s face. She winced as her right hand ached the instant it came into contact with Den''s sturdy chest. Kaylee was sure that her touch was very light, but why did it hurt so bad? "Don''t move, Kaylee." "But... I want to see you." was her response meekly. Under normal circumstances, Den would tease his bunny to the point Kaylee flushed like a boiled crab. But right now, Kaylee''s condition was not good, and terrified. Thus, Den didn''t taunt the poor girl. Instead, the man straightened his body and lifted Kaylee''s body to move to his right, making Kaylee confused. Den moved Kaylee''s body with great care as if he was afraid his every move would hurt her tiny body. Afterying Kaylee on his right, Den slipped his right hand to act as Kaylee''s pillow, and his left hand slipped carefully under Kaylee''s right arm. Once again, Kaylee felt the same pain in her right hand as Den''s hand hugged her waist and nudged her right hand. However, because Den''s movements were very careful, Kaylee was still able to tolerate the pain. "What happens with my hand?" "We will talk tomorrow. Now, sleep." There is something odd about Den. She detected an angry tone stifled in his voice, but the man tried hard to cover up his anger with his gentleness. Kaylee snuggled her head deeper and felt she was at her home when she smelled the musky scent. The man''s hand stroked her back gently, making Kaylee wanted to caress him too. However, every time Kaylee tried to move her right hand, she could barely bear the pain. Even so, she didn''t give up and swallowed all the painful moans down her throat until her hands rested on Den''s sturdy arm. Den''s pair of ck eyes softened when he noticed the slight movement. He knew that Kaylee was in pain, but the girl wanted to reach him out. Ever since he found Kaylee walking out of thene holding her right hand, Den felt very angry at whoever hurt his wife. Kaylee''s right hand was covered in blood, making him want to kill someone. Fortunately, his trusted doctor told him that most of the blood on Kaylee''s hands was not the girl''s blood. Kaylee''s only injuries were bruises and abrasions, and there were swollen lumps on her elbows and wrists. Looks like¡­ Kaylee won''t be able to y piano or guitar for the next few days. Knowing this made Den feel extremely angry. He knew Kaylee truly liked ying the piano. That girl even once told him, just by ying the piano, Kaylee could forget all her problems and sadness. But now¡­ her precious right hand was injured, and her wrist got swollen. He mes that annoying bastard who keeps stalking his wife. But on the other hand, he also med himself. Den should have insisted on seeing Kaylee even though the girl tried to avoid him. He felt regretful and decided from today; he would not take his eyes off his priceless wife. *** A girl was sitting under a tree while drawing something on her sketchbook. She was too engrossed in her job until she didn''t realize that her younger sister approached her. "Hey, sis. Isn''t today a bright day? Don''t you want to take a walk with me? Let''s go shopping!" "Papa froze my card, remember? I can''t go." "We can use mine." The older sister snorted sarcastically at that. "Let me guess, Uncle Pierre has your card." Her younger sister''s face flushed at the remark. "How do you know?" "Papa already knew you would lend me yours. So I won''t be surprised if he told our uncle to keep your card." The younger sister scratched the nape of her neck without being able to say anything. "Btw, what did you do during those two days in the patient room? I even heard you ying the piano in one of the therapy rooms." "Ah, that. I y the piano for someone." "Who?" "ck Moon." For the umpteenth time, Kaylee woke up from her dream. She dreamt of the same two girls. Kaylee and her sister¡­ and now she''s the one who says the name, ck Moon! Was the ck Moon she mentioned in her dreams the same man she thought of? Why did she dream of a ck moon twice in a row? Had she met Den before? Kaylee blinked a few times and realized this room was not as dark as to when she woke up the first time. Sunlightes in, illuminating the room through the bedroom window. And just as Den promised, the man was still with her¡­ embraced her protectively. Kaylee tilted her head to look at the handsome man''s face and realized Den was still fast asleep. The little bunny took this opportunity to admire his devilishly handsome face starting from his eyebrows¡­ his eyshes¡­ his sharp and firm-looking nose¡­ to a pair of hot lips that she had felt several times. Instantly she remembered her lecherous dream in which Den fondled her passionately while the man''s hand groped to feel the curve of her body. Kaylee tried to get rid of the perverted thoughts from her brain, but why did she feel that her dream was so real? Kaylee shook her head quickly to get rid of that pervert dream from her memory. It''s just a dream. It never happened, and she was sure¡­ Den wouldn''t take her to the hotel. If only Den could hear her mind, he would have said, ''I will take you to my room.'' "Morning," Kaylee gasped when she heard the hoarse voice from the man making her face feel hot. "Morning," she replied in a sheepish voice. "We looked like a married couple, don''t we?" and here he was¡­ back to tease the little bunny again. Kaylee: ¡­ Chapter 98 - Ch. 98 Her Old Self (Part 1) Kaylee has often been rendered speechless to the point where she lost counts. Maybe because she was used to her fianc¨¦''s shameless words, Kaylee was no longer surprised. Plus, she was reminded of a dream where she mentioned the name ''ck Moon,'' which meant that there was a chance that she might have met this man. "Den, have we met before?" "Hm." "Seriously? Where? When?" "In my dreams and almost every day." Kaylee: ¡­ Where did this guy learn these cheesy answers until it made her at a loss for words? Alright. She surrenders now. Kaylee would think what she saw was just a dream. Now she wanted to find out what happened to her hand and how she could escape Osbert. "Den, I¡­" "Aren''t you hungry? I''ve ordered people to make fish soup for you." Why did Kaylee feel like this man was trying to avoid her question? But when she heard her favorite fish soup, her stomach rumbled, so she decided to fill her stomach first and then speak. "I am hungry." Den smiled with satisfaction and released his embrace carefully without hurting her injured right hand. "Wait here. I will bring it for you." Kaylee nodded slowly, and only after the man came out of the room, the girl nced at her hand. How shocked she was when she saw purple bruises on her upper arms and swollen lumps on her elbows and wrists. Her hands¡­ her hands¡­ like an elephant!! Ugly as hell!!! It seemed Kaylee didn''t even think about the cause of her injury, which made her unable to y the piano, but more worried about the appearance of her hands. author: [-_-] Kaylee nced around and found out that this ce was not a hospital. Even if she was put into a VIP room, she knew very well that this ce wasn''t a hospital. There was no distinctive smell of medicine from the hospital or any sign that this room was a hospital room. The arrangement of this room, the furniture, and theptop on the work desk made her feel sure she was in Den''s room. Wait, what?? Den''s... room?! Now she''s at that guy''s house?! Kaylee panicked and quickly opened the nket that covered her, and no one could measure how big her eyes opened when she saw what she saw. Currently, she is wearing a pink knee-length nightgown. The nightgown was neither sexy nor revealing, but¡­ Who changed her clothes!? Inevitably Kaylee remembered her lecherous dream and started to wonder. What if what she saw wasn''t a dream? What if Den did take the opportunity to devour her? No. It is impossible. Although Den was very shameless and often cornered her, he never forced her. Moreover, she remembered well in her dream, the two of them entered the hotel and¡­ Her face heated up, thinking about Den''s big hand cupping and squeezed one of her breasts. Oh no. Why did she now even imagined how it would feel if the man''s hand on her chest? What was going on was just a dream, yet it felt so real, as if they were doing it in the real world. Kaylee wondered if it would feel the same if¡­ Kaylee shook her head hard to get rid of all indecent thoughts from inside her head. Kaylee patted her cheek, using her left hand alternately to relieve her rising body heat. How strange, why did the room temperature suddenly get hot? The perverted girl was too busy to reduce the heat so that she didn''t realize the door was open again, and Den went inside carrying the food tray. Den was surprised to see Kaylee''s flushed face and couldn''t help but worry. Does the girl have a fever? Den ced the food tray on the nightstand near the bed and then put his hand on Kaylee''s forehead. Kaylee''s body temperature looked normal, but strangely¡­ that girl''s face was getting even redder? Den wondered what his little bunny was thinking and wanted to tease her. But he had to make sure Kaylee finished her food first, so he gave up his intent. Since Kaylee couldn''t use her right hand, she needed someone''s help to feed her. And Den happily epted his role of serving the warm soup into Kaylee''s mouth. At first, Kaylee was worried that her fianc¨¦ would tease her and make her helpless. But this man did nothing but fed her in gentle and showed her a sweet soothing smile. Kaylee was relieved and finished her soup deliciously while trying to hide her ugly hands under the covers. After all, she is a girl who is in love. She doesn''t want to look ugly in front of the man she loves. Therefore she hid her hand, forgetting the fact that Den had seen her hand when the doctor treated and applied an ointment to her swollen elbow and wrist. Far away from Den''s house, Mister Zouch stroked the agate ring on his finger as he heard the report from Danielle. Britney Zouch also heard it and sat limply on the sofa while trying to hold back sad tears. "Why didn''t you tell me someone was stalking her?" "I don''t want you to worry." was the short answer from Mister Zouch. "She''s going to get depressed again." "Then, it''s good. The greater her depression and fear, the sooner she would return to her old self. Danielle, how did she react when you found her?" "She was crying in terror, sir. Mister ck directly took her to his house and called the doctor to treat her wound." Mister Zouch seemed displeased with this report. "That means she''s not back yet," added Britney. "Now that you know, our daughter will be fine. She didn''t want to go back to us, so her defense system would make her think of something else. Right now¡­ her mind must be diverted to something elsepletely unrted to the events of the night." Britney Zouch took a deep, heavy breath, hearing this. Mister Zouch knew that his wife believed their daughter would never return, but he knows¡­ just a little more¡­ he would have his daughter back. Mister Zouch had heard reports of Kaylee''s right hand being injured. If the girl fell with the right side of her body and hit the floor, the right leg and head would also be injured. But in reality, only Kaylee''s right arm was injured, and there were several minor wounds on her left hand. Not only that, but his men also gave him a photo showing a broken door as if something broke it by force. He also noticed the floor covered in blood and positively not Kaylee''s blood. That means Kaylee had fought and hit the kidnapper and forced the door by mming her shoulder against it. Kaylee sprained her wrist when her body fell along with the door she broke. That was how her hand got swollen. Mister Zouch himself taught martial arts to her daughter to protect herself wherever she was. The older man closed his eyes to imagine the scenario he could think of. When Kaylee felt fear and despair¡­ then her old self came to the surface to help her. (shback) Kaylee''s body instantly stopped shaking, making Osbert perplexed and stopped his action. He truly wanted to make love and wanted to be the first to take her virginity. But he didn''t want to do it when his girl fell unconscious. Osbert wanted to hear Roe''s voice no matter if the girl was screaming for help or crying. As long as he could hear her voice as he plucks her virgin barrier, Osbert was satisfied. "Miss Roe?" "Hm?" a sexy, seductive voice tickled Osbert''s ears. "You call me, darling?" Instantly Osbert''s heart jumped with joy to see the sweet smile on his girl''s face and the naughty wink on Roe''s eye. "Miss Roe, you¡­ look gorgeous!" praised Osbert with a look of adoration while stroking Kaylee''s cheek. This time Kaylee did not refuse his touch, and instead, she enjoyed his touch while putting on a smile. She even tilted her head a little to kiss Osbert''s palm making the young man''s heart skyrocket. Miss Roe loves him too! Fuck off, Den ck, and fuck off any other guy who approaches his Roe. The only one Roe liked was him! "Darling, you scared me. That''s why I rejected you. But, now I know you also like me. Aren''t you going to untie me? I also want to touch you." her words like a toxic word, but they enchanted a certain stalker''s heart. "Yes, I will untie your hands." Osbert untied the rope and let Kaylee sit opposite him. The young man groaned deliciously when Kaylee touched his thigh with a light touch. "See? I want to have fun too." Osbert closed his eyes, enjoying the intoxicating touch from the vixen, and was not at all suspicious when Kaylee changed her sitting position. The vixen girl sat behind him while stroking his chest seductively from behind. Kaylee nced sideways and found a pencil on the table. Skilfully, she picked up the pencil without being noticed, lifted it high, and then.... Chapter 99 - Ch. 99 Her Old Self (Part 2) Skilfully, she moved her hand to grab the pencil without being noticed, then raised her hand high and thrust it into Osbert''s left chest. "AAAAA!! You!!" Osbert quickly grabbed Kaylee''s left hand and threw her body on the bed. Thinking Kaylee was a weak girl without knowing how to defend herself, Osbert directly attacked the girl blindly by molesting her curve roughly. The urgent need stalker put one leg between Kaylee''s legs to open the girl''s thighs. Kaylee let him do it and gathered the weight of her body and all her strength into her knees which were just below this pervert stalker''s precious jewel. She bent her legs in a fast and hurried motion until her knee hit Osbert''s male part, causing the young man''s brain to stop thinking. Kaylee took the opportunity to push the man with her feet and walked towards the door. She remembered this disgusting stalker locked the door of this room, and it was wasting time to look for the key. Kaylee investigated the position of the door and realized it was open opposite her made her think about breaking it. The determined girl walked back a few steps and then pushed her body firmly until her right shoulder mmed into the door. After making several pounding and mming, Kaylee finally saw the results of the crack in the plywood door. Just one more time. Kaylee was sure she could open the door with another blow of her body. But just as she was getting ready to crash into the door, two strong arms seized her, rendering her unable to move. "What a feisty girl you are. Do those closest to you know the real you?" Kaylee didn''t answer and moved her right elbow forward before mming into Osbert''s stomach with great force. As soon as the stalker''s arms loosened, Kaylee bowed suddenly to push Osbert away from her, and in an instant, Kaylee came out of the man''s arms and now faced him with sharp ck eyes. Osbert did not expect that the weak-looking girl with calm and introverted nature had a strong defensive instinct and an overwhelming domineering aura like a female wolf. Even as Kaylee walked over to him, Osbert''s feet stepped back due to his unexpected fear. "Who... who are you?" "You''ve been stalking me through the year, and yet you don''t know who I am?" Osbert''s eyes widened in horror at the statement that this girl had known about his actions for this one year. "If... you already know... why..." Osbert could not continue his sentence because he was so scared. "Why did I let you stay in my ce?" Kaylee smirked cunningly made Osbert wet his pants. Osbert even could saw the two devil horns on the girl''s head when Kaylee sneered at him, looking at his wet pants. In that instant, Osbert let out a painful groan as he felt something stab into his face. It was harrowing, and he just realized Kaylee attacked him using the same pencil. "So I can do this!" hissed the furious vixen girl and scrapped Osbert''s face, constantly made the stalker wail in pain. Finally, he decided not to give up and fought Kaylee back by pushing the girl away. When Kaylee was off guard, Osbert quickly attacked her again and nned to fuck her rough, but Kaylee wouldn''t let the man do it. With an expert move, Kaylee kicked Osbert''s ankle and hit the back of Osbert''s knee, causing the stalker to kneel one leg. Kaylee promptly picked up an aluminum box that she had seen under the bed and mmed it on Osbert''s head. Kaylee was annoyed that her strength was not as strong as before, and she was not as agile as when she was younger. She cursed this stubborn, pervert man who still hadn''t passed out. Running out of idea, Kaylee unconsciously looked for another object she could use to defeat Osbert in despair. In an instant, she pulled out the arrow-like needle stuck in Den''s photo and thrust it into Osbert''s back, repeatedly making the young man scream in pain. Osbert tried to fight back, but Kaylee held the stalker''s body by pinning him down from above. Kaylee got out of control, and she didn''t know how many times she stabbed the needle in the young man''s back and neck until blood spurted out here and there. When Kaylee didn''t feel any movement from below, Kaylee stood up and stared at her hands that covered in blood with horror. No! Did¡­ did she kill someone again?? With rounded trembling hands but a determined mind, Kaylee once again broke through the door with the remaining strength she had. She managed to break through the door, but instead, she fell too and sprained her hand. Breathing fast and heart-pounding due to the shock of killing someone, Kaylee ran down the spiral stair in a hurry until her leg tripped and her right elbow hit the edge of the stair hard. Luckily, her reaction was quick enough that she didn''t roll over the top of the stairs to the bottom. But¡­ now, her entire right hand was in pain, causing tears to gather in her eyes. She walked quickly toward the highway. Kaylee didn''t know the area of ??this ce and had never been to this ce. She followed her instincts, and the moment she saw the headlights from the front and heard a voice calling her name, she decided to go back to her hiding zone. (shback end) Mister Zouch opened his eyes again while showing his satisfied smile. He knew his daughter would be back sooner orter. And when that time came, he wouldn''t have to hide his daughter''s face from the mass media. He didn''t even have to worry that ''person'' would kill his daughter. "Baby girl, hurry back. Your mother and I miss you." ''Seriously? Don''t you love my sister more?'' Mister Zouch turned his head towards the voice when he heard his daughter''s cold voice. He saw his daughter there¡­ with her hair tied back in a ponytail and lips as red as a poisoned apple. Her daughter''s outfit was also very revealing, with a short t-shirt that only covers her chest and hot pantsbined with ck stockings to cover her legs. She folded her hands in front of her chest in an arrogant manner. Her mouth chewed on something until a bubble of gum emerged from her mouth. This daughter of his was indeed wild and unrestrained, yet she was the most shining girl amongst others. "No. I love you both equally." Unfortunately¡­ her daughter wasn''t there to hear that.. What he saw was an illusion of missing his daughter too much. Chapter 100 - Ch. 100 Just Think About Me After taking medicine from the doctor and letting Den put the ointment on her hands, Kaylee felt extremely sleepy. It seemed that her drowsiness came from a side effect of the medicine she was taking. Kaylee held back her sleepiness because it was still daytime, and she had to go to campus to attend the afternoon ss. But¡­ how could she get to campus with swollen hands like this? It seemed that she had to skip ss this time and let her friends know that she wouldn''t be able to join the practice today. Kaylee tried to find her bag to contact her friends, and she remembered what happened yesterday. Kaylee left her backpack at the cafe, and it seemed¡­ it had gone. Miraculously¡­ she didn''t recall the kidnapping incident yesterday. Even as she remembered that she had been kidnapped and nearly raped, Kaylee felt neither traumatized nor afraid. Even the psychiatric doctor who examined her mental state praised her for having a heart of steel. Well, that doesn''t mean she haspletely forgotten about the horrific incident. But Kaylee felt¡­st night''s incident was like a nightmare that was no worth to mention. Hence, Kaylee didn''t think much of it. Even so, Kaylee felt very curious about how her right hand had been injured. She also wanted to know how she got out of Osbert''s ce. Currently, Den sat next to her to apany Kaylee to watch one of the television shows while the man was busy working on something on hisptop. Kaylee didn''t want to interfere with that guy''s job. What''s more, it seemed that the man didn''t get to work on purpose because he wanted to apany her. Thus, he could only work from home. But¡­ if Kaylee didn''t voice what''s in her mind, when would that man tell her? "Den, when are you going to tell me what happened to me?" Den''s hand stopped moving at her question. Kaylee could feel her fianc¨¦''s body tense, making her feel uneasy. Den took a deep breath, then closed hisptop and ced it on the table. After that, he positioned his body side-way to face his beloved girl while rubbing his hand on Kaylee''s cheek. "Don''t you remember it?" was his soft inquire. Kaylee shook her head before replying to the man''s question. "I don''t remember. Thest time I remember was when he¡­ he... tried to touch me..." Kaylee lowered her head gloomily, remembering that other people had kissed her forcefully. "Where?" "Ha?" Kaylee lifted her gaze to see his unfathomable look. "Where did he touch you?" As if unable to refuse to answer that question, Kaylee pointed her right cheek with her left fingers. "Over here." then her index finger moved down and lower, following her neckline to her right shoulder. The poor innocent girl had no idea her little action stirred something inside her predator fianc¨¦. Den shifted his position closer and closer until Kaylee could feel his breath. "Don''t think about other guys." the statement sounded like an order, but the tone of his voice sounded pleading. "Just think about me." Den nted his lips on Kaylee''s right cheek and lingered for a while, making Kaylee swallow nervously. The man''s warm lips shifted down and closer until they touched the lower tips of her ear causing Kaylee''s heartbeat to skyrocket. As expected. Kaylee only feltfortable and at ease when Den touched her. She remembered she was disgusted and wanted to run away when Osbert touched her with a lustful touch. "Den... what are you doing?" Kaylee''s breathing becamebor as Den bit her earlobe with his teeth. "Erase that annoying bug''s trace." was his straightforward answer causing a certain heart to almost jump out of its ce. His breath brought a hidden desire from inside her. Kaylee moaned in a delicious voice as if encouraging the man to give her secret demand. Den gave a light nip, bite and suck in great passion but careful in each his movement not to hurt her. Delcan lifted Kaylee''s body slowly and spread the girl''s legs to position her on both sides of his thigh. Now Kaylee looks like she was straddling him. Kaylee was still wearing her nightgown. She just found out a maid helped her change after the doctor cleaned her wound, making her feel relieved. At least Den didn''t attack her in her sleep. Now that her position straddled on her fianc¨¦''sp, her lower garment was lifted to give ess for Den''s right hand to enjoy the smooth, milky skin on her thighs. Plus, Kaylee felt something hard poking her lower abdomen, and without realizing it, she ground her hips to that something hard made a nice moan escaped her pretty lips. Den became excited due to this girl''s sensual movement. Her fragrant intoxicated him, and for a second, Den forgot about the injure on Kaylee''s right hand. Not to mention the girl''s thigh movement that teased his erected dragon made him almost lose control. When Den nipped Kaylee''s shoulder a little hard, Kaylee grimaced in pain, stopping the man. "Did I hurt you?" Kaylee''s heart touched when she heard a concerned voice from her fianc¨¦. "It hurt a little, but... I like what you''re doing to me." was her response sheepishly. Kaylee''s heart was beating fast when she felt Den''s hand on her thigh began to go up, exposing more skin on her thigh. Suddenly she recalled back to her lecherous dream with this man making her unable to hold back her embarrassment. She quickly held the man''s hand before this naughty hand reach its target. She would faint if this hand touched her body part that no one else had ever touched. "Dec... Den, I..." "Yes, love? Den stopped his action, but he didn''t pull his hand either. He gave Kaylee a soft squeeze on her thigh, which made her squealed in silent pleasure. Den stroke her smooth milky skin in circles, creating a weird tingling as if ignite a strange feeling she never felt before. "Please¡­" begged Kaylee, but she didn''t know what she was asking for. Does she want Den to continue with whatever the man nned to do, or does she want to stop it? Den pecked her lips before giving another peck on her jaw while whispering, "What do you want, love? I will give the world for you if you ask for it." Kaylee felt heat spread throughout her face, and for a second, she lifted her hand from Den''s as if giving the man permission to continue what he wanted to do. Chapter 101 - Ch. 101 Dont Test My Restrain Skill Kaylee couldn''t speak¡­ she couldn''t find her voice as if she was mute. But the lifting hand on his hand made Den understand what his fianc¨¦''s wished. The girl wanted him too as much as he wanted her. He could see the lust-filled in her beautiful ck pearl eyes but was too embarrassed to admit it. Den stretched his palm to feel every delicious smooth skin he could grasp and moved upwards until he found her southern lips beneath the thince soft panty. His mouth sucked Kaylee''s lower lip as if to make the girl focus her thoughts on his lips. The moment Den felt Kaylee''s body rx in his arms, his fingers slid along the line of her lower entrance. Her breath caught when she felt a finger slid through her panty and looked at the man with widened eyes. Her charming and dted eyes touched the right chord in Den. Her slightly part lips looked sexy, and it caught his breath. His finger, which initially touched her sensitive area, was now pressed further to elicit a delicious moan from the girl. Her sexy moan and herbor breath, not to mention her lust-filled ck eyes, were captivating him, making him barely control his desire. What would happen if he continued? What was the girl''s voice like when she had an orgasm? Den was eager to hear her moaning while calling his name when Kaylee had her first release. He wanted to feel her tightness, and it was only an inch before he slipped his finger to her most private area. His whole body craved to ravish and devour his wife. She was so close, and she was right there in his arms, ready to be his feast. Den could also see her desire as much as his and the longing look from her eyes toward him. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time since his heart chose Kaylee. But¡­ Den pulled back his hand, making Kaylee confused. Then the man hugged the confused prey in his gentle embrace while patting her back gently. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t take advantage of you." Den knows that Kaylee''s condition was not stable right now. The girl didn''t show it, but he knew Kaylee was horrified by her terrible experiencedst night. Kaylee must have felt she needed someone to make her forget the kidnaping incident and thought Den was that someone. He didn''t want to take advantage of her poor condition. Thus, Den restrained himself no matter how much his lower body ached as if something was binding his little junior. Kaylee shook her head. "I never thought you would take advantage of me." Kaylee lifted her head slightly, and now their faces were only inches apart. She investigated Den''s expression to find out why this man didn''t finish what he had started? Doesn''t the man know what she wants? Well, Kaylee was a little confused by her own feelings. But Den was very smart, too cunning to the point she couldn''t trick him. The man should have known she had given him the green light by lifting her hand. So¡­ why did that man stop? Is it because of... Letti? Kaylee didn''t realize she had forgotten that Den had an affair with Letti since she saw him pick her up after she managed to get out of Osbert''s clutch. She forgot this harsh reality and thought Den sincerely loved her and only thought about her alone. But a secondter, she remembered Letti as soon as she wanted to stop Den''s hand on her thigh. Only briefly, but it was enough to make her gloomy again and wonder, did Den love her? That''s why she let Den crossed his line today and touch her more than he should. But it turned out¡­ the man stopped in the middle of her arousal instead. "Don''t you want me?" Her eyes looked so charming and alluring. Den could even see a golden fleck in those beautiful ck orbs. Den tried hard to refrain from ''devour'' his fianc¨¦e raw, but this vixen girl didn''t help him by giving him those seducing looks. "Didn''t you say you loved me? Why are you¡­" Kaylee couldn''t continue her words when she felt arge hand cupping her buttocks and pushing her body against the man''s lower part. A hot shiver ran through her spine when she felt something hard poking in her belly. It was hot and long against her southern region and up to the right below her navel. "De¡­ Den¡­" "That is how much I desired you, sweetheart. It still behaved inside my pants. Otherwise, I couldn''t control it. Don''t test my restraint skill, okay?" Kaylee nodded her head, quickly answering the man. "Good girl." Den pulled his hands together, then clenched them and put them behind his back to refrain from touching this vixen in bunny''s clothing. [author: Is not it supposed to be like a wolf in sheep''s clothing?] "Can you move by yourself? I don''t think I can restrain myself if I shifted you by myself." Kaylee quickly rose to her feet and moved her seat away from Den. Her eyes widened when she noticed a figure of a young man was standing not far from there with his back facing them! Oh my gosh!! Since when was that person standing there? Did that person see what she had just done with Den?? Fortunately, the man turned his body when he realized Den was making out with Kaylee. Nobody wants to go head-to-head with Den ck''s wrath after all. "What is it, Kris?" "We found him." was the short report without looking back. Kristopher still refused to turn, even though he was sure his master''s wife had moved from Den''sp. "I''ll go out for a moment. Be good and keep the house." Den ignored Kaylee''s lowered jaw and gave a light kiss on her forehead before catching up with Kristopher and walking out of his penthouse. Why did Kaylee feel Den treated her like that man''s wife? Besides¡­ why would she stay here and look after that guy''s house!? This is not her house! "I want to go home.." cried Kaylee knowing no one would hear her cry. Chapter 102 - Ch. 102 Female Assistant Kaylee spent her free time in the penthouse by ying the baby grand piano in the living room facing the city view. With her swollen right hand, Kaylee cannot y the piano with two hands, so she only used her left hand. The song she ys is easy enough, even a small child can y it. Nevertheless, Kaylee felt her mood improve after ying a few songs. Den told her that she could do anything here, and if she wanted something, Kaylee could ask Cassidy to grant her wish. Really. Kaylee felt sure that the man had considered her as his wife who had lived here. "Miss, the package you ordered has arrived. Do you want to open it right away?" asked Cassidy, carrying a brown package box. Cassidy was one of Den''s assistants at thepany. Kaylee had also met her when this female assistant came to campus to tell ''Nick'' about the number of additional lessons that would be reduced. Cassidy was beautiful with light golden blond hair to make Kaylee gloomy again when she faced the female assistant. Why is Den surrounded by so many beautiful women? Do young entrepreneurs prefer to be apanied by beautiful female assistants? "What package? I didn''t order any packages." "Mister ck ordered it for you." "Oh. Can you help me open it? I''m not sure I can open it with this hand." "With pleasure." Cassidy sat on the sofa and ced the package box on the table. She opened it with graceful movements without haste as if she had practiced opening things up for years without looking ugly. Kaylee looked at the woman with a probing gaze. Perfect eyebrows, eyshes that curl like a doll, and several reddish spots on both cheeks. Ah, this woman is so appealing. No wonder Den kept her as his assistant. "Here, miss." Cassidy gave the contents of the package to Kaylee. Upon seeing what Den had given her, Kaylee''s lips curled forward. "Why did Den give me a new cellphone?" Cassidy answered in a motherly voice. "Your cell phone was lost when you were kidnapped. So Mister ck bought you a new one." Kaylee bit her lower lip nervously. She remembered she had two phones in her backpack. One uses the name Kaylee, while the other was Roe. Now that she had lost both, she had to buy one more secretly. For now, she would contact Wendy first regarding the situation and let her best friend handle the work until next week. "Thank you." "Your wee, miss. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Kaylee was silent for a moment while thinking about what she wanted to do while staying here. She was pretty bored if she had to stay in the house all day, but Kaylee didn''t feel like she had the courage to go out. Especially not with her elephant-like hands. However, she felt curious about something, and this was her only chance to inquire without having to confront Den. "Yes. I have some questions." "Please, go ahead." "How long have you worked with Den?" "It''s been more than five years." It''s been more than five years¡ªrepeated Kaylee in her mind. The conclusion is¡­ this woman knows Den better and understands what Den likes more than her. Thinking of this made Kaylee''s heart filled with dark clouds. "So¡­ you surely know if he¡­ I mean¡­ before me, maybe he¡­." Kaylee knew what she wanted to ask, but she was confused about how to convey it. "I mean¡­ forget it. I don''t even know what I''m talking about." Kaylee decided to give up because she was afraid to hear the answer. "Miss Zouch, since I worked as an assistant to Mister ck, he has never had a rtionship with any girl before. You are the first girl, and I believe you will be thest girl for Mister ck." Cassidy exined it was still in the same motherly tone as if the assistant could hear her inner mind. Kaylee was silent in shock because she didn''t know what kind of response she should give after hearing this. She felt embarrassed that Cassidy understood her heart at the same time she was frustrated that someone could read her like an open book. "And miss Zouch, if you''re worried about my rtionship with Mister ck, you don''t have to. I''m a married woman," confessed Cassidy while showing the white gold ring on her ring finger, making Kaylee blush even more with embarrassment. "Am I that readable?" Cassidy chuckled in amusement. "It''s not a bad thing, miss. I think it is one of your charms that Mister ck smitten by you." the female assistant did not help her relieve her embarrassment by saying that. "Do you need help with your new phone, miss?" Kaylee looked at her cellphone then said, "No. I think I can do just fine. By the way, do you happen to know someone named Leticia Campbell?" Cassidy was silent for a moment as if trying to remember someone. "No, miss. Is there anything that happens with this person?" "Nothing particr. Thanks for the help. " Cassidy gave a slight bow, then turned to provide Kaylee with some privacy. Her steps stopped when Kaylee called her back. "Ah, Cassidy." "Yes, miss?" "I''m sorry I had prejudiced about you, and thank you for¡­ everything." Cassidy smiled at her, "Anytime, miss." Kaylee quickly turned on her new cellphone and contacted Wendy. She told the girl that her hand was swollen and that she would not be able to go to college or work in the studio. "How did you injure your hand?" "I fell down the stairs." lied Kaylee. She didn''t want to worry her friend and was forced to lie. After all, she didn''t know how her hand had gotten swollen. Maybe she did fall down the stairs... who knows? Little did she know, she did fall off the stairs but sprained her wrist due to her repeatedly breaking the door until it copsed. "What stairs?" "At somece. Anyway, I won''t be able toe to work and¡­." "Where are you now? Do you need my help? It must be tough to do what you want with a swollen hand." Kaylee''s heart warmed to hear Wendy''s concern. Her best friend was the most reliable. "Don''t worry. I''m at Den''s house now, so¡­." "Oh! Wow! That''s so fast! Am I going to have a little nephew or niece soon?" Kaylee: Why couldn''t my closest ones listen to me to the end!? Chapter 103 - Ch. 103 Ungrateful Bro Vs Unreasonable Sis At New York airport, five young teenage boys emerged from the arrival gate. Even though they had just been enduring a hectic and energy-draining schedule, the five young people still looked energetic and pulled each other''s leg. "Hey, Nick. What are you going to do during this vacation?" one of the young men asked his brte-haired bandmate. "I will spend my time with the two most beautiful girls in the world." The fourughed at this because they knew who the two girls were. They must be Wendy Larson and Kaylee Zouch. It''s no secret that Nichs Larson especially loves his two older sisters. And the reason their manager was willing to give them a month off until the new year came was because of Nick''s request. A few months ago, Nick asked his manager to give their band a month off in December. The manager granted it on the condition that the Adam''s held a concert every week and created a new song every two weeks. Nick and his friends struggled to get their vacation, and now, their music album position was at number one. "I didn''t think that our efforts to get a vacation would be number one trending globally." said one member of Adam''s "Right. It''s all thanks to Nick." Nichs chuckled with amusement as he shook his head. "It''s all thanks to the efforts of all of us." he corrected his friend''s remark. "Hey, isn''t that your sister?" Nichs turned to the pickers and instantly caught sight of a woman wearing sunsses and a hat over her face. Seeing his sister''s weird appearance made Nick roll his eyes. What''s the point of putting a disguise if everyone recognizes Wendy Larson in the end? "See you next year!" Nichs walked over to his sister with the guitar bag slung over his back. "What are you doing? Why are you looking like this?" "Why? It''s a winter session." Wendy nced at her appearance and felt sure that none of her looks was strange. Unless the unmatched winter boot she is wearing. She wore winter boots in a different mode and different colors. The one was ck while thetter was dark brown. "What happened?" Nichs doesn''t need to ask about his sister''s unsightly weird fashion. He knew that something must have happened that made Wendy panic if there was a mismatch attire on his sister. "Nothing serious." "Oh,e on." "It''s Kaylee. She fell, and her hand was swollen. So I had to rece her for a while and tell sir Avan. He gave me an earful scolding making my ears hurt. It''s not my fault Kaylee fell down the stairs, but he used me. What is the connection between me being Kaylee''s best friend and she fell? Wait. Is it true that we are a bad influence on Kaylee?" "No. But you are." was the younger brother''s short reply before walking ahead while whistling happily, leaving his older sister gasped in disbelieve. ''What an ungrateful brother!'' "So is she all right?" Nick asked when the two of them had climbed into Wendy''s car. Nick did not feel tired even though he had had a long journey, so he sat in the driver''s seat to drive his sister''s car. "She said she was fine, and now she''s at Den''s house." "¡­" Wendy nced at her brother with a probing gaze and did not find a change in expression on the young man''s face. "I said, she is in her fianc¨¦''s house," repeated Wendy to provoke his indifferent attitude. "So?" "Wow, did you finally¡­ move on?" "What do you mean I move on? I never had a broken heart in the first ce." "Yeah, yeah. Suit yourself. Anyway, tomorrow and the day after, you will take Kaylee''s ce and go to campus." "What!? Hell, no! Ouch¡­" Nick grimaced when Wendy twisted his ear, causing his head to tilt to the side. "I''m driving. I''m driving! You will kill us both!" protested Nick while trying to maintain his steer. Wendy let go of his ear and let Nick regained control of the steering wheel. "Her hands are swollen, and you promised to appear in the music battle in her ce. Tomorrow is thest practice. At least you have to show up to get used to the way you y with your group." Nick stroked his ear, which was hot due to his sister''s death twisting. "But I barely know no one." "Kaylee has prepared everything." Nick raised an eyebrow, then sighed in resignation. Arriving at their house, Wendy gave some photos of Kaylee''s friends on campus to her brother. Nick had seen Jacob when Wendy shocked him with a sudden video call with Jacob''s face on the screen. But he had never met the young man in person. Then Wendy told him the names that would y into the band''s music. To be honest, Nichs had no interest in ying in the music battle, let alone seeing the faces of the kids who didn''t seem very good at their instruments. He was used to the Adam''s and felt pessimistic about ying with these kids. "I know what you are thinking." "What?" "You underestimate their abilities." her guess was right on. "Kaylee has taught them, and I''m pretty sure you will like them." Nichs shed a wide grin to hear her announcement. "Did she now? I''m looking forward to it." "Good. Now, as much as possible, stay away from other buildings. Especially from the piano ss department. " "Why?" "¡­" Nichs was still waiting patiently for an answer from his sister. Now he is so curious about what is in piano ss that it leaves his sister speechless. Skillfully, Nichs put on his puppy eyes to hope that his sister would soon enlighten his curiosity. Unfortunately for him, it wasn''t the answer he got, but a hard flick on his forehead. "Don''t make that look on me. I am your sister." Wendy shoved all the music book and audio recording to her brother. Nichs snorted because he failed to seduce his sister. His puppy eyes always work on any older girl, including Kaylee. Except for his sister, of course. When he opened one of the music books he was carrying; his expression suddenly turned horror as if he saw a ghost. "Sis! I cannot read!" "Then just listen to the recording." The younger brother''s jaw fell in disbelieve. Then why did his sister give him so many music books? ''What an unreasonable sister!'' Chapter 104 - Ch. 104 Her Sisters Name Is Roxy! The following day, Kaylee looked at her right hand with joy. Finally, her hands returned to normal. She didn''t need to view her hand as an elephant''s legs, and she didn''t need to hide her right hand from the pair of eagle-like eyes that were keeping an eye on her. Well, her hands still looked bigger, but at least it didn''t look ugly. Yesterday Den came homete at night, remarkably didn''t give Kaylee a chance to go home with the excuse that ''it''s toote.'' In the end, Kaylee was forced to stay another night at this ce with resignation. Fortunately, Nick, who has just returned from his concert tour, was willing to rece her and goes to campus today so that Kaylee could rx at home. Well, she couldn''t rx as long as Den was always by her side. She was worried that the man would keep teasing her, taking her like she was on a roller coaster until she passed out with his expert shameless teasing. Surprisingly, even though Den was by her side and treated her gently and sweetly, the man seemed to daydream frequently as if something bothered him. That man also kept avoiding her questions whenever Kaylee wished to know how she escaped from Osbert and what happened to that man. Even now, when she just woke up, Kaylee found her fianc¨¦ standing at the edge of the ss window facing the city view with a nk gaze. What is the man thinking? Why has he be quieter since he came homest night? Well, she did feel relieved that Den wasn''t teasing her, but this worried her a lot. Kaylee tried to walk up to the man, and as expected, Den doesn''t notice her presence. She felt that Den had been taken to a ce where no one could reach him. Currently, Den built an invisible barrier and an unapproachable vibe, making people who approach him feel his hostile aura. Even Kaylee herself felt his unfriendly vibe on his back. Even so, Kaylee did not yield and continued walking towards the man. As if she had the courage because she was sure Den would not throw her out, Kaylee touched Den''s waist with her tiny hands. Her hands moved forward until their fingers linked together in front of Den''s stomach. Kaylee could feel Den''s body tighten before finally rxing when he found out that Kaylee had embraced him. Instantly, Kaylee felt Den break down all of his defensive walls and no longer felt his hostile and unapproachable vibe. The man''s big hand was wrapped around her smaller ones, giving an indescribable warmth. "You''re awake." "En." Kaylee tightened herself until her whole petite figure stuck to his broad torso as if they were one. "Did you ever sleep?" Kaylee felt suspicious that this man did not sleep, judging from the man''s clothes. It was still the same as yesterday. Den didn''t even go into his room and let her sleep alone, either to give her privacy or because Den just couldn''t sleep... Kaylee never knows. "Yes, love. I have asleep." "But you didn''t sleepst night." Kaylee frowned when she heard his chuckle in amusement. "Why are youughing?" Den opened Kaylee''s hug carefully to turn his body so he could see his wife''s face. "Sweetheart, stay with me." "I''m here, aren''t I?" "I mean, live here with me." Kaylee gasped in shock, hearing his proposal. If only she didn''t remember she had one role she needed toplete, Kaylee would say yes that instant. But, she remembered her role and her ritual disguise. There is no way she would let Den know about her ying a teenage boy and roamed around the campus. "But... but... we''re not married yet." "No one forbid a couple from living together before marriage. Besides, you are already my wife." "No, I have not." retorted Kaylee. "I feelfortable living where I am now." "No. You won''t live there anymore. I don''t want someone to stalk you and kidnap you without my knowledge. Do you know I almost killed someone because I saw your hand bleed?" "But¡­" "Kaylee," Den snaked his hand on her waist to pull her closer against his body. "Say you are mine." "What?" "Please," It was the first time Kaylee witnessed his desperate look and pleading tone. Kaylee almost could feel his distress to the point he didn''t know what to do except pleading at her. "I¡­ I''m yours, Den. I won''t go anywhere." Den enveloped her petite figure tightly in his arms as if he felt relieved when he heard those statements. He didn''t ask Kaylee not to leave him, but the girl said it on her own initiative. "Promise?" "I promise as long as you don''t betray me. I will leave you once I found out you''re cheating on me." "I won''t ever cheat on my wife." "Then exin about Campbell." Den frowned, hearing his sister''s adoptive family name came out from his wife''s lips. How did Kaylee know about his sister? As if he had never thought about Osbert''s mysterious death, Den let go of his embrace and looked at Kaylee questioningly. "How do you know that name?" "I heard from Nick." "Nick? Does Larson always tell you about his campus activities? Not only Jacob, but you seem to like Nick too?" Gulp! Kaylee had no idea that Den would strike back by mentioning Jacob again. "Nick... he''s like my own brother." "But does he only see you as his sister? There''s always more to it than meets the eye. Who knows, Nick had a thing for you." Kaylee''s jaw fell lower at the usation. "How could you think that?" "You''re too na?ve for your own good, sweetheart. You will never know if a man had a crush on you before the man himself confessed to you. You don''t know you have this irresistible charm, do you?" That''s why you never noticed the adoration look from that stalker¡ªcontinued Den in his mind. "I¡­ I¡­" Doesn''t she want to interrogate Den''s rtionship with Letti? Why is the condition reversed now? No. No. Nichs couldn''t possibly have feelings for her. Nick does love her, but his feelings are only limited to brothers and sisters. ''Promise me you will marry me once I got taller!'' A sh of memory popping up in her mind made her head dizzy. But she couldn''t see the face of the owner of the voice that was in her mind. Instead, she heard the voices of several people talking clearly without knowing who was speaking. ''Well, if you get taller and manage to steal my heart, I will marry you in the future.'' ''Not a chance. I will be the winner. Shu¡­ go away, boy.'' This time, Kaylee could see a face... an unknown face, yet she felt familiar. The little boy stomped his feet and barked on the snake-tattooed young man. ''You already have Kaylee! What about her?'' Kaylee held her breath when the little boy mentioned her name. Then, she saw the figure of a girl who was hiding behind a pir shyly. ''Kaylee, what are you doing around the corner? Let''s go!'' Wendy appeared from behind Kaylee and pulled her hand to approach her sister group. Kaylee looked at the tattooed young man shyly as she tried to greet him, "H... Hi ..." but before Kaylee finished her words, the young man cut her off as if she was not someone important. ''I''m hungry. Roxy, why don''t we have lunch in there?'' offered the tattoed man to the elder sister. Roxy! It''s her sister''s name! "Kaylee?" The rather loud calling voice brought Kaylee back from her world of memories. Her pair of ck eyes stared at the eagle-like eyes, and suddenly, her blush heated up as she realized how close their faces were. Kaylee put her hands between them to push the man''s body a little, but Den wouldn''t budge from his ce. "What are you thinking? Don''t tell me you are thinking of another man." Kaylee lowered her gaze to avoid the probing res from Den. She felt guilty because she had indeed thought of another man. Not only one but two! Who is that tattoed man? She could not see the young man''s face, but she saw the snake tattoo that ran from the intersection of the neck to his lower jaw. Why did she feel¡­ herself¡­ had fallen in love with that young man? And also¡­ Roxy¡­ she felt sure Roxy is her sister''s name¡­ but¡­ does she truly have an older sister? Or maybe¡­ she has a friend who she thinks is like an older sister? On the other hand, Den frowned deeper when he felt Kaylee daydreaming again. Who was this girl thinking about? Unable to stand his jealousy, Den guided Kaylee''s chin with his fingers, and without letting Kaylee voiced her mind, Den attacked her sweet alluring strawberry-like lips. Kaylee gasped in surprise, and suddenly her head was filled with fireflies as soon as her tongue met his demanding tongue. She couldn''t fight back and found her resistance vanished when Den closed thest gap between them by pushing her until they both fell to the sofa with Kaylee beneath the possessive jealousy man. Huhuhu¡­ how did she end up like this? Cried Kaylee inwardly. Chapter 105 - Ch. 105 Nick And Lettis Interaction In the meantime... Nichs Larson, as if in the real deal¡­ walked through the gates of the campus with unexpectedly exciting steps and whistling merrily as if this was the most fabulous day in his life. How could he not? Nick was a carefree spirit and like an adventure in new ces. He could immediately adapt and know his ss''s location and the music room for his team to practice. Thankfully, today''s material schedule has nothing to do with reading musical notes, so Nick doesn''t have to worry about the fate of his college life. Nichs had memorized the names of his friends through some of the photos his sister gave him, and he immediately got to know one of Kaylee''s friends who was sitting on the bench reading a book. "Hi, Letti. What are you doing here?" Letti lifted her head to look at Nick and winced when she sensed something different from this idol campus. But she couldn''t pin her finger on it. "Are you feeling better? I heard you were sick yesterday, so you didn''te to practice." Ah, this girl must be talking about Kaylee, who fell down the stairs. "Yup. Better than ever." "Good for you." Letti cleared her books, and unexpectedly, a strong wind blows to make Letti''s musical notes soar. "Oh, no!" with frantic heart, Letti tried to catch the music papers and collect them back. Luckily Nick was also there and spontaneously helped her collect the paper that flew in all directions. All that remained was a paper that fell between the two of them, and both of them identally took the paper at the same time. Initially, Letti held the paper first without knowing Nick was also about to take the same paper, but the target swifted to Letti''s hand instead. As a flirtatious as he is, Nick did not instantly let go of his hand and enjoyed the warm, soft skin spread all over his palms. On the other hand, the clueless girl didn''t know what was going on, but she felt an electric jolt when the back of her hand was covered with something big and warm. Letti rapidly pulled her hand out of Nick''s grip, which was not too tight. When she found out that she still hadn''t picked up thest piece of paper that was still on the ground, Letti picked it up and got up. "Thanks for the help. See you in the music room." and just like that, Letti left the toothy grin guy. Letti wondered why her heart was pounding just because Nick identally grabbed her hand. She remembered when Nichs met her for the first time and shook hands as a sign that Letti agreed to help the music team; Letti felt nothing at all. The only man who ever grabbed her and carried her when she was a kid was her half-brother. And since she understood the meaning of love, Letti kept away from men and distancing herself froming into contact with men. It''s all because of Den. Her crazy brother constantly warned her that all men in this world (except Den, of course) are wolves in fleece. Den always reminded her that she shouldn''t trust any male friends, so Letti preferred to be friends with girls. But ever since she turned seventeen, Den has gotten less restrictive. In fact, that man no longer vilified male friends in the same ss as her. It seems that Den had loosened his overprotective and let Letti befriend whomever she wants. Of course, that was because Den had ced a spy in Letti''s ss without his sister knowing. That''s why Letti epted Nick''s request to sing on Nichs''s music team. She purposely didn''t tell Den that her band consisted of all the boys but didn''t expect her brother toe on their first day of practice. Fortunately, Den didn''t scold her and supported her desire to expand the reach of her friends. Letti kept walking without knowing Nichs''s intrigued eyes kept focusing on her back. "What are you doing down there?" Nichs lifted his head and saw Jacob standing there, frowning in confusion. Nichs shed a grin before rising to his feet and embracing Kaylee''s¡­ er¡­ his best friend''s shoulders in his own style. "Nothing." "Hm? Why do I feel that something is different from you?" "What?" Nick asked his friend back with an innocent look as if he didn''t know what Jacob was asking. "Never mind. Let''s go!" Jacob also put his arm around Nick''s shoulder, and somehow, the two of them immediately became close like ''the inseparable duo'' as they were. "You brought your guitar this time?" Jacob asked when he saw the hard-case guitar on Nick''s hand. "Yup. I figure out to take my real guitar to y." "Thanks, god." Jacob blurted excessively. "Finally, our team''s victory has been confirmed. I''m not quite sure we can win if you keep insisting on ying the acoustic guitar." Nick smiled broadly at that. Of course, he would never allow someone to ruin his song, let alone turn his ''baby'' into a source of defeat. ''Kaylee, I will show you the real Nicky of the Adams'' Back to Den''s penthouse, Kaylee tried to find a way to escape from Den''s clutches. She tried her best to push Den''s body, but the man caught both of her hands and pinned them above her head without letting go of her lips. Kaylee felt helpless to ept his overwhelmed passion, and she could feel something hard poke in her lower belly. She didn''t even dare to imagine what was pressing down on her stomach. Her body shook with pleasure as she felt Den''s big hand move down and sliding along her arms until it reached her exposed delicate neck. The soft, light touch was like a lightning bolt to her soul. The hairs on her nape were rising, and her heart was leaping into her throat. When Den''s huge handnded right over one of her luscious mounds, her heart rate lost control, and she arched her back unconsciously as if wanting to seek ''something'' that could relieve her. "You''re wearing no bra," whispered the man above her lips with darkening eyes filled with lust. When Kaylee saw his unhidden lust in the man''s eyes, she knew she was doomed. Chapter 106 - Ch. 106 Luring The Vixen Out Kaylee is used to not wearing a bra while sleeping. That''s why when she found out that Den wasn''t going to sleep in the same room as her, Kaylee took off her bra without thinking. When she got up and walked out of the room, Kaylee didn''t even remember wearing one as if she was in her house. It seemed that in her subconscious mind, Den''s words had prated her heart, and she already has considered herself to be Den''s wife and think this house to be her home. And now she regretted it very much. If only she remembered to wear her bra, she wouldn''t be this excited. She had no idea she would be excited at what her possessive husband had stored for her. Kaylee was scared and hesitant, but she craved this man''s touch. Not only on her face or cheek, or holding hands... but whole her body craved this man. Den''s hand moved down until it touched the tiny bud that stood straight as if seeking his undivided attention. Den''s big finger circles that stiff bud with a light touch, explicit a moan escape from her lips. "Dec¡­ Den¡­" sighed Kaylee with the raging breath, and her sanity already left her a long ago. "That¡­ please¡­" Kaylee couldn''t continue her words because Den crushed her lips against his and savor her sweet intoxicating taste. The thick finger of his thumb circled while pressing lightly on her are and pinching the erected tiny bud with his index and thumb finger, earning a sexy groan inside his mouth. Kaylee felt so high with ecstasy for the first time. As expected, having Den''s hand on one of her breasts was so good, but this feeling was way beyond her expectation. Den lowered his kiss to nip on her jaw down to her nape while rubbing the small bun with his thumb to pamper his wife''s desire. Kaylee''s thoughts were all scattered as she whimpered in Den''s teasing sensual pinch on her sensitive bud. Not to mention, the wet kisses and light biting on her delicate neck were so overwhelmed to the point she couldn''t tell what is right or left. She knew she should stop this before it went out of control, but the temptation was so good. Den was an expert in igniting her hidden fire, and it made her wanted more. "Do you know what is in my mind right now?" No! Kaylee should answer this, but, "Yeah?" "I want to rip this gown and suckle this like a hungry baby¡­" he pinched her over the sensitive bud, causing something to almost exploded in herher region. "And I will knead the other one." Den proved his words by squeezing her other bosom in a rough manner followed by the gentle one, steering Kaylee''s mind to go haywire. Kaylee felt herself drowning in the deepest ocean and didn''t know how to swim up. Strangely, she did not want to go to the surface, and instead, she wished to sink deeper to the bottom of the sea. "Den¡­" The man in lust''s eyes darkened when he saw her dew and dted charming eyes. It was the first time he spoke the dirty talk, and he didn''t expect that his word was arousing her. Den chuckled in delight, knowing something that could make Kaylee turn on. "So you like dirty talk, love? I never expected it." Kaylee could feel a hot stream raised from her head once she heard his remark. How does she make this man stop his shameless word? "It''s not fair," whined Kaylee while biting her lower lips without knowing her little gesture makes Den''s desire reached its limit. "No, it''s not. But I will make it fair." Ha? What? Kaylee shrieked in high when Den cupped her southern entrance with his giant palm. "De... Den, what are you doing?" "Giving this an equal attention." No¡­ No¡­ that was not what she meant! "Ahhhnn¡­" but Kaylee forgot what she wanted to say when Den pressed his fingers on the sweet entrance between her thighs. Den stroked her lightly with a gentle press, and he could feel something wet. "Can you feel it? You''re wet for me, love." "No¡­" denied Kaylee but couldn''t rebel as she lost in ecstasy. She didn''t even know her pants got wetter every time she heard him uttered dirty talk. "Can I put it in?" before Kaylee could answer, Den slipped his finger inside her pant and found her precious pearl. In the next second, Kaylee''s free left hand immediately held Den''s right hand between her thighs. "Easy there, handsome. You know I''m a virgin." Den was stunned for a while to recognize the way this vixen talk at him. She was that girl!! Den smirked at the words. If only his eyes could turn darker more than this, it would when he saw the seductive sexy vixen girl beneath him. "Finally, you show up." Kaylee''s lips curled in a sexy smirk, and she pulled Den''s right hand out of her pants. Denplied but did not rise from his position and trap Kaylee''s head with both hands. "Where is Kaylee?" Kaylee''s smile vanished instantly, and she frowned in a cute pout. "Why? You like her better than me?" Den chuckled in amusement and rained her face with his feather-like kisses. "Why are you jealous of yourself?" "I am not. When are you going to stop pressing on me?" Kaylee could feel his raging erected manhood grind on between her thighs! "Until I got satiated." Den brought her left hand over to his bulge, causing Kaylee to med in ashamed. "See. It was hungry." Kaylee bit her lower lips. "Kaylee is right. You''re so shameless." "Thank you." was the short response from the shameless man. "That''s not apliment, and besides... how do you know how to lure me out?" "Every time Kaylee felt overexcited or extreme fear, her demeanor change. I know you are the one who helped her to escape." "So you lured me out wanting to know what happened?" "No. I already know what happened." "Then?" "I want to know you." "¡­" "So, sweet girl, tell me. Who are you? Are you the girl from that night?" "..." "Sure, you are." Kaylee: Why is this guy answer his own question? Chapter 107 - Ch. 107 Vixen Is In Action Kaylee snorted in annoyance at this handsome shameless man. "I won''t tell you before you let me go." Den suppressed hisugh at this quick-wit vixen. Kaylee was innocent and continuously gave up whenever he cornered her. But this girl¡­ she knew how to strike his shameless word. This other side of Kaylee was a smart one and had undeniable charisma that one couldn''t help but want to follow her. "What if I don''t want to let you go?" Den brought his face closer to the girl to the point they could feel each other''s breath. "I remember someone telling me to keep my virginity to a special person." "I also remember someone telling me that I am that special person." Kaylee frowned deeper, realizing this man would never stop cornering her. "Fine. Just do what you want to do to me and don''t me me if I disappear the next morning. This time, I will make sure you won''t find your precious Kaylee." Den''s smirk vanished instantly, hearing this vixen''s girl threat. "I wonder how you can hide from me. I don''t mind ying the hunting game. Should we do it?" Kaylee panicked when she felt Den ground his hips right above her wetted pants. She knew this man was serious and would find her fast enough before she knows it, even if she decided to go to the end of the world. Kaylee didn''t know how, but considering that Den could find her when Osbert kidnapped her is something that shouldn''t be underestimated. "Mister, I''m a virgin." "You seduced me first!" smirked Den without giving her a chance to refute back. "I... I..." this was the first time Kaylee couldn''t strike back at someone''s speech. She never was the one at the end of the conversation, but this man... cunningly make her speechless! It seemed she had no other choice but to let the man win this ''game.'' "Alright, you win. I will tell you everything, so let me go¡­ hmph!" Kaylee''s eyes widened when Den crashed her lips in demanding vigor. This man! Really! She could never believe his words! "I told you," whispered Den above her lips, "I would never let you go." Kaylee couldn''t protest because Den imed her lips once again with the same passionate stroke. For a few minutes, Kaylee could do nothing except to ept Den''s fierce assault. She tried to move her hands and remembered something when she felt the pain in her right hand. "Ugh..." she pretended to feel sick, and her acting seeded in stopping the lustful man. "You hurt me¡­" the vixen girl put on her best whining expression to melt the man''s heart. She even blinked her eyes cutely in order to boost her undeniable charming look. She knew no man could resist her! Den squinted his eyes, knowing this girl put an act on him. Nevertheless, he let her go and pulled himself, considering the girl''s hand was indeed injured. Kaylee quickly got up from the sofa and immediately moved away from Den as if that man was her biggest nemesis. Den let her be while shaking his head. "You never ran away from me when I took you to the hotel." "That was years ago. I''m not the same girl you''ve met before." "Then, who are you?" "I¡­" Kaylee was distracted for a moment, and she looked terrified the next second. "What is it?" "How... How long have I been here?" "You''ve been here for two days." "No, that''s not what I meant. How long has it been since I appeared?" "Around ten minutes¡­" the girl''s horror expression brought Den further confusion. Why does this girl look so scared? "I shouldn''t be here. Why can''t I go back?" Kaylee walked back and forth while biting her thumb nervously. "I need to go back. Please, don''t recall it, don''t remember it," mumbled Kaylee without knowing Den overheard everything she said. "Kaylee. What happened?" Den walked over to Kaylee but stopped his steps when he realized Kaylee was walking backward to avoid him. "Sweetheart." "No! I''m not your sweetheart. I should go back." "Kaylee¡­" "NOOO!! Stop calling me that!!" Kaylee covered her ears make Den stunned in his ce. Den felt his heart stabbed in pain when he saw the tears streaming down the girl''s cheeks. He wanted to go up to the girl and hug her tofort her, but somehow the girl stepped back in fear. The same frightening eyes. Is there something that girl remembers? "Sweetheart, please talk to me." "No¡­" as if she lost in her worlds, Kaylee shook her head like crazy. Some familiar voices rang in her mind, and it made her trembled in fear. ''It''s because of you.'' ''Why did you send her to her doom? Why? Bring my daughter back to me!'' Kaylee''s tears were uncontroble when she saw her beloved mother screaming at her. ''You killed her! You killed your sister!! Why!?'' No. It wasn''t her fault. Yes, it was. If only she didn''t abandon her sister, her sister would still be alive. "I..." "Sweetheart," "Why?" Kaylee asked, looking at Den with a hostile look. "Why did you bring me back? No one wanted me." Kaylee felt¡­ if she continued to be with Den, one day, she would never be able to hide. "I don''t want you. Please, let me go¡­ I don''t want to go back here." Kaylee saw Den''s figure be doubled, and the surroundings began to fade to one color. Noticing something strange about Kaylee''s gesture, Den strode wide toward her, and the moment he reached her zone, Kaylee fell unconscious. Den carried Kaylee carefully thenid her down on the bed. He gently wiped the tear marks on her cheeks as he looked at the sleeping beauty with sad eyes. Really¡­ what had happened to Kaylee''s past? Den recalled what he found with Kristopher yesterday. When Kristopher told him that they had found Osbert, Den never thought they would find the stalker''s lifeless body. There were a lot of scraps on his face and tiny holes like a piercing needle on his neck and back. In addition, he found a bullet hole in the back of the man''s head, indicating someone had shot him on his skull. Who killed this stalker mercilessly? "It was Hades.." was the report from Kris. Chapter 108 - Ch. 108 Two Contractiding Nature In the ancient Greek religion and myth, Hades was the god of the dead and the king of the underworld. No one had ever seen the underworld king because he lived in an unseen realm, and people afraid of him. Dozen years ago, a fearless and dauntless young man called himself Hades afterpleting a dangerous mission from his clients. After years of carrying out his mission with very satisfying results, Hades''s name became famous, and many wanted to be his followers. Long story short, Hades founded his mafia members and avenged his enemies many times without mercy. Hades'' headquarters was in Folklore Ind of South America, and the number of loyal members of this young man was increasing day by day. One of them was Kristopher McCoy. "No more mistake. The golden bullet stuck into this stalker''s head is a bullet created by Hades," stated Kris to his master. "Why did Hades kill people who are not rted to him?" "I doubt that, sire. I believed this stalker man is closely rted to Hades." "How can you be sure?" "You know where I came from before epting me to be your bodyguard. I''m a former member of Hades." "I know." "I remembered there were rumors that said Hades decided to quit his position and left his position to his right hand because of his daughter. Hades had two daughters who are very dear to him. Nobody knows what their faces look like because Hades was very protective of his family." At that time, Kris, who was very curious about the Hades family, looked for any information about these two girls. He was afraid that Hades would punish him if his investigation were discovered, but his curiosity got the better of him. and he risked his life to see Hades''s daughters. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to find out the teenage girls, which probably was Hades''s greatest weakness, Kris found nothing. But he heard some strange rumor around Hades. He learned the eldest daughter was wild, unrestrained, and ridiculously often made the mighty Hades enraged. In contrast, the younger one was calm, shy and a real beauty! Not that the elder one was less beautiful, but the younger one was the most eye-catching in the young male''s heart. It made Kris''s desire skyrocket to meet the two girls. Just imagine. Kris worked under Hades''s leadership but never had a chance to see his master''s beautiful daughters. Regrettably, a heart-breaking event happened before Kris could see the famous daughters. He heard that one of Hades''s daughters had died in a ne crash. The ne suffered engine failure and crashed into a mountain until it exploded, killing everyone inside. After searching for several days, they found the ruins of the explosion as well as human remains. Some have managed to find the victim''s identity, and some couldn''t be unidentified due to the explosion. One of them was the one of the daughters of Hades, who was eighteen years old at the time. The girl''s death brought deep sorrow to Hades and his family to the point they decided to leave the country. Since then, Hades''s recement has freed several of his members, including Kris. Kris migrated to North America until he finally met Den. When he came to Mister Old ck''s birthday to monitor the situation of the event, he identally saw Mister Zouch. He had never met Hades in person, let alone that man''s family. But every now and then, he caught the figure of a man walking in and out through the gates of their base on the ind. And that person was none other than Mister Zouch! "I don''t know if Mister Zouch is Hades or not. But if that person is Hades, I''m afraid this stalker''s death was caused by that man." "¡­" Den pondered the exnation of his right-hand man and realized there was something more than what he had heard. "Rumors had it say that someone orchestrated the crash ne, but there is no solid evidence. They suspected Hades was the culprit, and they tried to investigate the connection between Hades and Zouch. But Hades couldn''t possibly have killed his own daughter if he orchestrated it." Kris paused for a moment before resuming his sentence, "Master, I think Mister Zouch deliberately nned this wedding to ensure his irrtive with Hades." "I think it''s more than that." Den sensed that there was something inside Kaylee that he had not yet seen. He didn''t know whether his guess was correct, but he felt that two different individuals lived inside Kaylee''s body. One was the innocent and shy Kaylee, while the other was the wicked and straightforward Kaylee. The girl knew very well how to defend herself against the enemy. Den had Eagle Eyes, which was thetest program created by hispany. He scattered the mini cameras all over the ce without anyone knowing and put them where people wouldn''t think there were cameras in the area. Previously, he had never activated it because he doubted that it would intrude on the privacy of people''s lives. But he was forced to activate it because he had no other choice to find Kaylee right away. And through mini cameras installed on almost every street in New York City, they managed to capture the figure of Osbert, who put the unconscious Kaylee into his van. The man was very clever and avoided all street CCTV cameras, but not smart enough to know that thousands of bead ball-sized cameras were on every street corner. As soon as he learned where Osbert was holding Kaylee, Den directly turned on Eagle Eyes around the ce and breathed a sigh of relief that he had spread the camera on the road. There was one camera attached to the electric pole and facing directly to a window where Kaylee was being held. Den saw how Kaylee seduced Osbert to untie the rope and then suddenly attacked him. Den had no idea that he would see such a violent side of Kaylee, and he knew right away that it was not the Kaylee he knew. Although he felt relieved that Kaylee knew how to defend herself and didn''t give up on fighting Osbert, his heart was filled with anxiety and anger. He felt enormous hatred toward Osbert, who had touched his wife with his dirty hands. If he had caught that perverted stalker, Den would surely torture him to death! Not long after, Den saw Kaylee managed to break down the door and fell. The girl exited through the back door, where there was a circr staircase leading to the pathway. Den elerated his speed and no longer saw his car''s screen and focused drove his car toward Kaylee''s location. As soon as he saw Kaylee hobbling around while holding her right hand, Den instantly stopped the car and got down to his wife. He wondered if he would run into the strong-willed Kaylee or the innocent version. "Huwaaa¡­ Den¡­ I''m afraid¡­ He¡­ He¡­" Den knew right away this girl was his innocent, scared bunny. That''s why he decided to try to fish out the other side of Kaylee today. The moment he saw Kaylee''s swollen hand was shrinking, and the girl didn''t seem to be in pain either when he touched her right hand, Den decided to go ahead with his n. Den didn''t know how to get the vixen girl to appear, and he was just specting randomly. Regardless of her pleading and whining, Den kept his sensual move and a little bit force himself on her. Besides, he immensely enjoyed himself hearing the erotic moan that came out of Kaylee''s mouth¡­ until that vixen girl showed up and stopped him... right in the middle of his uncontroble arousal. At that moment, he cursed himself and regretted his action. He felt like he was swinging a double-edged sword. He did manage to lure the vixen girl into appearing, but he could barely resist his erected manhood. And that vixen girl yed on him! Den loved teasing his bunny, and now he couldn''t help but loved it more when he teased his vixen girl. s, he noticed the frightened gleam dancing in her beautiful eyes, and it made him wonder¡­ what is her past like? Hades had two daughters, but one is dead. If Hades was Mister Zouch, then which daughter is Kaylee? The younger one¡­ or the eldest one? Den remembered the rumors Kris had said yesterday evening when they found Osbert''s corpse at the edge of the city bay. Hades'' two daughters had opposing characters. One was wild and unrestrained, while thetter was calm and more obedient. But why does he see these two sides from Kaylee? Mostly, Kaylee behaved like a good girl and calm in a reserved manner. But when her role switched, she became unruly, wild, and aggressive. So which one is the real one? Despite having two different characters, the contradicting character had the same frightening look about something he didn''t know. Den stroked his sleeping wife with his thumb. "Which one is the real you? What caused your fear?" Den lowered his head to give a gentle peck on her lips.. "No matter who you are, I will still love you." Chapter 109 - Ch. 109 Roxy Isnt Your Sister Kaylee woke up light-headed as if she was drunk the night before. She massaged her temple with her hands while trying to remember what happened to her before she fell asleep. Why does it feel like she had drunk a lot of winery drinks? What happened? She remembered her approaching Den and hugging the man from behind, and then she was pinned down by that man, and¡­ Soon enough, a crimson hue painted all over her face once she remembered everything¡­ almost everything. She found out her memory stopped once she felt Den asked her if he could put it in. Put what in? Did he mean the ''elephant trunk'' thingy? What a shameless man?! No, shameless was an understatement to define his skyrocket brazen unfiltered words. Not only that, Den did a dirty talk at her!? Kaylee shook her head in a rush as if she wanted to get rid of any trash from her head. This trash, in her case, was any perverted and lecherous thinking toward her fianc¨¦. Kaylee nced around her surroundings and wondered since when had she returned to this room. Kaylee gasped in disbelieve when she realized something. Is it possible that she fell asleep again while making out with her fianc¨¦? Why does this always happen to her? What if they are consummate of their marriage and she falls asleep in the middle of a making love session? No, no. Kaylee shook her head vigorously, realizing she thought of another unspeakable deed. They are not married... yet. She reminded herself. Ugh! Ever since she dreamed that lecherous dream, Kaylee felt like she was bing a perverted woman every time she thought about Den. Kaylee decided to get out, but her steps stopped as soon as her hand reached for the doorknob. Somehow she felt that something was holding her as if something restrained her movement. How strange¡­ why now she felt reluctant to seek out her fianc¨¦? Kaylee ignored her ufortable feeling and opened the bedroom door, and stepped out. When she saw Den''s handsome face, who was arranging the dish on the dining table, Kaylee showed a happy smile. Is the man cooking for her? Since when can that man cook? Den noticed Kaylee''s presence in the dining room and turned towards her with a gentle smile. "You''re awake. How are you feeling now?" "Felt better. How about you? " "Not that good." "Why?" "You fell asleep when I touch you." Blush! How she wished she could dig a hole to hide her crimson face. This man was utterly shameless, and it was like he wanted to remind her of what would happen if she didn''t fall asleep. Den chuckled to see Kaylee lowering her head while pouting cutely. He approached Kaylee and took the girl''s hand to guide her to sit in the dining room area, but he did not expect Kaylee to pull her hand away from his grasp roughly. Den looked at Kaylee in surprise, and he was even more confused when he saw Kaylee was as shocked as him. "I¡­ I¡­ I''m sorry. I didn''t mean that." Kaylee was confused why her own body reacted on its own. As soon as Den touched her skin, her hand moved by itself and withdrew without hermand. She felt¡­ her body was rejecting all kinds of touches from that man. "I don''t know what had happened to me." Kaylee felt sorry and looked at her fianc¨¦ with regret and pleading eyes, asking for understanding. "It''s okay. Let''s go eat now." Kaylee heaved a relief sigh, realizing that Den did not insist on holding her hand. Once she couldn''t look at the man''s expression, Den exhaled a heavy breath knowing Kaylee''s other side started to reject him. Den acted as if nothing had happened to make Kaylee feel guilty. Kaylee stared at her hands with confusion. Very weird. She indeed yearned for the man''s touch, but at the same time, she didn''t want to be touched. What''s wrong with her? Kaylee lost in a daze for a second before snapping back to reality when Den gave a bowl of soup and a piece of grilled meat on a te. "Eat a lot. I will take you wherever you want after this." Kaylee shook her head, rejecting her fianc¨¦''s invitation. "I just want to go home." "Kaylee," "Den, please. At least, let me go to Wendy." if Den felt restless regarding her being inside her apartment alone, then Kaylee would stay at Wendy''s house for a while. She was sure that Wendy and Nick wouldn''t mind. After all, she needed time to process what had happened to her. Den sighed in resignation, knowing Kaylee''s decision cannot easily be changed. "Alright, I''ll take you to your friend''s ce." "Thank you." Kaylee and Den enjoyed lunch without saying much. Somehow Kaylee felt that there was a gulf between them, and she was sure that it was her who created this invisible gap. Kaylee craved for the man''s touch and attention, but her body refused any skinship. She didn''t know what was happening to her, and she still hasn''t got an answer regarding the kidnapping incident. Plus, it seemed that Den didn''t want to tell her, or maybe he didn''t know how she escaped. After all, that man only found her when she managed to escape from Osbert''s confinement. In the end, Kaylee decided to give up and give herself time to think. Could it be she was traumatized by the stalker''s disgusting touch? Why only now and not yesterday? Thankfully, Den still talked to her and asionally reverted to his brazen shameless word to tease her. That was enough for her because it made her felt sure that nothing had changed between them. After finishing lunch and telling Wendy about her staying at her house, Den took Kaylee to her apartment. Kaylee packed some of her clothes, and Den helped her carry her carry-on bag. After that, they went to Wendy''s house. "Kaylee, I''ll pick you up on Sunday." "Sunday?" Kaylee remembered she had promised the children at the orphanage toe back. "Oh... okay." For some reason, Kaylee felt that something was stuck in her throat when she agreed to Den''s invitation. Den realized her reluctance and couldn''t help but feel dejected. "Never mind. You''re still hurt. The kids will understand." "But..." Kaylee swallowed her words back when she heard Wendy''s cheerful voice greeted the couple. "Kaylee! Good evening, Mister ck." "Miss Larson." nodded Den politely. "Let me know if you need anything." Den raised his hand to stroke Kaylee''s head ording to his habit. Den thought Kaylee would refuse his touch, but the girl was silent and instead smiled shyly at him. This made him feel relieved, and he assumed the girl''s other side already asleep. Nevertheless, Den decided to give the girl an alone-time. In addition, he had to immediately return to the office to begin an investigation into Kaylee''s past. "Let me see your hand," urged Wendy when the two of them entered the house. "It hurts a little bit, but at least it''s not too swollen." "How did you fall from the stairs?" "I have no idea. I think I tripped." "Tea? Milk?" offered Wendy as she walked into her kitchen to make a drink. "Milk." Kaylee sat back on the long soft, andfortable sofa, staring at her right hand questioningly. Why did her hand resist the man''s touch but not her head? Ah, he wouldn''t think about it because it made her dizzy. Instead, she felt very curious about her sister. Kaylee would ask her parents if she had a sister or not. If she wanted to find an answer, then asking the person who knew the answer was the right thing to do. However, given that there was no picture of her sister or any sign that she had a sister, Kaylee felt sure her parents would not tell her even if they had the answers she wanted. Hence, she decided to ask Wendy. Her best friend had been with her for as long as she could remember. Kaylee waited for Wendy to make a drink for the two of them and sat beside her. After taking a delicious sip of warm milk, Kaylee started asking questions by looking straight into Wendy''s eyes. "Wendy, I have a quick question." "Yeah? What is it?" "Is my sister''s name Roxy?" Spurt! Wendy choked on her drink, hearing a name she hadn''t heard in a long time. How did Kaylee know that name? Has her memory returned? Impossible. If her memoryes back, Kaylee won''t mention Roxy''s name! "So I do have an older sister? And her name is Roxy?" Kaylee felt that asking Wendy was the right decision. She immediately guessed it when she got the first reaction from her best friend. "No." was the short response from Wendy, making Kaylee frowned furthermore. Why her friend still denied it? "I remembered her, Wendy." it was a gambling guess, and she hoped Wendy wouldn''t detect her smooth lie. s, Wendy''s following words stunned her to the core. "Roxy wasn''t your sister. She was our friend." What? Chapter 110 - Ch. 110 I Had Amnesia? "What do you mean Roxy was our friend?" Kaylee felt very sure that Roxy was her sister, but why Wendy told otherwise? Did she lie to her? "No, Kaylee. Roxy was our friend, to be exact, she was my friend. I don''t know if you remember it or not, but you preferred to hide in a corner and be shy toe out from a young age. When Roxy came to my house, you hid behind the door." "Why do I always hide every time shees to your house?" Wendy chuckled, reminiscing the past. "You admire her, and you tend to hide when you see people you admire. You remember when we almost met ck Moon in Boston. We had the chance to meet him directly backstage, but you ran away." Kaylee''s cheeks flushed at her best friend''s exnation. Well, it does make sense. Somehow she tends to hide and doesn''t dare to face the person she admires the most. It might be because she was afraid to make mistakes or do something that makes the people she admires to hate her. Kaylee also remembered that she hid some distance away when she saw Roxy talking to little Nick and the person who has a snake tattoo on his neck. Who was it? No, wait. In her dreams, she used to call Roxy ''sis'' instead of her name. "But... I call her sis..." insisted Kaylee as if she still felt sure that Roxy was indeed her sister. "She is older than you, and you admired her. Hence, you call her a sister." Wendy''s exnation sounded reasonable and eptable, but for some reason, Kaylee''s heart was getting restless as if to say that Wendy was not speaking the truth. "How about the tattooed guy? Who is he?" "What tattoo?" "The snake tattoo on his neck¡­ it seemed he was close with this sister Roxy." Wendy didn''t answer Kaylee and only clenched her jaw tightly. How in the world could Kaylee remember that evil traitor man instead of remembering herself?! "You know him, don''t you? Who is he?" urged Kaylee while gripping her friend''s hand in urgency. "No." lied Wendy. "I don''t know him." "You lied." "Why did I lie to you? I don''t have any advantage in lying to you." Kaylee frowned in displeasure hearing her remark. Well, what Wendy said was true. The girl gained nothing by lying to her, but¡­ Kaylee still felt dissatisfied with the answer. Why did she feel like the people around her were hiding something from her? Can she directly ask her parents? It seemed that the only one in this world who knows the answers to the thousands of questions in her mind was her father. "Kaylee, why are you trying so hard to find two people who no longer exist in this world?" Wendy''s question intrigued her. The two people she meant were no longer in this world? What does it mean? "What do you mean?" "Roxy is dead." Kaylee gasped in shock at this. Her sister¡­ her friend, is dead? "What? When? What happened?" "It was a crash ne. We all came to the funeral, but you¡­ I think it took a toll on you when you heard about her ne ident. You locked yourself in your room and refused to eat for days. You''re having deep depression, Kaylee and you me yourself." "I did? But¡­ why can''t I remember?" "It was a miracle, really. One day, you wake up with new energy and mind. You smile like you won some lottery, and your movement was like that you overjoyed for something. When the doctor checked your condition, we all found out¡­ you had slight amnesia." Kaylee was silent hearing this. At first, she wanted to find out the truth about the strange dream she had seentely. She wanted to know if it was real that she had a sister or what she saw was just an ordinary dream. But she didn''t expect it to end up with an unexpected reality that she never knew about. "I have amnesia?" "Yes. Everything that made you sad and hurt has disappeared from your mind. You don''t remember who Roxy was or what we had been through with her over the years. You''re back to how you used to be. A cheerful yet shy girl who had no burden." "Did¡­ did my parents¡­." "Of course they knew. They even asked me to help them to apany you here. Living in a new environment and forgetting about the painful past is good for your health, so we moved here. In New York." "We didn''t live in New York before?" "No." Wendy shook her head. "We lived in Folnd Ind." Kaylee was too shocked to say anything. All this time, she thought she had lived in New York since she was born into this world. She also believed that Wendy and Nick and the rest of the Larson family lived in New York like her. Who would have thought that¡­ they¡­ they all moved to New York to help her recover?? "When¡­ When did this happen? When did I have amnesia?" "When you''re seventeen. Around eight years ago." That''s why Kaylee doesn''t really remember her school friends. She did remember she was an introverted girl, but strange enough, she only remembered Wendy and Nick''s faces. "Kaylee," called Wendy while hugging her best friend. "Please, don''t overthink about it. I do hope that someday your memories will return, but I prefer to see you like now." was her honest pray. Wendy was genuinely thought Kaylee was happier in these past eight years. Nothing frightened her. No one would me her for Roxy''s death. The most important thing was Kaylee wouldn''t have believed she had to kill herself to atone for her sin. Roxy''s death had nothing to do with Kaylee, but everyone med her and outcasted her. Kaylee med herself and became depressed to the point her life turned upside down. She locked herself while crying for nights, and she refused to eat or meet with everyone. It was heart-breaking to see her dear friend like that. "Kaylee, remember this. I will always be on your side whether you regain your memories or not. I wished nothing but for your happiness." Wendy tightened her embrace as if she was a mother who wanted to give mental support to her daughter. For a moment, Kaylee feltfortable and as if something suddenly came into her mind, clearing up everything that was bothering her. Little by little, the image of her chatting with Roxy was erased from her mind. Kaylee felt that all this conversation with Wendy and a girl she thought was her sister was just a dream. She couldn''t even remember the girl''s name now. Her eyelids felt heavy, and not long after, she fell asleep again. "Kaylee?" Wendy felt Kaylee''s body suddenly feel heavy, making her loosen her hug. When she unfolded her arms and let Kaylee fall, leaning more and more against her body, then she realized Kaylee fell asleep. "Who am I talking to? With you or your other side? Why did you fall asleep right away?" Wendy was not strong enough to lift Kaylee to her room. She had no other choice but to let Kaylee sleep on herp while waiting for her brother toe home from campus. Luckily, Nick came home a few minutester and opened the door while humming merrily. "Oh, pretty girl. What do I do to make you love me? I''ve been craving your touch, your sweet lips, your¡­ Woah!!" Nick stopped singing once he noticed Kaylee fell asleep on her sister''sp. "Why is she sleeping here? And why is her bag here?" Nick saw the pink travel bag near the table next to his sister. "She''s going to stay in our house for a few days." "Seriously?" Nick did not hide his enthusiasm at this unexpected announcement. "Don''t try to hit on your sister." "Aw... But only Kaylee is very responsive to my flirtatious." Nick giggled like an overexcited kid when he saw the gaze from his sister. If Wendy were to be next to him, his sister would certainly twist his ears or pinch his cheeks like cookie dough. Now Wendy couldn''t move because she doesn''t want to wake the sleeping Kaylee. Nick wouldn''t miss this opportunity to be naughty. "Help me to bring her in her room!" Wendy rolled her eyeszily at her brother''s mischievousness. "Aren''t you afraid I will kiss her on her sleep?" "Aren''t you afraid with Mister ck''s wrath?" "He would never know." refuted Nick while ying his eyebrows, teasing his frustrated sister. "Nick! Come here, or I swear I would burn all your collection!" "I already hid my collections." Nick dered his announcement in pride. "Are you sure?" Wendy reached into her pocket and grabbed a key making Nick stare wide. "You... When did you get it?" Wendy shed a toothy grin and curled her finger as if beckoning her brother to do what she asked. "What a nasty sister you are!" nevertheless, Nick came forward and slightly bent to lifted Kaylee gently. "What a disobedient brother you are!" retorted Wendy while pinching her brother''s cheek. "Ouw... ouw... You will wake her up!" Wendy pped her brother''s shoulder yfully and let Nick gently put the sleeping beauty on her bed. Chapter 111 - Ch. 111 The Flirty Boy The day of the music battle came sooner than expected. As expected, Nick could blend in and practice the song with Kaylee''s friends just fine. The young man even stated that he was satisfied with the group, even though it wasn''t as great as the Adams. Nevertheless, Nick enjoyed the practice and no longer pessimistic about the battle. Unfortunately, Nick admitted to Kaylee that not just one person said the samement regarding him. ''You look different today.'' It was quite worrisome, and they needed to do something about Nick''s appearance to avoid the unwanted predicament. Kaylee called Lydia to help Nick give some make-up to Nick so it wouldn''t be too different from his usual ''Nick'' appearance. Kaylee was more often with friends like Jacob, Adam, Fritz, and she was confident they would not overthinking the difference that happened to Nick. But people who rarely meet Nick on campus would know the difference and felt suspicious that Nick, who ys in the music battle, and the usual Nick was a different person. Thus, Kaylee called the most gifted make-up artist to modify Nick''s appearance with Kaylee in disguise. Kaylee thought everything would go smoothly and Lydia could finish her job on time, but Nick did not help her with being all flirty to the poor Lydia. "Make a pout," ordered Lydia, which the flirty boy showed his pout quicker than he should. However, his lips poked onward too much as if asking for a kiss. "Not like that. Just a little." Lydia swallowed her frustrated groan and scolded the boy gently. "Why? My lips tasted sweet. Have a try." Nick moved his lips forward and brought his face closer to the stunned make-up artist. Kaylee massaged her temple while shaking her head at her friend''s brother''s flirty gesture. On the other hand, Wendy held back her gleefulughter seeing their interaction. It was fun to see her brother in action, making an older girl flustered because of him. Lydia bitted her lower lips in frustration, and her fury skyrocket once she saw the flirty boy''s naughty glint. If only Wendy and Kaylee were not here, Lydia would punch this boy and strangle his neck to death! She swore she would kick his ass until this boy wouldn''t dare to hit on her. How dare he flirts around her! Not only Nick destroyed her golden opportunity to hook some rich guys; this boy hit on her in front of his sister and her employer! "Should we leave?" Kaylee knew that Lydia could do nothing in front of her and Wendy. She knew the poor girl could handle Nick if she left alone with the flirty boy. The girl knows exactly how to tame the unmanageable Nick when neither she nor Wendy are around. But Lydia became helpless and did not dare to hurt the younger brother of two well-knownposers in this country. "Yes, please," begged Lydia so she could teach this boy a lesson for ruining her blind date and hit on her! "I''m toozy to move. I''ll take a nap here." but Wendy didn''t want to budge from her ce and close her eyesfortably as if she seriously wanted to take a nap. Nick''s smirk widened to see his sister helped him and his dark brown eyes sparkled in delight to see Lydia''s helpless situation. "Well, good luck." Kaylee decided to leave them and entered her room to think about herself. Kaylee still has doubts about whether she shoulde to the music battle or not. Jacob had told her that he didn''t want Kaylee toe, but the young man wouldn''t stop her froming. Kaylee had to sort out her awkward rtionship with Jacob, plus¡­ she wanted to find out the rtionship between Den and Leticia Campbell. She confronted Letti as Nick at that time and made Letti almost hate her because she was snooping around in people''s affairs. But if she faced Letti as herself, Letti would show her true colors at her whether she had an affair with Den or not. Kaylee didn''t know whether her body was still rejecting Den or not, but she knew¡­ her heart, her mind, her soul yearned him so much. She wanted to run and get back to the man''s arms. She wanted to inhale his musky scent and feel his breath on her skin. Her desire reached higher and higher over time to the point she couldn''t measure it. Kayleeid on her bed, hugging one of her pillows. She nced at her right hand, which was now back to normal. There was no lump or swelling that makes her hands ugly like an elephant''s legs. But she still saw a brownish-yellow bruise. Kaylee still couldn''t use her right hand to y the piano, but at least she could hold light objects and write things without feeling hurt. It seemed that she would be able to y the piano as usual next week. On the other hand, Lydia literally tried to focus on her work without heeding Nick''s gaze that still teased her. But it was somewhat difficult to do her job while Nick took some part of her locked hair and y with it yfully. "You do realize I''m helping you here!" hissed Lydia in a whispered tone, knowing this boy''s sister took a nap not far away from them. "Hm? You said something?" Nick blinked his eyes cutely like puppy eyes that felt no remorse. Any normal girl would melt at his adorable gesture and would pamper Nick with great affection and adoration. But it never worked on Lydia. The only ones that couldn''t sway by his puppy looks were Wendy and this kitten girl. Lydia brought her face closer to whisper on his ear in a louder voice but not too loud to reach on the sleeping sister. "I said... I''m trying to help you." "You mean you''re helping my dearest sister, don''t you?" Nick shifted his head to the side, causing his lips to touch the older girl''s smooth cheek. The light touch made Lydia felt goosebumps all over her body and jumped away with a reddening cheek. This boy¡­ he dared to kiss her!? Nick was always flirtatious and relentlessly woo on her. At first, Lydia felt a tingling sensation and enjoyed this boy''s advances, but¡­ this guy also did the same thing to any girls who were older than him! It was apparent that Nick had an older girl fetish and continually sought the girls'' attention effortlessly. He only winked his eyes or shed his toothy grin, and all the girls in the world would surround him like butterflies. Despite being flirtatious, Nick never took advantage of molesting a girl. As flirty as he is, he was no a pervert, and yet he just kissed her cheek!? Lydia touched her cheek with shock and couldn''t believe what the boy had done. Lydia nced at Wendy, who still closed her eyes, and she seriously thought that Wendy was already asleep. Lydia was eager to give this boy an earful scolding until the boy couldn''t stand to stay with her. But once she opened her mouth, she swallowed her words back once she heard a familiar voice. "Nicky, be good, or you''ll bete." was the warning from the older sister. "Fine." miraculously, Nick obeyed his sister, making the flustered artist heaved in relief. She looked at Wendy with grateful then finished her job quickly and neatly. She made Nick''s cheek look slightly thinner with her expert hand and his chin not too masculine to make it simr to Kaylee''s chin. After finishing Nick''s make-up, Wendy directly cleaned up the equipment without speaking. She refused to even look at Nick and focused on her handful of make-up kits. "I''m done, Miss Larson." Wendy opened her eyes and investigated Nick''s new appearance. His younger brother''s face hadn''t changed much, but she noticed that his cheeks looked slimmer, and his eyebrows looked thinner. If she did not remember the one standing in front of her was her brother, she would believe it was Kaylee in disguise. "Wow. Kaylee is right. You have skilled hands, Lydia. It''s a pity you didn''t continue your studies at university. I''m sure your abilities will improve considerably if you continue your studies." Lydia smiled wryly at that. She knows that, and she wants to go to college. But she had no money for school. She even had to quit school when she was sixteen because her grandma couldn''t afford her tuition fees. In addition, her grandma often fell ill due to overwork, so the money they had was more often used to buy medicine. Lydia learned self-taught make-up, and it was unexpected that she was so talented in this field. She felt fortunate when she met Kaylee a couple of years ago, and the girl made her the pianist''s make-up artist. Kaylee also suggested to her friends to contact Lydia when they needed make-up over. Her name became known, and she had the money to go to college. However, she still chose her bed-ridden granny and used the money for the older woman''s hospitalization. Of course, no one knows about her unfortunate situation. She wasn''t a beggar and would never ask for sympathy from others. Hence, she never told someone about this.... especially Kaylee. Chapter 112 - Ch. 112 I Am Innocent! Knock! Knock! Kaylee heard a knock on the door and got up from herfortable position. She opened her bedroom door only to see a huge grin stered on Nick''s face. "Wow. I thought I was mirroring myself,"mented Kaylee, earning yful raising eyebrows from the young man. "Are youing?" "I wanted toe, but..." she doubted if Jacob would want to see her. But Jacob never stopped her froming, and she was sure that Den woulde to see Letti sing. She wanted toe over to resolve her guilt for Jacob, but she didn''t want to witness Den''s adoration gaze who admired a girl other than her. What should she do? "I''ming with you." Kaylee decided toe. Besides, she needs to face both of them sooner orter. Kaylee quickly dressed up in casual clothes as if she were going to watch a festival. They invited Wendy too, but the girl wasn''t interested and wanted to spend the weekend resting. Plus, Wendy had to help Kaylee to rece Roe in dealing with some of their clients. Wendy took this advantage of her peaceful time as long as she could before facing the hectic schedule week. As soon as they arrived at M University, Nick was surprised by the horde of people who almost filled the entire main hall building! "Is Saturday usually this full?" Nick asked Kaylee. "Not really. What do you expect? Today is a match between the prodigy boy and the so-called famous rock band. Plus, the main field on this campus is majoring in music. Of course, this music battle event will unquestionably attract other''s attention." Kaylee noticed that many students from other campuses came to see this music battle event. "Is this ce always having music battles?" "No. Music battles only exist when one student challenges other majors'' student." "And today''s music battle exists because..." "... you are the one to challenge the other party." Nick''s lips curled sideways as he was satisfied to hear this. "You did great. Thanks." Kaylee rolled her eyeszily while walking towards the ce where her friends were waiting for Nick. As soon as they arrived at the back of the building where the waiting room was, Kaylee''s steps stopped. Nick stopped as well the moment he realized Kaylee wasn''t following him anymore. "Why are we stopping?" "Just go inside, and you will see the others." Kaylee doubted herself to look for Jacob. What if the young man didn''t want to see her? Her heart would be broken twice in this week. "I think¡­ I''ll be back¡­." Kaylee did not continue her sentence when the door near them opened, and the chattering Jacob and Adam walked out of the building. Kaylee felt her heart stopped because she was still not ready to meet Jacob. What''s more, the cheerful chatter of the two friends stopped as soon as Jacob noticed her presence. "Hey, Nick. You just came. We''ve checked the sound of our instrument. You''re thest one." Nick grinned at his friend, "I''m sure I won''tin about my guitar sound." "Tch! How confident you are. By the way, who is this?" "My sister." "Yeah, right. I already know your sister." "She is. Well, technically, she''s not, but she''s my sister''s best friend. You can say that she is like my second sister." "Ah, I see. Hi, second sister, my name''s Adam." Kaylee smiled faintly at his greeting and weed Adam''s friendly handshake. Then she nced nervously at Jacob. She was worried that the young man would be cold to her and¡­ Wait a minute. Why was Jacob smiling at her instead? The same smile as she remembered. The young man''s smile was like the sun that had just risen from the eastern horizon giving light and warmth to this world. "Hi, Jack. Long time no see." "Hm. How are you?" "Hold on, you have met before?" protested Adam felt he had been left behind. "Yeah, I had a crush on her, but she''s engaged to someone else." came the reply in an indifferent tone as if the engagement news gave no effect on him. "Ouch. Seriously?" "And yet she gave me some hope. Isn''t that right, miss?" Kaylee felt her heart stabbed by a sharp weapon seeing those menacing looks. She couldn''t understand what Jacob was thinking. The young man gave her a soft, gentle smile, but the next second¡­ he changed. Kaylee could not help but feel embarrassed, especially now that she is Kaylee. Adam''s strange look at knowing she had given Jacob hope even though she was engaged did not help her at all. In the end, Kaylee decided to go and run away. Jacob just realized his mistake and was about to chase her when Nick''s hand pressed on his chest with firm pressure. "I don''t like you talk to her like that." "It''s all your fault, remember?" "..." What? "Don''t pretend you know nothing. I won''t get this frustrated if you don''t encourage me in the first ce." Nick: But, I am innocent!! What the hell he got himself into? Pondered Nick at himself. Kaylee, what kind of problem you had created!? Jacob warded Nick''s hand roughly and dashed after Kaylee leaving the clueless Adam and Nick. Yup. Nick was as clueless as Adam, and he felt he was a scapegoat for Kaylee''s wrongdoing. "What happened between them?" "Trust me. I''m as confused as you are." "Really? I thought it had something to do with your cold war." "What cold war?" "You fought with Jacob and didn''t talk for two days, remember?" "I did? Oh, yeah, I did." No, he didn''t. Ugh! Nick felt regretful that he had agreed to Kaylee''s request to rece her in the music battle. He didn''t want someone to ruin his ''baby'' masterpiece, but he didn''t want to get intoplicated situations like this. "Can you sound-check it for me?" Nick removed the guitar bag from his back before handing it to Adam. "I will catch up with them." After all, Kaylee is his beloved sister. He doesn''t like to see people make his sister cry. No one could notice it, but Nick realized Kaylee''s eyes already glistened, and her hands tremble like she was frightened. There was no way he would leave her alone with that rude Jacob. Adam exhaled a long heavy sigh when he saw Nick''s back had disappeared from his sight. "Oh,e on. Not today, please!" Adam didn''t care if his two friends fought until there was a furor. But at least both of them got their sanity back for this music battle.. Otherwise, they would be aughing stock. Chapter 113 - Ch. 113 Nicks Anger Jacob caught up with Kaylee sooner than he thought because his footsteps were wider, and he ran faster than the girl. Once his hands were within her reach, Jacob grabbed Kaylee''s arm and held the girl in the ce. Kaylee didn''t turn or run, but she looked away as if she didn''t want to see Jacob''s face to make the young man even more guilty. He didn''t mean to hurt Kaylee like this. Jacob was mad at Nick, and he foolishly took his displeasure on Kaylee. Jacob took a few steps to face the girl and saw Kaylee''s beautiful eyes ze over. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said that." "But you did. You already exined how you felt, and it made me crystal clear that it was my fault." "No, that¡­" "Don''t worry, Jacob. I get it." Kaylee pulled her hand from Jacob''s grip, but the young man didn''t want to let go. "No, you don''t get it. I was mad at Nick, but I took it out on you. I was a jerk, and you deserved to be mad at me. But I''d like you to know I''m not mad at you at all." Jacob bit his lower lips when he realized Kaylee still refused to look at him. "Please, forgive me and don''t cry." "I''m not." denied Kaylee while looking away to hide her eyes. Kaylee''s body froze as she felt two warm hands cupping her face and led her eyes to look towards Jacob. Kaylee''s heart rippled when she saw those mesmerizing blue eyes, and a glimpse of memory shed in her mind. ''Don''t cry. You''re uglier when you cry.'' Kaylee''s forehead frowned when she saw the young man''s figure with the same tattoo as he expressed his opinion. She felt she was crying, and the young man tried tofort her in an unusual way. "Miss Roe," Jacob brought her back from her shed memory with a gentle look. "I''m d you are here so that we can talk. But I have to go. Can we meet again after this?" "What for?" "I will apologize properly, and you owed me an exnation." Yes, she did. Kaylee knew she owed Jacob an exnation, and she knew Jacob couldn''t be with her right now because the young man had to return to the music battle that was about to begin. Kaylee nodded her head once and let Jacob leave her. She didn''t expect that once Jacob left, Nick came out of his hiding ce and walked over to her. "Should I know about this? Why did Jacob look at me like I was his enemy? I thought he was your best friend." "He is. But I made a mistake." Kaylee briefly told Nick what happened, getting a frowning from the young man. "Then he mad at me... at you, and hurt you like that. What a dumbass." "Nick! You''re not the one who will spend three years here. I hope my rtionship with him back to normal. I won''t be able to do it if I face him myself." "So you want me to fix your rtionship?" "If you don''t mind." What a troublesome to do. "Fine." "Thanks. You''re the best." Kaylee hugged Nick tightly while showing a cheerful smile. "I''ll see you after the battle. Good luck." Nick shook his head before walking back to where the back door led onto the stage. Surprisingly, as soon as he entered, Nick received sympathetic nces at him, and arge crowd gathered around the members of his music team. Now what? "Nick, you''re here." "Yeah? What happened? " Bug! Many people gasped in surprise when they heard the sound of punching. Nick was curious and quickly headed to the source of the crowd and was very surprised when he saw Jacob and Adam beating someone. Nick and Fritz approached them and pulled Jacob and Adam by force. Both of them grimaced when they saw that the face of the person who his two friends had beaten became swollen and full of bruises. "What are you doing?" Nick wondered what made Jacob and Adam frantic, crazy teenage boys¡­ on their music battle day. Plus, this was the first time Nick has seen Jacob''s expression so offensive, as if this young man was ready to send all his opponents to the hospital. He remembered that Jacob''s anger was not this deep when he met Kaylee, but the young man took his rage out on Kaylee by hurting the girl. Has Jacob decided to vent his anger by beating people up? What a scary guy! "He''s cheating!" hissed Jacob. "They did dirty way to win!" added Adam to make Nick even more confused. The music battle event hadn''t started yet, but how would they know if the opponent was cheating? Nick was still trying to hold back Jacob, who was ready to beat up the poor swollen-faced guy when he felt someone tug at the hem of his jacket. Nick turned his head and saw Letti looking at him worriedly. "They destroyed your guitar." "What?" Instantly Nick''s heart stopped when he heard the unexpected report from Letti. Nick released his grip on Jacob and searched for his guitar''s whereabouts. He entrusted one of his favorite guitars to Adam, but when he saw the neck and body part of his guitar break, his naughty smile and yful glint eyes turned darker. Who dared harm his ''baby''? Not far from their position, one of the opposing band members grinned at Nick''s pale expression. He got the news that Nick''s ability to y guitar had improved a lot when he brought an electric guitar from home. He felt sure that the guitar was Nick''s ''secret weapon.'' Without that guitar, Nichs Larson would be nothing, so he had one of his fellows destroy Nick''s guitar. His subordinate was not members of the band''s music team. Even though Jacob and Adam realized that the person who broke Nick''s guitar was his men, they have no evidence to use him of ordering the guy. Nick inhaled a very long sigh to calm his sudden anger. He turned and walked towards the poor swollen guy. Noticing the changing vibe in Nick and his dark eyes made the crowd speechless. Somehow they felt they saw a Doberman Pinscher dog who was angry because someone had entered his territory. Nick crouching with an aura full of danger makes the lying poor guy gulped nervously and almost wetted his pant! "Who ordered you? Talk, or you would never see the sun again." Gulp!! Chapter 114 - Ch. 114 Challenge A Duel "It... It was Arnold! It was him!" Jacob and Adam were stunned when they heard a name that came out of the bruised-face guy. They did feel suspicious that Arnold Miller, the lead guitarist, and singer of their opponent, was the culprit. But they never thought that the suspected guy was indeed the culprit! What brought them more astonished was how effortless Nick make the guy confessed while previously this guy sealed his lips tight with a mocking smirk even though Jacob gave him a lot of knuckles of sandwiches. It was almost jaw-lowering to witness Nick''s other sides that rarely shown. They never knew that Nick had an aura that was so terrifying that everyone didn''t dare to argue with him. No. Haven''t they seen Nick''s other side? At that time, Nick stopped their fight on the basketball court, which ended up having this music battle. It seemed that after this, no one would dare to piss off the prodigy boy. Nick rose to his feet and reached into his pocket for his phone, and called someone. No one knows who Nick was calling, but hearing Nick''s following sentence made everyone wonder about the person''s identity on the other side. "Tell me more about this music battle." After listening for a few minutes, a very rare evil smirk was stered on Nick''s lips. With casual steps, Nick walked across the backstage towards Arnold''s team. Nick was not short, but his friends know that his current height was shorter than Arnold''s giant body. Worried about what will happen to Nick, Jacob and his friends follow Nick''s steps to approach Arnold''s team members. As soon as Nick arrived in front of the leader of the band group, everyone could see Arnold''s efforts to straighten up to intimidate Nick. He wanted to make the young man tremble with fear in front of him and decided to give up on this music battle. He not only wanted to win this battle but wanted to make sure the nickname the prodigy boy disappeared from this campus and humiliated Nichs Larson. If the news about Arnold Miller defeated the prodigy boy and making the idol campus lose face, who knows Arnold would be the next idol campus. The arrogant and dirty cheater boy snorted in arrogance to see what would the prodigy boy''s reaction like. He already destroyed Nichs Larson''s triumph card guitar, and he was sure Nick had nothing to win this battle. However, Nick did not cower in fear nor felt intimidated. On the other hand, Nick looked even more challenging, and you could see how much furious in his darkened eyes. "I want to challenge you in a duel and to bet our instruments on it." What!? Everyone who could hear gasped at Nick''s confident voice. Letti herself was also shocked that she was sure that her jaw was wide open in disbelief. Why did Nick even challenge Arnold to a duel and betted on their musical instruments? They all know Arnold was the one who ordered one of his minions to destroy Nick''s guitar. And they also know, if Nick retaliates by tantly destroying Arnold''s guitar, Nick''s music team would be disqualified. And if Nick and other team members struck Arnold or other dirty y lover music team members, Nick''s music team would also be disqualified that instant. Even though they heard the confession from the person who destroyed Nick''s guitar came from Arnold''s order, they still need to find evidence to knock Arnold''s team out. Arnold would not confess willingly, and his team would not be disqualified as long as there was no solid proof against him. It was better to let it go and started the music battle per their n, yet Nick even turned this music battle into a duel!? The winning team would take the losing team''s musical instrument, and no one was allowed to withdraw. And for some reason, Jacob and everyone there could guess Nick''s n to destroy all Arnold''s team''s musical instruments in front of everyone. It doesn''t matter if Nick wins this duel, but Jacob and his friends know very well that Nick won''t win against Arnold. Arnold was a guitar yer and had experience performing in front of many people while singing. On the other side, this is the first time for Nick to appear in front of so many people. And what''s more¡­ Nick can''t sing!! How could Nick win this duel? How could he have enormous confidence to the point he challenged Arnold in a duel? Arnold thought the same way as Jacob and the others. He knew very well that Nichs Larson was indeed an expert in ying the guitar. But his voice was entirely unsuitable for singing. He was sure he would win because he was also the lead singer in the band. What''s more, ording to his experience, people who have never appeared on stage would experience stage fright for a few seconds, and that''s enough to beat Nick''s unsatisfactory performance. Arnold grinned and burst intoughter which his friends followed upon hearing Nick''s one-sided challenge. Who would have thought that this campus''s prodigy boy was such a stupid kid? He imagined if he won the duel, he could take Adam and Fritz''s electric string instrument. Not to mention he could have Leticia Campbell, who once refused to sing with him today. He would destroy both instruments and take Leti''s first kiss in front of everyone. And about Jacob¡­ he can''t destroy the drum because that drum was the property of this campus. But he can make the young man kneel before him or make him his ve for a week. "Okay. I ept your challenge. But we all know we can''t have the drums that you guys use. And what about your singer who doesn''t have any instruments?" Nick was silent as if he was thinking about something. "I have a suggestion if you wish to hear it." "Enlighten me." "We will not take your instruments. Besides, your instruments will be of no use to our group. But I''m going to kiss Leticia Campbell and make you our servants for one week." "Arnold! You''re too much!" eximed one of Leticia''s friends. "Right. You''re too much!" added another of Leticia''s friends, who could not bear to see her friend humiliated by Arnold in front of the entire campus. No one knows, one of Den''s spies, disguised as a student, quickly reported to his master about Leti''s situation. On the other hand, Letti stood in ce with a pale face. She has to kiss the worst and disgusting guy in the whole world in front of her friends. She felt sure Ayana would definitely film this scene and would constantly bully her and insult her. No, she can''t let that happen! Letti hopes Nick rejected it and continued this music battle as initially nned. Nick nced at the pale Letti and her friends, who looked worried. Initially, he nned to rece his friends'' instruments with new and much better ones if they lost, and Arnold took their instrument. Not that he would lose because he knew and was very confident of his own skill. There was no way he would let this loser scumbag win over him. But now the stakes have changed, and Nick couldn''t decide by himself. He walked towards his friends and ignored the scorn on Arnold''s team. "What do you think?" "I don''t want to be his ve." protested Adam. "Neither do I. I will win this duel." "Well, Nick. We don''t mind if you lose." continued Fritz. "Moreover, they won''t be able to treat us too badly to maintain their image. But you have to think about Campbell." "I know." After getting approval from his friends, Nick walked over to Letti. "Letti, I know what you''re thinking, and I assure you I will win this duel without a doubt. But if you don''t want to get involved, I can kick you out of this team." "How much are you sure you will win?" "As big as a gxy and as wide as an ocean." grinned Nick in his charming look, which made Letti held her breath. "Do you trust me?" As if a ma was tugging at him, Letti answered without beingmanded by her brain. "I do." "Good. It''s settled then." Nick turned back to face Arnold''s team. "We''ve epted, but we also would like to change our bet." Arnold gave a mocking snickered. "It''s not like that you will win. But, do tell." "If you lose, we will rece you to appear at all events held by this campus music director." Everyone who heard it gasped without exception, including Jacob and Letti. If they are called by this campus music director and ask them to appear at important events, doesn''t that mean¡­ their names will start to be recognized by people?? Not a bad bet considering they will have to be Arnold''s team servants if they lose. Hearing the reward that they would get if Nick won this duel made Jacob, Adam, Fritz, and Letti look straight at Nick''s straight torso and say, ''You must win, Nick! At all cost!!'' Nick felt goosebumps over his body as soon as his four friends said the same wish at the same time. Nick: Huh? Chapter 115 - Ch. 115 Nick Vs Arnold (1) After talking with Nick, Kaylee walked into the main hall along with the other audiences. She decided to mingle with others to avoid bumping Den in an ident. Besides, she noticed her ex-mentor entering the lift when she got inside the lobby. That ''guy was intrigued to see Nichs''s progress, considering he once wished for ''Nick'' to change ss. After she found afortable seating spot, she heard some gossip from the piano ss kids. "Have you heard?" "Hear what?" "There was a smallmotion at the backstage. They said Arnold sent his minion to break Nick''s guitar." "What? Why did he do it?" "I have no idea." "He couldn''t be afraid losing from the inexperienced freshman, could he? Even though Larson was a genius ying piano and reading the quick reading, everyone knows that his guitar ying was not as great as he yed the piano." "Dunno. Poor Larson. His guitar already broke. What would he do now?" Kaylee frowned when she heard this. She tried to remember which guitar Nick had brought? That boy had dozens of guitars as his collection, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she remembered that Nick''s guitar was the least favorite one. Nevertheless, Nick took care of the guitar so lovingly as if he were dating the guitar. The young man even forbade Wendy and Kaylee to enter his private room to protect his so-called ''babies.'' Nick constantly changes the guitar he carries every time he appears at his concerts. The number of guitars he has in his room was countless to the point that she cannot see the room walls because it was filled with guitars. Kaylee knew Nick would not bring his favorite guitar to a music battle that was nothing with his annual concert tour. Kaylee couldn''t imagine what happened to that person once Nick showed his fang if someone touched his most favorite baby. That young man had a quick temper and easily get angry when something damages or hurts someone he loves. Since the culprit broke Nick''s least favorite one, Kaylee figured Nick wouldn''t be too mad. The guitar that Nick brought was the first guitar his grandmother gave him, thanks to winning a musicpetition when he was ten. His grandfather had bought the guitar for a long time and wanted to be able to y it. But he didn''t have the time, and the guitar ended up in the warehouse. Nick did not remember his grandfather because the aging man was gone when Nick still learned to speak. Regardless, Nick still cherished his first guitar because it was a gift from his grandmother. Luckily Nick was able to control his emotions and did not immediately attack Arnold''s team. Otherwise, this music battle would end quickly without even starting with Arnold''s team winning. Not long after, Kaylee felt some vibration inside her sling bag. It came from her new smartphone with the same old number. Once she saw who was calling for her, Kaylee slid the green symbol on the screen. "Hello?" "Tell me more about this music battle." Kaylee knew right away that Nick was nning to get back at Arnold in a justice way. "Instead of that, how about you suggest a duel with Arnold?" "What is that?" "Duel is a match individually. He is a guitarist and singer, and so are you. I''ve heard him sing and y guitar, and he''s way below you. When he couldn''t control his emotions and let them take over, he became unfocused on his guitar and made many mistakes. So he took off his guitar, and he chose to sing more often." "How can I get my revenge this way?" "Unlike the music battle, the duel must have a stake as the winner''s reward." "Oh? Interesting." "You can just bet with your instruments, and once you win, you can destroy their instruments any way you want." "That''s what I wanted." "But, Nick. I have something more than just destroy their instrument. It was too light for their punishment. Lure him to change the bet you are offering. Miller was a greedy person, and it was no secret that he wants to make this music battle arena to humiliate me and the others. Once he changes the bet, you change your bet for him too." "Is there something you''ve had in your mind?" "Of course. Make them resigned their event spot, and your team will rece it. I heard they had a schedule for shmob street performance and the winter festival. Furthermore, they will also be performing in New York square on Christmas eve. I''m sure the others will like it to appear in public. This will help their assessment of recital exams in the future." "So it''s about them. What about me?" protested Nick as he assumed Kaylee prioritizes her friends over himself. Kaylee smiled, amused hearing that. "Of course, I thought of you. That''s why I helped you think of ways to get him multiple times. They are bound to feel frustrated once they know the schedule they have set has passed into the hands of someone else. Especially if that person is the idol campus, their humiliation would be doubled once the referee announced the winner." Nick grinned at that. "I love every time you are wicked like this. Love you, sis." Kayleeughed at that and looked forward to the duet performance between Nichs Larson and Arnold Miller. After waiting for a few minutes, the event host appeared on stage to inform the audiences of the changes regarding this music battle. The two parties were no longer engaged in the battle, but they would be on duel instead. Hearing this stunned the audience but gave enthusiastic cheers that people outside the room could listen to their roars. The duel between Nichs and Arnold would begin in ten minutes, making the audience even more impatient to watch the two performances. One was the prodigy boy and their idol, while one was a senior who had experience performing on stage with his colleagues. They were wondering who would win this duel? Is Nichs Larson a neer to this campus, a prodigy boy, or the most popr senior who has often appeared at their big campus events? If they had known that Nichs Larson was the lead guitarist of the Adams, they would all have picked Nick without a doubt. No matter how often Arnold appeared on stage, his experience could never bepared to the Adams who have held concerts overseas. This duel rule was that one of both parties would y and sing whatever song he fancied. The second party must find a way to connect the type of music yed by the first party and use thest word pronounced the first to sing a different song to challenge the initiator. You could say it was a riff-off battle, and they had to y the guitar and sing at the same time. If the second party couldn''t think of a song to sing a different song within one minute, the first party would get one score. And if someone let go of his guitar first, his opponent would get one score. Whoever reached for the first twenty winning would be dered the winner. Arnold felt very confident because he had sung almost every song in this world. He believed that Nick''s experience, which was nearly zero, definitely did not have as many song bankers as he did. Arnold looked at Letti with a lustful gaze as he pursed his mouth to tell the girl that he couldn''t wait to taste her soft lips. Letti shuddered in disgust with that pervert senior''s gesture. She scoffed and decided to look hopefully at Nick. Currently, Nick was tunning Adam''s guitar and adjusting it ording to his wishes. "Nick, you will win this, right?" "I thought you said you trust me." "I did. So please don''t make me regret it." "I won''t." Nick returned to focus on his guitar without paying attention to Adam, who watched him with a look of amazement. How could Nick be so good at tuning up an electric guitar overnight? The young man seemed to treat his guitar like someone touched his lover. So gentle yet firm and full of passion. At one nce, Adam immediately knew Nick was a guitar maniac and could guess that the young man must have had a collection of guitars filling his room. Adam was eager to ask questions and asked Nick to teach him how to tune an electric guitar. But he knew that right now, Nick had to focus on preparing for today''s duel. And they couldn''t afford to be on the losing side. Once Nick finished resetting Adam''s electric guitar to his taste, the host informed them that it was time for the duel to begin. Nick and Arnold went up to the stage and put in a jack cable that connected their guitars to the sound speakers. Then the host asked them who wanted to sing a song first. "I don''t want to be the one to whack here. So I encourage Mister Larson here to start first." Nick rolled his eyeszily at the scorn escaping from Arnold''s mouth. "I''m a freshman here, and I don''t really know the rules in this ce. How about seniors like you show it first to me." "Are you sure? Well, I will show you that you messed around with the wrong buddy." "Let''s see about that," smirked Nick without feeling afraid. Chapter 116 - Ch. 116 Nick Vs Arnold (2) Letticia Campbell looked anxiously at Nick onstage with Arnold Miller. She did decide to believe in Nick, but she still felt uneasy. Just as she was about to join her friends in the audience to see the duel, someone grabbed her hand and took her out. At first, Letti was about to fight back and screamed for help, but when she realized who had pulled her hand, Letti fell silent and followed the man''s footsteps. As soon as the two of them arrived outside and confirmed that no one had heard their conversation, the man nced at Letti with a stifled, angry gaze. "Care to exin what''s going on?" Letti bit her lip nervously in the face of her overprotective brother''s wrath. Having no other choice but to trust Nick fully, Letti decided to give her shy smile to her big brother. "You know what? It was such a thrilling and interesting story. I don''t know if you can keep up, brother." "Letti. I''m serious. Are you going to let that scumbag kiss you in front of the whole campus?" Letti frowned and looked at her brother in surprise. "How did you know about the bet?" "I put a spy, remember?" "It''s not fair." "If I didn''t, you would never tell me about this." "It''s because I don''t want you to be worried." "I cannot be not worried about my sister. You are the only family I have. How could I protect you if you never let me do it?" "No, brother. You have your ck family, and I have my Campbell family. We may be a sibling through our unknown birth mother, but you know we are different. Your birth father was the distinguish person while mine... was a drunken bastard." "Letti," called Den in a warning tone. "Please, just trust me this one. I believe in Nick''s skill. He can win this duel." "But she can''t sing." Den almost snapped at his sister for how angry he was. Over the past dozen years, he has been very guarding and protecting his younger sister from behind the scenes. If someone bullied her, he would teach the bully a lesson secretly. He even wanted to get back at Ayana''s cunning taunting, but Letti managed to make him promise not to touch Ayana or her college friends who cornered her. "She? Who is she?" Den realizes his mistake then immediately steered the convo toward another. "Letti, you''re on the losing side." "No, brother. We will never know if we never try. I''m willing to take the risk and put my faith in him. I believe in him." "Why are you so sure?" "Because I heard him sing yesterday afternoon. He is yful sometimes, but he looks serious when he sings. I trust him. Besides, it''s time for you to let me decide for myself. I''m not a child anymore." Letti wanted to learn to live independently without any support from Den. She wanted to show her brother that she was no longer a child who always needed her brother''s wings. Yes, they were half-siblings with the same blood ran through their veins. But Letti still felt they came from two different worlds. Letti felt that Den was born with a silver spoon in his mouth even though his mother took him from his birth father and abandoned the five-year-old Den at Grace orphanage. On the contrary, their mother immediately dumped her in Grace Orphanage as soon as she was born. It was apparent that her birth mother was ashamed to have her in this world. Den already knows who his biological parents are or what their faces look like, while she¡­ Letti never knew what her biological parents look like. Letti was an unwanted child and an unnned baby from her birth parents. She felt grateful to have Den as her brother, who sincerely cherishes and protects her since she lived in the orphanage. However, it is time for her to leave her brother''s shelter. After all, they are already part of a different family. If Letti wanted to reveal to the world that Den ck was her brother, at least she had to have a reputation she could be proud of to be worthy of being called Den ck''s sister. She didn''t want people to see her as a spoiled sister or useless girl who feed on her half-brother''s hard-working''s fortune. "Wait. You said yesterday he practice. Did hee to campus yesterday?" "Of course. He even brought his electric guitar for ourst practice." Letti didn''t have to think twice about who her brother meant. For a moment, Den didn''t react to his younger sister''sstment. He seemed pensive thinking about something. Den was sure Kaylee was in his penthouse all day, and besides, that girl wouldn''t be able to y the guitar because of her swollen hands. Plus, Cassidy would let him know if Kaylee left the house. If yesterday Kaylee was in his house all day, who dide to campus and be Nichs Larson? Could it be ... the real one? Den knew that Wendy Larson was a great arranger and songwriter, but he did not know that the girl had a younger brother. All this time, he thought Kaylee was disguising herself as someone who never existed and yed her best friend''s brother. Den had no idea that Wendy did have a younger brother named Nichs Larson. Wait a minute. If Nichs Larson was not an artificial identity, then why should Kaylee disguise herself as Nick? Why not the young man himself undergo the ss lesson? The big question in his mind is¡­ which one is his savior? Which one yed the ''ugly'' song that only Den and his savior knew about? Was it Nichs Larson or his wife in disguise? They heard a roaring guitar ying not long after, followed by excited cheers from the crowd. Ignoring her brother, who seemed lost in a daze, Letti promptly opened the door and entered the main hall to join the rest of the audience. Den also caught up with his younger sister, and that''s when he saw Arnold Miller ying his guitar so skillfully. On the other hand, Nichs seemed to be holding his guitar quietly, looking at Arnold. Why is that young man silent? Wouldn''t he have lost if he didn''t start ying his guitar right away? Chapter 117 - Ch. 117 That Is Not Nick! Nick had deliberately let Arnold sing the song first, and he didn''t move to take over and let his senior sang until the end. As a result, Arnold got the first four points ahead of him. Nick realized Arnold''s solo singing was so boring that the crowd''s cheers diminished as time went on. s, the arrogant senior couldn''t realize this, and that was his big mistake. Arnold Miller gave him a mocking smile and thought Nick had decided to give up. Seeing Nick doing nothing makes Letti and the others feel anxious. Den also seemed to dislike Nick''s attitude, who appeared to belittle this duel. If only his sister''s dignity weren''t at stake, Den would never have cared about the contest of two childish students. Den decided to call his assistant to get in touch with the Millers. He wanted to see if the boy still dared to kiss his sister when he heard from Mr. Miller. "What''s Nick doing? Why didn''t he take over?" "How should I know?" "Jake, aren''t you close to Nick. Do you know what he is up to?" Jacob shook his head without turning his gaze at Nick. Even though he was Nick''s closest friend and almost inseparable, Jacob still couldn''t understand the young man''s thinking. When Jacob realized Nick was ying with him just because he knew how Jacob feels for Roe, Jacob was angry and decided to keep his distance from the young man. But Jacob decided to make peace when Nick tried to get close to him. He even tried to trust him again and express his heart. Jacob had told Nick that he didn''t expect Roe toe. Nick should have known that he didn''t want to see Roe again. He did say that he wouldn''t stop the girl froming to see this music battle, but that didn''t mean he still wanted to meet her. But Nick¡­ that guy took the girl backstage as if it was the most natural thing to do to make Jacob feel mad at Nick. That''s why when he found out that Nick had considered Roe as his second sister, Jacob said those hurtful words to the poor clueless girl. Jacob directly went after Roe as soon as he realized his mistake, and he didn''t care whether Nick got mad at him after this or not. He was guilty of Kaylee and owed Kaylee an apology, but he owed Nick nothing. But one thing that he couldn''t understand from his friend''s attitude. Why is Nick being rxed and chix as if there is no tension between them? Even when the young man found out that Arnold had done the dirty way by destroying his guitar, the young man could think of a way to strike back. There was something different about Nick, but Jacob didn''t know what was different. Is it his appearance? No. Nick''s appearance was still the same as usual. Then what''s different? "Hey, the prodigy boy. Aren''t you afraid you will have to face your friends? This time I''m going to sing a five-minute song, and this time you will lose before you know it." Provoked Arnold with a mocking tone made Nick snort in amusement. Nick raised a hand as if inviting Arnold to continue his song. This time, his two hands moved to a position in their respective ces. His left hand was on the fingerboard while his right hand held the yellow marble-like motive pick in the pickup area. Arnold started singing the second song, and Nick still didn''t intend to cut Arnold''s music and let the arrogant senior got an extra three. Nick nced at the mediator, who was looking closely at the timer. As soon as the mediator was about to give Arnold a ninth score, Nick cut Arnold''s song by ying very ear-catching chords and making the senior dumbfounded. His fierce entrance chord, as well as his heavy yet authoritative voice, made the listeners hold their breath for a moment. His long fingers danced on the fingerboard as if he was typing something on aptop. His right hand moved up and down while holding the pick looked so rxed and graceful but produced a fantastic rhythm. Everyone who witnessed the changing atmosphere around Nichs Larson and heard the enchanting voice was able to captivate the hearts of women. They were stunned before giving out cheers that were far more festive than when they cheered Arnold. Even Den, who was previously pessimistic about this unreasonable duel, was fixated on where he stands. He had no idea that Nichs Larson had a gifted hand! The whole campus was surprised and gasped in awe, except for Kaylee. She already knew what kind of abilities Nick had. The young man could not read musical notes, or maybe he would be aughing stock when ying the piano. But no one would everugh at him once Nick held a guitar. Back on the stage, Arnold quickly recovered from his shock and immediately concentrated on thinking about a song to take over this duel. But the next second, Nick did a guitar demo, so the young man didn''t sing for a while. Arnold was forced to wait for Nick to say the lyrics so he could cut Nick''s song. But after waiting for almost three minutes, Nick still didn''t open his mouth to sing. "Hey, it''s not fair. This is not a guitar-ying match!" protested Arnold to the mediator who assessed this duel. "It''s fair as long as the audience enjoyed it." was the firm response from the mediator. Usually, people who just demonstrate their guitar ying won''tst long, and the audience would get bored in no time. But Nick¡­ the young man had yed his guitar and walked here and there while throwing flirtatious winks at the female audience for more than two minutes, and the crowd''s cheers did not diminish. When Nick walked back to where his standing mic was, Arnold prepared to cut Nick''s song and take over. Nick changed his ying style but still into the same rhythm as before and opened his mouth. But¡­ Why is Nick singing in Japanese instead?! Since when that guy spoke Japanese? No one felt suspicious about Nick''s identity, but one. ''That is not Nick!'' Chapter 118 - Ch. 118 The Duel Turned Into A Duet Arnold groaned in frustration because he couldn''t speak Japanese and didn''t know how to take back this duel. Fortunately, after Nick got five scores because Arnold couldn''t cut Nick''s song, the prodigy boy changed to another song that usedmonnguage. At that moment, Arnold immediately prepared to take over while thinking of a suitable song to cut Nick. s, again, Nick stopped singing and ying his guitar with his expert fingers. The cheers of the audience, especially the women, still did not decrease. Their enthusiasm was getting more passionate as if today was a grand solo concert from the prodigy boy. The next second, Nick suddenly pulled both hands from his guitar, causing the mediator to mute their music and dere Arnold to get the point because Nick had let go of his guitar. Arnold was about to put a mocking smile at Nick, but when he saw Nick nce at him with a disdainful look, Arnold froze. "The provisional score is 9-9." announced the mediator made Arnold gritted his teeth as the realization hit him. Nichs Larson is toying with him! "Oh, what luck. I caught up with your score quickly. Aren''t I a genius?" provoked Nick in a happy merry voice, followed by the cheers from the crowd. "You''re just lucky, kid!" hissed Arnold while walking towards Nick with an intimidating aura, but Nick didn''t move nor avoid him. "Yeah. I''m sooo lucky to be a genius," smirked Nick causing nothing but further mortification for Arnold Miller. "Miller will y the next song." announced the mediator made Nick frown at the mediator. Shouldn''t he the one who ys the next? Nevertheless, Nick stayed still. Arnold tried hard to think of the most challenging song he''d ever yed. He wasn''t going to let Nick dominate this duel and humiliate him in front of these people. He was the lead singer and guitarist in his band. The group has often appeared in various campus events both inside and outside. Arnold and his friends have been chosen to be the M university music team representatives since a year ago, and until now, no one has managed to match the ability of his music team. He was sure no one could match his expertise on this entire campus. Arnold won''t let the freshman boy take over his music team. As soon as he thought of a song he thought was difficult, Arnold immediately yed it without hesitation. To be honest, Arnold didn''t master the song he was ying. The guitar technique and chords of this song were extraordinarily unusual and filled with diminished chords and minus augments. He had to concentrate on his fingers to not miss at the same time; he also had to sing while looking at the audience. It was risky, but he was willing to take it. On the other side, Nick looked at the five left fingers of Arnold with sparkling eyes. He thought Arnold''s skills were far below his, so he rxed and underestimated the senior. But who would have guessed that arrogant guy can actually y the mostplicated chords of all time. Moreover, Arnold''s tremolo-picking and finger slide technique seemed like a very experienced person. It was no wonder why Arnold Miller felt arrogant to think he was the most remarkable person on campus. Even Nick himself doubted that anyone could beat Arnold Miller in this duel. Arnold''s guitar ying and singing abilities were top-notch, but the senior''s ability was nothingpared to Nicky of the Adams. Just when the mediator was about to give Arnold a point because Nick hadn''t cut it, Nichs did a dive bombs technique on his guitar and immediately sang one of his songs in the Adams. "We rock, and you know it!" Nick sang it in high-hype, and his energy transferred to the audience. "We rock, and you know it!" It was no surprise that the audience was very familiar with this song because it came from The Adams'' first album. "Yeah, we rock, and you know it!" "Yeah, we rock, and you know it!" imitated the audience with immense enthusiasm, leaving Arnold gasped. Every time Nick yed the guitar and gave off his charismatic voice, the crowd''s cheers grew crazier and deafening. But when it was Arnold''s turn to y, the audience was never as excited as when they weed Nick''s performance. How did Nick captivate the audience so easily? He didn''t have time to think about this and immediately looked for a song that started with the word ''it.'' When he found suitable music to cut Nick''s song, the prodigy boy instead stopped singing and once again demonstrated his skills. This time Nick went all out and did legato followed by tapping harmonics using his ten fingers without letting go of his pick. The young man even nodded his head, enjoying the music he yed, and lowered his body to his knees with one leg facing the audience, making the female audience went crazy. The atmosphere was getting livelier when Nick briefly interacted with the audience. "Are you ready for some more?" "YES!!" "It''s for youdies," stated the flirty boy while winking at the young girls. "NICK!!!" cheers the crowd, and they no longer care about the duel. Their duel situation inexplicably turned into Nick''s solo concert, and the audience didn''t mind this change at all. Nick didn''t care about the look of fury and anger that came from Arnold. The senior guy tried to protest at the mediator, but the mediator shook his head as if he enjoyed the music Nick yed. In other words, Arnold had lost badly without continuing this duel. Arnold nced at the scoring screen he got. From the start of this duel until now, his score stuck at nine. On the other hand... Nick''s score had already reached fifteen. Will¡­ he lose? But looking at Nick''s technical ying skills¡­ he couldn''t help but admit that he had lost. "Hey." Arnold frowned when he felt Nick was calling him. "It''s your turn." Ha? Nick showed some variations of finger tapping chords that were pretty easy to imitate. As if his body had a mind of its own, his fingers moved along with Nick''s y. As Arnold yed his guitar, Nick stopped ying. Only when Arnold finished ying his part did Nick return to ying. As a result, they yed a melodic duet that seemed tomunicate with each other regardless of their duel. The crowd''s cheers never went out even though Arnold joined the duet with the prodigy boy. The music battle today was indescribable on another whole level. Chapter 119 - Ch. 119 Kaylees Cousin At first, Jacob, Adam, and Fritz did not understand why Nick had turned their duel into a duet. But when they heard how harmonious the two guitars were between Nick and Arnold, they joined the crowd cheering them on. In no time, the tense atmosphere caused by the duel has now turned cheerful, like a party with a duet concert between the idol campus and the popr seniors. The two young men also seemed to enjoy their performance and exchanged nces as if they weremunicating with their eyes alone. People from other schools who came to see the music battle thought Nick and Arnold were old friends but had a fight over something. It was hard to believe if they said that Nick and Arnold were strangers. Their cohesiveness and harmony in a duet werergely unified, like milk and water. They would not think Arnold had cheated by ordering his fellow to destroy Nick''s guitar before this match started. The atmosphere between them wasn''t hostile or mutual hatred, but it looked like two friends who had just reconcile because they fought over something. Kaylee, who saw the small interaction between Nick and Arnold, smiled meaningfully. She felt proud of Nick because the boy was able to make opponents be friends in an instant. Nick was a quick temper kid, but he''s also easy to bring himself. Wherever he is, Nick could make almost everyone his friends. It''s especially hard to hate Nick, even though at times that kid''s attitude is quite a pain in the neck sometimes. Asking Nick for help to rece her in this music battle was indeed the right decision. Kaylee couldn''t help but be proud of herself. After finishing singing the duet song together, Nick and Arnold closed the event by ying vibration techniques with Nick on high chords while Arnold on low chords. The sound of shouts and cheers from the audience was deafening, causing big smiles to adorn the lead guitarist. The two of them looked at each other and smiled with satisfaction at the results of today''s event. "Great y!" said Nick, stretching his right palm towards Arnold. "You too." Arnold took Nick''s hand in the same motion, and for a moment, both hands stretched firmly and friendly grip. "I''m sorry I broke your guitar. I''ll buy you a new one. You earn my respect, and you deserve to take my spot in the event." "Nah, you don''t need to buy me, but I ept your apology. Regarding the event, I''m gonna take it for this month. But we didn''t n to busy ourselves in the future. So the group is still rightfully yours." Arnold admired Nick even more, and since then, he decided not to bother Nick anymore and prefer to be friends with him. Arnold faced his standing mic and spoke to the audience, who were eagerly awaiting what would happen after this. "Are you feeling tired, music lovers?" "NO!!!" "Are you sure? Because we still have a lot more to do." "YESS!!" Nick cocked his head, not understanding what Arnold was trying to do, but he grinned like a Cheshire cat to hear the senior''sst speech. "I present you, Nick, and the team!!" "WHOOOOO!!!" Nick invited his friends onto the stage, which was immediately greeted enthusiastically by Jacob and the others. Once on the stage, they formed a circle to discuss briefly. "Are we going to y the song we''ve practiced?" "Yes, but exclude my part. I''m bored with my song¡­ I mean, I''m tired of the Adams song. Let Letti take over." "Me?" Letti pointed her index finger at herself. "But I only have two songs." "I will add it more. Do you know this song?" Nick told them a title, and luckily all of them know it. "But we''ve never practiced it." "Don''t worry. Just follow my lead." Nick''s statement was followed by the other''s nod. After a brief discussion, Nick and the others got ready in their respective positions. Not long after, Jacob tapped his drumstick on the hi-hat four times, and then the lively music made the crowd cheer again. The sound of music that sounded so enthusiastic and the musicians who were handsome and gave off a strong charisma made the hearts of the girl audience melt even more. What''s more, Leticia Campbell''s melodious voice overflowing with powerful yet elegant dignitypletes a musical performance dominated by masculine men. What a perfect union. Den, who was still standing far behind the audience, smiled proudly, seeing his baby sister on the stage. Well, she was not a baby, and Letti had made it crystal clear that she wants to fly with her own wings. "Hey, isn''t that your little princess?" Den nced to the side where the music director of this campus was standing next to him. Since when was this man here? "I didn''t expect you toe to the music battle." "I heard about the bet. If my music team loses, the other team will take the spot schedule this month. Of course, I want to know if this team has the right to appear at the event." Den did notment and turned back to pay attention to his younger sister. "Is that... Nichs Larson?" "Yeah." "So he came, after all. I thought he already forgot his duty and travel the world." "You know him?" "I''ve known him since he still a baby. Well, his sister''s best friend is my cousin." "You mean Kaylee Zouch?" "Yup. Ah, I heard about your engagement with her. Congratz." it was not genuine congrattion from the music director. "Why do you sound unhappy?" "Just your feeling." was the short answer without having the intention to exin further. "¡­" Den nced back at the stage, but this time his gaze was fixed on Nick. "So you know that Kaylee and Nick switched ces." "..." "Isn''t that why you asked me to transfer Nick to piano ss at the beginning, mister Harvey? I wonder what the headmaster would do if he learned about this." Mister Harvey exhaled a long breath before answering Den. "What do you want, Mister ck?" Den showed a devilish grin to cause the other man felt goosebumps.. "I want you to do something that only you can do." Chapter 120 - Ch. 120 Passionate Kiss The music battle event, which eventually ended up as a guitar duet, went well. The performances of the music team of Nichs Larson and others were also enthusiastically weed by the audience. Some shouted Nichs''s name, and others shouted Jacob''s name or other boys. But everyone called out Nichs'' name more often thanks to his performance during his duel with Arnold. As soon as they finished singing theirst song, Nichs and Leti, who were singing, gasped for breath, but big smiles graced their faces. The cheers still didn''t stop even when Nichs''s music team had finished ying the song. The show''s host finally appeared and announced the end of today''s event while letting Nichs''s music team get off the stage. Jacob hit both of his sore thighs due to kicking and pounding his drum pedal. Letti quickly finished a liter of her bottle of water because her throat was starting to feel dry. It was the first time they performed so many songs at once in two hours without stopping... except for Nick, of course. Unlike them, Nichs still seemed energetic, and his voice stayed the same as before. "How many songs did we y earlier?" "I have no idea. I lost count after we yed the fifth song." Fritz chuckled at Adam''s answer because none of them seemed to remember how many songs they yed. They were amazed at their own abilities because they didn''t expect to y so many songs well enough even though they had never practiced together before. Nichs had been their good leader. His directions and instructions were neverte and very easy to understand. They all remember that Nick taught them when they formed a group study group was very easy to understand and fun. That''s why they weren''t surprised that Nick was able to give them such sudden directions in an instant. "Nick, since when did your guitar ying develop so fast? I can''t believe you were the one performing on stage earlier." Fritz spoke in a teasing tone, earning a yful smirk from the prodigy boy. "I think I''m lucky. I''m not sure I can do it again next week." was Nick''s response in the same teasing tone. Jacob was about to voice his opinion to confirm something, but he couldn''t when he heard amotion from behind them. Five pairs of eyes widened at the sight of many young people their age appearing and approaching them with terrifying speed. "Hi, what''s your name?" "Can I shake your hand?" "Can we take a photo together?" And a thousand more questions as they all surrounded Nick''s music team. There were also several youths who surrounded Leti, making the girl barely able to move. "Hi, angel. You are prettier when you take a closer look." Jacob and the others looked at each other as they didn''t know what to do with this crowd. On the other hand, Nick seems to be very experienced, and unbeknownst to them, Nick had embraced two girls by either side, while their friend captured the moment on their phone camera. "Wow, why does he seem more experienced?" "Looks like he''s used to people worshiping him?" "Is he really Nick we''ve known?" Adam shrugged his shoulders in response to Fritz''s question. "Today, he''s not acting as usual." Fritz nodded his head in agreement with his friend''sment. Today Nichs Larson was not like the Nick they knew. The Nick they knew could neither sing nor y the electric guitar. Well, they never knew if Nick could y the electric guitar or not because the young man had always refused to y it. Miraculously, yesterday and today, Nichs brought his guitar, and that too was an electric guitar! And suddenly, a second miracle happened. It turns out Nick can sing!? What kind of miracle medicine had Nick drunk? They wanted it too! Nichs was still too busy serving his fans with a big smile tirelessly. His jaw did not feel tired at all, even though his lips parted into a charming smile that could make women captivated for hours. "Hey, why are you guys standing there?" he already got used to taking a picture with his group, so he would never forget about his friends. "Come here, let''s take a pic together." urged Nick, who was soon approved by his new fans with enthusiastic cheers. Because the backstage corridor was too narrow to amodate all of them, Jacob finally asked them all toe out and take a group photo near the fountain. Nick and the others agreed to Jacob''s proposal, and in unison, they all gathered in front of the fountain, took their positions, and let one of the campus security guards take their picture. After taking a few photos, one by one started to return home after shaking hands with their new idol. Of course, Nick has the most fans. But each of his friends, including Letti, had their own fans. "We will definitelye to your street performance at the town square. I will take my friends and my siblings there to see you guys again." said one of the fans of Jacob. "Thank you. We will give our best." As the crowd grew quiet, a random unfamiliar girl in her teens walked with confident steps and approached Nick. No one noticed the appearance of this girl because they were all still attending their other fans. This girl stopped right in front of Nick and greeted the young man with a loud voice. "Hi, prodigy boy. I''m your number one fan now." Nick was about to say hello to this girl, but he couldn''t open his mouth because the girl grabbed his cor and pulled him towards her until the girl''s lips crashed on his!! Nichs widened his eyes, and he heard shocked gasps from his friends. He could even imagine all his friends now opening their mouths wide because he himself would also open his mouth wide when he saw someone kissing his best friend head-on like this. Luckily, he wasn''t Kaylee in disguise. He is Nichs Larson, the flirtiest boy in the world. There is no way he would refuse this girl''s passionate kiss! Chapter 121 - Ch. 121 The Music Director Nichs seemed to enjoy the girl''s fondling by closing his eyes and opening his mouth to let the girl feel his entire lips. But both of Nick''s hands still unmoving and stayed on his sides. When the girl ended their making-out session, only the girl seemed to be out of breath, as if she was holding her breath underwater. Meanwhile, Nick was expressionless except for the thin smile that was stered on his face. "See ya," the unknown girl pulled back her hands and blew a kiss with her hand before walking away. Nichs chuckled in amusement at the brazen act for that girl. Strangely, he felt like he had seen that girl, especially her voice... where did he hear it? Nichs nced at his friends to see their reaction, which made him scratch the back of his neck. Jacob and Adam gave her thumbs up while Letti covered her lips with her hands and her face turned beet red. It was the first time she witnessed a couple kissing in action! "You are something, Nick. How does it feel?" it was evident that, apart from Nichs, his friends had never kissed the opposite sex. "Just so-so." was his short response with an indifferent tone. "Why do you sound unhappy?" "I''m happy. But I preferred older girls." his answer made his friend''s jaws open wide. This guy is so shameless! "Ahem." Letti cleared her throat as she pulled her hand away from her lips. "Looks like this isn''t your first time." "That was not my first kiss." What!? Adam put his arm around Nick''s shoulder, grinning. "Master Larson, please choose me as your apprentice." "Ha?" "Teach me how to seduce girls without lifting a finger." Adam''s request made Jacob and Fritzugh at that. Jacob identally turned to the side, where he saw Kaylee standing there looking at her phone. Jacob remembered that he had asked Kaylee to talk, but instead, he was too busy taking pictures with his friends. "Guys, I''ll be backter." Nick realized which way Jacob was going, and he immediately stopped Jacob. "Wait. There''s something I want to talk about." "Save it forter." "No. Now," answered Nick firmly. Fritz felt the tension between his two friends again and patted Adam''s arm, and beckoned Letti to leave the two of them. Fritz and Adam both knew that the inseparable duo had a silent cold war between them. Fortunately, their rtionship has gone on as usual, but they still feel an indescribable wall between them. Before the music battle event started, Adam again felt the hostile feelings from Jacob towards Nick. He hoped that his two friends would soon resolve whatever had made them fight. He didn''t care if they decided to fight and split up, but now that he had yed together and felt that their music team had reached an inevitable cohesion, Adam thought it would be a pity if one of the members decided to leave. "I hope they settle their issues soon." "Settle? Are they fighting?" Letti was the only one who was insensitive and ignorant of the rtionship between Nick and Jacob. "Just a boy''s fight. No worries." ensured Fritz while taking them backstage to clean up their musical equipment. Adam and Fritz were storing their respective guitars and basses in their bags when a man in his mid-30s came up to them. "Great performance you had back there. You''ve got skills." "Thank you, sir. It was our honor to meet you in person." Adam greeted the campus'' music director first. He knew who this person was and knew very well why this person hade to see them. On the contrary, Letti, who had never met the campus'' music director, tugged at Fritz''s sleeve to whisper to him. "Who is this man? Do you know him?" Fritz shook his head and let Adam do the talking to this unknown neer. "Let me introduce myself. I''m the music director of this venue and responsible for forming a band and presenting them to the campus''s annual events." Fritz and Letti gasped in surprise to hear the introduction. No wonder Adam immediately became courteous and polite as soon as he spoke to Mister Harvey. This person was in charge of receiving events from outside! "The music team you beat was a band member I had chosen sincest year. I''ve heard about your bets, and you''ll be recing my band members during this month. But, you see¡­ it was not that easy to take their spot. You have to fulfill a condition before taking their ce." Three pairs of eyes looked at each other in bewilderment but were ready to do anything to appear at the events that this person had scheduled. After all, appearing in public and at significant events was an opportunity that wouldn''te twice. They wouldn''t blow this golden opportunity. "We will do anything, sir. Tell me what the conditions are." Mister Harvey smiled contentedly at Adam''s deration firmly, and Letti and Fritz nodded their heads. "That''s easy. You only need to join the winter music program in two weeks. After that, I will directly take you to the venue where you will be performing for the first time." Satisfied smiles graced the three youths. Letti and Adam had already signed up for the program, while Fritz didn''t mind joining them even though he wanted to sleep during this holiday season. "We will go. Thank you, sir." "What about your other two friends?" inquired Mister Harvey realizing Jacob and Nick weren''t with them. Robert Harvey was sure that Jacob would agree, while Nick¡­ he doubted it. "They will definitely agree." They had to. Thought Fritz. "It''s settled then. Enjoy yourst semester and be prepared for the camp program." was hisst speech before walking away and smiled in amusement when he heard the enthusiastic squealed of the three young people. At the same time, Nick and Jacob were still near the fountain with a tense atmosphere without knowing the conversation between Mister Harvey and their friends. "What do you want to talk about?" "You med me because I encouraged you, right? But you know what? I disagree that it''s my fault that you lost her. You could only me yourself." "¡­" What nonsense is this? Chapter 122 - Ch. 122 Its Your Fault Jacob frowned disapprovingly at Nick''sst sentence. What did he mean he lost Kaylee because of his own fault? Is this guy looking for a fight at him? "Are you done talking? I don''t want to talk to you." Jacob turned to go to Kaylee instead of attending to the ridiculous behavior of the prodigy boy. "You don''t love her, Jack. I''ve met manyds like you who approach her." Jacob''s steps stopped when he heard Nick''s provocation word. "I love her." "No, you don''t. Yes, you might like her, but it was only a crush on someone you admire. You don''t actually love her." Jacob turned again to face Nick without subduing his hostile gaze. This guy knew nothing and yet pretended to be able to understand his feeling. Who this guy think he is? "Don''t meddle too much with my personal affairs. You don''t know me. Don''t ever act like you understand me." Nichs was silent for a moment hearing this. His eyes narrowed to probe Jacob''s now t expression looking at him. He tried to digest the boy''sst sentence and began to wonder, did Jacob know it? Nick remembered that Kaylee had said that the only friend she had been closest to and understood since she entered this college was Jacob. If someone had known Kaylee for a long time, no matter whether Kaylee disguised herself as Nick or not, the people who knew Kaylee best would surely notice the difference. Even so, Nick continued to act like he didn''t realize that Jacob already knew about it and decided just to be himself. "Right. I may not know you, but I know very well that your feelings for her are not as great as¡­ Mister ck." Jacob didn''t understand why Nick seemed hesitant to continue his sentence before the young man finally said his uncle''s name. "If you truly love her, you''ll try to keep courting her like there''s no tomorrow instead of relying on someone else to pave the way for you," said Nick firmly as he stepped closer to Jacob''s standing position. "If you genuinely love her, you will never vent your selfishness on her." Jacob was glued to his spot and couldn''t deny the young man''s words which emitted a dangerous aura like a dog ready to pounce anyone who hurt its master. "And if you indeed love her, your heart, your mind, and even your whole body would always think of her and long for her. Now I have a quick question for you. Have you ever felt like what I just said?" "¡­" "The fact that you relied on my help and waited for me to pave the way for you already proves that you''re not a man enough to get her. You doubted in action and too confident that she will be yours at the end of the day. You don''t deserve to be with her. That''s why you lost her." Nick''s speeches were like a knife thrust through the other guy''s heart, and Jacob realized his mistake. Jacob should have chased Kaylee more vigorously and tried to find her without waiting for Nick. Jacob was a normal young man like otherds his age. He was attracted to beautiful girls and wished to spend a long time and date the girl. When he first met Roe at a pianopetition, Jacob was attracted to the girl. Of course, because Roe was lovely and elegant. Bute to think of it¡­ he was more attracted to her because Roe had the same habits and allergies as Nick. Jacob was curious, and without realizing it, he allowed his curiosity to be an attraction to the girl. He was happy and enthusiastic when he met Roe, but as soon as he returned home¡­ Jacob didn''t think about it anymore and was busy with his online game. Nevertheless, Jacob truly liked Kaylee and was heartbroken when he heard the girl''s engagement with his uncle. Yes, he had a broken heart, but miraculously Jacob wasn''t too sad about it. Unfortunately, he instead vents his broken heart by antagonizing Nick. He knew it wasn''t entirely Nick''s fault because Jacob had never really pursued Kaylee. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to pursue her earnestly, but he didn''t have the courage to face her rejection. Jacob had expressed his feelings for Kaylee impulsively, and he could feel her subtle resistance. At the time, Jacob regretted it for rushing to say it, but that was the greatest mistake he''d made. He shouldn''t have given up. Nick was right. He was not a man enough to pursue Kaylee. He vented his pain by antagonizing Nick. At the same time, he discharged his anger towards Nick by hurting Kaylee''s feelings. What a jerk he was. Jacob''s lips curled upward slowly before giving a light chuckle in amusement, earning a confused frown from Nick. Is there anything funny about his words? "This is the first time you gave me an earful scolding. Based on your experience?" "Not mine. It belongs to some guy I know." "So you had no feeling towards her?" "..." Nick didn''t answer right away. "Whether I have feelings for her or not is none of your business. Even if I did love her, I would never hurt her like you did this evening." Jacob gave a regretful smile then nced at where Kaylee was still standing where she was looking at her phone. "You were right. I don''t deserve her. She is too good for me." "I think it''s because she was not the one for you." even though Nick had only be close to Jacob for the past two days, Nick instantly understood what Jacob''s true nature was like. Jacob just needs to meet the right girl for him. When that time came, Nick was sure that Jacob wouldn''t rx until he let someone else grab the girl first. "Let''s go back. I need to pack my broken ''baby.'' Hu Hu Hu." Jacobughed, amused at Nick''s ridiculous expression and his movements that wiped his imaginary tears. This kid acts like a fierce protector when they talk about Kaylee, but his puppy demeanor returns the next second. "You go first. I''ll talk to her. Don''t worry. I know my mistake, and I won''t do it again." Jacob said so confidently as soon as he noticed the disapproving frown on Nick''s forehead. "Alright, then. If you make her cry again, I will beat you to death." joked Nick, but the threat was valid. "Roger that." Chapter 123 - Ch. 123 I Will Be Your Best Male Friend No one knew for how long Kaylee looked at her phone. She only looked at a name shown on her phone screen without giving any reaction. Since the duel between Nick and Arnold ended, Den had called her phone many times. But Kaylee was inside, and along with the other audience, Kaylee enjoyed a concert by Nichs''s team and others without realizing someone phoned her. Now that she was out of the room and reached into her phone to find out when Jacob would see her, it wasn''t Jacob calling her but Den. Den was still trying to reach her even now, but her fingers stayed still with no intention to answer the man unintentionally. For some reason, Kaylee felt something was holding her back from going back to that man. ''Don''t go back. Stay away from him.'' Before this, Kaylee heard this warning voice when she was talking to Osbert. But she didn''tply, which resulted in her being almost raped. Now Kaylee hears the same voice and tells her to avoid Den. Is it possible that something dangerous will happen if she is with Den? Will Den hurt her? But¡­ Kaylee felt sure Den would never hurt her. In the end, Kaylee could only stare at her phone screen nkly without any interest in receiving the man''s call. Kaylee didn''t know how long she had been standing there, letting people pass by until she noticed someone had marched toward her. "Miss Roe," Kaylee looked up and saw the young man''s face smiling gently at her. She stored her phone back into her sling bag and smiled back at the young man. "Hi, Jack. Great y." Kaylee did not forget to give praise for the performance of Jacob and his friends. "Thank you, miss. There''s something I want to talk about. It''s¡­" "No, Jack. Please, listen to me first." Jacob was silent, wondering what Kaylee wanted to tell him. Nevertheless, he nodded his head and let the girl speak first. "I''m sorry." was her first word, causing Jacob''s temple to frown. "I know how you feel about me, and I said I like you too. To be honest, this was the first time I had an attraction to the opposite sex. You are the first male friend who makes me feelfortable, and you are one of my mood boosters when I feel moody." Jacob giggled in amusement at the girl''s cute confession. "Someone once told me, if I feelfortable and happy when I''m with someone, then there''s a good chance I like that person. So I thought I liked you¡­ more than a friend. But I realized I was wrong." Jacob listened to every word that came out of Kaylee''s mouth carefully without denying the girl. He tried to remain calm even though inside his heart, it felt like someone had stabbed a knife in his heart. "I like you because I''m used to your existence. You are my closest friend." it didn''t matter if I was Kaylee or when I disguised myself as Nick. Kaylee continued in her heart. "Before this, I always closed my heart whenever someone approached me. I''m not a sociable person like Nick. I need time to open up to someone. When I met you back then, I didn''t keep my distance at all because I already¡­ I mean, I feel like I''ve known you for a long time." "Sure you are," Jacob muttered sadly, and of course, Kaylee couldn''t hear due to the crowd and his whispering-like voice. "You are my closest male friend, Jake, and I don''t think I''d ever been friends with a boy like I am friends with you. I know I''m being selfish by telling you this, but I hope we could stay still as friends. But... if you mind... then, it''s okay too." Jacob offered the girl his best genuine smile, which made Kaylee smile with him. "Yes, miss. I''d love to do that too if you still want to be friends with me." ''I will be your friend regardless of who you are. Whether you are my uncle''s fiance or the usual Nick I know.'' "Yes, please. I love it. Thank you, Jack." Jacob shook his head. "No, miss. I should be the one thanking you." "If you say so, but¡­ will you keep calling me miss? Didn''t we agree to be friends?" "Then?" "Call me Kaylee," stated Kaylee showing her happy smile as if all her stress and guilt towards Jacob had disappeared without a trace. "Kaylee. It sounds nice." Jacob also felt the same way with Kaylee when the girl''s name rolled in his tongue. He believed he had forgotten all his heartaches and no longer cared whether Kaylee had toyed with his heart or not. He knew Kaylee didn''t do it on purpose because he was sure Kaylee wasn''t that kind of girl. What''s more, he had been scolded by Nick and made him realize, from the first time he met Roe, that girl had never belonged to him. "It''s my turn now. I''m sorry for everything. I didn''t mean to hurt you like this evening, and I was aplete fool for doing so." "It''s okay. I didn''t think about it anymore." "But still. I''m your fan, Miss Roe." "What?" "Only this time. Can I get a fan service?" "Ha? What do you mean?" Jacob answered her question through his actions by walking closer to Kaylee and wrapping his arms around her, bringing Kaylee into his warm, gentle embrace. Kaylee''s eyes widened in shock, not at all expecting Jacob''s actions, but she gave no reaction. She neither refused nor returned the young man''s embrace. "This will be thest time. After this, I will be your best male friend you could ever have," whispered Jacob next to her head while inhaling the fresh, intoxicating fragrant from the girl. Before Kaylee could break free, Jacob had pulled himself from the girl and took a few steps back. His smile was still on his face before disappearing when he felt a sharp stab in his back. Jacob felt someone standing not far from behind him, but he didn''t dare to look back when Kaylee''s shocked voice sounded. "De¡­ Den?" ''Oh, my dear god. Please save me from my uncle''s clutch.'' Really. What a great time! Chapter 124 - Ch. 124 The L-word Jacob exhaled and inhaled several sighs before he turned to face his furious jealous uncle with the most impable smile he could ever make. "Uncle, you''re here." Ha? Uncle? Kaylee was confused at his male friend''s calling at her fianc¨¦. "I will go back to my friend, then." Jacob dashed away as fast as lightning, leaving the poor bunny alone in the eagle''s nest. Jacob quickly enfolded Nichs''s shoulders, who was still having fun taking pictures with his fans. "Nick, let''s get back together with the others." "But, Kaylee..." Jacob immediately grabbed Nick''s shoulder so that the cluelessd wouldn''t look back. His uncle would kill him if he let Nick intervened in their moment. "She will be fine. Let''s go!" Jacob pulled Nick by force while Nick said a yful ''goodbye'' to his new fans without knowing his second sister was dealing with the most frightening predator in the world. "All day, you haven''t picked up my call and refused my invitation to date because you have another date." "No! It was a misunderstanding!" Kaylee became panicked, and without realizing it, she stepped back when Den stepped forward toward her. This man''s demeanor was so overbearing made Kaylee feel more afraid than usual. There was no gentleness or eyes filled with affection when looking at her. Kaylee didn''t even dare to look at Den and hope that the people around her would help her. s, no one was aware of the threat thates from Den ck. Even if anyone realized it, they didn''t care and continued their respective activities. "Misunderstanding? So when that boy hugged you while you didn''t refuse him, was also a misunderstanding?" Kaylee felt like crying and dug a hole to hide her face. She nced in the direction near the fountain where Nick was, but her heart was shrieked in horror when she could not find Nick. Where is Nick? Has Nick left her? No. Impossible. Nick couldn''t possibly forget her. "It''s... It''s a misunderstanding." insisted Kaylee, not knowing her response added more oil to the burning fire. "There''s nothing between Jack and me. He is¡­" "You let other guys embrace you. What kind of misunderstanding did I see just now? Or actually, I was never in your heart in the first ce? Are you forced to ept my proposal because you are too afraid to reject me?" Each time Den took a step forward, Kaylee stepped backward until her back hit a pir near the entrance. "It''s not like that." "Then why are you avoiding me? Look at me, Kaylee." it was an order, yet it sounded pleading in her ears. Usually, Den would grab her hand and pull her into his zone, but today the man didn''t. Yes, Den forced his way into Kaylee''sfort zone, but that man never forced her out of herfort zone. On the contrary, Den begged her to look at him in an earnest tone and desperate to make Kaylee not have the heart to refuse this man any further. Kaylee felt her heart being shed by a sword when she heard his hopeless voice. Den was a person filled with self-confidence so strong that no one could keep up with him. That man never even showed his weakness in front of other people. But tonight, that man looked like the broken porcin that the owner had just thrown. Den looked lost in the darkness, and only Kaylee could guide him towards the light. In the end, Kaylee slowly lifted her head, and her pair of eyes began to see part of the man''s body. She saw the man''s knee-length ck coat, then his sturdy, masculine chest, and continuing to climb upwards before finally meeting her eyes with his longing eyes. As if finding new determination, Kaylee spoke without stammering as her eyes met Den''s eagle eyes. "I didn''t mean to avoid you. I don''t even want to avoid you." Kaylee found her home when she was in her fianc¨¦''s arms. She felt undeniablefort and peace when Den was by her side. The days she passed without seeing Den overwhelmed her, and she yearned for him even more. But¡­ Kaylee clenched her hands in a tight fist and gripped her winter coat as if her life depended on it. "I just don''t know what''s wrong with me. I''m sorry, but can you give me some time?" Kaylee assumed her body reaction was due to the kidnapping incident, so she turned down Den''s touch. But the fact that she didn''t refuse when Jacob hugged her really puzzled her. There must be something wrong with her, but Kaylee doesn''t know where the wrong source lies. "I know I''ve been selfish, and you doted on me too much. I won''t deny what Jack has done, but I want you to know¡­ the only man I will marry is Den ck. The only person I love in this world is you. Regarding Jacob hugging me, that was just a friendly hug. I know what you are thinking." interrupted Kaylee when she realized Den opened his mouth to refute her. "I know you think there is no such thing as friendship between a girl and a boy. But Jacob and I were just friends. Our rtionship will never cross this line." Her ck eyes were as clear as the night sky, and her voice was firm and confident like the sun would neverte to rise. Den straightened his back while showing a thin smile at his fianc¨¦e. "You said the L-word." Kaylee blinked her eyes several times, digesting the man''s remark. As soon as she realized what she had said, her face turned crimson red. She said the L word!! And that too¡­ she said Den was the only one she loved. OMG! It''s so embarrassing!! Kaylee cupped her heated cheeks while lowering her gaze, not daring to look at the man any second longer. On the other hand, Den chuckled in amusement. Even though this result was not what he expected, but it was more than enough to make his heart jumped in joy. Kaylee had never said love to him before, even though she had epted his proposal. Kaylee admits she likes him, but liking is very different from love. Liking a person means that she was simply happy being with that person. She wasfortable in thepany of a man, but it was mostly superficial. If Kaylee still liked Den as she used to be, Den doubted Kaylee''s feelings would grow, and one day she would cancel their engagement when Kaylee realized her real feeling. But now¡­ she said she loved him, which means Den has be an integral part of her life, even though the girl didn''t realize it. "Don''tugh," whined Kaylee in a whispered voice. Because their distance was so close, Den''s amused chuckle still be heard by Kaylee even though the surroundings were bustling. Den touched her left hand so gently before entangling his fingers with hers with a tender grip. He breathed a sigh of relief when Kaylee did not cast his hand away and let him hold hers. Little did he know, Kaylee, at the moment, fought hard to repel her desire to pull her hand away from the man''s grasp. She was delighted when Den took her hand as she craved the man''s touch for a long time. And yet, something inside her urged her to stay away from him. In the end, Kaylee closed her eyes, trying to focus on the touch of Den that she craved so much without caring that the warning voice inside her head was getting louder and louder. Kaylee was quite stubborn and pretended not to hear the warning voice and still let Den hold her hand. She didn''t expect another brief memory submerged inside her head because of her stubbornness. ''I envy you. You are multitalented girl and make everyone look up to you. Even mama and papa care more about you than me." "What are you talking about? You are multitalented too, and you know better than me that our dear parents love you more than me." The sister shook her head while putting on a sullen face. "No. They loved you more than me." ''I love you, but sometimes I wish you were gone.'' Kaylee clutched her head with her hands when she felt the pain in her head. It was then that Kaylee pulled her left hand from Den''s grasp and realized the pain in her head was gradually decreasing. Would she feel the same pain if she stubbornly stayed at Den''s side? Kaylee inclined her head towards Den with aplicated look. "Please, leave me alone for a while. I need time." Den''s shoulder went slump in resignation hearing the bitter announcement. "I''m not a patient man, Kaylee, but I''m willing to give it to you. I will give you time as much as you want, but three days is my limit. I will go on a business trip next week, and if you still don''t look for me before my departure, don''t me me if I will force my way on you." Kaylee gulped saliva in nervous hearing the man''s threat. She knew Den would never hurt her, but somehow¡­ she still felt scared? Chapter 125 - Ch. 125 She Is Not A Lesbian! On Monday, Kaylee entered campus as usual and hung out with her friends as if the incident where Den caught Jacob hugging the man''s fianc¨¦ never happened. Surprisingly, Jacob was very friendly towards her, but the young man never put his arm around her shoulder again. In fact, it seemed Jacob was mindful not to touch her carelessly. Kaylee suspected that Jacob was still mad at her, but Nick had convinced her that she made up with Jacob. To her even more amazement, Jacob didn''t seem angry with her. The young man wasn''t cold towards her either, but he wasn''t as clingy as he used to. Not that she minded. At least, she wouldn''t feel more guilty if a young man who wasn''t Den embraced her or hugged her. This week was thest week they enter college before they finally have a winter break. Kaylee could return to her parent''s house during this holiday with the excuse that she also take a vacation for her work. Moreover, she has not lived in her parents'' house since the campus semester started. She woulde home on the weekends every now and then, but due to her busy schedule and draining almost all of her energy, Kaylee stayed more often in her apartment. Usually, her mother would nag persuade her toe home. However, Britney Zouch no longer nagged her under the presumption she stayed over at Den''s penthouse. Speaking of Den, since herst conversation with Den two nights ago, that man has not contacted her at all. True to his words, the man wanted Kaylee to reach out to him first. And Den will only wait three days. It had been two days since Kaylee had seen her fianc¨¦, and her longing for him was intensified. Nevertheless, the warning sound inside her head relentlessly advised her not to think about the man. Kaylee ced her elbow on her desk before settling her chin on her knuckles. She looked out the ssroom window nkly, wondering¡­ what was she afraid of? ''What are you scared of?'' ''I don''t want to go back.'' ''I''m here, aren''t I?'' The innocent glint on her eyes turned sharper and braver as if she was no longer an innocent, scared bunny. But when she heard one of her friends mentioned her name¡­ Nick''s name, her eyes turned back to normal. "Nick, how does it feel to be kissed by your fan?" inquired the curious of she forgets the girl''s name. "Ha? What kiss? What are you talking about?" "Don''t be silly. Everyone already knows that the two of you kissed in front of everyone. I even have proof." the girl searched something on her smartphone before stretching out for Kaylee to see. The image was about a young girl who gave a passionate kiss to a young man. And that boy was none other than Nick, causing Kaylee''s eyes to widen. Since when did that happen?! "Hahaha... I was in shock." luckily, Kaylee immediately remembered the role she was ying and acted like Nick. She didn''t know what Nick felt when a random girl kissed him out of the blue, but she did know Nick was less enthusiastic about being kissed with girls his age or younger girls. "I never expected some brazen chick to kiss me." "Did you enjoy it?" "Well. I was too shocked, so I didn''t have time to enjoy it. " "Then¡­" the girl made her advances by shoving herself to Kaylee caused the girl in disguise felt goosebumps ran through her spine. "Do you want to feel it again with me?" "That..." "Hold up!" Jacob pulled the girl away from Kaylee and reced the knocked girl by sitting next to Kaylee. Jacob patted Kaylee''s arm while coaxing the pouting girl as if he wanted her to move away. Reflexively, Kaylee shifted her ass away ording to Jacob''s hidden request. "Sorry, girls, but Larson is not an easy person for you to approach. To tell you the truth, he threw up once he got home because he had allergic to the girls." "Ha?" Kaylee wanted to protest, but she sped her lips when she saw Jacob''s hand squeezing her arm as if telling her to shut up. "How could he be allergic toward us? He was just fine when kissed by that random bitch." Kaylee''s eyes widened in shock when she heard the young girl''s curse. "He was allergic. Trust me. He was bedridden, and only this morning could he wake up. Otherwise, he couldn''t make it here." "Really?" it was unbelievable but seeing ''Nichs,'' in mention, did not deny this fact that made the girls didn''t have another choice but to believe Jacob''s white lie. After the girls left Nick and Jacob''s bench alone, Kaylee asked her friend in a hushed voice. "Why are you lying? I''m not allergic to girls." "Would you rather be surrounded by them and kissed by them?" Kaylee immediately shook her head because she would feel more ufortable if all the girls on this campus would fight each other to kiss her. It doesn''t matter if she were a boy or Nick himself who attended this ss, but she was a girl and certainly not a lesbian! "Ah, so you''ve helped me. Thanks." Jacob grinned widely at her, causing Kaylee couldn''t help but smile at him too. Adam and Fritz joined them and sat on the other side of Kaylee and Jacob not long after. "I''m so excited about the music program. You?" "Just so-so," Jacob answered Adam with an indifferent tone. Before this, he was pretty excited to join the winter camp, but he was not too enthusiastic when he found out that Nick was not interested in joining. Now that he knows that Nick sitting next to him was Kaylee in disguise, he could understand why his best friend didn''t want to join. "Why so-so? We''re one group again!" "We still don''t know yet. We will know after the announcement." "We don''t need to wait for that. It was the condition of the music director. We have to join the winter music camp program in preparing us to perform at this month''s event." "WHAT!?" "WHAT!?" Strange enough, Jacob and Kaylee voiced their surprise simultaneously. Chapter 126 - Ch. 126 Nick Doesnt Want To Help Adam and Fritz could understand why Nick looked surprised when he heard he had to go to winter camp. From the start, Nichs had no interest in joining and did not register his name in this program at all. As for Jacob¡­ the young man had registered and seemed to be pretty excited about this camping program. But why was Jacob now as surprised as Nick? "No, no, no. I didn''t sign up for this camp. I can''t join." "Yeah, he can''t." Kaylee nced at her friend in confusion. Why did Jacob agree with her? She thought it was Jacob who was most pleased to know she was on the program. "But this is one of the conditions set. If not, we will not appear to rece Arnold and his team." Kaylee rose to her feet suddenly, pounding the table in annoyance. "What kind of condition is that? What does that have to do with joining winter camp with getting our winning prize?" "Right. It doesn''t make any sense at all." Jacob''s agreement brought nothing but further confusion from his friends. Why is this guy also annoyed with this condition? "I have to talk to the music director. Tell me, who is it?" "It''s Mister Harvey from the piano department." Kaylee felt time stop as soon as she heard her cousin''s name. Mister Harvey? Is it the same Robert she knew? Since when did that man be this campus'' music director? Kaylee took her backpack to find a USB from her final semester assignment. Then she handed it to Jacob to make the young man bbergasted at her sudden action. "Please hand it to Mister Alinskie for me. I need to go home now." Adam immediately got off the long bench to let Kaylee out. "What about the next ss?" "Just cover it for me." Kaylee didn''t wait for Jacob''s answer and promptly climbed down the stairs in the middle of two long benches on either side and walked out of the ssroom to go back to Wendy''s house. As soon as she arrived at Wendy''s house, Kaylee quickly looked for her best friend and remembered that Wendy had taken her ce in her studio office. In the end, she decided to find Nick, who was ying guitar in his private studio next door to his room. "Nick! Nick!" Nichs heard Kaylee''s voice faintly because the studio was soundproofed. But he could still hear Kaylee''s voice because the girl called his name so loud that maybe their neighbors could hear her voice. Nichs put down his guitar and walked over to his studio door to see the panic-stricken Kaylee with his face. "Are you Kaylee or my twin brother?" teased Nick while looking at Kaylee''s appearance from head to toe. "I''m not in the mood for that!" protested Kaylee, earning an amused giggle from the mischievous ''brother.'' "Can you rece me again? I want you to join the winter music camp program. The show will be next week, and I''m sure you''ll like it." "Winter music camp? Sounds interesting, but¡­ do I have to read musical notes there?" "No¡­ yes." Kaylee looked at Nick with hope-filled eyes, but Nick was so merciless to shatter her hope. "Nope. I won''t like it." "Nick! Please. I can''t join it." "Then you don''t have to join, right?" "I can''t do that. My name already on the signed paper, and the team is counting on me. If one of us resigns, we won''t get finalized." "Why did you sign for the camp in the first ce?" "I didn''t. It was because of that annoying guy to make this ridiculous condition. It''s your sister''s ex-lover''s fault!" snorted Kaylee in annoyance. "I know! Why don''t you go to campus and seek him? You can persuade him to remove this requirement. "Which ex-lover? You know my sister had so many ex-lovers." "My cousin." Nick offered her an innocent smile, then said, "Good luck then." and closed the door, hoping Kaylee would leave him, but the girl was quite persistent. "Nick! Can''t you help me, please?" "Nu-uh. Your cousin is scarier than your father. If he knew I asked for your help to be me on campus, he would cut me in half and give my flesh to his pet dog." "Not that again! I wouldn''t believe you." Kaylee remembered well that Nick had scared her the same way on the day they saw the new student admission announcement. "Then why don''t you talk to him as a cousin? You can say that I asked you a favor." "That could work, but¡­ it would be a saver if you go for yourself." "Nope. I don''t wanna." "Please, help me. If I force myself to join, I''ll be sleeping in the same room as the boys!" "You will be fine. Besides, you can talk it out with Robert first." "But¡­" "Talk to him first, okay. I need to finish my song first before my sister''s back." "But¡­" Bam! And just like that. Nick closed the door right in front of her nose, causing Kaylee to flinch in disbelieve. What''s wrong with this boy? Little did she know, Nick exhaled a helpless sigh while shaking his head in resignation. ''I''m sorry, Kaylee. But my ''life'' is at stake here.'' *** (shback) Nick and Jacob walked backstage to clean up their musical instruments when a maturedy approached them with dignity. "Are you Mister Larson?" "Yes," replied Nick in a super friendly tone. "Can we talk?" "Sure." Nick gave a light push at Jacob as if he wanted Jacob to leave his side so he could be alone with this beautiful mature woman. Jacob shook his head, but he left them alone. "What can I do for you, mydy?" The woman only gave Nick a polite smile without responding to his flirty tone and gave him a file. Nick epted the file with light-hearted, not knowing the threat once he opened the file. His brow furrowed in displeasure and his flirty naughty smirk vanished as if he never smiled before. "Who sent you?" "Mister ck." "What? Is he threatening me now?" "No. He would like to ask you a favor." And that favor is to refuse any kind of help Kaylee asked regarding the winter music camp program. Thus, he rejected her request indifferently. Poor Kaylee. Chapter 127 - Ch. 127 Worst Nightmare Kaylee waited for Wendy toe home, but she remembered that Wendy would be even busier because she had promised to take her ce this week. Plus, Kaylee felt sure Wendy wouldn''t want to see Robert, let alone talk to him via phone. Kaylee sighed heavily while slumping her shoulders on the couch. If only Wendy had not broken up with her cousin, she would have immediately asked for Wendy''s help without a second thought. It seemed that she had to meet Robert in person, but¡­ ''Your cousin is scarier than your father.'' Kaylee couldn''t agree more with Nick''s randomment. The only thing that kept her hidden in the corner the most was her cousin, her piano teacher when she was younger. Robert did love her and doted on her, but as soon as they faced the piano, the man turned into the strictest teacher this world could ever have. Robert wouldn''t give her a break until she yed a piece perfectly. She wasn''t even allowed to drink when her throat felt dry before she reached perfection. Every time Robert came to her house to teach her the piano, Kaylee always ran away and hid in the attic. Attic? Her parents'' residence doesn''t have an attic. She even knew that modern houses in New York City were no longer using a loft since 2035. Then how could she think she had been hiding in the attic? For the umpteenth time, Kaylee took a deep breath. She felt strange about herself. Lately, she''s been seeing some images that she thought were her buried memories, but Kaylee couldn''t remember them when she wanted to resurface her memories. Kaylee closed her eyes, and without realizing it, her lips curved into a smile. The person in her mind right now was none other than her fianc¨¦. Oh, she missed him. Her heart longed for that guy. What is that man doing? Did Den miss her too? Den expected her to contact him first within three days, but Kaylee wasn''t someone who could initiate a conversation. She didn''t know what the first sentence should she say once she phoned Den. Should she say hello first? Kaylee took her phone and decided to text her fiance instead of phone him. Just as she was about to press her phone''s screen with the send symbol, her finger paused in mid-air. As if she had turned into someone else, Kaylee threw her phone aside and stood up. Kaylee walked as if looking for something until she arrived in front of the whole body mirror. Kaylee saw her reflection with curiosity, and in an instant, her surroundings turned into a ce she had never been. Surprisingly, she felt nostalgic about this unknown ce. She felt she had lived in this ce with her father, mother, and also¡­her sister? Kaylee walked away from the mirror and looked for a human figure in this ce. She tried to hear a voice that could guide her towards the human source. But not human voices she heard, but the sound of beautiful music. Without being ordered by her brain, Kaylee sprinted towards the sound of the music. The house was huge, with several corridors that diverge to form several different routes. It felt like she entered an endless maze, and if Kaylee had nevere to this ce, she would be lost. But in fact, her legs marched confidently as if her feet had known this corridor. The longer she walked, Kaylee could hear the music more clearly. Just as she was sure he had almost arrived at the music source, the music ying disappeared instantly, causing her footsteps to stop. Why did the sound stop? Why did her legs stop too? Kaylee didn''t know the answer and could only turn around to investigate her surroundings. Her pair of ck eyes caught something she didn''t expect. There she saw a huge family portrait that almost filled the walls of the room. The family consists of her father, mother, herself, and¡­ her sister! Her sister had a simr face to her, but she could see that her sister had some dark red hair in the corner of her lock. No. It wasn''t her sister. It was her! "What are you scared of?" Kaylee shifted her gaze at the voice, and her pair of ck eyes widened when she saw a girl covered in blood from top to bottom. Her wet hair slumped down, covering part of her face so Kaylee couldn''t see the girl. But the girl''s appearance was so scary enough to make Kaylee want to run. "What are you scared of, my dear sister?" "Wh¡­ What?" "You''re the one who abandoned me." "No¡­" "You''re the one who wished me gone." "No¡­ that''s not true." Kaylee started to feel her head feel heavy as if a meteor had hit her head. "Stop it¡­" "You''re the one who stole him!?" "NOOOOO!!!" "KAYLEE!!!" Kaylee opened her eyes in shock when she heard a loud voice calling her. Her breath was heaving, and her heartbeat rate as fast as running chicken. "Nick?" "Did you have a bad dream?" Kaylee swallowed her saliva as if to calm her frightened heart while wetting her lower lips with her tongue. She nced in all directions to see if she was home or still in that horrible ce. Her shoulders went limp because of the great relief when she realized she had returned to her best friend''s house. All she saw was a nightmare. She seemed to have fallen asleep without realizing it, though Kaylee was pretty sure she hadn''t slept at all. "Are you okay?" Nick wiped the sweat off her temple with his sleeves. "Really. What did you dream about that you broke out in a cold sweat like this?" Kaylee tried to recall what she saw, but¡­ nothing. She couldn''t remember anymore. "I don''t really remember. What time is it now?" "Seven o''clock." Kaylee gasped in shock when she heard Nick''s answer. It turns out she had indeed fallen asleep! And she''s been asleep for five hours?! Why is time running so fast? Oh, right. She had to call her cousin to talk about the music camp. And just like that, she forgot about Den once again.. Her other side desperately finds a way to make Kaylee wouldn''t think about Den. Chapter 128 - Ch. 128 Kaylees Hidden Agenda The next day, Kaylee decided to skip college and meet Robert at the man''s favorite bar. After all, she doesn''t have a morning ss schedule and only needs to give her final assignment to her literature professor. Therefore, Kaylee decided not toe to campus and reach her cousin. Kaylee had never entered a bar before, and she desperately wished her cousin had arrived before she entered the bar. Her cousin was remarkably bothersome. Why doesn''t he want to meet her if their meeting ce wasn''t at this bar? Kaylee walked into the bar, which was fortunately quiet enough that Kaylee could immediately find her cousin. Her cousin was in his mid-30s, but his face looked still young as if in his mid-20s. He had dark brown hair and charming round chocte-like eyes. He was super handsome, and it was no wonder her best friend fell for this hot sexy guy. Wendy was not much different from her brother, who likes flirting around. But Nick never dated the girls while Wendy, she changed lovers like changing clothes. Once she finds nicer clothes, she puts away the old ones and puts on new ones. The same thing happened to Kaylee''s cousins, but there was a very noticeable difference in their rtionship. Robert and Wendy have been dating since five years ago and broke up after three months of dating. But they started dating again after six months of not seeing each other before breaking up again. Their rtionship was a love-hate rtionship with Robert. He constantly chased Wendy until her best friend was forced to hide at her maternal''s grandmother''s house in New Jersey to avoid Robert''s advances. In the end, Wendy gave up and let Robert date her again but on the condition that Robert should not keep contacting her. Kaylee felt sorry for Robert and once persuaded him to forget about Wendy and find someone else. But her cousin was stubborn and did not know the word surrender. And apparently, this man seemed much happier even though he couldn''t be with Wendy as much as he wished. Luckily Wendy was her best friend. Otherwise, Kaylee would have cut ties with the girl. Kaylee walked to her cousin''s ce and sat opposite the handsome young man who was busy with hisptop. "I''m here." "En. Wait a sec." Robert nced at Kaylee briefly before going back to typing something on hisptop. Kaylee didn''t have to wait long because Robert closed hisptop and smiled at her how an older brother smiles at his younger sister. "Here you are, sitting in front of me with a hidden agenda." teased Robert made Kaylee frown. "I don''t have any hidden agenda." "Really? After we haven''t seen each other for a year and you''ve forgotten me, you called me out of the blue. Tell me, dear cousin, if you don''t want something, why look for me?" "Is it wrong that I just want to meet my cousin?" One of Robert''s eyebrows rose as if he didn''t believe Kaylee''s words. "How is the preparation?" "What preparations?" "It''s already December, Kaylee. Thepetition is in March next year." "Competition?" Robert sighed hopelessly and stretched his hand to pinch his cousin''s smooth milky cheek. "Ugggg¡­ het hi hoooo~ let me goooo," Kaylee whined as she tried to get her cousin''s hand off her cheek. As soon as Robert pulled his hand, Kaylee pouted while rubbing her pinched cheek. "I hate you. Why do you always pinch my cheeks? I''m not a kid!" "As long as you''re not married, you''re still a kid in my eyes." Kaylee''s anger skyrocket hearing that. "Then what about Wendy?" "She''s different. She''s a woman." "We''re the same age!!" Robert chuckled in amusement, seeing her frustrating behavior. "Still different." "Hmph! You''re so annoying. No wonder she broke up with you again." "No, we didn''t." "But she said so. She even found a date through a dating app. Don''t you know about it?" "Did she now?" for some reason, Robert''s voice sounded heavier and scarier than before, making Kaylee gulped in guilt. ''Wendy, I''m sorry.'' Ugh! Why couldn''t she hold her tongue and reveal something Wendy''s little secret? She would think about itter. For now, there is a more critical problem than helping her friend from her cousin. But¡­ ''Here you are, sitting in front of me with a hidden agenda.'' Kaylee felt she had fallen into her cousin''s trap if she immediately voiced her intention to meet Robert. Her wicked brain tried to think something to fulfill her purpose without justifying her cousin''s suspicions. As if a light had shed above her head, Kaylee found something that could help her and correct her mistakes. It was called kill two birds with one stone. "Rothbart, I have a wonderful idea." "It''s Robert Kaylee. Robert. I''ve already changed my name since ages ago." "Oh, right. I forgot it sometimes." Kaylee gave an innocent chuckle, ignoring the frown from her cousin. "So, what ideas are you thinking?" "I can help you." "Help me how?" "I''ll find out who Wendy is going to date and tell you the location of their date. That way, you can show up and take her back." "Hmm. It sounds nice to me, but I doubt you''d be willing to do it for nothing." "Hehehe¡­ You do know my way of thinking." "Didn''t you want something from the start?" "No, of course, not." denied Kaylee while hiding the truth. "I wonder if you can do me a favor." "What is it?" "It''s about Nick. I heard he was forced to join the music camp in M ??University, and you''re the one who made it happen." "Yeah? And then?" "I know he doesn''t want to join it. Is there a way to make him not need to join?" "No." was his short reply, shattering Kaylee''sst hope. "But I can arrange something in the camp." "Like what?" "He''ll know itter." The knowing smile on Robert''s face brought nothing but confusion. She was eager to ask and reveal that she would rece Nick in the camping program. But it only meant she dig her own grave by doing so. Robert would tell her father about this, and her parents would force her toe home and not allow her to go to college again. Hhhhh¡­ What should she do? Chapter 129 - Ch. 129 Cottage X? Kaylee felt extremely agitated thinking about the music winter program as she kept trying to persuade Nick to be willing to rece her again during the program. But the boy was so stubborn that she needed the thunder god''s hammer to split his brain. She was too busy trying to figure out how to persuade Nick that she didn''t remember her deal with Den. Unknowingly time flies, and it''s already Wednesday when she has extra lessons with Den. Kaylee just remembered that the man would force his way on her if Kaylee didn''t contact the man first. And she just remembered when one of the piano department''s students brought her the news that her extra lessons had to be canceled because Den had a business trip. Oh, no! What should she do? She was two dayste without contacting Den. Kaylee immediately grabbed her phone and searched for her fianc¨¦''s name, then she pressed the call symbol without further ado. Kaylee didn''t know what the first words she should say when Den picked up the phone, but at least she had to call him first. But¡­ Why is the call diverted to the voice mailbox? Did Den turn off his phone? Is Den still on the ne? Or maybe the man didn''t want to ept her call on purpose? There were thousands of questions filling her mind, but she didn''t know how to find the answers. Kaylee had no other choice but to wait. After all, he had warned her that he would do something to her if she didn''t reach Den in three days time. Sooner orter, Den would find him. With such thoughts, Kaylee could only surrender and went about her daily life as usual without knowing that her unfortunate fate awaits her. On Friday, Kaylee and her friends received a mail announcement regarding their schedule and team during the winter music camp. Kaylee, Jacob, Adam, Fritz, and Letti were in the same music group as they expected. They would leave together on Monday by bus and start their music lessons that were never taught on campus in the afternoon. On the same day, each music team would get one song by drawing to be performed on thest day. In the evening, they would gather around a bonfire, singing together and chatting casually. Music camp events were great fun for music lovers, whether the program is held in winter or summer. The most exciting thing about this music camp, they would hold the music talent shows on thest day to show the best music team. If they win and get the highest score, this music group member would get a schrship for the next semester and have the opportunity to perform at the campus'' annual event. Arnold and his team also participated in the music camp twice and won the music talent shows twice in a row. It''s no wonder the music directors choose their team to perform at their annual and other asions. Fortunately, Arnold and the team did not participate in this camp session. Otherwise, it would be another music battle between the senior and the prodigy boy. Only this time, Kaylee doubted she would win against them because she couldn''t emte Nick''s charismatic and confident style of y. "Hey, Jake. We will sleep in the same room!" Adam dered in child-like cheer as if he got a new exciting toy. "It''s not fair. Why am I far away?" Fritz pretended to sulk while pouting his mouth, invitingughter from his two friends. On the other hand, Kaylee looked at the paper she had just printed this morning from her mail with a questioning look. There was a ce where they would stay during the camp event. Jacob and Adam''s room was cottage number 13a, while Fritz was in cottage number 2c. Kaylee also heard the other friends who would join at the camp start mentioning the room numbers of their cottages. But strangely¡­ why is her room a letter ''X'' instead of a number? What does cottage X mean? "Nick, what room is yours?" "It''s an X." was her short reply, making her friends felt confused. "What X?" "Dunno." Kaylee shrugged her shoulders as if she didn''t care even though she was feeling anxious inside. Kaylee recalled her conversation with Robert. ''I can arrange something in the camp.'' Was it Robert''s doing? But¡­ how did he know that Kaylee wanted to split up with the others? Is it possible¡­his cousin knows it? Somehow Kaylee didn''t feel surprised by this. Deep down, she knew that her cousin must have realized she had disguised herself as Nick to take the entrance exam half a year ago. But Kaylee still wanted to be sure and asked more clearly about this mysterious cottage. Kaylee walked to the piano ss building next to the pop music building when she was on break time. As if she knew this building very well (of course, she knew it very well because Kaylee was an alumnus of this ce), Kaylee walked straight to the piano lecturer''s room. Each office door had the lecturer''s name inscribed on it, and Kaylee went straight to the door marked R. Harvey without knocking or asking permission. As soon as she entered, Kaylee saw her cousin reading an assignment from his student. Robert raised his head, wanting to scold whoever entered his room without knocking on the door first. But when he saw Nichs Larson''s face¡­ er¡­ his cousin in disguise, a sly grin was stered on his face. "I know you woulde to me sooner orter. Are you already bored with your daily life here, Kaylee?" ''I know it!'' Kaylee shouted in her heart. "Since when did you find out?" "From the very beginning. You think I won''t be able to recognize how you y the piano when you take the entrance exam?" "Then why are you still telling me to transfer to piano ss?" "Because I know you definitely can''t y the guitar. You will tarnish this college''s reputation by getting the worst grades of all time." Kaylee scoffed and rolled her eyeszily at her cousin''s taunt. "Like you owned this ce." "Well, I work here, and I considered it''s my own. Why are you here, Kaylee¡­ Nick?" "Exin this. What is the X meaning?" Chapter 130 - Ch. 130 Shes Stronger Than You Know Robert looked at the big X on the paper his cousin had brought him. "I know you''re Kaylee, and you don''t want to share the same room with a boy. You can''t even share a room with girls because they think you''re a boy. So I separated you from the others." "You mean¡­" "Your cottage is a bit far from the other cottages and is at the top of a hill, so you have to walk quite a distance to live alone. You can take off your disguise and put it on without any disturbance." "Really?" Kaylee didn''t hide her relief and happiness. From the beginning, Kaylee liked to join this campus music camp. However, because of her identity, which is Nick, she can''t join this camp. Kaylee was forced toe because his annoying cousin made such ridiculous requirements about the duel''s award. Luckily her cousin hade up with the best solution so she could still join her friends without having to worry about her true identity being exposed. "Good idea. You''re the best, cousin!" Kaylee raised her two thumbs in praise of her cousin. "Are you sure you can do it?" teased Robert made Kaylee frowned. "Following the camp program and walking to your cottage will be very exhausting for you. What''s more, you have to wake up earlier than the others so that no one will know where your cottage is. Wouldn''t it be troublesome for the others to find out and decide to sleep with you?" "Oh, that''s right. It''s alright. I can do it." Kaylee said with a tone of confidence and determination. No matter how long and tiring the activities at winter music camp are, Kaylee will be able to do it. "If you say so. Anyway, I''ve done my part. How about you?" "Which one?" "You promised you''d help me figure out who Wendy was going to date." "Oh, right." Kaylee reached into her trouser pocket for her phone but realized she had left it in her backpack. And her bag is still in her ssroom. "I''ll send it¡­" Kaylee didn''t finish her sentence because her eyes caught something interesting. She saw a standing frame that was on his cousin''s desk. The frame contains a photo of her cousin and two small girls. Kaylee felt she recognized the two children and wanted to take a closer look. Before she could see the image, her cousin changed the position of the standing frame and made it with the photo facing the table so that Kaylee couldn''t see it. Kaylee pouted at her cousin, thinking Robert was teasing her like he did when she was a kid. "What photo is that? Why can''t I see it?" "It''s just not for children." his statement made Kaylee pouted her lips even more. "So petty." Robert chuckled in a teasing tone. "Go now, Kaylee. I still have a lot of work to do." to prove his word, Robert typed something on hisputer with a serious face. Kaylee tsked at her cousin, but she walked out of the room nevertheless. As soon as the study door closed again, Robert took a deep breath. Then he re-established his standing frame, which he closed before Kaylee could see what was in his photo frame. The photo was of him in his teenage age together with two cute and adorable cousins. He was sitting cross-legged in a room holding a storybook. One girl clung behind his back, almost strangling his neck while gripped his hair. Well, choking from a five-year-old isn''t painful at all, but her grip on his hair was quite troublesome. The other girl was sitting on hisp and pulled the storybook so that it made it difficult for him to read it. The Zouch little girls were too handful for him, but he adored them that he would beat everyone who dared to make them cry. Without realizing it, Robert reminisced when he and his uncle''s family still lived on Folnd Ind. At that time, his cousins ??were twelve and eleven years old, while he was twenty-four. "Roxy, you''re not a little girl anymore, and everyone had high expectations for you. Be pay attention on your behavior." "Why?" "You''re the oldest, remember? Someday you will inherit everything your father has." "What if I don''t want to?" "Roxy," "Rothbart, is my papa as bad as they say?" "¡­" "I can''t imagine papa killing people." "He never killed anyone. He only does it when the person is trying to harm his family." Rothbart and Roxy looked at Kaylee, who picked flowers in the garden and gathered them in a basket. "What if Kaylee bes papa''s sessor? Good idea, right?" The enthusiastic voice came out of Roxy''s mouth and her eyes sparkling with hope made Rothbart feel hopeless against this cousin of his. "Your sister is too kind-hearted and easily influenced by others. She can''t be a leader and too weak to face those¡­ Nevermind." "She''s not weak. Kaylee is the strongest girl I''ve ever known!" "I think you need to go to the doctor to have your eyes checked. Everyone also knew Kaylee gave up easily and is a crybaby. Don''t try to change the topic." "I''m not. Kaylee is strong. She only looks like that because she wants you all to think she''s one." "¡­" "And besides, she''s not as innocent as you think. She''s wicked like me." grinned Roxy as she looked at her younger sister with an exciting look. "She''s much stronger than you know." What? What does it mean? Why did Roxy sound proud when she praised her younger sister? Robert never knew the answer, even until now, he couldn''t find it. People said it was the oldest daughter on the ne and died eight years ago, but¡­ the Kaylee he knew never could y piano as good as Roxy. Kaylee was a cellist and quite suck at ying piano, and yet¡­ the new Kaylee could y piano and forgot how to y the cello. The way Kaylee yed the piano was the same as Roxy. And that face... it was Roxy, yet it felt like the girl was Kaylee. The two girls had simr looks, and it had been ages since he didn''t meet them before the ident happened. He couldn''t differentiate both, and when he meets the girl again after a year of recovery after the crash, they said the girl was Kaylee... and he believed it. However, how could Kaylee suddenly y the piano expertly? It made him wonder if Kaylee is Roxy and the one on the ne was the real Kaylee. Robert had his suspicion and asked about this to his uncle and aunt, but they didn''t enlighten him. They persistently said that it was Kaylee who is still alive, and Roxy was dead. Which one is true? Nevertheless, his affection toward his cousin''s sister remains the same. Chapter 131 - Ch. 131 Jacobs Unusual Treatment Finally, the day of departure for the campsite arrives before they know it. All students who will participate in this season''s camp have started to gather in front of the campus lobby. And all could see tworge buses parked in front of the campus. Jacob, Adam, Fritz, and Letti had arrived, and they greeted Kaylee with enthusiasm. Kaylee carried a medium-sized suitcase and arge backpack. There''s a lot to carry around, like cosmetic kits for disguising rituals as well as skin patches to make her cheeks plumper and masculine. But she didn''t want to be seen by her friends like a woman who carried many things. In the end, she decided to take a medium suitcase and arge duffel bag. Surprisingly, Jacob took the initiative to help her carry her suitcase, making the others astonished. Logically, Jacob should have helped Letti since she was the only girl among them all. But why did Jacob help Nick instead? "Jake, you should have helped Campbell. What did you help him for?" Adam''sment drewughter from his friends, making Jacob scratch his neck awkwardly. Letti herself alsoughed and then responded to Adam''s randomment. "My bag is not heavy. I can carry it myself. By the way, are you ying the keyboard this time?" Letti asked Kaylee because she had heard her team talk about Nick ying the keyboard instead of the guitar. "Yup. I can y guitar as much as I want in college, so this time I''m going to y keyboards during camp events." "That''s going to be fun! I wonder if you''re better at ying the guitar or the piano?" ''Of course the piano!'' Kaylee felt like she wanted to answer her like that, but she held back. "You''ll find outter." After chatting casually while waiting for the arrival of other students who seemed to have decided toze around and arrivete, finally, the head in charge told all of them to get on the bus. The leader suggested five members who are a team into the same bus to strengthen harmonization and the team bond. Of course, with pleasure, Kaylee and others got on the same bus. Letti''s friend, who also joined the music camp, also went up with other team members. Kaylee decided to sit by the window in the center so she could see the street view. She was about to invite Letti to sit next to her, but she realized that her current role was as a teenage boy. Kaylee didn''t want to make Letti think ''Nick'' liked her¡­ Wait. Isn''t that a great idea? If Letti likes¡­ er¡­ Nick, maybe Letti will leave Den. Ugh! How could she forget about this? It seemed that the winter music camp matter had filled her mind, so she didn''t have time to think about anything else. She had not seen Den for a week, and now the man himself had not contacted her at all, which made her feel uneasy. Kaylee had also tried to contact the man several times, but the line always went to the voice mailbox. Does Den intend to end their rtionship? No. Kaylee doesn''t want her rtionship with Den to end. She decided to call Letti to ask her about it. Even though she felt jealous, she had to find out if she wanted to keep her engagement. And somehow, she felt Letti could rte her to Den. "Le¡­" unfortunately, she waste to call Letti because the girl was already sitting next to her friend. Furthermore, Jacob was now sitting next to her. In the end, Kaylee could only sit quietly without being able to do anything. "This is for you." Jacob handed her a bottle of water which Kaylee readily epted. "Thanks." Kaylee tried to open the bottle cap, but it was extremely hard to open for some reason. Even the bottle of this non-luxury drink seemed to challenge her, making her life miserable. In the end, she gave up and nced at the window with a frown. It seemed the first day of camping could not make Kaylee as enthusiastic as usual. If she didn''t feel enthusiastic on the first day, what would happen in the following days? ''Den. When will you meet me? I miss you.'' Kaylee said to herself. If only she knew her heart would miss him so much, Kaylee wouldn''t have resisted his touch. She wouldn''t even dy reaching out to the man. Kaylee scolded herself like she was scolding someone else for making a big mistake. Unknowingly she was daydreaming, and her consciousness was in the deepest ce of her heart. She saw the figure of a girl sitting while hugging her knees in front of her chest. The girl buried her face between her knees, and suddenly, her way of thinking changed without her knowing. "Do you still not want to meet him?" "¡­" The girl didn''t react nor answer her question. The girl still kept her face hidden as if she was a mouse trying to escape from a predator that was about to catch her. "It has been more than eight years since the ident. Isn''t it about time you came back?" even though Kaylee didn''t get any response, she walked over to the crouching girl and continued her inquires. "If you suffer, I suffer too. The fact that I miss that man so much, doesn''t that mean you miss him too?" Kaylee stopped as soon as she stood right in front of the sitting girl. Kaylee stretched her hand and bent down slightly to stroke the top of the girl''s head. Unfortunately, just as she was about to touch the top of the girl''s head, Kaylee''s consciousness was pulled back, and now she saw herself on the bus again. She realized, Jacob brought her back to reality when the young man took her drink bottle from her. Jacob opened the bottle cap, which she had not been able to open. Miraculously, Jacob was able to open it so effortlessly as if he opened his mouth to speak. Why is the power difference between men and women so big? As soon as he managed to open the bottle cap, Jacob closed it again and handed it to Kaylee. "There." Kaylee epted the bottle with a questioning look. Why did Jacob help her? And why did she feel there was something different about Jacob''s treatment? She also remembered thattely, Jacob often keeps his distance from her, but he is still kind and sweet when he is with him. Jacob no longer carelessly put his arm around her shoulders, and instead¡­ the young man carried heavy items without being asked. Since when did Jacob''s attitude toward her change? Kaylee tried to remember the changing behavior of Jacob around her. The most obvious change was when they fight after the announcement of her engagement to Den. Nick became angry and hated her for thinking Kaylee had yed him andughed at him behind his back. Since then, Jacob has avoided her and refused to talk to her. Whenever the boy saw her, Jacob immediately became quiet, as if he didn''t want anything to do with Kaylee. Their rtionship was strained for several days before Kaylee finally got up the courage to confront Jacob. Then their rtionship has gotten better since then, but it''s still not said they''re back to what they used to be. After that¡­ they met again on the day of the music battle, and Jacob hurt her for no reason. Then she got word from Nick that he had fixed her rtionship with Jacob, which meant the two of them had be friends again. Kaylee assumed Jacob would go back to how he used to be and treat her like a friend like they used to be until they got the title of ''inseparable duo.'' Yes, they have been inseparable ever since Nick told her they made up with Jacob. People were starting to see where Nick is; that''s where Jacob is and vice versa. But¡­ Jacob''s treatment still felt unusual. s, Kaylee couldn''t figure out what was different. The journey from campus to the campsite took approximately two hours, and the air temperature outside was getting colder as they were almost entering winter. Luckily it hasn''t snowed yet, and the weather forecast said it would snow on Christmas Eve or the twenty-eighth of this month. However, they were all shivering once they got off the bus. The campsite was situated on a teau, after all. The students looked fatter than usual because they wore thick jackets to fend off this super cold temperature. Some girls who were supposed to be slim and skinny also looked fatter with small heads, including Letti. Even so, Letti still looks beautiful and full of strong self-confidence. Kaylee looked at Letti''s face with envy. Will she also look beautiful despite wearing a thickyered jacket like Letti? Feeling like someone was staring at her, Letti turned to Kaylee curiously. As soon as she saw the face of Nichs, who yed the guitar so charismatically in the music battle, Letti gave Kaylee her best smile. That''s when Kaylee felt her heart stop beating. ''Why does her smile look like Den''s??'' Chapter 132 - Ch. 132 Find The Truth Very weird. Why did Kaylee feel like she saw Den smile when she saw Letti smile at her? She seemed to miss him so much that she thought she saw Den in someone else. Kaylee took her phone out of her pocket and tried to call Den back. Den doesn''t answer her calls for the umpteenth time, making her wonder if Den decided to let her go? Far away from the camping site, someone inside Kaylee''s mind just arrived in front of the Zouch family residence. He noticed that his phone vibrated, indicating that someone was calling him. A lopsided smile spread across his face when he saw a name printed on the screen of his phone. Kaylee must have missed him, just as much as he had missed her. Kaylee had been trying to reach him for the past few days, but not as vigorously as he had hoped. The girl only called him once or twice a day. In fact, the girl had not contacted him at all when Den had given her three days in advance. If Kaylee had called him in those three days, Den would have picked up directly. s, three days had passed, and Kaylee just remembered calling him a few days ago. In the end, Den decided not to see the girl. Den knows Kaylee has fallen in love with him, but her other side refused him. He wanted to know how much Kaylee felt for him when she couldn''t reach him. If Den were in Kaylee''s position right now, he would definitely contact his fianc¨¦e without hesitation. Even if he werete by three days, Den would try to reach out to his girl relentlessly. The fact that Kaylee wasn''t too worried that Den didn''t pick up the call means that her other side''s fear was much greater than her feelings. What makes her other side scared? Even though he had only met Kaylee''s alter side a few times, he could still detect her adoration and longing in her wicked eyes. He knew Kaylee and her alter side had fallen in love with him, but it was the unknown fear that got in the way of their feelings. Den decided to find out and headed to Folnd Ind for a few days to visit Hades'' home. The journey was not easy as people refused to talk or mention the name, but it was quite worth it. He got a piece of valuable information, and also¡­ he just found out that Kaylee had indeed been to Spain eight years ago. If Nick ying the ''ugly'' song is Kaylee in disguise, that means¡­ Kaylee is his ''first love''! The first time he met the girl was nine years ago. At that time, the girl seduced him and asked him to be her first. One yearter, the two of them meet again with very different traits. If Kaylee has had a split personality since childhood, Den wouldn''t be surprised. But¡­ It was still a mystery whether Kaylee was the same girl who apanied him or not. Kaylee was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, while that girl... needed to work hard to earn a penny. If that girl was Kaylee, why did that girl work? Or maybe he had caught it wrong? It was possible that he made that assumption himself, or perhaps the girl disguised as an ordinary girl not to attract attention. Whatever it was, Den wanted to find the answer today. That''s why, when Kaylee left for the camping site and wouldn''t be going back to her parent''s house for a few days, Den came to meet Mister and Mrs. Zouch. Unfortunately, Mister Zouch had left on a business trip and wouldn''t be back until the weekend, so he only met with Britney Zouch. "Den, what a great day you came here. I feel lonely because my husband and daughter are not at home. Come on in!" Britney immediately walked ahead as soon as she heard from her maid that Den ck wasing to her house. Sooner orter, this young man would marry her daughter, and Britney has long wanted to have a son. Therefore, Britney did not act indifferent and quickly considered Den like her own son. "Good day, Britney. I hope I don''t disturb you." "Of course not. You''re a part of my family now. You cane here whenever you want. Ah, too bad Kaylee isn''t here. That girl said she was going out with her friends for a few days but didn''t tell me where she was going. Do you know where she is now?" "I know. Tomorrow I''ll be there after her." Den answered politely and gave a polite smile. "Is that so? It seems she has epted youpletely. Then I don''t have to worry about it anymore. Tsk. But, does she have to forget her mother once she has a husband?" Den smiled, amused at Britney''sin-like joke. "Britney, I''m here because I want to know about my wife." Den and Britney have both agreed that Kaylee has be Den''s wife, so they don''t add the word ''future'' or something in front of ''wife.'' "Yeah? What do you want to know? Whatever it is, I will tell you all so that she will not be able to escape from you." Den smiled faintly even though he wanted to smile widely at his mother-inw''s response. "Did you know that Kaylee has an unusual fear?" "Fear? What fear?" "I have no idea. Sometimes Kaylee would daydream, and suddenly, her face paled in a cold sweat. But secondster, she''s back to normal, yet she couldn''t remember what scared her." "..." Den''s eagle eyes didn''t leave Britney''s expression to find out the change in the older woman''s expression. Unfortunately, her expression didn''t change much, but his mother-inw''s mouth was tightly shut like a lock was locking the lips together. "Britney, I''ve seen it with my own eyes. She has an altered side inside her." Finally, Britney''s nk expression changed, but why did the woman look surprised? Den could even see his mother-inw''s pair of dark brown eyes looking teary. "Is¡­ is that true? When did that happen?" Ha?? "Two weeks ago and also on our engagement night. What the¡­" "Finally! Finally, she came back! I knew it. You are the key." Den: ?????? Chapter 133 - Ch. 133 Roberts Arrangement After waiting in rows to get the keys to each cottage, it was finally Kaylee''s turn. However, the cottage guard did not immediately give her the key but stood near Kaylee while waiting for Kaylee''s friends toe out of the key pick-up point and go to their separate cottages. The campsite was located in a mountainous area, so the wind was colder than in the town, making their bodies all shiver. Almost all newly arrived students couldn''t wait to enter their respective cottages to warm up before starting the first schedule. Kaylee also couldn''t wait to get into her cottage, but for some reason, the cottage keeper didn''t immediately give her the key. Luckily, before this, she had used a heating pad on her back, so Kaylee didn''t shiver too much. "Excuse me, can I get the key now?" "Yes. Please, wait a minute, miss." Shock! What? What did the female keeper call her? Miss?!! "Uhm¡­ I''m not¡­" "It''s okay. Mister Harvey has told me, and your secret is safe with me." Kaylee was too stunned to hear that and now wanted to grab her cousin''s hair like she did when she was a child. Lucky for that guy, Robert wasn''t by her side, so the guy''s hair was still safe. Why did Robert tell the keeper of this ce about her secret? Wouldn''t this invite unwanted attention? "Your friends are already in their respective ces. You can safely go to your room. Please, follow me." Kaylee had no other choice but to follow this female keeper. She even let her bag be carried by an office boy as soon as she heard the girl''smand tone. Kaylee stepped out of the traditional wooden building and walked opposite her friends. She followed the keeper until she found a stone staircase up a hill. Curious about this ce, Kaylee looked back as soon as she reached the middle of the stairs to rest for a bit. She could see the same buildings that were opposite her current position. The building was a cottage where her friends will sleep and the location of the various positions. Some are level with the main building, and some are high enough to make their friends have to climb stairs, as Kaylee did. Kaylee nced around and realized there were several simr cottages around her. The difference is that the cottage''s opposite roof was in a pyramid model with one story. She heard that each cabin had two rooms and that the mattresses had been arranged so that eight people could live in one cottage. Kaylee also heard from her friends that the boys'' cottage was located behind the hill of the opposite girls'' cabin. It would make the girls don''t have to walk too far when the schedule starts. On the other hand, her surrounding cottages have a tented roof with one story. Kaylee suspects this cottage has three rooms, and the rent was more expensive, seeing theirrger size and fewer numbers. Why did Robert arrange for her to sleep in the more expensive cottage?? Kaylee''s breath hitched as soon as she arrived at her cottage, which turned out to be the highest one!! She realized the location of her cottage was very far from the central meeting point, and several trees covered the cabin from the front so that people below would not notice there was a cottage behind the trees. "What is your name?" Kaylee asked the female keeper, who guided her to this ce. "My name is Aubrey, miss." "Why did you bring me here? If I had to go up and down at night¡­ I would feel scared." Kaylee isn''t afraid of the dark, but¡­ which girl isn''t scared to walk in an unfamiliar area in the middle of the night?? Plus¡­ the location of this cottage is too far from the others. If Kaylee needed something or something attacked her, she wouldn''t have time to ask for help. "Don''t worry, miss. I''ll take you back here, and you can find me there if you need anything." Aubrey pointed to a smaller cottage twenty paces from Kaylee''s. Realizing that someone was nearby, Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought I have to live separately for these two nights." "Of course not, miss. Mister Harvey has everything ready for you." "Miss, should I put the bag here?" asked the office boy who helped her carry her big bag. "Yes, thank you." After making sure he didn''t get any further instructions, the office boy walked outside the cottage and started downstairs. "Here is the schedule, and you have to gather at the meeting point at eleven for lunch together." Aubrey handed her a booklet like the one Kaylee''s other friends had before heading to their cottage room. Kaylee received the booklet and immediately checked what time they were going to bed. Tonight they would all sing casually around a bonfire from nine o''clock in the evening until whatever time they wanted. "Miss, if possible, when you get back here, don''t let the others see where you came back. It will be tough to prevent people who are curious about your room ande here." "I''ll remember that. Thank you." "What time are you nning to return tonight?" "Hm¡­" Kaylee imagined herself gathering with her friends in front of the bonfire. She could spend a long time talking with them, let alone knowing that her male friends were able to stay upte. The problem is¡­ Kaylee won''t have enough sleep if she goes to bedte, considering she has to get up early to do her disguise ritual. Moreover, she had to go up and down a very considerable number of stairs. Well, she was indeed grateful that the ce was so hidden and far from her friends that she was free to be herself and let go of all kinds of disguise aids. But¡­ her cousin had gone too far and exhausted her on the first day! Kaylee had to make sure she didn''t forget to bring anything when she went downstairs because Kaylee clearly didn''t want to go up again to pick up what she left behind! Chapter 134 - Ch. 134 Why Couldnt She Remember? After stretching her legs and resting, Kaylee took her belongings to take with her to the next schedule. After making sure she didn''t leave anything she would need, Kaylee came out of the cottage and locked the door. Kaylee descended carefully and calcted how long it would take to climb up and down from the meeting point and her cottage. This stone staircase was not sharp, and no moss would make her slip and fall, but Kaylee doesn''t want to take the risk by jumping the stairs like she did when she was on her campus. Kaylee arrived at the meeting point after ten minutes of descending the stairs from her cottage. Ten minutes? The thought of her having to go up and down for ten minutes if she forgot something made the chills go down her spine. Fortunately, the winter music camp program onlysted three days and two nights. Otherwise, Kaylee was sure she would have cramps in both legs once she got home. Kaylee saw some of the employees starting to open the buffet, and some of her college friends started showing up. It wasn''t long before she saw her group friends and seniors, and fellow first-year students joining in. Kaylee joined the others and lined up in line to get their lunch. After that, they ate together at a long table with the rest of the team. "It''s freezing here. I wonder how you guys survived." Lettimented, seeing that Jacob and his teammates weren''t shivering too much. As for Letti, her breath emitted cold steam, and her teeth were still chattering in the cold even though she was wearing a thick jacket and warm gloves. "Jake and I often go on vacation to ska on the winter break," Adam replied jokingly. "This kind of temperature is absolutely nothing in ska." "You guys seem surprisingly close." guessed Letty. "Of course. We''ve been friends since childhood. But¡­tely, Nick has stolen my best friend." Adam teased Kaylee to make the girl in disguise almost choke in her food. "I didn''t steal your friend." Kaylee protested while throwing peas in Adam''s face. Adam was used to being pelted with peas and immediately opened his mouth to make the peas go right into his mouth. Kaylee and Jacob chuckled as Adam munched on peas with big grins. "Letti, if you''re still cold, wear this. It will make you feel warm good enough." Kaylee handed a heating bag to Letti. Of course, Letti epted it with pleasure and quickly ced it in front of her stomach. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the heat spread from her stomach to her chest. "Thanks, Nick." Jacob and the others turned to Letti in disbelief. Since when did Leticia Campbell call out Nick''s first name?! Usually, the girl never called their names and just said what she wanted to say. Even if she had to call out names, Letti called them by their surnames! "Your wee." Kaylee felt nothing special about the calling from the girl, so she didn''t notice her friends'' shocked expression. Letti is her love rival, but at the same time, she feels something familiar when Kaylee looks closely at Letti''s face. For some reason, she always thought of Den every time she saw Letti''s face, even though something inside her was trying to make her think less of the man. In the end, Kaylee looked at Letti''s face longer than she should to the point of making the other young girl bowed her head shyly. Jacob: Kaylee¡­ stop ncing at her like that. She would misunderstand! "Nick, if I remember correctly, isn''t your sister an alumnus here?" Jacob distracted Kaylee by asking her a question. "Yeah." "Did she also join in this program?" "Of course." Kaylee chuckled, reminiscing about her college days at M University. She remembered Wendy feltzy every time there was a music camp event in the holiday season. If it weren''t for Wendy, who adores Kaylee so much, Wendy would never want to join this music camp event. Kaylee loved to participate in music-rted activities, and she was willing to reduce her holiday time to join this music camp. But at that time, not a few ssmates were jealous of her and asionally bullied her or stole her mix-tracks assignments. If not for Wendy, who was quick-witted and so protective of Kaylee, maybe Kaylee had be a victim of bullying for her friends. Fortunately, this time Kaylee managed to make friends with various kinds of friends on this campus. Even though Kaylee''s talent was outstanding, and some might envy her, she''s made it through it all. For the first time, Kaylee felt like she could enjoy her campus life in peace without worrying about facing sudden attacks from her friends. Come to think of it, Kaylee''s high school life wasn''t all that fun either. If not for Wendy and¡­ And who? Why couldn''t Kaylee remember it? No. It wasn''t about the other one, but Kaylee realized she had no recollection of what her school life was like. She only remembered, her school life was not that interesting with her appearance like an old-fashioned girl. She remembered her friends ridiculing her often but not too much because they didn''t dare to oppress her openly, knowing that she is her father''s daughter. But where she went to school, or what her friends looked like¡­ Kaylee couldn''t remember it all. Didn''t she just graduate high school eight years ago? Why couldn''t she remember it at all? Kaylee was so deep in thought about this mysterious fact that she didn''t hear her best friend''s calls repeatedly. "Hey, Nick." only when Jacob nudged her elbow lightly did Kaylee came back. "What do you think?" "Ha?" for the umpteenth time, Kaylee forgot what she was just thinking. "What did you want to ask?" "I was asking, what is the meaning of ''Harmony Piece''? After this, we will have that event." "Oh, that. If I remember correctly, this event is an introduction to each other to strengthen the harmonization of each team. We''ve already done it, so this event isn''t too difficult for us." Not long after, the head of the campmittee announced to gather on the open field in ten minutes.. They quickly finished their meal while Kaylee returned to her own thoughts. Chapter 135 - Ch. 135 Music Genre Placement The first day of music camp went well. After the program ''Harmony Piece,'' they were divided into sections with the different music genres. They couldn''t choose the music genre they want. The cement of this genre of music was through a random drawing. Each team chose a leader to lead their music group and came forward to take the lottery for the cement of their music genre. Some get jazz music, and some get country music. Some felt relieved because they get a music genre that they are good at, but some curse their bad luck to get the theme they are bad at. When Kaylee''s team came forward to take the lottery card, Kaylee''s friends chose her to be their leader. They all knew how Kaylee was¡­ the real ''Nick'' who led them in the music battle two weeks ago. That''s why no one objected if Nick¡­ er... Kaylee became their leader without having to vote like other groups did during the ''Harmony Piece.'' Kaylee walked forward, where the camp leader was waiting for her behind a tall ck box with a circr hole on top. The box contained tennis ball-sized balls of different colors. Each color indicates a different type of music genre ording to what is determined by the camp leader. Kaylee remembered when she attended music camp a few years ago, the way to draw for genre music cements was quite simple. They only need to draw a lottery number and follow the type of music genre ording to the number set. Why are they now bothering to prepare balls with different colors? The idea of ??the head of the music camp organizer was bizarre yet interesting. Kaylee looked at the color list board along with the meaning of the colors ording to the music genre they were going to ce. Crimson balls are rock genre music, and Kaylee wished she had never picked up a crimson ball. Brown balls are a country music genre, and pastel-colored balls indicate pop genre music. R&B music, which was one of her favorite music, was colored a bright blue. Kaylee wished she could get the blue ball once her hand entered the high box. Unfortunately, the box was pitch ck blocking everyone to peek inside. The circr hole where her hand would enter wasn''t big either. The hole diameter was only enough for a hand to go in and out without making the person who took the lottery ball peek at which ball he will take. "Please take your music genre ball." urged the keeper made Kaylee take a deep breath. Kaylee put her hand in the box and prayed that her luck would be very high today. She didn''t mind getting any ball as long as it wasn''t dark red or ck. Especially the BLACK one. Well, her fianc¨¦''s surname is ck, and she liked it because the color suits Den''s handsome face very well. But the ck on this ball required her to y heavy metal music, and she hated it! ''Please, not the ck one. Not the ck one.'' Kaylee prayed in her heart as if her prayers had be her daily mantra. As soon as she felt her hand had caught a ball, Kaylee pulled her hand out and showed the keeper the color of the ball she picked up. Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the color of the ball she picked up was neither crimson red nor ck, but¡­ lime? "It''s lime. Your music genre in this camp will be contemporary jazz." Kaylee''s lower lips down hearing the announcement. Contemporary jazz?! She can y a bit of jazz, but¡­ her ssical music and jazz style have an indescribable love-hate rtionship! Could she do it? Kaylee walked back to her team member''s table with the ball she had picked up. The most enthusiastic in responding that they would y jazz music was only Jacob and Letti. "Yes! I can finally show off my forte!" eximed Jacob made Adam and Fritz frown. "Lucky for you. I can''t y jazzy chords." "How about me? My fingers went numb, fingering on the bass fret in a jazzy style. Nick, you have bad luck." Kaylee scoffed, hearing her friends''ints. "If you''re not satisfied, why don''t you just take the lottery ball?" Adam and Fritz shook their heads in unison, rejecting the idea. "No. We don''t want to be team leaders!" Kaylee rolled her eyeszily and sat back down next to Jacob as usual. "What kind of jazzy song do we know?" "How about the song Rainbow of life?" Letti''s suggestion made Jacob glow. "Wait a minute. You know the song Rainbow of Life?" "Of course. Katleen Morse is my all-time idol." "You''re kidding. She was the best jazz singer in the world. Unfortunately, she has retired and no longer sings. If I had been born when Katleen Morse was still singing, she would have been my number one idol." Letti giggled at Jacob''s adoring tone while Kaylee, Adam, and Fritz looked at each other while hearing the interaction between Letti and Jacob. "I know, right. She was the best among the best. I wish I could hear her once more time." "Totally agree." nodded Jacob while muttering a melody that his friends assumed was Katleen Morse''s song. Letti also sang a duet with Jacob spontaneously, and of course, Letti''s voice was much more pleasant to hear than Jacob''s. Nevertheless, the two of them sang it with enjoyment making Kaylee and the othersugh. "Alright. It looks like we''ll have to learn Katleen Morse''s song for the next two days. Do you know who Katleen Morse is?" Adam and Fritz shook their heads in response to Kaylee''s question. "I have her songs!" dered Letti, sounded more enthusiastic than she should have been. Then pick up her iPod and yed one of her favorite Katleen Morse songs. Typical jazz music sounded as the opening, and a sexy, melodious hoarse voice echoed in the ears of Kaylee and others. Katleen Morse''s voice was another whole level! No wonder she became a legend in New York. Chapter 136 - Ch. 136 Jazz Music Never Win Since realizing that Jacob and Letti have the same genre of music, the two have grown closer without them realizing it. Both of them were even very enthusiastic about choosing a song that they thought was very enjoyable but easy for their friends to y. Adam and Fritz, not to mention Kaylee, weren''t jazz musicians, but they could learn the music if the songs they yed were simple. Jazz music had different levels of difficulty. The most superficial level was the chord type which only has a Major7 added to each chord they y. The moreplex levels were additional variations of chord modifications, and the bass rhythm went on without stopping as if it has boundless energy. They all knew that Jacob''s drumming was a jazz technique, but the young man could also y country rock like they performed at the music battle. Apparently, Jacob was multi-talented like Nick. He could y almost any kind of music. But the young man''s favorite music was the jazz music genre, and he praised Kaylee for having a bit of great luck picking up a lime ball. Well¡­ maybe for Letti and Jacob, Kaylee did have great luck. But for Adam and Fritz and Kaylee herself, Kaylee had zero luck. They won''t send Kaylee to draw a number next time. They had a silent agreement in their minds. "Shall we y this song?" Letti suggested one of Katleen Morse''s songs to Kaylee and the others. The song that Letti and Jacob chose was quite fascinating and sounded sweet but not in a romantic way. On the contrary, how the chord shifted and the melody of the solo instrument on the flute-like sound brought a heartwarming feeling as if they were with their beloved families. It brought good memories in their childhoods as if they were still kids. Plus, the bass rhythm of this song didn''t y too much, and Kaylee was starting to be able to figure out the chord paths in this song. "It''s nice. I like it." "Yeah, me too." nodded Fritz in agreement. "Then, it''s settled. We will y this song on the show." Letti turned to Jacob with sparkling eyes because Kaylee had agreed to both of them. Jacob grinned back at the young girl with the same excitement. Not long after, they went to the jazz teacher and the other jazz genre music team and listened to the instructor''s guidance. There were a hundred people who joined the music camp this season and were divided into different music groups with four to five members. That means there were about twenty to twenty-five different music teams with varying types of music. Kaylee recalled the number of genre music in the camp this time. Types of music rock, country, R&B, pop, jazz, heavy metal, and EDM (electronic dance music) total of seven different music genres. As a result, three to four different teams will get the same type of music genre. And this time, Kaylee''s team rival was their senior, who was the same seniority as Arnold. Luckily they weren''t as arrogant and proud as Arnold made Kaylee feel relieved. On the other hand, their seniors were not enthusiastic because they got music genres they didn''t like. Then there was one more rival for their team: abination of seniors and freshmen like her. Like Kaylee''s team, the team members seemed happy to get this type of jazz music, and some have sullen faces. Well, either way¡­ at least Kaylee feels confident that her tutor will choose her team to appear on the talent show. Yup. Not all music teams would appear on the music talent show on thest day. The supervising teacher in each music genre would choose the best among the three or four music teams he handles. In the end, only seven music groups would appear on the music talent show by singing two out of three songs with the same type of music. They had to make the audience doesn''t feel bored with their music ying to win the music talent show. If Kaylee''s team gets pop or R&B genre music, Kaylee would unquestionably find a list of suitable songs to lift the atmosphere, and their victory would definitelye in their hands. But since they have to y jazz music¡­ Kaylee doesn''t know if she could lead her music team to victory. She wasn''t even sure that Nichs could win this music talent show, considering that the young man''s musical style was more towards country-rock. "Mister Smith. If I were to incorporate ssical ornaments into this song¡­" Kaylee showed her a score that had been printed by Jacob a few minutes ago to her tutor. "Does it sound any better?" "Hmm. I can''t imagine it. Can you show me how it is like?" "Yes." without waiting any longer, Kaylee walked to a keyboard and started ying a song so expertly, and adding ssical ornaments in the middle of the intro made her friends gasped in disbelief. Didn''t Nick admit he''d never heard a Katleen Morse song before? So how could the young man now start ying it only after hearing the music once and thinking about the variations of the theme? Not only that, the arrangement that Nick yed and the ornaments he added made the music of the song not sound monotonous. Jazz songs were indeed rather pleasant to hear at casual events and warm the atmosphere and relieve the listeners'' emotions. But the listeners of the music talent show in two days are not people who need a calm or rxed atmosphere. They need a lively atmosphere and jazz¡­ was not the right choice of music for the listeners. That''s why, on average, the music talent show winners in each music camp were pop, R&B, or rock genres. Each genre of music has a chance to win, but jazz music¡­ never wins¡­ not even once. It''s no secret that the team that gets the jazz genre would upy thest position. But, unfortunately, only seniors know about it, and the poor freshmen don''t know. But with Nichs''s re-arrangement¡­ maybe they have a chance to win. Thought Mr.. Smith. Chapter 137 - Ch. 137 Roasted Corn Kaylee, along with Jacob and Letti were too excited to rearrange their three songs under the direction of their tutor. To make it merrier, Kaylee considered adding the fourth song that made Adam and Fritz shiver in horror. On the other hand, Jacob and Letti totally agreed with Kaylee''s suggestion. Adam and Fritz knew nothing about jazz music or how to rearrange the music. All they do is listen to the song they have chosen over and over again to make their minds and fingers familiar with the chords of the song. Regarding re-arrangements or additional ornaments and other variations, the two could only surrender and let their music group leader manage it. Without realizing it, dinner time arrived, and they all returned to the dining hall in the central cottage of the meeting point. They all lined up again to queue for their food. As the night progressed, the air temperature around them was getting colder, so they highly coveted warm food menus such as corn soup and grilled chicken. After that, they had two-hour friendly music ying session together. They exchanged experiences, and Kaylee made many new friends from the senior ss and piano section. Some of them were stingy with their valuable learning and only want to receive knowledge from Kaylee, but some share their expertise with Kaylee that Kaylee has never thought of. Whatever it is, Kaylee is not stingy in sharing her experience of ying music, no matter whether she gets the repayment from her new friend or not. Seeing how big-hearted and sincere their music team leader was, Jacob and the others even more adored at the girl in disguise. They felt proud to be in the same team as the most humble person in the world. After the music ying session was over, they gathered around a big bonfire in the middle of the open field. They sat on a tree that had been cut down and arranged around a bonfire. Their bodies became warm even though the temperature in their air was getting colder thanks to the bonfire. Thest event for the first day was closed with a bonfire where all the groups shared stories or sang together until they fell asleep. The cottage keeper also provided warm roasted corn for those who were still hungry because the air temperature was freezing. Most of the freshmen have never eaten roasted corn without being shaved first. It was unique and made them all want to try it. Moreover, the seniors arouse their appetite by saying grilled corn was particrly tasty when eaten at night with cold weather like this. Kaylee also ate it when she attended a music camp program years ago, and she remarkably liked it. She tried to find the same roasted corn in New York, but there was nothing like the one at music camp. For some reason, M university has established a tradition of eating roasted corn by the fire every time a winter music camp was held. However, roasted corn was never in the summer music camp because, well¡­ the weather in summer was not as cold as it was in the winter season. "Wow¡­ This corn is heavenly. I''ve never had a night snack this good." announced Adam while gnawing at the roasted corn that the corn burner had just finished. "Is it that delicious?" inquired Letti intriguingly. "But the way to eat it is a bit¡­" Letti felt embarrassed if she had to eat corn by gnawing it directly with her teeth instead of using utensils. "Don''t worry about your image. Everyone does it too." Jacob persuaded while pointing at the senior girls in front of them. Letti''s mouth was wide open when she saw that her female seniors didn''t care about their image at all and devoured the roasted corn in their hands so deliciously. Letti noticed her ssmates were hesitant to order grilled corn, but she could almost see saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths whenever they saw the seniors gnawing at the corn. In the end, one of Letti''s friends named Selena, walked up to Letti. "Letti, aren''t you eager to eat grilled corn?" "Ha?" "If you eat it, I will eat too," Selena said, making Letti speechless. "That way, I won''t feel embarrassed, and you won''t have to be embarrassed either!" Selena continued making Letti blush. This friend of hers¡­ really dig a grave for her in front of her male friends! She wanted to crawl under a tunnel and hide for as long as she could. "What is there to be ashamed of? I don''t think there''s anything shameful about eating grilled corn." Jacob said it casually and got to his feet. "I heard there are three different vors. Sweet, salty, and spicy. Which one do you want?" Jacob asked thest question to Letti as if he felt sure the girl would answer his question. Letti blinked her eyes in confusion and blurted the answer unconsciously, "I like spicy food." "And you?" offered Jacob at Selena, making the girl blushed because it was the first time a handsome boy talked to her. "I like sweet." Jacob nodded in understanding and walked towards where the roasted corn was, while Kaylee and her friends started singing along to the group nearby while pping their hands to the beat of the music. The friendly atmosphere between them was getting more energetic, and the seniors and juniors who previously never talked or met now recognize each other and talk. Not long after, Jacob arrived with four roasted corns, with each hand carrying two. He had two sweet roasted corns in his left hand, while in his right hand, he brought two spicy vors. After giving Letti the spicy one and her friend the sweet one, Jacob gave Kaylee the sweet roasted corn, and he ate thest one. Kaylee epted the grilled corn happily and quickly devoured it with joy. "Hm¡­ So yummy!" Kaylee remarked with a delicious sigh as if she was enjoying the most delicious food in the world. "How did you know I like sweet tastes?" "Aren''t you a sweet tooth?" Kaylee giggled lightly and gnawed her roasted corn again while singing along with her friends. Chapter 138 - Ch. 138 The Cheating Seniors The following day, each group began to focus on the song they had chosen in order to have a chance to appear on the music talent show. The supervising teachers would assess the results of their performances in the evening where a mini concert-like would be ced. At that time, they would determine which team would perform for each of the different genres of music. They had a rxing event after lunch together in the afternoon, and all of them are free to take pictures and rest at the cottage. There were some who don''t want to rest and continue to practice so that their tutor would choose their music group to perform at the music talent show. Mostly, they wanted to practice first until dinner time, so they made the schedule. Kaylee''s team got thest turn which probably would start right before dinner time. Hence, they decided to take a short break while letting Letti and Jacob discuss the song they were going to y. It seemed that Jacob and Letti were more involved in arranging their songs as both of them were jazz music lovers. Kaylee saw the two young people getting closer thanks to the same favorite music, and it made her show a knowing smile. Kaylee didn''t know what kind of rtionship between Den and Letti was, but somehow she no longer felt jealous of the girl. She felt the scene at that time where Den patted Letti''s head was like a nightmare that never happened. After practicing with Letti for a few days and talking to the girl by the fire, Kaylee knew Letti was earnest about whatever she did. Letti was not an easily diverted person and was entirely sticking with her decisions. She felt Leticia Campbell was a great and mature-minded person. That girl deserved more to be with Den than she was¡­ which made her feel sad again every time she thought about this. When she said she was no longer jealous, she had lied to herself. Kaylee was still feeling jealous, and she couldn''t stop her disappointment towards Den, yet she couldn''t hate her love rival. Den... What is he doing now? It had been more than a week that he hadn''t contacted her, which made her couldn''t help but think Den had made up his mind. Kaylee thought Den must have preferred being with Letti over her narrow-minded self. After all¡­ the way the two smiled also looked simr. Hasn''t anyone ever said that two people who have simr faces are soul mates? Maybe, in this life, Den''s mate is not her but Letti. That''s why Kaylee decided to give up. If Den wanted to be with Letti, Kaylee would have given it up. She''s not an evil bitch who relies on all means to im something that doesn''t belong to her. It''s just¡­ she really hoped that Den would see her soon to end their rtionship. Waiting for the man to appear without knowing when their rtionship ended made her suffer and helpless. "Nick, Mister Smith said we''d be assessed around eight after the senior. Do we need some more practice before dinner? It seemed the other group hadn''t finished yet." Kaylee looked at Letti in the eyes with aplicated look. She could see the pure sparkle of the girl''s brown eyes. Kaylee could detect a person''s level of enthusiasm when they want to y music. And this girl seemed to shine when she talked about music. Leticia Campbell looks absolutely gorgeous as sheughs with Jacob, discussing jazz arrangements. They even seemed to be in their own world when ites to the famous former jazz singer named Katleen Morse. This was the first time Kaylee has felt isted even though her appearance was ''Nick." Not only was Letti able to seize Den''s heart, but the young girl was also able to make Jacob feltfortable with her. As far as she knows, Jacob was not in the habit of approaching female friends. The only woman Jacob approached was Roe. However¡­ now their rtionship was officially just friends, as they already stated clearly on the music battle night. Their bond would never cross the friendship line. Kaylee sighed heavily as she tried to reduce the bitterness in her heart. It seemed she had terrible luck in love. After this, she would not open her heart again. If Den decided to end their rtionship, Kaylee would not fall in love again in the future. After all¡­ she felt confident her heart wouldn''t ept any man other than Den. "Nick? Nick?" A wave of a hand that was right in front of her eyes awakened Kaylee''s thoughts. "Ha? Oh, I''m sorry. Yes, we do need to practice one more time." "Great! I''ll tell the others." Kaylee let Letti find her other friends, and then she looked up at the blue sky nkly. Was she really going to give up? Was she really willing to let Den go and let him be with Letti? No. She didn''t want to, but¡­ The image of a girl sitting alone with her face sunk between her knees shed through her mind. Kaylee is not this body''s owner but this girl. If the girl decided to give up, what can she do to keep Den? ''When will you go back?'' ''Never.'' Kaylee took a deep breath, and as she had often done throughout the past eight years, she pushed aside the bad memories that made her sad and locked them in a ce she couldn''t reach. A cheerful smile returned to her face, and as if Kaylee never thought about things that made her moody, the girl in disguise was back to her cheerfulness for her role-ying. Around five o''clock in the evening, Kaylee''s music group entered the stage area where twenty-three different music teams would y one song tonight. Tonight the tutors for each music genre would choose the best team to appear at the music talent shows tomorrow afternoon. That''s why they were told to prepare three songs from the start: one song to perform tonight and the rest for tomorrow''s shows. They had to choose the best song of the night to outperform the two rival music teams who also received the same music genres. Unfortunately, as soon as they arrived at the stage area, one of their rivals rehearsed there and yed the same three songs as them!! What is this? Why did they copy Jacob and Letti''s songs? "Ugh! Do we have to face the cheating opponent again?" groaned Adam in frustration. Adam suddenly was itching to beat up these cheating seniors, but he managed to restrain himself. "Tsk. It was Arnold who cheated by destroying Nick''s guitarst time. Now they cheat by taking our songs." Fritz did not ept this cheating act because he felt his friends'' efforts were in vain. "Calm down, guys. Who will perform firstter between us?" Kaylee tried to calm her friends'' anger. She could understand their frustration and anger, as she was also annoyed with the seniors. However, they wouldn''t be able to win against them if they thought of a way to avenge those bastard seniors. The most important thing right now was to find a way out and win tonight''s election even though their opponent had cheated. "If I remember correctly, they will appear first, and then it''s our turn," Jacob answered calmly even though in his heart he was fuming in anger like his two best friends. No one knew in Jacob''s calm demeanor, something dangerous hidden that was ready to explode at any moment if Jacob couldn''t control it. For some reason, Jacob was furious that someone had copied their chosen song. He was even angrier than when he found out someone had secretly damaged Nick''s guitar. If only their song of choice had been Jacob''s choice, he wouldn''t be this angry. Their song choices have been carefully thought out, and Letti has worked hard to think of the best for their music team. Unlike during the joint practice to face the music battle two weeks ago, Letti looks more excited and enthusiastic to win tomorrow''s talent show. Letti was the one who had worked the hardest to think of a song that was enjoyable but easy for their friends to y. The girl even thought hard about re-arranging their music, but the seniors took their improvised songs effortlessly. Jacob nced at Letti, who was now wearing a disappointed face. The girl had not reacted all this time, but Jacob knew she must be crying inside. How could they perform tonight if people would use them as the senior''s imitators? He had to think of a way to turn things around. Jacob nced at Nick, and instantly his anger vanished like he''d been drenched in ice water. At this moment, Nick¡­ Kaylee in disguise, cupped her chin with her two fingers and looked down at the ground. Her state right now was precisely the same as Roe concentrating on learning a never-before-yed song to perform as a solo performance. The next second¡­ "I''ve had an idea." Jacob smirked at the quick thinking of his friend. Chapter 139 - Ch. 139 The Fourth Song Kaylee exined her strategy to her friends about what song they would sing tonight. "Do you remember our fourth song, which you said was too heavy, but we kept practicing it secretly?" "Yeah?" "We''ll y that song tonight." "But, it''s too risky." Fritz scratched his neck awkwardly because he wasn''t confident he could y the flowing rhythm on his bass. He knew his finger couldn''t make it for the mostplex bass-fingering rhythm. "You can do it, Fritz. I know you can." Kaylee said confidently because she had heard her friend had been training from the time he woke up until noon, and Fritz was making progress. "Why don''t we choose one of the songs we''ve already yed? After all, tonight we only need to y one song, right?" suggested Letti, who didn''t understand why Nick insisted on ying a different song. "It won''t work," answered Jacob. "Yes, we only y one song, but before the election starts, we have to give the title of the song that we will y. So unless we can find out what song they''re performing, we can''t risk choosing the same song as them." Fritz and Adam nodded in agreement hearing this making Letti''s shoulders feel weak. Unfortunately, it looks like she and her team wouldn''t have the chance to win this session music camp program. Letti genuinely wanted to win the talent show to get a schrship next semester. She even nned to join the music camp every season and win the music talent show. That way, she wouldn''t be too much of a burden on the Campbells to pay for her tuition at the city''s most elite college. She thought it would piece of cake to win this music talent show, but it seemed she overestimated herself. Now she doubted if she could win every music talent show season. Should she start looking for a part-time job? Ugh. Her overprotective brother would never let her do it. Letti could only heave a resigned sigh as she knew she could do nothing about her situation. "Therefore, the only way is to y the fourth song. The rest, we get to choose from the songs they didn''t pick for tomorrow''s show." "What if they don''t choose a song that we think is monotonous?" "We''ll think about thatter. But, for now, we focus on our fourth choice song and make sure Mr. Smith chose us." Kaylee''s tone emitted leader-like authority makes others willing to follow whatever she says. "Do you think this will work?" The person who was most worried about the oue of this election was Letti. Out of all of them, it seems that only Letti wants to win because she was the one who needs this schrship money the most. Kaylee, Jacob, and the others didn''t know why their singer wanted to win so much, but seeing how much the girl put in her best effort and thought about their situation made them want to win too. "Don''t worry. We will win. I never let a cheater win against me." Kaylee said in a confident tone inviting a relieved smile to grace Letti''s gloomy face. "Ah, you finally smile." blurted Jacob, unexpectedly baffling Letti. "You''re prettier when you smile." Whistle! "Ehem¡­ ahem¡­ will the world end? I think this is the first time I''ve heard Jakepliment a girl." teased Adam invitedughter from his two friends, while Letti''s face turned red, and she couldn''t control her heated face. On the other hand, Kaylee was surprised by Letti''s flushed face. Doesn''t Letti like Den? But why was this girl also blushing at thepliments from another man? What happened? She was sure Letti was not a cheap girl and a good girl. But¡­ she couldn''tprehend the situation. Without realizing that the girl in disguise was lost in her own world, Jacob noticed Letti''s shy expression lifting her head. It seemed like the bashful girl was feeling ufortable because his two friends cornered her. Hence, Jacob stopped them. "Alright, you guys. We need to focus. Let''s practice after them." "No." cut Kaylee suddenly. "We can''t let them know our triumph song. So instead, we will practice at dinner time." "But, we will be starving." "Leave it to me. Wait here." Kaylee sprinted away from the location of the stage area and disappeared as soon as she entered the reception cottage. Jacob and the others looked at each other in astonishment but finally decided to sit in the back row while waiting for their rival team to finish their practice. They agreed to practice on their own in their minds so that they could directly practice using a musical instrument when it was time to practice using a musical instrument. Fortunately, the music from the front was not too loud, so it didn''t distract from their individual practice. Jacob moved his hands to hit something as if there was a drum in front of him, while Adam and Fritz positioned their hands as if they were holding their musical instruments. Letti was the same as them, but she hummed a melody through her throat without opening her mouth. After walking for a few minutes, Kaylee arrived with one of the cottage keepers with five boxes of food and five bottles of drinks. "Here. Let''s eat first, and then we can go to the war." Kaylee''s remark made her friendsugh, and they epted the meal box happily. "How do you persuade the keeper to give us food first?" "Eh?" Kaylee didn''t know what to say and nced at Aubrey. "He exined your situation, so I''m willing to help." "That''s right." continued Kaylee to reinforce Aubrey''s answer. How could she possibly tell her friends that she had special privileges in this ce? Fortunately, her friends did not feel suspicious and began to devour their food happily. ''Thank you,'' Kaylee mouthed a ''thank you'' without making a voice and got a big smile from the female keeper. After letting Aubrey go back to her post, Kaylee joined her friends and started eating her share. Not long after, they heard an announcement telling them all to gather in the dining hall for dinner together. Kaylee''s music team giggled because they had just finished their meal. But¡­ why is their rival team still training and not climbed down the stage? It''s time for their turn to practice! Chapter 140 - Ch. 140 Desperate To Win "What should we do? It looks like they won''t be stopping anytime soon." Kaylee got to her feet and started walking towards the stage fearlessly, facing the seniors who had shamelessly stolen their song of choice. Jacob shortly followed Kaylee, apanied by his friends to help their music team leader. Once near the stage, Kaylee just stood there waiting for the seniors to finish the song. At first, the seniors didn''t care about their junior team and instead sneered at Kaylee''s team. But when the drummer noticed the cold gaze and hostilitying from below, he felt his back drenched in a cold sweat. Nevertheless, he continued to y regardless of the hostile stares. The drummer was increasingly unable to concentrate, and his eyes reflexively turned towards the source, which gave him a goosebump as if a ma was tugging at his sight. His face paled even more when he realized that not only one pair of eyes were looking at him, but two pairs of eyes! One was like someone telling him to stop ying, while the other was like someone trying to strangle his neck. Suddenly, his hands and feet stopped moving, and in an instant, the music stopped. The music team would not be able to continue if the drummer decided to stop in the middle. The drummer noticed the surprised stares from his friends, but he was more afraid of the two pairs of eyes that looked at him like he was their enemy. The owners of the two pairs of eyes were Nichs Larson and Jacob Cliverston. He knew and saw for himself how Nichs beat Arnold Miller so effortlessly, and he also saw the bruises and swollen face on his friend from Jacob''s punches. He wasn''t backstage at the time, but he knew how painful it must have been to see the swollen face on his friend, who was Arnold Miller''sckey. The drummer gulped in terror and decided to look away, and rose to his feet. He dashed off the stage like a frightened mouse without heeding his friends'' calls. Seeing a senior who was ying drums suddenly ran down from the stage made Adam and Fritz surprised. On the contrary, Jacob and Nick smiled in satisfaction. They were deliberately staring hard at the drummer and specifically attacking that person. Kaylee already knows the central source of a musical group''s soul was the drummer. So does Jacob. He''s a drummer, so he knows very well his music team will depend on him a lot. The drums are not the main instrument, but only the drummer who can adjust the rhythmic speed and arouse enthusiasm for his group''s music. Once the drummer gets the wrong rhythm, the whole music would be ruined. As soon as the drummer suddenly stopped in the middle of the show automatically, the other musicians also stopped. Not surprisingly, Kaylee and Jacob thought about attacking the drummer even though they had never agreed to look at their rival senior drummer. "It looks like you guys have put a lot of effort into training. But, don''t you feel tired? Just now, there was an announcement that it was time for dinner. I''m afraid you will faint from hunger if you don''t recharge your energy soon. Don''t you?" Kaylee said it in a polite tone, but only a fool didn''t notice the sarcasm of her words. The lead singer of the team clenched his jaw, hearing the rude tone of the prodigy boy. Of course, his lower ssmen''s tone didn''t sound harsh, but he didn''t like it, and it sounded rude and scornful to his ears. "We can hold on, so you don''t have to worry. Besides, you don''t need any training, do you?" smirked the lead singer who made Kaylee want to sew the young man''s mouth with the skin of his face! Ha? What kind of thinking is this? Why did she suddenly have such sadistic thoughts? "Mr. Smith already knows the song you''re ying is our song of choice. So if I tell Mr. Smith, won''t your assessment be bad?" The seniorughed at Jacob''s remark, followed by his friends. "You don''t know, do you? It was Mr. Smith who suggested us to y your song." Inside Kaylee''s team''s mind: What!? Kaylee felt her brain went numb when she heard this, so she didn''t hear her friend''s curse from behind. Since when did the famous M campus lecturer be this favoritism? Although this event does not affect the principal value of their subjects, this event is still apetition with handsome prizes as their rewards. Kaylee had to talk to Mr. Smith directly. No, she''d better call her cousin and tell him about this. But... it wasn''t wise either. First, Robert was not responsible for this music camp event. Plus, if she had asked her cousin for help, Robert would undoubtedly taunt her and treated her like a child. "Then what are you afraid of?" Kaylee turned to Jacob, who looked still calm with his hands tucked into his trouser pockets. "You have the support of the supervising teacher and also use our song. Plus, your drummer is gone too. So there''s no point in you guys staying here and preventing us from training. Unless¡­ you''re afraid we''ll be the ones chosen tonight." The lead singer snorted at Jacob''s remark. "Mr. Smith will choose us no matter what happened." "I''m quite sure his judgment must beparable with the audience cheer. Even if he''s on your side, he won''t ruin his reputation just because he wants to defend you. Besides, I know why he''s on your side." Instantly, everyone looked at Jacob with a questioning look. "He didn''t want us to get a schrship. Me, Nick, Adam, Fritz, and Campbelle from affluent families while you¡­ I know you need this schrship." Instantly the faces of the seniors paled. No one knew that Letti''s face was also as pale as them. Indeed, the Campbell family came from a wealthy family, although not as great as the ck or Cliverston families. But¡­ Letti was not Campbell''s biological child, and she desperately needs the schrship more than anything. She wanted to make her adoptive parents proud of her by getting the schrship. At this rate¡­ did she lose the chance to prove herself that she wasn''t a useless kid? Chapter 141 - Ch. 141 Nick Became More Charismatic Kaylee snorted in disgust after hearing Jacob reveal the dirty way behind the scene. If indeed the rival senior team needed a schrship and Mr. Smith had decided to choose this rival team, Kaylee was going to leave it alone. After all, as Jacob said, Kaylee and the four members don''t need college schrships because their parents can afford to pay for their education until the end. But¡­ she doesn''t like it when to win tonight''s election, Mr. Smith deliberately asked the senior music team to sing the song they had already chose. Kaylee and the others didn''t need schrships, but they did need the experience to appear on stage as often as possible. In addition, Kaylee''s musical mentality would be degraded if Kaylee allowed other people to oppress them and use their chosen songs as they please. "Ah, so from the start, Mr. Smith had already made his choice. Then you don''t have to worry about us, right?" Kaylee said in a cold voice and the anger she was trying to contain. "You are our seniors. What would people say if you bullied us, first-ss students, by taking our chosen song and not letting us practice? Unless you guys are actually afraid of us?" added Jacob defiantly as he folded his arms in front of his chest. For a moment, the senior team just looked at each other as if they discussed through their eyes. They also realized their practice would be in vain as long as they didn''t have a drummer among them. "Let''s go." finally, the music leader urged his team to leave the stage and let Kaylee''s team start their practice. After confirming that the senior team had gone to the dining room, Kaylee''s friends stepped onto the stage with less enthusiastic steps. They felt what''s the point to practice more when the final result was already determined. Kaylee realized that her friends'' spirits were starting to fade, which was very bad for their training process. Plus, Letti''s expression looked distressed, as if the girl had been on the losing side and gave up before leaving for war. "Jack, the spirit of our music team is starting to fade." "What do you expect? We were determined to lose before we even tried." Jacob walked casually into drum position, and like the rest of his friends, he wasn''t too eager to practice. Kaylee also stood in front of the keyboard and ced her hands on the white and ck keys. Her index finger lifted without applying more pressure as if she was tapping on a keyboard key without producing any sound. Her mind thought of a way to revive the spirit of her music team, but she couldn''t find it. The only way was¡­ Kaylee walked around the keyboard and went to the end of the stage to see the four team members. "I know what you''re thinking right now, but you know what? I don''t care if Mr. Smith will choose us or not. Everyone thinks that the person who decides the team that will take part in tomorrow''s talent show is the mentor teacher. But what determines the mentor''s decision is the audience. That means our friends." "How do you know?" Of course, Kaylee knew it. She has participated in this music camp six times during her college days. "Didn''t Jacob say so?" "I did?" Jacob asked back, pointing his finger at himself. "Didn''t you say Mr. Smith''s judgment must beparable with the audience cheer? He will not dare to change the audience''s choice as long as we manage to attract the audience''s attention." "It was just randomment, so¡­" Jacob didn''t finish his sentence when he got a warning re from Kaylee. Instantly Jacob felt a chill down his spine as if a ghost was targeting him and was standing behind him. "You know what? I''ll talk to Mr. Smith myself," added Kaylee continued her sentence. "You guys wait here and keep practicing as we originally nned. I''ll make sure Mr. Smith gave a fair judgment. I can''t believe we can''t win against a cheating side." Without waiting for her friends'' response, Kaylee walked confidently off the stage to find their music tutor. "Wow¡­ why does he seem more and more charismatic every day?" stated Fritz with an adoring gaze at Nick. "Now I understand why you left me for him," added Adam teasing Jacob, making Fritz chuckle. "He is indeed more fun than being with you." "What did you say?" Jacob couldn''t hold back hisughter because he managed to tease his best friend back, and without them knowing, their spirits returned to normal. "Let''s practice." On the other hand, Kaylee walked into the dining room to find Mr. Smith. After going around and asking here and there, she finally saw the nose of their group mentor teacher. The man was standing in the corner of the room and enjoying his dinner alone. Without further ado, Kaylee approached her team''s mentor. "Mr. Smith, can I have a word with you?" Mr. Smith looked at Kaylee expressionlessly, then nodded his head. "Yeah. What is it?" "I heard you suggested the senior team take our three songs of choice. Is that true?" "Then?" as if he didn''t feel guilty about being caught, Mr. Smith ced the te on the nearest long table and took a leisurely sip of his drink. "I also heard, no matter how good our team is tonight, you''re still going to choose them." Mr. Smith looked straight at Kaylee with a sinister snort. "What are you going to do anyway?" If Kaylee weren''t a student at this college, she would whack this mentor until he couldn''t show his face anymore. "How do you believe the senior team will win tomorrow''s show? I heard that jazz genre music has never won once, and that''s why jazz sses on this campus are very underdeveloped. At first, I didn''t understand why the jazz music ss on this campus was not as good as other sses, even though jazz songs were top-rated in the world. Turns out¡­ the problem is here." "Are you ming me?" "Do you feel guilty?" "¡­" for the first time, Mr. Smith showed his expression.... a displeasure one. Chapter 142 - Ch. 142 Confronting Mr. Smith Kaylee could see her mentor''s jaw clenching and staring at her with an aggressive look as if Kaylee was his enemy. Even so, Kaylee was not afraid to face Mr. Smith because she was sure the man wouldn''t be able to do anything where the others could see them. Even if Mr. Smith wanted to make it difficult for her on campus, Kaylee didn''t need to be afraid because she knew the man was not an influential person on campus and had no power there. The only people she didn''t want to fight on campus were Den ck and the professor who taught her sses during her time at M University. And Kaylee knew she would never meet Mr. Smith in any ss because the man was a tutor in the jazz music department. Not long after, Mr. Smith, who seemed angry now, insteadughed mockingly at Kaylee. "Why do I feel guilty? I didn''t do anything wrong, Larson. After all, what does your team want this schrship for? Why don''t you just relent and give it to those who need it more?" "Relent? Would the senior team in the pop music genre relent? Don''t they also need this schrship? Your chosen team will lose to them." "I do not care. The important thing is that they have the opportunity to perform tomorrow. Save your breath, Larson. I will not change my decision." "Then I will make you change your mind," stated Kaylee in high confidence, then walked back to her friends. Mr. Smith let Nichs Larson leave with a sly smile. "Make me change my mind? What an arrogant kid." He was about to walk outside for a breath of fresh air, but someone stopped him. "Good evening, Mr. Smith. I need to talk to you." Mr. Smith looked at a girl with chestnut brown hair who looked at him with a stern look as if the girl felt that she had a higher position than him. Judging from her young face, this girl was around in her mid-twenties. Mr. Smith guessed this girl was someone who worked in the campsite area. "Why are so many people looking for me today? What do you want?" inquired the man with an indifferent look as if he was not interested in anything this girl had to say. "I identally overheard your conversation. Haven''t you been unfair?" "None of your business." Mr. Smith stepped away to leave this girl but froze for a moment when he heard a name. "Mr. ck won''t like it once he finds out you won''t be fair. I heard rumors, Mr. ck ising here to see tonight''s election." Mr. Smith turned to look once more at the girl from head to toe. "Who are you?" "Ah, where are my manners? Here is mypany card, sir." the girl handed a business card to Mr. Smith and smiled with satisfaction when he saw the man''s pale expression when he saw the writing. "Be wise, Mr. Smith, if you don''t want to lose your job." The girl walked away from Mr. Smith, and after he made sure that no one would hear him speak, the girl called someone. She contacted none other than Den ck. As soon as he saw a name on the screen of his phone, Den turned on the loudspeaker so that he and Kris, who was currently driving his car, heard a girl''s voice. "What is it, Aubrey?" "There''s a little problem here, sir. It''s about Mr. Smith." "Don''t tell me he''s causing trouble again." "Something like that." "Just ignore him." "But he bothered the miss." Den''s fingers dancing on hisptop stopped when he heard someone bothering his wife. "Tell me more." Kris, who was driving his car, swallowed his saliva nervously. If the person named Mr. This Smith knows that Kaylee is Den ck''s wife, he is sure the man will never bother Kaylee. After hearing all the exnations Aubrey had to say, Den massaged his temple along with the most extended sigh of the day. "Don''t worry, sir. I already made sure he would judge fairly," stated Aubrey. "Are you sure?" refuted Kris. "You''re not an expert at convincing someone." "..." There was no response from Aubrey for a while. "Is that my stupid brother''s voice I''m hearing?" "Hey! If I''m your stupid brother, then you''re my stupid sister?" "Mister ck, since when did you bring the stupidest creature in the world with you? I''m worried you will be in great danger if you are with him." "Really now? We haven''t seen each other in two years, and this is how you treat the only member of your family?" "Sir, the election will soon begin. I will look into the situation and provide further reports." "Hey, listen to me when I speak!" "She''s already hung up," Den spoke atst, even though he wasn''t in the mood to talk. He felt tired today, and having to listen to the usual bickering between these twin siblings made him feel even more exhausted. Since yesterday when he was talking with Britney Zouch, the information he received was too heavy for him to ept. He didn''t think at all; it turns out that Kris''s guess was correct all this time. Britney deliberately approached his mother and relentlessly proposed marriage between their two children. At first, his mother, Helena ck, was not interested but changed her mind once she met Kaylee in person when Helena visited Zouch''s house. Since then, both Helena and Britney have tried to persuade their two children to meet and agree to this arranged marriage. Den could see his mother was thrilled to have a beautiful and kind daughter-inw like Kaylee. Who would have thought it turns out that behind all that, the Zouch family had a hidden purpose. Luckily, Den had fallen in love with Kaylee and genuinely wished to marry the girl. Otherwise, he would cancel this matchmaking and avenge the actions of the Zouch family for taking advantage of his mother''s sincerity. While on the way to the campsite, Den decided to close his eyes and rest. He hoped his lousy mood wouldn''t affect his reunion with Kaylee. There are so many things they need to talk about. Chapter 143 - Ch. 143 Lets Have Some Fun! The selection of the music team that would perform tomorrow had been running for thirty minutes, and there were still seventeen other music groups that were still waiting for their turn. The senior team that had stolen the song of Kaylee''s team was at number fifteen, while Kaylee''s team would appear after the senior team. Prior to this, they had entered their title track which was not at all the three songs they had previously chosen. The senior team would not have guessed this, and neither would Mr. Smith. Kaylee nned to use audience cheers and support from her friends to give more lively cries than other jazz music teams. The problem is¡­ can they do it? Will Kaylee and her friends be able to attract the attention of the audience like Nick did? Kaylee had challenged Mr. Smith directly with great confidence without thinking. Now she regretted it a bit. If this was a solo performance where Kaylee yed a grand piano, Kaylee felt very confident that she could attract anyone who heard her ying. However, this was not a solo performance but a musical group. Kaylee couldn''t take over and dominate as if she doesn''t look up to the rest of the music team. Otherwise, this would give Mr. Smith a reason not to pick their team. "Nick, what do you think? Is Mr. Smith decided to judge fairly?" Kaylee knew the answer was that Mr. Smith would not judge fairly. From the beginning, his choice remained for that cheating senior team. But Kaylee couldn''t bear to tell them and didn''t want to extinguish the mes of their returning spirits. By the time Kaylee finished talking to Mr. Smith and returned to join her friends, she was somewhat surprised that Fritz''s bass ying had progressed rapidly. She even felt that Jacob''s jazzy style of ying when he beat the drums was so immersive and soothing. Kaylee looked at her friends'' expressions one by one and realized how much they enjoyed their performance during practice. It was as if they never care about the other team''s cheating or had heard about the mentor''s favoritism. This made her realize something, and she knew how to answer her friend''s inquiring regarding her talk with Mr. Smith. "Do you know what is most important in ying music?" Kaylee asked her friends, making them think hard to find the answer. ''Ah, why is Master Nichs Larson back again?'' thought Jacob and his two best friends in unison in his mind. They remembered when they formed a small study group; Nick often asked them questions that had to make their brains work twice as much as usual. After they got closer and no longer needed extra lessons from Nick, their tutor no longer asked them weird questions. Now¡­ why should such a strange question arise now? "Aiya, Nick. Now that we''re not on campus, can''t we have some fun here?" Adamined. "That''s the answer," stated Kaylee while snapping her finger at Adam made the others frown in confusion. "What did I say?" Adam asked his two friends because he seemed to have forgotten the words he spoke to himself. Kayleeughed, amused at the dumbfounded expressions on her friends. If they were on campus and having group studies together, Kaylee would have made them think all day, but now was not the time to give special lessons to her friends. "The important thing in ying music is having fun. As long as you enjoy yourself on stage, that''s when we shine. You guys seem to shine even more when you enjoy ying music together. That''s our triumph card, and no one could steal that spotlight from us." Four pairs of eyes stared in amazement at Kaylee, and in an instant, a sense of confidence and excitement ran through their nervous systems. They no longer care whether Mr. Smith would be unfair to them. Letti also has not thought too much about the schrship she is after. Since she knew their team music cement was the jazz genre, Letti knew she could not win after hearing that this genre had never won before. If she failed to get a schrship this season, she would try again in the following season and the next. After all, her adoptive father never demanded that she seize the schrship. Why should she feel burdened? Den and her parents allowed her to choose the school she went to because she loves to sing. Her family supports her dream even though they don''t know if Letti will seed as a singer. Letti decided to follow Nichs'' advice to have fun. What''s more¡­ her brother praised her that she looked more beautiful and radiant when singing. "What Nick said is true. There is no need to think about the unfair treatment of our mentor. This is ourst night here. Let''s celebrate it with a joyful heart." Kaylee smiled broadly at Letti''s words and stretched her right hand at the center of the circle group. Her gesture soon followed by others, and five hands piled on each other and raised upwards. Then they listened to the number eleven music team that was in the pop music genre. They were all just like the other students who sang along as if they were attending a concert. As their rival senior team''s turn came to the fore, Kaylee and the others walked forward to prepare for their next performance. "Don''t let them ruin our mood," advised Kaylee when she realized the mood swings of her friends when she saw the faces of the seniors who walked onto the stage. They would not feel annoyed or angry if their rival team was also aiming for the main prize. But they hate it when the seniors stole their chosen song, let alone it was given directly by their tutor. No wonder their mood dropped when they saw the faces of their seniors on stage. Fortunately, Kaylee could still think clearly and encouraged her friends. "We can do this." Adam and Fritz adored Kaylee in disguise even more. Even though Nick was the same age as them, but that fellow could think much more mature than all of them. Well¡­ except for Jacob.. He already knew who Nick''s true identity was and his admiration for Kaylee rose until he couldn''t stop it. Chapter 144 - Ch. 144 You Make Her Uncomfortable As expected, their rival team chose the song they liked the most. They yed Katleen Morse''s song that had been number one for a whole year with such skill. In fact, their seniors could y the improvisation part and musical arrangements that have been modified by Jacob and Letti expertly. It was the best song they liked, and they nned to use it tomorrow to win the musical talent show. Yet, the seniors already stole their modified music and used it to win the election. Kaylee could only shake her head in disappointment. She noticed the seniors'' skills were not much different from the abilities of her friends, but why did they have to choose fiendish ways to win? Despite dealing with seniors who had cheated and brazenly performed the arrangement music that should have belonged to Kaylee''s group, Jacob and the others were miraculously less angry. Instead, they were busy thinking about the song they would y after these cheating seniors. "Gosh! I''m so nervous. Look, my hand is freezing!" Fritz waved his hands quickly as if to shake off the chill in his hands. He knew the cold weather around him didn''t cause this chill, but because he was too nervous. What if he made a mistake? What if the group fails because of him? Kaylee cupped Fritz''s hands with hers, then rubbed them together to provide warmth to her friend''s hands. Unbeknownst to her, her small gesture left Fritz speechless and stunned. ''What a small hand! Were Nichs'' hands always small and soft like this?'' Fritz felt his heart pounding for some unknown reason so that his adrenaline surged as if he had found something exciting. Fritz even felt like he saw a fluffy pink cloud over Nick''s face making his face instantly heat up. What is this? Why did he suddenly feel¡­ s, his heart stopped beating for a moment, and his vision of the fluffy pink cloud shattered as soon as Jacob''s rough bulky hand reced Nick''s soft tiny hand. "Your hands will stay cold if he holds you. Here, let me do it," said Jacob, mimicking the way Kaylee rubbed her hand against Fritz''s. Kaylee''s mouth opened wide, and she looked at her best friend in disbelief. She didn''t know why Jacob suddenly tossed her hand away from Fritz''s and pushed her aside. What was Jacob thinking? Is he still mad at her to the point he dislikes to see her with his friend? And why did the young man seem eager to warm Fritz''s hands? Kaylee couldn''t understand her best friend''s way of thinking at all, while Fritz was silent and motionless for a moment. Surprisingly, instead of feeling as warm as he felt when Nick held him, Fritz shuddered in disgust. Without a second thought, Fritz pulled his hand out of Jacob''s grip and stepped back away from Jacob as if his best friend were a dangerous bacterium. "What are you doing? It''s ridiculous." Fritz promptly hid behind Letti, making the poor girl stayed still in puzzlement. "Uhm. What are you doing?" "I''d rather be with you than him." "Eh?" Letti didn''t know what kind of reaction she should give and could only stand there in silence. "Hey. You''re making her ufortable." Jacob grumbled as he looked at Letti, who could barely hide her blush. Jacob walked towards them to push Fritz away from Letti. For some reason, he didn''t like seeing her around other men. Miraculously, Fritz was no longer nervous and was now too busy winning his bickering with Jacob. "How childish," Adam added before he pulled Letti''s arm out between Jacob and Fritz and led her towards Kaylee. "ADAM!!" yelled Jacob and Fritz simultaneously. "What? You make her feel ufortable." Instantly two pairs of eyes looked at Letti with regret making Letti even more speechless. "That¡­ It''s not like that. It''s just¡­ this is the first time I saw you guys bickering each other. It felt like I had been epted as your friend." "What? Of course, you are our friend. Why do you think otherwise?" Letti sighed. "It''s because you guys are my first close friends." "No way. You have a lot of friends in your ss, right?" Fritz felt sure that a girl as beautiful and amazing as Leticia Campbell must have had many friends in her ss. They all don''t know that many people avoid Letti, thanks to Ayana and her small gangs. There were only a few who wanted to be friends with her, that too... if they don''t see Ayana around. As soon as Ayana appeared, no one dared to speak to Letti. "No. I''m not as popr as you guys." was her honest answer. Kaylee investigated Letti''s expression carefully, and it made her recall what happened to the girlst week. She remembered that a group of girls had indeed cornered Letti, and from their gazes, it looked like they were going to oppress this poor girl. Luckily Den was defending her at the time; otherwise, Kaylee didn''t know what the girl group would do to Letti. "Letti, have you be the target of your friend''s bullying?" Kaylee''s guess made her three friends fall silent and wait patiently for Letti''s answer. Letti swallowed hard while biting her lower lip nervously. She didn''t expect Nichs to question her directly in front of the others. She knew they were all waiting for her answer, but Letti was afraid that if she admitted that she was the target of Ayana''s bullying, they would turn off and not want to be friends with her anymore. Fortunately, the song of their rival senior team has ended, and now the host of the show was calling them to perform their chosen song. "It''s our turn. We''d better get ready." Letti avoided Nick''s questions and urged her friends despondently not to talk about her college life. "Wait." stopped Jacob while holding Letti''s wrist lightly. Letti was surprised by the way Jacob gripped her wrist because this was the first time she hade into contact with a man other than Nick. Why does her heart seem to stop when she feels the firm yet gentle grip on her wrist? "Now you are our friend and a member of our band. No one has the right to oppress you." Thump! Chapter 145 - Ch. 145 True Friend Letti felt a strange feeling filled her heart when she heard the soft voice that came out of Jacob''s mouth. "That''s right. How dare they bully our angelic singer! Tell us who corner you. We will pay back many times over." "You guys. Replying multiple times won''t solve the problem." Kaylee massaged her temple as if she was a mother who had to make sure her children behaved. "But what Jack said is true. You are our member now. We will not allow anyone to oppress our friends." Letti smiled faintly, looking at Kaylee, but her mind was more focused on feeling the grip on her wrist. She nced back at Jacob, but because she thought the young man''s gaze was still lingering on her face, Letti decided to lower her sight. "Uhm¡­ when are you going to let go of my hand?" Letti whispered very quietly as she pulled her hand back. Jacob realized his mistake and quickly opened his grip and withdrew his hand. "Oh, I''m sorry. Let''s go," summoned Jacob while climbing the stage, which his friends immediately followed. When Letti heard Nick''s urate guess about her being the target of Ayana''s bullying, Letti felt her heart shattered. She no longer had the mood to sing on stage and wanted to lock herself in her cottage room quickly. Fortunately, Ayana and her gang did not join this music camp program because she knew Ayana''s family was on vacation in Asia. That''s why Letti could be herself in this program with several friends like Selena and others. They could spend time together freely without worrying about Ayana''s surveince and threats. Unfortunately, because the groupings were divided based on the music genre, Letti couldn''t be with her friends as long as she wants and often spends time with her band. Letti immensely enjoyed her time with Jacob, Nick, and others. Even though she was the only girl in the group, they didn''t make fun of her and respected her. They even admired her voice when she sang and didn''t criticize her harshly. Plus, the boys seem to keep their attitude and tried their best not to make her feel ufortable. But, as a result, they couldn''t be themselves, and Letti realized it. But tonight¡­ for the first time, she saw Jacob and Fritz acting like kids and bickered each other while Adam scolded them. Not to mention, they all still treat her the same even though they know she''s not as popr as them and has almost no real friends. On the contrary, they wanted to defend her, and for the first time, Letti felt she finally had a friend¡­ a true friend. She didn''t regret epting Nick''s invitation to join their band as she had expected. Letti knew Nick was a different person from the friends she had met so far. Nick was willing to hear her inner voice and epted whatever decision she made. So far, no one was willing to listen to what she wants. Even her brother doesn''t want to listen to her and keeps setting a spy to watch her. It feels very nice when someone is willing to listen to what you want to express and ept it well. And Letti believed she couldn''t find anyone like that other than her new friends in the group. Little did she know, Nick in front of her was Kaylee in disguise. Kaylee has been used to finding the people around her not willing to take the time to listen to what she wants. Her parents have determined the future Kaylee would live, even though Kaylee had other dreams. As a result, Kaylee continued to rebel and made her father have a headache until he had to send people to catch Kaylee and lock her in the room. Unfortunately, Kaylee had forgotten all about this because of the tragic incident eight years ago. And even though now her parents no longer control Kaylee''s future and let Kaylee achieve her dreams, they still sometimes don''t want to listen to her until the end. That''s why Kaylee understood how Letti feels, who can''t fight people who force their will on her. No wonder then, Kaylee said that she wanted to hear an answer straight from Letti''s mouth. She didn''t care about Letti''s friend, who answered her invitation and kept waiting for Letti''s response. After Kaylee''s team put themselves in their positions, Letti nced at Kaylee as a sign that she was ready. Kaylee pressed the keyboard keys to create melodious jazzy chords, followed by a heaven-like voice came from Letti''s mouth. There was no sound from the audience for a moment, and time seemed to have stopped. Most of them knew that Letti was the best singer in the singing ss, but it was the first time they heard the girl sang a jazzy song. The way Letti sings and every vibe of the girl''s pitch controls was so melodious as if they were attending a solo concert of an International jazz singer. Right now, it was only Kaylee ying her keyboard while her friends were silent. Once Letti ended the chorus, Jacob hit the drums and yed a rhythmic groove for four bars. Then Fritz and Adam strummed their strings and followed Jacob''s jazz drumming rhythm, and they yed the first intro. As soon as Letti sings the first verse in the same melodious voice as when there was no music, the audience cheers and gets up from their seats. They all shook their hips and danced casually in their respective ces to the kind of music that Kaylee''s band yed. Some couples got out of the row of chairs, then embrace each other and dance to the rhythm. Seeing that seniors were dancing in pairs, other couples also started to follow them. Meanwhile, Mr. Smith, who had no idea that Kaylee''s band had provided the fourth song without his knowledge, could only open his mouth wide. Seeing how the audience, which some of them were Kaylee''s rival, enjoyed their music so much, Mr. Smith had no other choice but to select them to appear at tomorrow''s event. He didn''t even have to wait for his third coaching team to y because he knew the next jazz team wouldn''t be able to beat Kaylee''s music team. ''Then I will make you change your mind,'' Mr. Smith snorted at himself, remembering Nichs Larson''s deration. "That kid really knows how to change my mind." Chapter 146 - Ch. 146 Shower Time Kaylee stretched her hands widely as soon as she arrived at the cottage. She felt incredibly tired, both physically and mentally. However, her exhaustion was quite worthy after listening to Mr. Smith''s announcement. ''Get rest for tonight and get ready for tomorrow. Your group will perform for the music talent show.'' Mr. Smith didn''t seem to like that Kaylee''s group would appear on a talent show. He didn''t congratte them as if he was forced to select them, but Kaylee didn''t care. The satisfied and triumphant smile never left her face even though she felt exhausted. How could she not be smiling endlessly? Before this, she felt very sure Mr. Smith wouldn''t change his mind no matter what. But it turned out¡­ the picky man did! Oh, how happy she was! "Miss, I have provided warm water in the bath-up for you." "Really?." Kaylee was no longer irritated by the fact that her cousin had told Aubrey her gender. At least she had a special service, and Aubrey pampered her by giving her a warm bath she loved so much. "I''ve also added a rose scent to your liking. I''m sure you''ll like it." "Oh, I do like it. Thank you, Aubrey." "My pleasure, miss." "But, really. I never thought that my cousin would bother to provide an employee to serve me. I thought he would directly report to my father." Aubrey made noment and only gave a faint smile in response. "Have a nice sleep, miss." "Thank you for everything. Good night." Kaylee went inside with a happy heart and ignoring Aubrey, who was still waiting outside. Kaylee quickly took off her disguise and immediately went into the bathroom. As Aubrey said, the scent of roses assaulted her nose, and Kaylee let out a satisfied sigh as shey in the bath-up filled with warm water. Meanwhile, Aubrey was about to walk towards her room when she heard footsteps from the corner of the hill. From the back of Kaylee''s cottage, there was a small path that led to a staircase when one turned right. Because Kaylee never walked there thinking there was only a ravine at the corner, Kaylee never knew that there were other stairs leading up to the top of the hills. Aubrey turned and nced in the direction of the source of the voice. Her smile grew wider when she saw the figure of someoneing down the stairs and walking towards her. "Sir, you''re finally here. Miss Kaylee has entered her cabin and is currently taking a shower." reported the female cottage keeper shamelessly as if her report was the most natural thing to report. "How about my sister?" "Miss Leticia has returned to her room. She pretty much enjoyed this camp program during these two days and couldn''t stop smiling. But¡­" "But what?" "It seems the young miss is interested in a young man." Den frowned in displeasure to hear it. "Who is it?" Aubrey straightened up and put on a serious face like she was about to say something very urgent. "It''s Nichs Larson." "¡­" Den was speechless when he heard that. He knew now that his right-hand man''s twin sister teased him. "In other words, it''s Miss Kaylee." Aubrey could barely contain herughter when she looked at her master''s almost paled face, then hurriedly ran away before her master punished her by sending her to Asia likest time. "Goodnight, sir." Den shook his head to see the girl just run away after giving him an absurd report about his sister. Letti like Nick... Kaylee? Seriously. Even though Kaylee looks like a young man on campus, that doesn''t mean she behaved like one and flirts around the girls, right. [author: You have no idea, Den XD] Den decided not to take the report seriously because he believed Letti was too young to understand romance. Moreover, the girl had big ambitions and wanted to prove to herself that she could fly on her own. Trivial things like being attracted to an opposite gender would be forgotten once Letti found her goal. Den unlocked the X cottage door and entered with a light step. He remembered that Kaylee was taking a bath at the moment, and he wondered whether he should join and surprise the girl or not. In the end, he decided to wait for the girl as he didn''t know if Kaylee''s other side would reject him and hate him if he showed up in the bathroom. On the other hand, the clueless Kaylee enjoyed her peaceful bath time without knowing the man she has been missing now waiting for her in her room. Kaylee closed her eyes as she thought about theposition of the arrangement to y tomorrow. Tonight they can win because their rival also ys jazz music. But tomorrow, their rivals will be different genres of music, and seeing such a good R&B and modern funk-pop team makes Kaylee feel gloomy. How could their jazz music defeat the music that the people most loved? Kaylee tried to call her other side, who was still in ce with her head hidden between her knees. ''We need you.'' "¡­" ''I need you. You know I can''t do this alone.'' The girl still didn''t react and pretended as if Kaylee had never been there. Kaylee could only take a deep breath and decided toe back to her senses. After all, jazz music never wins this talent show, and her friends also know about it. Even though they had thought of the best arrangement and tried their best, Kaylee was sure that her friends would still be satisfied with whatever results they would receive. After feeling herself have been soaking for quite a while, Kaylee decided to end her shower time. She rinsed her body which was covered in soap, and quickly put on a pajama towel. She used a towel to wipe her hair by letting the white towel cover her entire head. Kaylee came out of the bathroom with a rxed pace while humming a melody. She was about to go to the dressing table to get her hairdryer when she noticed something big... or rather someone. She shifted her gaze, and her eyes widened when she realized she was not alone in this room. "De¡­ Den!?" Chapter 147 - Ch. 147 Where Are My Kisses? Thousands of scenarios ran through Kaylee''s mind, and she also smelled something that assailed her nose. This smell reminded her of the ce she once lived a long time ago. It was the distinctive smell of wood and cinnamon since her previous residence near the woods. Why did she smell this scent from Den? And how did he find her here? Kaylee was reminded of Den''s bizarre behavior by sticking with her during thest extra ss with that guy. At that time, Kaylee was still disguising as Nick, but the man deliberately approached her every time she distanced herself as if she was the ma that pulled him. Wait... Didn''t Nick mention Den when they came home from the music battle night? "Kaylee, what kind of person do you think your fianc¨¦ is?" "Den? He''s a nice guy, although sometimes I can''t understand his way of thinking. Why are you asking about him?" "No, nothing. I remember you were afraid when you faced him." "Yeah, I did feel scared the first time we met. But not anymore. I heard from Cassidy, people around him always feel scared at his name, although I don''t know why. When you get to know him, you will find he is the most kind-hearted man you''ve ever met." "I''m pretty sure he was kind toward you only." "..." she couldn''t refute as Den treated her nothing but sweet and gentle. At that time, Kaylee did not suspect why Nick suddenly became curious about Den. The young man had hardly ever shown any curiosity towards someone before, let alone a grown man. Even though she was puzzled, Kaylee didn''t find anything strange about Nick''s attitude. But now, Den is here¡­ in the cottage room that her cousin has provided. Does that mean Den knows that Nick is her?? "De¡­ Den," Kaylee stepped backward when the man walked up to her. s, she couldn''t avoid him anymore because her back was already against the room''s wall. Why did she feel that she had fallen into that man''s trap at this time? Even if she wanted to run away, she wouldn''t be able to do so. Right now, she''s in the camping area, and everyone thinks she is Nick. If she ran away right now without using her disguise, what would her friends say? But¡­ for some reason¡­ she couldn''t take her eyes off her fianc¨¦''s handsome face. Her heart trembled until she felt like jumping for joy when the man suddenly stood before her. There was a feeling of fear in her heart, but not the fear that those who scared at Den. She was afraid that what she saw was just an illusion because her heart yearned for him too much. "You¡­ Are you real?" Den smiled at her gently, and his gaze softened at the longing look from his wife, then raised both his hands to reach the towel on her head. Den gently wiped Kaylee''s wet hair with the towel while massaging Kaylee''s head, making the girl sigh in pleasure. Kaylee and Den both realized that not the slightest resistance from within Kaylee made both of them breathe a sigh of relief. "Are you still avoiding me?" asked Den to make Kaylee frowned in displeasure. "Aren''t you the one who avoided me? I tried calling you several times, but you never answered." pouted Kaylee while bringing her face close to the man''s chest. This smell¡­ unmistakable¡­ This smell was¡­ "Did you miss me?" Kaylee looked up at Den then answered his question by nodding her head once. Once he got the answer he wanted, Den could not contain his yearning. His two hands, still holding the towel on either side of Kaylee''s head, pulled her towards him while lowered his head to kiss the girl. Kaylee felt a bit surprised by the sudden attack but then closed her eyes and opened her mouth while weing his passionate love. One of Den''s hands slipped behind the nape of Kaylee''s neck, and with a reflex, Kaylee tiptoed to give Den ess to explore her sweet cavern. Kaylee''s hands snaked around his torso while Den''s other hand circled her waist to bring her closer against his sturdy body. Their shadow that appeared on the floor looked like a shadow where only one person stood there instead of two. The two turned their heads in different angles to taste each other from all spots. When they both ended their making-out session, both of them were gasping for breath. "I miss you, love." Den gave a feather-like kiss on her forehead before hugging his wife tightly, making Kaylee smile happily. "You should pick up my calls if you missed me." Kaylee pouted as she felt Den''s chest vibrate, indicating he wasughing. "It''s your punishment." was his answer in a matter-of-fact tone as if it was the most obvious answer. "What??" Kaylee lifted her head and pouted her lips to protest, but her pouting lips earned a peck instead. "You owed me something, anyway." "Ha?" "Didn''t we agree to kiss once a day?" "Eh?" "I lost my kisses more than a week. So, where are my kisses now?" This guy¡­ is utterly shameless to the point Kaylee couldn''t think of another way to escape. Kaylee slipped her hands between the two bodies and tried to push the man away even though it was a useless effort. "You dare asked me for kisses when you have a secret lover behind my back!?" "What?" "I know you had been cheating on me." "I don''t know where you heard the rumors from, but I assure you that is not true." Den wondered how Kaylee could think like that. "Rumors? But I saw it with my own eyes. You stroked her head and smiled at her like she was the most important person to you." Den frowned upon hearing that. As he recalled, he had never stroked the head of any other girl besides Kaylee, let alone smiled as if she was the one who meant the most to him. Could it be that it was Louisa? He used to always stroke her head and hug her. But after he fell in love with Kaylee, Den was no longer doing it. No. There''s no way Kaylee mentioned Louisa.. After all, Kaylee hasn''t met Louisa yet. So, which girl is Kaylee referring to? Chapter 148 - Ch. 148 Kaylee Is Jealous "When did you see me petting another girl''s head?" inquired Den while trying to dig up his memories. Ever since he decided to woo Kaylee, Den had stopped contacting the other girls behind Kaylee. Well, it''s not like he had ex-girlfriends or ex-lovers who obsess over him. But sometimes, he and Axel would hang out with Louisa, and they would go on vacation together. The only girl he allowed to approach him was Louisa, but he had stopped contacting her once heid his eyes on Kaylee. "Never mind." Kaylee nced sideways without looking at Den. "Since when did you know I was Nick?" "..." Den let out a resigned sigh knowing Kaylee wouldn''t want to tell him the answer he wanted. "Recently." Den took Kaylee''s hand gently and sat her on the dresser''s chair. Kaylee wondered what the man wanted to do, and when Den took her dryer, Kaylee''s face turned red and felt hot. Why is this man still treating her as if Den loves her? Then what about Letti? Or is it possible, Den wants both of them. Kaylee felt angry and had the urge to resist, but her heart melted instantly as soon as she felt a soft touch from her hair. Ugh! How could she stay mad at this man if Den treated her this sweetly? Kaylee fidgeted in her ce and fiddled with her pajama towel with both hands. Every now and then, she nced in the mirror and saw how attentive Den was drying her hair. "Your face is red. Are you feeling hot?" Kaylee instantly lowered her head to hide her face when she heard her fianc¨¦''s cheeky tone. "This is the first time a man has dried my hair." Den smiled, hearing that, and continued his movements. It seemed that the man was enjoying the activity more than Kaylee had thought. "But, it seems that this is not the first time for you." Kaylee tried to hide her bitter feeling. "Well, I can''t say that you''re the first girl that I dried her hair. But you''re the first woman I want to love and cherish with all my soul." Den put the hairdryer on the dressing table and lowered his face towards the top of Kaylee''s head. "This hair," Den brushed Kaylee''s thick hair aside, exposing her delicate neck to be feasting on the predator. "This neck, this ear," Den gave a light kiss on Kaylee''s body part, which he stated made Kaylee''s body shiver. "You''re driving me crazy, my love." Den''s hand curled forward andnded under Kaylee''s chin to bring it to his hungry lips to taste it again. Kaylee let Den kiss her once more, but remembering the scene where Den smiled gently at Letti and treated the young girl special, Kaylee looked away quickly before their kiss turned into a passionate one. "Is it Letty?" Kaylee bit her lower lips regretfully. She didn''t n to mention the girl''s name in front of Den. She was afraid that as soon as Letti''s name came out, he would admit it and decide to end their rtionship as well. But now her big mouth has dropped the big bomb,she couldn''t cry over the spilled milk. Kaylee could only wait for the man''s reaction after he was caught cheating behind her back. "Pfft!" And yet¡­ why did this manugh instead? "Hahahaha¡­ You thought that Letti and I had a secret affair. Seriously?" Kaylee was confused as to why the man wasughing instead of feeling guilty, but her heart ached when she heard his affectionate voice at the mention of the young girl''s name. This made her feel helpless, and she clenched her hands into fists. Kaylee got to her feet, and with both hands, she tried to push Den out of her room. Den let Kaylee push him, but his legs didn''t go any further once they arrived in front of Kaylee''s door. "Leave! I don''t want to meet you!! Go away!" begged Kaylee desperately, and her heart twisted even more when she realized a happy smile graced her fianc¨¦''s handsome face. What an asshole! How could he still smile at her like that!? Did he mock her as a fool? "Are you jealous, sweetheart?" Instantly Kaylee''s body felt like a statue when she heard Den''s guess. Is she jealous? Of course, she is! Which girl doesn''t get jealous when another girl steals her lover? "Why do I feel that you are enjoying my situation so much?" Den chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kaylee''s waist to pull her closer against his body. "A little. It''s the first time you''ve ever felt jealous of someone, even though you have no reason to be jealous." "What¡­" "If you don''t believe me, why don''t we contact her right now?" "Ha?" Kaylee was still digesting Den''s sentence when the man took his phone from his pocket and called someone before turning on the loudspeaker. Kaylee''s brow furrowed in confusion when she saw an inscription on Den''s cellphone screen that showed the words ''wild sister.'' Sister? Since when did Den have a sister? "Hello, brother? Why are you calling me at this time of night?" A pair of Kaylee''s eyes widened when she heard a familiar voiceing from the cellphone. Isn''t this Letti?? Since when did Letti be Den''s sister?! As she recalled, Mister Old ck had no daughter! "Don''t you want to meet your sister-inw? She''s with me now." "Really?? Aw¡­ it''s not fair. Why are you with sister-inw when I''m out of town? Get me through with the video right now!" "I don''t think that''s a good idea." Den noticed Kaylee was still in her pajama towel, and her hair was still notpletely dry. Plus, Kaylee''s eyes were a bit teary because she thought he had an affair a while ago. If Letti saw Kaylee''s current condition, his sister would misunderstand their situation. "Why? Why not a good idea? Ha!" Letti gasped as if she realized something. "Brother, are you at the hotel now? Did you jump on her? Seriously? How could I have a beast brother?! But, well, at least I''ll have a baby nephew or niece sooner! I want a cute niece!" Letti''s words made Kaylee''s face burn with embarrassment, making the room temperature hotter. Den cleared his throat before dropping a bomb at his naughty sister. "Letti, you''re on the loudspeaker." "¡­" "¡­" Both Letti and Kaylee became speechless altogether. Chapter 149 - Ch. 149 Letti Is Declans Sister? "Ehem¡­ ahem¡­ Sorry about that, Miss Kaylee¡­ Uhm¡­ can I call you sister from now on? You will soon be my brother''s wife, after all." Kaylee was bbergasted, but she answered her friend¡­ er¡­ her future sister-inw nevertheless. "Yes, I don''t mind. Nice to meet you¡­ Uhm¡­" Kaylee pretended didn''t know her name. "My name''s Leticia Campbell, but you can call me Letti. And one more thing, please forget what I said earlier. Good night and see youter." Tut. Tut. Tut. The atmosphere in the room was extremely quiet once Letti''s voice had disappeared. Kaylee didn''t dare raise her head because she was sure she would see a triumphant smile on the face of this shameless man. "I think you managed to make two people hate you tonight." "Thank you. I''m an expert in this field." That''s not apliment! Why does this man sound so proud? Kaylee felt like digging a hole and burying herself in it. She had no idea that she had misunderstood Den''s rtionship with Letti. And to make it worse, Letti is Den''s sister. Why did she cry over nothing? And how could she possibly know that Letti is Den''s sister? "How¡­ how did it turn out she is your sister?" "Come here." Den gently pulled Kaylee''s hand and led the girl to sit on hisp as he sat down on a chair. Kaylee''s face was getting hotter, and she was sure that the red hue painted on her whole body because it was the first time she had sat on the man''sp. Despite being embarrassed, Kaylee didn''t refuse and satfortably without daring to look the man in the eye. "Do you remember I was an orphan and lived in the Grace Orphanage?" Kaylee lowered her head, and her clever brain began to guess what Den wanted to say next. "So, Letti is also from the Grace Orphanage?" "Yes. My mother left her the moment she was born." "What?" Kaylee thought Den had treated Letti like his own sister considering that he loved all the children living at Grace Orphanage. Never did she expected that Letti was his sister through flesh and blood! "She is your birth sister?" "Half. We had different fathers." "Oh. What happened? Why did your mother leave you at the orphanage?" "I have no idea. Maybe she felt we were a burden in her life and discarded us at her will. But at least, she dumped her two children in the same orphanage. Otherwise, I would never know I had a sister." "I don''t know what to say. I can''t imagine how could a mother¡­ do that to her own children. Do you hate her?" "I don''t hate her. Besides, I don''t remember her as much. She was a history that I didn''t bother to look at. Plus, if that woman hadn''t abandoned me into an orphanage, the ck wouldn''t have adopted me, and we might never have met. I don''t care what she had done to Letti or me. All I think about now is to survive and protect my sister until that kid finds someone who can take my ce." "Letti is very lucky to have a brother like you." Kaylee doesn''t have an older brother but has a cousin ??like Robert, who is like her older brother. Her heart was happy for Letti after hearing the secret of the girl''s birth which was not so pleasant. "So now you know. There is nothing to worry about between your friend and me. I love Letti, but it''s only because she''s the only baby sister I have. My feeling toward you is a lot different, and you already know it. On the contrary, I still haven''t forgotten the fact you were hugging your male friend behind my back." Gulp! Why did this man remind her again? "You don''t have to worry about Jacob either. We''re just friends, just friends," stated Kaylee repeatedly while looking straight into the man''s eyes to express how deep-felt her statements were. "What kind of friends hug each other affectionately. You know that there is no such thing as ''just friends between a man and a woman.'' One of them must have a feeling." "But¡­ I don''t have any feelings for Jacob." "Then convince me." Kaylee clutched her pajama towel nervously at the sight of her fianc¨¦''s wide grin. This man is teasing her! As if finding new courage within her, Kaylee tilted her head and gave a quick peck on his cheek. Kaylee was too embarrassed to kiss him on her own. Not to mention her heart pounded so hard that she couldn''t find her voice. But she looked at Den with a pleading look as if she felt sure Den understood what she was trying to say. However, this cunning shameless man made her want to go back to digging a hole to hide. "That''s not enough to convince me." Den tapped his lips with his index finger thenmented on a seductive evil smile. "You should have done it here." This guy, really¡­ Kaylee couldn''t find the right words to describe Den''s super shamelessness. Having no other choice, Kaylee put her hands behind Den''s neck and nted her lips against his cold full lips. Right at that moment, a familiar scent assaults her nose, bringing her buried memories came to the surface. Kaylee recalled she went on a pic to her favorite park with her friends and¡­ ''her.'' She took over her mind and her soulpletely as Kaylee pulled away and gave Den a suspicious look. "Why did you go to Folnd Ind?" Den was a bit surprised to see that there is something different about Kaylee. Is it Kaylee''s other side? No. It''s totally different. The girl on hisp was still the Kaylee he knew, but at the same time¡­ she was not. "Den¡­ are you investigating me?" Instead of backing away, Kaylee''s both hands snaked around to feel his muscle and brought her face so close that her breath hit Den''s skin, making him skip a beat. What is this? Is this girl an enchantress? Chapter 150 - Ch. 150 Her Past There was no innocence in her eyes, but there was no wickedness either. Kaylee''s eyes were pure as crystal and shining like a morning star. In addition, Den felt that there was someone Kaylee wanted to protect. "I had to if I wanted to relieve your trauma." Den gave a feather-like kiss on her jaw and traced it down to her neck as if he weed her seductive gesture. "Trauma? What trauma? I had no one. Ungh¡­" Kaylee moaned when she felt Den suck her nape and bit it yfully. "I thought it was your other alter who protected you, but it seemed it was you who protected her all this time." Kaylee stiffened when she heard thement, and she cursed herself in her heart when she felt a smirk above her delicate skin. Kaylee pulled herself off Den''sp and paced restlessly. Den felt lost when he didn''t feel the soft weight on his thighs, but he let Kaylee out of his reach. He knew he had a lot to talk about with the girl, but he still didn''t know where to start. "How do you know?" atst, Kaylee stood right in front of Den. This time she looked at him with a clear gaze without any innocence or shrewdness nce. It was as if Kaylee was a pure soul with nothing that could bound her. It was as if she herself who control her own desire and willpower. "I''ve talked to your mother. I knew about your sister too." The moment she heard him, a strange light flickered in her eyes, but it soon disappeared the second it appeared. Deep down inside her consciousness, the same gloomy girl lifted her head with a frowning head. Why did she hear about her mother mentioning her sister? "Which sister again? I don''t have any sisters. I''m the only child." lied Kaylee without batting her eyes. Den noticed his wife no longer look at him the same she used to. She built an invisible wall surrounding her as if he was her eternal enemy. "Sweetheart," Den rose to his feet to reach out to the girl, but Kaylee stepped backward to avoid him. "Please, love. I''m not your enemy. I''m here to talk, not to corner you." "You will hate me." "I won''t." "Yes, you will. Everybody did¡­ once they know the truth." "But I didn''t. I still love you unconditionally even though I know you''re not the girl I thought you were. And I will love you till death part us." Den stepped forward again and reach her hand in a firm yet gentle grip once Kaylee no longer avoided him. "My heart aches when you move away from me. I was afraid that you would start hating me once you found out I was secretly investigating your past." "After finding out what my past was like, what are you going to do? For the past eight years, I''ve been sorting out bad memories as well as mine so that when I wake up the next morning, I won''t think about it again. It was my way to protect her, and it was my reason why I survived until now. What will you do about me, Den?" "I will do this." Den wrapped his arm around Kaylee''s petite figure in a tight warm embrace. He rained her almost dried hair with light kisses while whispering, ''I love you'' as if he was desperate to prove his feeling toward her. "No matter what your past is, I will still love you and only you." Den couldn''t see Kaylee''s expression right now because he buried her head in his arms and didn''t want to let go. He didn''t know Kaylee''s eyes were teary, and a relieved smile graced her face when she heard his soothing love whispers. "I want to get rid of your trauma and nightmare that haunts you every night. I want your heart filled with nothing but peace and happiness without limits. That''s why I investigated your past and met your mother." "But you don''t have to appear here all of a sudden." "It was not in my n either, but you deliberately didn''t contact me during the time limit I set. You know how much I tried not to see you right away even though I made the deal myself." "So you purposely didn''t pick up my phone to make me miss you more." pouted Kaylee, lifting her head only to see his annoying devilish smirk. "In the end, you did miss me, didn''t you?" Really, this shameless guy¡­ she couldn''t handle him. "Can I talk to her?" Kaylee tilted her head in confusion before she realized who Den was referring to. She shook her head resignedly as she answered the man''s question. "She doesn''t want toe back. Even I can''t kick her out of her hiding ce." "Why is she torturing herself so much?" "You don''t understand. My sister¡­ her sister''s death¡­ she believed she caused her death. She wished her sister would be gone for good, and it happened. Her death took a great toll on her to the point she tortured herself by locking herself up and refusing to eat for days. She was like a living zombie with no life purpose." "Then what happened?" "Seven years ago, she decided to end her life." "What?" *** (Kaylee''s other alter pov) "Do you hear that? She killed her sister." No. I didn''t kill her. "She sent her sister home purposely, knowing there would be an ident." No. I didn''t know there would be malfunctioning on the ne. It''s not my fault. Why is everyone ming me? "It''s your fault! My dearest daughter died because of you!" I can survive if it was others who put the me on me. But my own mother¡­ "Give my baby girl back to me, you evil girl! I regret that I brought you into this world!" It was as if the world stop rotating around me. Did my mother indirectly expect me to be on the ne? Right. I should have been on that ne. The name registered as a passenger is my name and not my sister''s. But I sent her away using my identity without knowing the ne crashed, and¡­ exploded with no survivors. So¡­ this is all my fault? Chapter 151 - Ch. 151 Sisterhood (Kaylee''s other alter pov) I don''t know how long I''ve been hiding in this ce. I don''t know when my body will sumb to my despair. I don''t know why I still haven''t died even though I have cut off the intake of nutrients that entered my body. I refused to eat or drink and pulled the IV needle out of my hand. All I did was sleep, waking up only to bang my head against the wall before the doctor finally knocked me out with his magic syringe. Nevertheless, the grim reaper never picks me up, leaving me in this endless dark ce. Why? Why are they still keeping me? Don''t they want me anymore? ''Because of you, I lost my daughter. Give my daughter back to me!!'' But I am your daughter too. Is my existence not as important as your other daughter''s? I just did what my mother asked and intended to leave this world, but¡­ why didn''t anyone let me die? Every time I banged my head against the wall, they immediately sent a doctor to treat my bruise. Who? Who can give me death instantly? I want to die quickly till no one could save me. That guy¡­ yes, that person can give me an instant death. The next day, I behaved as best I could in front of everyone. I still refuse to eat, but at least I''m not banging my head against the wall anymore. I did it to catch them off guard and reduce their guard in front of my room. As expected, when they thought I was sleeping, there was hardly anyone guarding my room. I decided to go out and look for that guy, but I didn''t expect that person toe to see me even before leaving this room. That person had dark red hair that looked like dried blood on white skin. His eyes were unique with golden yellow eyes and seemed to glow in the dark. The horrific snake tattoo image is clearly visible from the notch of his neck to below his ear. Before this, I had never been afraid of this person and hoped that this guy could give me the easy death I wanted. But when I saw his eyes filled with hatred, my guts shrunk, and I felt scared. "You killed her!" hissed that tattooed man. "How are you still alive when she''s dead? Shouldn''t you two go together?" This is my chance. "That''s right. I killed her. I hate her, remember? I wished she was gone! You should be mine! Ugh!!" I suddenly couldn''t breathe when his big hands grabbed my neck, blocking all the way for oxygen to get in. Is this it? Finally¡­ will I die? No. There''s something holding him back. Why? Why did he feel reluctant to kill me? Just as I felt I had lost consciousness, my lungs resumed functioning and inhaled as much oxygen as I could as if my body wasn''t ready to die yet. I saw some people entered the room and arrested a friend¡­ an ex-friend who was about to kill me. "I will kill you, Kaylee. Someday I will avenge her death!" Surprisingly, I felt unafraid of the threat. I thought I deserved to die because I caused my sister''s death. The following day, I woke up again in the same bed and the same characteristic hospital smell. It only means¡­ I''m still not dead. I''m trying to get up when I felt something under my palm. I saw a diary¡­ not another diary, but it was my sister''s. I opened it and read it from the first page to the end. This is the first time I have read my sister''s diary because she has never let me read it. For the first time, I understand how she felt every time she saw me. Now I know what her life was like in school days where she had to rely on Wendy and me to survive. All this time, I thought she was a strong girl and didn''t care what other people said about her. She may look weak, but she can be a lioness if she wants to. As for me¡­ they all said I was a strong girl. I was unrestrained and hard to tame. But the truth is¡­ it was only a fa?ade. I was too afraid to inherit my father''s legacy. I was too scared facing people who loved blood spurted here and there as if human life was utterly worthless. That''s why I rebelled. Just because I was the firstborn child, why should I rece my father? As for my sister¡­ I know she is far more capable than me. I know in her soft, gentle facade, hidden a sleeping dragon. They believed I was the though one while I had a fragile heart. On the contrary, they believed my sister was a weakling, while in truth, she was the most frightening person I''ve ever met. That''s what I thought all along, but after reading my sister''s diary¡­ I felt¡­ I was an evil person. ''I feel jealous of my sister, but I couldn''t bring myself to hate her. I adored her so much that I didn''t even realize she was my role model. I want to be like her, where everyone looks at her with worship and adore. People adored me but not the same way they worshipped my sister. She was my dream, yet it isn''t easy to achieve my dream. But at least, I wish someone could grant my wish. My wish is to be an M University student and be a professional pianist. I wished my name would be known to the world and that person would only look at me.'' I felt my eyes sting, and my vision was blurry as tears pooled in my eyes. Without realizing it, tears dripped down myte sister''s diary. Since then¡­ I decided to make all my sister''s dreamse true. I will live as my sister and do everything she wants to do. Chapter 152 - Ch. 152 Can I Talk To Her? (Third person pov) Ever since she read the diary, she hade to know what her sister wants. The dream that her sister had never realized, she decided to make ite true. "Since then, I was created and took over this body for these few years. Our mother wanted her beloved daughter who was obedient and not rebellious, and I made that happen by being my sister." Kaylee exined as she rested her head on Den''s chest. The two of them were lying on the bed, with Kaylee sleepingfortably above his hard sturdy chest. "I blocked every memory that made me ufortable and only chose the good things to make the ideal daughter. When I y my role as a good girl, I get rid of all memories of my other alter and lock up her courage so that I don''t have the desire to rebel." "Has she never appeared at all?" "Sometimes, she appears when I''m in danger. She has this mysterious keen sense of the lurking danger. I protected her from sorrowful memories, but she protected me from any outside danger." "I see." That''s why she showed up that night. Added Den in his mind. "Well, she appears when I was sick every month." "You were sick every month? Why is that?" Kaylee''s face turned red and snuggled deeper as she answered the man, "You know¡­ a woman''s things that came in every month." her finger grips his cloth, and her voice was too soft as if it was the end of the world if Kaylee spoke bluntly. Den couldn''t help but smile at the sweet meekness of his wife. "Why does she only appear when you''re having your period?" Kaylee''s mouth was wide open, unable to believe this man actually said the most embarrassing thing as if he was telling her he was having breakfast. With pouty lips, Kaylee answered her fianc¨¦ with a heavy sigh. "I was created based on the character of my sister, and my sister¡­ she can''t stand the pain. Every time she experiences¡­ ahem¡­ that thing, I''m the one who apanies her." No wonder Kaylee always feels someone stroked her belly and massaging her every time she had stomach cramps. Her other alter alwayses to the fore to rece her because she could endure the pain. "Did you ever talk to her?" Kaylee nodded her head in response to Den''s question. "Sometimes we debated, but she often gave up as she didn''t want to take control. However, she always warns me from the inside before I fall into someone''s trap. I could open my memory and outsmart everyone who wants to ambush me. But then, I will be no longer the ideal daughter my mother wanted me to be." "Your mother never expected you to be her ideal child. She wants you back." "¡­" "She wanted her daughter back, love. She wanted the real you." Kaylee pulled herself out of his embrace and sat pensively. "What''s the point to bring her back? Even though I don''t want her to continue hiding in her shell, I can understand why she doesn''t want toe out. That''s why I was created, Den. I know our mother doesn''t want us." Den also got up and hugged Kaylee''s petite figure from behind. "Trust me. She wanted you more than anything. My mother is one thing, and I don''t believe she was a good mother." "Neither does my mother." "Yes, she doesn''t. But Britney tried her best to ovee her loss. She regretted it a lot... everything she said to you. I could see that she''s suffering just as much as you. You''ll know when you see the video." "Video? What video?" Den shook his head. "It''s not for you. It''s for her." "That''s why you want to talk to her." Kaylee gave a thin smile when she saw Den nod his head once. "I''ll try to force her out, but before that, I have a quick question for you." "What is it?" Kaylee spun around and sat down in Japanese style opposite Den. "Which one do you prefer? Me or my other alter?" Den was stunned for a while, not expecting this sudden quiz. The man chuckled in amusement when he saw how serious his little wife''s expression was. "What''s the difference between you and the other? You are my wife, and that would never change." "That''s not an answer to my question." sulked Kaylee while pouting her lips and crunching her nose as usual. Her small actions and every expression on hers looked so adorable in his eyes. "I love you. Your innocent, your thousand expressions, and how you respond to my dirty talk¡­." You don''t have to say thest part out loud!! Screamed Kaylee in her head. Den pulled her waist to make her closer against him. "And I love your other side''s wicked eyes and how you seduced me with your sensual lips. It aroused me more, and I wanted to devour you right there and then. I love everything about you, my goddess." If Kaylee''s face could turn red again, it would. It was the first time Den called her a ''goddess.'' "Can I talk to her now? I miss her already." Why does it sound wrong, yet Kaylee found herself felt thrilled when she heard Den miss her other alter? She felt that Den was asking her permission to meet another girl who is not her, but at the same time, her heart jumped with joy because she knows Den will also love her other alter. ''Can you hear it? He also loved you!'' s, the girl wouldn''t hear her voice because her other alter has closed her off to this world. Even if she wanted to make her other side came to the surface, she wouldn''t be able to do it. Plus Kaylee knows, her other side is trying hard to make her forget Den. Now that she has taken this body controlpletely, her other alter will not be able to make her forget Den or give her nightmares.. In exchange, the girl locked herself in and refused toe out. Chapter 153 - Ch. 153 Arouse Me ** Kaylee tried to break through the shell door created by her other alter. No matter how hard she tried to summon her other side, she didn''t get any response. It seems¡­ her other alter decided to disappear since Kaylee chose to take over this bodypletely. Ever since Den recognized this body had two different personalities, Kaylee decided to talk to the man wholeheartedly. "I''m sorry. I can''t bring her out. I thought I could force my way, but... her willpower is too strong for me to break through." "Why?" "You are a smart guy, Den. You surely know my other alter rejected you. She even ignored my voice." Den heaved a heavy sigh. "I know. That is why I want to talk to her." "What for? You can''t force her to love you back." "She already loved me." was his short reply, showing a devilish smile filled with high confidence. Kaylee frowned when she heard his confident tone. She knew Den was an annoyingly shameless man with high confidence. But she never expected that Den''s shameless level would exceed the universe. How can that man be so sure that her other side has loved the man? "What do you mean? Why are you so sure?" "I thought you had ess to all your memories. How can you not remember that we''ve met before?" "Have we met before?" "That''s right, my love. We''ve met before." Den took a strand of Kaylee''s now dried hair and brushed it back behind her ears. How smooth and soft his wife''s hair made him not want to let go of Kaylee''s ck hair. Kaylee enjoyed the gentle caress, and it almost makes her lulled to sleep. She was exhausted, and a peaceful deep slumber awaited her, but she knew she needed to finish this talk. "When?" "About nine years ago in Spain, then we met again when I was in aa in a hospital. You kept mepany and talked to me for two weeks. Don''t you remember?" Kaylee shook her head sadly. "There are some things I can''t ess. She¡­ my other alter buried some so deep I couldn''t even reach it." "Why did she do it?" "I have no idea. I guess the only way to find the answer is to ask her directly." "Didn''t you just say she didn''t want toe out?" Kaylee smirked with a mischief look when she answered the man. "That''s true, but I know how to get her out willingly." "How?" Kaylee surprised Den by changing her position while opening her thighs and positioning herself like she was straddling Den. Her hands moved over Den''s shoulders and pushed the man so that they bothy on the bed with Kaylee on top of Den''s hard body. Kaylee''s hands danced on Den''s chest as she unbuttoned the man''s shirt in a sensual motion. What is this happy feeling? Why is his wife turned into a seductive enchantress suddenly? How could he resist her if she put him on edge like this? This vixen girl would be his death someday. Thought Den. "Arouse me, Den. Make me excited. That''s the only way to bring her out." Den smirked at the sensual suggestion. How could he say no while this vixen girl gave him the green light? "Ah!!" Kaylee yelped in surprise as Den flipped her around to change their position. The poor bunny girl was now helpless under the predator''s lust gaze. "Don''t try to stop me, love. I won''t stop this time." Kaylee giggled without knowing her heaven-like giggle aroused the man furthermore. "Then, don''t stop, hubby." Den''s eyes darkened to hear her endearment call. It was the first time this pure, innocent bunny teased him to the point his hardness ached. He kissed her plump lips in hunger as if he hasn''t eaten for several days. His hands didn''t stay still, and he pulled the straps of Kaylee''s pajama towel and opened it to reveal her snow-white skin. Kaylee realized Den had taken off her pajama towel when she felt the cold wind tickle her bare skin. Instantly she felt embarrassed, and her hands quickly moved to cover her perfect round mounds in protectiveness. Yet, Den pulled her hands away and settled them on her sides. "De¡­ Den¡­" "Don''t cover it, love. You''re so beautiful." Kaylee was lying half-naked beneath him. It was the first¡­ no, the second time Den saw her bare milky white skin. That night, Den treated his temporary lover in a hurry as if he was a beast on heat. When he saw all the red marks all over the girl''s body, his heart filled with guilt. Well, how could he restrain himself? Her smooth, white skin was so tempting to the point it made his ''junior'' ached in neediness. He wanted to put his mark all over that girl; thus, he lost control. But not this time. Den won''t make the same mistake. Den would adore his wife and treat her with care and patience. "Dec¡­ Den. Stop looking at me. It''s¡­ embarrassing." Den smiled at her sexy pleading. "I didn''t expect you to be so impatient, my little wife." ''That''s not what I meant!'' Before Kaylee could voice her protest, Dennded his lips back on her skin. Only this time, he didn''t kiss her lips and assaulted her delicate neck instead. "Unn¡­ Den¡­" "Hubby. I want to hear it again," whispered Den right on her ears while nipping her sensitive earlobe. "Hubby, un¡­" Den cupped her breast and kneaded it in a gentle grip while poking the tiny bud to inflict a sexy moan from Kaylee. Den''s kisses, his every touch, and teasing on her breast were driving Kaylee crazy. She felt a tingling sensation in between her thighs, and it got more intense with her raging heart when she felt Den''s lips traced down toward her hills. Den had touched her breasts before, but he had never touched her naked breasts. This is the first time Kaylee''s skin has felt a direct touch from Den''s rough hand, making her even more aroused. No. She had felt it before. Kaylee was sure she had felt it before, but she couldn''t remember. Or could it be¡­ her current feelings belong to her other alter? Kaylee couldn''t think because her brain was filled with euphoria due to Den''s expert hands and mouth. They caress her curves as if the man yed on an instrument. The man continued to nt kisses on her body, leaving some fiery hickey as his mark while his fingers were busy disregarding the annoying white towel. Kaylee wore nothing underneath the pajama towel. She didn''t wear a bra or panties, so when Den managed to get rid of the pajama towel covering her lower part, Kaylee was no different from a newborn baby in front of the hunger beast. Den noticed the wetness between her thighs and felt her warm release with his fingers. "Look how wet you''ve be for me." his sexy smirk shook her heart, and it caused an explosion inside her mind. The way he licked his fingers, his eagle-like sharp gaze made her gulp. Kaylee began to wonder, had she made the wrong decision? What if it turns out that her other side decided not to appear after she sacrifices herself to be the predator''s food? She wanted to hide her body from his lust-filled eyes, but at the same time, she wanted him. "It''s sweet. Even sweeter than that night." Ha? What is this guy talking about? Kaylee had no time to think when Den lowered his head and his lips dangerously close at herher region. "Den?! What¡­ what are you doing?" Den smirked at the scared bunny, and his sadistic side kicked in to tease the girl. "I didn''t do anything, love." Den sucked her inner thighs, causing Kaylee to whimpered and desperate to close her thighs. However, Den spread her thighs and restrained them with a force she couldn''t resist. "I enjoyed my meal. I''ve been starving these nights thinking about you." Den gave a long lick at her entrance, making Kaylee shrieked in a long moan. Her hands gripped the sheets desperately, and she arched her back as the high hit her hard. It was too much... she couldn''t handle this overwhelming pleasure. Kaylee started to regret it and tried to stop the man. "Can¡­ Can I change my mind? I''m sure there''s another way¡­." "Nope. No backing out." Den covered her southern lips with his mouth and suck and poke it yfully. "Aaaah!!" Den continued to lick her entrance opening without intruding inside. He moved his wanton tongue from bottom to top until he found a small pearl. The man in heat suckle the tiny pearl makes Kaylee''s legs tremble in high pleasure, and she became a moaning mess. Den could feel Kaylee almost reached her climax, and his mouth was now covering the entire opening cave. "Hiii¡­ Deaannn¡­" Kaylee hit her climax and released a lot of love juice which Den happily epted. The pleasure was too much for Kaylee, and as if her other side felt the same burning and euphoria, Kaylee ckened out so that her other alter took over. Chapter 154 - Ch. 154 I Dont Do Virgins ** PS: The beginning of this chapter tells the story of the night 8 years ago. Only after that will we continue the previous chapter. *** "Aaangg¡­" the girl who was filled with lust couldn''t stop moaning in pleasure. She felt pain all over her body because this unknown mister sucked her skin, bit her delicate milky skin hard, and yet she felt pleasure from it. This mister was like a hungry beast who hasn''t eaten in days, and oddly enough, she doesn''t mind. Her two hands especially liked the softness of this man''s hair, grasped his ck hair, and pulled his head closer as if to give her body voluntarily to the man''s mouth. Her brain was filled with deep euphoria, and she was overwhelmed by the pleasure until she couldn''t think which one is right or left. The moment she felt a man''s hand spread down and stop between her thighs, the girl''s entire body flushed red. Her heart rumbled violently as if a storm hade into her heart. She closed her eyes as a long finger slipped into her panties to feel her wetness. Oh my gosh! It really happens to her. Finally, she will lose her virginity. She was scared yet excited at the same time. "Don''t tell me¡­ is it your first time?" the man sounded hoarse due to the almost uncontroble lust. "No," was her short answer without looking at the man''s eyes. The girl felt lost when the unknown mister pulled his hand out from her panty. She was about to protest, but when her eyes caught the man sucking his finger, which was a bit wet from her juice, the girl couldn''t look him in the eye. "I know you lied." the mister got up and sat in the corner to calm down without looking at the half-naked beauty on his bed. "How did you know I was lying?" "You seduced me and teased me so expertly, and it made me think you were very experienced. But, when I touch you, I can hear your heartbeat, and I feel your anxiety. You are scared." "I am not." "Typical for first-timers. I don''t do virgins. Let''s end this." "How many girls have you slept with?" The mister chuckled in amusement, hearing the jealousy tone. "Are you jealous of them?" "Hmph! Why should I? I barely know you." "Exactly. Why would you give your virginity to someone you don''t know? You should save it for someone special." "How do you know that you''re not that someone?" "You''re still young. I''m just a passerby and not worthy enough to take your first time." "But I want you to..." she put an adorable act while blinking her eyes cutely. The mister turned back to refute, but he touched and rubbed the girl''s cheeks rather roughly instead. He saw his hand filled with skin-like cream made him nced at the young girl suspiciously. "How old are you again?" "Twenty-two!" answered the girl without batting her eyes, but the mister wouldn''t believe it. He knew this girl wore overly make-up to make her look older than her actual age. Those eagle-like eyes seemed to pierce her soul, and it was very suffocating, making her couldn''t breathe. "Fine¡­ I''m eighteen this year. Happy now?" The mister massaged his temple with a defeated sigh. "My God. I almost sleep with a minor." "What? I''m not a minor!! I''m eighteen!!" protested the girl. "You said ''this year,'' meaning you''re still seventeen." "..." I know that! The mister looked at the girl''s half-naked cleavage, and he almost lost control once again. He looked away and gave a nket to cover the alluring naked chest of the young girl. "Fix your clothes." the mister got up and walked to the bathroom. Only cold water could put his raging erection back to sleep. The girl slumped her whole body on the bed without fixing her clothes. She didn''t care if the hot sexy mister looked at her body and pounded at her. She nned to seduce him and let him take her virginity in the first ce. The girl determined to stay awake so she could seduce the handsome guy once again. s, the drowsiness overwhelmed her and lulled her to sleep. In her sleep, she felt someone covering her naked body with a warm nket. Then the person slipped his strong hands under her neck, making her snuggle to findfort. It was the first time she had been able to sleep so soundly and felt an indescribable warmth. Was that unknown mister embraced her? It felt so warm andfortable. Not long after, the girl opened her eyes and nced around with a confused look. Where is she? Thousands of images shed in her mind made her head hurt. She remembered she disguised herself as Nick, then joined this winter music camp with the help of her cousin. She also remembered that she already had a fianc¨¦ named¡­ As soon as Den''s face appeared in her head, her heart seemed to stop. Den ck¡­ is that mister?? And that mister is her fianc¨¦? No wonder that man was always in front of her eyes when she appears. Wait a minute. How could she remember all this when she took over her body? The girl looked at her hands in puzzlement. Usually, when she appeared to take over this body, her alter side would not give her all of her memory. Really¡­ what happened? "You''re awake?" The girl turned towards the cello-like voice, and suddenly her face heated up. How could she not when the mister in her memory was standing there¡­ shirtless with only a towel wrapped around his waist to cover his lower part? She saw a well-built chest down to some sexy toned muscle around his belly, and she could see the ''V'' shape, making her inside burned in heat. "Like what you see?" teased Den making it worse for her to control her racing heart. The girl pulled the nket to hide her face¡­ to be more precise; she wanted to protect her eyes from being affected by the sexy seduction of the man. She felt a gentle tap on her head and a soothing voice coaxed her to see him. The girl didn''t have other choices but to pull down the nket just to see the gentle smile and the love-filled eyes looked at her. "Nice to meet you again, Roxanne." Chapter 155 - Ch. 155 The Sketchbook "Nice to meet you again, Roxanne." Roxanne¡­ that''s her name. It felt like she had not heard someone call her name for so long that it sounded foreign to her. "It''s strange." "What is?" "I was sure we would never meet again, but¡­ you ended up being my fianc¨¦." Den chuckled in amusement. "What a small world we have." "What do you want?" asked Roxanne without beating the bush. "I like your directness." Den surprised her by giving a peck on her lips. That was¡­ unexpected. Roxanne took a deep breath when she realized Den wasn''t pulling away, and their faces were still so close that she could feel his breath. The cornered girl wanted to back away, but this bed''s headrest had be an obstacle for her to retreat. "You said you want to talk to me." reminded Roxanne as she remembered what Den had said to her alter side. Strangely enough, everything that Kaylee had experienced since she met Den at her parents'' house reyed in Roxanne''s head to make it seem like she had experienced all of them. "I did. But after meeting you in person, I wanted to do something else." "Do what?" Roxanne could already guess what this man wanted, but she pretended not to. "You know what I want." Den gave another peck on her cheeks, then down to her nape, causing her throat to groan in a sexy voice. "You rejected me, remember?" "You were a minor back then, and now you''re my wife." "..." damn this guy! "Wait!" Roxanne held Den''s body closer with her hands. The man didn''t budge, but at least he stopped what he nned to do. "I don''t remember we were married. After all¡­ you don''t know me. How could you marry someone you don''t know?" "Then tell me, sweetheart. I want to know you." "You will hate me once you do." "Wanna bet with me?" Ha?? Why did she feel this man lured her into his trap? "No, thanks. I don''t make a bet with a shameless cunning guy like you." Roxanne frowned in confusion when she heard his heartyughter. Why did this manugh? "Just try me, love. I know I will still love you no matter what you have done in the past." "What''s the point of you loving me when I don''t love you, mister?" "You love me, sweetheart. I know it." "¡­" where did his confidencee from? "No, I don''t." denied Roxanne firmly. "Then, can you exin the drawings?" "What drawings?" "Wait here." Den got to his feet and walked out of the room, giving Roxanne a chance to get dressed. She was naked like a newborn baby, for goodness sake! Why doesn''t her other alter get dressed first before summoning her? She looked around to find her dress but... nothing. How strange¡­ why can''t she find her clothes? Roxanne tried to call her other alter to ask about where her clothes are, but¡­ that girl shut her out!? Is her other alter nning to take revenge on her because she gave those nightmares? Tsk! The biggest question is... how did her alter side get her out of her unbreakable shell? By the time Den returned to their room, Roxanne was still standing near the cupboard wrapped in a nket. Her ck hair was loose and a bit messy because she had just woken up. A long white nket wrapped the girl''s entire body from the chest area to the toes. Her appearance looked so sexy and tempting. Den even could imagine red roses swarming the girl as if she was the flower fairy. "Well, this is the sight to behold. You look like a goddess of seduction." "¡­" she was too speechless. Did this guy mock her because she seduced him years ago? Well, she did seduce him and tricked him into taking her virginity. But it happened years ago. She was too young and naive to believe that she could break the arranged marriage by having an affair with some stranger. And that stranger happened to be the most handsome, hottest, and the sexiest guy she''s ever met. She didn''t mind if she gave her virginity to that mister. However, she refused to reminisce the past with this utterly shameless master. "What''s that?" regardless of his previousment, Roxanne was intrigued with a sketchbook that the man brought. Den walked over to her to hand over the sketchbook. When Roxanne saw the familiar cover book, her heart trembled with a weird sensation. It was her sketchbook and the content¡­ "It''s yours." "..." I know. "How did you have this?" Roxanne took the book in one hand, then opened it one by one showing the drawings. On average, all the pictures contained Den''s face. She met her mysterious mister once, but the man had filled her mind, and without realizing it, she began to draw the mister''s face in her sketchbook so she wouldn''t forget that god-like face. It seemed her meeting with the mister left the impression deeper than she thought. When Roxanne reached thest page, her eyes darkened in blue light. She saw Den lying on a bed in the hospital room, and the back of a girl sat beside his bed while holding his hand. For some reasons, she hated this drawing yet felt reluctant to rip it. Roxanne sensed two arms wrap around her waist from behind as she let Den hug her and rest his chin on her shoulder. After all, this man wouldn''t let go even if she tried to resist. Why did she waste energy in vain when she knew she would return to this man''s arms. Plus¡­ her heart felt full when she was inside this man''s arms. "Your mother gave it to me." Den could feel his wife''s body tense up in his arms. "She purposely set us up in hopes that I could bring you back. When she saw my image from my mother, she knew that I could bring you." Roxanne snorted in disgust at that. "She wanted me back? Are you kidding me? One of the people who wanted to get rid of me was that woman. She didn''t want me. She wished me to die instead of my sister." "No. She wanted you, love. Otherwise, why would she try to approach my mother just to bring us together? She doesn''t want you to live a life filled with falsehoods and expects you to go back to being yourself." "No. You lied." "Why would I lie?" Den gave a soothing kiss on her shoulder when he felt his wife''s tiny body shaking. Chapter 156 - Ch. 156 Youre The Only Girl I Want "You already know how my birth mother stole me from my father and threw me in the orphanage. But your mother never abandoned you. Yes, she made a mistake by putting all the me on you. She had already admitted it, and she deeply regretted it. Her greatest wish is for you to return to being yourself and not living as someone else." "I can''t believe it. You only said it to cheer me up." "I''m not. If you don''t believe me, you can see it yourself." Den gave her a mini rose-like USB with a silver chain fitted enough for a bracelet. This bracelet was her USB. Why does her mother still have it? Hadn''t that woman thrown away all her belongings? She remembered her mother went crazy and brought all her staff outside as if that mourning woman wanted to drive her away. She knew her mother hated her the moment that older woman knew that she lied to her. Roxanne couldn''t believe that her mother would regret it. "I don''t want to see it." Roxanne looked away as she closed her eyes. That memory of when her mother med her for her sister''s death remarkably hurt her. Even though the wound had healed, but it left a deep, ugly scar within her soul. ''It''s supposed to be you! Why are you alive while your sister is dead? Give my daughter back!'' Roxanne didn''t care about other people''s usations. Although it was harrowing and her guilt devoured her from inside, but she was able to endure. But her own mother¡­ wished her dead. How could she handle it? When she tried to hide from her father''s wrath, her mother was the one who defended her. When she made her father angry and want to punish her, Britney Zouch was the one who coaxed her father to forgive her naughty deeds. Roxanna always finds her mother the first thing she made a mistake. When she ended up in trouble, her mother was the first thing she could think of, and yet... that woman wished she was the one on the ne. Roxanne knew she was not her parents'' ideal daughter, but her sister was. She knew they would mourn less if she were the one on the ne instead of her sister. She knew her parents would be happier if her sister were still alive. She knew that, and yet¡­ it still hurt¡­ badly right after she heard her mother''s words. At that moment, she wanted to follow her sister and tried tomit suicide repeatedly in vain. Her father ced a professional guard and doctor on maintaining her welfare. He put many guards and the doctors day and night to ensure her safety and not harm herself. Roxanne couldn''t stop the shaking, and the tears threatened to fall out of her eyes. She could feel Den''s embrace tightening, and she no longer cares about the world. She desperately summoned her other alter to take over so she could hide again, and yet¡­ her alter didn''t respond to her. It was too much for her. She felt her heart twisted, and something awful tried to devour her soul from inside. She wanted to leave this world, but her parents, who hated her, wouldn''t let her go. They want an ideal daughter, and she has created her alter side to rece her sister. Her rebellious nature was sealed and buried so her other alter would do everything her parents told her. She never again wore revealing clothes and acted like a ssy and elegant girl. Roxanne was more than willing to disappear from this world forever and let her alter side take over her body. But why¡­ why did they bring her back? Why did her mother give Den her sketchbook? Den lifted her shaking body as if she weighed nothing and walked back to the bed. He embraced his helpless wife attentively and stroked the girl''s back. His heart clenched as if he could feel the sorrow of his girl, but he didn''t know how to bringfort over the girl. He didn''t know what had happened in the past that had left Roxanne overwhelmed with tremendous guilt. Britney Zouch did not know what happened that made her youngest child was on the ne instead of her eldest child. The day before the flight from Spain to Folnd Ind, the youngest daughter told the Zouch elders that she was going home with Roxanne. That same day, Roxanne told them otherwise. Roxanne told them that only she would be going home, while Kaylee¡­ would stay in Spain for a few more days. No one would have expected the ne to have an ident that ended up killing all the passengers, including Roxanne. The name listed on the passenger list was Roxanne Kylie Zouch, so the one still alive was Kaylee Roesalie Zouch. However, by the time the Zouch left for Spain to pick up their youngest daughter, they found out that it was Kaylee who was on the ne. Thus, their elder daughter was still alive. They didn''t know how they switched ces or why their notification was so different from one another. Everyone could see the sisters loved and adored each other, but some could also see an indescribable rivalry between them. "My sweet Rose, please talk to me?" urged Den in a soft voice while raining her head with his kisses. "What do you want to hear, mister? You want me to say that I kill my sister? Do you want me to admit that I caused my sister''s death?" "No. I want you to share your burden with me. Have you forgotten what I want from you?" ''I want you to share your burden with me. If someone stressed you out, justin to me. If someone makes you sad, you can run to me. If you want to take revenge on the person who hurt you, let me know. I will make that person regret making you sad.'' Roxanne remembered everything the man had said to her. Miraculously, her cold, bitter heart became warm. She felt she saw the light in her dark world. "I don''t like to see you in this state. I preferred you to be happy and smile whether I''m by your side or not. Well, preferably, your smile andugh would be mine alone." Roxanne giggled, feeling her heavy heart became much lighter due to the cheesy lines. "Thanks." "Are you feeling better now?" "I guess so." "Good. So are you going to tell me what happened?" "..." Roxanne sighed in defeat. How could this man seek an answer from her so smoothly? She almost got tricked! "I can''t." She was too scared that Den would leave her when he knew the truth behind the switched ces. "Alright. I won''t force you, but I want you to promise me one thing." "What is it?" "Be yourself." Roxanne frowned in displeasure at the request. "You expect me to stay around? I can''t do that." She wasn''t sure if her broken mentality could handle the pressure. Yes, she could stay longer than usual now, thanks to Den''s presence that could give her eternal peace. It was as if nothing could harm her when she was inside this man''s arms. But what if the man wasn''t with her? She would not be able to survive the moment she met her mother. She would recall the pain in her heart when she saw her mother''s face. She couldn''t do that. She wouldn''t be able to handle the pain in her heart for the second time. "I''m here, love. I won''t let anything hurt you, including your mother. But, give her a chance." "¡­" "Or at least, try to be yourself whenever you''re with me." "Why do you want me so much to stay? Don''t you like my other side more than me?" Den chuckled in amusement, "Is that a jealous tone I hear?" "It''s not." denied the girl. "Kaylee is you¡­ and you are she." "No. Kaylee was my sister." "I talked about your other alter." "I don''t care." "¡­" this vixen girl is indeed an expert to make him helpless. "Nevertheless, you are the only girl I want. From the beginning we met, our second encounter, and now." "Second encounter?" Roxanne lifted her head to see her fianc¨¦''s face, and her heart melted when she saw his million love gaze from his eyes. "Do you still love me even after knowing I''m not the girl you know?" His eyes softened, "Yes," "How can you guarantee that you will continue to love me after knowing what I did to my sister? Aren''t you afraid I''ll do the same to you?" "What have you done, love?" "I¡­ I tricked her and¡­ abandoned her." "You can trick me as much as you want, but you can never leave me." "But what if¡­." "I will hunt you and find you again. You should know now that I would never let you go. Besides, do you have the heart to dump me after knowing you love me that much?" "..." really. She wondered where this man''s confidence came from. This man is so shameless that she has be ustomed to his overly high confident demeanor. And yet, Roxanne couldn''t help but smile lovingly and cupped the man''s cheeks with both hands. "You''re right. I''ve fallen head over heels for you." That was why she tricked her sister and abandoned her¡­ she wanted to im this man as hers. Chapter 157 - Ch. 157 I Will Move In With You The sleeping beauty shed a satisfied smile when she woke up the next morning. The girl could feel two hands hugging her protectively, and she didn''t feel like getting up. Roxanne realized this was the first time she had ever slept and woke up as herself and how good it was. There were no nightmares or restless feelings when she woke up, how she wanted time to stop right now and continue her sleep with her man. However, she remembered that they were not at home but the camping site. She had to get up to do her incognito routine, then hang out with her friends. Ah, five more minutes. She would wake up in five minutes, and yet¡­ the thundering voice screamed inside her head. ''Wake up now!'' "Ugh!" the girl groaned inziness, responding to her other alter''s urged. She opened her eyelids to see that the sun was already peeking out from behind the window. "Shit. What time is it?" the girl struggled to break free from Den''s tight embrace in vain. "Mister, Mister, wake up. Let me go." Roxanne shook Den''s body, but the man tightened his hug instead. ''Why did you call him mister? He is your fiance.'' "¡­" well, that''s true. But¡­ she never addresses him with his name. Roxanne tried to wake the man up one more time with her sweetest tone. "Den, please wake up." "I need a morning kiss." hummed the man shamelessly without opening his eyes. Roxanne sighed in defeat then did what the man wanted. Instead of giving him the fierce and passionate kiss he desired, the wicked girl rained his face with thousand wet kisses earning an amusing chuckle from Den. "What are you doing?" Den opened his eyes whileughing as he felt ticklish at the rainy kiss from his wife. "You made mete!" pouted Roxanne, and finally, she could break free from the man. The girl sprinted toward the bathroom and did her routine to change her appearance. Even though Roxanne took control over her body, she remembered everything and knew how to put the additional skin and draw her eyebrows to make it thicker. After a while, the girl came out with an entirely different appearance. From hot sexy enchantress to be an ordinary cheerful boy. "How do I look?" Roxanne settled her hands on her waist as if she was an arrogant teenage boy. "Still pretty." "Ew¡­ Are you gay?" teased Roxanne as she wanted to see how Den''s expression when she cornered him like he did to her. "I might as well if it''s you." "¡­" she was too speechless, yet she refused to give up. "Really now?" Roxanne jumped on the bed, and she pushed her head closer to her fianc¨¦ with a sexy smirk. "Can you kiss me now?" "Are you sure?" strangely, Den sound excited and gave her a challenging tone. Roxanne knew this man had something on his sleeves. Her instinct even warned her not to ept the challenge, and yet she bought it. "I dare you." Roxanne didn''t notice the evil smirk on his handsome face when Den snaked his hand on her waist and pulled her while he was hovering over her. The poor girl couldn''t voice her protest as the man imed her plump sexy lips with vigor and demanding. She felt the man tried to suck her soul, and she was breathless. She felt her reasoning left her for a moment, and she forgot that she needed to join her friends shortly. Her heart beats so fiercely, and she felt her blood rushed through her body when his dominating tongue meets her tiny one. It was the first time Den kissed her roughly and full of dominance, and yet it felt so gentle on her lips. It brought immeasurably pleasure, and she didn''t care about anything else. By the time Den let go of her, they both tried to inhale as much oxygen as Den ced his forehead against her lightly. His nose brushed her tiny one yfully while licking and sucking her upper lips seductively. "Seriously. You made mete." Roxanne pouted her lips adorably. "And whose fault is that?" "You." was her answer without feeling remorse. "I''ll let you punish me in exchange thousand kisses." "¡­" what the heck?! Kaylee! Come here, now! Cried Roxanne calling her other side. She decided she couldn''t handle this super shameless man by herself. The minute Kaylee took over her body and let Roxanne hide again inside her, Den''s lipsnded on her exposed delicate neck. "De¡­ Den," "Kaylee?" Den noticed the changing vibe and lifted his head to see the pure, innocent glint in her eyes. "Yes. I think I should go." her voice was so soft, like a silk fabric with the best quality. Her doe eyes were so charming that they could seize his heart. "What if I don''t want to let you go?" his question only makes her want to cry and scold her other alter. Why did Roxanne call her when Den had trapped her? Now, how does she break free? If Kaylee asked what he wanted to let her go, he''d say, ''I''ll never let you go.'' She could even hear his voice in her head! Ugh! What should she do? As if a light bulb showed up in her head, Kaylee found a way out. "I will move in with you." or maybe not. Kaylee regretted her words as soon as she uttered them. Den was shocked when he heard her deration and became motionless, not knowing Roxanne scolded Kaylee inside her mind. ''What are you doing? Are you crazy? We both will get eaten if we live with him!'' Kaylee bit her lower lips and investigated Den, who seemed lost in a daze. What happened to him? Why did the man suddenly not move? Kaylee lifted her head slightly to give a peck on his lips and caress his cheek to bring him back. Den blinked several times, and when he saw his wife''s adorable, caring expression, he felt like a cupid arrow stabbed his heart. "You want to move in with me?" "If you let me go now." Den moved away quicker than expected and shooed her, making Kaylee was stunned. "Sure, sure. Go now. Don''t bete. I''ll be waiting for you here." Kaylee giggled at his changing demeanor. He was like a kid who was overjoyed because he had been promised something pleasant. ''So cute.'' thought Kaylee and Roxanne at the same time. *** In a very far ce from New York city lived a girl who worked hard to achieve what she wanted. The girl had golden brown hair with eyes as ck as ck diamonds. After working part-time in a cafe and studying all kinds of coffee beans for the past seven years, she could finally have her own cafe. She selects the best coffee beans from Brazil and a variety of other coffee beans. She hired a barista and made him a business partner who worked in her coffee shop. Besides being good at choosing coffee beans and recognizing the quality of coffee through its smell, this girl was also good at ying a musical instrument. This girl always yed her cello in the evening, where the visitors could enjoy her music while sipping their favorite coffee. Her hair that flowed down to her waist looked so beautiful. Her milky white skin was so blinding to the eyes, and everyone, without exception, was always awestruck by her beauty. She was like a fairy who lived in a fairy kingdom, and not a fewds tried to woo her, but she always rejected them with the same answer. ''I have someone I like.'' Who does the fairy girl like? He must be a great man and very attractive. Many want to know who managed to capture the fairy girl''s heart, but no one knows who it is. As usual, after ying a few songs, the girl put her cello back in her bag and let the music band she rented take over. The girl walked into the back of the counter, where her female staff greeted her happily. "You look amazing as always." evaluated her employee with two raised thumbs. "Btw, I have interesting news for you." The girl tilted her head innocently while wondering what interesting news her employee had for her. "Congrattions on your engagement." "¡­" I beg your pardon?? "Whose engagement?" "Yours, of course." chuckled the young girl in her teens with mischievous that apparent on her eyes. "You do know I have no fiance." the girl took the ss and ced it on the tray while listening to her employee''s cheerful tone. "But here it says your name is engaged to the most wanted bachelor in the world. Kaylee and Den ck. Isn''t that you?" "There are many named Kaylee. It''s not just me. Besides, I don''t know any man named Den ck." "Maybe it''s your prince charming, Kaylee." the handsome barista couldn''t help but tease her partner in a joking tone. "What is her name again?" "It''s Kaylee Roesalie Zouch." There was a loud crashing sound near Kaylee''s feet the second after she heard the name. Chapter 158 - Ch. 158 Shes Just Kaylee Kaylee was about to move the sses to the ss storage case when she heard a very familiar name. "It''s Kaylee Roesalie Zouch." At that moment, she felt her world stop rotating, and unwillingly, she let go of her grip, causing the sses to fell. By the time the sses shattered, all the employees had gathered around her worriedly. "Oh, my gosh. Kaylee, are you okay?" "You''re alright, boss? You look pale." "Come here," urged the handsome barista, pulling her hand to avoid any shattered ss. "Dink, clean this ce!" "Yes, sir." Dink sprinted to take the broom and clean all the shattered ss. The young girl who had been teasing her employer with the stranger''s engagement took Kaylee to drink water. "Here, drink this first." urged the young girl, which Kaylee epted happily. "How are you feeling now?" "I''m fine, Logan." Kaylee managed to calm herself and control her expression. It was the first time she caught off guard and let the people see her weak side, but she regained herposure. "You''re not. Should we go to the hospital?" "No need. I''ll take a rest for a while, and I''ll be fine. I''m sorry to bother you." Logan looked at Kaylee with sad eyes, but soon it was reced by a concerned-friend look. "You never bothered me. Leave the rest to me for now, so go sleep in your room." "Thanks." Kaylee paced toward the back corridor to her office. From behind, everyone could see how tough and strong she was without knowing that there was a great storm filling her heart. As soon as she entered her office and closed the door to make sure no one would see her, her knees gave away, and she slumped limply against the door. ''It''s Kaylee Roesalie Zouch.'' The name echoed in her head. It had been a long time since she had heard her full name, and now she had heard it under unexpected circumstances. She knew¡­ Kaylee Roesalie Zouch, her employee, was referring to her sister. But she didn''t understand why her sister used her name. ''But here it says your name is engaged to the most wanted bachelor in the world.'' Kaylee remembered what her cashier said that made her frown. Why was her sister engaged to someone else when their father had nned Roxanne''s engagement to that man? Who is Den ck? Then what about that person? Kaylee stood up and rushed to her desk work to open herptop. She immediately browsed Kaylee Roesalie Zouch''s name and realized that there was not a single photo posted there. Had her father blocked all photos of her sister so no one would know that Roxanne was still alive? Kaylee removed her own name and typed Den ck on the nk space. It instantly appeared hundreds or even thousands of a stunning man filled theptop screen. She couldn''t see the face clearly as most of them were taken secretly by fans or journalists. But she found arge photo listed on one of the covers of a business magazine, and Kaylee clicked on it. As soon as the small photo turned into a big one and filled herptop screen, her pair of ck eyes widened in disbelief. "ck Moon? How could they meet and get engaged? What happened?" There were too many questions running through her head, and she felt like she wanted to book a ne ticket right now to fly to Folnd Ind to see her sister. No. She craved to see that guy more than to find her sister. Since everyone thought she had died from the ne crash, Kaylee cut ties with her family and chose to live in a small town in this country. During the first month she moved to this ce, she studied hard to master theirnguage with the help of her new acquaintance, a fellow tourist. Kaylee didn''t know what happened to her sister or her family after hearing of her death. She didn''t even know they had all moved to New York and thought they were still living on Folnd Ind. Kaylee thought, Roxanne¡­ her sister, would be happier if she wasn''t around. She loves her sister very much, but at the same time, she doesn''t want to see her. Just because she was born as the second child, she could never have all her sister''s privileges. The person she loved the most even turned his back on her and wanted to marry her sister. She felt betrayed and couldn''t help but venting her frustration on her sister. She never expected her sister would flee to Europe after their small fight. Kaylee closed her eyes as she remembered theirst time together during their two-week stay in Spain. Thinking of the figure of her older sister she hadn''t thought of for a long time made her heart feel like it was being trampled on. Why is her sister still using her identity? Why is her sister engaged to someone else? What had she been gone all this time for if her sister would eventually marry someone else? If she knew this was going to happen, she should have called her family straight away and told them she was okay. She was still alive and very healthy. In fact¡­ she managed to build a small business on her own without using the help of her family name. No one was afraid to face her father and treat her like everyone else: no kiss-up and no hidden motive. No fear, alert, and Kaylee could be herself in this ce. She wanted to meet her parents and tell them that she could handle any problem she encountered with her hands. Kaylee no longer needs a bodyguard who only relies on fighting with a fist to solve problems or money to keep people''s mouths shut. But¡­ after eight years of living independently without thinking about her family''s condition, she gets carried away. She no longer wanted to prove herself to her family and wanted to live a normal life like this. Who would have thought her heart instantly wavered when she heard her name? She knew her family was fine without her. Time had healed the wounds of their sorrow, and she was sure they had forgotten her. She had to forget it if she didn''t want to be tied to the past. She must. She was no longer Kaylee Roesalie Zouch. She''s just Kaylee. Chapter 159 - Ch. 159 Slowly Merging Into One Kaylee whistled freely as if all the burdens and misunderstandings she went through had never existed before. She walked to join her friends with an enthusiastic and excited heart. "Why do you look so happy?" a member from one of the rival groups greeted her in an overly friendly tone. This guy never talked to her even once, but why did he approach her now? "Do I?" Kaylee acted as if she knew nothing about her overly happy mood. "Yeah. Your face looked like a Cheshire cat right now." Cheshire cat? Kaylee tried to dig her memories where she had heard or seen this type of cat. ''It''s the crazy cat in Alice in wondend.'' was the response of her other alter, making her frown. Does she look as crazy as that ugly cat? "There. You look better now." "¡­" What the hell!? "Seeing youugh like that makes my skin crawl." "¡­" Kaylee''s lips twitched as she tried her best to hold her anger. "What''s your business seeing meugh or not? I don''t remember us being close enough to have you meddle in my mood." Gasp! Why did she say that? Kaylee realized that Roxanne had taken over control of her body. No. Before this, Kaylee and Roxanne had repeatedly taken a turn in controlling her body, but none of them realized it until now. Whenever Kaylee was highly irritated, Roxanne would take over her mind and confront whoever irritated her. Between Kaylee and Roxanne, Roxanne was the one who was more dominant and braver than the other one. Every time Kaylee encountered a problem like this, Roxanne would appear for a while. After making sure there was no more danger threatening her, then Roxanne returned to her hiding ce. Surprisingly, Roxanne rarely shows up whenever Den cornered her or lured her with his smooth temptations. Roxanne appeared in front of Den for the first time when they kissed on their engagement night. "Tsk. What a snob." the scornful tone of one of her rival groups brought Kaylee back to her senses. ''What have you done? Why did you upset him?'' asked Kaylee to her other alter. ''He already targetted you since yesterday''s performance. He knows you''re the mastermind in our band and ns to wreck your mentality.'' Kaylee looked at the young man with a probing look. She didn''t find anything suspicious about the young man. ''You''re too prejudiced, Roxy.'' ''I''m not. You never listened to me when I told you to fire Osbert, and as a result¡­.'' Kaylee turned pale as she recalled the kidnapping by that creepy stalker. She sighed in defeat as she couldn''t refute her other alter''s usations. Born as the first child, Roxanne had received training from her father in understanding the situation around her. She was easy to get along with but did not open up easily to strangers. Roxanne was often suspicious of anyone who approached her because she knew her father was not an ordinary man. She often sees the worst in people, while Kaylee was the opposite. The eldest daughter was hard to tame and caused a headache for her parents, while the youngest one was kind and looked at the best thing in someone. Thus, Roxanne created her alter side just like her sister... kind-hearted, innocent, full of obedience, and somewhat naive. Nevertheless, she let her other alter control her memories and only selected those good ones to keep inside her head. After talking with Den as Roxanne for a while, Roxanne started to ept the man in her life. She even granted the man''s request that she be herself whenever she was with Den. And now, Roxanne came out of her shell more often. It was as if her mind merged into one with her alter creation and saw things differently. ''Rx, that creepy stalker would never bother us again.'' coaxed Roxy when she realized her blood pressure had gone low from remembering the kidnapping incident. ''How did you know? Did you¡­ kill him?'' ''No. But I''m pretty sure our father did.'' That''s what Kaylee and Roxy were worried about. In their eyes, their father was nothing but a doting father. They never imagined their father as a killer, let alone triggered the gun with his hand to shot someone''s head, and yet he did. Roxy identally found a secret passage at her home on the ind, and that night, she saw something she shouldn''t see. Ever since that night, Roxy became afraid of her own father and rapidly avoided his touch due to that gory memory. She knew her father would never hurt her, but once she knew that her father wanted her to rece his position in the organization, Roxanne snapped. She ran away and made trouble everywhere, wanting to make her father believe that she couldn''t take over what her father had stored for her. She was too unlucky for having a strong-willed father as he made it crystal clear that his decision was absolute. That stupid father of hers never knew his decision would cause his eldest daughter''s rtionship with her sister to be a strain. Mister Zouch, aka Hades, never thought that his decision that day would cause his two daughters to quarrel with his eldest daughter ended up flying to Europe. He let his eldest daughter go and froze all her credit cards because he was sure that his daughter woulde home once she had a life without money. Little did he know, his elder daughter had the exact stubborn nature as him and still refused toe home even after a year living in Europe. Never did he imagine that his youngest daughter would have the courage to go after her sister alone. And that was theirst meeting. However, he didn''t have the slightest idea of whatever happened to his two daughters while living in Europe. How and why his two daughters decided to switch ces was still a mystery to him and anyone who knows that Kaylee Zouch is Roxanne Zouch. That''s why he never let his daughter''s photo spread.. He didn''t want to tell his enemy that his elder daughter was still alive because he knew¡­ someone orchestrated the unfortunate ident. Chapter 160 - Ch. 160 Past Sweet Memories Kaylee and others no longer care about the final result of this music talent show. They decided to have fun on stage regardless they would be in thest position. Plus, the seniors who yed R&B soul songs on their first performance were so stunning that Kaylee and others jumped to their beat. They didn''t have time to make arrangements simr to what they didst night. Neither could they use the same song as yesterday or the song yed by their rival seniors because of the rules. Each group was not allowed to use the same song as others. In the end, they decided to keep having fun and not have to feel pressured about winning. What''s important is that they can y music together on the same stage. If they were to join the next music camp program, they decided to find a way so they could end up in the same group again. When that timees, they will search for songs in each different music genre, and this time they will be fully prepared and make sure they will win first ce no matter what kind of music they y. Fritz and Adam already agreed to explore their skill and challenge themselves to y other music genres. Thus, their music group was officially created. They thought their team group would get thest position at the end of the event because the first and second ce was the R&B and Country music genre teams. They had no idea that the jazz team, which had been in thest ce, actually took third ce this season! Not only Kaylee and her fes, but Mr. Smith and others were surprised yet gave genuine cheers at them. "Not bad, huh? At least we can get free vouchers in the canteen for one semester." Adam''sment made his friendsugh. The first prize of the first champion was a schrship for one entire semester. The prize for second ce was getting the privilege of joining seniors who perform at important events. And thest one was a free meal voucher for five days a week in the following semester. "I bet we''ll get bored with canteen food after a month." Kaylee could already imagine her stomach will feel full instantly after tasting all the dishes in the campus cafeteria. "I''ll be bored after two weeks. This reward will just go to waste," added Jacob, shrugging his shoulders nonchntly. "Then, we can give it to our friend, right?" Letti was not interested in canteen food because she has brought a meal box all this time. The Campbell family may give her money to buy meals in the cafeteria or any of her necessary staff, but¡­ Letti felt reluctant to use her family''s fortune any further. Even though she confessed to her brother that she had already epted the Campbell family as her own, Letti felt she was a stranger to them in her subconscious mind. "You could say that." Kaylee nodded her head to answer Letti''s previous curiosity. "Let''s go packing. We will go back to the city in a few hours." The other friends agreed to Kaylee''s suggestion and went back to their respective cottages to pack their clothes before gathering back into the dining hall to have their lunch. On the other hand, Kaylee decided not to return to her room and deliberately let Den waiting for her alone there. She remembered Den telling her toe back to town with him so Kaylee wouldn''te home on the bus with her friends. Kaylee walked towards the hill where there were various kinds of flowers that lived on the uphill ground. In an instant, Kaylee ckened out, and Roxanne took over her body. Roxanne crouched down and moved her right hand to touch the white flower petals that caught her attention. ''Look! It''s a white rose!'' Roxanne felt she could hear her sister''s voice up close. She even saw the figure of her dead sister walking to pick the roses with her hands. ''Ouch!'' eximed the younger sister. She grimaced in pain when her finger identally pierced the thorn of the flower stalk. ''Silly. Why did you pick it with your hand? Didn''t we buy rose pliers so you wouldn''t have to get hurt? Tsk. Why did you hurt yourself?'' Roxanne''s eyes softened when she saw herself quickly approaching her sister and grabbing her sister''s hand. ''Let me see it.'' Roxanne stuffed her sister''s bloody finger into her mouth. ''I''m fine, sister.'' ''Shut up.'' her tone was an angry one, but strangely, her young sister smiled at her happily. Roxanne remembered, no matter what she did to her sister, Kaylee would always smile at her and follow her like a puppy who follows her master wherever he goes. Their rtionship when they were teenagers was so close that nothing could separate them. When someone invited Kaylee to be theirpanion, Roxanne would insist on going, and vice versa. Kaylee would constantly whine and cry and threaten she wouldn''t eat all day without her. They both have simr body stature, but their nature was in stark contrast. Kaylee had smooth and straight jet ck hair like an Asian girl. Her milky skin and shy smile that always graced her face made everyone''s heart melt and wanted to protect her. Roxanne loved her sister and adored her to the point she couldn''t bear to give her to others. She was willing to do anything to protect her smile. Until one day¡­ she saw her sister sitting under a tree while hugging her knees in front of her chest. No matter how often she called out to her to get the younger sister''s attention, the girl didn''t budge. "Kaylee, Kaylee. What are you doing here?" Roxanne gasped when she saw her sister''s eyes filled with tears. "Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you? Who made you cry? Tell me, and I''ll avenge them for you!" Kaylee shook her head in response to her sister''s thousand inquires, then shifted her gaze at her with unexpected hostility. That was the first time Kaylee looked at her like that. "Kaylee?" "Why? Why do you get everything?" "What?" "I don''t mind if you''ll be the star they expected you to be. But¡­ I can''t give him to you." "What are you talking about?" Kaylee got to her feet and looked at her as if Roxanne was her enemy. "I won''t give him to you. He''s mine." And just like that¡­ Kaylee left her voiceless without exining what she did wrong. Only after a few days, Roxanne knew the reason. Her father¡­ Their own father decided to join the mafia organization from Italy through marriage. Thus, as Hades''s elder daughter, Roxanne was bound to marry the only son of her father''s partner in crime. "What!? I won''t marry him." Roxanne refused when she heard her father''s decision directly from his father''s mouth. "He''s a sadist and merciless. I don''t like him! No! I HATE HIM!!" "You don''t have a choice, Roxy." "I''m SEVENTEEN, papa¡­ in case that you forget. And what era is it now? Why did you decide my life as you wish?" "I don''t have any choice. You were born as my daughter, and your future husband was predetermined even before you were born. So don''t be stubborn and do what I want." "What if I don''t?" "I''ve been fed up with all your behavior, Roxy. Don''t push my limit," warned Mr. Zouch in a threatening voice, and yet her daughter was not cowering in fear against the most brutal man in the world. She already knew, no matter how much her father was angry with her, the man never hit her nor hurt her. "Then don''t push mine either, papa. I also happened already fed up with your ridiculous rule and legacy. I''m sorry you don''t have a son. But I don''t want and never want to take your ce. Let alone to marry the man that my sister had a crush on!" Both Roxanne and Mister Zouch gasped in shock upon hearing her unexpected disclosure. "Kaylee has a crush on him? How did¡­" "No, I was wrong. It was a spur moment¡­ anyway¡­ I won''t marry him. End of the discussion." "¡­" what a stubborn child. As if Roxanne could hear her father''s curse, she replied, "Like a father like a daughter, don''t you think, papa?" "..." Mister Zouch massaged his temple in defeat, but his next words stunned her. "Reynaldo, lock my stupid, stubborn daughter to her room and make sure she won''t escape this time." And since then, Roxanne was determined to run away and manage to settle herself in Spain for a year before Kaylee joined her. After remembering everything that happened around nine years ago, it made Roxanne wondered. Will things be different if she agreed to her father''s ns and didn''t go to Spain? Maybe her sister wouldn''t follow her, and she wouldn''t let her die just because she wanted to snatch Den from her sister.. But¡­ her sister would forever hate her for marrying that person¡­ and maybe¡­ she''ll never meet Den ck. Chapter 161 - Ch. 161 She Needs Declan Roxanne rose to her feet and walked back to the meeting area. She decided to find Aubrey, who was working for her cousin. She wanted to find out how her cousin had met a girl as pretty as Aubrey. She knew Robert loved Wendy very much and turn a blind eye when he knew his lover date strangers here and there. Wendy was an ideal woman for Robert, and he would never let her go. It was strange knowing Robert could meet and hire Aubrey. Roxanne knew her other alter really liked Aubrey, and she liked the girl too, but she didn''t like it when another girl would ruin Wendy''s rtionship with Robert. Wendy was her best friend since childhood. Wendy''s birth father was her father''s right-hand man in their organization on Folnd Ind. But she marveled¡­ since when did Wendy and Nichs'' names be Larson? As long as she remembered, the siblings'' surname was not Larson. She could find out after returning to the city. But, for now, she wanted to meet Aubrey first. Strangely¡­ she couldn''t find the girl. So Roxanne decided to ask the other campers'' keepers. "Excuse me, sir." "Yeah. Can I help you?" "Do you know where I can meet Aubrey?" "Aubrey? Who is Aubrey?" "She works here, as the innkeeper. She has chestnut brown hair and is this tall." Roxanne raised her right hand slightly higher than her head. The guy tilted his head in confusion while trying to find the girl that fits Roxanne''s description. "I don''t think we have a keeper like that. All the innkeeper here is guys. Perhaps you mean the waitress at the dining area?" "I guess so. Do you know where I can find her?" "Sure. Go straight there and try asking the head chef. He knows all the waitresses who work there." "Okay. Thank you." The guy looked at the young man''s back in confusion. It was rare to see a teenage boy ask politely and with respect like that young man. He also wondered if it was possible that the young man liked the girl named Aubrey? She must be a beauty for the handsome boy seeking out for her. The person shook his head and went back to his activities regardless of what had just happened. By the time Roxanne arrived at the dining hall, she immediately looked for the figure of Aubrey in vain. Finally, having no other choice, Roxanne decided to find the chef and asked the same thing. Surprisingly, the chef doesn''t know a person named Aubrey?? "There is no worker named Aubrey here. It''s the first time I''ve heard the name." "Are you sure? But she was the one who gave me the cottage key and¡­" It was also Aubrey who had prepared the lunch box so that she and her friends could eat firstst night. "If that''s the case, you should go to the receptionist. He is the only one who keeps the key and gives it to the guests whoe to stay here. Maybe he knows the girl you mean." Roxanne sighed in resignation. Somehow she felt she would also get the same answer from the receptionist. In the end, Roxanne decided to wait for her friends in the dining hall while looking up at the hill where her cottage was. Before Den arrivedst night, she was still meeting with Aubrey. The girl even took her to her cottage. But after Den came¡­ why couldn''t she find the girl? The strangest thing was that no one knew Aubrey. Very weird. "Oh, Nick. Why are you daydreaming alone here?" Roxanne giggled and smirked, "I''m waiting for you guys till I get bored." "You''re not packing?" Adam leaned his back against one of the wooden pirs next to his friend. "Later. My acquaintance wille here, and I will go home with him." Roxanne noticed that several cars had started arriving to pick up her friends. Some of the families who wanted to go on vacation together decided to pick them up in person so they could go to the airport and start their vacation. As a result, the number of buses arriving here was two to three less than the day of their departure. "What a pity. It will be only Fritz and me then." "Why?" "Jacob''s mother came earlier, and she said she wanted to take Jake to a ce. And the Campbell family is here too." Adam nced at a medium-sized van until a husband and wife got out of the car looking for someone. "That is Letti''s parents?" "Yup." "How do you know?" "I''ve seen them take Letti to campus. I think her parents love her very much because she is their only daughter." "..." Roxanne looked at the faces of the husband and wife with a probing look. Judging from the light in their eyes and the shape of their jaws, it seems that the Campbell couple was a good family. She was sure that this husband and wife loved Letti sincerely even though Letti was not their biological child. After all, Den wouldn''t let Letti be adopted into a broken and violent family. If Letti weren''t Den''s sister, Roxanne wouldn''t have thought about that girl. But now she knows it, and she couldn''t help but want the best for her future sister-inw. Plus¡­ she thought of her sister, who died in a ne crash. So feelings of guilt always arise whenever she remembers that day when she tricked her sister. Her sister''s disappointed expression and as if she had thrown her away made it hard to breathe. Before her breathing becamebor, Roxanne ckened out, and her other alter took over her body. Once Kaylee took over, she blocked all bad memories and suppressed the guilt that was trying to devour Roxanne''s soul. It seemed Roxanne wouldn''t be able to show up for as long as she wanted without Den near her. Since then, Kaylee decided to let Roxanne out while with Den so that the girl''s rtionship with Den became closer. Plus, Den expected her to be herself. Only when she was alone or meets someone other than Den would shee out and protect Roxanne from within. After finishing their lunch, one by one, everyone went to meet the family who picked them up. Then, after making small talk for a while and saying goodbye or ''see youter,'' it was only Kaylee and the others and the mentors going home by bus. Since the number of people had started to drop considerably, and Kaylee''s close friends had joined their families or taken the bus, Kaylee decided to return to her cottage. Kaylee didn''t rush up this time so she wouldn''t be exhausted once she got to the top. Instead, she used her sweet time to take lots of scenic photos through her phone. This ce was lovely and filled with various kinds of flowers that only grow in winter. Ah, she also wants to take photos wearing women''s clothes. She was sure that Roxanne would like it too. But¡­ Kaylee sighed with resignation because she remembered that she didn''t bring any women''s clothes with her. She didn''t know that she would be sleeping in a separate ce, and neither did she expect that Den woulde to pick him up. Plus, she already had enough luggage with her make-up kit and extra skin to make her cheeks a bit more masculine. Kaylee had to settle for a photoshoot with her friends as ''Nichs Larson.'' Many girls wanted to take pictures with her when the luncheon started, and Kaylee agreed to their request. Kaylee also invited her friend because she had experienced being ostracized. After all, her friends had envied her at the beginning of the semester. Therefore, Kaylee invited Jacob and the others also to take a photo with the girls. While everyone was having fun taking pictures, then Kaylee quietly stepped aside and allowed her male friends to get close to the girls from the piano major and others. After all, Kaylee was not fond of being love-interested from the same gender. And she never intended to flirt around those girls. Well¡­ Roxanne would love to flirt around handsome guys, but she knew¡­ Den wouldn''t let her do it. By the time Kaylee arrived at her cottage door, she felt a cold shiver run through her spines. Thinking someone was watching her from a distance like the creepy stalker did, Kaylee looked around to find out. Why did she feel he was in danger? Wasn''t it usually Roxanne who was very sensitive when something approached her with malicious intent? So why did she feel it now too? Kaylee was grateful that it was still daytime so she could see her surroundings clearly. Her heart that had panicked and worried returned to calm after making sure that no one was stalking her. Kaylee turned around once more to face the cottage door. Before she could hold the doorknob, the door was wide open, and her right hand was pulled so fast that her whole body moved inside. What the¡­? Kaylee was too speechless, not that she could talk now as a pair of full lips covered her entire mouth! Chapter 162 - Ch. 162 Jealous Lover ** Kaylee already knew something was waiting for her. But she didn''t anticipate the danger that awaited her toe from inside her cottage!? Den kissed her with full passion and dominating as if he wanted to eat her alive. Kaylee tried to close her lips tight in vain as Den slip his knee in between her thigh, causing her to gasp in shock. That''s when Den snaked his tongue in her sweet cavern, inflicting a delighted moan from her throat. Kaylee melted in his arm, and she could feel her legs became jelly. What happened? Why is Den going wild and out of control like this? It was the first time Den kissed her with total dominance and a little bit rough with his grip on her neck to make it easier for him to explore her insides. Yet, strangely, Kaylee doesn''t mind and wees his passion with the same vigor. Their intertwined tongues caused their lips to press together in a hot, open-mouthed kiss. Kaylee felt she was starting to have a hard time breathing and bit Den''s lip a few times, hoping he would give her some break. She punched his shoulder to get Den''s attention, but Den was relentless to eat her out. His kisses got fiercer and needier until the tension that had coiled in her belly tightening, and she felt the wetness between her thighs. When Den could feel his wife could not handle his relentless desire, he let her go without loosening his embrace. Kaylee opened her mouth wide and inhaled oxygen as if her life needed it. Her doe ck eyes moistened, and her parted lips looked so sexy in Den''s eyes. Den missed Kaylee''s soft hair, which was capped by the brte wig that Kaylee was currently wearing. One hand rose and touched the wig. "Can I take it off?" Kaylee couldn''t find her voice and could only answer it by nodding her head. Den tugged her wig lightly and threw it somewhere in the room. His two hands immediately slipped in between the clumps of ck hair that had previously been curled into a bun. Den unwrapped the roll and let Kaylee''s hair fall in waves that fell to her shoulders. "Heaven! You look gorgeous!" Kaylee could feel a hot stream raised from her head, and she desperately to call Roxanne to switch with her. s, that wicked-vixen girl pretended not to hear her voice and remained hidden in her shell. "Isn''t it¡­ time for us to go back?" Kaylee tried to persuade Den to hurry back to town before he actually bes the man''s meal. "Have you eaten?" Kaylee nodded her head and breathed a sigh of relief because it seemed that Den wasn''t nning on attacking her anymore. "But I haven''t, and I''m starving." "Then¡­ Aaa!" Kaylee screamed in shock as Den carried her bridal style in an instant. "What are you doing?" Kaylee wrapped her hands on his neck reflexively. "Aren''t you hungry?" "Yup. I''m having my meal now." It took more than one second for Kaylee to digest the real meaning behind the cunning words. She felt her pulses racing along with the heat spreading from the top of her head to her toes. Den brought her to her room¡­ or their room, and he walked towards the bed. He settled her gently on the white-sheeted bed, and the hungry man immediately crawled to her. "Den, please let me go." Kaylee still didn''t give up and tried to persuade the man even though she knew it would be in vain to see those eagle-like eyes filled with uncontroble lust. "Naughty girl. Where were you? Why it took you so long to return to me?" inquired Den while nibbling her lower lips hard to make her groan in pain, but he licked it gently in contrast with previous bites. "Hmm?" urged Den, still sucking her lower lips in a sensual motion. "¡­" this guy¡­ Kaylee believed Den needed to change his profession. He was more suitable to be a sexy investigator instead of a professor or a CEO. "I''m with my friends, remember?" strange enough, Kaylee wasn''t scared at what the man had stored for her. On the contrary, Kaylee felt like she wanted to tease this man and dig her own grave without realizing it. For some reason, Kaylee wanted to create an excuse for Den to punish her. It seemed like her other alter slowly merged with her, and they no longer know which one is Kaylee and which one is Roxanne. Could it be because she and her other alter have epted Den entirely? Kaylee and Roxanne both didn''t think that Den''s presence in her life was so significant. Not only was Den able to force her real nature out, but he also caused two different personalities to slowly merged. Kaylee wondered what will happen in the future if she spends time with Den. But, before she could imagine the future to find the answer, Den''s voice brought her back to reality. "You mean your male friends? I saw some of the annoying bugs put their arm around your shoulder." Den unbuttoned her jacket to expose her unprotected neck. He lowered his head to kiss and suck her nape teasingly. "It''s mine. No one has the right to touch you." Kaylee bit her lip as she felt a tingling sensation on her neck where Den fondled her skin. Kaylee tried her best to maintain her sanity and dig up her memory. When did her friend put his arm around her shoulder? And where did Den see it? Did this man secretly go downstairs to look for her? If Den arrived at the meeting point, why didn''t he meet her? Could it be Den was sulky and decided to go back to their cottage? She tried to remember what Den used her to the point this man acted like a jealous lover. And then, Kaylee remembered Adam did hold her shoulders. But it was only a friendly hug and that too¡­ they were taking a picture together! Not only she and Adam but with her other friends too! "It''s just a friendly hug, Den. Nothing to worry about. Besides, they see me as their male friend." Den chuckled in amusement, hearing her rx tone. It was as if the scared bunny already grows up into a finedy. "I''m not worried, love. I don''t like seeing other guys touch what is mine." By the time Den finished his words, Kaylee had realized Den had put away her jacket and unbuttoned her denim shirt, and moved the two halves of the top to the sides. She was half shirtless and only a white cloth that covered her perfect-shaped round swell of breasts. Den lifted her upper body gently to get rid of the annoying thing that prevented him from seeing what he wanted. Now¡­ not only was he jealous of Kaylee''s male friends, but he also felt jealous of this white cloth. Why does this cloth have the privilege of being attached to his wife''s breasts all day? Kaylee could feel his hand slowly unwrapping the white cloth, causing her heartbeat to skyrocket. She no longer knew whether she should stop him or let the man continue. Her instincts were telling her that she should push him away, but her body wouldn''t listen. She knew this was not the first time Den saw her in nakedness, but still¡­ she was too embarrassed! When the white cloth fell to reveal her luscious breast and stiffened nipple, Den held his breath. Last night he couldn''t see it clearly with the dim light, but now¡­ he could see the perfect round mounds with soft pink tiny bud. He admired the soft swell of her breasts as if he was looking at the most tender and beautiful things in the world. Den touched her bare skin slowly from her waist and raised upward to her breast. Kaylee felt her heart was beating faster just by sensing his touches right near her sensitive area. She felt like something would explode within her, and a storm-like rumble appeared to gather at the point located between her thighs. She had heavy breathing, apanied by a racing pulse the moment Den''s hands reached her bosoms. "You are breathing rather quickly. Is it excited you?" was his inquiry in a teasing tone while his hand was ying with each of her soft round mounds. He cupped them and rubbed her lower swell as if he wanted to memorize the curves. Kaylee couldn''t find her voice, and she only could close her eyes to feel his touches that ignite a fire inside her. Both of her hands circled Den''s neck and grasping his smooth ck hair while settling her head on his shoulders. Den skipped a beat when he felt her breathing near his exposed neck. He felt his hardness ache and need to be inside this girl''s cave. He realized he could no longer keep his hand to himself ever since he had tasted her. What should he do now? Should he go all out or¡­ Chapter 163 - Ch. 163 Arent I Yours? ** Den tightened his embrace, and he could feel the luscious curves from the twin peaks on his chest. His raging erection poked her belly, causing Kaylee''s breathing to be irregr. In her mind, Kaylee knew she had to stop their intimacy session. Otherwise, she didn''t know if she would survive after this. However, she felt her head filled with clouds as if blocking all her reasoning. Knowing her other alter''s heart rate was uncontrobly wild, Roxanne emerged and took over her body. She nned to stop Den, but all her thoughts drifted somewhere as soon as she felt the big rough hands enveloping her petite torso against her naked back. Since when did this man take off her jacket and shirt? She''s literally half-naked now! She had to voice her protest to stop their intimate activities, but the sound she made was a delicious moan as she felt the slight bite and sucking on her corbone. Her two hands enjoying the softness of Den''s hair, tightened their grips, making the man groan in pleasure. Den''s hand moved forward to unbutton his wife''s jeans, whispering in an alluring voice filled with temptation. "Can you take my shirt off for me, love?" As if she had been hypnotized, Roxanne did as Den said. Her hands loosened their grip on his smooth hair and moved down to lift Den''s shirt. The vixen girl was tempted to feel the muscle on his belly and danced her naughty fingers on his toned muscle to cause the man to shudder in pleasure. It felt like his wife''s fingers were like electricity running through his body, making the remaining part of his senses almost disappear. The touch that was initially just the tip of her finger turned into a palm that cupped the muscles she touched. The room temperature rose unnoticed every time Roxanne felt the firm and well-defined muscles on his skin. Her heartbeat quickened each time her hands reached up, and when she touched something tiny on top of his toned chest, both of them gasped in shock. She¡­ she touched his nipple!! "Naughty girl. Didn''t I tell you to take off my shirt?" "If you already know me, then you should already know that I''m not a person who likes to follow other people''s words." was her answer with a mischief grin. "You may disobey what other people say, but I will punish you if you don''t obey me." Her grin grew wider as if she had been waiting for the man to punish her. Her beautiful ck diamond-like eyes sparkled in delight as if she has won an auction for the most priceless treasure. "What a pity. I''m not interested in following what you''re saying right now. What would you do? Are you going to punish me, mister?" saying that she bit his right ear that was close to her mouth. Den had a dumbfounded expression on his face, and it was lucky for him his wife didn''t see his expression as she was busy with her seduction biting on his ear. The man marveled when his wife switched with Roxanne. He felt confident he would notice his wife''s change, but this time¡­ he didn''t notice it at all! Not only that, her ck eyes were the innocent ones that Kaylee usually owns. Even though those eyes contain a mischief hint, Den still believed that Kaylee is still in front of him. Roxanne noticed that her man didn''t react to her teasing biting and was disappointed. All of a sudden, an idea came in her mind as she was determined to make this mister do what he should have done eight years ago. She grabbed Den''s hand and brought it to her one of her naked chests while pressing it to inflict a moan escape from her mouth. "What are you waiting for, mister? Aren''t I yours?" Den''s eyesnded on his hand that kneading and pinching her alluring mound unconsciously. After that, he looked at her in the eyes. His eyes were darker than the new moon sky, and he brought his other hand to seize the other mound. He saw his vixen wife leaning forward, and his lower lip was captured in between her teeth. Den shuddered in ecstasy as hisst thread snapped, and he no longer cared about the world. Finally, he gave in to her temptation and pulled away to take his shirt by himself. Secondster, Den imed his little wife''s lips once more as he couldn''t control himself anymore. Her lower lip went inside his mouth, and he sucked her passionately while massaging her twin peaks. "Mm!" Roxanne''s lips curled upward in triumph victory and let her man do whatever he wanted to do to her. Atst¡­ this man didn''t reject her and finally will pluck her precious flower. Den changed his angles multiple times and kissed both her lips, making Roxanne melted underneath him. He pressed his body without putting his weight, and thus for the first time, his bare skin touched against her supple one. It felt so good, making Den felt a lot better than before. It seemed that his intentional deed of not receiving Kaylee''s calls for a week to make the girl miss him was worthy. Both Kaylee and Roxanne miss him very much, even though one of them tried to avoid him. Satisfied with giving his love-filled attention to those beautiful mounds, Den pulled away to remove his wife''s jeans, leaving the whitecy panty covering the secret garden that could bring him to fly to the moon. Not wanting to see a single piece of clothing on her, he pulled it down. Just as Den was about to take off thest remaining clothes, the ringing sound of a song sounded so loud it was deafening. However, Den gave no care about the noise and was more interested in continuing what had caused his me to burn in heat. But not with Roxanne. As if lightning struck her head, all her reasoning came back to her mind all at once, and she immediately held Den''s hand, which had hooked his finger on her underwear. "Wait. That''s my phone." "So?" Den doesn''t care who calls them, but he vows to give hell to the caller''s life if he doesn''t have her right here and now. Den sucked and bit her corbone and moved down towards his favorite mounds. Roxanne panicked even more because it seemed that the man had no ns to stop their love-making session. "Den¡­ I¡­ ungh¡­ need¡­ to answer the call." Roxanne couldn''t control her voice and couldn''t help but sigh a delicious moan in between words. Den had difficulty removing his wife''s panties because Roxanne pressed her thighs tightly against the bed and insisted on sticking her ass against the bed like glue was holding her plump ass together with the white-sheeted bed. Will Den just let it go? Of course not. With his wily wits filled with lust and desire to have his wifepletely, Den slipped his hands into Roxanne''s panties making the girl gasped in shock. "Den, what if it''s an important call?" "They''ll call you backter." was his smart answer before opening his mouth widely and covered one of her luscious bosoms. Roxanne shrieked in surprise but gave an erotic moan nevertheless. Her back arched as if she offered her body to be a feast for Den. Her mind went wire when she felt something hard and long settled on her most private area. One of Den''s fingers entered her tight entrance while his expert tongue licked and suckled her tiny hardened bud on her chest. Roxanne felt her senses disappear again when she felt her high pleasure hit her and her southern lips felt wet. Roxanne almost gave her body to Den entirely and forgot about her ringing phone because the song had stopped. However, not long after that, her phone rang again relentlessly, making Roxanne regain consciousness while Den tsked in annoyance. Who in the world dared to interrupt their love-making session?? And yet, he still enjoyed sucking the tiny bud that tastes so sweet on his tongue. As if she found her resolution to end their intimacy moment, Roxanne stopped Den with a threat. "If you don''t stop now, I won''t be living with you." Den lifted his face with a ''pop'' sound, but his finger is still in her tight cave. Instead of pulling out, he pushed it little by little to make her insides tightening. "Den!!" Roxanne couldn''t believe this man would still do it even though she threatened him. "You can''t take back what you said, my love. It would make me want to punish you more." "..." damn this shameless guy. "I never agree to live in with you! It was Kaylee!" protested Roxanne hoping Den would stop whatever he was doing to her. "Kaylee is you. It makes no difference." by the time he finished his remark, his finger pushed deeper, causing her back to arched, and a long sweet moan escaped from her lips. Den smirked at her reaction and continued his pration. Chapter 164 - Ch. 164 Dont Think Anything But Me ** Gosh! It was too much! Roxanne had never felt pleasure like this. She never touched the most private parts of her body, and the only person who ever touched her was Den alone. Eight years ago, Den hadn''t had a chance to enter her when he realized she was a minor virgin. And just yesterday, the man used his tongue to love her southern lips, and yet he never entered her. Roxanne felt what is called pration for the first time, and it was really¡­ really wondrous! And yet, she was nervous. The feeling of his finger pration was very different than with the man''s tongue. This fantastic feeling was hard to describe in words, but a sense of fear and anxiety as great as euphoria filled her heart. "Den¡­ please¡­" Roxanne didn''t know what she was asking for. She didn''t know if she wanted the man to continue his ministration or begged to stop all this before she went crazy. "It''s okay, sweetheart. Just rx and leave the rest to me." How could she rx when something entered her most private area? Instead, the inner wall squeezed around Den''s middle finger. "It''s so tight. I''m sure my finger will break if you tighten it any more than this." Roxanne''s doe eyes were teary, and she felt heat rushed through her blood as she felt a strange tingling from inside. She knew Den didn''t move his finger and remained in her secret garden, but her inside''s muscle twitching around as if it wanted to caress and remember Den''s finger''s shape. To make it worse, she felt her belly filled with strange tickles as if a firefly hadnded and walked over her stomach. The longer she feel Den''s finger inside, the more the tickle got. She felt her southern region getting wetter beyond her control. "I¡­ I can''t handle it. It was too much." "I know you can." coaxed Den while nipping her earlobe and whispered nothing but sweet words. "Try to loosen your muscle, love. Don''t think anything but me." "But¡­ I can''t¡­." "Yes, you can. I promise I won''t move." Den licked her earlobe made Roxanne shuddered in pleasure. However, Den didn''t touch her other than kissing her with his hungry mouth. He gave the confused girl a light, small bite in the face. His lips traced down to her corbone as if to distract her and focused on his mouth. It worked like magic as Roxanne''s entire nervous system focused on his gentle kiss and loosened her insides. Feeling his finger could move freely, Den pulled his finger out very slowly, making the ecstasy girl frustrated even more. After only one knuckle was inside, Den pushed it back inside in one swift motion. Roxanne squealed and wanted to protest because Den broke his promise, but her mind couldn''t think of anything else but the man''s expert tongue and finger. Den slid his finger in and out, and even though she was tight, she was so wet that it made it easy for his finger to slide inside her. The sensations intoxicated Roxanne as she closed her eyes. As if the fear and anxiety that had taken over her heart had never happened before, Roxanne gave a long erotic moan due to the relentless motion. Her body jolted every time he pushed deeper and touched her sweet spot. She tightened around his finger, and her moan became louder. Her reasoning left her, and she no longer cares about anything else, including the relentless ringing that came from her phone. She was blinded by the ecstasy and chase for a release. "Engg... Den," her voice sounded so sexy in his ears as if it was encouraging him to do more, and that''s what he would do. Den pulled out his finger only to push it along with the second finger, making Roxanne felt like she was on cloud nine. He curled his finger as if beckoning closer, making it poke her most sensitive spot. "Anngh¡­ Den," Roxanne moaned his name over and over until she lost counts due to the continuously poking on her G-spot. Just as she was riding on the waves of ecstasy, Den brought it to another level when he ced his mouths over her nipple and simultaneously rubbed her precious pearl in between her southern lips. Roxanne thought she had experienced true pleasure a few seconds ago, but that was nothingpared to this feeling right now. She felt that her mind and soul were no longer in her body. It was in another world! He kissed her breasts, and his fingers slid in and out in rhythm, causing this bubbling feeling to build inside her. She tried to tighten her inside to make it difficult for Den to continue his ministration, but somehow, his finger went in and out as easy as pie. Roxanne doesn''t know that it''s her wetness that facilitates his pration. Thus no matter how hard she tries to narrow her walls, Den would find it easy to keep his ministration. Without realizing it, her inside became wetter and wetter, and her whole body trembled uncontrobly as if she was looking for something to reduce her burning heat inside her belly. "Den¡­ wait¡­ Ann¡­" she moaned and thrashed on the bed, but he held her down with his body. He knew she was getting close from the sounds that came from her mouth. He moved his fingers faster and suckled her tiny buy hard until she begged him. "Please¡­ please¡­ oh, unnnggg¡­." she cried, but Roxanne didn''t even know what she was begging for. Secondster, she felt as if fireworks exploded inside her body, causing her back to arch and her grip on the white sheet tightened until she could feel her own nail digging on her skin. Only then Den pulled back his finger and looked at his wife''s face in amazement. Her beautiful chests were up and down in rapid speed as the girl tried to regte her breathing again. Roxanne closed her eyes as if gravity was pulling her eyelids so she couldn''t open them. However, Den noticed the satisfied and content expression on his wife''s face made the man feel proud of himself. Her eyelids fluttered, and slowly, her eyelids opened, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes that could always captivate Den''s heart. "So beautiful." The satisfied smile on Roxanne''s lips grew wider at thepliments that came from Den''s mouth. How could this man praise her with a gaze filled with such adoration? Den alwayspliments her with a dazed look. It was as if the man had been hypnotized and spelled by her beauty. Roxanne''s hands went up around Den''s neck to feel the softness of the man''s dark brown hair again. For some reason, her hands were addicted to feeling Den''s hair between her fingers. Roxanne felt her heart filled with a warmth she had never felt when she saw the way Den looked at her with such love. She felt like she wanted to let out many of her guts by saying something to the man. She wanted to say, "Den¡­ I¡­" love you. But she never could finish her words. Ring!! And here it is again. The sound of a song came back from Kaylee''s cellphone, making both of them turn towards the sound source. Seriously. Who keeps calling my wife? Den could only curse at whoever had disturbed their love-making moment. Roxanne sighed in resignation and moved to get up to reach for her phone. Den slides over and lies on her side. He gripped the white nket as if he didn''t want to give it to Roxanne. The girl was about to use the nket to cover her naked body, but Den wouldn''t let her. She pouted her lips as she noticed the wicked grin and mischief look from the man. "Den¡­ give it to me." Roxanne pulled the nket to cover her breast and tried to snatch it from the shameless man. "Why are you still feeling embarrassed? I''ve seen everything." was his shameless response at her request. Roxanne wasn''t out of her mind and nced everywhere for his shirt or jacket. "Looking for something?" And the shameless man annoyingly showed her jacket in his hand, and he threw it to the end of the room. "You¡­ Did anyone ever call you shameless guy?" "Nope. You are the first." "¡­" the people around him must be blind. Snorted Roxanne in her mind. "Give it to me, please." Roxanne blinked her eyes several times to show her cuteness to make the guy relent and give her what she wanted. "Nope." Den already knew what his wife was nning and didn''t give her what she wanted. "Fine. Suit yourself." Roxanne surprised Den by pulling the nket away from her, exposing her smooth perfect round mounds. She got off the bed casually, as if she didn''t care about her nakedness. As soon as she thought Den had loosened his grip on the nket, Roxanne immediately pulled the nket and wrapped her whole body, turning the long white cloth into a shoulder-less white gown. With a triumphant smile, Roxanne walked over to find her cell phone, which made Denugh. This vixen girl of his indeed was the only one who could have surprised him in an unexpected way. Chapter 165 - Ch. 165 He Is Your Father Nichs Larson was stillposing songs in his private studio room when his cell phone rang. He deliberately didn''t turn on silent mode so he could know that someone was looking for him. Nick put down his guitar and took out his phone. "Hello?" "Is this Nichs Larson?" Nick pulled out his phone to see a series of writings on the screen. He saw his best friend''s name written there, but why did he hear a woman''s voice? "Yes, this is Larson speaking. This is¡­" "It''s me. Tyrese''s mother." "Mrs. Russell. What can I do for you today?" "Can youe here? We''re in the hospital now." Hospital? "What happened?" Nick walked out of his studio and headed straight for the hospital listening intently to what Mrs. Russell had to say. "He had broken legs." Nick looked surprised to hear that and began to wonder how badly injured his best friend was. Tyrese Russell was a drummer in the Adams group. If his leg''s injury were too severe, the young man would not be able to y the drums. Luckily their manager gave the Adams group a whole month off, so they didn''t have to worry about finding a recement drummer. Nick hoped Tye''s injuries weren''t too bad so he could y with the others once their concert schedule started again. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Nick runs into a girl he never expected. Nick was about to say hello to the girl, but she seemed to be in such a hurry to enter the hospital that she didn''t notice him. "Why does she look panicked like that?" Nick tried to catch up with his acquaintance, but it seemed he lost her. He wondered how the girl could run fast and disappeared right in front of his nose. Realizing he won''t find the girl, Nick decided to meet his friend first. He directly walked to the lift and headed to the sixth floor, where his friend''s bedroom was. As he walked along the sixth-floor corridor, Nick began to hear a familiar voiceing from the direction of the room he headed. "Mom, I''m not a child. I''m fine." "What do you mean you''re fine. Obviously, your leg is in a cast like this." "Ouch! Mom!" someone whined. "You make it worse." Nick couldn''t help but chuckle at his friend''s whining. He could imagine Mrs. Russell must have hit her son in the leg. That duo mother-son are still bickering even though Nick has arrived in front of their room. He almost burst outughing when he heard one of the nursese and rebuke them. "Please be quiet. Some patients need some quiet time to recover." "We''re sorry. We will keep quiet," stated Mrs. Russell in a guilty tone. "This ce will be quiet if you go home." refuted her naughty son, inviting a death re from his mother. Before the two of them upset the nurse, Nick greeted them both. "Good evening, Mrs. Russell." "Nick! You''ve finallye." Nick chuckled, amused when he saw his best friend''s face looked surprised at his arrival. "I can''t believe this. You called him?" "Of course I did." "But¡­ why?" "I am your mother, and he is your father. Of course, I will call your father." Mrs. Russell''s remark made Nick choke on his saliva and cough without being able to reply to a woman who looked to be in her twenties despite her actual age of nearly forty. "Ew¡­ Nick. What have you done to my mother?" "What did I do?" "Ouchh¡­ It hurts, it hurts." groaned Tye when his mother pinched his cheek very tightly. Nick, who saw it, touched his cheek as if he also felt the pain. Mrs. Russell hmphed in annoyance and let loose her death pinching on her son''s chubby cheek before he smiled sweetly at Nick. "Nichs, can you apany my son today? I still have work to take care of." "Of course. Leave it to me." "Such a good boy." Nick smiled happily when Mrs. Russell walked over to him and pinched his cheek yfully. It didn''t hurt at all, making Nick chuckling in amused, and he gave her a big smile. Seeing how his best friend seemed to be enjoying his mother''s pinch, Tye rolled his eyeszily. This flirtatious boy was always capable of melting every woman in the world, whether she was younger or older than him. Nick waved his hand without breaking his big smile as he ushered Mrs. Russell. Just then, his shoulders fell while his hands patted his chest. He shifted his gaze to see his friend looking at him with a displeased look. "Did your mother just indirectly propose to me?" "Don''t you dare think about it." Nickughed out loud, and hisughter soon followed by Tye. Both of them knew that Nick was joking and didn''t mean what he said. Tye''s father has passed away since he was learning to walk. And although with the youthful face and slender body of Mrs. Russell, the mother was not interested in finding a lover or a recement for her husband to be Tye''s father. Mrs. Russell feels morefortable being a single mother and asionally teases his son by saying he will make Nichs Larson his new father. Of course, Nick didn''t take it seriously, but he always yed along with the mother as he enjoyed teasing his friend. "Seriously. She still hasn''t changed even after I graduated from school. You too. Until when will you ept any woman who approaches you." "Your mother is not a random woman. She is your mother." "You know what I''m talking about. How about¡­" "How did you break your leg?" Nick cut in, not letting his friend continue his questioning. "¡­" why did this kid give the impression that he deliberately broke his own leg? "I fell. It''s not like I want to break my leg." "Will it heal?" "Of course." snorted Tye. "The doctor said I could walk again in a month. Don''t worry. You won''t lose your precious drummer." "Even if your leg doesn''t heal, I can always find a recement for you." "¡­" "I already have a candidate." This friend of his¡­ really heartless. Chapter 166 - Ch. 166 Miss Brewster "Why do I feel that you''re like a bear in pain? What happened?" Tye quickly realized his best friend''s mood was not good. "It''s nothing." "Is it about the next song?" "¡­" "So you finally hit a dead end? Who would have thought that in the end, the genius of the Adams songwriter finally ran out of ideas."ughed Tye in amusement while cing one hand under his head. Nick sighed in defeat while scratching the back of his neck. "It''s not like that. My mind has been distracted for the past few days." "What''s bothering you?" Nick didn''t answer him, and he unwittingly looked distracted. "Nick? Hey, Nick!" constant calls from Tye brought Nick back into reality. "What?" "This is the first time I''ve seen you daydream like that. What happened?" "I just remembered I passed an acquaintance of mine downstairs. Do you mind if I look for it for a bit?" "Is it a girl?" "It is," replied Nick with a grin. "And she''s older than me." "I''m not surprised. Is she cute?" "She is, but not as cute as Kaylee." Tyeughed in amused while shaking his head at the bright answer from his best friend. He knew what was bothering Nick''s mind was not the girl he crossed in the lobby. It must be something else, but he wouldn''t prey on his affair. "Go then. I will rest my eyes for a while. Can''t sleep since my mother was here." "Alright." Nick patted his friend''s shoulder twice before walking away to find the girl. Well¡­ how could he find her when he didn''t know which floor the girl was on? Plus, Nick just wanted to get out of his friend''s room and use it as an excuse. Nick decided to sit in the lounger against the wall and facepalmed in a tired sigh. ''Nicu, it''s about time you returned to Folnd to help your father. Master Hades has also permitted it and approved you to take your father''s ce.'' ''But¡­ what about Kaylee?'' ''The recovery process will soon beplete. You and your sister will no longer be needed there. It''s time you left the Larsons.'' Remembering his conversation with his father''s right hand made Nick massage his temple. He wondered if his sister had learned of Hades'' decision? How did her sister react? Why didn''t Wendy ever tell him? Nichs leaned his back against the wall, and that''s when his eyes caught the figure of a girl he saw downstairs. Spontaneously, the young man straightened his back and rose to his feet. He followed the girl''s footsteps who were walking fast, even almost running without calling her. Nick was curious about what the girl was doing in this hospital. Not long after, his steps stopped when the girl called one of the doctors who had just checked the patient''s condition. "Miss Brewster, what a fancy to see you here." "Cut your crap. What are you doing?" "I beg your pardon? Please, tell me, what have I done?" "Why did you tell my granny that you''re my lover?" "Aren''t I?" "No, you are not. If it''s a matter of nursing costs, I can pay for it myself. I don''t need your help." "Brewster, listen to me¡­." "No, you listen. I don''t care how you feel about me. That''s your own problem. But never take advantage of my weakness to threaten me." "¡­" Nick could see the doctor''s ugly face when he heard the girl''sst sentence. He knew the meaning of that expression very well. The handsome young doctor suppressed his anger to maintain his image in front of people. If there were no one around them, Nick was sure the doctor would be angry and might as well resort to violence against the girl. "Mind your tone, Brewster." "Mind your own business, doctor Be." The doctor surprised them both by grabbing Miss Brewster by the wrist and pulling her to a quieter ce. Worrying about what would happen to his acquaintance, Nick quickly followed them. He decided to hide as soon as the two turned at the end of the corridor and entered the emergency stairs. Nichs waited there and listened to whatever the two of them had to say. "Brewster, what do you want? Do you want your grandmother to die?" "How could you say that? You know she''s all I have." "Then what''s wrong with epting my help?" The girl walked closer to doctor Bet with a zing re filled with anger. "If you truly want to help me, you shouldn''t tell everyone that I''m your pathetic lover that could do nothing without your money!" hissed the girl without hiding her hatred toward the doctor. "Hmph! Aren''t you looking for a rich candidate? Isn''t that way you always go on blind dates? What makes me different from the others?" Nick frowned at this. He knew the girl went on online blind dates a lot of times until he lost count. The girl was also very picky about epting her date candidates. Number one was that the guy had to be a rich person, and then that person had to be handsome too. Nick knew she wasn''t serious about all the men she''d been on her blind dates with. He did a favor by ruining her blind date and acts like a jealous ex-lover. Even though she was angry, she never really hated him. The girl would return to being cheerful as if she was relieved that she didn''t have to be in a serious rtionship. "Don''t touch me!" And yet¡­ this was the first time he had heard that girl''s voice filled with anger. "If you still insist on paying for it, I will find another hospital and another doctor who is better than you." "You won''t find another doctor like me." was his overproud statement with an arrogant tone. His arrogance and pride make Nick snorted in disgust, and his hands were itching to beat the guy. Even though he loves to flirt around and tease girls, he never mocks or disrespects them. How dare this man speak scornfully to Lydia Brewster!? Chapter 167 - Ch. 167 Women Clothing "You won''t find another doctor like me." Lydia clenched her jaws in disgust as she couldn''t refute the doctor''s proud remark. It was true. Doctor Lucas Bet was the best neurosurgeon in town, and his grandmother''s condition depended heavily on him. If only the doctor weren''t arrogant or cornering her by insulting her just because she came from a low-ss background, Lydia would feel grateful. "You think you''re the greatest, huh? I''m sure there are people out there far better than you." "Maybe. But it will be toote before you find it, and you will lose the only person who loved you." Nick, who heard this, felt increasingly unable to contain his emotions. He felt like he wanted to join them and gave the doctor some of his knuckle of sandwiches. If he couldn''t think straight, Nick would throw his fist at the young doctor''s face without a second thought. But he knew beating the doctor to a pulp would not solve the problem. Not only will he be sued by the hospital, but Lydia would also be dragged into it, and the doctor might bother the girl even more. Nick decided to walk away from the corridor and wait for the two in a more crowded ce. He was sure the doctor would not dare to hurt the girl in this public ce. Therefore, Nick did not need to worry about the girl''s condition. Nick reached into his phone in his pocket to call Kaylee so he could ask about Lydia''s condition. After all, it was Kaylee who hired Lydia and knew the girl best. Perhaps Kaylee also knew of Lydia''s dire situation. Surprisingly, after waiting until the tenth ring, Kaylee still didn''t answer the call. What did the girl do? Nick remembered that Kaylee was attending a winter music camp program in the mountains. But he was pretty sure by now the girl must be on her way home. Was it possible that Kaylee had fallen asleep on the way? Nick tried to call Kaylee one more time, but the girl still didn''t pick up the call. Just as he was about to call her again, he saw Lydia walking past him at a brisk pace while the doctor returned to his office with a triumphant smile. This made Nick worried, and he couldn''t help himself but followed Lydia. He walked after the girl while keeping his distance. When he saw Lydia enter one of the rooms behind his friend''s room walls, his steps slowed, and he peeked through the gap in the open door. There, Nick saw an older woman sitting on a hospital bed while writing something on a book. "Granny," Lydia''s soft and affectionate voice made him feel certain that the old woman was the girl''s grandmother. "Lydia, where have you been? Did you miss the doctor so much that you went straight for him?" Nick could hear the yful tone that seemed to be teasing Lydia. "No. I just remember I haven''t told my boss that I''m taking a day off today." "Silly girl. You don''t have toe here every day and skip work. I''ll be fine. Doctor Bet will take care of me." "Granny, he''s not your grandkid. Why do you sound like you don''t like my presence?" The grandmotherughed wittily as she squeezed her granddaughter''s hand tightly. Nick could see that Lydia was trying to look as cheerful as possible, so the older woman didn''t have the slightest suspicion of the struggles that were engulfing her granddaughter''s heart. Nichs was still standing in front of the door of the room for a few minutes to watch the warm interaction of the two women. After that, he turned around and called Kaylee again. Fortunately, this time the girl answered the call. "Nick? Why do you keep calling me? Is there any problem?" "What are you doing? Did you just wake up?" "Eh? That¡­" Nick could hear the girl on the other end clear her throat a few times. "Anyway, what are you calling me for?" "How well do you know your make-up artist?" "Lydia?? Why?" "I''m just curious," he answered in a nonchnt tone. "As far as I remember, she lived with her grandmother, and it seemed they live just fine." "So you don''t know that her grandmother is sick?" "She is? No, I don''t know. But how do you know? Where are you now?" "Never mind. I''ll hang up now." "What? Hey¡­" Roxanne looked at her phone with a frown when she heard a long tone indicating that Nick had ended the call. Really¡­ why did the boy contact her repeatedly to ruin her intimacy with Den? Plus¡­ why did Nick suddenly ask about Lydia? Roxanne shrugged nonchntly then turned to see Den was gone on their bed. Her face instantly heated up when she saw how wrinkled the white sheets on the bed were, reminding her of the hot intimacy they had a moment ago. Seeing the opportunity that Den was currently in the bathroom, Roxanne decided to look for her clothes. However, all the clothes she found were teenage boy''s clothes and were not fashionable at all. What does she expect? She came here to join the music camp program as Nick. Of course, she only brought male clothes. Roxanne sighed in resignation and took one of the red T-shirts out of her bag when her eyes caught sight of something on the lounger. Isn''t that¡­ a woman''s clothing? Roxanne walked over to the clothing, and her eyes lit up when she realized that it was indeed women''s clothing! Did Den prepare it for her? Ah, it turns out that the man preferred to see her in a woman''s appearance. If he had preferred a male appearance, then Roxanne would be worried. Roxanne walked out of the room to go into the other bathroom so she could clean herself up. After that, she put on the clothes that Den prepared for her. She wore white long-sleeves, a warm knitted t-shirt, and ck leggings covering her legs. Roxanne also noticed a thick knitted scarf and a pastel-colored winter coatbined with winter boots. Hm¡­ Den''s skill is quite good in choosing clothes that suit her taste. Chapter 168 - Ch. 168 Pay With Kiss After finishing changing, Kaylee went back into her room only to see Den had also finished dressing neatly. Den looked at his wife with a satisfied smile when he saw that the clothes he had brought for the girl suited her perfectly. "Thanks for the cloth." "It''s not free." Den walked over to his wife and immediately snaked his hand around her waist to pull her closer to him. Den tapped his lips with his finger with a mischief look. "You have to kiss me as payment." Roxanne rolled her eyeszily, but she still gave what he wanted nevertheless. "Done. Can we go home now?" begged Roxanne, inviting an amused chuckle from him. "Yes. Let''s go home. Are you done packing?" "Yup." Den carried Roxanne''s bag with ease as if it weighed nothing. Then they walked out of the cottage hand in hand. After locking the cottage door, Den led Roxanne to a dead end, making Roxanne confused. "Aren''t we going home?" "We are." "But why are wehere?" Roxanne was confused because Den didn''t take her to climb down but instead walked towards the ravine. Den didn''t answer her question and gave her a mysterious smile which made Roxanne even more curious. Once they reached the ravine, Den took her to the left, and only then did Roxanne see another trail leading to higher ground. "There is another route?" "That''s right." Den helped Roxanne up the stairs one by one with great care. The steps of this road were very narrow and uneven. It was very different from the stairs at the music camp. If they were not careful and slipped, they might even fall into the abyss. Fortunately, a wooden handrail served as a barrier between the stairs and the ravine, so they wouldn''t fall to the side if they slipped. "The cottage we slept in yesterday belongs to the inn above and doesn''t belong to the campsite area." "Ha?" Roxanne was getting more and more confused by Den''s words. By the time they arrived at the top of the hill, Roxanne could see arge building and several cottages simr to the cottage area. Roxanne saw Den''s luxury car parked there not far in front of the cottage, and a familiar man was standing in front of the vehicle. "Then how can I sleep in a cottage that doesn''t belong to the campsite area?" Roxanne remembered that it was Aubrey who gave her the key separately. The girl also apanied her every time she wanted to return to her cottage room. And just today, when she wished to show her gratitude to the girl, Aubrey was missing. What''s even weirder¡­ why did she feel like she saw Aubrey when she saw the young man standing in front of Den''s car? Both have the same hair color and a simr aura. Was it possible¡­ Aubrey disguised herself as that man¡­ or was it the young man disguised as Aubrey? After all, isn''t that what she''s doing? On weekdays, she disguises herself as Nick, but at night she disguises as Roe to attend rehearsals with her orchestra group or meets clients? Wait a minute. If this young man indeed were Aubrey who apanied her and helped her during the music camp program, that would mean¡­ "So Aubrey works for you?" Roxanne''s guess made Den grin. "Smart girl." Den gave the bags he was carrying to the young man Roxanne suspects was Aubrey. Roxanne just realized this young man was indeed a man because there was no way a girl could carry her heavy bags. She alone had a tough time holding it alone, let alone a delicate girl like Aubrey. Wait a minute¡­ As far as she remembers, Aubrey wasn''t as tall as this young man¡­ Roxanne watched the young man stored her bags in the trunk of Den''s car. She thought back to her time with Aubrey. She was pretty sure Aubrey wasn''t as tall as this young man. The girl was indeed taller than her, but only slightly. As for this young man¡­ he''s almost the same height as Den! Even if that man disguised himself as Aubrey, or Aubrey disguised himself as this young man¡­ there''s no way a person''s height could change overnight. Roxanne was still looking at the young man intently until she realized that she was admiring the young man''s handsome face. She was just about to take a look at the young man''s face when her vision was suddenly blocked by something. Apparently, Den had covered her eyes with his palms making Roxanne turn to the man with a frown. "What are you doing?" "I should be the one asking you. What are you doing staring at another man while I''m by your side?" "¡­" Wow! Who would have thought this man would feel jealous so quickly just because she was looking at other men? Roxanne sighed excessively as if she was feeling exhausted. "You feel jealous when Jacob hugs me, and you feel jealous when I take pictures with my friends. Why should you feel jealous just because I''m looking at other people? It''s not like he''s more handsome than you." "Are you saying thest sentence just to cheer me up?" Roxanne hugged Den''s arm tightly and made sure she buried his sturdy arm between her two soft mounds. Den''s eyes darkened at her seductive gesture, and he enjoyed the pleasant roundness of his arms. Ah, too bad he''s wearing his ck coat, so he can''t feel the curve of his favorite hill. "Of course not. I''m talking reality. You''re the most handsome, hottest, and the sexiest guy I''ve ever met. That''s why I fell in love with you. You are my first love." Roxanne said it using her sweetest tone while showing her best smile while blinking her eyes to add her cuteness. She was sure that Den couldn''t resist her overload cuteness! "Fine. I can never win against you." Den brushed his nose against her, earning a cute giggle from the girl. "But¡­ I have a quick question. Who is that guy?" "¡­" This girl¡­ didn''t Roxanne just now try to lessen his jealousy? Why is the girl now asking Kristopher''s name?? How should he punish her now? Chapter 169 - Ch. 169 You Look Best When You Smile "Let''s go home now," stated Den without answering his naughty little wife''s question. Roxanne was still curious about Aubrey, but seeing that Den had a mood swing for some unknown reason, she decided to seal her lips. Once in the car, Roxanne waited a few minutes before she finally asked again but used another method. "I wonder where Aubrey is now," "Aubrey?" Roxanne suppressed a satisfied smile, hearing Den''s reaction that didn''t contain any jealousy. As expected, if she were to talk about another man, Den would get angry and might punish her with a penalty she couldn''t resist. But if she''s talking about a girl, Den won''t feel jealous and will respond. "Why do you feel curious about her?" "I just wanted to know why your driver bears such a resemnce to Aubrey." "¡­" so¡­ she looked at Kris curiously about the simrities between the two. Den was too speechless. "He is Christopher, one of my confidants. Aubrey is his twin sister." "Nice to meet you, miss." Kris didn''t dare to speak before this because he had been receiving cold res from his master ever since Roxanne was looking at him. He was well aware that Roxanne was watching him, but he didn''t dare raise his head or greet the girl. He still cherished his life more and did not dare to face his master''s jealous fury. It wasn''t until Den introduced him as his right-hand man that he dared to speak up to greet the girl. "Oh. I thought you were disguising as Aubrey or vice versa. But¡­ you two are very different in height, so I was curious." "Ah, I see." It turns out it was just a misunderstanding. His master was jealous for no reason, after all. "Next time you have the same curiosity, you can ask the master directly." he felt sorry for others if they had experienced the same thing as him. "Why?" "Because my master was ready to kill me if you don''t stop looking at me." was his honest answer without looking at his master from the rearview. Roxanne nced at her side and couldn''t help but giggle when she saw Den refused to look at her and instead looked out the window. Who have ever thought this guy can be shy too. Noted Roxanne. "There''s nothing to be shy about, Den. You''re so cute when you act like this." Den nced at his wife with a frown. Cute?? Did his wife say that he is cute?? Den could even feel Kris trying to hold back hisughter and refocus on his duties as a driver. He was about to cut Kris''s sry and give him an earful when he felt movement from the side. Roxanne nudged her head and gave a slight peck on his cheek, and at that moment, Den felt like cold water was pouring from his head, making his anger quench again. "Don''t be mad, mister. You looked the best when you show me your smile." "..." wasn''t that sentence supposed to be said by a man? Well, Den didn''t care anymore and gave a smile while pushing the corners of his lips toward her. He asked for her kiss! "What a greedy man you are." her heartyughter gave warmth inside Den''s chest, and her happy eyes make Den''s life perfect. "Only for you, my love." and he imed her lips for the umpteenth time that day in a sweet and gentle kiss. Kris couldn''t help but smile at their affection. Strangely¡­ why did he think of the caramel-haired girl with beautiful hazel eyes? He suddenly felt curious about how does it like when he kissed her. Very weird. Back to the town, Nick decided to go home after apanying his friend in the hospital. "I''ll be back tomorrow with others. It''s your mother''s request." "Oh, please. Don''t! I''m not a child!" "Your mother thought otherwise. Just enjoy it. Your mother loves you very much, and you are all she has." "I know. But I hope she doesn''t overdo it. Just put yourself in my shoes. Whenever I get into trouble, the first person she looks for is you or another friend of mine. If she needs a man, why doesn''t she remarry?" "You want her to remarry?" "If that makes her happy." Nick shook his head, "It''s your happiness that makes her happy." "How do you know?" "I''m an expert in this field." Tye rolled his eyes at his high confident tone. "Then how could she not know that I''m happier when she doesn''t interfere in my business?" "She knows. But she couldn''t leave you alone. You''re her only son." "Even that''s the case¡­." "Admit it, dude. You also enjoyed this." "I used to enjoy it. But now I don''t. It''s not like you don''t get my feelings. You know very well how it feels when you have a mother who is always bugging you every moment and every second." "No, I don''t," mumbled Nick in a very soft voice to the point Tye didn''t notice he said something. "Anyway, I should go home now. See ya." "Hmm." Nick walked out and went down to the lobby using the elevator. He stood leaning against the elevator wall and lost in thoughts. Even when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, Nick''s mind was still distracted. He was brought to reality only when he heard a sound and noticed several people getting into the elevator. "Excuse me." Nick rushed out of the elevator before the elevator doors closed again. After that, he walked through therge hospital lobby, and for some reason, his eyes caught sight of the figure of a girl sitting on one of the single sofas in the waiting room. Why did he feel today that his eyes often looked at her as if Lydia Brewster had a ma that could attract his eyes? After considering it for a moment, Nick decided to go over to the girl and say hello. "Hey, I didn''t expect to see you here." Lydia lifted her head, and her eyes widened because she didn''t expect to see Nick in this ce. What was the young man doing in the hospital? Chapter 170 - Ch. 170 The Mysterious Girl Lydia blinked a few times to make sure that the person before her eyes wasn''t a hallucination. "Nick?" The young man she called out had a broad and friendly smile¡­ to be more precise, the kind of smile that would attract the girls he wanted to advance. Lydia got to her feet and began to adjust her expression so the young man wouldn''t notice her sadness. "What are you doing here?" Nick already knew why Lydia was in this hospital, but he decided to pretend he didn''t know when he realized Lydia was trying to be cheerful. "I could ask you the same thing," he answered in his usual friendly tone. "Are you sick? Does your sister know about it?" Nick chuckled, amused to see the girl''s pair of brown eyes watching him from head to toe. "You''re worried about me?" Lydia snorted in disagreement. She was genuinely worried about the young man, but Nick was teasing her instead. It seemed that the young man was neither injured nor sick, judging by his high level of confidence. Plus, the young man was still able to tease her as usual. "You seem to be in good health. And FYI, I''m not worried about you. I''m worried about Miss Kaylee, who will cry if she finds out that her favorite brother is in the hospital." "Kaylee won''t cry but will nag me. Anyway, my friend had an ident and was hospitalized here. So I came to see him." "Oh, I see. Is he okay?" "He won''t be able to walk for a few weeks, but other than that, he''s fine. You?" "Me?" "What are you doing here?" "I¡­" Lydia seemed to think for a moment, "I also visited an acquaintance of mine here." "Is your acquaintance had an ident too?" he asked casually as if what he was asking was everyday conversation. "Not really. She¡­ Have you eaten yet?" Lydia suddenly changed the subject. Even though she hadn''t eaten since this afternoon, Lydia didn''t feel hungry at all. She wasn''t even in the mood to eat after her talk with Lucas. But this was the only way to distract the young man. "Not yet. Are you asking me out on a date?" teased Nick left Lydia speechless. How did the question end up being a date invitation? "I asked you, have you eaten. Who asked you out on a date? After all, tonight I¡­." Lydia decided not to continue her words and stop her words. "You what? Don''t tell me¡­ you have another blind date?" guessed Nick suspiciously. "¡­" "Lydia, aren''t you tired of meeting and pretending to be someone else in front of strangers? Why do you insist on going on a blind date?" "None of your business." Lydia walked out because she wanted to get home and avoid Nick. Today Lydia was feeling incredibly tired, both physically and mentally. She wanted to rest at home and lock herself in her room until tomorrow morning. She was sure her mood would improve after she slept one night. Many cars and city buses were passing by on the highway where Lydia walked on the side road. And there were also some passersby like her. But¡­ why did she feel like Nick was following her too? Lydia looked back, and it was as she had expected. Nick was indeed following her and stopped as soon as she nced at him. "Why did you follow me?" "Who followed you? This is a public road leading to the bus stop." refuted Nick casually. Lydia bit her lower lip in embarrassment because what Nick said was true. This road does lead to the bus stop! Tsk! Why is she super sensitive today? Lydia decided to ignore Nick and walked back to the bus stop without knowing that Nick gave her a triumphant smile. ''She''s so cute.'' thought Nick as he pressed his lips together to keep fromughing. By the time they arrived at the bus stop, Lydia had looked towards the bus''s arrival time, which woulde in about fifteen minutes. She decided to sit on the long seat with her eyes closed, ignoring the young man sitting next to her. Even though Lydia was closing her eyes, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her for some reason. Because she was afraid that she would get the wrong idea again, especially since Nick liked to tease her, Lydia decided to keep her eyes closed. As Lydia expected, Nick was sitting next to her and staring at her intently. Nick looked at her face from the eyebrows down to the curly, doll-like eyshes. Then his eyes fell on the corners of Lydia''s lips which intrigued him for some reason. Although it looks a bit different, why does he feel Lydia is the mysterious girl who gave him a hot kiss on the night of the music battle? Nick remembered a girl suddenly appearing and greeting him, "Hi, prodigy boy. I''m your number one fan now." then the girl kissed him without letting him return the greeting. The girl''s voice sounded melodious and appropriate for her age, but¡­. it was not Lydia''s. Or¡­ could it be that Lydia changed her voice on purpose? After all, the girl is very good at changing her voice to imitate people''s voices. Lydia Brewster was gifted in impressions. Nick remembered Kaylee once taking Lydia to a children''s school to give music lessons there. The children didn''t want to listen to Kaylee at that time and just yed as they wanted to make Kaylee overwhelmed. That''s why she took Lydia with her and let the girl imitated some of the children''s favorite cartoon characters to make all the kids follow her word. Nick wouldn''t be surprised if the mysterious girl who kissed him that night were Lydia¡­ but¡­ her face waspletely different. Ah, that girl is also an expert at remaking someone''s face. The fact that she could make Kaylee look different when dressed as Roe or as him was unquestionable. Lydia could have transformed herself into someone else and looked much younger by using her gifted hands. But¡­ if that girl was Lydia¡­ why did she kiss him? For as long as Nick could remember, Lydia refused his advances whenever he tried to flirt with her. That girl even knocked on his head or pinched his cheek when they were alone. Obviously, Lydia didn''t think of him as a man, so why did Lydia give him a passionate kiss? That girl definitely wasn''t Lydia. Chapter 171 - Ch. 171 Lydia Is The Mysterious Girl! That girl definitely wasn''t Lydia. That was what he believed, but¡­ he wanted to confirm it again. "Lydia, can I ask you something?" "..." Lydia gave no reaction to his call and didn''t budge from her position. Realizing that the girl was ignoring him, Nick called her constantly. "Lydia. Lydia, Lydia." relentlessly, Nick called her while poking her shoulder with his finger. "Lydia, Lydia, Lydia." "..." the tip of her brow twitched in irritation at this young man''s call. She felt like a puppy bothering her to invite her to y even though she was not in the mood. And Nick is precisely like that puppy. "Lydia, Lydia, Lydia." "¡­" this boy¡­ Can''t he see that she wants peace? How could she feel at ease when the young man kept pestering her? "Lydia, Lydia, when will you answer my call?" Nick changed his tactics and was now calling the girl''s name as if he were singing a song. Instantly, Lydia''s closed eyes opened simultaneously, and she felt very embarrassed when she realized that people were looking at Nick curiously. It felt like she wanted to dig a hole to hide her face. "Ah, you''re finally awake. Do you know I miss¡­ mmph!" Lydia immediately put her palm to Nick''s mouth to prevent the boy from continuing his singing. How dare this boy! Did he have no shame? Lydia''s face felt hot as she felt Nick''s lips widen under her palms. She wanted to withdraw her hand quickly, but she was worried that this flirtatious boy would continue his ridiculous song. Well, his voice was pleasant to hear, but the lyrics that mentioned her name... she was so embarrassed. Plus, Nick''s singing already attracted the people who were also waiting for the bus at this ce. It made her want the earth to swallow her. In the end, Lydia stood up and walked away from the bus stop area. She hoped Nick wouldn''t follow her, which turned out the boy crushed her hope by catching up with her. Convinced that Nick was following her, Lydia turned and confronted the young man once more. "Why are you still following me? And don''t tell me you didn''t follow me." "Why are you avoiding me?" instead of answering the question, Nick asked back. "I''m not avoiding you." "Then it doesn''t matter if I follow you or not." "¡­" "I''m hungry. Buy me a meal." "..." Nick walked over and grabbed Lydia''s still motionless hand before she could refuse. "I know a good ce to eat." Lydia sighed in defeat and let Nick take her to one of the restaurants in the area. Nick chose a corner seat by the window and motioned for Lydia to sit down first before he sat down next to her. Lydia nced at Nick in confusion and curiosity. Aren''t people usually sitting opposite each other? Why is this kid even sitting next to her? Lydia wanted to shift her ass away, but to her right was a ss window where she could see an enormous Christmas tree. For a moment, Lydia was stunned by the Christmas tree. She just remembered that soon they would all be celebrating Christmas. The decoration on the tree was dominated by blue and silver. If it snowed and decorated the Christmas tree, it would be a perfect photo object. She felt very sure Kaylee would call her to doll him and Wendy so that they both looked beautiful in the photo in front of the tree. Of her customers who call her to use her services, she likes to make Kaylee and Wendy her skill object the most. The two of them hardly ever choosy and treated her like their close friend. Well, even though she''d get irritated every now and then because of Nick''s annoying flirtatious behavior, she was happiest when she was with them. Nick is mischievous, but doesn''t that mean Nick epts her as a friend too? "Isn''t that beautiful?" Lydia turned to Nick, who asked her. "En. It was exquisite. Did you choose this ce on purpose so we can see the Christmas tree?" "N-uh. I''m not too fond of the look of it, especially the blue and silver. I prefer to see Christmas tree decorations with guitar, drum, or mic models!" Lydia chuckled, amused at that. "What kind of Christmas tree is that? I''m pretty sure there is no kind of that Christmas tree." There was a glint of surprise in Nick''s eyes when he saw Lydiaugh, but the shock disappeared as quickly as it hade. Finally¡­ he managed to make the girlugh! "Of course, there will be one once I became a national day ambassador." Lydiaughed heartily when she heard that. "Really. There are no national day ambassadors? Instead, you became an ambassador for Weird Days." "Hey. That hurts my feeling," whined Nick clutching his chest while looking at Lydia with puppy eyes. "Don''t give me that look. You are weird, kiddo." "I''m not a kid!" protested Nick can now understand the feelings of Tye, who was always considered a child by his mother. Lydia wasn''t his mother, but he still didn''t want to be seen as a child. Especially by a girl like Lydia! "Yeah, yeah, whatever you like. You said the food here is delicious. Which one is the best seller?" ignoring the boy''s puppy eyes and pouty expression, Lydia pulled the food menu and looked at the list of dishes in this ce. "This one," Nick pointed to one of the food menu pictures, then to another, "This one is nice too." Lydia nodded her head and followed Nick''s rmendation. "Alright, I''ll order this one. Pfft!" Lydia inadvertently looked back at Nick, who was still frowning, making it hard for her to hold back augh. "Why are you making such an expression?" "Isn''t this your fault?" "My fault? What have I done?" Nick brought his face closer to hers, causing Lydia to move backward until her back hit the ss window. "What are you doing?" somehow, her voice suddenly became very soft, and her face felt hot because of how close Nick''s face was to her. Unbeknownst to her, her changing voice seemed to sound like a mysterious girl who came to Nick and kissed him in public, making Nick feel very sure¡­ the mysterious girl was indeed Lydia! Chapter 172 - Ch. 172 I Will Hate You Nick was surprised and confused, but at the same time, his heart tingled strangely when he thought that the mysterious girl that night turned out to be Lydia. He has flirted with many girls, and almost all the women he approached epted his seduction and even epted his date invitation. But the only girl who rejected him even scolded him and treated him like a child was only Lydia. He felt somewhat challenged and wanted to charm this girl. But he somehow got a pinch on the cheek or a fierce look from her every time Nick tried to make advances on her. The girl even told him about her blind date in detail and how much she enjoyed the date in a proud tone. It was as if she wanted to let him know that she likes a more mature man rather than child-like Nick. That night when Lydia came over to his house to put some make-up on his face so he wouldn''t look too masculine, Nick ventured to peck her cheek. Well, at that time, their extremely close position was perfect for taking advantage of that situation. How could he let go of the opportunity to flirt with her? But in the end, the girl didn''t give the reaction he wanted, even though her expression of frustration was adorable. Nevertheless, Nick felt indifferent when the mysterious girl kissed him even though he enjoyed it very much. If he had known the girl was Lydia, Nick wouldn''t stay still that night! Now that he knew it, he couldn''t help but feeling this indescribable happy feeling. One hand rose to touch Lydia''s chin making the girl panic even more. What did this young man do? Does this boy''s flirtatious disease recur and want to molest her? "Nick, I will report to your sister if you harass me." "I harassed you? When?" "What is this if not harassment? You''re too close." too close for herfort. Lydia tried to remove the boy''s hand from her chin, but another of the boy''s hands caught her hand. "You don''t mind when you do it that night." "What night? What are you talking about?" Lydia cursed this boy for cornering her like this. She felt she had made a mistake in letting this young man tell her to sit inner part. Even though she wanted to get to her feet to avoid this guy''s flirtatiousness, she couldn''t do it. Behind her is a ss window. To her right is a dining table attached to the floor. And to her left is the wall of this room because they sit in the far corner. Lydia was in a cage where there was only one way out. She had to push Nick''s body out of this seat, and only then could she get out. Thinking she could push Nick''s body just a little taller than her, Lydia put her hands on Nick''s chest and prepared to move the boy. But her attempt failed miserably when Nick caught both of her hands and held back her strength. A mischievous smile that was able to captivate thedies'' heart was perfectly imprinted on the young man''s face. All women might be willing to let Nick do whatever he wants with their bodies, but Lydia won''t let him have it so easy. "Let me go now, or I¡­." "Or you will what?" dared Nick as he brought his face closer to Lydia made the girl pressed her back against the ss window even more. "I will hate you for the rest of my life." "You can''t hate me." "Yes, I can. I won''t be seeing Miss Kaylee and your sister either." Nick''s smile vanished when he heard Lydia''sst threat. He also noticed that the girl''s eyes were shining with anger and looked at him the same way she looked at Doctor Bet. Did this girle to hate him now? Nick pulled away without releasing his grip on Lydia''s hands. The girl didn''t pull away either, so Nick was still holding her. For some reason, he felt his heart full of feeling the soft skin of the hands who were experts in the field of make-up. "So now you hate me?" "You didn''t do what would make me hate you. So I still don''t hate you." "I didn''t expect you to hate someone so easily. Is this your true nature?" "..." Lydia lowered her gaze, and that''s when she saw Nick still grasped her hands. She should have pulled away and released her hands from the boy''s grip, but¡­ why did she feel reluctant? "Then why did you do it that night?" Lydia exhaled in a tired sigh because she had no idea what this boy was talking about. "What night? I have no idea which night you''re talking about." "Then, let me ask you one thing. Did youe to the music battle event at M campus?" "Music battle?" Lydia dug through her memories and remembered the day Kaylee called her to give Nick a little makeover. "You mean¡­ the day I came to your house to give you a little touch to look like Miss Kaylee in disguise." "Yes. Did youe to campus M?" "Of course not. After I finished with my work, I went back home. That day I received many calls because it coincided with someone''s proposal event. So my client called me to dress her and her family. I''ve been working since morning, and you are myst client. I don''t have the energy to go anywhere else." "¡­" so it wasn''t Lydia? Nick looked Lydia straight in the eye to see if she was telling the truth or pretending to hide the truth. Lydia looked genuinely confused by his attitude and had no idea what had happened that night of the music battle. It seems¡­ that mysterious girl isn''t Lydia? "What happened that night? Why do you think you feel sure I came there? Is there anyone who looks like me?" "..." Nick didn''t know what to say and decided not to continue the conversation. "No, nothing. Nothing special anyway." If it turns out that the girl isn''t Lydia, he didn''t need to think that girl furthermore.. He ignored a slightly disappointed feeling and decided to act normal. But why did he feel unwilling to let go of Lydia''s hands? Chapter 173 - Ch. 173 Does She Start A War? Nichs returned home after dropping Lydia home. Ever since he found out Lydia wasn''t that mysterious girl, Nick was back to being normal, and so was Lydia. They talked about trivial things, and asionally Nick would tease her and tempt her. Of course, he got the same scolding from the girl, but Nick was relieved to see the girl was cheerful again. As soon as he opened the door to his house, he heard his sister''s booming voice. "I won''t let you take him! When we moved to New York, I told you not to involve Nick. Now you need him to help my father, and you want him back? What do you think of my brother, huh?!" Nick smiled widely at the anger of his sister, who defended him. He walked over to his sister and poked his sister''s shoulder lightly. Wendy turned to him with a surprised look as she didn''t hear his arrival. "I don''t care. Nick won''t be back there. End of discussion." Wendy hangs up the call and walks to the kitchen to heat the food. "Have you eaten?" "Of course I have. I ate with Lydia." Wendy smiled, amused hearing her brother''s cheery tone. "Don''t tell me you like her for good now." "I do like her. I like all cute girls." Wendy shook her head resignedly while brewing tea. "Wendy, regarding the elders'' decision¡­." "Stop it. I know you don''t want to go back." "No. I''m not saying that. I was just wondering when did you find out about the decision of those who wanted us back?" "Just now. They''ve been calling me all day, but I''m still at the office, so¡­ I''m only answering their calls now." "Don''t you want to go home?" "You want to go home?" "I have no idea." "I thought you like living with your group mates. Isn''t that why you epted the contract offer with the entertainment party." "I do like it, but¡­." "If you think about my situation, then don''t. I''ll be fine." A toothy grin was stered on his handsome young face. "I know I can count on you. But they won''t give up." "They should also know we won''t give up so easily either. Ah, by the way, mother just called me. She wants to know if we''re going back to Larson''s or not." Nick sighed as if a heavyweight had fallen on him. "I struggled to get a month''s vacation from my manager. But someone took Kaylee from me instead. What can I do? It looks like we have to go back to Larson''s." "Okay. I''ll tell her about our return. But¡­ what if this is a trap?" "Trap?" "We''ve lived with Larson for ten years. Do you think our father will send someone to threaten Larson or¡­" "Wendy, you''re too paranoid. Our father would never touch Larson. It''s like asking for death." "He wouldn''t, right? I''ll book a ticket now." Nick sipped his tea while contemting the moment when he was only nine years old. At that time, his father sent him and his sister to North America at Hades'' request. Little Nick couldn''t speak themonnguage and was worried about moving and living in a foreign ce. But it was Wendy who persuaded him and gave him courage. "It''s okay. I will apany you, and we could see Kaylee again." "Why do we have to move? Why not just stay here?" Nichs''s eyes were like a poor puppy whose master had just dumped. "Master Hades said he wanted to give Kaylee a new life. Plus, Kaylee has lost almost everything and only remembers the two of us as friends. And it was no longer safe staying here. Besides, didn''t you make a promise to Roxy?" "¡­" "Didn''t you promise Roxy to look after and protect Kaylee in her ce? Now Roxy is gone, and Kaylee needs someone to rece Roxy. It''s time to keep our promise to Roxy, don''t you think?" In the end, Nick and Wendy moved to New York and lived with the Larsons by changing their real names. They moved one year earlier than the Hades family to study themonnguage there. After that, they were reunited with Kaylee and Hades, now better known as Mister Zouch. Mister Zouch thought that no one would recognize his daughter as Roxanne by hiding his daughter for a year. And when they moved to New York and met the Larsons for the first time, Nick didn''t recognize the difference. Nick thought the beautiful sister in front of him was indeed Kaylee because Roxanne would never want to wear polite clothes as Kaylee did. Little did they know, Wendy immediately recognized her best friend. She immediately knew that the Kaylee she met at that time was Roxanne, and yet she kept the truth hidden. After two years of college with her best friend and felt sure that Kaylee is Roxanne, Wendy came to Zouch''s house to find out the truth. She wanted to know why Roxanne was alive while Kaylee was on the ne when the ident happened. If it turned out to be Kaylee who was on the ne, why did the death announcement show Roxanne''s name? It was only from her conversation with Mister Zouch that she knew the reason why Roxanne had lost her memory. She just found out why Roxanne''s character changed and became the same as Kaylee to trick everyone. They all thought that the one who was still alive was Kaylee because she was quiet, innocent, and also highlypliant. But¡­ who would have thought? It turns out that Roxanne created a second individual in her. "Sister? Wendy!" Wendy gasped in surprise when she heard her brother calling her loudly. "I thought you''re booking a ticket for us, but why are you daydreaming?" "Oh, it''s full. It looks like we''ll have to wait after the Christmas day." "Fine with me." Ting! Both of them heard a notification sound from Wendy''s phone. The happy face and dreamy smile on Wendy''s made Nick curious and snatched his sister''s phone from her hand. "Hey! Give me that!" Nick nced briefly, and as soon as he saw something, his brow furrowed. "What? You have another online dating schedule? What about Robert?" Without answering her brother, Wendy grabbed her phone back and walked to her room. "Has she started a war again?" Usually, if his sister is desperately looking for a date, it means Wendy wants to break up with her current boyfriend. Chapter 174 - Ch. 174 Applying The Cream On His Chin Per the promise given by Robert to Kaylee''s music team if they join the winter music camp program, the campus music director let Kaylee''s music team take spots at events that Arnold Miller''s team should perform. And today was the first day they would appear in public, and they have to y five songs. Before their performance, there would be some seniors from the dance section performing a shmob dance. For three full days, Kaylee''s group practiced together with the dance groups. The big difference was¡­ Nichs Larson, who practiced with them, was not Kaylee in disguise. Since Den has found out that Kaylee disguised as Nick in the days, Den monopolized the girl''s free time and didn''t let Kaylee go back undercover as Nick. As a result, it was Nick who had to appear every time there was practice with Jacob and the others. Plus, Nick has a month''s leave time, so there were no concert schedules that would conflict with Kaylee''s group performance schedule. Kaylee invited Lydia to give Nick the same impression to make the young man less masculine. At the same time, she wanted to look the prettiest tonight as she will go on a date with Den. Not only Kaylee but Wendy also wanted to dress up as she will meet her new date for the first time. "You know, I would have thought the world already stopped rotating when I heard my sister wanted to look pretty." "Are you seeking death from me?" "No," Nick ran to hide behind Kaylee, making Kayleeugh. "Kaylee, now you know that my sister is so mean to me. I need a hug." whined the boy while putting on puppy eyes. "Here, here." Kaylee granted Nick''s wish and hugged his shoulder, which Nick happily epted. On the other hand, Wendy rolled her eyeszily while Lydia hid her frowning face by focusing on arranging her make-up tools. "Kaylee, aren''t you afraid your husband will punish you? I think he''s a possessive guy who won''t let any guy touch you." "..." Kaylee couldn''t deny it and couldn''t help but remember everything Den did just because she was taking a picture with her male friends. If only Den had been here and seen her embracing Nick even though Nick was like her brother, he would have done the same. But¡­. "He won''t know." nevertheless, Kaylee let go of Nick''s shoulders and walked over to Wendy to sit next to her. "By the way, how is your grandmother, Lydia?" Lydia stopped her arranging movement the moment she heard a question from her client. She turned to Kaylee in confusion. "Grandmother?" On the other hand, Nick was glued to his spot and nced at Kaylee with a confused look. Why did the girl suddenly mention Lydia''s grandmother? "I wish she is still healthy and fine." "Ah, she is, miss. She''s still healthy and fine." Lydia answered with her usual cheerful smile. Wendy and Kaylee believed in Lydia''s answer and didn''t feel suspicious about the forced smile on her face. If Nick hadn''t witnessed Lydia''s grandmother in the hospital, he might as well have been fooled. Now that he knew it, he could detect the sadness in the girl''s eyes. "That''s great. You know, you''re not just my make-up artist. You are our friend, so feel free to let me know if you need something." Lydia chuckled as she stood up with one of her make-up brushes. "Thank you, miss. But I''ll be fine. Anyway, who will I dress first today?" Wendy and Kaylee simultaneously nced at Nick. "He will first." "Why me?" Nick protested because he still wanted to y online games, which he had postponed when Kaylee and Lydia arrived. "You forgot you have to meet up with your group in two hours? If we go first, it will take a long time, and you will bete." Kaylee nodded in agreement to her friend''sment making both of Nick''s shoulders slumped dejectedly. Nick sat in an upright chair without a backrest and allowed Lydia to give a slight touch to make his face''s frame simr to Kaylee in disguise. "I just noticed now, you''re getting taller." was Kaylee''sment. A few months ago, Nick was the same height that no one would notice the difference between Kaylee in disguise and the real Nick. She didn''t know when Nick grew taller, and it seems Kaylee should look for shoes with inside heels so her friends wouldn''t suspect Nick''s height change. "Of course. I''m still growing up," stated Nick with a proud tone. "I will be as tall as the Eiffel tower!" "Then you will be a monster," snorted Wendy, earning a giggle from Kaylee and Lydia. Lydia did her job and darkened Nick''s jaw. She was very relieved because it seemed that this young man had decided not to tease her this time. At least, she could concentrate onpleting her task without having to worry about her disturbing turmoil heart. But¡­ Why did Nick look into her eyes so intently? She felt this young man was seducing her just through the eyes alone. Lydia decided to pretend not to know and stay focused on her work. The moment she applied a skin-tone cream under Nick''s lower lip, that''s when her eyes fell on them. For a moment, her hands didn''t move as if she had doubts about what she was doing. Nick realized the girl in front of him was silent as if someone stopped time around her. He nced at his sister, who upied chatting with Kaylee, so the two of them didn''t notice Lydia''s motionless. To bring Lydia back to reality, Nick moved his face forward until his chin touched Lydia''s tiny finger that was applying the cream. His efforts were sessful, and Lydia returned to her work, and now the tip of her finger stroked Nick''s chin to spread the cream. Lydia curled her finger to even out the cream color on his chin without realizing she was touching Nick''s lower lip, making the boy feel strange. Suddenly, Nick opened his mouth wide and brought the curled finger inside his mouth, making Lydia''s pupil erged. ''What is this boy doing?!'' Chapter 175 - Ch. 175 His Heart Made Its Choice Imagine if someone touched your lips sensually; how would you feel? Especially if you are an energetic young man and like to flirt around like Nick. Nick wasn''t a boy who would sit still when a cute girl approached him, but he was willing to hold back so Lydia wouldn''t be bothered. He actually felt quite guilty for secretly eavesdropping Lydia''s conversation with doctor Be and watching the girl''s interactions with her grandmother like a stalker. That''s why today he decided to be a good boy and not interfere with the girl''s work. It was hard not to flirt around as flirting was his daily meal, but he did a great job by restraining himself. And yet, Lydia instead yed with fire by poking his lower lips like that. Well, it was an ordinary touch, but for Nick, it wasn''t. Lydia pulled her finger out of Nick''s mouth and red at the young man fiercely. At first, she had praised Nick''s good behavior, but she didn''t think that boy''s good behavior was to catch her guard. If Kaylee and Wendy weren''t in this room, she would pinch this young man''s cheek or tweak his ear. To her annoyance, Nick tilted his head and looked at her innocently as if the young man didn''t know what he was doing. "Stay still and don''t move," warned Lydia as she continued her work. This time she increased her vignce and prepared herself in case Nick opened his mouth again. The young man''s mouth didn''t open, but a mischievous smile''s appearance made Lydia even more irritated. Why is Nickughing? Is heughing at her? "Do you know you have a golden fleck in your eyes?" "..." Suddenly, Lydia''s hands stopped, and two other pairs of eyes stared at Nick in suspicion. "Nick, stop bothering her. You''re gonna bete," advised Kaylee in a tired tone. She didn''t know how many times she''d told Nick not to flirt with Lydia that she lost count. Nick could flirt with any girls he wanted, but not Lydia. The girl was already considered a family member, and she didn''t want Lydia to fall in love with Nick, while the flirtatious boy could never take a rtionship seriously. "I won''t. I still have a lot of times in the world." Nick answered without taking off his eyes on Lydia''s as if he had found a hidden treasure in the girl''s pair of brown eyes. Lydia pulled away with a long sigh. For some reason, she felt a lot more spent doing Nick''s make-up than she did Kaylee and Wendy. Nick''s make-up was extremely simple and did not require a lot of equipment. Wendy and Kaylee''s make-up kit was more and much moreplicated. However, she felt that all her stamina had been exhausted just because she had dressed Nick alone. "Do you want me to finish it or not? Otherwise, I will go to thedies." "Yes, finish it." Nick straightened his back as if he was giving a silent promise he wouldn''t speak. "Close your eyes." "Why? You will kiss me?" "..." Lydia''s mouth opened wide at that. As if her irritation had built up in her heart until there was no room for it, Lydia''s hand moved and gave a death pinching on his cheek. "Aw¡­ aw¡­" Lydia didn''t even care about Kaylee and Wendy''s open-mouthed expression. Both looked surprised because it was the first time they had seen Lydia pinch Nick''s cheek in person. Not satisfied with the pinch, Lydia used her other hand to pinch Nick''s other cheek to make Nick''s handsome face look ridiculous. Unable to see the young man''s ridiculous face, Lydiaughed as she released her pinch. On the other hand, Nick stroked his cheeks which felt hot from Lydia''s deadly pinch. "Gosh! Not only is my sister being mean to me, but you too? Kaylee, protect me." Lydia just remembered that they weren''t alone, and she suddenly felt guilty. But before she could apologize, Kaylee surprised her with her words. "Nope. You deserve it." "What?" Nick pouted, his lips still caressing his cheek, hoping the heat would fade away. Lydia was relieved that Kaylee hadn''t reprimanded her, and what surprised her the most was when Wendy burst outughing andplimented her. "This is the first time anyone has dared to pinch my brother''s cheek in front of me. You''re really something, Lydia. Go ahead. You can torture my brother all you wished." "¡­" both Nick and Lydia were speechless. What kind of sister gives her sibling to be tortured by others? But when she saw Nick''s sullen face and the boy''s two big hands still cupping his cheeks, Lydia giggled wholeheartedly. It was as if she could forget the problems that weighed her down and be able tough when she was with this family. Ah, she was so lucky to have met Kaylee two years ago. Lydia pulled Nick''s hands gently while smiling sweetly at him. "Let me finish my job now. Be good." Her voice that sounded soft and the sweetest smile she had ever shown made Nick stunned. It was the first time he had seen Lydia''s expression, which seemed so free as if there was no weight in her mind. Lydia did smile often, but Nick always sensed there was something she was hiding. He felt¡­ Lydia was a bit like him hiding what was hurting his heart. The girl hid it by always smiling and being a cheerful girl in front of people¡­ just like him. The difference is¡­ Lydia looks for a date on an online dating app, whereas he hid his ached heart by flirting around all the women she meets. ''Do you know you have a golden fleck in your eyes?'' Hispliment just now was not merely a flirty word. He could really see golden flecks dancing through Lydia''s brown eyes. The gentle touch on his face, the face of the girl who was very close to him, but he couldn''t do anything, made Nick realize something he didn''t expect. It seemed¡­ his heart had made its choice. Chapter 176 - Ch. 176 Buy Dress For Lydia "It''s done. You can go now." Nick gasped in disbelief. Why did he feel Lydia was kicking him? Before he could protest the girl, Lydia had turned to Kaylee and his sister. "What kind of impression do you want tonight, miss?" "Just as usual, please." "You have a date, right?" "Yes." "Then I''ll make your lover couldn''t take off his eyes on you." "Eh? Not too much." Kaylee worried that Den wouldn''t take her home if he''s too enamored with her beauty. She had promised to live with the man, but she asked for time to calm her nervous system in the end. Den was getting impatient and wanted to take her to his house as soon as possible. If only Kaylee didn''t quickly found a reasonable reason to dy the move for a while, she didn''t know who could help her from this hungry beast. She used the excuse that her mother missed her so much. Thus, she would stay at her parents'' house for a while. s, Roxanne will never appear when she returns to her parents'' house. Even now, Roxanne didn''t show up for fear that she would think of her sister if she talked with Wendy for too long. Therefore, Roxanne had been sleeping inside her for the past few days sinceing home from the music camp. "Don''t worry. Den can''t take his eyes off Kaylee anymore even though she''s not wearing any make-up." "Wendy." "What? I''m telling the truth, right?" Lydia giggled, hearing the interaction of the pair of friends as she took the foundation to apply to Kaylee''s face. "Miss Kaylee, you are so lucky to have your lover. He must be good to you." Kaylee couldn''t help but smile at her make-up artist''s words. "He is. There is no man as good and sweet as him. I am indeed fortunate to have met him." "Are you sure you''re lucky? I think you often try to run away whenever Mr. ck''s name is mentioned." Nick quipped as he walked over to get his guitar case. "That''s in the past. Besides, when are you leaving?" Kaylee refuted while ncing at Nick in annoyance. "I''m going, I''m going. Why is everyone kicking me out of my own house?" His nagging sounded hrious, making the three girlsugh. "Lydia, are youing to see my show?" Ha?? Why did the young man ask her? Pondered Lydia in confusion. "No. I will straight go home after this." "It''s still early. Why do you go home so quick?" "Mind your own business." "Never mind. Sis, I''ll count on you. See ya." Wendy was about to ask her brother what he meant, but Nick had already left the house and walked quickly to his car. "What is he asking for?" Wendy wondered what Nick wants from her. "Why did he say he''ll count on you?" just like Wendy, Kaylee also wondered and nced at Wendy without moving her head because right now Lydia was smearing something on her face. "I''m as confused as you are. What did he say before he left?" "Didn''t he invite Lydia to..." without even continuing her sentence, Wendy instantly understood what her best friend wanted to say. Simultaneously the two of them looked at Lydia with eyes full of interest. The clueless hard-working girl was still focused on her work when she noticed Kaylee was staring at her with her trademark gentle smile. Not only Kaylee but Wendy was also looking at her with the same gaze. What is this? "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Nothing. Let''s continue." denied Kaylee as she closed her eyes and allowed Lydia to return to her duties. After Lydia finished dressing Kaylee and Wendy, which took almost two hours, the best friend couple finally ready to go on a date. Wendy was satisfied with her appearance and can''t wait to meet her new blind date. "Kaylee, let me treat it this time, okay?" "Okay." Wendy smiled broadly, getting approval from Kaylee and immediately took her phone. She sent some money into Lydia''s bank ount while the girl packed her tools. "Lydia, I''ve already transferred the fees for the three of us to your ount." "Thank you, Miss Wendy." "Don''t you want to check it out?" "No need. You two are my customers, so I have trusted you." Wendy chuckled in amusement, "Are you sure? That means you''ve epted it." "???" "Then I want you toe with us to buy a dress for you." "But¡­" Lydia didn''t want to waste money on pretty clothes she rarely wore. She didn''t even want someone else to buy her clothes, even if it was just as a gift. "You can''t refuse because I don''t take no for an answer." "What?" Not only was Lydia dumbfounded, but Kaylee was also surprised at her best friend. "Let''s go. We still have time before the guys arrive." "Go where?" Kaylee still didn''t know what her best friend was up to. "To the clothing store. Come on." she was impatient and pulled the hands of the two bbergasted girls, and the three walked towards the clothes shop, which happened to be only five minutes by foot. By the time they arrived at the clothing store, then Kaylee had understood Wendy''s n. Apparently, the girl wants to buy clothes for Lydia to look more charming when shees to a music performance. "Wendy, why do I feel like you intend to pair Lydia with Nick?" "Why not? Lydia is cute." "But Nick loves to flirt around. I don''t want her to get hurt." "Chix. She won''t get hurt. I know my brother the best. He likes her." "He likes all older girls." "Trust me. It''s different this time." Kaylee sighed resignedly as she nced at Lydia, who was now looking at the rows of clothes with less enthusiasm. Kaylee did like the girl, and she would love it if Lydia were to be a member of her family or Wendy, but¡­ She was worried that Nick would hurt her someday. On the other hand, Lydia felt like she had entered a fairnd as soon as she entered this clothing store. Beautiful dresses and gowns and a variety of soft and elegant colors make someone like a princess. Lydia looked at the price tag out of curiosity. Her eyes widened when she saw it because the price of one dress almost cost half of her monthly sry. Why did Wendy bring her here? She couldn''t afford pricey attire like this. Chapter 177 - Ch. 177 Forceful Wendy Wendy chose a knee-length dress with yellow flowers as its pattern and gave it to Lydia. "Try this. I''m sure it will suit you." Lydia was confused, without knowing what to say, when Wendy pushed her into the fitting room. "Come out when you''re done wearing it. We want to see it too." After saying that, Wendy closed the door of the fitting room and looked for other clothes. "Wendy, if you''re this bold, she''ll run scared." "She isn''t you who always runs away whenever Mr. ck makes advances on you. She will be fine." "What? I don''t always run away¡­ after all, it''s been a long time." "Yes, yes, yes. I know. What do you think of this one?" Wendy pointed to a short-sleeve pink dress at Kaylee. The color is very soft and hasce on the cuffs. "This is cute. It will suit her." "As I thought. But, have you ever seen her dressed in girly attire? For as long as I can remember, she always wore a t-shirt and jeans or a long t-shirtbined with leggings. She never wears dresses or other girly clothes." Kaylee shook her head. "I''ve never seen it. After all, with a job as a make-up artist, wearing clothes that make her feelfortable is paramount. Why wear clothes like this to work? She won''t befortable moving." "That makes sense." Wendy chuckled lightly as she thought of something. "What is so funny?" "I can''t wait to see Nick''s expression when he sees the girl he likes looks different this time." Kaylee tilted her head in confusion. Seriously¡­ how can Wendy be sure that Nick likes Lydia? "I have no idea how you can be so sure? It''s not like Lydia is his first crush." "Why are you so cynical? You seem displeased." "It''s not that I''m not happy. But¡­" "Hey, we''re just paving the way for them, okay? After all, Lydia didn''t necessarily like Nick. If it turns out that they don''t suit each other, then I will raise my hand." Kaylee was a little pushover¡­ not a little. But very pushover when facing Wendy. That''s why she couldn''t refuse the girl when Wendy asked her to disguise as Nick half a year ago. On the other hand, Lydia, who was in the fitting room, checked the price tag and widened her eyes. The clothes cost five times the cost of dressing Kaylee! Lydia didn''t want to try it because she definitely wouldn''t buy it. Why would she try on clothes she wouldn''t purchase? But¡­ Wendy and Kaylee were waiting for her outside to see her in these clothes. What should she do? In the end, Lydia was forced to try the most expensive dress she had ever worn. She just had to try it and show it to the two girls, and then she would go home. After putting on a dress filled with sunflowers pattern, her eyes were glued to her reflection in the mirror. She¡­ she looks different! Her waist looks slimmer, and the curve of her breasts looks so beautiful that it makes her feel flustered. She had never dressed like this¡­ well, she had tried it once and pretended to be someone else¡­ but¡­ Lydia never thought she would do it again. Lydia remembered that her two regr clients were still waiting for her outside, so she directly opened the door to the room and walked out. Luckily, she didn''t have to look for them, because now Wendy and Kaylee were standing in front of her fitting room with some other dresses?! "Wow¡­ you look pretty, Lydia."plimented Kaylee sincerely. "You were right. She''s attractive," she said to Wendy, earning a proud smile on her best friend''s face. "I know, right. But, the clothes are not suitable for tonight''s event. Try this one, as well as this one." Wendy said while giving the pink dress and white woman winter coat to make Lydia bbergasted. Not long after, Lydia appeared wearing a baby pink dress, making Kaylee and Wendy smile with satisfaction. "Try that coat too." Lydiaplied with Wendy''s wishes, and wearing the white woman coat made her whole body feel warm. Hm¡­ Lydia liked this warm feeling. She doesn''t have to worry about the cold temperatures this winter if she wears this coat. But¡­ she definitely wouldn''t be able to afford it. "Okay. We''ll take that." "We?" Lydia found herself was very slow in digesting Wendy''s words. "Yeah. I''ll buy it for you." "No, you don''t have to." "You don''t like the dress? Should we try another?" "No, no, no." denied Lydia in panic. "I''ll take this, but let me pay for this." "Sure. Let''s go." Wendy walked to look at the other clothes area to wait for her date toe to pick her up. She had already told her date that she was in this shop. Wendy had also told Kaylee to tell Den to pick her up here too. That way, the three of them could linger in this ce. "Miss Kaylee," Lydia called hesitantly, "Is she always like that?" "She''s a little forceful, isn''t she? But she has a good heart. I can bet on that." Lydia nodded resignedly. She didn''t want to waste any of her savings on buying this outfit at all. And yet, she didn''t want someone else to buy it. But now that she had said she would pay for these clothes¡­ she couldn''t back down. Lydia went into the fitting room to change back into her clothes so she could hand over the dress to the shopkeeper toplete the purchase. After changing clothes, Lydia checked her phone to calcte her expenses. If she takes this pink dress along with the winter coat, it looks like she has to start saving money from now on. However, never did she imagine she has some money in her bank ount. She could even buy ten more dresses in this shop! Where did she get this much ie from? She remembered that a while ago, Wendy paid her for her services. And that woman''s words were quite weird, but she overlooked it. Is it possible¡­ from the beginning, Wendy gave her a bonus?? But it''s too much! Chapter 178 - Ch. 178 Wendy Will Terror Once Lydia came out and gave the dresses to the waitstaff to deliver to the cashier, Lydia walked over to Wendy. "Miss Wendy, can I talk to you?" "Yeah. What is it?" "I just found out you gave me too much cash." Wendy smiled at her. "I did. That''s why don''t worry about buying things at this ce." "But I can''t ept it." "It''s a bonus, darling. I am satisfied with your service so far. It''s not like you never received a bonus from your customer." That''s true. Lydia often gets bonuses and tips from her customers. The person who gave her the most was Kaylee. And sometimes, the girl would give her double the price of her services every Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. This is the first time she gets a bonus from Wendy because, basically, Kaylee always pays for Wendy and Nick''s assistance. And the girl''s bonus was ten times Kaylee''s usual bonus. "But it''s too much, Miss Wendy." "Really? But it''s too little for me, considering your skills." "But¡­" "Lydia, I told you to check your ount, didn''t I? But you said you believed me, and once you epted it, you can''t return it." Lydia was too speechless. Now she felt certain that Wendy was indeed Nick''s sister. Both are equally pushy and¡­ irritating! "If you''re still in the mood, why don''t youe to Brooklyn to see a music performance." "Ha?" "You can wear the clothes you bought and beautify yourself." "What?" "Or you cane with Kaylee or me and go together. Your choice." Lydia nced at Kaylee for help using her eyes, but Kaylee''s phone rang, so the girl would instead answer the call than help her. "Lydia, you know you have no other choice, don''t you?" "I¡­" Before Lydia could finish her sentence, a waitstaff called her to pay for her things at the cashier. In the end, Lydia went to the cashier and paid for her dresses, including the flowery dress. After that, she approached Kaylee, who was still talking to someone through her phone. "Have you paid for it?" Kaylee asked after putting her phone back in her bag. "I am done." "Good. Den has arrived. Let''s go." Wendy nodded in agreement and walked out of the shop when she saw a tall, handsome man walking up to them. "Good evening,dies," the man greeted the three of them, but his eyes ended up looking at Kaylee with a look full of love. "Good evening, Mister ck. I hope you don''t get lost finding this ce." "Of course not. Even if I get lost, I will always be able to find my wife." Kaylee lowered her face shyly while circling her hands in his arms. "Stop teasing me." "You look beautiful, sweetheart." as usual, Den is never stingy with hispliments and always speaks his heart out frankly. He even showed his affection by kissing her crown even though they were not alone. "Lydia, have you made your mind? Are you going home first to get ready, or are youing with us right away?" "I don''t want to disturb you," Lydia answered without giving the impression that she woulde to join them to watch Nick''s music group performance. "So you''re going home and following uster?" Wendy still insists on getting reassurance from the poor girl making Lydia speechless. "What if I don''te?" "Then I''ll terror you every day." "..." Den, who didn''t understand what was happening, lowered his face to whisper to his wife. "What happened?" Kaylee tiptoed slightly to whisper back to him. "Wendy wants to pair Lydia with Nick." One of Den''s eyebrows rose in surprise. He wondered why Wendy meddled in other people''s business instead of worrying about herself? If his memory served him right, Robert was desperate to have Wendy. Nevertheless, that''s none of his business. Hugging Kaylee and being with this girl was the most important thing on his mind right now. Kaylee couldn''t bear to see Lydia in trouble while her best friend was so stubborn about bringing the girl together with her brother. After all, the two of them would meet again when Kaylee summoned Lydia for her services. Why tonight¡­ Could it be Wendy wants to use Nick''s guitar-ying charisma to lure Lydia? No girl could stand up to Nick''s true charm while ying the guitar. "Lydia, she was joking. She won''t terror you." Lydia exhaled a relief sigh at Kaylee''s words while Wendy looked at Kaylee with a sullen face. "But I will disappoint if you don''te. Wendy has given you a big bonus, and you have also bought clothes for tonight. You will disappoint both of us." her words made Wendy smile widely and raise her thumb at Kaylee. "..." why did Lydia feel that Kaylee''s words were much heavier than being terrorized by Wendy? She''d rather be terrorized by Wendy than have to bear the burden of making a good girl like Kaylee feel disappointed in her. On the other hand, Den felt a hidden danger when facing two girls like Kaylee and Wendy. No one would dare offend the two of them. Both are equally dangerous vixen. "Okay. I wille. Then I will go home first. See youter, and good evening Mister ck." Lydia turned away with her shoulders drooping as if she wasn''t in the least bit excited abouting to tonight''s event. "Why do I feel guilty? Wendy, it''s all because of you." "Howe?" "She''s still young. We don''t have to set on who she likes." "Of course, it is necessary if I want her to be my sister-inw." Kaylee sighed resignedly to hear that, then turned to the side because she heard the sound ofughter from her lover. "Why are youughing?" "It reminds me of my mother," Den answered softly before turning to nce at Wendy. "You look like my mother, who insisted on setting me up with Kaylee." "But you fell in love with her at the end, don''t you?" "And she is the best thing that ever happened in my life." Kaylee felt her heart beating fast, and her heart was filled with butterflies dancing in the flower garden. "That was the most unexpected thing I''ve ever heard of." Suddenly a masculine voice came from behind Wendy, making the three of them turn their heads. Wendy and Den were surprised to see the person, but strangely Kaylee smiled broadly at the man''s arrival. Chapter 179 - Ch. 179 Wendys New Guy Three days earlier¡­ Kaylee and Wendy were having lunch outside, and after finishing their meal, Wendy was holding her phone while smiling happily. "Why are you smiling like that? What are you looking at?" "This dating app is great. The process is swift, and I could find my ideal man." Kaylee almost choked on her saliva when she heard that. "Unbelievable. You just found someone new overnight? How about the old one?" "Don''t remind me. I don''t know how, but Robert came over the night we had a date. Do you know what your cousin said to my date?" Kaylee shook her head. "He called me wifey! He must have gone mad." Kaylee sipped her soda without saying anything. She felt as if the words ''the perpetrator'' written above her head. Yup. Kaylee is the culprit. She was the one who told Robert when and where Wendy would meet her new date. ''I''m sorry, Wendy.'' If it weren''t for Den, she wouldn''t have betrayed Wendy like this. She just found out that the requirement for her music team to join the music camp program was Den''s idea. From the start, they didn''t need to enter this winter music camp because they had won their duel fairly. And the person who prepared a separate cottage her which was located very far from the campsite was also Den. Aubrey turned out to be Kris''s twin and has never met Robert. All this time, Kaylee thought Aubrey was a special assistant sent by Robert, but instead, it turned out that Den sent the girl to look after her. Kaylee never knew that Den''s rtionship with her cousin was close enough that Robert would do whatever Den said. Now the rice had turned to mush, and Kaylee had promised Robert to help her make up with Wendy. She had no choice but to ask Wendy about her date and be a temporary spy for her cousin. "Take a look at this person''s profile." Wendy showed Kaylee a photo of a man in histe 20s. The man does look handsome and young, but isn''t his cousin much more attractive than that man? Well¡­ her cousin was indeed old, but his face still looked youthful even though he was almost in his forties. "He''s cute. But, Wendy¡­" "I''ll try to talk to him." Kaylee sighed in defeat at the enthusiastic and excited tone of her best friend. "My stomach suddenly hurts. I''ll be back." Kaylee nodded her head as she took another sip of her soda. That''s when she saw Wendy''s phone on the table, and the screen lit up as if a message had arrived. Should she once again help her cousin? Kaylee immediately took Wendy''s phone, frowning when she saw a pattern screen lock. There is a fingerprint to open it, but of course, Kaylee''s fingers won''t be able to open it. Kaylee tried to trace the dots on the pattern on the lock screen and formed the letter R. Miraculously, the screen is unlocked! "I know you still love my cousin. Why deny your own feelings?" Kaylee checked Wendy''s new date''s reply and deleted the chat. She remembered that Wendy had blocked her cousin''s contact, so she unblocked her cousin and instead blocked the new guy''s contact. She changed her cousin''s name to the new guy''s name, while the name of the new guy changed to her cousin''s name. After that, she gave a message to her cousin with the same sentence as when Wendy greeted the new guy. Then she put Wendy''s phone back in its ce and texted her cousin. She briefly told the man what she had done and told Robert to act as the new guy. After that, she closed the message with the sentence, ''This is thest time I help you.'' Not long after, Wendy came back and sat across Kaylee without any suspicion. She nced at her phone to check whether the new guy had replied to her message or not. "Looks like he''s not interested in my profile." "Why do you think like that?" Kaylee asked in an innocent tone as if she hadn''t done anything before. "He didn''t reply to my messages at all. Usually, the men would shortly return my letters before this." "They immediately replied to your messages because you are Wendy Larson. Everyone knows who you are, and you still want to date them? Even if they are only interested in your career." "I don''t care. I''ll break them up after I get bored anyway. Oh! He sent a reply." Kaylee swallowed nervously. Did her cousin ever read her message? What if it turns out that Robert read Wendy''s message first than hers? "Hmm? Very weird." Gulp! "What?" Wendy showed Kaylee her phone screen so that Kaylee could read her cousin''s reply. ''Hi,'' Hi? That''s it? Doesn''t her cousin have anything else to talk about? "He replied to your text. What''s so weird about that?" "That is precisely why it is so strange. Usually, other men will directly ask all kinds of things until he invites me to meet. But this person¡­." Wendy looked back at the profile photo in the online dating application. "He gave the impression of being disinterested in me but still replied to me. He is very mysterious. I like this guy." Kaylee was silent and decided not to talk anymore as she took another sip of her drink. She investigated Wendy''s expression with a curious look and wanted to know what Wendy had written to reply to her cousin. "Oh, he replied to me again. But the answer is concise. So is he interested in me or not?" Wendy put her phone on her desk, making Kaylee think Wendy was no longer interested in meeting the new guy. "How about you ask him to meet this time?" Kaylee suggested tly. "Nick will be performing in Brooklyn with my friends, and I n to support him with Den. How about you take him with us?" Wendy seemed to be silent, thinking about her suggestion, before making her decision. "That''s not a bad idea. But I doubt he''ll agree to it." "There''s no harm in trying it." Wendy followed Kaylee''s advice and invited the new guy to see a music performance in Brooklyn. Not long after, she got an answer from the new guy. "Oh, he said ok." Kaylee hid her satisfied smile by covering her mouth with the back of her hand. *** (Present time) "That was the most unexpected thing I''ve ever heard of." Robert walked up to them, making Den wince in confusion while Wendy gasped in shock. "Mr. Harvey?" "Robert?" Chapter 180 - Ch. 180 Using Declan "Ro¡­ Robert? What are you doing here?" "Didn''t you invite me toe to see your brother''s performance?" "No. I didn''t invite you." Robert took his smartphone and showed all the chat conversations between Wendy and him for the past three days. Wendy''s pair of dark brown eyes widened looking at the chat log, and she noticed Robert had her name as ''wifey'' on it, making Wendy unable to look into the man''s eyes. So¡­ all this time, she was exchanging words with Robert instead of that new guy? She was sure she was in a rtionship with the new guy, but why did the new guy suddenly turn into Robert? Plus, this guy only answered ''Yes'' or ''Ok'' every time he replied to her texts. Never did she imagine that the person she was exchanging messages with was Robert. Wendy still couldn''t believe that the person she had been chatting with was Robert, so she took her cell phone to check the man''s number. And as it turned out¡­ the number of the person who had exchanged words with her was indeed Robert''s number! Who changed his name? And who unblocked Robert from the blocklist? Wendy nced at Kaylee suspiciously because the only person who dared to ess her phone was¡­ "If you''re asking how I can change my name on your phone, I''m asking Den for help," remarked Robert before Wendy scolded Kaylee. He knew Wendy would definitely throw a tantrum at Kaylee if it were Kaylee who had helped him. But the girl wouldn''t do anything if it turned out Den aided him to unblock and change his contact info. "Mr. ck? How did you change the name on my phone?" asked Wendy in a demanding tone without fear. Even if Den wish to strangle her neck, she was sure Kaylee would protect her. The clueless Den stared dagger at Robert for putting him in this situation. But that cunning older man looked at him indifferently as if not intimidated by his death re. "It''s because Den owned a securitypany. He can hack into someone''s phone and change the contents of whatever data he hacks. So hacking your phone isn''t that hard." Den was about to protest when Robert made him a scapegoat, but he swallowed all his protests back when his wife started to speak. "So, please don''t mad at me. I know nothing about this." Ah... it seemed that Robert deliberately scapegoated him to protect Kaylee from Wendy''s scolding. If that''s the case, he''ll y along with it. "That''s right, Miss Larson. Your boyfriend here is so desperate to get back to you. He even cried that night when he begged me to help him." Robert''s brow furrowed at this. Why did this guy make him look vulnerable in front of his girlfriend and cousin? "It seems you''ve forgotten the favor I did for you, Mr. ck. Should I make it to the light to your little wife?" "She already knows." was the short answer from Den, along with a proud smile full of victory. Robert sighed in defeat and nced at Kaylee with a questioning look. Why did his cousin have to fall in love with the most shameless man in the world? "Alright. Now we know the truth. Let''s go now. Or we''re gonna bete." suggested Kaylee while holding Wendy''s hand gently. "Come on, don''t be angry anymore." coaxed Kaylee while cutely shaking Wendy''s arm to calm Wendy''s anger. "Think about how Nick reacted when he met Lydia." Kaylee yed her brows up and down to persuade her best friend. Wendy sighed in defeat, knowing she would never win against the three people who seemed to have trapped her. "Fine. But I''lle with you." "Then, I''ll go with you guys too." even before Den and Kaylee reacted to Wendy''s request, Robert dered his words making Den massage his temple. "Don''t you have your own car, Mister Harvey?" "How could I trust you in handling my cousin and my future bride, Mr. ck?" "I''m not your future bride." refuted Wendy in a firm tone. "Why do you have toe with us? I don''t want to see you." "But I want to see my cousin and make sure she''s in the right hand." ''She is in the right hand!'' Oh, Den had the urge to whack this man''s head as the older man kept using him as his ''shield.'' "Den, let theme with us. Hmm?" How could Den refuse his wife''s request, especially when she asked him with a sweet, pleading face? "Let''s go." Den couldn''t help but take Kaylee''s hand, and the two of them walked towards the parking lot, ignoring the stupid couple behind him. Even though he didn''t like it because someone else was disturbing his precious time alone with his wife, at least he was still sitting side by side with Kaylee in the car. Or so he thought. "Kaylee, sit with me in the passenger seat." "Eh? Sure." Kaylee nced at Den with a begging look as if she was asking the man to let her friend do whatever she wants tonight. Den had no choice but to give in. Once the girls climb inside the car, he stared at the annoying extra bug. "You owed me a big one, Mr. Harvey." "Not as big as I did you a favor, Mr. ck. You do know fulfilling your request puts me at risk of being hated by my cousin and getting punished by the benefactors." "You do realize I am one of those benefactors." "Ah¡­ So, why did you ask me a favor then? You can do it yourself, isn''t that right, Mr. ck." "¡­" this man¡­ "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Kaylee opened the car window and looked out, wondering why the two men were still standing in front of the car. "Let''s go. We''re almostte." Den walked casually towards the car driver, and after making sure everyone had got into his car, Den drove the vehicle. Ah¡­ usually, his right hand would go to the side to hold his wife''s hand.. Now sitting next to him was a bulky older man and as handsome as him, making his mood even worse. Chapter 181 - Ch. 181 Someone Targeted Roxanne The streets of the borough of Brooklyn were bustling. Even finding an empty parking lot was a pain in the ass. Luckily there was one vacant spot in the parking lot so that Den could park his car there right away. Den had offered Kaylee and others to get off first because the parking lot was far from the music performance venue. But Kaylee wanted to apany Den to the end, while Wendy didn''t want to be alone with Robert. As a result, they all apanied Den until they find an empty ce. Den''s mood improved, thinking he''ll be able to walk hand in hand with Kaylee, but¡­ again, Wendy monopolized his wife. In the end, Wendy and Kaylee walked side by side while the two men followed them from behind. "Really. What have you done to make her hate you?" "She doesn''t hate me. It''s our family matter that made her run away." "Family matters? Is it because she''s the daughter of Hades''s right-hand man?" Robert''s footsteps stopped hearing Den''sst guess. "How do you know? Then¡­ do you know about¡­" "I know. I know that Mr. Zouch is the infamous Hades of South America. I know you''re the son of his elder brother. And I know about her sister." "Did you investigate your wife''s background?" "Not just her, but I went all the way to the Folnd Ind." "¡­" "I heard you should have taken Hades'' ce once he decided to retire. But you refused." "I''m not my uncle. I can''t be the ruthless and merciless leader like him." "Why someone needs to be ruthless and merciless to be a leader?" Robert gave a sarcastic smile hearing that. "That''s because all members of the Hades organization are crooks or former criminals. He led them with fear and the power of his fists. When they find out that Roxanne has the same fearless nature as Hades, the rivals want to destroy her." "Destroy her? What do you mean?" "The ne crash." "I thought it was an ident." "It looked like an ident, but someone orchestrated it. They had their eye on Roxanne from the start, and when they found out that Roxanne was going back to Folnd Ind alone, that''s when they took action." "¡­" so someone is after Roxanne? "They thought that by killing Roxanne, the daughter that Hades was proud of, our organization would copse. That''s why they killed Roxanne." "How about Kaylee?" "Don''t worry. No one will target her. Kaylee is known to be the weakest and most timid. No one will think of her as the leader of the Hades organization." But¡­ Kaylee is Roxanne. What if Roxanne''s wounded heart is wholly healed one day, and she decides always to be herself? "You are her cousin. Doesn''t that mean you know Roxanne''s face?" Den wonders if Robert knows that Kaylee''s real identity is Roxanne or not. "I know. But before the ident happened, I was in Ennd for three years. They have simr faces, but we can tell the difference if they don''t wear the same makeup." "Same makeup?" "Roxanne was a mischievous child. She loved to trick people into thinking she was Kaylee by wearing Kaylee''s clothes and styling her hair like Kaylee. The two of them are like twins if one only glimpses their faces." So¡­ that''s why no one suspected that Roxanne had changed and taken on Kaylee''s identity? "But if they just woke up or didn''t have any makeup on, you could see the difference between them." "It seems that you love your two cousins." "They are like my own little sisters." Robert looked at the back of Kaylee, who was walking side by side with his lover. But¡­ every time he looked at the girl''s back, why did he feel like he was looking at Roxanne? The two of them had simr faces, but the way they walked, the way they spoke, and also¡­ the frame of their backs from behind were utterly different. "I lost one of my cousins ??years ago, and I won''t lose another one. I won''t let you go if you make her cry, Den." That was the first time Robert called his name directly. "I won''t ever make her cry. I can promise you that." Nodding with satisfaction, Robert quickened his pace and called out to his lover. "Baby, are you still ignoring me?" Wendy was having fun chatting with Kaylee when she heard her endearment name from her ex-lover. She sealed her lips tightly and walked faster to avoid the man. Unfortunately, Den had caught up with them and pulled Kaylee away from her and separating the two of them. "I''ll take her from here. Let''s part and meet at the dining ce." "Totally agree." Robert quickly agreed to the man''s proposal without letting Wendy and Kaylee react. Wendy couldn''t even catch up with Kaylee because Den had pulled her best friend away, and Robert was holding her hand. "What are you doing?" "Aren''t we on a date?" Wendy tried to free herself from his vice grip on her arm, but she gave up when she realized it was a futile effort to face this man''s monster-like energy. "I never agree on this." "But you invited me first." "That was because I thought you''re someone else." "Baby, why do you insist on making things difficult for me?" "First, don''t call me ''baby.'' And second¡­ You insist on making things difficult for yourself! I already told you that we wouldn''t make it. Everything would be fine if you let me go, but you did the opposite." "You want me to let you go? You know I can''t do it." "Why? Because you gave up everything when you decided to live in New York?" "Gwen." "Did you hear them calling me? They want me and Nick toe back." "¡­" "Did you hear? I decided to return." "Then I''ll follow you." Once Wendy heard the man''s response, the girl became pensive and fixed in ce. Robert¡­ will follow her back to Folnd Ind? Not too far from their ce, a girl has just arrived in Brooklyn by subway. She climbed the stairs out to the highway and then continued walking towards the music performance venue. The big question is¡­ what will she do once she gets there? She couldn''t possibly interfere with Kaylee and Wendy''s date with their lover. It was even more impossible for her to meet Nick for no apparent reason. Lydia took a deep breath and felt like she wanted to go back home. Chapter 182 - Ch. 182 What A Possessive Man After contemting what to do, Lydia decided to walk to Brooklyn''s main street, where the music performance was. She knew this street would be packed, especially since they all knew there would be a show from M university. But she didn''t expect the streets here were filled with a sea of ??people that made it difficult for her to walk. She didn''t know where Kaylee or Wendy was. She also doubted the two of them would ever hear their phones ringing in a crowd like this. At least she hade and kept her promise to Wendy. So she didn''t need to show face to the two of them. Lydia decided to go home, but¡­ "This is thest time. I will see him y music onest time." after muttering to herself, Lydia decided to join the other patrons for a show. Lydia could see a stage filled with various kinds of musical instruments. She could even see Nick''s favorite marron guitar. But¡­ she couldn''t see a single one on the stage. Where''s Nick? Where are the rest of Nick''s music team? Lydia looked at the clock, which showed that there were still fifteen minutes before the show started. In the end, Lydia decided to try to break through the crowd to get closer to the stage so she could get a better look at Nick. Kaylee and Den had just arrived not long after her and were both far behind the crowd. "Oh my, can we break through this mob?" "That''s not the real question," Den said without answering Kaylee''s question. "If not?" "Should we watch the show?" Den would rather see Kaylee or Roxanne ying the piano than see the music of teenagers like Nick. "You don''t want to support your sister?" "..." Of course, he wanted to support his sister. But he couldn''t contain his jealousy because Kaylee cheeredother guys than him. Plus, in the music team, there is also his nephew, Jacob. "Come on. I want to hear my friends'' performances." Kaylee coaxed as she winked cutely and tugged on the man''s arm. Den could only sigh in resignation and walk ahead of his wife to create the way. His body was so much bigger and more powerful that he could easily break through the sea of ??people that surrounded them. As they reached the middle of the sea of ??people, Den felt his hand holding Kaylee being held back, causing the man to turn his head towards his wife. "What''s wrong? Don''t you want to see them in the front row?" "I do. But, isn''t that Lydia?" Kaylee pointed to the side where a cute girl who had her hair pulled into a cute bun was standing ufortably. Den had never met Lydia before, but if his wife meant the young girl who had been with Wendy and his wife, Den could confirm that it was the same girl. "I don''t know who Lydia is." "Lydia is my make-up artist. You met her when you picked me up in front of the shop." "Ah, so it''s her." Kaylee smiled widely, and spontaneously she called the young girl''s name in a loud voice, startling Den and the others. Den chuckled, amused at his wife''s behavior, whopletely ignored the strange stares of the people around her. "LYDIA!!" After calling the girl over and over, she finally turned to look at the thick-face caller. Her pair of brown eyes filled with relief, and she walked over to the lovebird trudging through this crowd of people. "Miss Kaylee. I''m so d I meet you." Kaylee chuckled at that. She could understand that a lone girl who had no one would be confused in this crowd of people. "Then you are lucky I see you coincidentally. But, you look fabulous. Wendy''s choice of clothes is perfect for you." A blush graced Lydia''s face as she lowered her head shyly. "You can be as pretty as this, but why don''t you ever doll yourself up?" "I prefer dressing other people, miss Kaylee. I can''t see my work in myself, but I can see it in other people." "You''re too humble." Kaylee put her arm around Lydia''s arm, ignoring Den, who was once again frowning. Seriously. When Kaylee asked him out today, Den had no idea they were going on a double date with Kaylee''s best friend. And now that he''s taken the opportunity to separate the two, they''ve found a lost puppy instead. When can he be alone with his wife? "Since I''ve found you, how about you juste with us?" "Eh? Am I not intruding?" "¡­" Yes, you are! Den wants to answer it, but his wife beats him to it. "Absolutely not. We''re d to see you here. Isn''t that right, Den?" "..." Den didn''t answer and just gave a small polite smile toward the girls. It seemed he needed to punish this wife. When he saw Lydia was shifting his gaze in another direction, Den lowered his head only to whisper at his wife. "Roxy, if you keep it going, don''t me me if I wouldn''t let you go tonight." Roxanne felt her whole body shudder in horror at Den''s threatening tone. How did that guy know she was Roxanne? The girl turned to Den with an innocent look as if she didn''t understand what the man was saying. "What are you talking about? I''m Kaylee, Den." "I know you''re not. You can''t fool me, love." Den brushed his nose against hers, inviting a cute giggle from the girl. "Since when did you know?" "When you call the girl out loud. Kaylee wouldn''t be able to scream that loud." "Tsk. How could you make it so effortless to notice my changes? You''re so annoying." "I''m annoyingly mad in love with you." Roxanne gave a slight punch on his shoulders and let Den hug her tightly. What a possessive man! The man could never stand being away from her, and he would be in a bad mood once she stood away.. Roxanne could only surrender because she has fallen in love with a man like this possessive man. Chapter 183 - Ch. 183 We Cant Be Together When Den, Kaylee, and Lydia have found afortable standing spot to watch the music performance of Nick and his team, Wendy and Robert still at the exact location when Den took Kaylee from them. "You''re going to follow me? How about Kaylee? Didn''t youe here to help with her recovery?" "Hasn''t she recovered? After all, Den ck will always be with her and protect her. I will follow you wherever you go." Wendy was silent, and for a moment, she felt her decision begin to waver. She knew this man loved her so much that his love might be even enormous than before. In the past, it was Wendy who always chased Robert and often stayed over at Roxanne''s house so that she could sneak into the man''s room. But Robert has always been indifferent to her and prioritized his two younger cousins. Even when Hades decided to stay in North America with Kaylee and invitedWendy, Robert also moves to New York because he wants to make up for the lost time he wasn''t there for his sisters and helped Kaylee recover. At that time, Kaylee, who did not remember anything and only remembered Wendy, Nick, and Robert, had felt depressed for months and afraid to go outside once they arrived in New York. But because all the people she loved were by her side and encouraged her, the girl''s mental state gradually improved. By the time Kaylee was cheerful and healthy again, Wendy tried to chase after Robert. How happy she was at that time when the man reciprocated her feelings. But she knew¡­ no matter what she did¡­ that man never loved her as much as she loved him. That''s why Wendy gave up and asked to break up after three months of dating. She also decided to stop pursuing him and tried dating various men through online dating sites. However, she didn''t know why Robert was chasing her back. As a result, they had a rtionship before breaking up again, which the man finally pursued again. Their rtionship was like a light switch that can be on and off at any time. Tired of their unclear rtionship and it was time for the man to settle for good, Wendy cut her ties with him half a year ago. She blocked his number and tried her best not to run into him on the street. Wendy did whatever it takes to avoid the man, and only tonight they talked as much aslike this. And now the man said he would follow her wherever she goes? "Why are you doing this?" "You don''t know?" Of course, she knows, but she doesn''t want to admit it. She knew this man had loved her even though she didn''t know how and since when this man''s feelings for her had grown. "I love you, Gwen. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and there''s nothing else I want in this world." Wendy knows that. Which stupid girl doesn''t know someone''s feelings when he chases her relentlessly and willingly waits for her even though she''s dated many men. But¡­ "You know I can''t. My father¡­" "I am going to meet your father." "Rothbert..." "Baby, I just want to know your feeling. If you don''t have feelings for me, look me in the eyes and tell me now. I will neither chase you nor appear in front of you again." "What''s the point telling you of my feeling. We can''t be together. You know it won''t work. Us being together¡­ wouldn''t work." "Don''t give up on me. Please, just tell me straight in my face if you hate me and want me to disappear. Because if you don''t, I won''t stop approaching you." Wendy wanted to say it so he wouldn''t bother her anymore. She knew that if her father found out that she was in a rtionship with Rothbert, he would send someone to kidnap her and take her home by force. Rothbert was the real sessor and the person who has the actual right to the position of Hades. But the man decided to back off and move with Hades to North America. Because of this, her father, Mr. Zouch''s right-hand man, reced him until now and still lived on Folnd Ind. But¡­ if Hades or Rothbert returned to Folnd Ind and word of their arrival was heard¡­ no doubt, they would all try to get rid of her father just to restore the position of chair to one of them. If Robert hadn''t given up everything and stayed on Folnd Ind, maybe Wendy could openly ept this man''s hand in marriage. But now¡­ if Robert hade back with her to Folnd Ind, it would have been tantamount to suicide. Her father would not let anyone take back his power¡­ not after he tasted the power he had since Hades handed over almost all control of the organization to that man. It was time for Wendy to let Robert go if she didn''t want the man to get hurt. If the only way to get Robert to let her go is to say she doesn''t have feelings for him, then so be it. "Alright. I will tell you this once," stated Wendy in a firm and doubtless tone. She looked straight into Robert''s eyes and said, "I don''t love you, and I don''t want to see you again." Wendy felt sure she was doing what was best for both of them. What''s best for Robert¡­ but why could she hear her screaming heart? "You finally said it while looking at my eyes." "I did. Now, are you happy?" "How could I be happy when your eyes say otherwise?" Wendy gasped in shock and immediately turned her face away to hide her true heart. She was sure that her heart wouldn''t tremble when she told her lies, but why¡­ why did her eyes have to reveal it? "Baby¡­" "Stop. I''ve done what you wanted. Go. I don''t want to see you." Robert wanted to speak again, but the vibrating phone in his pocket made him swallow his words again. He reached into his phone reflexively, and when he saw that his friend had sent an SOS message, he opened it. ''You won''t believe what I have found!'' Annoyed, Robert opened the attachment, and a photo appeared that had him glued in ce. Isn''t this¡­ His prioritize shortly changed as he couldn''t wait to confirm this image. "Alright. I will go as you wish, but I will be back." "You don''t have to." Robert sighed in defeat, then with a heavy heart, he turned and walked out of Brooklyn''s main street, not knowing Wendy didn''t take her eyes off his back even though Robert had disappeared. Chapter 184 - Ch. 184 She Hates Losing Without knowing what happened to Wendy and Robert, Kaylee and Lydia enjoyed a dance performance from senior students at M University. At first, one of the audience raised one hand, and she turned into a statue-like stance. The girl was motionless for a full two minutes, which attracted people around her. Then one of the other spectators who couldn''t contain his curiosity whispered next to him, and now almost everyone was looking curiously at the motionless girl. The boy who spread the weirdness decided to touch the girl''s shoulder but made the people feel shocked because the boy also became motionless. "Hey, what happened with them?" one of the diners roared at the other''s attention. And just like that young man, this visitor suddenly became motionless too before he even touched the two! This made the clueless audience drift away, and suddenly hip-hop music red, followed by five young people appearing among the audience, bending their bodies expertly. They danced here and there until they arrived at the ce of three motionless people. The audience didn''t know what was happening but assumed that the sudden motionless action was part of the show. The dancers circled the three motionless people, and they touched the three''s bodies, making the three of them move again. But they looked confused while scratching their heads before finally, they jumped somersaults in unison, making the audience cheered with enthusiasm. Roxanne and Lydia joined in the cheers when they saw one of the dancers climb onto his fellow dancer''s shoulder and jump in a hundred and eighty-degree spin. So excited to give a cheer, Roxanne didn''t even realize she was starting the fire of jealousy from her man. Suddenly her whole body was filled with something warm, and she could feel some weight from her head. Ugh! It''s heavy! Den used his oversized ck coat to envelop them both by hugging Roxanne from behind. The shameless man settled his chin on her crown without letting go of his arms. "..." Roxanne fell silent as soon as she realized Den was jealous of the young dancers. Seriously¡­ how possessive is this guy that Den doesn''t like her cheering on this dancer group? She became suspicious¡­ perhaps this man wouldn''t let her idolize any actor or singer in this world. "Den, what are you doing?" "¡­" "Den?" Roxanne nudged her elbow to his waist, but still no response. She tried to free herself from his embrace, but as usual, her efforts ended in vain. "Den, you''re heavy! I can''t see!" whined Roxanne when she felt her head felt heavy made her have to lower her head so she couldn''t see the shmob dance performance. The vixen girl didn''t run out of her mind and suddenly twisted her body as soon as she felt her tight embrace loosened. Realizing that Roxanne was no longer looking at the young men in the circle of the crowd, Den was no longer jealous and shed his mischievous smile towards his wife. "Seriously. I can''t even enjoy the show if you''re always this jealous. Aren''t you afraid that one day I wille to my idol''s concert secretly without asking you?" "No. I believe you won''t go without telling me." Roxanne felt her heart race at his words. Roxanne indeed told almost everything whenever she''s alone with Den these past days. She would tell him anything as if it was the only way to forget the painful past. Den was willing to be her listener. He was even willing to endure some of her pressure, making her feel that she was no longer alone amid her guilt that always ready to devour her from within. "Den¡­" Before she could say anything, Den continued, "Besides, I will always find you if you decide to leave me." "¡­" it would have been better if he hasn''t said those words afterward. "How shameless you are to say those derations with an overconfident tone. I can''t believe no one hates you after knowing your nature like this." Den chuckled in amusement at his wife''s nagging. "I''m only like this when I''m with you." Roxanne pouted her lips as if she wanted to let him know that she was in a terrible mood now. But secretly, she was having fun and enjoyed how the man showered his affection at her. "Ah, I almost forget to tell you. I invited my friends to my home tonight. We will have dinner with themter." Roxanne tilted her head up to look at the man. But she jerked back when Den pecked her lips. This man is indeed a true opportunity taker. He never missed an opportunity to steal a kiss from her. "Your friends? Have I met them?" Den shook his head. "Not yet." "Are they handsome?" "¡­" "Which one is more handsome? You or your friend?" "¡­" "Never mind. I will postpone it." Roxanne gave a cute giggle because she managed to tease her boyfriend. "I''m just kidding, hubby. Even though there are men out there who are much more handsome than you, I only see you." "Of course. If you see another man, I will make you look at me again." Roxanne smirked mischievously while circling his waist with her hands inside the warm coat. "Oh, my. I think I''m scared now. I might be screaming." "Sure. I will make you scream my name on our honeymoon." "¡­" Why did Roxanne feel like the two of thempeted to see who won the most in their small bickering? "Will it be like this? Den¡­ Ahn¡­ uuu¡­" Roxanne grinded her lower body against his groin while letting out a delicious moan as if she was having sex. This made Den tense up, and without his brain''smand, his little brother was awakened by the sensual movements of his wife. This vixen girl¡­ really hates losing, doesn''t she? "Alright, you win. Shouldn''t you give mepensation forforting me?" Ha??? Before Roxanne could ask further, Den had pulled her out of the crowd without telling the clueless Lydia. As a result, Lydia was again left alone. Fortunately, Nick and his bandmates had prepared the stage. As the dancers finished their performance, Jacob''s drumsticks tapped, and their first song began. At that moment, Lydia didn''t look anywhere else but one of the guitarists on stage there. Chapter 185 - Ch. 185 Lydias Goal As usual, Nick''s performance was indeed very remarkable, and Nick''s female fans were mounting. Lydia smiled, amused, when she saw Nick waving his hand at the audience with a big smile. It was the boy''s nature. He always spreads his charm wherever he is, and no girl doesn''t like him. Nick''s musical team concert eventsted for half an hour and was reced by a group of professional musicians who would y music until midnight. Lydia was worried that she would be caught in the middle and couldn''t get out, so she decided to leave before Nick''s music team finished thest song. That''s when she realized she was back alone and couldn''t find Kaylee and her fianc¨¦. Where do they go? As she had expected, the lovers preferred to be alone rather than with her. She could understand that, so she didn''t feel disappointed. Lydia took a deep breath before finally trying to make her way through the crowd of people surrounding her. She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she made her way out of the crowd. Lydia was about to decide to go home when she felt her phone vibrate in her sling bag. She reflexively grabbed her phone because she didn''t want to miss a customer if someone sought her services. But¡­ this time, she hoped not to pick it up when she heard a woman''s voice on the other end. "Lydia, did youe?" "Miss Wendy, I came, and the show will be over soon. I''ll go home first." "Wait a minute. Can youe backstage in ten minutes?" "Ah?" "See you there." "But¡­" Lydia couldn''t continue her protest because Wendy had ended the call. She ached to reject it and tried to contact Wendy. If there was something Wendy wanted to tell her, they didn''t need to meet backstage. Lydia didn''t want to see Nick, not after she saw the young man''s blinding performance. She was worried that she would no longer be able to hide her feelings for the young man. It''s true, Lydia likes Nick more than just a friend, but she tried to hide and bury it deep. She knows her feelings would be fruitless because Nick was not a serious person in a rtionship. Nick likes flirting around and fancies all the pretty girls who are older than him. His flirtatious and charming smile had been his habit since childhood, and Lydia couldn''t possibly change the boy''s habit. Neither did she want to make any changes to Nick because his puppy-like demeanor was his strong charm. But¡­ still¡­ she couldn''t stand being jealous of all the girls Nick fancied. She just hopes that Nick could find a woman who can ept him for who he is. After all, Nick was still very young. That boy had a long journey ahead, so he didn''t need to rush to find a perfect girl. Yet now... Wendy told her to go backstage? If she hadn''t seen Nick''s performance from start to finish, maybe Lydia could still hide her feeling. It was hard to hide it now, especially after opening her heart once again, and she was fascinated by Nick''s appearance. Somehow she felt Nick gave everything he had on his guitar ying today. It was very different from that night when Nick had a duel with one of his seniors. Today¡­ Nick seems more charismatic than usual¡­ so how can she bury her feelings back? ''Could youe backstage in ten minutes?'' Ten minutes. There''s still ten minutes¡­ seems like enough to bury the feelings again. Lydia stood in front of a waffle shop and leaned against the ss window. She closed her eyes, and her thoughts shifted to her grandmother, who was still living in the hospital. "Lydia. You don''t have to try so hard for my well-being. I know very well what my condition is like, and my time is near." "Grandma¡­" "I''m sorry that I can''t apany you as long as you want. But I wish I could see my future son-inw." "Then hang on. Once I find someone I like, I''ll introduce him to you." Lydia knew her grandmother didn''t demand that she find a handsome or rich husband-to-be. Her grandmother wants her to live happily with the person she loves and also loves her sincerely. But¡­ she also knew¡­ her grandmother wouldn''t be able to leave in peace if her future life wasn''t insured. ustomed to living in poverty and struggling to survive, Lydia wished to find a rich husband. She was also tired of seeing everyone''s mocking look at her every time they knew she was not their level. Therefore, she will look for a rich and handsome husband so that no one will look down on her anymore. Doctor Be was the best candidate out of all her blind dates. But as soon as she realized the doctor was belittling her, she put his name on her cklist. Even though she was not as rich as them and couldn''t afford expensive clothes like Wendy''s regr shop, her soul and way of thinking were not like that of a poor person. She would never ept people who look down on her and consistently proves that even though she is poor, she has the mentality of a rich person. That''s why she was willing to drop out of college and pursue her talent as a make-up artist. Although now she has be a professional make-up artist, she is still learning to hone her skills. Not only make-up, but now she has also mastered various hairstyles and fashions. Lydia knows all the famous clothes and branded bags that are usually worn by the upper ss. But she did not memorize the prices of these items in detail. She was worried that her guts would shrink once she found out the price. She was just figuring out the price range and understanding the difference between authentic and fake items. As a result, she could enter the upper-ss society because she has a fashion sense that socialite women most favor. Not only she did services as a make-up artist, but she was also a fashion counselor for these girls. No wonder Lydia sometimes gave Kaylee information about meeting socialite girls and heard that someone was expecting Kaylee Zouch. s, Kaylee was never interested in joining that, so Lydia never forces her. After thinking things over, Lydia opened her eyes again after sessfully burying her feelings. Her feelings for Nick were unimportant and would hinder her goals. She only has one goal, and she won''t let anyone get in her way. Little did she know.... once Nick set his eyes on something, no one could get in his way either. Chapter 186 - Ch. 186 Nicholass Crush Is... By the appointed hour, Lydia walked towards the backstage, where Nick''s music team began to tidy up their musical equipment. She had found the position of Nick and his friends, but why couldn''t she find Wendy? Where is the woman? Didn''t Wendy tell her to meet her here? Lydia nced in all directions for Wendy without regarding Nick''s group had noticed her when she turned her back. She focused on finding Wendy and wanted to go home soon. Little did she know, one of Nick''s friends saw her and was intrigued with her. "Hey, a cute chick at ten o''clock," announced Adam made his friends turn their heads in unison. Because the girl''s position was with her back to them and only nced sideways asionally as if looking for someone, Nick and the others could not see the girl''s face. But at least seeing from her somewhat girly appearance and cute hairdo made them all feel sure the girl must be attractive. It didn''t matter whether the girl was cute or not; Nick had made his choice now, so he wasn''t interested. "Why don''t you try to hit on her if you like her?" teased Nick on his friend. "I''m not you. How could I woo a girl I don''t know?" "Looking at her movements, there are two possibilities. Either she is looking for someone or is lost. You can ask what the problem is and offer your help." advised Nick as if he was a love expert making Jacob snort in amusement to hear that. He already knew the Nick in front of him was the real Nick and not Kaylee in disguise. The fake Nick has her charm and was a bit clueless about her own appeal. But the real Nick has a natural talent for seducing and pleasing a girl. "Won''t she find me suspicious?" "Nu-uh. This ce is crowded. As long as you don''t take her to a corner, she won''t be suspicious. Unless you have the face of a viin, she will run away as soon as she sees your face." "Haish!" Adam gave a light punch on Nick''s shoulder, earning a heartyugh from the young man. On the other hand, Lydia was puzzled and confused because Wendy still had not answered her call. Was the girl too busy making out with her new blind date to ignore her call? Then why did the woman want her toe backstage? Not expecting that several pairs of eyes were probing her, Lydia turned around, thinking that Wendy was seeing her brother. Never did she imagine Nick would look at her directly, making her want to run away. Not only that, it seemed that Nick''s friends also looked amazed to see her. "Woah, she''s a cutie!" whistled Fritz while nudging his friend''s waist. "Aren''t you going there? If you don''t want to, I''ll go instead." teased Fritz to Adam. Even if his words were spoken aloud, his voice would not reach Lydia''s ears because of the distance between them and the sound of the music from a nearby group of musicians. "NO!" dered Nick to his two friends, confused his friends. "I know her. You can''t touch her." Waaaaat!? To prove his point, Nick walked up to Lydia with vast strides and frowned. Why is Lydia dressed like this? Well, that girl does look more girly and adorable than usual¡­ but¡­ he wanted to be the first to see her dressed like this!! "Lydia, what are you doing?" Lydia felt a pang inside her chest when she heard Nick''s disapproving tone. "Your sister sent me here. There''s no need to mind me." "My sister?" Nick remembered he had asked her for help in persuading Lydia toe here. But¡­ why did this girle here by changing her appearance? He was utterly unprepared for this surprise attack! He thought Lydia would go straight away with his sister or Kaylee so she wouldn''t have to change her clothes. But¡­ Nick looked the girl''s appearance up and down, then turned the girl around without her permission as if he wanted to remember all the curves of the girl''s body so that he wouldn''t mistake other people. When he saw Lydia''s back, Nick didn''t recognize her at all. He even offered his friend to woo her! Usually, Nick immediately recognized the girl even if he only saw her from the back. But for tonight, he didn''t recognize her at all! Lydia, who didn''t know what Nick was thinking, thought the young man didn''t like her unusual appearance. She was starting to feel irritated that her body was being spun around like she was a dummy. Annoyed by Nick''s unusual behavior, Lydia flung the boy''s hands off her shoulders. "What are you doing? It made me dizzy!" Nick gave a guilty smile while scratching the nape of his neck. "Sorry. I can''t believe it''s you. You look different." "Your sister forced me to wear this outfit. I have no other choice but to follow her." "Why did you do it? You''re not the kind of person who will let other people rule you as they please." "Your sister gave me a big bonus and told me to buy new clothes and wear them tonight. After all, this is thest time you see me like this." "Eh? Why? You''re cuter like this. I like it very much. Please wear it more often." If Lydia couldn''t control her feelings, her heart might jump out of its ce when she heard the boy''sst words. But she masked her facial expression and said indifferently. "Why should I follow your preference? Where''s your sister?" "How should I know? She didn''t even look at my performance." "But she asked me toe here." Lydia was even more confused because she didn''t know what Wendy wanted from her. "And Miss Kaylee and her fianc¨¦ saw you perform with me. But they left first without my knowledge." "Ooo¡­" Lydia studied Nick''s expression making the boy wonder. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Are you... already moving on? You don''t like her anymore?" "¡­" why did everyone believe he had a crush on Kaylee!? Well, he did have a crush on someone, but it wasn''t Kaylee. It was Roxanne!! Chapter 187 - Ch. 187 Wouldnt It Better To Hold My Hand? Since childhood, Nick has understood what a crush is, and he dramatically idolizes Roxanne, one of his sister''s friends. The girl was fearless and had unique habits. She loved climbing a tree to bring back a fallen bird from its nest. Or when the girl jumped over the house wall so that she could escape from her father''s wrath. In contrast to Kaylee, who is more reserved, Roxanne is cheerful, energetic, and hard to control. But that''s what makes Nick love her. She could always make the atmosphere lively andugh along with her. Unfortunately¡­ Roxanne has died in a ne crash. Nick would never see her again. But¡­ once in a while, he would see Roxanne inside Kaylee. And sometimes, he worried about Kaylee too much as if he liked her. Is it possible¡­ because of his excessive attention to Kaylee that everyone believes he likes her? Well, Nick hasn''t been near Kayleetely. In addition, he also gets a busy schedule from his manager, so he doesn''t have time to y with his sister and Kaylee. "Lydia, you misunderstood. I don''t see Kaylee as a woman." "Then?" "She¡­ is like a rabbit that cannot be left alone," replied Nick nonchntly. "Imagine if you have a pet who is often afraid and is easily bullied by others. Don''t you want to protect it?" "You¡­ youpare Miss Kaylee to a pet?" "Not just any pet. A bunny. A cute one." "You¡­" Lydia was too speechless. "She''s not like a rabbit. Besides, you underestimated Miss Kaylee too much. She''s not as weak as you think. When something is bothering the people closest to her, she could be fierce." "I never saw it. Why do I feel like you know her better than I do? I''m closer to her." Before she could answer his question, Nick''s friends came over to them and hugged Nick''s shoulder. "Hey, Nick, why didn''t you tell me you got a girlfriend? You won''t introduce her to us." "I''m not¡­." "Isn''t she cute?" interrupted Nick before Lydia finished her objection. "Too cute to make you not recognize her from behind?" teased Jacob invitedughter from both of them. "me her. She has never looked like this in front of me." Lydia gaped in disbelief at Nick''s answer. Why should she dress up in front of Nick? "Hi, my name''s Adam." Adam extended his hand towards Lydia. Lydia was hesitant to ept the friendly stretched hand because that would be tantamount to admitting she was Nick''s girlfriend when she wasn''t. In the end, Lydia took the young man''s hand and said, "I''m Lydia, and I''m not his girlfriend. I''m an old acquaintance of his sister." "Oh, I see. At least you''re not the third sister or something." Adam replied while winked at her yingly. "Isn''t this the first time we''ve seen someone turn down Nick? At that time, some random girl kissed him out of the blue, and now a girl denied that she is Nick''s girlfriend, even though the person in question is not trying to justify our words." "Go away!" protested Nick made his friendsugh, amused. "Wait here. I''ll get my guitar first." "But¡­" Lydia couldn''t continue her words because the young man had run to get his guitar. Why did the boy give the impression that she hade here to see him? She came here to meet Wendy! "Are you really not Nick''s girlfriend?" a sweet voice was heard from a young girl who was the singer of Nick''s band. "I''m not." "But you came here for him, though." the girl''s guess again left Lydia speechless. Lydia wanted to hide her face even more when Nick''s friends chuckled at the young girl''s guess. She came here to meet Wendy, but until this moment, the woman did not appear here. If she insisted on denying it and telling them she was waiting for Wendy, wouldn''t that sound like an excuse? Thus, Lydia chose to respond with a friendly smile instead. She wished Nick''s friends left her alone so she could go, but it seemed her prayers were unanswered. Adam, Fritz, and Jacob took turns greeting her friendly and making small talk with her. The girl named Letti also greeted her as warm as the boys. For some reason¡­ she felt that Nick''s friends were good people. Ah, they''re all Kaylee''s friends considering it was the girl who went to college using Nick''s identity. She knew all of Kaylee''s friends must be good people who made her feelfortable talking to them without having to be careful. Not long after, Nick came in with a guitar case clipped behind his back. "Are you alone?" Lydia nodded her head in response to Nick''s question. "Then I''ll take you home." "There''s no need.¡­" "I''m going first. See you at the next schedule." ignoring Lydia''s protests, Nick grabbed the girl''s arm and said goodbye to his friends. He chuckled in amusement when he heard the mischievous whistling of his friends while Lydia just rolled her eyeszily. "You don''t have to take me home." "It''s alreadyte. It''s not good for a cute girl like you to walk home alone." "It''s still eight o''clock at night." "What do you want to eat?" "Are you listening to me?" Lydia pinched Nick''s cheek making the boy whined in a spoiled tone. "Ow¡­ ow¡­ it hurts¡­." Nick cupped Lydia''s hand that was pinching his cheek and grabbed her hand, causing Lydia''s eyes to widen. Was Nick trying to seduce her? Lydia immediately released her pinch and pulled away from the boy''s grip, but Nick didn''t let her go. "What are you doing?" "Instead of pinching me, wouldn''t it be better to hold my hand?" What?? "Let go," once again, Lydia tried to pull her hand away in vain. As if someone had dug the grave of her feelings forcibly, her heart nearly jumped out when Nick did something unexpected. The young man put their intertwined hands into his coat pocket!! "Nick!" "What? You can touch my face all you want. Why can''t I hold your hand? That''s not fair." Nick showed his sulked face and put his puppy eyes on Lydia making the girl speechless. "Didn''t I touch your cheek? Why are you holding my hand instead?" "Then you want me to touch your cheek?" Nick suddenly turned his face towards her, making Lydia used her free hand to hold the boy. Seriously. What is this boy doing? And why is her heart pounding so hard?? Chapter 188 - Ch. 188 Hands Skill = Handjob? Lydia couldn''tprehend what made this young man even more daring to touch her. As she recalled, Nick did often hit on her but never once touched her. That night, Nick kissed her cheek, and now he''s holding her hand. What is this boy thinking? "Nichs Larson, what are you doing?" Nick stopped approaching Lydia''s face when he heard his full name uttered from Lydia. Has he crossed the line? Nick pulled away without letting go of the girl''s hand. "What have I done?" "Are you jealous of your two sisters who already have lovers? Why don''t you find another girl to be your date?" "Ha?" "I understand a single young man like you feels lonely, especially when you get a whole month''s vacation." "¡­" "Tell me, what kind of girl is your type. I have many beautiful girl acquaintances, and I am sure you will like them." "Is she older?" Nick yed along with her as he was curious what kind of girl Lydia would offer. "Does it have to be older than you?" "What can I say? I have an older girl fetish." "Whatever. I think she''s older¡­." Lydia paused for a while to think. "Yup. Definitely older than you." Lydia tried to pull her hand out of Nick''s grip in the boy''s coat pocket, but the boy wouldn''t let her go. "Until when will you holding my hand?" "Is she cute?" without answering her, Nick continued his question. "She is. She is even cuter than Kaylee." Nick rolled his eyes at that. "Is she talented?" "She is a singer." "I mean¡­ is she talented with her hands?" "Why do you want to ask about her hand''s skill?" what does Nick want by getting a hand-skilled girl? Could it be... Lydia imagined a porn magazine that one of her raunchy clients had shown and identally saw a woman doing a ''handjob.'' Her face suddenly turned red, and using her sudden rage, Lydia pulled her hand away by force, startling Nick. "YOU!! YOU!! How dare you!!" Ha?? Why was Lydia suddenly furious? "How could you¡­ You pervert!!" Excuse me??! Lydia walked quickly, trying to leave the perverted boy and wanted to go home. The bbergasted and clueless Nick immediately followed the girl and grabbed Lydia''s hand with a tight grip without wanting to let go. "Let me go!" Lydia tried to pull away in vain. "Hey, wait! What are you thinking? I only want to know if that girl has talented hands like you or not. Why are you angry?" Instantly Lydia''s movements stopped when she heard Nick''s exnation. Talented hands like her? What does it mean? Does he mean¡­ her skill in dressing people?? Knowing she had misunderstood and prejudiced directly, Lydia''s face turned beet red. "Lydia. What did you think earlier? You call me a pervert, but it seemed that it is you, the pervert one." "¡­" Lydia couldn''t refute, nor could she look at the young man''s mischievous eyes. She had dug her own grave, and now she didn''t know where to hide. Seeing Lydia''s face filled with a red hue and her lowered gaze that didn''t dare to look at him directly made Nick chuckle. His hand rose to touch some lock of hairs and slid it behind the girl''s ear. "You''re so cute." Lydia dared not look up anymore, and the soft touch on her ear felt hot. She felt her skin tonight so sensitive and so conscious at the boy''s touch. "Aren''t you hungry? Let''s buy a meal. It''s my treat." Nick grasped her hands as if it was the most natural thing to do without mentioning the misunderstanding a few moments ago. This time obediently, Lydia let Nick hold her and follow the boy. "Hey, what do you want to eat?" "¡­" "Pasta? Steak? Or Chinese food?" "..." Nick stopped in his tracks when he realized the girl next to him didn''t answer his question at all. "Lydia?" Nick smirked when he noticed Lydia was still looking down without daring to look him in the eye. "Why are you so quiet? Are you embarrassed?" Nick also lowered his face to see Lydia''s expression, but the girl turned the other way and said, "Chinese food. I want to eat Chinese food." Nick grinned from ear to ear. "Chinese food it is." Nick decided to go to Chinatown in his car. He took advantage of Lydia''s silence, who wouldn''t refuse him, and took her wherever he wanted. When they arrived at Chinatown, Nick brought Lydia into one of his two sisters'' favorite Chinese restaurants. "The dim sum here is delicious. Take a look at the rest of the menu and let me know if anything catches your eye." Without answering the young man, Lydia opened the menu book and saw various delicious dishes on the menu. She knew that Nick was looking at her right now, so she couldn''t concentrate on looking at the menu at all. Lydia decided to block the boy''s view by cing her elbows on the table, then hiding her face by leaning one side of her face on the palm of her hand. Only then was Lydia able to see the menu list freely and had already made her choice in her mind. Without changing her position, Lydia opened her bag to retrieve her phone. She wanted to know if Wendy returned her call or not. All because of that woman. If Wendy hadn''t told her toe backstage, she wouldn''t have met Nick. And if she hadn''t met Nick, she wouldn''t be in this embarrassing situation. Slowly, Lydia''s shyness began to fade because Nick didn''t bring up the events of a while ago. Instead, the young man was acting normal and not offended even though Lydia had misunderstood him. Nick didn''tugh at her either and didn''t tease her anymore. Lydia picked up her chopsticks for the dumplings, but Nick already beats her to it. Nick seemed excited to pick up the various kinds of food they ordered on Lydia''s te. And all of those foods are her favorite foods. Lydia turned to her side, and for some reason, she felt she saw a gleam of light surrounding the young man. Now she understood why all the girls liked Nick. Chapter 189 - Ch. 189 Be My Girlfriend Nichs Larson had a talent that no other young man had. He knows how to please a girl and when to tease her. It was as if the boy could read the girl''s inner mind. It might be why Lydia likes Nick too because sometimes the kid knows what her mood is like and tried to cheer her up. But¡­ doesn''t that mean Lydia is just like any other girl? Lydia shook her head to get rid of everything that was upying her mind. She decided to enjoy her dinner while asionally ncing at her phone. Why hasn''t Wendy contacted her until now? Didn''t they promise to meet backstage? If Wendy had arrivedte and realized she couldn''t find her, the older woman should have called her straight away. "Why do you keep staring at your phone? Do you have an appointment with someone?" Lydia gulped before answering without ncing at Nick. "Your sister. I should have met Miss Wendy." "My sister? Why didn''t you call her?" "I did, but she didn''t answer my calls." "You want me to try to contact her?" Nick''s offer made Lydia turn to Nick, and for the first time since that embarrassing misunderstanding, their eyes interlocked. Nick jumped with joy when Lydia finally turned to look at him. But he controlled his emotions and acted normal. "She must be in a crowd. What if she doesn''t answer yours?." "I can''t believe she won''t pick up my phone. I''m pretty sure she''s eating at a restaurant right now with her new date." Nick reached into his pocket for his phone and called his sister. After hearing several ringing sounds, Wendy finally picked up the call. "Hello??" "..." Nick was speechless in response to the voice on the other end. Why did his sister sounds like... a drunken woman? Unbelievable! Did her new date take her to the bar area for drinks? "Wendy, where are you?" "Who is this?" "..." how many sses had she drunk that she didn''t recognize her own brother''s voice!? "Oh, Nico. How was your date with Lydia?... You like how she looks, don''t you? I told her to put on the attire¡­ and meet you backstage.¡­." "¡­" Ha?! So the reason why Lydia is wearing girly clothes that she''s never worn all this time is that his sister did a favor for him? ''I love you, sis!'' screamed Nick in his head. But¡­ he couldn''t help but worry about his sister. "Wendy, where are you now? Why did you let the new guy get you drunk?" "Ha? New guy? Who?" How should he know? He never met his sister''s new date. "Miss Wendy!? Why are you drinking this much?" Nick could hear another woman''s voice from the other side, making him frown. Why did he feel familiar with this female voice? "Oh, Danny. You''vee. Come on,e here¡­ apany me." Dani?? Ah¡­ is it Kaylee''s assistant? It seemed his sister''s date had failed miserably, so she called Danielle to apany her. "Nichs?" "Yes, it''s me," Nick answered when Dani''s voice called out to him. "I''m sorry about my sister." "It''s okay. She''s my friend too. Leave your sister to me." "Okay." As soon as Nick finished the call, Lydia immediately asked him. "What''s wrong? What happened to Miss Wendy?" "She''s fine. Her new date failed, apparently." "Why?" "Beats me. Oh, I know. He must be an ugly guy." "Shouldn''t we be there to pick up your sister?" "No need. Dani was already there with her." "Dani? You mean Miss Kaylee''s assistant." "Hm." Nick picked up a small piece of meat with his chopsticks and pointed it at Lydia''s lips. "Try this one. It tasted really good." Lydia felt her heart was out of ce because she didn''t expect this young man''s actions. "I¡­ I can eat by myself." "Tsk. I insist." persuaded Nick while putting on puppy eyes made Lydia feel like she was looking at a lost, abandoned puppy. How could she resist him? In the end, Lydia opened her mouth slightly and let the meat that in between the chopsticks into her mouth. She could feel her heart pounding so fast when she saw the satisfied smile of the young man. Lydia tried to strike a conversation to calm her rumbling heart. "Didn''t she say something about me?" "Which one?" "She told me to meet her backstage. Wasn''t there something she wanted to tell me?" "Oh, that. Nothing. She''s too drunk to remember." Lydia sighed in resignation and decided not to wait for Wendy''s call. Lydia enjoyed her meal and identally caught her eye on a family sitting at a round table joking around. The family seemed happy to have a husband and wife as well as two children and a daughter-inw followed by five grandchildren. Seeing the crowd andpleteness of the family members made Lydia wonder, could she have such aplete family? In the past, she only had her parents and grandparents who loved her and doted on her. But her grandfather died of kidney disease. Her parents worked hard to pay for her grandfather''s care. They even have to look for debt here and there and increase their working hours until they were exhausted. In the end, both of them died in an ident because her father was driving the car in a sleepy state. The two of them should have outlived her grandfather, but¡­they both died five days earlier than her grandfather. In the end, all that was left was her and her grandmother. After living for ten years alone with her grandmother and taking care of each other¡­ Lydia again must prepare herself to lose the only member of the family she has. Lydia fiddled with her chopsticks on her te with a contemtive look. Her family members would never increase at this rate, but¡­ she''s be alone in this world. "Lydia, what are you thinking? Why don''t you eat your food? You don''t like it?" Lydia immediately shook her head in response to Nick''s question. "No. I like it very much. I was thinking of something." "What do you think?" Nick asked in a normal tone as if the questions were his daily conversation. Furthermore, Nick poured the soup into Lydia''s bowl as soon as he found out the girl had finished the soup. Ah, how considerate this young man is. Lydia couldn''t help but feeling her heart melted at that sweet gesture. "I feel¡­ a bit envious of whoever is going to be your wife." Hearing Lydia''sst sentence made Nick go silent. "Ha? Why are you talking like that?" "You understand a woman''s heart and can charm any girl without lifting a finger. But¡­ when you have someone to love, I''m sure you will love them very much, care for them and protect them. Isn''t that what you did to Miss Kaylee." "Kaylee is like my sister." denied Nick. "Why did you only see me being nice to Kaylee? How about my sister? I was kind to her too." "Not as much as you did to Kaylee." "Then how about you?" "Me? What does that have to do with me?" "Do you think I''m good to you?" "No." was her short answer without thinking. "You were a pain in my neck." "What? Why? What did I do?" "You always cross the line and interrupt all my dates with those handsome, rich guys. You also bothered me when I tried to help you that night. Lately, you also dare to touch me without my permission. You are a pain¡­." Her words were cut short when suddenly Nick grabbed her hand again and held it. "I admit, I do like to tease you and flirt around. But I never touch a girl without her permission." "You still deny it?" "I only do it when I make my choice." "What do you mean?" "Anyway, I did you a favor by ruining your date. You never like the other party. Why must you force yourself?" "None of your business." Lydia pulled her hand back from Nick''s grip while speaking in a curt tone. "Besides, how do you know I wouldn''t like the other guy if I never try it. Love can be nurtured over time, but you destroy it right from the start." "Those mature guys are wolves in sheep''s clothing. You can never trust them." "Aren''t you the same?" "I''m different." "How so?" "Have you ever seen me changing girlfriends like changing clothes every day?" "¡­" "Yes, I do like older girls, and yes, I do like flirting around. But I never approached or forced my way toward a girl who hates me. And I never touch a girl without her permission. I''m not a molester." Lydia snorted at thest word. "If you''re not a molester, then what kind of exnation would suit you molested me? Plus, didn''t your friend also said it. You kissed a random girl in public. You admit you''re not a molester, but I''m not sure you don''t enjoy it." "Oh my. Are you jealous?" Lydia''s brow furrowed at that. "Who''s jealous?!" ignoring the annoying happy smile that graced the young man''s face, Lydia devoured two pieces of meat at once. "Would you like to try it?" "Try what?" Lydia thought Nick was offering one of the dishes on the table that she hadn''t tried. "Didn''t you say you were jealous of whoever would be my wife?" "Then?" Lydia was still ncing at the food to find out which dishes she hadn''t tasted. "Be my girlfriend." Lydia turned to the side with a gaping look. Did she hear wrong? She didn''t even dodge when Nick brought his face closer to her as she was too shocked by the boy''s words. "I will only love you, watch over you and protect you." Thump!! "Would you try it?" Chapter 190 - Ch. 190 Its Time For You To Be His Prey Back to our lovebird, Roxanne and Den are back on their way back to Den''s house. The man had told Roxanne that he wanted to introduce her to his friends. Den has met Kaylee''s family and friends; isn''t it also natural that Den wants to meet her to his friends? Roxanne was also curious about what Den''sfriends are like and was also excited to meet them. Den was not someone who opened his heart to strangers quickly. Although many wanted to have a connection with Den, none of them could touch the cold heart of steel. She was interested in Den''s friends who can make the cold man let his house be a ce to gather? As far as she knows, Den was quite sensitive about strangers invading his area. But¡­ Right now, Roxanne sulked in her ce and refused to talk to the man. She didn''t even bother with relentless poking on her shoulder and hid her hands by the car door. She knew Den wanted to hold her hand as usual, but she wouldn''t let him do it for tonight. How could she not be angry? This man''s sex drive was insatiable! When Den pulled her out of the crowd of music performers, she thought Den would take her home. But¡­ this pervert man took her to the hotel room instead! And this hotel was none other than one of the cks, so anyone who knew Den took him straight to their best suite. As soon as they entered the room, Den instantly attacked her as if he had been starving from not eating for days. She couldn''t refuse nor rebel. Roxanne''s dresses had piled down, and Den carried her to the bed and devoured her there. Well, even though Roxanne wanted to reject him, her body would never listen to her brain''smands. Besides¡­ this man''s tongue and hand were too skill to make her blind with the ecstasy. "Roxy, are you still angry?" "Hmph!" Roxanne still had a scowl on her face and looked out the window as if she couldn''t take her eyes off the Christmas-filled scene. She wondered when the first snow would fall? It''s been a long time since she''s seen the first snow because she mostly hid in her shell and let her other alter took over. Oh, she remembered something. What should she do once she meets Den''s friends? Should she be herself or let her other alter take over? She wanted to ask Den, but¡­ her pride was too high to voice her mind first. Den realized there was something his wife wanted to say, but the girl felt stifled. "Sweetheart, I know you''re still mad at me. But if something''s bothering you, just tell me. You can punish me by dwelling on me, but don''t punish yourself by feeling depressed alone." This man¡­ really knows how to lessen her irritation. "I just wanted to know¡­ when I meet your friendter, should I go back or¡­." "Just be yourself." "But you''re going to introduce me as Kaylee." "I''d love to use your real name, but I know that''s impossible." he didn''t want anyone who was after Roxanne''s life to realize that Roxanne was still alive. Roxanne had no idea that someone had plotted the ne crash. So she wouldn''t know that Den and her father deliberately did not reveal her true identity. They didn''t want the main culprit of the ident to realize that Roxanne is still alive. She thought Den understood her feelings for not being ready to hear people calling her name. She felt¡­ if she went back to using her name again, wouldn''t that mean¡­ her sister''s presence wouldpletely disappear? Roxanne didn''t want to lose her sister a second time. Having her other alter, who has simr traits to her sister, makes her feel she is with her sister. That''s why¡­ she still doesn''t want to be herself. Only when she''s with Den¡­ only when she''s with that man, Roxanne is willing to be herself. "I don''t know your friend, so I guess it''s okay for me to be myself. But you should still call me Kaylee when you introduce me to them." "Of course." Den rubbed the top of Roxanne''s head gently, making her heart warm. But that warm feeling shattered instantly when she realized something "Den! You did it again!" "Ha? What?" "You tricked me! I''m still mad at you! Hmph!" Denughed out loud at that. Ah, he hoped for her other alter to appear at times like this. He could lure and trap Kaylee as much as he wants and make her forgive him. On the other hand, he had a tough time tricking his little vixen. "I know. You''re mad in love with me, right?" Roxanne nced at Den in disbelief. This man was so sly twisting her words like that. How could she¡­ how could she helplessly fall in love with this shameless man? "That''s not what I mean!" "I know. You love me as wide as the universe." "¡­" this guy! "No!! You''re the one who loves me as wide as the universe." "I am." chuckled Den making Roxanne speechless for the umpteenth time. Had she fallen into this guy''s trap? ''Kaylee! Come over here!'' Roxanne ordered her other alter. But she received an unexpected answer making her helpless. ''No. It''s time for you to be his prey.'' What in the hell that supposed to mean?! Roxanne was still busy calling her other alter until she doesn''t realize Den has stopped the car. By the time she realized something wrong, it was toote. Den pulled the nape of her neck andnded her lips against her plump ones. Roxanne widened her eyes, but when she felt the softness of his fondling on her lips, her heart melted. Den pulled away a little to let Roxanne take oxygen. "Now you know I could no longer hold my feelings toward you." he didn''t give his wife a response and imed the red lips that had be his addiction once again. This time, his kiss was more intense, inflicting a sexy moan from the girl. He wanted to make sure that after this, Roxanne wouldn''t see another man besides him. He seemed more worried that his wife would fall in love with his best friend than Roxanne was sulking and wouldn''t talk to him. After all¡­ Axrd Cavendish''s charm is irresistible. Chapter 191 - Ch. 191 Meet Axelard Cavendish When they arrived at Den''s penthouse, they smelled a fragrant aromaing from the kitchen, making Roxanne wonder. "Has anyonee yet?" Roxanne immediately looked inside to look for someone, but since it seemed that the person she was looking for was still in the kitchen, she couldn''t find anyone. "It''s¡­" "Hey, you came right on time." a deep baritone voice sounded from within. Not long after, a young man appeared with all his glory apanied by a charming smile that made Roxanne froze for a moment. The young man had unusual tinum hair and extremely beautiful ocean-like blue eyes. She had often met blue-eyedds like Jacob or Diego Regnz, a twenty-year-old boy who was still in college and the sessor to the Flex group, which was the top three in the business world. But she had never met someone who had the most beautiful blue eyes like this person! Plus, this man''s skin was as white as snow, and his lips were as red as rubies. She was absolutely sure no woman would not fall in love with this young man as soon as they saw the man''s smile. This person¡­ this person¡­ so attractive! No. Attractive is an understatement, and she couldn''t find an urate word to describe this handsome man. If only his hair were ck, this guy would be the male version of snow-white! Roxanne didn''t know how long she stared at the young man longer than she should have that Den had to clear his throat a few times to get his wife''s attention. "Are you satisfied?" Roxanne scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly while turning her attention towards the sofa without ncing back at the handsome guy or Den. The sound of a crispugh that escaped from the most handsome man in this ce made Roxanne even more unable to look at the man. "Den, I never knew you could act jealous like that? Miss, you have nothing to be ashamed of. This guy also reacted the same way when he met me for the first time." "Hey," protested Den. "You also said that you love me, remember?" The tinum-haired youth''s words caught Roxanne''s attention and immediately nced at Den with a raised eyebrow. Den realized what his wife was thinking, and he quickly exined so that she wouldn''t misunderstand. "Not what you think. I''m a straight guy," he said sternly, then nced at his friend in annoyance. "Why did you make her misunderstand?" Axrdughed and walked over to them. "Nice to meet you, miss. My name''s Axrd Cavendish, but you can call me Axel or Axe." "..." Roxanne felt like she couldn''t find her voice, so she just took the man''s hand in silence. Wow¡­ his hands were even white and soft as snow! Is this person even a human?? After feeling the two of them shake hands for a long time, Den took his wife''s hand back and pulled it out of Axrd''s grip making his annoying friendugh amused. "You guys wait here first. I''ll be done soon." Axel returned to the kitchen to continue his cooking activities. Roxanne and Den sat on the sofa, with Den looking at his wife suspiciously. "This is the first time I''ve seen you speechless. If I didn''t know you, I would have thought you were Kaylee." Roxanne turned to the side, avoiding Den''s eagle-like gaze. She seemed to be avoiding the man, but she was secretly trying to hold back her amused smile. "Is he so handsome that you are voiceless? Didn''t you say you wouldn''t nce at other men even if someone were more handsome than me?" Den sulked like an outcast child as he wrapped his arms around his wife''s waist. "Are you really fascinated by him?" Roxanne couldn''t hold back her amusement and turned to kiss Den lightly. "I admit, I didn''t expect you to have a friend like that person. But¡­ I still choose you." "Why?" "Because there is only me in your eyes and only you who ept me as I am and love mepletely. I prefer to be loved and love a guy who loves me back." Roxanne brushed his nose with hers and ended it with a kiss on Den''s lips. "Hubby, don''t be mad, okay? You never told me your best friend is super duper handsome that words can''t describe." "¡­" she still dares to praise another man right in front of his nose!? This vixen girl¡­ "It was your fault, so I wasn''t mentally prepared." "¡­" who should prepare mentally before meeting a new person?? "Roxy," Roxanne skipped a beat when she heard Den''s desperate tone as if the man was desperate to make her turn to him. "I''m just teasing you. Don''t give me that look." Roxanne kissed all over Den''s face in a sweet and soft kiss as if to make sure she would never leave his side. But when she realized Axrd had arrived in the dining room while setting the dishes, Roxanne quickly stood up with a cherry-red face. The man even smiled amusedly while shaking his head, seeing their intimacy making Roxanne wanted to dig a hole. Gosh!! She didn''t know Axrd hade out of the kitchen and seen her kissing Den''s face! She wanted to run away. "I¡­ I''ll be back." Roxanne decided to hide in the bathroom for a while without noticing a lopsided smile on Den''s face. Den got up and walked over to Axel to help the man with the cooking with a big smile. "You''re so sly, Den. You pretended to be desperate so that she couldn''t help but regard you. I know you weren''t outraged when she was fascinated by me." "The important thing is that she''s looking back at me. Even though you''re my best friend, I don''t like seeing her watching you." "Then why did you invite me here?" "Aren''t you the one who keeps bothering me to meet her?" "I am your brother. Of course, I want to know what my future sister-inw will look like." "Tsk. What brother?" Den nced at his watch and realized the others weren''t here yet. "Louisa and the others haven''t arrived yet?" "Louisa said she would bete. As for Kris and Aubrey¡­" Axrd seemed hesitant to tell him, making Den look at him suspiciously as he folded his arms across his chest. "Don''t tell me you used them again." Axrd gave him the most innocent smile he has. "This is thest time. After all, I already cooked dinner tonight. Wouldn''t it be fine if I borrowed them?" "No one told you to cook. You offered yourself." "You''re the best man I''ve ever met. I love you." "¡­" What is this guy talking about? "You¡­ Why do I feel like I am the third wheel in your rtionship?" Den couldn''t believe his friend put another show in front of his little wife. Really... he could never win this guy. Chapter 192 - Ch. 192 He Is Mine! Den nced at his best friend in annoyance. Tonight he invited his friend to meet and dine together, not to make his wife think he was gay, but his friend didn''t help him! "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you too fascinated by me? Oh, right. Miss Kaylee, can you cook? All of my cooking tonight is Den''s favorite dish." Axrd said, making Den want to sew up his best friend''s mouth. "Unfortunately, I was born a man. If I were a woman, I would be the perfect match for Den. Isn''t that right?" Before Den could answer, Roxanne had already moved forward. "Then it can''t be helped. You are a man, and Den is mine. Even if you are a woman, Den is still mine. I won''t give him to anyone." Den gawked at his wife in disbelief. ''She said I''m hers!'' That was what filled his mind at the moment, and his heart felt like it was filled with soft pink clouds. It was the first time Roxanne had imed he was hers in front of others, and he couldn''t hide his wide grin. His hands that craved at her touch wrapped around her waist and hugged the girl from behind. "If that''s the case, don''t let go of his hand. Another kitten wille soon. Be careful." "What kitten? Anyway, I won''t let him go. Not in this lifetime." added Roxanne with a confident tone that made Axel smile with satisfaction. "Why in this lifetime only? I want to meet you again in my next life and fall in love with you." Den whispered while biting Roxanne''s ear, making her face turn beet red as she tried to free herself. What is this man doing in front of his friend?! "Den, let me go." "Dun wanna." Den instead tightened his embrace and didn''t let go. The two of them were so busy defending their intentions that they didn''t hear the door open. "Den, let me go." "Never." Den nibbled on her nape made Roxanne widen her eyes. "You¡­ what are you doing in front of your friend?" protested Roxanne. "Don''t mind me. Just pretend I don''t exist." How could she possibly consider a person she could see to be non-existent!? This friend of her husband is as shameless as Den! "Oh, my. I was wondering why no one greeted me out, but you guys are busy here?" Instantly three pairs of eyes turned towards the source of the sound and fell silent. Roxanne didn''t expect this person who had just appeared to be such a beautifuldy! Her honey-colored hair was beautifully wavy and showed perfected maturity. Her green eyes were like grass on a soothing meadow. Her body¡­ her curves are so perfect like a violin and her breasts¡­ gosh! How huge the girl''s breasts are! But¡­ doesn''t this girl feel cold? Why is this woman wearing clothes that are too revealing? She could see her smooth thighs and cleavage because she was wearing a tight strapless dress that hugged her entire body. Who is this woman trying to seduce? Axrd? Well¡­ seeing the face of this young man who looked like a yboy, maybe Axrd would like this type of woman. "Louisa, you''re here. Kaylee, she''s my friend, Louisa Dunst, and Louisa, she''s¡­." "I know. Kaylee Zouch, isn''t it?" Louisa only nced at Roxanne, then speak to Den with a sulky tone. "Deck, since you already have a lover, you don''t consider me a friend anymore. It''s not fair." Ha?? Why did she he hear the girl''s spoiled tone when thedy called out to Den? And what did she say? Deck? Why did she call her husband so intimate? What a coquettish woman! "You''re overthinking it. Come, Axel just finished cooking." Roxanne nced at Den in disbelief. Why did Den reply to this flirtatious attitude in a friendly manner!? Wait a minute. Where did this womane in here without anyone opening the door for her? She remembered that Den''s penthouse door had a password lock that only Den would know. Well, now she knows it too because Den didn''t cover himself when he opened the door to this room. Plus, the man had also told her his password number so she coulde here whenever she wanted. But Roxanne had no intention of memorizing it, much lessing here as she pleased. She felt she walked into the beast''sir if she came here uninvited. Roxanne also realized that Axrd had arrived here before them, which meant that the young man already knew the password to this ce. She didn''t mind if Axrd knew the password keys because Axel was a man. But it''s a different story if it turned out that a woman who is not her also knows the key to this ce and arbitrarily enters this ce whenever she wants. ''Another kitten wille soon. Be careful.'' Is thisdy the kitten in question? She didn''t understand why she had topete with this woman. Her clothes were too revealing, and her overall make-up was too sparse for an ordinary dinner. Plus, Den wasn''t interested in the girl''s appearance, which meant this girl wasn''t Den''s type. Of course. Right now, the only girl Den saw was her. No matter how many women were prettier or sexier than her, Den would only look at her. That''s why Roxanne doesn''t feel inferior or change her attitude just because the girl has more enormous bosoms than her. Instead, she sat down next to Den and rested her head on the man''s shoulder in a spoiled manner. "Hubby, I suddenly don''t feel hungry." Roxanne deliberately made her voice sound weak, and she caught a triumphant smile from the poor-clothingdy. Hmph! The girl hid her smile well. Luckily, she was Roxanne. She wouldn''t miss it. "You still have to eat. You haven''t eaten all day and¡­." "You''re right. But I feel too tired because you drained my stamina." "¡­" "¡­" Axrd and Louisa both stared at Roxanne in disbelieve. Den drained Kaylee''s stamina?? Does that mean¡­ they''ve slept together? "So¡­ you have to feed me, my sweet hubby," demanded Roxanne in a very sweet tone while blinking her eyes cutely. "As you wish, my queen." Den doesn''t know what Roxanne is up to, but he follows whatever his wife wants him to do. Den and Roxanne didn''t notice Louisa''s frustrated clenched hands, but Axrd did. Chapter 193 - Ch. 193 Roxanne Meets Louisa Ignoring the lovers'' act like the world belongs to them, Axrd distracted Louisa by asking her. "Louisa, don''t you feel cold? Wanna use my coat?" offered Axel. Louisa straightened her back while masked her ugly expression and shook her head. "I don''t feel cold." Louisa took an empty bowl and poured it with soup before handing it to Den. "Deck, don''t you like this soup? Here." Den nced at the bowl his friend gave him with a frown. "No need. I''ll take it myself. It''s better if.¡­." Den was about to return the bowl of soup to Louisa, but his little wife took the bowl instead. "It looks yummy." without saying any further, Roxanne devoured the soup that Louisa gave her, making Den look at her with interest. Is Roxanne jealous of his friend? He didn''t want to make his wife misunderstand, let alone feel jealous of his only female friend. But asionally, seeing her being possessive like this wasn''t bad either. Roxanne enjoyed her meal, while Den looked at her lovingly without regard to Louisa, who was now looking at them with a gaze filled with jealousy and hatred for the girl Den was currently looking at. She''d wanted to meet Kaylee Zouch for a long time and find out what she looked like. When she tried to create a misunderstanding between them by sending a picture of him hugging Den, she also failed to do so. For some reason, all the photos stored on the cameraman''sputer she rented disappeared, and the images that had been printed and sent to Kaylee''s house never reached the girl''s hands. If the photo reached Kaylee''s hands, that girl would never sit around casually next to Den. She should throw a tantrum and break their rtionship. Now that she had met face-to-face because Den had finally agreed to her request to host this dinner, Louisa felt a p in the face. Kaylee Rosalie Zouch was indeed a beautiful girl, but everyone could see that she was prettier than Kaylee. She also has a sexier body than the girl. But why Den only look at Kaylee? Above all¡­ "Axel," "Hm?" "Why didn''t you tell me you were going to cook today? If I had known you were cooking, I would havee earlier to help you. Besides, I can cook all of Den''s favorite dishes. How about you, Kaylee? Can you cook?" Roxanne couldn''t cook, but there''s no way she''d admit it directly to the woman who was trying to steal her husband away! "What is she cooking for?" before Roxanne coulde up with a clever answer to Louisa''s provocation, Den had answered it first. "My wife''s hands are too precious to work in the kitchen. We''ll hire a chef when we get married." Roxanne''s heart melted hearing this and kissed Den''s cheek affectionately, making Louisa''s heart heat up even more. Isn''t Kaylee Zouch a meek girl? Why was the reality so different from the rumors she had heard? She tried to intimidate the girl by showing her curves that were sexier and more luscious than her. But Kaylee Zouch didn''t feel inferior and continued to act normal as if she was just a stranger passing by. When Louisa wanted to sow the seeds of doubt on Kaylee and dere that she was more worthy of being with Den, the girl also seemed unconcerned. Really¡­ what happened? Any girl will feel inferior and insecure when they see her body! "Hubby, I want some ice cream." "It''s alreadyte. Aren''t you cold enough?" "Nope. I want to eat the ice cream at the HW shop. Could you buy it for me?" One of Den''s eyebrows shot up hearing that. Why did he feel that his wife was trying to kick him out of his own house? "Come on, buy me some ice cream, okay? Hmm? Hmm?" Den sighed, then lowered his head to whisper to the girl. "Be good while I''m not here." A wide smile spread on her face at the man''s whisper, and she gave him a nod once as if she wanted to reassure Den that she would be a good girl. Den got up and put his arm around Axel''s shoulder, who was chewing his food. "Come with me." "Ha? Me too? Why?" Axel swallowed his food as soon as he received a death stare from Den. "Fine." not daring to argue with his friend, Axel hastily got up without taking a sip and followed Den out. As soon as they exited the penthouse, Axel nced at Den in confusion. "Are you sure you''re leaving the two of them alone? You are not afraid that your house will be a battlefield." "My house is her home too. If she wants to make it a battlefield, I can do nothing about it." "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems you have been blinded by love." "You''ll feel it too once you find the one." Axel shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Ah, looks like I won''t be finding it any time soon. I''m enjoying my solitude more now. Ah, I forgot to give my sister a present." "Sister? I didn''t know you had a sister?" "My uncle from Ennd adopted a cute daughter. I already treat her like my own sister. Do you want to see it? She''s adorable." Axrd showed Den a photo. "Hmm. She is. How old is she?" "She''ll be fourteen next month. I wonder if they managed to find it." "..." Den''s steps stopped when he heard Axel''sst words. He looked at his best friend suspiciously and asked in an icy voice. "What gift will you give to your adopted sister?" "Oh, that. I meant to give her a painting of Patricia Lourence in¡­." Realizing his mistake, Axrd stopped his sentence. "So¡­ you had my confidant steal it!? That is a criminal act." "Of course not. I''m not a thief. I just told them to persuade the owner." "You mean to threaten him." Den folded his arms in front of his chest. "Persuade, not threaten." insisted Axel like a guilty child. "You know very well Kris can never persuade people well. His persuasion always ends in a threat." Den started to regret allowing his friend to borrow one of the best people in hispany. "That''s why Aubrey with him." Axrd gave his innocent smile. "Don''t be angry, don''t be angry. Aren''t we going to buy some ice cream? The sooner wee back, the better. Aren''t you worried about your future wife?" Den massaged his temples in resignation. After all, Kris and Aubrey have gone somewhere Axel sent them, and they wouldn''t be back soon. "It''s Louisa I''m worried about." after all¡­ the girl is dealing with his vixen wife. Chapter 194 - Ch. 194 Roxanne Vs Louisa As soon as the door closing sound was heard, Roxanne no longer made a friendly face towards Louisa. Vice versa, Louisa took off her mask and looked at Roxanne as if she were looking at her enemy. "So this is how your real face looks like? It''s terrible. No wonder you always wear a mask all the time." "Hmph! Aren''t you the same? You give everyone the impression that you are a meek and reserved girl. But who would have thought you are a shameless wild girl." "It''s all thanks to Den''s teachings." Louisa red in disbelief at Roxanne''s response. In addition, Roxanne still had a broad smile filled with very high self-confidence. "What do you mean thanks to Den''s teachings? Are you insulting him?" "Huh? Why do you think I''m insulting him? I wonder, what is Den like in your eyes?" "How could you not know? Aren''t you his girlfriend? How can you not know what Den looks like in everyone''s eyes?" "Hmm¡­ I don''t know. How about you?" Roxanne put her innocent confused-like facade to trick the woman, and it works. Louisa answered without resistance. "Den is not easy to approach and always gives off a cold aura to strangers. But when he is with his close friends or with his family, he bes a warm and loving person. He is a wise man, calm, and always makes the right decisions." "Pft!" Roxanne could barely contain herughter at that. "Why are youughing? I knew it. You don''t know him that well, and you still feel you deserve to be with him." "Mydy. It''s you who don''t know him well. Yes, he is a calm person and always puts on a cold aura to strangers. And yes, he will turn warm when he is with the people closest to him. But¡­ he still has a side that no one else knows about." "What is that?" "Why would I tell you? It''s enough if only I know about it." Louisa bit her lower lip in annoyance before she shed a crooked smile at Roxanne. "Are you sure he''s the person you''ve seen all this time? How can you be sure he won''t betray you one day?" "Miss Dunst, I know what you want to talk about. Please mind your own business unless you wanted me to say to Den that I don''t like you." "What''s the use of you telling him?" "Are you blind? Den will grant all my wishes. If I tell him I don''t want him to see you again, he''ll cut you off straight away." her provocation earning a death re from the other women. "You! He won''t do it." "Wanna bet with me?" "You have no idea how close the two of us are. Den and I have known each other for over ten years. I know all his favorite foods, his allergies and also I can cook for him. He evenplimented my cooking and gave me a warm hug. Now, let me ask you this. Do you know what he fears the most?" "¡­" "You say you know a side of him that no one else knows, but I also know what he most wants to hide from the world. Did he ever tell you about him fleeing to Spain?" Spain? "You weren''t his first love, Miss Zouch. He met his first love there, and once his first love returns, I''m sure he will leave you." First love? Which one? She also met Den in Spain many years ago. "I heard that his first love was the one who made him want to live again. I also heard that his first love was a pianist who always yed a song for him to wake him up from hisa." Ba-thump! Roxanne felt her heart rumble hearing this. "The fact that he''s in love with you now... don''t you think that you were only a substitute?" Louisa''s evil smirk widened, noticing the girl across her became silent as hell. "He doesn''t really love you. He only sees you as a substitute for his first love because you are a pianist too." Roxanne''s hands that were on herp tightly clenched hearing this. Right now, her heart was shaking violently as if a storm was trying to destroy her sanity. But she still masked her facial expression. She wouldn''t show her weak side in front of this flirtatious woman. Not only this woman, but she also would never show her weakness to the outsider. "Substitute? I am not a substitute, and even if I am a substitute, the reality is that I am standing by his side, and not you." "¡­" Why? Why couldn''t she grow a seed of doubt in this woman''s heart? Louisa wanted to scream and scratch this girl''s face so that Den would look at his already ugly fianc¨¦ in disgust. "Miss Dunst. I know you want to take my husband from me. But I tell you, I won''t let him go. As long as Den wants me to be with him, I will stay by his side, and he is mine. So¡­" Roxanne ced her hands on the dining table and leaned closer to the woman. "Dress politely in front of my husband. This ce is Den''s house, and that means this ce is my territory. Please dress modestly here." "You''re not even married to him. How dare you im this ce is your territory?" "He''s asked me to live with him." Louisa gasped in disbelief when she heard Roxanne''s short answer. The two of them have lived together? So¡­ they slept together? Roxanne could guess what Louisa was thinking. The woman must have thought she had lived here and slept with Den. It was true that Den had asked her to live with him, but Roxanne put it off and decided to stay at her parents'' house or stay at Wendy''s. As for sleeping together¡­ well, they did sleep together, but they just slept without doing anything. They never went all the way despite Den prate her with his thick fingers or devour her secret garden. Even so, Roxanne had no interest in correcting the misunderstanding that was in Louisa''s mind. "If you understand, I can lend you my clothes right now. If you still don''t want to change, you''d better leave right now." "You kicked me out?" "That''s right. I kicked you out. What can you do? You think Den will defend you?" Even if Den defended Louisa, that''s fine too. It only meant that Den loves her a little, and she is more than d to break up with that man! Chapter 195 - Ch. 195 Declans First Love Is... Roxanne still masked and put a calm expression as she handed Louisa her clothes that were stored in the closet in Den''s room. Previously Den had bought her a lot of clothes and kept them in their wardrobe so that she didn''t have to carry a lot of stuff when Roxanne moved here. It can be used as her weapon to prove that Roxanne did live in this house. But as soon as Louisa disappeared into the bathroom to change clothes, Roxanne''s brows furrowed like she was in pain. Her chest seemed to be twisted, making her have to grip one side of her chest. ''You weren''t his first love, Miss Zouch. He met his first love there, and once his first love returns, I''m sure he will leave you.'' He knew who Den''s first love was. He knew the girl Louisa was referring to very well. Den had indeed been in aa in Spain, and a girl yed the piano for him. ''My sweet sister, you like two guys at the same time, but you haven''t realized it.'' ''Ha? What do you mean? Who do I like?'' ''You think I don''t know about that ck moon guy?'' Roxanne remembered she used to tease Kaylee when her sister followed her to Spain. At that time, her sister often chattered about an unconscious man she didn''t know, and she casually named the man ck moon as if that guy was her pet. ck Moon¡­ isn''t this name used by Den as his stage name? Why did Den use this name? Because his first love gave him? ''He met his first love there.'' Roxanne once again remembered what Louisa said, and she couldn''t help but admit¡­ Den''s first love was¡­ Kaylee. Not her. And she knew¡­ Kaylee would nevere back here to get Den because that girl was gone. But¡­ wasn''t Kaylee dead because of her? She didn''t know the unconscious man was Den, but she was curious about the man because he could make her sister forget her crush. She sneaked into the room secretly to peek at the man, and as soon as Roxanne saw the ck moon''s true face, her heart broke, and she started avoiding her sister. Kaylee loved their father''s disciple but was engaged to her. When Kaylee learned to let go of her first love and interest in the new guy, Roxanne nned to kick her out of Den''s life. Until one day¡­ her sister offered to switch ces to help her. Kaylee nned to be Roxanne and do good things by submitting to her father so that their father will allow Roxanne to study in Paris. Her evil mind found an opening to get Kaylee home so she could rece the girl to apany Den. She will be by Den''s side until the man awake and willing to y the piano every day for him. Who would have thought, because of her selfishness¡­ she lost her only sister. Just as she was about to go to the hospital to check on the man''s condition, Roxanne heard of the ne crash. At that moment, her mind became deadlocked, and she couldn''t think of anything. Only one thought circted on her head. What have I done? If she hadn''t agreed to Kaylee''s offer¡­ If only she had stayed with her sister on the ne¡­ If only she hadn''t been selfish and wished her sister had disappeared from her sight¡­ There were so many ifs that made her chest feel even tighter. What if Den finds out that Kaylee is his first love? What if the man knew that she had caused Kaylee to leave this world? Den will hate her, won''t he? Roxanne was starting to find her breathing difficult to control, and at the moment, she wasn''t sure if she could hold on or not. Before Louisa finished changing clothes, Roxanne walked into Den''s room and locked herself there while calling her other alter. Her chest was too tight for her to bear. Her head was spinning as she recalled thest conversation she had with Kaylee at the airport. "Sister? Why don''t youe in?" "I''m sorry, but I changed my mind." "What do you mean?" "I''m not going with you this time. So you''re going to go home yourself and tell dad that I''m going to stay in Paris." "But¡­ the registered name is yours." "Precisely. Your name." repeated Roxanne in a firm tone. She even smiled when she saw her sister''s agitated expression. "Sister..." "Nu-uh. I am Kaylee, and you are my elder sister. Your appearance is perfect, just like me." Roxanne looked at her sister from head to toe with satisfaction. Kaylee, who usually wears elegant and ssy clothes, now wears shorts and a tank-top covered with a thin sweater. "But¡­ I can''t do it alone." "I know you can." "Sister¡­" "Sister Roxy, I''ll count on you." interrupted Roxanne making her sister speechless. She saw the dejected and disappointed expression on Kaylee''s face, but she ignored it. She even felt like partying because she managed to get her sister out of this country. She would get the ck moon guy, and this time she wouldn''t let that man go. Now¡­ after almost ten years on, Roxanne felt her heart stabbed by a knife as she recalled her sister''sst expression she had seen. Tears had gathered at the corners of her eyes and threatened toe out, but Roxanne tried to hold them back. She wished¡­ if there was a miracle¡­ she wished her sister was still alive. If her sister is still alive and still wants the ck moon guy¡­ she is willing¡­ Roxanne is ready to let Den go. She just wanted her sister toe back to life and apologize to her face to face. But¡­ Why did she feel relieved and happy when she was sure her sister would nevere back? Was¡­ her desire to see her sister back not sincere? It turns out¡­ she wasn''t much different from her father or mother. Her heart filled with wicked ways makes her cringed at the thought. Thinking she wasn''t the perfect woman for a man as good as Den, her tears flowed uncontrobly. Her heart was crushed. She felt unworthy but unwilling to let go. Will she receive karma? Will she be punished? Could her suffering all these years be her punishment? She was already feeling exhausted from being swallowed by the guilt and regret that would not be able to disappear from her life. Is there no way to get out of this suffering? Roxanne ckened out in an instant before her other alter took over. As usual, Kaylee sorted out some of the memories that made her soul shattered and sealed all the memories that made her sad. After that, Kaylee preferred to stay hidden in this room while waiting for Den''s arrival. She knew¡­ she wouldn''t be able to win if Louisa decided to attack her again. It''s better if she stays here for a while. And yet... why did she still feel sad even though she blocked all displeasing memories? Chapter 196 - Ch. 196 These Men Are So Childish! The journey from the apartment to HW ice cream took quite a long time by car. As they entered the holiday season, the streets on the city''s main street were bustling and overcrowded. Luckily the road back to the house wasn''t too stuffed, so Axrd and Den were able to get to the penthouse much quicker than before expected. "Is your house going to be a mess?" "Don''t curse me." Axrd chuckled as he walked out of the elevator to Den''s penthouse. "You look calm on the outside, but you''re actually worried about the condition of your house, right?" "Are you seeking a fight with me?" Den is not at all worried about the condition of his house. He doesn''t care if his vixen wife destroys his home or burned his penthouse. But¡­ the journey this time took longer than it should have. He knew Roxanne wouldn''t be around for too long if he weren''t by her side. If her other alter shows up and confronts Louisa, Den doesn''t know what will happen to his wife. As soon as they entered, Den directly looked for the figure of his wife. But he only found Louisa, who was drinking wine alone in different clothes. Weren''t the clothes Louisa was wearing the clothes he bought for his wife? Why is his friend wearing his wife''s clothes? "Where''s Kaylee?" Louisa finished the wine in her ss first before answering Den. "I don''t know. She was gone when I changed clothes." Louisa filled the ss with wine again while saying, "Den, your wife is astonishing." even though her words seemed to be praising, Louisa''s tone was filled with sarcasm. "What happened?" Den is curious about what his wife has done to make his friend take off her mask. "You guys aren''t married yet, but she already considers this ce her territory. She even threatened me to stay away from you and said you would grant all her wishes if she asked you to cut ties with me. You wouldn''t do that, would you?" "I never cut ties unreasonably." Louisa smiled contentedly hearing that, but her satisfied smile disappeared as Den continued, "But if someone offends my wife, I will pay back many times over. It doesn''t matter that person is my closest friend." Axrd took a few steps back at the warning tone of Den''s voice. Although the man didn''t directly threaten Louisa, they could all see that Den meant what he said. "Den, I was just kidding. Aren''t you overreacting?" "Do you think I''m exaggerating? I don''t think so." Den turned to go to his room because he was sure his wife was currently hiding in his room. Seeing Den leave without paying any attention to her, Louisa finished the drink in her ss again in one gulp. She was about to pour it back on the red wine, but Axrd suddenly appeared nearby and grabbed the bottle of wine she was holding. "Louisa, your face is already red. You''re drunk." "I''m not. Give it to me." Axrd didn''t give it and put his palm on Louisa''s forehead. "Cold¡­ why are your hands¡­ so cold?" Louisa''s head swayed to the side where Axrd had swiftly supported her head, so it didn''t fall, and that''s when the drunkendy fell asleep. Axrd looked at Louisa''s sleeping face with aplicated look. "When are you going to change? I can''t leave this country at this rate." It was time he left here as he had lived in America for more than ten years. But¡­ how can he leave Louisa alone if that girl often creates trouble that harms herself? Inside the room, Den''s cold gaze softened when he saw his wife lying on his bed. He walked over to the girl and sat next to her to brush her soft ck hair. The girl opened her eyes, revealing a pair of beautiful and gentle ck eyes. He knew the girl in front of him was Kaylee, Roxanne''s second alter. "Are you sleepy, love?" Kaylee shook her head and positioned herself so she could sleep on Den''sp. She rested her head on Den''s thigh and enjoyed the soft caress on the top of her crown. "Where have you been? You''ve gone too long." "I know. I''m sorry." "It hurts¡­" "Where? Did she hurt you?" "No," Kaylee shook her head quickly. "I don''t know why, but it hurts." "Where do you feel hurt?" asked Den softly without stopping the stroking on the top of her head. "Here," Kaylee put her hand on her left chest. "I''m afraid you won''t love me anymore like now." He smiled gently as he assured her, "You don''t have to be afraid if that was the case." ''But I knew you would hate me once you found out the truth.'' added Kaylee inside her mind. "Is there something you want to talk about?" "Ah? Nothing." "But your face says you have something to say." Kaylee pouted her lips and marveled at how this man could know what she was thinking. "Just now¡­ your friend¡­ she said you met your first love in Spain." she felt a pang inside her heart, but she hid it. "Then?" "They said a man never forgets his first love." "And?" "Do you still love her?" Den didn''t answer directly and grasped Kaylee''s hand tightly. He gave a gentle smile without taking his eyes off Kaylee. As if he could understand what the girl was worried about, Den lifted Kaylee''s hand to his lips and gave a firm kiss on the back of her hand. "She wasn''t my first love. I don''t even know her face, so how can I say she is my first love." It was true. He used to believe the girl who apanied him was his first love. But now he rethinks about it, he never sees the girl''s face so how could he im the girl was his first love. And now he looked at his beloved wife, he was sure... the girl who lured him and seduced him at that night was his first love. "But, Louisa¡­" "You trust her words more than me?" "..." Kaylee paused and turned her gaze to their intertwined hands. "Are you going to tell me what happened in Spain? Why did you run away there?" Den smiled softly at that. "I''ll tell you. I''ll tell you everything you want to know." "What? Really?" as if she had never been jealous before, Kaylee stood up and looked at her lover with a gleam of light. "Of course. But, we have guests at the moment, and we are the hosts. How about I tell you after this, or do you want me to kick them out so we can be alone in this room?" "¡­" why did she fall in love with a shameless pervert man? "Which one did you choose? Apany them or chase them away? I prefer thetter." "What a pervert. Let''s go back." Kaylee pulled Den''s hand, causing the man tough in amusement. They had both expected to see Den''s two friends interacting and drinking together, but what they saw waspletely unexpected! They saw that Louisa was currently sleeping and used Axel''s thighs as a pillow! "Ah, you guys are finally out too. I thought I''ll have to wait until tomorrow morning." teased Axel made Den rolled his eyeszily. "She is asleep?" "How could she not? She finished one bottle of wine in one go." Den took the empty bottle with an eyebrow raised. "This is Madeira. She finished it all at once?" Axel answered with a mysterious smile without giving a definite answer. Well, Louisa only drank half of it while Axel downed the rest. Axrd deliberately concealed this fact and did not reveal the truth. "Why do I feel you are worried about her?" Kaylee folded her arms in front of her chest and gave Den an using look. Den blinked twice, realizing that the wife in front of him was no longer the innocent Kaylee but Roxanne! "I''m not worried about her. I''m worried that all my wine will be stolen by him." "Why me?" Axrd felt he had been med for something he didn''t do. Well, didn''t he finish half of the bottle of wine that Louisa took? And he is still fine! "Didn''t youe here to drink all my favorite wine?" "Weren''t you the one who invited me here?" "Weren''t you the one who urged me to introduce my wife to you?" "So childish." before Axel could reply to his friend''s challenge, Roxanne hadmented on silencing both of them. Both of these men are so childish! "Den, I''ve looked through your wine cer, and you have at least a hundred different wines. How could he be able to finish it all in one night?" "Trust me. He can do it." "I don''t believe it." Axrd smiled lopsidedly at the girl who dared to look at Den with a defiant attitude. It was the first time someone wasn''t afraid toe face-to-face with Den, and Axel felt attracted to the girl. "Then how about we prove it by drinking together?" Axrd grabbed two bottles of wine from the small table nearby and ced them on the ss table in front of him. "Why did you bring your wine? You can retrieve it in my wine cer." Den doesn''t mind if Axel takes the bottle of wine directly as long as he doesn''t take it all. "Oh, I did take it from there." "¡­" this friend of his really¡­ Now he regretted said he doesn''t mind. He really minded! Chapter 197 - Ch. 197 What Is She To You? Roxanne chuckled as she saw Den being motionless in front of his best friend. "Now I know where you got that shamelessness from. You seem to have learned a lot from your friend." Axrd and Den are both shameless men. "Ouch! That hurts my feelings. Den was more shameless than me. Believe me." denied Axrd in a convincing tone. Roxanne sat on the sofa across Axrd casually, then nced at her lover. "Yeah, I think he is more shameless than you." Axrd grinned widely at this. "The saying that a disciple is much better than his mentor is true," added Roxanne made Axel''s wide grin disappear as soon as it came. "I''m not his mentor." "You''re my mentor, alright." continued Den while sitting next to his wife, embracing the girl''s waist. Roxanne takes a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, but Den took it. "Let me do it." After that, Den poured it into each wine sses and handed it to Roxanne and his friend. "Cheers!" "Cheers!" Den and Axrd said in unison as they clinked their three wine sses before taking a sip. "Hmm¡­ it tastes terrific," stated Roxanne with satisfaction. "By the way, how did you guys be friends? I can understand you guys being close friends. You guys are both shameless and stubborn. But what about her?" Roxanne couldn''t believe Den wants to be friends with a girl who always hides her true feelings behind her facade. Den and Axel nced at Louisa, who was still sleepingfortably on Axel''sp. "In that case, you should ask him. He''s the one who introduced me to Louisa." "Why? She''s sweet." Axel replied with an amused smile. Sweet, my ass! "Why do you think so?" "No reason. I just thought she''s sweet. Besides, if Den didn''t like her either, he wouldn''t have invited her here." Hearing the word ''like'' from Axrd, Roxanne nced at Den with using eyes. "As a friend." that''s the answer Den gave. "So you hate me liking a boy as my friend, but you have a female friend that you like. You''re so unfair." Roxanne folded her arms across her chest. "It''s not that kind of like. If it weren''t for Axel loved her so much, I wouldn''t think of her as my sister either." Sister? Instantly Roxanne thought of Leticia, who was Den''s younger sister. So¡­ Den only thinks of Louisa as a sister? "You have no reason to be jealous of her." Roxanne snorted lightly and took another sip of her wine while ncing at Axel. "You like her?" Axrd chuckled at the surprised tone in Roxanne''s voice and casually gulped down his drink. Roxanne noticed that it was not the first ss that Axrd drank, but the third ss! She looked at Axel''s face with a probing look for signs of drunkenness, but she couldn''t find it. How high is this person''s alcohol tolerance? Roxanne nced at her ss and Den''s. Their drinks were still half because they were both sipping slowly to enjoy the bitter-sweet taste. But Axrd¡­ the man promptly gulped it down and refilled it with the same amount. "You really can drink." blurted Roxanne unconsciously. "He''s a monster," added Den made Axel frowned in disagreeing. "Are you really my friend?" Ignoring his best friend''s sulking, Den spoke to his wife. "Now you know why I worry about my wine collection." Roxanne giggled lightly while teasing him, "How about you? Do you have a high enough tolerance?" "Do you want to know?" "Of course. I want to see if I can trick you or not." Den smirked at that and instantly gulped down his red wine, making Axel almost choke on his drink. "And for your information, I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. So tonight, it looks like you''ll be sleeping here." Ha? What kind of conclusion is that? "Why?" "Because I can''t take you home." "What?" Roxanne immediately grabbed Den''s ss and pushed the wine bottle away from the man as if she forbade Den to drink more than this. "Toote, darling. My head feels tipsy now." Den shook his head like he was drunk and leaned his head on Roxy''s shoulder. "I can''t see clearly." Roxanne was about to dodge, but her arms were tightly hugged by Den''s strong hands, making her unable to escape. "You¡­ You tricked me!" Den smiled triumphantly and closed his eyes as if he was pretending to be asleep. Then he plopped down on his wife''s thighs and imitated Louisa sleeping on someone''sp. The cunning shameless many sideways, facing Roxanne''s slender belly and hugging the girl''s waist. Roxanne wanted to scream because the man shamelessly acted like a spoiled child in front of their guest. Roxanne didn''t know what she could do, and when she noticed the amused smile on Axrd''s handsome face, she wanted so badly to dig a grave to bury Den deep down to the earth. "Told you. He''s more shameless than me." Axel said as he drank back the wine that¡­ who knows for how many times. Roxanne tried to shake Den''s shoulders and wake him up, but apparently, Den has fallen asleep!! "Unbelievable. How could he get drunk just because of one ss of wine? How low is his tolerance?" Axel chuckled at Roxanne''s fearless scolding of Den as if Den was a child in front of her. "How about you, miss?" "How about me what?" she failed to hide her irritation when she answered Axel''s question. Nevertheless, she didn''t regret it. "When you take a sip of your wine, you do it without hesitation as if you''re not afraid of getting drunk. It seems that you know your limits very well." "I do know my limit, but I won''t get drunk even if I finish a bottle of wine with a twenty percent alcohol content like this." "You weren''t drunk after you finished it? That means your tolerance is quite high." "No. I''m just exaggerating. Of course, I''ll be drunk, but at least I won''t faint." Axrd chuckled at that. "You arepletely different than what I imagined." "..." Roxanne fell silent hearing that. She felt very displeased to hear such a sentence. If one day this sentencees from Den''s mouth¡­ will her heart be strong enough to ept it? "Looks like it''s time for us to go home. It''ste after all." Axrd raised Louisa''s head carefully, making Roxanne feel surprised. The man even carried Louisa attentively as if the girl was his most beloved lover. "When Den said you loved her so much, I didn''t believe it. But it seems that you do love her¡­ but that''s not a man''s affection for his lover." Axrd nced at Roxanne with an interesting look and wore a faint smile. "She is a close friend." "But your affectionate for her is more than a friend; neither is a lover. What is she to you?" "Why do you feel curious?" "Because I don''t understand why there is someone who still loves her even though she has an ugly heart. Did you know she''s two-faced? She is sweet in front of you, but she acts like someone who is too obsessive about something that doesn''t belong to her when you are not around." Isn''t it just like her? Would Den like her when he knew her evil side? "Did she say that Den was hers?" "Hmph! Of course not. I was the one who said Den was mine." No one knew a satisfied smile graced Den''s face who was pretending to be asleep. "As long as Den wants me by his side, I won''t go." "Why do I get the impression you feel sure Den wouldn''t like you anymore?" "..." Roxanne couldn''t answer. "Miss Zouch. I don''t know what you''re struggling with right now, but no one is perfect in this world. If Den can''t love youpletely, then he''s not the one for you." "But... Sometimes, you can''t overlook something ugly." "Let me tell you a secret. Before he met you, he and I protect and dote on Louisa. Their bond is as strong as mine, but just now, he overlooked their friendship to defend you. He loves you, Miss Zouch. I bet he can''t live without you now." "..." She wanted to believe it, but it''s too scary to face the future. "Believe in him because I''ve never wanted to have a jerk as friends. I''m very picky in choosing friends. Besides, you can tell me if he hurts you. I will throw him in the ocean for you." Roxanne looked at Axel with a look of admiration. "That''s¡­ the nicest thing I''ve heard since¡­" since the ne crash. It kind of brought light into her endless sorrowful memory. It was as if she could believe that Den would never leave her even if he knows the truth. "Thank you for the kind words. But, what about her?" If Axrd is picky about making friends, why would he be willing to be friends with a two-faced girl like Louisa? The man even had time to warn her about Louisa''s arrival. Doesn''t that mean that Axel already knows what Louisa''s true character is like? "Would you believe if I say she''s a distant family?" "I admit, it''s hard to believe." "Then, let''s just say she''s my cousin." "You can''t possibly love all your distant cousins ??in this world." "You got the point. But she meets me in this lifetime. I can''t simply ignore a family member." "You''re a weird guy." "I take that as apliment." "¡­" No, it''s not. "Well, good night, miss, and enjoy your stay with him." Roxanne tried to let go of Den''s arms around her waist. "Wait. Let me help you open the door." Once managed to escape from Den''s arms, Roxanne immediately walked towards the exit. Strangely¡­ she couldn''t find anyone there. How did Axrd open the door while carrying Louisa? Plus, she didn''t hear the sound of the door opening or closing. Still curious, Roxanne opened the door to make sure Axrd had walked out, but¡­ she saw no one. So weird¡­ Chapter 198 - Ch. 198 Axelard Is The Blue King Roxanne came back into the apartment with a frown. How could people instantly disappear in seconds? Even though Axrd''s legs were longer than her and he walked fast, he couldn''t have disappeared from her sight in just a second. Is she drunk? She hadn''t even finished her drink yet. Roxanne walked back into the main room to get back with Den, but she couldn''t find anyone there. Den was no longer lying on the sofa as if the man had disappeared from before her. She became panic, and her heart raced in worry. Where''s Den? Did the man leave her without saying farewell? "Den? Dec¡­" Her call was cut off when she felt tworge arms wrap around her waist and a cello-like voice whispered near her ear. "I''m here, love." Roxanne spun around with a fierce face and punched the man on the shoulder with all her might, making Den startled and confused. "You scared me! I thought you were gone!" "I''m sorry. I''m thirsty, so¡­ Why are you crying?" Den gently wiped away the tears that were falling, and for some reason, he felt that he had caused her to cry. "I''ve never made you cry before. Don''t cry now." coaxed Den while kissing away her tears. "Who said you never made me cry? When I thought you were secretly cheating behind my back, I cried." Den smiled gently then hugged his wife tightly. "It was my fault. It won''t happen again." he kissed her crown lovingly while patting Roxanne gently on the back. "But, why are you crying now?" "I thought you were gone." "How can I leave without going through the exit door while you''re there? You would know if I left." Den chuckled in amused without letting go of his arms. "It''s your friend''s fault." "Axel? What did he do?" "He suddenly disappeared. I didn''t even hear the door open or close. He disappeared like a ghost who came uninvited and left uncourted." "¡­" "You have a weird friend." Roxanne could feel a strange vibration in his chest against the side of her face. Is Denughing? "Why do I feel you''reughing?" "I''m not. But it''s quite funny to hear you say my friend is weird." "You don''t think he''s weird?" "He''s weird. But when you find out who he is, it will make sense." "Who is he?" "..." Den loosened his arms to see his wife''s expression. He was a little hesitant to tell Roxanne, but he decided to let her know. "Have you ever heard of the myth of the ruler of nature?" "..." Roxanne didn''t answer and just waited for Den''s continuation. "He is one of those rulers." "Which one?" "Which one what?" "I heard that each ruler of nature represents four different seasons. Which season does he represent?" Den smiled widely because it seemed that his wife had indeed heard of myths beyond human understanding. "Winter." he grabbed Roxanne''s hand and walked into the kitchen, where there were tworge ice cream boxes on the table. "Why do you believe he is the blue king?" "You even know his title?" "I live on Folnd Ind where the violet king has lived before. At least I know a thing or two about the rulers of the nature. Furthermore, previous Hades before my grandfather is the violet king. My father once said it was a headache to keep the violet king''s identity as a secret as he liked to cause trouble here and there." Den stopped in his tracks and nced at his wife in amazement. "So you''ve met the violet king?" "Of course not. All the rulers of nature must keep their identities secret. How could I be so lucky to meet him? But you are fortunate to be friends with one of them. Why didn''t you tell me about this before? I would never act rude if I know beforehand." Den shook his head while answering her, "He wouldn''t like that. He preferred his friends to act naturally around him. He is someone we don''t want to make an enemy, but he doesn''t like if we act as if we are wary of him." "He''s a good guy. Now I understand why you''re friends with him." Den smiled faintly at her remark. "But¡­ how do you know he is the blue king?" "His skin is cold, and he always stays out of town in the summer. Plus¡­" Den pointed at two boxes of ice that didn''t melt at all even though they weren''t put in the freezer. "Ice cream? What''s with the ice cream?" Roxanne tried to lift one of the ice cream boxes, but she shrieked in surprise when her skin touched the box. "It''s¡­ It''s cold!" "Try to touch it again," urged Den with a chuckle. "No, I don''t want. It feels like I''m gonna freeze to death." she felt like she was being showered with hail and buried in the snow without clothes on. She only touched the ice cream box with her fingers, but the chill ran through her whole body as if a pile of snowpletely covered her! "Trust me. It will be different." Roxanne believed whatever Den said and touched the ice cream box again after taking a deep breath. Surprisingly, she didn''t feel the same cold as before. On the other hand¡­ the coldness of this box is entirely normal!? "Hmm? It''s not as cold as before. What happened?" "It''s his doing. He will make sure the ice cream we buy stays like its form. After someone else wants to eat it, then he won''t take care of it anymore." "That... That''s so cool. You''ve got a great friend!" From a weird friend became a great friend. How fast his vixen wife changes her view about someone. "Aren''t you feeling proud when you heard him? He said he never wanted to be friends with a jerk. How dare you pretend to sleep?" "Otherwise, how would I know that you worry about something?" "..." she had forgotten that Axel had guessed her anxiety earlier! "Roxy, I know there''s something you want to talk to me about, but you''re afraid to say it. I don''t know why you''re worried I won''t love you anymore, even after knowing what you said. Do you think my feelings for you only that small?" "I¡­" "Never mind. If you don''t want to say it, I won''t force you. We have a long time, and I can wait. But I want you to promise me." "What?" "Don''t let your worries depress you. I don''t want you to be depressed by the thought I''ll leave you someday. You should know, you are my breath. And you are the purpose of my life. I even nned all my future with you by my side." "Den¡­" Roxanne felt all her worries evaporate without a trace, hearing his sweet words. "I will not leave you. Even if you want to leave me someday, I will continue to chase you and win your heart once again." Den lifted Roxanne''s hand and gently brought it to his lips to nt his kiss at the back of her hand. "I love you, Roxanne." Roxanne felt her heart drummed in rapid speed. It was the first time Den expressed love while calling her real name. It felt like¡­ she wanted to fly into the sky and scream out all the joy she couldn''t contain anymore. ''No human is perfect in this world.'' Roxanne recalled what Axrd had said a moment ago. That''s right. No human is perfect in this world, and each one has secrets that cannot be revealed. Roxanne has a secret that might crush her rtionship with Den. But¡­ if she decided to keep this a secret until the end, wouldn''t their rtionship be fine? After all¡­ Kaylee would nevere back into their lives. And apart from her, no one knew the reason why Roxy had decided to stay and let Kaylee go home alone. As long as she sealed her mouth tight and never told anyone¡­ Den would never know. She will carry this secret with her until she dies. Roxanne put her hands behind her back and gave a big smile. "I love you too." she tiptoed and tilted her head up to give Den a quick peck on the lips. The man looked shocked and at a loss for words when he heard the ''L'' worde out of Roxanne''s mouth. He waited for her to say the word patiently, and finally¡­ he could hear it directly! Den smiled widely, and his gaze of love increased until no words could measure his current feelings. He wrapped one arm around Roxanne''s back while the other was behind the nape of the girl''s neck. He lowered his head and pulled his wife''s tiny body so that he could kiss her sweet lips again. Den pulled away so that Roxanne could breathebefore he kissed her again with more intensity. "Stay with me, Roxy," asked Den in the midst of their steamy fondling. "Okay." "Really?" Den felt his heart soar to hear her answer. "For tonight," Roxanne smirked, making Den helpless. "Aaaah!" Roxanne shrieked in surprise because Den suddenly carried her in a bridal style. "What are you doing? Put me down." "You said you would stay with me tonight. We still have a long night." "¡­" this pervert shameless man!! Nevertheless, Roxanne couldn''t resist and broke into a chuckle as Den walked into their room. Chapter 199 - Ch. 199 Did He Get Rejected? Nichs Larson walked into his house with heavy steps, then slumped his body on the long sofa. He ced his arm over his eyes while sighing heavily. His mind recalled what had happened a moment ago when he asked Lydia out. "Be my girlfriend." The truth is, Nick didn''t n on asking her out right there and then. But somehow, his mouth had thought of its own and expressed his heart. Nick''s expression seemed calm and rxed from the outside, but the truth was Nick''s heart was beating fast, and he was nervous about what kind of answer Lydia would give him. Nick often seduces and flirts around, but he only ys around and never makes a woman his girlfriend. Lydia would be the first, and he couldn''t help but be nervous. "I will only love you, watch over you and protect you." nevertheless, he hid his nervousness very well and spoke fluently. "Would you try it?" For a moment, Lydia didn''t react and opened her eyes wide as if she couldn''t believe his words. The silence between them seemed like forever, and this made Nick even more restless and worried. Would Lydia turn him down? As if some force was pulling back Lydia''s consciousness, the girl raised a hand and pushed Nick''s body slightly away from her. "You must be kidding. Stop ying around." Nick probed the girl''s expression to find out Lydia''s reaction. But the girl ignored him and took a few dishes onto her te before returning to enjoying her food so deliciously. As expected, Lydia didn''t take him seriously. Plus, Nick knew Lydia was looking for a man who was both rich and handsome. It seemed that the girl also prefers a more mature man than his child-like behavior. Nick was handsome, and he had no doubt that his charisma would only advance with time. He is still young and can still grow again. As for wealth¡­ the Larsons are rich, but the Larsons are not his real family. Sooner orter, he had to return to Folnd Ind, and he couldn''t possibly bring Lydia into his world. Nick ced his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his knuckle. He was no longer interested in eating and preferred to see the look on Lydia''s face, who seemed to be enjoying her food. The girl devoured all these dishes as if they were the most delicious food in the world. "Eat slowly. No one will steal it from you." Lydia almost choked from her food at Nick''s words. "I just want to go home soon." "Why rush home? You don''t like me that much?" Lydia took a deep breath then put down the chopstick before turning to look at Nick. "Nichs, what exactly are you doing?" "What?" "I know you like to y around, and you think all the girls in the world will like you just because you give them your smile. But I''m not like those girls. On the other hand, I hate people who y around and see girls as a ything. If I didn''t know you well, I might have hated you long ago." "You know me well? What do you know about me?" somehow, Nick became interested in what Lydia had to say about him. "You''re trying to hide something through your cheerful attitude. You always smile and tell the people you care about that you are fine. But in truth, you are suffering from within." "¡­" "I don''t know what caused you to suffer, but I understand how you feel." because we are both very simr. Lydia continued silently. "You said you didn''t like Kaylee, but when you looked at her, your gaze was filled with confusion, sadness, and grief as if Kaylee was no longer in this world. It was like you''re mourning for her." "I am? I''m not mourning." "That''s the impression I got when I saw you looking at Kaylee. To tell you the truth, the two of us are very simr. I''m the same as you." Nick smiled faintly at that because he knew Lydia and him were very simr. "Since we are simr, aren''t we a match for each other?" Nick wanted to provoke Lydia''s reaction and slowly reassure her that he wasn''t kidding when he said he wanted to date her. Lydia frowned at Nick''s confident tone and snorted sarcastically. "Stop ying around. I''m serious." "I''m serious too." "Serious of what? There''s no way you seriously want me to be your girlfriend." "Why not?" Lydia nced once more at Nick and realized how serious and determined the young man''s eyes were. She had never seen such a stern look from the flirtatious boy to make her speechless. "Why?" Why does Nick want to be his girlfriend? "I like you. Can''t you tell?" Lydia can''t tell if Nick was serious or not. But when she saw his adoring and admiring gaze as if she was the most important girl in Nick''s life, Lydia lowered her gaze for fear that her determination would start to waver. "I can''t tell if you y a trick or something." "Then what should I do?" what should I do to make you believe my words? "Nick, why does it have to be me? There''re a lot of girls out there who will feel happy to be your girlfriend. I''m pretty sure they''ll even line up to queue." "But they''re not you." "..." Lydia gulped in nervousness, trying to calm her pounding heart. She picked up the chopsticks again and took a piece of dumpling, and popped it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly while thinking of something. Nick couldn''t contain his uneasiness and called out to her, "Lydia," "Stop right there! Give me time." "Until when?" "..." Lydia didn''t answer and continued to finish her food. In the end, the two finished their dinner in silence, and when Nick offered to take her home, Lydia vehemently refused. "If you still insist on driving me home, I will reject you now." Nick couldn''t help but give up and let Lydia go home alone. Seeing how Lydia looked at him was so distasteful and trying to avoid him¡­ wouldn''t it be the same as rejecting him indirectly? Chapter 200 - Ch. 200 The Tattooed Guy In one of the prisons in a small country, a criminal was exercising his muscles by using a horizontal pole connected from one pir to another. This person had shoulder-length hair with a striking red color. There was a tattoo of a red snake on his left neck with an open mouth that stops just below his jaw. Both hands and well-defined body muscles formed by years of training make him a formidable fighter. Even though he heard the sound of footsteps approaching his cell room, this red-haired person was still training his muscles as if he wasn''t afraid of peopleing. "Master Raffetto, you have a visitor." Raffetto released his grip on the post that was two meters above his head andnded with a loud stomping sound. His eyes were umon because it has a rare golden yellow color, plus his huge body makes him like a hazardous person. Even the prison guard was intimidated by this guy, and he would have run away if this cell didn''t have a bar. "Who?" inquired the tattoed man with a cold tone and piercing gaze as if he was a cobra ready to bite its prey. "It''s¡­ Mister Anach." An eyebrow raised before Raffetto snorted sarcastically. Why is Hades IV looking for him? Raffetto took the criminal uniform from his bed and draped it over his shoulders carelessly. With leisurely steps, he followed the prison guard into the meeting room. A crooked smile crossed his face as he realized the prison guard would asionally nce back. Even a child could see this man afraid that Raffetto would strangle him from behind and kill him right then and there. By the time they arrived at the meeting room, which was no bigger than the corridor of his prison room, Raffetto could see an older man who had an ugly scar on his left cheek. Raffetto sat across the man without his clothes on. And he didn''t care about the look of disdain that filled the man''s eyes. "Why are you looking for me, Hades? Do you intend to increase my brackets?" The Hades looked straight into Raffetto''s eyes without any fear and didn''t care whether the young man was shirtless or not. "It''s the opposite. I n to reduce your sentence." There was a dangerous and exciting glint in the young man''s golden eyes. "Do you want me to kill someone?" "You are indeed his disciple that he is most proud of. That''s right. I want you to kill someone and make it look like an ident." "Who is your target this time? He''s unfortunate to have offended the Hades." "Kaylee Zouch." Instantly Raffetto''s body tensed upon hearing that, but he hid his expression well. Kaylee Zouch? Wasn''t that girl the daughter of the previous Hades? "The reason?" "Do I need a reason to get rid of someone? After all, you used to want to kill her." Raffetto gave a sarcasticugh in response. "It is true. But it was too easy for me. Bring her back to Folnd Ind, and she will surely die without me doing it." "Her father would never bring her back. She has lived in New York and is about to marry into the cks. Before the wedding happened, I wanted her dead." The tattooed man ced his elbow on the desk and rested his chin on his knuckle while giving a crooked smile. "What are you afraid of, Hades IV? You''ve got the title you wanted, and the previous Hades won''t bother you. Why do you insist on killing a little girl who doesn''t have any power? Ah, is it because of Rothbert Zouch?" "¡­" "You''re afraid that man will return to town and n to take your position from him. After all, his only weakness is Miss Zouch. Tsk, tsk, tsk." chuckled Raffetto with a scornful look. "You are no better than the previous Hades. At least there''s nothing my mentor is afraid of. He has the power to protect what he has. But you don''t have that power." "Don''t you want to get out of this ce? Aren''t you afraid I''ll increase your punishment?" "Do as you wish. I have no interest in doing ant work. If you have a more challenging target, I''ll think about it." without waiting for Hades IV''s reaction, Raffetto got up and went out to return to his cell. When no one saw his face, the crooked smile that had been adorning his face disappeared in an instant until there was no trace. ''Kaylee Zouch,'' Hades IV wants Kaylee dead? Did that mean he decided to attack the previous Hades? If that man was terrified of Rothbart''s existence, why not just get rid of him? Why attack a little girl who knows nothing? Raffleto''s footsteps stopped when he remembered something. He just remembered¡­ Kaylee isn''t a little girl anymore. She must have grown into a finedy by now. ''Her father would never bring her back. She has lived in New York and is about to marry into the cks.'' The little girl is even getting married. Raffetto touched his chest because he felt strange when he heard the news of the girl''s marriage. He couldn''t help but remember hisst conversation with Kaylee nine years ago. "So¡­ with me like this, you don''t like me at all?" "No. I don''t like weak people." "Then¡­ why did you protect me from those people and ensure my safety. Because I am the daughter of your mentor?" "It was one of them. But the main reason is that you are Roxy''s sister. I don''t want her to be sad to see you hurt." It was theirst conversation before Kaylee went to Europe to catch up with Roxy, who ran away from an arranged marriage she didn''t want. At that time, Hades III wanted to increase his power by joining his father''s organization in Italy by binding marriage. Roxanne did not need to run away because even though Raffetto often told everyone he was pursuing Roxy, he would never agree to this marriage. Raffetto had just put on his clothes when he returned to his cell room because he wasn''t sweating anymore. Then he lifted his pillow and saw a small photo where a girl was there. The photo is an image of the real Kaylee and not Roxy. He looked at the picture with a gentle smile he rarely showed others. ''I hope this time you find your happiness.'' Chapter 201 - Ch. 201 A Tourist The caf¨¦ located in a small town in the Nethends was getting busier by the day because of its friendly service and delightful cello ying. Today was no different from the previous days, and the female boss was satisfied with her achievements. "ire, I''m going to rest for a while in my room. Let me know if something''sing up." "Okay, boss." Kaylee walked inside where her workroom was to get a power nap. Before lying down on her longfy couch, she decided to apply some balm on her left wrist. Lately, she''s been feeling a bit sore whenever she ys the cello. Was it because she forced herself to y the cello for hours without rest? Kaylee rubbed the balm on her wrists while massaging her wrist lightly. At the same time, a man entered the cafe, but the purpose of his arrival was not to drink coffee or buy snacks from here. He specially came to look for someone. The man immediately asked ire, who was in charge of weing guests and serving guest orders. "Excuse me," said the man using amonnguage. "I heard someone ys the cello every weekend." "It is true." fortunately, ire can also understand and speak fluent themonnguage making the man breathe a sigh of relief. "Can I meet her?" "Sorry. But she will only perform at five in the evening." "Isn''t she here yet?" ire turned to Logan with a questioning look, and as if they couldmunicate with each other through eye contact, ire found the answer. "Sorry. But you cane backter at five o''clock, or you can wait here while enjoying our beverage. We have the best Brazilian coffee beans, and our baristas can brew the best coffee." The man seemed to sigh with disappointment and decided to wait there while enjoying coffee in this ce. After all, it was four in the evening, and he only needed to wait another hour to meet the cellist in this ce. So he decided to walk inside and take a seat in one of the empty seats before ordering a ck coffee. The man noticed the waitress named ire was speaking the localnguage to one of her employees. It seemed like they were talking about him because every now and then, their eyes would stare at him. He didn''t know what they were talking about, nor did he care. The man observed this room as if he was appraising this building like an inspector. "Hey, who is that handsome guy? He''s like a tourist." "He''s a tourist, and he''s looking for our cellist." Basten Koes, a waiter, and cashier heaved a heavy sigh hearing this. "How many people are looking for our boss?" "Precisely. I already lost count for it." "Many are looking for her, but the girl in question has no interested in meeting them," added Logan while brewing the coffee ordered by a new visitor. Logan''s words were followed by nods of approval from the others, while Logan seemed unconcerned about the person looking for Kaylee. "Here. Give him the coffee he ordered. I''ll let Kaylee know about him." Logan walked inside to warn the girl about the person looking for her. He was about to call out to her as soon as he entered the room, but when he saw Kaylee sleeping on the sofa, he swallowed back his voice. The barista walked over and crouched down to see the sleeping princess'' face. His hands were itching to grab the tufts of hair that covered part of her face, but he held himself back. Logan didn''t want to disturb her sleep, and only like now could he enjoy the girl''s beautiful face to his heart''s content. Kaylee stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes as if her body were an automatic rm. She was a bit surprised when she saw Logan so close to her. "Logan? Why are you here?" Logan smiled a little, then stood up without breaking his smile. "Someone came looking for you. It looks like he''s a scout because he asked for the cellist here." "Again?" Kaylee rubbed her eyes with a big yawn as she got up from her lying position. "You didn''t sleepst night? Why do you look so tired?" "I am fine." "Kaylee, what exactly happened? You''ve be quieter since hearing Kaylee Zouch''s engagement." "¡­" Kaylee couldn''t answer it and got up to stretch her muscles. "Just your feeling. I''m a quiet person." "Kaylee¡­" "Is the person looking for me still out there?" "..." Logan sighed in resignation because he was used to Kaylee constantly changing the subject if she wanted to avoid something. "Yes. I guess he won''t be home until he meets you." "It''s not like he won''te again." "He''s a tourist." Kaylee''s brows knit together hearing this. "A tourist? How can a stranger find me?" "Beats me. Maybe it''s because cellists in a cafe are rare, so someone spread them outside." "I''ve given the prohibition not to take my photo. Why are there still vitions?" "Don''t you know? A prohibition exists only to be broken." teased Logan invites a frown to fill Kaylee''s face. "I''m just kidding. We can''t control people, Kaylee. If someone is taking your photo secretly, we can''t do anything about it." "Then I better not show up for today." "Why? What are you afraid of? Besides, you promised the kids to y their favorite song tonight." "Oh, right. I almost forgot. What time will theye?" "About eight o''clock." "There is still time. I''ll go home first, and then I''ll be back at seven." "What?" "I''ll leave the rest to you." Kaylee patted Logan on the shoulder once, then walked over to get a coat and hat. After that, she put on sunsses to cover her face. After making sure that no one would recognize her as a cellist in this cafe, Kaylee walked out without hesitation. The employees at this ce were familiar with her habits. If she puts on a hat and sunsses and walks towards the exit, it means they have to act like they don''t know her. That''s why Kaylee didn''t greet ire or Basten. Instead, the two of them escorted Kaylee as if she was a visitor like any other. Unfortunately, Kaylee did not expect that the tourist who was looking for her recognized her figure. "Kaylee," Kaylee came to a halt when she heard her name. How can a stranger find out her name? Curious as to who called her, Kaylee spun around. As if she had been hit by a train, Kaylee felt her whole body tremble with shock. Chapter 202 - Ch. 202 Not As Innocent As She Revealed The tourist noticed a weird girl came out from the inner side of this building and walked straight towards the exit. "Kaylee," the man wasn''t so sure at first because the girl wore a winter coat and a hat and sunsses. But he took the chance and called her. He hit the jackpot when the girl turned to him. He felt his heart was in turmoil between happy and angry. He was happy that the girl was still alive, but he was mad at the same time. If Kaylee was still alive, why didn''t that girl tell her family!? Did she not know what her sister had been through in the early year since hearing about the ne crash? On the other hand, Kaylee took off her sunsses to check her vision with trembling hands. She didn''t know if her eyes yed a trick on her or if she really saw her cousin''s face there. "Kaylee, you¡­ You''re still alive." "Rothbert¡­" Robert walked up to her with wide, fast steps. Then he checked his cousin from head to toe. The employees who saw the speedy advance of the unknown guest felt worried. What if this big guy attacked their boss? But¡­ why did Kaylee seem to be stuck in her ce? Do they know each other? Meanwhile, Rothbert, who finished investigating Kaylee''s physical condition while digging into his memories of the teenage girl in his memory, breathed a sigh of relief. This is the real Kaylee, not Roxy. Aside from her different hair color, this girl is Kaylee. "Kaylee, why didn''t you tell us?" "I¡­" Kaylee realized that all her employees, including Logan, were watching them and waiting for her reaction. "Follow me. We''re starting to attract attention." Kaylee decided to use her mother tongue instead of themonnguage, making her employees feel confused. Kaylee walked back to her study and let her cousin follow her from behind. She seemed unconcerned by the astonished gazes of herpanions, but she was confused by this unexpected situation. How did Rothbert find her? If her cousin knew she was still alive, did that mean her mother and father knew too? Kaylee let her cousin inside her workroom first. She kept thinking about what kind of exnation to give her cousin an eptable excuse. As far as memory goes, her cousin was frightening when he was angry. Even when the man became her piano teacher, Kaylee preferred to run away and didn''t practice piano. After all, her talent in ying the piano was not as great as her sister''s. She preferred to y the cello over the piano. As soon as the room door closed, Kaylee looked back at her cousin and got her first sentence out before her cousin attacked her by dropping a bomb. "Long time no see, Rothbert. How are you?" "How am I?" Robert''s eyebrow rose in disapproval with Kaylee''s casual t tone. He felt that Kaylee no longer cared about her family and acted as if she had no family waiting for her toe home. How could they wait for the girl''s return when they were sure she was gone? Robert didn''t know if he was angry or overjoyed that his cousin was still alive. Even if he was angry, he did not know who to vent his anger on. "What are you doing here? Haven''t you ever thought about what condition your parents and your sister were in?" "I know they will be sad. But hasn''t it been almost nine years? I''m sure they don''t remember me anymore." "Kaylee! Do you know what happened to your sister?" "Rothbert. Pretend you didn''t see me today. I''m gone, and I already have a new life here. Can''t you see? I feel happier here." "So¡­ you don''t n oning back?" ''No.'' But Kaylee couldn''t say it directly. "Are you angry?" "Pretty much. You don''t seem to care about your family anymore." "See? You''re just mad at me even after finding me. You think they won''t be angry if I suddenly appear in front of them. I can''t show up and greet them with, ''Hi, papa, hi mama, hi sis, I''m alive and healthy.'' Papa will chop my head for sure." "He wouldn''t do that. Why do you think so badly of your father?" "Because I know he is a Hades. The previous Hades had the heart to kill his son to defend his position, let alone my own father." "How¡­ how did you know?" "Everyone knows about that. We all know that grandpapa killed your father because he betrayed the older man. And I know¡­ papa poisoned the old man as revenge." Kaylee lowered her gaze to the floor because she no longer dared to look straight at her cousin. "I know papa killed many people to protect us. Every time someone saw our faces in person, the news of that person''s death was announced the next day." Rothbert couldn''t even speak because he didn''t expect the innocent Kaylee, who seemed weak and unounted for, to actually know the deepest and darkest secret of Hades'' organization. He remembered what Roxy said when he was about to tell the teenage girl to start examining Hades'' job. Of course, the girl tly refused and proposed Kaylee''s name instead. "What if Kaylee bes papa''s sessor? Good ideas, right?" "Your sister is too kind-hearted and easily gets influenced by others. She can''t be a leader and is too weak to face those¡­ Nevermind." "She''s not weak," he remembered Roxanne rebutting him in a firm tone. "Kaylee is the strongest girl I''ve ever known!" "I think you need to go to the doctor to have your eyes checked. Everyone also knew Kaylee gave up easily and is a crybaby. Don''t try to change the topic." "I''m not. Kaylee is strong. She only looks like that because she wants you all to think she''s one. And besides, she''s not as innocent as you think. She''s wicked like me." At that time, Robert did not understand Roxy''s words. He couldn''t even believe that Kaylee was the girl Roxanne described. But now¡­ after hearing firsthand that Kaylee knew the biggest secret of her family that even Roxy didn''t know, made him couldn''t help but believe that Kaylee was not as innocent as she revealed. Chapter 203 - Ch. 203 His Sword-like Words "How did you survive the ne crash? I heard that none of the passengers survived and that many bodies were not found. So how did you¡­." "I was never on the ne." "What?" "That day, I thought Roxy and I would be going home, but¡­ she changed her mind and told me to go home alone. At that time, I dressed like her and suddenly had to be alone in that outfit¡­ I was chickened out." So¡­ she decided to postpone her departure and stayed in Barcelona. She nned to tell her sister the next day and settled in a hotel. Who would have thought¡­ not long after she entered the hotel room, she heard about the ident. And her name¡­ Roxanne''s name was listed as the victim who died. It can''t be helped¡­ she did get on the ne but changed her mind just as one of the flight attendants was about to close the ne door. "Then why didn''t you contact us directly? Why didn''t you tell your sister?" "..." Kaylee couldn''t answer. At that time, she was too shocked and felt she had juste out of the death gate. She didn''t know what to do and could only lock herself in her hotel room for days. "Kaylee, I don''t know how you got to know our family''s secret in the organization, but¡­ is this why you didn''t tell us when the ident happened? Is it because you don''t want to go back to Folnd?" "¡­" Yes, that was the reason, but she preferred to stay with her family. She nned to contact her family but was too scared toe out. She felt someone had been waiting for her and ready to prey on her. "Forget about Hades and the organization. Did you not think about your family''s feelings at that time? At all? Have you never imagined how much of an effect your parents, especially your sister, will have when they hear the news of your death?" Kaylee had imagined it. But she was sure that one day their sorrow would heal, and they would live happily ever after without her. "Your sister tried tomit suicide several times until she lost her memories." "Wh¡­ what?" Those were not the news she expected to hear. Her sister tried tomit suicide? Her sister Roxy? Why? "Your mother also became obstinate and med your sister for your gone. Your father quit Hades'' position and moved to North America under a new name. Gwendy, Nicu, and me¡­ the three of us moved to New York to help with your sister''s mental health recovery." "That¡­ that''s impossible." "The three of us changed our names so no one would recognize us, and we all had to adapt there to avoid the eyes of investigators who suspected us. And your sister¡­ she thinks she is you and doesn''t have a sister. Every time someone mentions her sister or she saw your two faces in a photo album¡­ she would scream in pain and fall unconscious." That''s why Mr. and Mrs. Zouch got rid of all the photos of Kaylee and just posted a family photo that only had Roxanne''s face on. After eight years, Roxanne no longer has a headache and truly considers herself the only daughter. "She called herself as you and acts like you to deceive me all these years. I thought the one on the ne was Roxy, and the survivor was Kaylee. But who would have thought¡­ Roxy''s mental breakdown was so strong that she lost her memory and thought she was you. She got me quite good." "I¡­ I don''t know¡­." "How could you know? You didn''t even call us. Do you only think about yourself? Did you have a mental breakdown after hearing about the ident?" "I¡­" "I know you might be shocked and traumatized when you hear about the ne crash. You almost got on that ne and suffered the same fate as the other victims. But don''t you know that knowing you''re still alive is the miracle we hoped for?" "I¡­" "Aren''t you a sweet girl and think others before yourself? You always show up when your father is frustrated with your sister. And you can make the tense atmosphere soft again. When we all needed your presence, your cheerfulness¡­ why you even decided to cut ties with us?" "It''s enough. Please, don''t talk anymore." Kaylee felt a pang inside her chest. Her eyes were teary to the point she couldn''t act strong in front of her cousin. "Do you know? Roxy has made all your dreamse true that you have never achieved before. She forgot her own dream as a designer and decided to study at M university and be a pianist in the NYA orchestra. She even became aposer and songwriter by coborating with Gwen. Their names are both quite famous there." Kaylee''s body trembled at the words that came out of her cousin''s mouth. She felt that every word that came out of her cousin was like a sword slicing through her heart. She never thought that her selfishness at that time would make such a significant change in her family''s life. The tears that had been filling her eyes now flowed unobstructedly. "I¡­" "One more thing." as if not satisfied with attacking Kaylee with his sword-like words, Robert continued his sentence. "There were several Royal Conservatoires in Ennd and Germany inviting her to be a spokesperson as a pianist, but she refused all of them. Do you know the reason?" Kaylee couldn''t make a sound because she started sobbing so hard. She wished her cousin would stop his talk as soon as he saw her tears. Usually, her cousin wouldn''t force her again after she shed tears. But today¡­ her cousin is rather heartless and gave no care about her tears. "Your sister has an unnatural fear of nes. She hadn''t been on a ne since she arrived in New York. That''s why¡­ she can''t go overseas." Instantly Kaylee''s knees went limp. Her sister¡­ didn''t dare to get on the ne? Roxy, who loves to travel the world¡­ was afraid of boarding on the ne? Chapter 204 - Ch. 204 Roe Is Roxy? One thing that Robert hates the most¡­ he hates seeing his dear sister cry. But¡­ he couldn''t control his anger at all because Kaylee was hiding the fact that she was still alive while Roxanne and his aunt and uncle suffered from her disappearance. Not only that, his uncle''s most proud disciple and sessor of the mafia organization in Europe became more rampant and almost killed Roxanne eight years ago. Since then, the young man has been making trouble here and there without restraints because Hades III was more focused on his daughter, who survived. Just as their enemy wanted¡­ the forces within Hades'' organization had faltered, and things got even moreplicated when they heard that Hades III decided to resign and move to North America. They all knew that the ne crash was suspicious, and they discovered traces of the culprit. When they found the location of the perpetrator, they found the person dead. In the end, they were back to zero and had no idea who had targeted Roxanne so neatly that it was undetected. Losing a daughter he loved very much, Mr. Zouch didn''t want to risk letting his daughter live in a dangerousnd. It was no wonder that he decided to take over Zouch''s banking business which is his alternative identity, when he decided to leave the Hades organization. On the other hand, the Larsons were alternative identities for Wendy and Nichs, while their birth father remained on Folnd Ind and became Hades IV. Now, even though he saw the tears of his beloved cousin, Robert felt neither guilt nor pity. If Kaylee had contacted them directly eight years ago, all the suffering her uncle and Roxy had gone through would not have happened. "I''m sorry¡­ I¡­ I''ve been selfish¡­ I didn''t think ahead¡­ when I decided to disappear for good. I¡­" "Kaylee, it''s not me you should be begging for. The suffering I have experienced was not as big as what your parents or your sister endured." Kaylee wiped her tears with the back of her hand and said while sobbing, "What¡­ what should I do?" "What do you want to do?" "I¡­" she wanted to return to her family. She wanted to apologize to them for making them suffer. She wanted to tell them she was alive and well, but¡­ Kaylee didn''t want to go back to America. She was used to living in this ce and having her own business. Even though what she currently achieved was not her true dream, she was already satisfied. After all¡­ she aspired to be a professional pianist to get that person''s attention. But that person didn''t pay attention to her at all and could only look at her sister. Why did she force herself to struggle to be a pianist when she could be a cellist who is no less talented than Roxy? "I¡­ I don''t know." Kaylee answered honestly while shaking her head. Kaylee felt sad and couldn''t stop the tearsing out like a fountain. Furthermore, her cousin, who used to dote on her and coaxed her every time she cried, was indifferent at her. She felt¡­ she was a stranger to that man. However, Robert proved her thought was wrong. The man approached her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Like a fatherforting his weeping daughter, Robert gently patted Kaylee''s back and spoke in a soft voice. "If you''re still not ready to return, I''ll help you keep your whereabouts a secret." Kaylee gripped her cousin''s shirt tightly when she heard that. "Why?" Because they still don''t know who was behind the ne crash. If Kaylee suddenly appeared at Zouch''s residence and there were spies from their enemies who noticed her, there was no guarantee that a simr ident would not happen again. And this time¡­ they were going to lose one of the sisters for good. "No reason. After all, your sister''s condition is much better than before. Slowly they have found the calm and peace that they had never had while living in the Folnd. But¡­ your appearance ying the cello here is enough to worry me." Kaylee moved back to look at her cousin''s face, which looked a little blurry as her eyes filled with tears. "My appearance?" "How do you think I was able to find you? Two days ago I received a photo from my friend who was on their honeymoon in this country. He came to this cafe and recognized you." Kaylee lowered her face sadly. She knew some visitors had stolen photos of her ying the cello. She doesn''t mind if one or two idolized her and told their friends where her cafe is. Her visitors could be a great marketing tool to increase the cafe''s poprity. But¡­ she didn''t expect her photo to reach the other continent. "Have you ever heard of Roe''s name?" Robert wiped her tears gently with his thumb. "Roe? Of course, I''ve heard her. She is a pianist from New York, and many music academies in Europe would like to¡­." her words paused as she thought of something. "Don''t tell me¡­ Roe is sister Roxy?" "Smart girl. It seems I have underestimated you all this time." "It''s not important. How can Roe be Roxy? I''ve seen her picture once, but she''s not Roxy." "She''s altered her appearance. She found a talented make-up artist to make her look like someone else. Even if Roe''s photo spreads to the ends of the world, no one will ever recognize her as your father''s daughter." "That¡­ that is impossible." "Even though she thought she is you, her naughty ideas always kicked in and made me have a headache. Ah, there''s something else that''s hard to believe. She disguised herself as Nico to take his ce in college." "What? Why did she do it?" Robert chuckled when he saw that Kaylee wasn''t crying anymore. "Want to hear more about her?" Kaylee seemed hesitant to answer, but she nodded her head once. "But you also have to tell me." "About what?" "Your life. I never thought you''d be able to own a coffee shop of your own. I didn''t even know you were interested in opening up a coffee shop. Kaylee smiled hearing that and pulled her cousin''s hand to sit together, and the two of them chatted with each other. Chapter 205 - Ch. 205 Jealousy Logan It was already seven o''clock in the evening, but there was no sign of Kayleeing out of her office with the unknown man. This made Logan worried, and he decided to find the girl. But just as he was about to knock on Kaylee''s door, Logan heardughter from inside that made his brows furrow. He even put one side of his face against the door as if he wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. He could hear their voices crystal clear as if he was there with the two of them. Plus, this door wasn''t an expensive soundproof door, so people outside would be able to hear voices from inside if they spoke loudly. Well, when Kaylee was talking, her voice would be muffled, but¡­ the girl burst intoughter as if she heard something hrious. What are they talking about? Why can''t Logan understand what they''re talking about? Both of them do not use themonnguage, nor do they speak the localnguage. Then¡­ whatnguage do they use? Since when could Kaylee talk othernguages? ''I have someone I already like.'' Logan remembered Kaylee''s words in response to any man who asked her out. Logan thought Kaylee was lying because she didn''t want to date and prioritized the cafe business she had just founded a few months ago. Who would have thought¡­ the girl''s refusal answer wasn''t a lie. It turned out there is someone out there who already has that girl''s heart. Is this the tourist guy? Unable to contain his curiosity, Logan knocked on the door, not caring if he disturbed their sweet moment. "Come in." Logan casually opened the door and hid his jealousy when he saw Kaylee sitting next to a man he didn''t know. "Logan! Is it time?" Kaylee looked at her watch and giggled as she realized how fast time had passed without her noticing. "Gosh! It''s seven o''clock!" "I remember your clerk said you''d show up at five in the afternoon. Did I make you dy your appearance?" Kaylee smiled broadly at her cousin and was sure it was just a usual smile. But in Logan''s eyes, her smile right now was the best one he''d ever seen. He felt Kaylee was so happy to meet the tourist guy, as if she had missed him for a long time. It was true. Kaylee missed her cousin. But not the cousin she wanted to meet the most. It wasn''t Robert who had her heart. "Take it easy. Even though I''m not performing, there are still bands that will perform. I don''t always perform every day because I also have an audition that I have to take in two months." "Audition?" "En. I want to join an orchestra in Vienna and be a cellist there. The selection trial to join them was quite challenging. So I have to practice if I want to pass the selection round." "Why didn''t you take the audition earlier?" "I have no money, and I am still an illegal citizen in this country. I have to think of a way to survive before I can think of anything else." "So now you are an official citizen of this ce." "Of course. All thanks to the help of my acquaintances as well as Logan. Oh, I almost forgot. Logan, let me introduce you. This is my cousin from my paternal side, Rothbert... I mean, Robert." she remembered her cousin asked her to call him with his new name instead of the old one. "Robert, this is my friend and my business partner, Logan." Robert stood up and smiled lopsidedly when he saw a relieved expression from this young man named Logan. It was clear that this young man had special feelings for his cousin. The young man looked tense as he entered the room, and Robert could almost feel the burning of this man''s jealousy. Now that he''s heard that he''s Kaylee''s cousin, Logan was no longerpetitive and was back to normal. "Robert Harvey. Nice to meet you." Robert was the first to extend his hand in a friendly and courteous manner. "Logan Hoo. Pleasure is mine. I never knew Kaylee had family overseas. Didn''t you say you were an orphan?" Robert nced at Kaylee with a matte look that made Kaylee nervous in ce. It was as if Robert had scolded her for really considering herself alone and announcing to the whole world that she was an orphan, even though her parents were still living well. Robert was even sure that Mr. and Mrs. Zouch was unwilling to leave the world before seeing their grandkids. Even so, Robert didn''t say anything and let everyone in the ce think Kaylee didn''t have a family. "I¡­ Robert¡­ that¡­" Kaylee nced at her cousin dubiously as if she was worried that the man would attack her again like in the beginning. She had made up with Robert and talked about so many things that they burst outughing. She didn''t want to spoil it just because Logan had splurged on something she didn''t like. "I didn''t say anything," stated Robert as if he knew what was going on in his younger cousin''s mind. "Well then, I''ll go back first." "Wait. Can you stay any longer? I want you to hear my y." Logan stared in surprise at Kaylee. It was the first time he''d heard Kaylee ask someone to listen to her y. Usually, she never asked someone to listen to her because Kaylee was full of confidence in her abilities. "Why? Is your recital still as bad as it used to be?" teased Rothbert made Kaylee frown. "No way. I want to prove to you that I''m much better than I used to be." Robert smiled amusedly as he put his hands in his pants pockets. "Good. Let me see how the whiny little kid that likes to hide behind her sister''s back grows up." "You! I''m not a kid!" Kaylee''s protest drewughter from Robert. Seeing how loosely her cousinughed, Kaylee couldn''t help butugh with him too. Both of them didn''t notice the frowning Logan as it was the first time he knew that Kaylee had a sister. Even though Robert was Kaylee''s cousin, Logan was jealous of the guy because Robert knew the girl so much more than he did despite being with the girl for eight years. Chapter 206 - Ch. 206 Are You Married? The atmosphere of Kaylee''s cafe in Delft was vivacious because of the presence of arge family with their young grandchildren. Cafe Familia serves coffee that men like and provides milk and desserts and children''s favorite snacks. It''s no wonder the cafe has be famous at all ages, especially when kids love watching Kaylee y the cello. The little children sat quietly in the children''s chairs while watching Kaylee''s performance. Every now and then, Kaylee would smile at them and give them a song-guessing game. If they answer correctly, the children will get a lollipop from her as a reward. Seeing the interaction between Kaylee and the visitors made Robert realize something. Kaylee was not a timid and meek girl who will hide whenever she meets a stranger. On the other hand, the girl seemed to be adaptable and easy to get along with others even though it was the first time they met. ''She was deliberately acting like that to hide her true self. Isn''t she more wicked than me?'' At that time, Robert did not understand what Roxy meant. After meeting with Kaylee again and having a long conversation with her, only then did he know. Both Roxy and Kaylee are the daughters of a famous Hades who fears nothing and mercilessly to those who intend to harm his family. If the two girls had been born as men, perhaps the two of them would have fought each other for Hades'' position. However, both of them were born as girls. And coincidentally, both had such pure hearts that they didn''t want to see blood in front of their eyes. Both of them did not want to continue the position of Hades, let alone be the leader of an organization filled with mafia members or ex-criminals. Plus¡­ they would never know who would betray and poison them. Robert remembered that his own grandfather had the heart to kill his own son because he felt threatened even though his father had never rebelled. When his grandfather was about to kill him because the older man thought Robert wanted his power, his uncle... Hades III poisoned his grandfather''s food. If they continued to live in the Folnds and didn''t leave Hades'' organization, they would have to kill if they didn''t want to be killed. Therefore, Mr. Zouch decided to leave because he didn''t want to lose his other daughter. Robert also chose to go because he had no one in the country. Fortunately, Kaylee¡­ Roxanne, who thought she was Kaylee, could live in peace, even though Mr. Zouch never calmed down and kept his daughter''s face from spreading. As long as Roxy''s memories had not returned, they would never stop worrying about the girl. At least in terms of sensitivity and adapting to the situation, Roxy was more skilled than Kaylee. That''s what everyone believed, but now Robert knew Kaylee was more than keen to adapt to an unfamiliar ce. She even seeds owned a coffee business! Robert took another sip of his drink, smiling when he saw a boy kissing the girl''s cheek. Why did he feel Kaylee was ready to be a mother? Is the girl married? Ah, he forgot to ask this. Robert was still sitting where he was, waiting for Kaylee to finish exchanging pleasantries with the visitors. It seemed almost everyone who came to this ce had known Kaylee and became her friend. ''Kaylee, you''re all grown up now.'' If Roxy had known that Kaylee now had a lot of friends, she would have screamed with joy. After all, Roxy was always annoyed when someone made fun of Kaylee and frustrated that Kaylee preferred to hide in a corner. Ah, he wanted to tell the Zouch family, but¡­ Not yet. "Robert." Kaylee''s call broke Robert''s thoughts. "How was it?" "Not bad." "Just not bad?" Kaylee pursed her lips before sitting across from her cousin. "I''m just teasing you. You''re all grown up, little girl. In the past, you wouldn''t dare to be surrounded by people, but now you''re not afraid anymore." Kaylee reviewed her sweet smile in response to her cousin. "But I''m curious at something." "What is it?" "Are you married?" "What? Of course not. I don''t even have a boyfriend." "Ha? Why? How about that barista?" Robert turned to the handsome young man named Logan, who was currently serving coffee orders. Kaylee also turned to the young man while cing both hands on the table. "He''s a friend." "But he likes you." "I know. But I only see him as a friend." "Poor guy. Now I felt sympathy for him." "Robert. Not funny." Robert chuckled and then thought of something. "Perhaps, you still had not forgotten that guy?" "¡­" Kaylee was silent for a moment. "It''s not that I couldn''t forget him. But I don''t want to open my heart to anyone." "Why?" "Every time I like someone, it always ends badly." When she liked that guy, that person rejected her with nasty and hurtful words. Kaylee tried to forget it and let the man go. She was even willing to approach her sister so that she could make up with her. Her rtionship with Roxy was very close to the point they were almost inseparable, but it became strained only because of a man. Who would have thought she met the ck moon there and slowly, her heart began to open again. But¡­ the ne crash happened. Somehow she felt that every time she opened her heart to someone, something terrible would happen. That''s why she didn''t want to open her heart again and chose to live as she was now. "Bad experiences?" Robert didn''t understand what her cousin is thinking and thinks Kaylee had had a bad romance. "Something like that." was her short response. "How about you? Isn''t it your fortieth birthday soon? Oh, my! You''re already old?!" "What''s with that tone? Are you mocking me?" Kaylee gave a cute giggle while shaking her head. "If I didn''t know you, I would have thought you were still in yourte twenties or early thirties. You haven''t changed much thest time we met." "Of course. Our gene is superior to others." Robert''sment drewughter from Kaylee. "And for your information, I have someone I want to be my wife." "You have? Who is it? Do I know her?" "It''s Wendy." "Wendy? I don''t know her." "Ah, I mean¡­ It''s Gwen." Gwen? Kaylee tried to remember where she had heard this girl''s name before, and then she remembered her sister''s close friend. It''s Gwendy?! Chapter 207 - Ch. 207 Youre Too Irresistable Kaylee remembered Gwen being the same age as her and under Roxy by a year. That means the age gap between Gwen and Robert is¡­ fifteen years!? "Robert¡­ isn''t she¡­ too young for you? I mean¡­ I never thought she would like an old man like you." "Really. Are you my cousin? Why do you keep telling me I''m old?" Kaylee chuckled lightly. "Nevertheless, I''m happy for you guys. I wish you happiness." Robert sighed in hopelessness when he heard that, making Kaylee confused. Why did she feel that her cousin look devasted? "It didn''t go well." Robert knew Wendy would never be able to take his hand as long as the girl''s father was Hades. "Anyway, I need to go back now." "Now? So soon?" Robert could detect Kaylee''s disappointed voice and the sad look in her eyes. He could understand the girl''s feelings. Kaylee has indeed adapted to living independently without any family members by her side. Now that her cousin hade to see her and was willing to listen to her exnation, of course, she would feel lost. "How about you? After meeting me, will youe back with us?" "I¡­" Kaylee couldn''t answer. "It doesn''t have to be now. But if you want toe back, call me whenever you want. I will help you. You know I''ve always got your back, don''t you?" Kaylee smiled widely when she heard that her cousin still supported her. "I know. Thanks." Robert reached into his wallet in his pocket and took out a photo taken about four years ago. "Here." Kaylee received the photo, and her eyes instantly filled with tears when she saw it. There she saw her father and mother standing hugging Roxy in the midst of them. Her father''s hair had turned gray, and the tense and stern face she used to see so often became softer and gentler as if the man had never entered the realm of violence. Her mother''s face looked much happier as if there was no burden or pressure in facing the hidden dangers that often lurked them. As for Roxy¡­ her sister didn''t look like she used to. Her sister seemed like a kind and obedient daughter¡­ just like her. Why did Roxy lose her memory? Why did her sister think she was Kaylee and believe she was the only child? "Right now, they do look happy, but when your sister is not at home, your mother cries because she misses you both. And your father¡­ he mostly drank in the middle of the night or kept himself busy in his office." "Miss both of us? What do you mean?" "Kaylee, right now, your sister is not your real sister. It felt like she yed another role and did everything she had never done before. She mimicked you and did all the things and habits you do. Do you think a mother wouldn''t feel dejected if her daughter acted like someone else? Come back home. I''m sure they''ll be thrilled to wee you." Kaylee didn''t answer and looked sadly at a small photo. "Who knows, maybe Roxy''s memory wille back as soon as she meets you. But, there''s no need to rush. When you''re ready, call me." Robert stroked the top of Kaylee''s head gently, then headed off to catch thest ne of the day. Kaylee stuck a photo of her family that she missed so much in her chest. She wanted to imprint the faces of the three into her heart, and she decided she woulde back. But before that... she wanted to talk to her sister. Kaylee got to her feet and walked briskly to her office without heeding the puzzled stares of her friends. Then she opened herptop and searched for information about the famous pianist Roe. There were thousands of photos of the NYA orchestra, but only a few photos of the orchestra group captured Roe''s figure. She had heard Roe was so mysterious because she didn''t like being photographed or being interviewed, so no one knew what Roe''s face looked like or her voice. Wasn''t this Roe''s character somewhat simr to hers when she was young? Is Roxy really acting like her? After searching and searching, she finally found a mail address to contact Roe. Without further ado, Kaylee immediately opened her email and started greeting her sister as one of her fans. After all¡­ she had indeed been her sister''s number one fan in this world since childhood. Her sister was her role model and her idol. On the other hand, Roxanne in question sat casually next to Den while leaning her head on the man''s shoulder. Den put his arm around Roxanne''s shoulder while feeding the girl a piece of fruit while Roxanne looked at the schedule in her smart note. "Den, there will be an evaluation of the best orchestra next year. What song will RSH y?" "Lost in The Woods Symphony by ck Moon." Roxanne broke free from Den''s embrace and straightened herself while giving Den a disbelieving look. "You''re telling me just like that?" "I just answered your question." he fed her the fruit once more while adoring the cute frowning look of his wife. "Are you not afraid that NYA willpete with you?" Den chuckled in amusement, "I won''t participate, and I don''t care if RSH will lose or not." "Ha? But ck Moon is you. Why don''t youe to participate? Wouldn''t the victory of your orchestra be certain if you joined in?" Den smiled while feeding a piece of melon into his wife''s mouth. "I''d rather support you and watch you y the piano in the audience spot." Roxanne rolled her eyeszily, but she shed a smile at her lover. Den is very good at uplifting her mood, and he always says sweet words that are remarkably pleasing to the heart. "But, if you tell me like this, won''t you betray your orchestral group? Aren''t you worried I''ll tell my conductor the song you''re going to y?" Den pinched Roxy''s cheek yfully and brought his face closer to kiss the girl. "Then I will seal your lips." his remark inviting a wide grin on her face, and they engaged in an intense and passionate kiss. Not long after, they heard a ringing tone from nearby. As usual, Den ignored the voice and continued to attack his lover''s lips with great vigor. Roxanne couldn''t even bear the weight of the man''s body, so she let herself lie down on the long andfortable coach. Den didn''t let his little wife support his weight and supported himself with his elbows on either side of Roxanne''s head. Den inserted his tongue to seek his lover''s sweet one, and his sensual dance inside her mouth made her feel dizzy. It wasn''t their first kiss, but it always tasted like her first kiss every time Den kissed her. It was alluring as if it wanted to lure her more into his hidden trap, and it became her addiction. How could this man be extremely good at kissing? Didn''t he say she was his first girl? Den only pulled away when he sensed both of them running out of oxygen. He wanted to im her lips once more, but Roxanne held the man''s shoulder. "Den, am I really your first?" "You are." "But¡­ how do you be so good at kissing?" Den smirked at her question. "It''s because you''re too irresistible." without letting his wife react, Den again attacked her already swollen cherry lips. They were making out with full passion and eager to explore each other''s mouths. But that damn relentless ringing tone bothers them again. Why do they feel dejavu? Oh, right. Didn''t Nick keep calling Roxy while they were making out in the cottage room? But this time, it was Den''s phone that was ringing non-stop. Roxanne hit Den''s shoulder several times, making the man pull away. "Take your call first." "Not important." Den lowered his face again to kiss her lips, but Roxanne turned to the side so that his lipsnded on her smooth cheek. Den took this opportunity to shower her face with his feather-like kisses and bit her earlobe, inflicting an erotic moan from the girl. "Deck, what if it''s urgent?" Roxanne tried to avoid his endless pecks in vain. "It can wait." Seriously, this guy! Roxanne couldn''t imagine if she started living with this person, let alone marrying this insatiable man. She might be locked up in the house all day and note out of his room! This shameless cunning man managed to persuade her to stay in this house in the name of the cold weather. It''s true. It''s freezing outside as the winter season has alreadye, but not cold enough to make people feelzy to leave the house! Roxy pushed Den''s body aside and freed herself from the man''s grasp with all her might. Luckily, she managed to get Den off her, and Roxanne quickly got to her feet to reach for her husband''s phone that was on the table. "It''s your sister." Den sighed in defeat at his sister''s name. Last time it was Nick who bothered them, now his beloved little sister. Next time he will turn off his phone! Noted Den. Chapter 208 - Ch. 208 What Did I Do To Deserve You? "Hello?" "Brother! When will you keep your promise?" demanded Letti on the other side. "Promise? What promise?" Den knew the promise she meant, but he acted obliviously. "You promised to let me meet with future sister-inw." Even though Den couldn''t see his younger sister''s face, he could imagine what his younger sister''s expression looked like. "Okay. When do you want to meet her?" "Today!" replied Letti in a tone full of enthusiasm. "Mom and dad also want to meet her. Do you mind?" "Wait a moment. Let me ask her." Den turned to Roxy and asked her. "My sister wants to meet you. Would you like to have dinner with the Campbells?" "Of course. Aren''t they your family too?" Den stroked the back of his wife''s head before answering his sister. "Alright, we''ll meet at the restaurant. What do you want to eat?" "Does she like Japanese cuisine?" "She¡­" Den nced at Roxanne with a mischievous look making the girl confused. "She is an all-kind eater." Roxanne gasped in disbelieve and gave a light punch on his shoulder, causing the man tough. How dare he insult her in front of his sister? "Alright. See you there." Den chuckled in amusement when he saw his wife pouting with her hands on her hips. "I''m an all-kind eater, huh? Aren''t you the one who ate everything?" "When you think about it, it is. I suddenly feel famished." Roxanne immediately stood up as if she was avoiding the predator who was about to eat her. "Why are you avoiding me?" "I already know your habits. I don''t want to be your meal." Roxy''s words made Denugh out loud. Ah, how did his wife figure out his scheming? His vixen wife is indeed smart. Roxy walked towards herptop to check something without regarding Den, who was stillughing. That''s when she saw a notification indicating an email had entered her mail inbox. Since the email address was Roe''s, Roxy didn''t care. Usually, those who contact Roe are outside orchestra groups or several prospective clients who wanted her assistance. Danielle, her assistant, would handle emails like this, and she would sort out which clients she would ept and which she would reject. If she got an invitation to perform abroad, Danielle would automatically reject it without asking for her approval. Roxanne had already made it clear that she would never travel on a ne. Danielle knew her fear, and she would refuse all invitations to travel by ne. But if the trip could be reached by car or train, Danielle would ask her first. If Roxy wanted toe to the invitation, she would go even if it was a ten-hour journey. Come to think of it, when was thest time she got on a ne? Ah, she was on a ne when her parents told the doctor to sedate her so she wouldn''t scream hysterically while flying to New York. Since then, she has avoided the ce called the airport. Since she hasn''t checked her email in a long time, Roxy decided to open her inbox, which has more than fifty unread mails. Why are there so many unread emails? Oh, right. She gave her assistant two weeks off so that Danielle could spend the Christmas holidays with her family. No wonder the mail piles up. Roxy opened the mail one by one from below, and as she expected, most of them were invitations to perform at Christmas or New Year''s events in Europe. She was even requested to perform at the British royal pce!? Ah¡­ can she go to Ennd by ship? Roxy shook her head, thinking about the stupid question. In the end, she could only stare at the invitation written on herptop screen sadly. "What is it? Why do you look sad?" Den walked over to his wife before cing a ss of Roxy''s favorite honey on the table. Roxy took the sweet drink from Den happily and drank it to lift her mood. "I got an invitation to y at the British royal pce, but it looks like I have to turn it down again." Den nced at his wife''sptop and couldn''t help but feel proud that the woman he loves has received recognition from all over the world. He just remembered that Roe had often received invitations from abroad, but the girl had never received any of their invitations. Why wouldn''t Roxy ept it? "Why did you refuse? Don''t you want toe?" "¡­" she did want toe. But¡­ the only way to get there is by ne. If she wasn''t sedated¡­ Roxy was worried she''d go crazy as soon as she set foot in the airport. Den realized his vixen wife was pensive and lost in a daze. He knelt on his knees and turned his wife''s chair so she was facing him. Roxy was brought to reality when her eyes caught Den''s pair of ck eagle-like eyes. Her husband was remarkably handsome¡­ making Roxy couldn''t help but smile proudly. "What is it, love?" "Hmm?" "What are you worried about? Tell me." "I¡­ I''m afraid to get on nes." was her honest answer as if she had nothing to hide from the man. This was the first time Den had known his wife''s other weakness. He never thought that his wife refused all invitations from the other maind because the girl didn''t dare to board the ne. "Oh, what a pity. I wish to take you to Venice on the day of our honeymoon." "Tsk. I''m serious," whined Roxy, inviting an amusedugh from the man. "What are you afraid of? Is it because it reminds you of your sister?" Roxanne froze for a moment, and Den could see her eyes became dull for a second before returning to normal. He never thought the loss of her only sister greatly affected Roxanne''s life. "Roxy, it was an ident." Den knew it wasn''t, but he didn''t want to scare the girl. "No one can avoid cmity, and it''s not your fault." "..." But it was my fault. Den took the ss of drink from Roxanne and ced it on the table to hold the girl''s hands. "It''s okay. If you don''t want to go, you don''t have to ept it. I will apany you when you are ready to leave." he raised one hand to caress his wife''s smooth cheek. How could this man always find a way tofort her? Every time she was down, the man found a way to lift her from the bottomless darkness. "What did I do to deserve you?" "You''re right. I don''t deserve you. You''re too good for me." "¡­" this cunning man. I didn''t say that. Chapter 209 - Ch. 209 Lettis Confession Den and Roxanne arrived at Mifune, a restaurant specializing in Japanese cuisine, hand in hand. Roxanne''s mood, which had been cloudy, has now improved thanks to Den. Even so, she wasn''t in the mood to open her mail inbox anymore and decided to close herptop. Thus, she did not see the mail sent by her sister. Once they entered and were led by the waitress to a closed room, both were warmly weed by the Campbells. "Brother, sister. You''ve finally arrived." Roxy gave a friendly and elegant smile as if she was her other alter. At first, she wanted to let her other alter take over her body and be gentledy-like in front of Campbell, but her other alter didn''t show up even though she had called her many times. In the end, Roxanne remained herself even though she interacted with Letti and the others. Luckily her wild side didn''te out, and she could act like a modestdy as she should be. After all, acting like a gentle girl and dressing as ssy as her parents wanted wasn''t hard to do. She once dreamed of bing a fashion designer, and her taste in the dressing was better than Kaylee, her sister. The clothes Kaylee had were the ones she and Wendy had chosen. When she likes a dress model, she would buy it and gave it to Kaylee. She barely wore girly cloth because she preferred to wear hot pants with a sweater just to piss her dad off. Furthermore, she fancied seeing her sister look beautiful. She often designed things ording to her sister''s figure. Roxy was very fond of her sister, so she often teased her because her frustrated face andined to their mother was incredibly adorable. Without realizing it, Roxanne showed a slight smile remembering Kaylee''s sullen face. "What is it?" Den''s whisper brought Roxy from her reminiscing in the past. "Hm?" "Is there something funny?" Roxanne giggled in a cheery mood. "I was reminded of¡­" but her words paused when she realized something. It was the first time she had thought of Kaylee without feeling suffocated. It was the first time she remembered her moments with her sister with a calm heart without any feelings of guilt. Why? Was it because he was with Den? "What do you remember?" Roxy smiled broadly at the man meaningfully. "It''s a secret." was her naughty answer, leaving Dess speechless. "Believe me or not, I''m an expert at making people leak their secrets." "Oh, my. Should I scare?" "Ehem¡­ ahem¡­" Letti tried to get the lover bird''s attention. "Brother, don''t forget about us." Since earlier, the lovers have acted as if the world belongs to the two of them alone. Did they forget that there was still Letti and her parents? Den pulled away from his wife whileughing amusedly. "Alright, alright. Have you ordered the food?" "Of course I have," replied Letty. "And also¡­" Den got Roxanne a ss of water while waiting for his sister to continue. But¡­ the girl seemed hesitant to speak, which made him curious. "And also what?" Den nced at Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, who is now smiling amused, which brought him nothing but further confusion. "That... there is..." "Letti, why are you stuttering? You want us to say it instead?" teased Mrs. Campbell gently while stroking her daughter''s head. "No. I want to tell him myself." One of Den''s eyebrows rose at the stern tone of his sister. "Why do I feel like you have an ulterior motive when you ask me to meet?" "Brother, are you going to torture me in front of sister-inw?" ''I know it!'' His suspicions were confirmed. He knew Letti was eager to meet her future sister-inw, but the girl didn''t need to bring Mr. and Mrs. Campbell as well. Letti must have wanted something from him if she got her adoptive family together with Roxanne. Den put his hands on the table while looking straight at his sister. "Tell me, what do you want this time?" "That¡­ you once said I should tell you if there''s someone I like, right." "..." why does he feel restless? "So?" "Then let me tell you this. I have someone I like." Roxanne covered her lips which gave an exciting smile with one hand. It was the first time she''d seen Den stiffened at the spot. "Aren''t you still too young to think that?" "I am. That''s why I told you before I do anything." "Do what?" The longer he talked to his sister, the more restless he became. He couldn''t help but remember what Aubrey had said to him. ''It seems the young miss is interested in a young man.'' Den recalled that Aubrey had told him that Letti had an interest in Nichs, which meant his wife. Even though Den didn''t believe it because Aubrey said it yfully, he couldn''t help but believe it now. "Brother. I''m not a little girl anymore. Besides, he''s a good guy, and I don''t know if he will like me back." "What''s the point of telling me then? He won''t like you." Letti frowned in annoyance at her brother. "I''ve done what I promised. But whether I will date him, that is my right." "You¡­" "Hush, darling. She''s not a little girl." Letti looked at Roxanne with sparkling eyes because her future sister-inw supported her. She didn''t know if her decision to tell her brother about her feelings in front of Kaylee Zouch was the right one, but she knew that her brother wouldn''t refuse all of his future wife''s requests. "Leticia, is it? Can I call you Letti?" asked Roxanne in a friendly manner while making sure she didn''t sound like ''Nick'' when speaking enthusiastically. "Of course," Letti replied cheerfully, ignoring Den''s disapproving stare. "Who is the lucky guy? I wonder who managed to captivate your heart." Den looked at his wife in disbelief, but Roxanne didn''t care and eagerly waited for Letti''s answer. "It''s my college friend." "¡­" college friends? "To tell you the truth, I even invited him here tonight." Den red at Letti with a look of disbelief. "Letti, what are you..." "It''s my birthday today." Letti interrupted to silence Den. It''s her birthday?? Roxanne nced at Den while shaking her head in disbelieve. How could a brother forget his own sister''s birthday? Chapter 210 - Ch. 210 Big White Teddy Bear Ever since Den knew that he had a cute and adorable baby sister, he never once forgot her birthday. Every year he woulde to visit the Grace Orphanage before the Campbell adopted her. And even after Letti joined the Campbell family, he would never forget and visited the Campbell ce to celebrate her birthday. But this year¡­ He doesn''t remember at all! "Brother. I don''t mind you forgetting my birthday because I know you must have had too much fun with sister-inw." I''m not your sister-inw yet. Added Roxanne in my heart. "But at least give me face when hees. After all, to hide the fact that I like him, I also invited other friends. You don''t mind, do you?" "Your college friend? Does this mean you won''t hide the fact that I''m your brother?" Leticia gave him an innocent smile. "In your dreams. I said I invited the RSH pianist and his wife because that person is my piano teacher." Den massaged his forehead in resignation. If his sister invites a boy she likes, doesn''t that mean¡­ that boy isn''t Nick? After all, Nick couldn''te because his wife was with him right now. He was pretty sure his sister didn''t know the real Nick, so he couldn''t possiblye. Den should be relieved, but he wasn''t relieved at all. He knew sooner orter his baby sister would feel what he now felt for Roxanne. He knew that, but¡­ he didn''t feel willing to let the only sister he had cared for and protected since the baby fell into another man''s arms. On the other hand, Roxanne wondered which college friend Letti had invited. "Letti, you said you invited your college friends here? Are they your ssmates?" "Yes. But I also invited my music group." Music group? Doesn''t that mean her? Roxanne reached into her phone, and she realized that the group chat was so crowded with hundreds of chats that she didn''t know what her bandmates were talking about. Wait a minute. If Letti invites the music band, that means Letti invited Nick too! Then¡­ how did Nicke here while she''s here as Kaylee? Plus, who called Nick toe here? Oh shit! She didn''t even respond in the group chat. Roxanne opened her group chat and started reading quickly until she read a sentence about the girl''s birthday. Angeletti: Guys, free your time for the weekend ???? JJ: Is there a special event? Angeletti: Let''s have dinner together. We''ve never eaten together before ? Freeze: I''m tired of eating with them, but I want to eat with you, angel ???? Adam: Ignore him. He had this incurable narcissistic disease ?? Angeletti: ???? Freeze: Hey!! Angeletti: ???? It''s my birthday this weekend Adam: What? Wow, we''reing!! ???? What birthday present do you want? Doll? Jewelry? Dress? But I don''t know your size Freeze: It will be creepy if you''ve known it ?? Adam: Then how about a bracelet? Freeze: What are you? You''re not her lover Adam: Doll it is Freeze: Hey! Is she a child? She must have had a lot of dolls in her house. Adam: Damn you! Why do you keep attacking me? ???? Angeletti: You don''t have to bring anything for me. I just want you guys toe. Freeze: Of course we''lle. Hey, Jake! Where are you? Are you there? Adam: Where''s Nick? He''s been hard to contacttely JJ: I''ll tell Nick straight away. Adam: You''re with Nick? ?? JJ: Yup, we happened to meet at a music store. See you this weekend Roxanne sighed after reading the part of Jacob meeting Nick by chance. It seemed like Jacob had told Nick about today''s event, and Nick would act as if he knew and was willing toe here. But to be sure, Roxanne contacted Nick first. ''Today is Letti''s birthday, and she invited Nick and the others. Will youe?'' Not long after, Mifune''s door opened, and three girls of Letti''s age appeared, and they squealed with delight when they saw Letti''s face. To wee her three close friends, Letti got up and ignored her sulking overprotective brother. "Hi, birthday girl, you look charming today." greeted Selena, one of Letti''s closest friends. The young girl gave Letti a small pouch-sized gift package. Letti giggled and epted the gift happily while leading them to her reserved table. They chatted happily until the girls noticed the M University''s professor. "Mister ck? Why¡­ why is he here?" "He''s the piano tutor I talk about. He also encouraged me to be a singer when he noticed my singing talent. He is the most important person in my life." Letti nced at her brother while giving the sweetest smile to melt her brother''s heart. Den snorted in disagreement. "Sweet-tongue naughty girl," he muttered to himself without knowing that Roxy, who was sitting next to him, could hear him. Roxanne nudged Den''s elbow and leaned closer to the man. "Isn''t it because she has a great tutor? She has a sweet tongue because you taught her." teased Roxy made Den sigh in resignation. "Like a father like a daughter. It suits you." "I am her brother, not her father." "But you are her father figure since baby before she entered the Campbell family. The upbringing she received from you was more influential than the Campbell. That''s why she said you are the most important person in her life. Isn''t that great? Even the young man she likes will not be able topete with your position in her heart." Den''s mood improved a little, thanks to Roxanne''s words. But his mood went down again when he saw a group of youths arriving shortly after Letti''s ssmates. Roxanne turned towards the door and winced in surprise when she didn''t see Nick. Jacob, Adam, and Fritz hade with each of their gifts. But the most remarkable gift was the one Jacob had brought. He carried a white teddy bear with a red ribbon tie around the teddy''s neck. It was so big that it almost covered Jacob''s body, making Letti''s friendsugh. Roxanneughed, amused at the gift the young man had brought. Ah, she could already guess that Letti''s favorite birthday present must be this doll. Even though she was no longer a child, all the teenage girls in this world still like big dolls with soft and fluffy fur. Plus, Roxy had seen a doll''s pendulum hanging from Letti''s sling bag. That means the girl was also a fan of dolls. Jacob Cliverston¡­ that kid knows how to please a girl, just like Nick. But¡­ where is Nick? Chapter 211 - Ch. 211 What Happened? "Letti! Happy birthday to you!" eximed Adam while giving the gifts he brought to Letti. Letti dly epted and introduced her friends to her music group after receiving a gift from the boys. She ced the presents from Adam and Fritz but hugged the white teddy bear tightly to enjoy the softness of the giant teddy''s fur. The boys already knew Selena because the girl also joined the winter music camp with them. But they haven''t met the other two girls yet, so the boys were excited to make new ''girl'' friends. It was only when the boys went deeper into Letti''s table that they realized one of the professors at their campus. "Mr. ck?" "Mr. ck?" "Uncle Den?" Simultaneously, everyone looked at Jacob in surprise when they heard Jacob called the cold professor with ''uncle.'' Den sighed in resignation as he had also forgotten that his nephew was also in the same group as his younger sister. "Wait. Why do you call him Uncle Den?" asked Fritz in surprise. Fritz and Letti and the others, including Roxy, also looked at Jacob in surprise. Jacob scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly as he answered his friends'' curiosity. "He is my mother''s cousin." "WHAT!?" simultaneously, hispanions shouted in surprise. Letti, who was hugging her giant doll, hid her frown behind the teddy. Jacob is her brother''s nephew? On the other hand, Roxanne turned to Den with an using look. "Why didn''t you tell me about this?" whispered Roxanne in a demanding tone. "You never ask." was his short answer with an obvious tone. "You¡­ You really are good at making people hate you." "But you love me too much, right?" "Tsk." this man''s self-confidence was beyond help. Not only shameless, but this guy is also a narcissist! "I came as Campbell''s tutor today, so you don''t have to look at me as an instructor on campus," stated Den in a calm and firm tone made Roxanne look at the man with adoring eyes. This man was shameless and acted like a spoiled child in front of her, but Den showed a strong sense of influence and made everyone not want to wage war with him once he was together with others. "Do sit." As if they heard an order from their leader, the six young people, including Letti, sat back at the round table. Letti sat with her friends at the round table, while Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, along with Den and Roxy, sat at the long table next to the young people to not make Letti and her friends feel awkward. Jacob nced at Kaylee, and after considering something, he decided to talk to Kaylee. "Kaylee," Roxanne turned to Jacob as soon as she heard her altered''s name being called. "Can I talk to you?" "Sure." Roxanne immediately answered without caring whether Den would feel jealous or not. After all, Jacob was the man''s nephew, so he shouldn''t be blindly jealous. Den just shook his head, seeing his vixen wife, immediately got up and walked to a more private ce to talk to Jacob. He did feel jealous, but seeing the way Jacob looked at Roxy that wasn''t the same as before, Den let them go. Jacob no longer sees Roxanne as his love interest so that he wouldn''t get jealous. After the two were some distance away from the others, Jacob started talking to Roxy. "Kaylee, do you know what happened to Nick?" "Nick? What happened to him?" "That''s why I asked you. I met him at the music store two days ago and told him about Letti''s birthday." "Hmm." Roxy already knew through the group chat, so she didn''tment and let Jacob continue his sentence. "He said he wasing, but¡­ he acted strange this afternoon when we met coincidentally." "Strange? Strange how?" "He looks like he''s avoiding something. He even told me that he couldn''te tonight. Ah, he also said, if I meet you, he wants you to contact Dani." "Dani?" "Who is Dani?" "She''s my assistant. But why does he want me to contact Dani?" Jacob shook his head, "I don''t know." "Please tell me in more detail. How was he when you met him?" "I was just about to enter one of the stores when Nick bumped into me. He didn''t wear a jacket nor scarf even though it was almost ten degrees today. He even looked around as if afraid someone would find him. I had the impression that someone was after him." "¡­" "Do you know anything? Maybe he''s in debt or¡­" "He''s a Larsons. How did the Larsons get into debt?" "You''re right. So it''s impossible." Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he wasn''t that close to the real Nick, he already considered him like a close friend. "Go back first. I''ll call Dani." Jacobplied and rejoined his friends. Roxy quickly called Dani and told her that Nick was looking for her. But she couldn''t help but wonder why Nick was looking for Dani over her or Wendy. "Dani, why did Nick ask me to call you? Doesn''t he have your contact number?" "Maybe this is one of his tricks. You know he loves to y around with older girls." "Ah, so you are his target this time." but it''s not likely he would do that. Isn''t Nick currently wooing Lydia? "Enjoy your night, miss," Dani said before hanging up the call making Roxy feel restless. Why did she feel¡­ something terrible happened to Nick? Roxy decided to contact Nick directly and felt even more uneasy when she got a notification that Nick''s phone was off. Roxy tried to contact Wendy instead, but she received the same notification. What happened to them? "Roxy?" Roxanne turned to Den, who was now walking towards her. "What is it? Jacob''s back, but you''re still here. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell is waiting for you to have dinner together. The dishes are already be served." Roxanne sighed in resignation and decided to find out after the dinner was over. She didn''t want to ruin Letti''s cheerful mood, let alone destroy the girl''s simple birthday celebration. She hoped that nothing wrong would happen to her best friend. Chapter 212 - Ch. 212 Because I Miss You Nick in question had just arrived in Lydia''s house while gasping for air as if hecked oxygen. He had just run away from his house, trying to outwit his pursuers into hiding in Lydia''s house. He threw his phone somewhere so no one could track him down, and he didn''t dare to go to Kaylee''s house or any of his friends because he knew they would find him there right away.?? The only ce he could use as his hiding ce was Lydia''s because only the girl''s house had not been on their radar yet. He was worried about getting Lydia involved, but he had no choice but to hide in the girl''s house. After this, he would sneak out and go to Zouch''s house. "Nichs?" Nick looked back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lydia''s face carrying her cosmetic bag. "Why are you here? And why do you look like you''ve been running?" Nick grinned widely, "Because I missed you." "..." Luckily, Lydia had mentally prepared before greeting the young man. Otherwise, she was sure she would blush and wanted to hide her face. Lydia ignored Nick and walked towards her house after picking up the keys. Then she opened the door to her house and nced at Nick. "Would you like toe inside?" "I thought you never ask." as if he was in his own house, Nick followed Lydia into the house. He walked sideways towards the window to take a look at the situation outside. He hoped the people who were chasing him didn''t get to this ce. "Would you like something to drink?" offered Lydia casually even though she was confused by Nick''s rather unusual behavior. "It''s fine," he answered curtly without taking his eyes off the outside. Unable to contain her curiosity, Lydia asked the young man. "What are you doing?" "Nothing. Just admire the weather." "Ah?" "It''s good." Lydia frowned in disagreement. They had entered winter, and it was freezing outside with a strong wind. She even had to wear a twoyer thick jacket if she didn''t want to freeze to death out there. A pair of Lydia''s eyes scanned Nick''s appearance, and she realized the young man was not wearing a jacket! Instead, the young man was wearing a regr long-sleeve shirt and ripped jeans. Without her brain''smand, Lydia walked over to the young man and took his hand. As expected, Nick''s hands were icy cold!! On the other hand, Nick gasped in surprise when he felt something warm and soft-grip in his hand. He was increasingly speechless as Lydia stared at him with an angry look. "What are you doing?! Why not wear a jacket or coat? Look, your hands are frozen." Nick was too stunned to be speechless. It was the first time he had seen the girl scold him for worrying about him. "Follow me!" Lydia ordered as she grabbed Nick''s hand and entered the kitchen area to get apress pack to fill with hot water. After that, she put the packpress into Nick''s hand and let the young man sit in the empty chair. Lydia walked into her room to get a nket, then covered Nick with it. Getting more attention from the girl he likes made Nick grinned from ear to ear. "Are you that worried about me?" "Who''s worried about you? Miss Kaylee would be sad if you got sick." Nick sighed resignedly to hear that. "Stop mentioning Kaylee''s name every time I tried to woo you. Do you have a grudge against my sister?" "Sister?" "Kaylee is like my second sister, and I already told you I have no feelings for her except familial love." "You don''t have to exin that." "I had to. I don''t want you to get misunderstand." Lydia couldn''t respond and decided to get up, but Nick grabbed her hand, pulled her to sit again. What surprised her even more that she felt her world stop spinning was Nick hugging her arm tightly while leaning his head on her shoulderfortably. "Wh¡­ What are you doing?" "I''m cold, and you''re warm. Spare me, will you?" whined Nick with a spoiled tone that made Lydia speechless. "Don''t take advantage of me. Get off!" "Meanie!" Nick clicked his tongue as he let go of his embrace obediently. "Why are you clicking your tongue?" "It means I''m disappointed. Can''t you tell? Hmph!" "..." this boy... is truly a kid! "So, can I borrow your phone?" "You feel disappointed. Why do you even want to borrow my phone? What are you nning?" "I left my phone at home. You also know I came here with nothing." "Why did you bring nothing when you go outside? Stupid boy." Nick frowned his mouth like a fish without denying Lydia''s words. How could he say he brought nothing because he ran away from the house? When he arrived at his house this afternoon after dropping Tye home from the hospital, Nick felt weird when he noticed that his house wasn''t locked. He knew Wendy stayed at home and nned to mix the track for Chrismast song, so why wasn''t their door locked? His sister wasn''t the careless type, even though her behavior said otherwise. Nick entered his house, taking off his jacket and shoes without feeling suspicious. He even walked into his room to change clothes while calling his sister. "Wendy, where are you? Why did you forget to close the door? What if a thiefes?" Nick had just arrived in front of his room when he heard a voice from the second floor. He looked up at the stairs and saw a pair of long legs moving down the stairs. Strangely, he felt that the pair of legs did not belong to his sister but belonged to a man! That''s when he felt guard up. And his jaw tightened when he saw the man''s face. "Master Nicu, it is time for you to go home." Nick nced at the door of the house, which two other big men now appeared to capture him in case he decided to escape. If he refused to go home, they would knock his head until he fell unconscious. So he decided to let them think they had him. Nick raised his hands in surrender. "Okay. I''m going with you guys, so don''t hit me. My face is my precious asset." stated Nick in a defenseless child-like demeanor. The man believed Nick''s words and walked towards the exit. While the man wasn''t watching his movements, Nick decided to act. Chapter 213 - Ch. 213 You Will Be A Great Wife Nick waited for a save gap as the man who had juste down from the second floor made his way to the exit. He picked up the light on the nightstand and tossed it right at the back of the man''s head, then ran as fast as he could to the back and jumped out of the window. Fortunately, he had often trained his muscles and memorized the route of his home area. He even knew a secluded section that was a connection to his neighbor''s house.?? Nick managed to jump over a fairly high wooden fence and into his neighbor''s backyard in one leap. Fortunately, this neighbor of his was rarely in the house, so he doesn''t have to worry about being reported to the police for sneaking in without the residents'' permission. He waited for a few minutes beforeing back out and walking out through the small streets that people rarely explored. He even threw his cell phone in the trash, knowing that his father''s men would be able to track him down. He ran as fast as he could until he bumped into someone in front of a shop. "Nick? What are you doing?" Jacob rubbed his shoulder to ease the pain. The shoulder bump was quite hard, inflicting a slight pain. "Jack? Why are you here?" even though Nick was asking Jacob, his eyes darted around warily. He was worried that his father''s men would see him here, and his attempts to escape were in vain. "I''m looking for a present for Letti. Today is her birthday. You wille, right?" "Oh, right. Sorry, but I can''te. Hey, can you call Kaylee and tell her to call Dani?" "Ha?" "I gotta go." Nick quickly ran when he saw a familiar man appear on the street. Nick ran and climbed down several stairs at once as he entered the subway station. He even jumped through the check-in portal without entering the admission ticket and went straight into the train cart. Just as the train doors closed, the people chasing Nick arrived at the front of the train. Nick breathed a sigh of relief that he managed to escape, but he couldn''t rx just yet. He needed to find out what he should do next. He couldn''t possibly go to Zouch''s residence because he was sure his father had set people up in Zouch''s residential area. Before he set foot into Kaylee''s parents'' house, he would definitely be caught first. Nick looked at the line of this train line above the door wall and smiled when he saw a ce name. He decided to get off there, and he ended up at Lydia''s house. "Why did you bring nothing when you go outside? Stupid boy." "Yeah, yeah. I''m stupid and worthless. Isn''t that why you rejected me?" "What? I didn''t." "So you''ve epted me? Is this our first day?" inquired Nick in full of expectant look. "Not really." was her merciless rebuke to make Nick slumped his shoulders limply. "Can I borrow your phone?" he asked again in azy tone as if he had no hope. Seeing how desperate the young man was, making Lydia couldn''t help but smiled amusedly. "Here." nevertheless, Lydia gave her phone to Nick. Nick reluctantly took Lydia''s phone, then entered an odd number that confused the girl. "50510? What number is that?" Before Nick could answer, Lydia''s phone rang, and the screen showed a restricted number. Lydia was about to take her phone back, but Nick grabbed her hand and said, "It''s for me." Ha? Lydia was even more confused when Nick got to his feet to answer the iing call. Furthermore, Nick walked away and spoke in a foreignnguage because he didn''t want Lydia to hear him. "It''s me." "Nick! Where are you? I can''t track you." "I threw my phone, and I''m in Lydia''s house." "Okay. I will pick you up." "Don''t worry about me. Can you track my sister?" "Miss Wendy? Why?" "They got her." "¡­ Should I report it to Mr. Zouch?" "If that man had allowed our father to take us home, I think it would be pointless to ask for his help. I n to go to Mr. Zouch and asked him to let us stay here." "You can''te. Hades IV was on standby near the Zouch residence. You can''t go in there alone." "That''s why I asked for your help." "I''m sorry, I can''t help you either." "Why?" "Your father is here¡­ in front of my house." "¡­" "I''ll hang up now." Nick dropped his hand from his ear and sighed in resignation. If his father had arrived in New York, that would mean¡­ his father''s decision to take his two children home was irreversible. "Nick?" Nick turned to Lydia and gave her his trademark smile. He returned the girl''s phone without showing any feelings of despair. "Thanks. It looks like I have to go home now." "Have you had dinner? How about I cook something?" "You''re going to cook for me?" "If you don''t want to, that''s fine." "Of course I want!" responded Nick with an overly excited tone. Lydia felt like she could see his tail wagging like a happy dog. "Okay. Wait here." Lydia walked back to the kitchen and opened her fridge to see the ingredients she had. After that, she started to cook simple dishes and served them on the dining table. "Woah, you will be a great wife someday! Ouch!!" groaned Nick when Lydia pinched his cheek for the umpteenth time. "Don''t talk too much and behave if you want to eat." "Okay, okay." Nick stroked his cheek, which felt hot from the girl''s pinch. And yet, he didn''t lose his happy smile when he looked at the food in front of him. His first meal of Lydia''s cooking! He felt like he was dreaming! "Who contacted you?" "An acquaintance." came his short answer as he devoured his food with great pleasure. But his entire body became a statue the instant he heard Lydia''s following inquiry. "Why did you ask your acquaintance to track down your sister?" Nick raised his gaze at the girl in surprise. This girl could understand his mother tongue!? Chapter 214 - Ch. 214 I Need Your Answer Now Nick was too shocked that he couldn''t find the words. Never did he imagine Lydia would understand what he was saying and heard all the conversations he had with the person on the other side. "You¡­ you can understand what I was saying earlier?"?? "My grandmother came from the south, so sometimes we speak thenguage. So why Mr. Larson wants you guys home? Isn''t Mr. Larson lives in LA? He doesn''t need to kidnap your sister, right." "..." Nick didn''t answer and went back to chewing his food deliciously as if Lydia hadn''t asked him. "Nichs, I''m asking you." Nick gave a full of mystery smile before turning to ask. "Will you marry me?" Lydia''s pair of brown eyes widened when she heard the young man''s question. Aren''t they discussing Wendy''s leaving? Why did the young man suddenly propose to her? She hadn''t even reciprocated the young man''s feelings yet! "Wh¡­ What does that have to do with your sister? Why did you suddenly propose to me?" Lydia lowered her gaze and pretended to look at her cooking with great interest, as if her cooking was something more interesting to look at. Nick smirked mischievously and went back to his activities and finished his food. After racing here and there and haven''t eaten lunch, his stomach has been rumbling for food. He wasn''t the kind of person who shut himself up too much topose songs in his studio room without eating. Nick always eats regrly and on time because he won''t be able to think on empty stomach. That''s why, skipping lunch to take Tye home from the hospital because his friend''s mother couldn''t pick him up because of work, then continued to escape from his father''s henchmen, making him very hungry. He knew Wendy, and he would not give up and fight them because they both still wanted to stay here. But¡­ if their birth father came personally to get them¡­ he could do nothing. He didn''t want to involve the Larsons more than this, and he didn''t want his father to visit his friends to threaten him. His sister must be thinking the same he did. Thus, Wendy must have followed their father willingly because she didn''t want Hades IV to announce his arrival to the world. After finishing his portion of food, Nick got up and was about to leave Lydia''s house. Sooner orter, his father would find out where he was, and he didn''t want to involve Lydia. "Thanks for dinner. I''d better go now." "Wait." Lydia also got up and caught Nick''s sleeve, but never did she expect to take the boy''s hand instead. Nick nced at their intertwined hands with a pleased look. "Isn''t it the first time you initiated to hold my hand? Don''t try it." Nick tightened his grip when he felt Lydia about to pull her hand. "Let go!" Lydia protested while pulling her hand and pushing Nick''s hand with her other hand. s, the flirtatious boy also held Lydia''s hand with his free hand so that now both of Lydia''s hands were in Nick''s. "You! What are you doing?" "You did it first." was his thoughtful answer in a matter-of-fact tone. Lydia bit her lower lip in frustration, wondering why this boy seemed calm even though Nick was troubled about something else. As expected, Nick hid all his anxieties through his mischievous demeanor and a roguish smile. "Are you alright?" Lydia decided not to fight back and asked the young man to get Nick caught off guard. "I''m not. You still haven''t answered my question." "Which question?" Lydia was about to retract her question because she had already guessed what the young man wanted to say next. But the boy beat her to it. "Will you marry me?" "Nick! I''m serious!" "Do I look like I''m joking?" "You''re still neen, for god''s sake. How could you ask a girl to marry you while you''re still not working?" "Ah, is that why you resist me?" "It''s not!" really. Lydia wanted to know how Wendy was doing, but the boy steered their conversation to their status instead. "Alright." Nick released his hand from Lydia''s and stepped back. He also put his hands in the pockets of his jeans for fear that he would want to hug the girl instead. "If you n to reject me, can you reject me now?" "Ha? You can''t be thinking that I''m seriously want to marry you." "You might change your mind in a few years. After all, I''m not a useless boy who can''t earn a penny. You know very well I have my wealth through my band. I never even asked the Larsons or my sister for money. Leeching is not my style, even though I wanted all attention. All my guitar collections are the result of my efforts, and I can support myself and my future wife even though I''m only neen." "..." "But I admit, I''m not as rich as that doctor or the men you dated before. As you said, I''m still neen, and I still have a chance to pursue their fortunes." "Nichs, can you please stop ying around?" "Why don''t you believe me?" "It''s not like I don''t believe you, but I don''t understand why it should be me?" "I like you. Don''t you like me?" "¡­" I like you, but¡­ Lydia doesn''t know what will happen in the future if she is with Nick. Her fear and trauma from living in poverty made her fearful of having a rtionship with someone like Nick. Plus, Nick is still very young. She didn''t know how seriously the young man wanted to be with her. The feelings of this era''s young man were easily swayed, and nothing guarantees theirsting rtionship. Lydia preferred a thoughtful, stable, mature man over a flirtatious boy like Nick. "I think talking about marriage is too soon after all. Then, let me change my question. Will you be my girlfriend? I need your answer right now." "Why now?" "Because that is what determines whether I will return to this country or not." "!?" What? What does it mean? Nick knew he wouldn''t be sleeping in New York tonight but on a ne. Once he was out of Lydia''s house, no matter where he went, his father would definitely find him. If he returned to Folnd Ind and started joining Hades'' organization, it would be difficult for him to leave or return to this ce. If Lydia didn''t want him, he would let her go and focus on doing what his father wanted of him, even though he didn''t want to acquire Hades'' position. But if Lydia epted him, he would have the reason and motivation to get out of the organization. No matter how hard he tried, as long as someone was waiting for him here, Nick would make sure he would return to this country. "What do you mean?" "You''ve heard my talk earlier. As you can see, my father wants my sister and me to go back to South America. Tonight I''ll be leaving as soon as my father finds me." "Mr. Larson?" Nick shook his head. "My current father is not my real father. The Larsons have epted us as their children for a reason." "I don''t understand." "You don''t need to understand," said Nick with a gentle smile. "I might exin to you if you be my lover," added Nick with a sly grin that made Lydia roll her eyeszily. "Are youing back here?" "It depends on your answer." "What?" "If you reject me, I won''te back. If you ept me, I will return." Lydia snorted in disbelief and folded her arms across her chest in displeasure. "Why should I ept you if at the end you''re at the end of the world? I''d better stay alone at the moment." Nick chuckled in amusement at the girl''s protesting tone. "Have you set a target for marriage age?" "Ha?" "At what age do you want to get married?" "Why do you want to know?" "Just answer me." "Twenty-six." "Aren''t you twenty-two now? Then, I''ll be back in three years. Can you wait for me?" "..." why did Lydia feel like Nick was sure she would ept the boy''s feelings? "I can''t." "Am I get rejected now?" "..." Lydia bit her lip once again, feeling an inner urge to ept the boy. At first, she didn''t mind seeing Nick from a distance, but when Nick told her he wouldn''t return to this country, Lydia wasn''t willing to let him go. "You''ll be back in three years?" "Yes." came his reply with a firm and unwavering tone as if he was sure he woulde back. Lydia approached Nick sheepishly then gave Nick a quick peck on the cheek, making Nick feel his world stop rotating. Nick''s heart skipped a beat when he heard the soft voice of the girl he liked. "That''s my answer." His joy knew no bounds, and he hugged his lover tightly, making a certain heart jump out of its ce. Not long after, the two of them heard a notification sound from Lydia''s phone. ''Find Den ck.'' Chapter 215 - Ch. 215 Im Irresistable Even though Den identally forgets his sister''s birthday, Letti didn''t me him and enjoyed this modest birthday celebration with her friends. Den and Roxy looked at the items in the online shop to choose a birthday present for Letti. After finding what they liked, Den directly bought it and sent it to Campbell''s house.?? Roxy chatted casually with Letti''s parents, but her mind would linger around Wendy and Nick''s situation every now and then. Den noticed his vixen wife became quiet and asionally lost in a daze and did not pay attention to what they were talking about. He wanted to know what was troubling Roxy''s mind, but he decided to wait so he could have a private talk with her. Plus, he didn''t want to destroy the cheerful mood on his sister''s birthday. "Jake, why didn''t you tell me Mr. ck is your uncle?" "Why should I tell you? You didn''t ask anyway." Jacob answered in his most matter-of-fact tone, making Adam roll his eyeszily. "Btw, Nick isn''ting?" one of Letti''s friends named Vienna asked curiously. She heard from Letti that the girl had also invited her music group, which meant that both campus idols would alsoe. But after waiting since her arrival almost half an hour ago, there was no sign of the young man''s appearance. Plus, all of Letti''s music group members had arrived except for Nick. Of course, this made Vienna and Letti''s two other friends feel curious as they were the most excited to meet Nick. "I''m also curious. I thought he woulde with you," added Letti as she remembered Jacob was the closest with Nick. "I ran into him this afternoon," came his reply. "He had an urgent business, so he couldn''te. He apologized for not joining us." Letti sighed in disappointment, but her three friends seemed more disappointed because they had a long face now. What can she do? Letti knew her friends hoped to meet the campus idol. They were all majoring in singing, while Nick was majoring in strings which meant they rarely saw each other except for music literature lessons. And even then, the literature ssroom was highly crowded, and Nick always sat with Jacob and the others. The more assertive and bolder girls directly sat next to Nick without letting other women close to Nick. They thought thating to Letti''s birthday party would give them a chance to be close to Nichs Larson. Who would have thought the young man didn''t evene? Ah, they were jealous of Letti and yet felt proud because the singer chosen by Nick''s music team was their friend. Letti could chat with phenomenal boys and two campus idols freely and whenever she wants. Unaware of her friends'' disappointment, Letti strikes a conversation with Jacob. "Jacob, how do you know Miss Zouch? Why do I feel you two are so close?" "She''s Nick''s second sister." before Jacob answered, Adam beat him to it. "She also came to our music battle night." "Oh yeah?" does that mean Kaylee Zouch has seen her sing too? Pondered Letti. "But I never knew Nichs had two sisters. Their surnames are different." inquired Seleina with great interest. "Well, Kaylee and Miss Larson are close friends since childhood. So basically, Kaylee has seen Nick ever since the boy learned to walk." Jacob replied casually as if his unexpected answer was the daily news. "How about you, Letti? I never expected you to know my uncle... I mean, Mr. ck." "Mr. ck is RSH''s pianist, and my mother happened to know him. So my mother asked Mr. ck to teach me as soon as she noticed I had an interest in ying the piano." "You can y the piano?" Fritz''s eyes sparkled even more as he admired Letti even more. "A little. But not as good as Nick." Well, Letti was a better pianist than Nick because the real Nick couldn''t y the piano. But if she dealt with Roxy in disguise, Letti needed a thousand years to reach Roxy''s stage. They enjoyed the dinner full of joy andughter. Den did try to talk to his wife to distract whatever was bothering Roxy. And yet, his eagle-like eyes probed his little sister''s gaze to find out which young man had his beloved sister''s attention. Unfortunately, he didn''t find any signs of affection when he saw Letti talking to her friends. The girl even treated everyone equally, as if Letti had no emotions for the boys. Either the girl did like Nick, who happened couldn''t make it, or the girl hid her feelings well. He preferred thetter because he didn''t want his sister to fall in love with Hades IV''s son. "Dec, until when will you stop stealing a glimpse of your sister?" Even the concern-filled Roxy, who worried about her friend noticed her lover''s nce at the side table. How could she not notice it? Every five seconds, the man''s eagle eyes would nce to the other side. Even though Roxy had other issues on her mind, she never focused on that one spot and remained perceptive to her surroundings. That''s why she could still notice Den''s eyes ncing at his sister. "You noticed it?" "Of course. Are you still thinking about the boy your sister likes?" Roxy probed her elbow on the table while leaning her chin on her knuckle elegantly. "Seeing the way she looks at her friends, it seems like she likes Nick. What can I say? I have irresistible charms." giggled the vixen girl left Den speechless. Roxy turned to Den, looking at her with a frowning look that made it very clear that he didn''t like her words. "You said yourself that I''m irresistible," added her with a matter-of-fact and overly proud tone. "¡­" I did say it, but it was for me only! "And besides, Letti only sees Nick as a friend. If she likes Nick¡­ or me more than a friend, I''ll know. Don''t be a worrywart. She''s not a baby." coaxed Roxy couldn''t bear to see the man''s desperate expression any longer. She felt that this man would find Nick and make her best friend''s brother vanish from Letti''s presence if his sister had a crush on the young man. Roxy embraced Den''s sturdy arm while giving a gentle caress over his muscles. She even gave a sweet smile that was hard for any man to resist. One hand went up and touched Den''s face only to make him turn his head to look at her because he was ncing at Letti again. Then¡­ "Whooosh¡­ look at them!" eximed Seleina in a choked-whisper tone made everyone turn towards Den and Roxy. Letti and Vienna smiled sheepishly as they covered their mouths,ughing amusedly while Adam and Fritz gave a yful whistle that made everyoneugh. Right now, Roxy pulled Den''s face towards hers and gave him a hot and passionate kiss regardless of everyone watching them. She doesn''t even care about her image as the meek and ssy Kaylee Zouch, even though they were currently together with the Campbell family and college friends. Roxy pulled away only to catch her breath and then said something in a shallow voice to make sure only Den could hear her. "Even if it''s your dear sister, I can''t ept you looking at her more than me." Den smirked slyly and tugged at the nape of Roxy''s neck as he still wasn''t satisfied with her cherry-like lips. Mr. Campbell shook his head with an amused smile while Letti and her friends were getting excited in their ce. No one thought that the cold, aloof professor who was said to be gay turned out to be a straight guy with a beautiful, passionate lover. Everyone looked at the lovebird with interest, including Jacob. The only different thing was that Jacob looked at Roxy with a surprised look. As he recalled, Kaylee was not a daring person, let alone initiate a passionate kiss. Nevertheless, he was also happy for the couple. The rest of the program went well, and this time Den didn''t care about the young man who caught his sister''s attention. His mood was too content, thanks to Roxy, that he didn''t want to spoil his mood with anyone trying to steal his little sister from him. After saying goodbye to each other and letting the youngsters continue the evening with their program, Roxy and Den decided to head home. "I want to go to Wendy''s house," stated Roxy as soon as the two got into the car. "Stay with me tonight," persuaded Den for umpteenth time until she lost counts. "Alright. But I still need to go to her house." "Why?" "There''s something I need to confirm." Den agreed because Roxy was already willing to stay with him tonight. It was enough for him as long as he could keep her by his side. He would also persuade her for it tomorrow and the next day and so on so that she couldn''t help but stay with him until they got married. It was the same thing with she moved in with him, even though the girl didn''t want to admit it. Either way worked for him, though. He is proud of himself for being clever! Chapter 216 - Ch. 216 Lydias Confession Moments ago, when Lydia decided to ept Nick, Lydia''s phone received a message addressed to Nick. And the message was an instruction for Nick to find Den ck. Nick wondered why he should find the man as Den was one of your ordinary citizens who entangled with Hades III''s second daughter without knowing it.?? What is the use he seeks for Den? What could the man do to help him against his father... against Hades IV? "Why do your acquaintance tell you to look for Mr. ck?" "Beats me. Either my acquaintance is crazy, or it''s a trap. Let me see your phone." Lydia handed the phone to Nick as if he were the one who owned it. Nick pulled a slide from top to bottom when he noticed something. Someone has hacked Lydia''s phone, and he already knows who did it. It wasn''t long before he saw that an app had been installed without the owner''s permission, and it was showing someone''s location. But... why the dot''s name is... "Kaylee? Oh, right. Isn''t Mr. ck always be with her?" wherever Kaylee is, so is Den. That man was too possessive and liked to monopolize the girl. "It seemed it''s not a trap." Hades IV would never touch Kaylee with his own hand per the agreement. Lydia nced at Nick with a dull look. s, Nick didn''t notice her gloomy face and only focused on her phone to find out more about Kaylee''s location. "..." Didn''t this young man get irritated when Lydia mentioned Kaylee''s name? Why did Nick mention her himself? Nick didn''t know what his girlfriend was thinking as he was too busy digging into his memory about Mifune restaurant. He wondered why this restaurant''s name ring a bell in his head. Oh, right! Didn''t Leticia Campbell invite her friends to celebrate her birthday at Mifune dining? Could it be Kaylee alsoe in disguise? That''s not possible. Den wasn''t going to let Kayleee in looking like a teenage boy. Ever since Den found out that Kaylee had disguised herself as Nick and hade to college, the man had monopolized Kaylee. Furthermore, Den ordered him to appear as a member of the band at these winter vacation events. Plus, if his acquaintances sent Kaylee''s position to him, wouldn''t that mean Den was with the girl? But¡­ how did Letti get to know Kaylee? That was something that he couldn''tprehend. Nick decided to wait after Letti''s birthday party was over. He didn''t want to take the risk ofing if it turned out that Kaylee was there while looking like him. Above all, he could be alone with Lydia longer before his father found him. He wouldn''t waste his precious time with his new girlfriend. Nick returned Lydia''s phone and just realized the girl''s scornful gaze was on him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Lydia looked away and walked back into the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes. Nick was confused and followed the girl to help her, but Lydia kicked him out instead. "Go away." "Let me help you," Nick offered without giving up. "I don''t need it. Go." Lydia pushed him aside as if she didn''t want to see his face. Nick walked behind Lydia and wrapped his arms around her waist to give her a back hug. He didn''t know his sudden embrace made Lydia almost take her te out of her hands, and her heart had stopped beating! "Lydia, why are you mad at me? I did nothing to deserve your distant manner." "¡­" it''s warm, and¡­ Lydia doesn''t know the right words to describe her feelings right now. She felt she could see the fireflies above her head, and a pleasantly refreshing scent assaults her nostril. Good heaven! She never thought that one day she would be in this young man''s arms! She knew she would be as she is now his girlfriend, but she thought she had to wait due to this young man''s unusual situation. "I¡­ ehem¡­" Lydia didn''t know why her throat went dry as if she hadn''t drunk in days. "I''m not mad." luckily, she could say it in an even tone as if she had never been irritated. Well, she was no longer annoyed at this point. Ever since Nick hugged her gently, Lydia felt like all her irritation was gone. "Liar. Then why are you ignoring me just now?" "No, I didn''t." "You did." "I didn''t." "Fine, if you say so." Nick tightened his arms, and settled his chin on her shoulder, causing Lydia to screech in surprise. "Oh, you have a cute voice." Luckily Nick was standing behind her. Otherwise, the young man would have been able to see the embarrassing look on her face by now. With great effort and while controlling her heartbeat, Lydia managed toplete her task. She had soaped and rinsed the dirty dishes clean and ced them on the te holders. But¡­ how long will Nick hold her like this? She couldn''t even budge from her spot! "Uhm¡­ how long are you going to hug me? I''m done." "Hmm? I don''t wanna go." "I''m tired. We can just sit on the chairs and watch a movie if you want." "That''s a good idea. But what I meant, I don''t wanna leave." "Then, just stay." "Can I stay here?" "..." why did Lydia feel like they were talking about two different things? Her suspicions grew stronger when she saw the expectant gaze of this young man. "Don''t dare to even think about it!" warned Lydia by tilting her head slightly to see Nick''s now frowning expression. "I don''t care. I want to be with you." Lydia sighed in resignation. "Really. What forced you to leave? I don''t think you''re someone who likes to be forced by people." Nick let go of his arm and stepped back, causing Lydia to turn and wince in confusion. Why did the young man suddenly look serious now? "It''s Den ck." "Ha?" "That''s why she wanted me to look for him. But¡­ how did she know? Could it be... Mr. Zouch took advantage of this arranged marriage knowing that Den ck had ''that''? "Ha?" what exactly is this guy talking about? "Nick?" "I have to go." Nick walked out of the kitchen and marched with vast strides to get out of Lydia''s house. Luckily Lydia reacted quickly and grabbed the young man''s hand with all her might. She didn''t know why, but she felt she wouldn''t be able to meet Nick if they parted now. "I''ll go with you." "..." Nick''s eyes went wide because he didn''t expect the girl to be willing to follow him. His gaze was filled with mischief, and he wanted to tease the girl. "Lydia, how did you do that?" "Did what?" "I never knew you loved me so much. You hide your feelings much better than me." "..." Lydia became speechless hearing this. Her irritation increased when she saw his mischief grin. "That''s right. I like you too much that it hurts me. I know you are never serious and like to flirt here and there to the point I lost count. I buried it deep and didn''t want to take it out. I can''t even stop myself fromparing all the men I''ve dated with you." "¡­" "Ever since I first met you at Miss Kaylee''s house, I thought, ''what a charming smile this boy had.'' Every time Ie to Miss Wendy''s house, my eyes were always looking for you, and without me knowing, I have liked you beyond my control. But¡­ you only see Miss Kaylee. Isn''t the reason you''re flirting around and having an older girl fetish because you like Miss Kaylee?" "Lydia, I''m just teasing you." "I know. But I couldn''t help it. I told you, didn''t I? I don''t like a flirtatious boy like you, but I do. I''m looking for someone more mature instead of you, but¡­ I can''t get you out of my head!" "Lydia," Nick tried to take Lydia''s hand, but the girl stepped back, avoiding his touch. "Don''t touch me and just listen," she asked with teary eyes making Nick feel helpless. He never made a girl shed a tear. Plus, Lydia was his lover, the girl he loved the most, but instead shed tears in front of him. "I thought as long as I could see you from a distance, even if I had to marry someone I didn''t love, I''d be fine. But then you threatened me. You said if I reject you now, you would nevere back. How could I handle that? And even if we''re an item now, I feel like¡­ wee from a different world." "We do." "Is that why you won''t tell me what happened? What happened to your sister?" "It''s better if you don''t know." "You said you would tell me everything if I ept your feeling." "I said I might." "Is Mr. Larson your father?" "No." "Then¡­ who is your father?" "His name is Conn Anach. My real name is Nicu Anach and my sister''s Gwendy Anach. In order to help with Kaylee''s recovery, my sister and I moved to New York using new identities a year earlier. Now Kaylee''s mental condition is getting better, and she will marry Mr. ck; our presence is no longer needed. That''s why our father wants us back." "It''s Miss Kaylee again," Lydia muttered in a discouraging voice. Chapter 217 - Ch. 217 Hades IV Lydia knew Nick had convinced her that Nick only thought of Kaylee as his older sister. But she couldn''t help but feel sad because she couldn''t rece Kaylee in Nick''s heart until forever. "It''s Miss Kaylee again."?? "Why again? Why are you suddenly feeling sad?" Nick knew what Lydia was sad about but pretended not to because he wanted to hear it straight from Lydia''s mouth. "It''s nothing." "It''s not nothing for me. What is it?" "..." Lydia still refused to answer, sealed her lips tight, making the young man chuckled in amusement. "I don''t know you will get jealous of her. I should''ve noticed it before." "I''m not. Besides, I like Miss Kaylee." "I know. But, it is because of her I could meet you," stated Nick all of a sudden. "I preferred to think that she is our cupid."ughed Nick as he grabbed Lydia''s hands. "Aside from that, I can only tell you about my family this much. You don''t need to know any further because I want to enter your world and not the other way around." Nick never wanted to bring Lydia into his world. He knew Lydia had suffered enough and was depressed even though she tried to cover it up. Lydia didn''t need to get any more pressure by entering his underground world on Folnd Ind. "Wait for me here and be prepared. When I get back, I''ll probably ask for your hand in marriage, and we''ll go wherever you want for our honeymoon. We can travel around the world or sail on the sea." Lydia lowered her head to hide her blush. This boy¡­ today was their first day, but Nick had already nned their honeymoon!? "505171" was the phrase of a string of numbers that suddenly made Lydia stare at him in confusion. "It''s my SOS number and will activate once I arrived on the south. Call me with it, and I will call you back." SOS number? "Despite the distance that separates us, I will make sure you are never alone here." Nick ced his forehead against her, inviting a happy smile from the girl. On the other hand, Den and Roxy have arrived in front of Wendy and Nick''s house. Without waiting for Den to open the door for her as usual, Roxy immediately got off and walked into the courtyard of her best friend''s house. Seeing his wife, who looked so worried about something and in a hurry, made Den shake his head. After turning off the car engine, Den also got out of the car to catch up with Roxy. But as soon as the two of them entered the house, Den frowned in displeasure at how messy the ce was. He felt like a thief had entered this house, and the residents were trying to fight the intruder off. "Roxy, did your best friend fought with your brother? It looked a battlefield here." Roxy stared daggers at her lover, making the manugh in amusement. "Don''t curse them." "I don''t want you to worry about them. It''s gettingte; we should go." "But¡­" Roxanne didn''t finish her sentence when she heard the sound of a car from outside. Thinking that it was Wendy or Nick who arrived, Roxy ran towards the exit to wee her best friend home. But she did not expect that the one who arrived at the front door was not her best friend nor Nick, but an older man with a hideous face with a scar on his left face. It''s Conn Anach, Wendy and Nick''s birth father, as well as her father''s second-inmand... former second-inmand as that nasty man had be Hades IV since her father retired. The older man looked at her with a murderous aura as if he wants to get rid of her. The look in that person''s eyes still didn''t change. Noted Roxy. That man''s eyes were still filled with the desire to kill her. "It''s been a while, seconddy. How are you?" Roxy blinked her eyes several times while furrowing her brows as if she was beset with confusion. "Do I know you, mister?" asked her in her innocent tone and confused look. Den knew that the girl in front of him was Roxy, even though her behavior right now was that of Kaylee. Her acting is top-notch! "Ah, I almost forgot. You have amnesia." his chuckle wanted to make Roxy puke on the spot. "Amnesia? I think you mistook me for someone else''s. Why are you here in front of my friend''s house?" "Your friends are my kids." Den frowned further when he heard this. This older man was Wendy and Nick''s father? That means¡­ this person is Hades IV!? What is Hades IV doing in New York? Does Roxy know him? That''s why the girl acted like she still lost her memory? Den was still trying to process the situation between them, but he yed along with her. "Sweetheart, it''s time to go home now," stated Den while circling his hand on her waist protectively without giving a domineering aura. He didn''t know what Hades IV was here for, and he didn''t care about Wendy or Nick. As long as this person didn''t have any ill will towards Roxy, he wouldn''t meddle in his affairs either. But if this man wanted to hurt his wife, he would not sit still. That was the impression Den gave the man, showing that he was neither afraid nor daunted even though the man was Hades IV. Roxy was about to protest because she was still worried about her best friend. But when she saw the gaze that was so firm and unrepentant in Den''s pair of eagle eyes, Roxy fell silent. After all, she was acting like Kaylee to make the older man think she is Kaylee. It was impossible for her to rebel because Kaylee was an obedient girl and didn''t like to voice her opinion. "If you say so." Den smiled with satisfaction and led his wife out of the house, disregarding the older man who was still smiling at them. Even though his smile was friendly, Den and Roxy knew it was filled with ulterior motives. The two of them neither greeted nor said goodbye to the man and viewed the older man as just an insignificant stranger. In silence, Den started the engine and drove off without waiting. His eyes nced at the front mirror and saw Hades IV still didn''t budge from his position. "I don''t like that guy." was his firstment about the man''s arrival. He acted oblivious, as if he didn''t know that the older man was Hades IV. "I don''t like the way he''s looking at you." "Me neither. I hate him." agreed Roxy, making Den chuckled in interest. "I thought you don''t recognize him." "You already know me. There''s no way I don''t know who he is. I''m not afraid of my father, but I will avoid that person." "Why? Aren''t you afraid of nothing?" "Tsk. Who said that? Of course, I have a thing or two I''m afraid of." "Why are you afraid? I''m here, aren''t I?" Den turned to his wife while ying his eyebrows up and down, making Roxyugh amused. "You''re a sweet talker." "I''m not just a sweet talker. I always do what I said." "Oh really? What if someday someone will kidnap me and expertly duck me from you? You won''t be able to find me. At that time, I could only rely on myself." "Who dared to kidnap you? I think before they touch you, they will fall first." "Tsk. You didn''t answer my question at all." Den chuckled at her whiny tone. "Don''t worry. I''ll find you. Even if you are at the end of the world, I will definitely find you." "How?" "I''m the founder of Oscar Security, and I have eyes around the world. How do you think I found you when that creepy stalker kidnapped you?" "Ugh. Don''t mention him. I want to puke. I wonder if he''s in jail right now." "¡­" "I don''t like my father''s way bring punishment to anyone who hurt me, but I''m sure at least he was in jail." "¡­" "The worst is he''s already dead. Why are you silent?" Roxy was puzzled at his sudden silence. "What do you want me to say?" "Is he dead?" "Why are you asking me?" "Because I know you. I don''t know how you found me that night, but I know you won''t stand by and let the person who hurt me roamed around freely. What did you do to him?" "I did nothing. It was your father." "I wonder why I''m not surprised." Roxy took a deep breath and looked out the window with thoughts running wild. "Den," "Hm?" "You already know who I am and my father''s background. Do you still want to marry me?" Roxy was still looking outside as she asked. Part of her felt sure that Den would still be by her side, but part of her felt that Den would leave her someday. She knew it was wrong, yet she couldn''t help feeling insecure. Chapter 218 - Ch. 218 Wedding Present Den nced at Roxanne briefly before turning his focus back to the street. He didn''t understand what made Roxy always doubt his feelings. Did he still not prove it enough? Den saw a signboard that led out of town, and he steered his car towards the highway.?? "I thought we''re going home." Roxanne noticed Den drove away from the main road. "We are." "But this is not the way home." Den gave a mysterious smile, "You''ll see." Roxy shifted her eyes to Den to find out what the man was thinking. Had she made the man angry? She couldn''t help but wonder. It wasn''t the first time she had doubts about the man''s feelings. No wonder Den was frustrated by it. Roxy took a deep breath while wondering where they were going. Not long after the lovebird left Wendy''s house, Hades IV muttered to himself. "As I thought. She is Roxanne." sneered the old man as if he found his new target. He wondered how the Raffetto young master would react once he knew about this. He wished that guy would steal her away from the ck before their wedding day. People who have seen Roxy and Kaylee every day and know their habits that often switch ces would be able to tell the difference. Wendy, who spent time with Roxy almost every day, instantly recognized her as soon as she met her. Unfortunately, Robert couldn''t recognize her because he''d been out for three years and didn''t know that Roxy and Kaylee had often switched roles. It was no wonder he couldn''t recognize her right away. But asionally, he felt like he could see Roxanne in Kaylee, but Robert believed he missed his mischievous, uncontroble cousin so much that he saw the girl in Kaylee. Robert never thought that Kaylee, who had been living in New York all this time, was indeed Roxanne, and now Hades IV also knew about it. Trouble would being to the Zouch family near in the future. Roxanne still didn''t know where they were going and just stared at the street in silence. She became even more confused as she realized the roads around them were starting to fill withwns. She felt like¡­ walking in the countryside where only nts and birds apanied her. She felt nostalgic as if she¡­ she was at her home in Folnd! Roxy rolled down the car window to get a clear view of the view. She shivered a little as soon as the cold air hit her, but she didn''t care. Instantly her eyes lit up when she realized this ce was simr to her home area in Folnd. Or was it possible she was already in South America? Oh, no way. How could she possibly travel such a long distance by car alone? Den nced at his wife, who seemed to be enjoying the view they were passing, and gave a small smile. One hand gently stroked Roxy''s head. "Raise the window. I don''t want you to get sick." Roxy giggled lightly, but sheplied with his wish nevertheless. "Den, where are we?" "You will know soon." "You know I hate surprises." "Trust me. You will like this one." Den stretched his right hand towards Roxy. Roxy knew what the man meant and put her left hand on Den''s palm so that now the two of them were holding hands. Not long after, Roxy saw a house... er... an unfinished mansion. Den made her even more confused yet enthusiastic when their car pulled up in front of the building. After that, Den got down and turned around to open Roxy''s door like he always did. Roxy got out of the car and looked at the building in amazement. Even though the sun had set and the area was poorly lit, Roxy could see how grand this mansion was. "Where are we?" asked Roxy for the second time. "Our home." was the short answer that made Roxy stare at him in disbelief. "Our home? This is¡­ this ce looks like¡­." Roxy was so stunned that she couldn''t even speak. The aspect of this mansion consisted of two floors and was shaped like the letter L with a huge yard¡­ very simr to the estate in Folnd. Also, this ce didn''t have many residents because this part of the area was the most expensive part of the city, and it was very private¡­ just like her home in Folnd! "We will live in here once we get married. It''s my wedding present for you." Roxy gasped in shock to hear his announcement. "It''s yours, my love." Nothing could measure how much her feelings grow to the point she became afraid. Roxy could no longer be separated from Den. Roxy thought she could let him go even though she was scared and worried. But if a miracle happens and it turns out that her sister is still alive and wants to be with Den, Roxy ns to let the man go slowly. But¡­ now she couldn''t bear to think about it. "How do you know I miss my hometown?" "Remember when I ask you what kind of your dream house?" "Yeah?" "What did you answer back then?" "Nothing could beat my pce." Den chuckled, hearing her never-ending proud tone. "Back then, I didn''t understand what your description of ''my pce'' was like, but when I think back to where you live in the south, I got it. So here it is. I decided to give it to you. Well, it''s not finished yet." Roxy put her arm around Den''s arm whileughing amusedly. "Can we stay here tonight?" "Of course. At least they finished the east part. But we need to go back at dawn. I don''t like the workers see you." "Alright, alright. Come on." Roxy urged Den to go inside as she couldn''t wait to see what''s inside this house. "Wait." however, Den pulled Roxy''s hand back and was now looking straight into her eyes. "You do realize it''s supposed to be your surprise." "I know." "Are you feeling better now?" "¡­" Roxy couldn''t answer and only bit her lower lips. Chapter 219 - Ch. 219 Doubting His Feelings For Roxy, her home is her pce. And nothing could rival the highest position of her pce on the ind. No matter how spacious and luxurious house her parents had in New York, or the mansion belonging to Mr. Zouch, Roxy still holds her pce as number one in her heart.?? Her home on Folnd Ind had a garden of her favorite strawberries and red roses. Not only that, there were many trees near her house. Furthermore, her father made a rope swing for her and Kaylee to y there when they were a child. Well, even though they grew up, she and her sister love to y the rope swing. She felt she could be at one with nature and loved a free life without any rules in Folnd Ind. She didn''t need to pay attention to her behavior and could go wild as if she was a free spirit. When she first appeared one night after letting her other alter take over her body, Roxy was annoyed that there were so many rules in her parents'' house. She was not allowed toe homete at night, and there had to be Wendy or one of her father''s bodyguards apanying her out. Her father even sent one of her youngest confidants to disguise himself as a student for her safety. Her other alter didn''t notice it and befriended the person, but Roxy did. However, she decided to remain silent and did nothing. After all, her other alter needs her father''s protection because her soul was too naive and innocent. However, her other alter rarely appearedtely. She couldn''t even talk to her anymore as if her alter ego was gone. She had wondered if it was because she was with Den too much? Even though she wanted to lessen her time with Den, she couldn''t do it. Den wanted her to be herself when alone with him, and Den had monopolized her so cunningly to the point she couldn''t say no. Roxy didn''t mind, and she enjoyed her time alone with Den. But once in a while, the feeling of guilt would continue to haunt her, and the devil''s voice would constantly corner her. ''Do you deserve to be happy with him?'' ''Are you sure your rtionship willst?'' That devil voice always crushed her soul and med her for her sin in the past. She couldn''t even summon her other alter to help her block her memory. As a result, she couldn''t help but feel dejected every time she thought about the possibility that Den would hate her and leave her. Which good man would want to be with a woman filled with an evil heart like her? Den was too good for her. However, since Roxanne realized the road they were on was somewhat simr to the road leading to her home in the South, her mood was enlivened. It was as if she was brought back to the past, and her dejected feeling was evaporated. She didn''t even think about her worries anymore when she saw the partially finished building of the house. But Den pulled her back down to her bottomless despair. "Are you feeling better now?" "¡­" "I don''t know what makes you always feel doubtful and feel like I''m going to leave you. But it hurts me." Roxy tilted her head up to look at the man''s face in confusion. His eagle-like eyes now looked like someone was in pain. Was she the cause? "It hurts my heart when you doubt my feelings." "I¡­ I didn''t mean to." "I know. But you should know too. I''m not a strong man and have many weaknesses. There were times when I hit a dead-end and lost control. Sometimes I even decide to hide and run away." "You do? But you look like a person who is not afraid of anything." "It''s because I found something I want to protect." Den cupped Roxy''s face with both hands and ced his forehead against hers. Both breaths entangled each other to the point they could feel their lover''s breath. "You are my only weakness. You hold my heart key, and only you can break my heart." Roxy felt her heart beating fast at the same time she felt guilty for making Den look at her as if she had hurt the man. It was Den who brought her out of the cold and lonely world of darkness. His presence brought light to her life. How could Roxy have the heart to hurt that man, let alone toward the man she loved the most. "I will be the weakest, helpless, and will live like a zombie if you leave me." "Den, I¡­ I won''t leave you." Roxy cupped Den''s hands which were touching the sides of her head with trembling hands. "Please, don''t be afraid¡­" she couldn''t continue her words when she realized something. Den was just like her. The man was worried that Roxy would leave him even if Roxy never nned to leave this man. On the other hand, Roxy believed she''d have to leave Den if this guy found a girl better than her. During this time, Roxy was often worried even though Den had reassured her many times. And this time, that man put himself in her shoes and acted as if he doubted her feelings to make her understand. "You¡­ You''re so sneaky, Den." a sly grin followed herment. Den gave a light kiss on her forehead so gently to the point it provided warmth and peace inside her heart. "Don''t ever doubt my feelings again, love. I didn''t lie when I said you hurt me by doing so." "I won''t. I''m sorry." as if she found a home, Roxy snuggled into his arms and inhaled her favorite scent. "But¡­ there''s something I need to tell you." Roxy decided to let him know what happened years ago. She could only get rid of all her guilt by revealing the truth and epting whatever the oue. Only then was she ready to advance their rtionship to the next level. Chapter 220 - Ch. 220 Declans Past Roxyid on the big bed facing the ceiling. When she decided to tell Den everything, the man invited her in and was now in this room. Of the many rooms, only this room was ready to be used as if Den did tell the workers toplete this one room in case they wanted to be here.?? s, someone called Den, and now the man is answering his phone outside. Roxy tried to summon her alter ego while waiting for Den, and as usual, she couldn''t reach her. ''Where are you, Kaylee? I can''t do this alone.'' Not long after, the bedroom door opened, and Den walked in with an iprehensible expression. "What is it? Who contacted you?" "I''ll tell youter. What do you want to talk about?" Roxy bit her lip to ease her doubts and fears about what the man''s reaction would be like. Without realizing it, Den had sat down next to her and pulled her lower lip down to release the biting. "Don''t bite it again. Your lips are almost torn off." Den lowered his head to suck her lower lips gently as if he wanted to heal torn lips. Roxy''s heart rumbled and quivered in sweet delight as she received the man''s attention. What is she worried about? Hadn''t she promised never to doubt his feelings again? "Dec, do you remember Louisa telling me about your first love?" "Yeah?" "Will you believe if I told you I know who the girl is?" "I will," answered Den while taking a lock of Roxy''s hair to tuck behind her earlobe. He massaged and stroked her earlobe as if giving Roxy''s stiff muscles a stretch. His gentle touch reached her heart and gave her courage. "Aren''t you curious?" "Rather than me feeling curious, it seemed you wanted to tell me but felt reluctant." Roxy couldn''t answer it as his guess was urate. Den positioned himself leaning against the headrest while stretching his hands toward his wife. "Come here." he wrapped his arms, enveloping the petite figure once she arrived at his range. Roxy rested her head on Den''s chest and smiled slightly when she heard a steady and firm heartbeat. The gentle caress on the top of her head made her sigh in pleasure. This man''s affectionate caring made her felt like she was in an iparable serene ce. "To tell you the truth, I thought you were that girl. You y the same song, and the painting in your sketchbook shows me lying in the hospital. I was thrilled when I found out." "What did it give away?" "Every time we look at your work in your sketchbook, you always close it again before we reach thest page. And when you heard I met the girl in Spain, your face got blue. I knew right away that girl wasn''t you." "So¡­ that''s why you said she wasn''t your first love? Because you don''t want to make me sad?" Roxy raised her head to see the man''s expression. Den shook his head in response to the question. "At first, I did think of her as my first love. I had never been in a rtionship with anyone before and had never been in love. When there is someone who apanies me and persuades me not to give up, I feel like someone is taking me out of my world of despair." "You? You felt despair?" "Of course, I''m not god. I haven''t told you the reason I ran away from home, have I?" Roxy shook her head. She remembered that Den had promised to tell her, but they had forgotten about it, and Roxy had not sued him. "Then let me tell you that first. It happened around ten years ago. It was my first day as a manager at BPE, and my father gave me a big project." Den felt capable ofpleting the project his father gave him because he had been trained by his father to continue BPE. He was too arrogant for an amateur and couldn''t see human nature behind their fake masks. When Den managed to get two of thergest investors in the country to sponsor his project and was close to signing the agreement, his secretary informed him that their appointment venue had been changed. He didn''t know that his secretary had been bought by Victoria and set him up to thwart his meeting with the two investors. After waiting for several hours at the appointed ce, Den heard the news that two investors he was supposed to meet were now giving their funds to otherpanies. Den was shocked and didn''t think that the two most expected investors would reject his offer because he didn''te and believed that Den was not serious about the project he was offering. Den tried to contact his secretary, but that traitor has disappeared without leaving a trace. His father and other shareholders highly anticipated this project. If no investors provide an injection of funds, this project must be postponed or use their funds. Either way, they suffered losses significant enough to make the board of directors questioned Den''s ability to lead apany. In addition, the fact that Den was not Mr. Old ck''s biological son got everyone against Den to be the CEO of ck Pearl Enterprise. Den tried hard to be someone who deserves to be the only child of a ck, but the pressure of bing one was too heavy for him. He felt he was aiming for unreachable goals because he knew he would never be a real ck. But if he gave up now, wouldn''t that mean he''d admit to the whole world that he wasn''t a ck? His biological mother had abandoned him, and he did not know where his biological father was now. He didn''t even know if his father was still alive or not. The only thing he had was Letti, a sweet baby sister who epted and adored him for who he is. He knew his father and mother loved him now, but he didn''t miss the look of disappointment from his father when the older man learned he had failed to secure the biggest investor. The disappointment of Mr. Old ck must have been doubled because he was not his biological son. Chapter 221 - Ch. 221 You Are You, And He Is He In the end, Den decided to go to Europe. He knew running away was not the best way. He would only strengthen the doubts of the board of directors and shareholders about his ipetence instead. But that''s fine with him. He was tired of all that and wanted to find a breather for a while. Maybe a year or two living in Spain could make him find something he wanted, even though he doubted he would find it as long as his father wanted him to seed in his position.?? Den decided to clear his mind by drinking in a bar on the first day he arrived. He thought no one would approach him because no one recognized him. He even put his indifferent and unfriendly aura so no one would dare to greet him. But who would have thought a shameless girl approached him and acted as if she was his close friend. "Hi handsome, why are you alone here?" Den was nonchnt and didn''t react to the girl. He even pretended he was still alone and viewed the girl as nothing. Basically, he didn''t like being approached by strangers, let alone a low-call girl like this one. How could a girl use excessive make-up and strong perfume on her body. It made him want to ssh this girl with water to remove the girl''s make-up. But then again, he didn''t want to cause trouble in a foreignnd on his first day. Thus, he only gave the brazen shameless girl a silent treatment. But the girl irritated him even more by touching his arm without his permission. "Oh, my. You have a good shape. I bet all girls will swamp around you." Den nced at the girl''s hand that was touching his arm. He wondered why his body didn''t resist the girl''s touch? On the contrary, he felt her touch had a calming effect on his stiff muscles. "Something''s on your mind, isn''t it?" miraculously, the girl knew his troubled mind. Is this girl a psychic? And also¡­ how long will this girl be squeezing his arm muscles? He felt this girl couldn''t keep her hand to herself and got closer to him as if he was her ma. The strangest thing was¡­ why didn''t he resist her? No. It was as if he couldn''t resist her. Nevertheless, Den was still quiet and saw what the girl would do next. "Tell me what bothers you. People say it will lessen your stress a lot if you share it with other people." "That''s quite true." blurted Den without his brainmand. He never expected he would respond to this girl''s offer. "But I don''t have a habit of revealing my mind to a stranger." The girl gave a cute giggle when she returned the words, "Aren''t we perfect? I don''t know you, and you don''t know me. We can''t harm each other by only talking, can we?" Den heaved a heavy sigh without pping the girl''s hand that was still holding her arm. "Mind your own business. I want to be alone." "No one in the world wants to be alone unless he wanted to die alone." "¡­" is this girl wanted him dead now? How dare she! "You have sharp eyes and unwavering jaw. It only meant you have high confidence, yet now you look like a lost child." "What are you? Are you a psychic or a doctor?" The girl gave a heartyugh when she heard that. "I''m a doctor? Oh, please. I will be ckened out when I see blood. I just loved observing people and what is on their minds. I need to know which one is my ally or my enemy." "Why?" "Let''s say I''m the president''s daughter." "You are?" "Of course not, silly." "¡­" this is the first time someone called him ''silly.'' "But I''m no different with one. So I''m having a bit of a hard time distinguishing who is my ally and who is my enemy. If I let my guard down and think my enemy is my friend, I could die at any moment." "You have a rough life." "I do. That''s why I ran away." "You''re not from here?" "Nu-uh. And for your information, my family doesn''t know I''m here, but my new friends there didn''t know that. It''s my secret." Den turned his head towards a group of girls who were not much different from the girl sitting next to him. Are they all the call girls? "Why are you telling me your secret?" "Because I sense you''re the same with me. You ran away, didn''t you?" "I did not." "Then why are you here, mister? Aren''t you worried that your family will look for you?" "I could say the same to you." The girl chuckled mischievously, "They won''t look for me as my uncle already found me." Den nced scornfully at the girl. He didn''t understand what was in that little head. "What do you want from me?" He craved to be alone and think calmly after being mentally depressed because of his father''s high expectations from him... and he failed him. "Nothing. I want to apany the lost soul." "..." Den became speechless. "If I tell you about myself, would you leave me alone?" "If you wanted it." "Fine. It''s nothing special anyway. I''m an adopted child, and my father gave me his most proud and biggest project, but I failed him. And now he''s feeling down, and everyone in his family is ming me. They said I would never be my father or do what he had aplished. I am an outsider, and nothing can change that reality." "Why do you insist on wanting to be your father? You are you, and your father is your father." "You don''t understand. Never will." "That might be true. But I understand one thing. Just as you will never be like your father, your father will never be like you." Den snorted in mocking huff, "What can I be proud of? My father''spany belongs to my father, and I will not be able to rece him." "Then why don''t you create your own? Something that you can call it your own." "¡­" Chapter 222 - Ch. 222 You Are The First Girl "Then why don''t you create your own? Something that you can call it your own." "¡­"?? "Believe it or not, I understand how you feel. I have a younger sister, and people around us alwayspare us. This made me feel down and feel whatever I did was wrong. But then, I thought, I am me, and my sister is my sister. What''s their business if we are different? They could go to hell if they couldn''t ept us." Unknowingly, Den shifted his position to face the girl. He hadn''t noticed before, but¡­ he felt that this girl looked beautiful while she was talking. Her voice was somewhat full of pride and high confidence, as if she held her belief tight. "You know what is the ridiculous thing?" "What?" "When they meet me, they always say ''Why can''t you be like your sister?'' or ''Look at your sister, she looks calmer and more reserved.'' But when they meet my sister, they''ll say, ''Why are you so scared? Take a look at your sister.'' They seemed dissatisfied and always saw the fault of both of us. What are we? It''s not like we are their property. We are also human, just like them, and we have the right to be whatever we wanted to be. That goes the same with you. You are also an ordinary human being, and you write your own story." Den looked straight at the girl, and that''s when he felt himself seeing a boundless gxy in the girl''s pair of ck eyes. Without realizing it, his hand rose to touch the girl''s cheek. The girl neither looked surprised nor avoided his touch. On the contrary, she seemed to have expected the man to touch her on his initiative sooner orter. The girl gave her sweetest smile and closed her eyes as if she encouraged the man to do what he wanted to do. And he did it. It was as if the girl was a ma that pulled him closer; Den nted his lips against her plumped ones. At first, the girl did nothing except sealed her lips tight, but in just a few seconds, the girl opened her lips to wee him and move her mouth along with his. Den wrapped his arms to her petite figure to bring her body closer. Their mouths were sucking each other while changing the angle a couple of times while the girl''s tiny hands raised to grasp his smooth hair. He didn''t know why but he felt the girl loved his hair as he could feel her unhurtful grip on his head. Den pulled away first as he noticed the girl''sck of oxygen, but the girl''s next words steered something inside him that he never knew he had. "You''re a good kisser, mister." "How many men had you kissed before me?" "Why? Jealous?" "Why should I?" he imed her lips once more in more intense and demanding vigor. And thus, they ended up in a hotel room but stop in mid-way once Den found out the girl is a virgin minor. But he already liked her and loved herpanion, so he embraced the girl in sleep till the morning. He wanted to know her name and talk to the girl in a clear head the following day, yet the girl disappeared. She didn''t even leave a clue or a hint to make him find her. Den told Roxy that morning he was very disappointed that the girl didn''t wait for him to wake up or say goodbye. Nevertheless, the girl was the first one to give him a solution to his problem. It was the girl who first brought him out of the life he didn''t want. "You are the first girl that brings me out from my misery." continued Den after telling his encounter with the mysterious girl. "Ever since my father adopted me, I tried my best to be the son my adoptive parents wanted me to be. But it''s not the real me, and you helped me to realize it. I am me, and my father is him. So I decided to step out of myfort zone and be myself." Roxy didn''t refute his words and continued to listen attentively. She didn''t expect her meeting with Den that night to change the man''s life. She felt proud of herself as well as guilty. That night she used Den to make her lose her virginity and not marry Raffeto''s son. Who would have thought that Den was having a hard time and gave up? "I''m trying to set up a business that offers security and protection. I have an acquaintance who is good at martial arts, and he is my first business partner. Long story short, I managed to find talented people in programming and martial arts. Oscar security offers securities that no one could prate. Both programmatically and in guard." "I know. I heard the white Olympic''s elite bodyguard came from Oscar security." "Some of it. And some of them are from the Alvianc group. They are tough fighters andpete with my OS. But my people won''t lose at them." "You are amazing." her tone was full of adoration and immeasurable love. "But I failed again at the beginning when I built my business. My mistake was that I told my mother and my sly cousin knew about my start-up business. She ruined my service and spread bad rumors to damage my colleague''s reputation. Some of my employees were former criminals, but they have repented and changed for the better." "But people won''t care about their changes." Roxy knew the views of the citizens would never forget something terrible about someone. "That''s right. And there was one they want to get rid of because that person was one of my best guards. Many told me to fire that person, and some wanted to open the old case." "What did he do?" "Killed an ex-lover." "¡­ And you still hired him?" "It was her." "It was a girl?" As if not satisfied shocking her, Den dropped another bomb. "It was Aubrey." !? What!? Chapter 223 - Ch. 223 Had Kaylee Fallen In Love With Declan? Aubrey was only sixteen when she killed her violent ex, who beat her every time he was drunk. The girl did it to protect herself, but the young man''s family held her ountable. Luckily, Aubrey was still a minor, and she didn''t do it on purpose because the act was for self-defense. And yet, the young man''s family was still dissatisfied even though Aubrey was finally sentenced to three years in prison. "I don''t understand. If she already knew her boyfriend was a jerk, why didn''t Aubrey leave him?" "At that time, Aubrey had no one, and she could only rely on that person." "Where''s Kris? Aren''t they twins?" demanded Roxy as if she was angry at someone. "Why are you mad at me?" teased Den even though he knew Roxy wasn''t mad at him. "..." Roxy pursed her lips tightly and shed a gentle smile at Den. "I''m not mad at you. You carry on." Den put his arm around Roxy''s shoulder as he continued his story. "Kris was in Folnd at the time, and Aubrey didn''t want to tell her brother because she knew Kris would definitely kill her boyfriend and his family. So Aubrey hid it from him." "Ha? Folnd Inds? Could it be¡­" "That''s right. Kris once worked in the Hades organization, but he was never an inner member. He was the outer member and never knew the Hades''s face or his family." "Ah, I see. And then?" "Then Aubrey was released after three years in prison, and I recruited her as soon as I found out she could do taekwondo. At the start of her work, everything was going smoothly until the rumors spread. Not only Aubrey, but almost everyone I recruit also has a dark past. My cousin was good at using her link to investigate all my people." "Why are you recruiting people with a criminal history? Wouldn''t everything be safe if you recruited normal people?" "That makes sense. But I like challenges. In addition, people who have never experienced death were not as strong as those who have experienced it. Instead of using their abilities to hurt people, why not use them to protect? I gave them a second chance for those who wish to repent, and the results were satisfactory despite the bad rumors circting." "So you guys got through the bad rumors well?" No wonder Den didn''t care about the rumors about him being gay on campus. He was used to ignoring the falsehoods about him. "At first, it wasn''t so good. There''s one of my people who doesn''t like hearing those rumors and¡­." Roxy could feel the reluctance within Den for the first time. What happened? Even though she was curious to death and couldn''t wait for the continuation, Roxy waited anyway. Her hand gently patted Den''s chest, hoping she could give him some peace. "He identally pushed the person he argued with onto the highway and ended up having an ident." Roxy didn''tment and circled Den''s neck like a mother who wants to give strength to her son, who has just suffered a loss. "I was there and couldn''t do anything. Everyone saw what happened and directly used my services of being fake. I should have offered protection and security, but instead, I trained my people to harm them. Luckily that person didn''t die, but still¡­ we ruined ourselves." It was not Den''s or his men''s fault, but still¡­ people would only look at Den and me him. And somehow, his family, who lived in New York, knew this too. ''Den,e home. You don''t fit in there.'' that''s what his mother said. ''I''ll give you another chance at my ce. Come back home, son.'' that''s what his father said. ''You can''t build your own business. Why did you leave your father''s business when your father had secured a spot for you?'' that''s what his friends say. Many opposed him and considered him a failure and would not seed without using his father''s name¡­ the ck''s name. For the second time, Den fell, and this time he fell into a deeper, bottomless pit. That night, after he read a mail from his father regarding a new project, Den got out of control by reasoning that he was better suited to doing business than a job that puts his life at risk. He came out of his room after taking his rental car keys without carrying his wallet or passport. "That night, I didn''t n to kill myself. But, many things were filling my mind, and I was driving in a dazed state. When I realized my steering wheel was starting to get off track and a truck from the opposite direction was honking its horn, I didn''t react." "Den," "I could have avoided it, but I didn''t¡­ and the ident happened. I don''t know how long I was unconscious by myself in the hospital, but when I woke up, I couldn''t move my muscles." "You''re in aa." Roxy could guess what happened next. "Yes. I was in aa for three weeks, and someone apanied me there." Roxy gulped nervously when she heard hisst sentence. "At that time, I didn''t know who that person was, but I knew she was a tourist because she used themonnguage. She even gave me a random name, but I ended up using that as my stage name." Roxy felt a pang inside her chest, but she kept her lips sealed to listen to the whole story. "She talked about herself and how she had to work as a flyer in the middle of the summer to earn a penny." Ha? Why did her sister distribute flyers? Ah, could it be because she had taken her wallet? Roxy was forced to take her sister''s money because her uncle in Spain had limited her cash while living in Spain. "She always yed the piano next door just for me. She also said that she aspired to be a great pianist and study at M university." M university? It was Kaylee''s dream as well as she wanted to leave the south, but¡­ she didn''t expect her sister to tell a stranger. Had Kaylee fallen in love with Den? Just thinking about this possibility was painful enough, but Den didn''t know it and exacerbated the pain with his words. "Since I woke up, I decided to return to New York and be a lecturer at M university to meet her." Roxy found herself unable to breathe right then and there. Chapter 224 - Ch. 224 She Was Like A Magnet Den could feel the tiny body in his arms stiffen. He did a circr stroke on Roxy''s back to reduce her stiffness. "But I couldn''t find her. Even after being a lecturer at M University for four years, I still haven''t found her. But I met you instead, and I fall over heels for you." Den concluded it with a light peck on her crown. "So¡­ she was your first love. Just admit it." Roxy couldn''t help but feel jealous of her sister. She was the first to meet Den, but the man''s first love was her sister. "Okay. I admit it. I thought she was my first love and tried to find her. I wanted to meet her because I felt grateful and wanted to repay her kindness. Everything changed when I fell in love with you. Even if I manage to meet her and I did repay my gratitude, I will still fall in love with you." "How can you be sure? You don''t know her, and you don''t know what she looks like. Just so you know, she was much prettier than me and her demeanor was way more submissive than mine. My parents love her even more than me." "So it was your sister?" Den guessed made Roxy pursed her lips again. She didn''t understand how Den did it, but she was always caught off guard whenever she talked to this guy. Her tongue often blurted something that she doesn''t want to disassemble first, even though she''s not a person who spits out talk. Roxy could always control her mouth and said what she could say. But whenever she''s alone with Den, she''s always talked as if there''s no defensive wall between them. No. This man was also quick-witted to be able to notice the slightest hint around him. She could never out-witted this cunning man. Roxy took a deep breath and answered the man''s guess without looking him in the eye. "She was." "I heard that your sister was a cellist." "Yeah, she was." "I will still fall in love with you." Roxy took a deep breath for the umpteenth time. "Never mind. You don''t have to say it just to cheer me up. I understand." "No. You don''t understand at all." Den lifted Roxy''s body slightly to see the girl''s face. When Roxy refused to look at him, Den put his finger under the girl''s chin to lead her to look into his eyes. "Have you forgotten how I fell in love with you? Do you remember what I said on our first date?" What did Den say on their first date? Roxy tried to dig up her memory, but¡­ she couldn''t remember. It''s not that she didn''t remember their first date, but there was too much they talked about that Roxy didn''t know which one Den was referring to. "I fell in love with the girl who yed piano on the stage. Tell me now. Who was that girl? Was it you or another girl?" repeated Den, imitating his words that night when he asked her out for dinner for the first time. In contrast to Roxy, who had not fallen in love with him at that time, Den remembered whatever he had talked with the girl as if it had happened yesterday. The trivial things and the girl''s habits and likes, Den noted to himself because he wanted to be closer to her. "Den, I¡­" "The only person who managed to steal my breath was you. It doesn''t matter if you were Roe, or Kaylee, or what you looked like when you came to campus¡­ wherever you are, you can make my heart flutter." "I can?" "Haven''t you ever felt it?" Den brought Roxy''s hand to his left chest. "Even now, my heart is beating just for you." Roxy felt a strangely pleasant feeling run through her body as she felt a fast and firm pulse. "Just for your information, I even thought about going to a psychiatrist to confirm my preference." "Ha? Why?" "I thought I liked a certain boy and confirmed the nasty rumors around me." Den chuckled when he saw the confused expression of his wife. "I like you when you look like Nick." "What!?" that was surely an unexpected thing that she heard from Den''s mouth. "I like it when you''re smiling at me, and somehow I couldn''t get rid of it from my mind." "You''re¡­ You''re a gay?" Den let out a sigh of resignation hearing that. "I know you would say that." Roxy gave a cute giggle as she wrapped her arms around her lover''s neck. Den smiled with her as he managed to change his wife''s mood. "Roxy, it doesn''t matter if she was my first love or not. I only love you at the end of the day. It''s all in the past now, and I''d like to think about our future instead of the past. And besides, if you are still bringing up the past, I will also demand an exnation from you." "What exnation?" "Why did you leave me?" "Ha?" "If you didn''t leave me, I''m willing to wait for you to grow up to bring you here and marry you." Den talked about their first night at the hotel. "You¡­ you want to marry me?" once again, Roxy was surprised to hear that unpredictable announcement. "I told you, didn''t I? You''re too irresistible. When I wanted to be alone and didn''t want other people to approach me, I couldn''t resist your advance. You''re like a ma pulling me deeper." Den pulled Roxy''s body against his stout body and hugged her tightly. "You have no idea how full I am now with you in my arms." A carefree smile crossed Roxy''s lips. She felt as if everything that was troubling her had vanished without a trace. She even realized that she no longer heard the devil whispers, who always med her all the time. "Is it still not enough?" asked Den in a gentle tone. "It''s more than enough. But¡­ I still need to tell you something." Den raised an eyebrow hearing this. He thought Roxy wanted to tell him the identity of his first love in Spain. Now that he knows, what else is making his wife feel restless? Chapter 225 - Ch. 225 I Miss You, Sis Eight years ago¡­ "Come on, uncle. The money you gave me isn''t enough." Roxy whined to her uncle, a doctor, and owner of a hospital on the outskirts of Barcelona. "One thousand euros per month is not enough? What kind of goods do you buy? You stay at my ce, eat my wife''s cooking, and all your needs are avable here. Now tell me, my beloved niece, what do you want to buy this time?" "A car! There''s a new car from Bernz, and it''s red! Oh,e on, if I had a car of my own, I wouldn''t have to use yours." "And with whose money do you want to buy it?" inquired her uncle while squinting his eyes. "Te-hee¡­ My father will pay it back. After all, you have more fortune to buy hundreds of cars. Please, please, pretty pleaseeeeeee!!" begged Roxy while blinking her eyes cutely to melt her overly discipline uncle. Uncle Pierre offered a wide smile when he gave his stern answer, "Only in your dreams." "Ouwieee. Uncle, you''re so mean." "Hush now. Go away." "Ouch! You had the heart to kick me out!" she showed her fake teary eyes, but her uncle wouldn''t buy it as he already knows how wicked his elder niece was. "Uncle¡­" whined Roxy while putting on her best puppy eyes. "How long are you nning on staying here? You''ve been here for almost a year. Don''t you miss your family?" "How about you? Why can you leave Folnd when I can''t?" Uncle Pierre took a deep breath to see that his nephew had behaved normally. "I found my life here. I found my wife, which is now your aunt, and I am enjoying my new life here." "Then I will be like you. I will find my own life here." "You can''t do that. You''re the oldest child of your father." "So? Only because I''m the oldest doesn''t mean that I want his position. I want to be a designer and get acknowledged from around the world. I want to roam this world freely without anyone getting in my way. Didn''t you guys keep telling me? I am born as a star, and I want to be the most shining and striking unforgettable star." "I know you will be one day." Roxy grinned widely, "I know you gave your support for me, but why do you keep pestering me to go home?" "Because, youngdy, you are still minor." "I''m eighteen." "Still minor." Roxy pouted her lips at his stern and unwavering tone. "It''ste now. Go home." "Don''t wanna." "Roxy," called her uncle in his warning tone, making Roxy couldn''t help butply. But before Roxy rose to her feet, one of her uncle''s assistants entered the room in a hurry. "Doctor Zouch, there was an ident, and someone is dying ofck of blood." "Where is he now?" "On the way here." "Prepare the operating room and find out his blood type." Uncle Pierre turned to face his unruly niece. "I''m serious Roxy, go home now and don''t go to that bar again." Roxy said yes because she knew she couldn''t buy time. After all, there was a life her uncle had to save. Nevertheless, she went to the same bar to meet up with her friends and drink all night even though she knew her uncle would give her an earful scolding. A few dayster, Kaylee called her and asked her when she would go home. "Sister, when will you go home?" "I told you, I won''t go home until papa forgives me." Roxy fled to Spain because she didn''t want to marry the Raffetto mafia''s leader''s son. She even got into a fight with her father and gave him a warning she''d fuck with a random guy if her dad caught her here and forced her toe home. As a result, her father never picked her up even though he already knew where she lived. Instead, the father handed over the protection of his daughter to his youngest brother. Uncle Pierre was no different from her father, but at least Roxy could still roam around this ce, and her uncle never locked her in her room. She knew if she went back to Folnd Ind, her father would be furious and might punish her. That''s why she would never want toe back. "He already forgives you." "Yeah, right. Like I''ll believe that." how could Roxy believe her father would forgive her so easily. The sly older man must have prepared punishment for her. "Why don''t you believe me? If I show up there in front of you because papa sent me, would you believe it?" Bah! Like hell, she''ll do that. "You won''te here. You are direction-blind and scared to be in a new ce." "Well, you''re there, so I''ll figure it out. And guess what? I''m right behind you." Roxy frowned further when she heard a slightly familiar voice just right behind her. She spun her body, and her eyes widened when she saw her sister. "Kaylee! What are you doing here??" Kaylee grinned from ear to ear while storing her phone back in her sling bag. "I missed you, so I came to see you." Roxy fell silent and looked at her sister with a probing gaze. This was their meeting after Kaylee had been cold and hostile towards her. "I know what you''re thinking, and I''m here to say¡­ I''m sorry." "¡­" "I apologize for speaking to you like thatst year. I know it sounded like an excuse, but I was not mature and acted like a child. I realize our sisterhood is that matters." "I''m not mad at you. I''ve forgotten it. It was in the past." Kaylee smiled widely, "Can I¡­ can I hug you?" Roxy offered her a gentle smile while stretching her hands. "Of course, you can. Come here." Kaylee marched toward her and into her sister''s open arms. The two of them hugged each other tightly as if they had not seen each other for centuries. "I miss you, sis." "Me too." Roxy exhaled a relief sigh feeling the warm embrace of her sister. The reason she didn''t want to go home wasn''t that she was worried about her father''s punishment, but¡­ she was more concerned about meeting her sister. Now¡­ she felt relieved after seeing her sister again. Chapter 226 - Ch. 226 Kaylee And Black Moon Kaylee was still living in Spain for a few days, apanying Roxy shopping and sightseeing in Barcelona. Roxy was excited that her bond with her sister had improved, but she didn''t let go of her sister''s purse, knowing that their father would never freeze her sister''s card. Kaylee didn''t mind either and handed all the money to Roxy until one day... "Kaylee, give me your card," ordered Uncle Pierre suddenly. "Eh? But¡­ Roxy¡­" Roxy held her card. "I know. Tonight when you guyse home from ying, give me your card. That girl once got a card; she wouldn''t stop using it. Did she deliberately want to bankrupt her father?" Kaylee chuckled amusedly at her uncle''s nagging. "Uncle, you know it will take hundred years for Roxy to make papa go broke." "You''re in on it too." "Eh?" "You, as well as your mother, pamper your sister too much. Look at her now. She has no discipline." Kaylee scratched her non-itchy neck awkwardly because she didn''t know what to say. "That''s enough. Go first. If there''s anything, let me know that instant." Kaylee nodded in understanding before walking out and getting the news that Roxy had left first. "Your sister said not to wait for her toe home because she will be home veryte." As she expected. Even though Roxy loved her very much, her sister preferred to spend time with her friends over her. In the end, Kaylee strolled around the hospital for hours until she entered a particr surveince room area. There she saw a man lying on a respirator. Kaylee was curious, and without realizing it, her feet moved closer until she arrived in front of the man''s room. She sensed that there was something different about the man. She felt certain that the person was not a local, but she felt attracted to the man for some reason. "Pst, what are you doing here?" one of her uncle''s doctor''s assistants greeted her in a whisper-like voice. Even though her voice was low, Kaylee felt sure that the people in the room could hear him if he woke up. After all, the atmosphere in the hospital was rtively quiet because no one was making loud noises. "Who is he?" without answering the doctor''s question, Kaylee was more interested in finding out about the man. "I have no ideas. A truck driver identally hit his car, and he was brought here immediately. He was lucky enough that his life was saved. I heard he lost a lot of blood, and he will die if he gets here five minuteste." "So, you don''t know his name?" "Nope. He did not carry a wallet nor phone at all. We even couldn''t find his identification card. Well, he''s a tourist, that''s for sure." Kaylee once again looked at the mysterious man and, somehow, her heartfelt sympathy for the man. "Is he going to wake up?" "Well, I doubt that. No one talks to him, and he had no family here to pray for his recovery. How about you talking to him?" "Me?" "Instead of you wandering around this ce and getting lost, it might be better for you to talk to him." "Getting lost? Am I still a kid?" "Aren''t you?" "¡­" "I still have work to do. Don''t go anywhere and stay here, okay? I''m pretty sure Doctor Zouch will finish in a couple of hours." Kaylee sighed resignedly to hear that. She had lived here for a few days, but the people around her uncle still treated her like a child. What else can she do? She was indeed direction-blind, and the hospital was huge despite being on the outskirts of the city. Sometimes she got lost walking alone and preferred to go to the first floor or wait in her uncle''s office. Kaylee was eager to go back home, but she didn''t want to bother her uncle by asking him to drive her home. All the money she had was in Roxy''s hand, and right now, she had only a few euros in her coat pocket. In the end, Kaylee decided to go along with her uncle''s assistant''s suggestion and talk to the unconscious lonely man. She walked into the room and approached the man. This man wAs very handsome with a firm jaw and perfected sharp eyebrows. His hair was also thick with ink-like ck. Unknowingly one hand moved to feel the smoothness of the man''s hair, and her heart instantly tingled when her skin touched the ends of the man''s hair. "It''s so ck. Your hair is just like mine. It''s pitch ck." and also very soft¡ªAdded Kaylee in her heart. But¡­ she still preferred the dark red hair of that guy¡­ Instantly her eyes became sad thinking about that person. Even at this moment, she wasparing a stranger to that young man. Kaylee shook her head to get rid of the figure of the young man who had filled her heart. She looked out the window and saw the night sky filled with stars. Her lips curved into a smile when she realized a bright full moon there seemed to guide the stars to dance up there. "Look, today is the full moon." Instantly she had the bright idea of ??seeing the full moon on this night. "ck Moon. I think that name suits you. I will call you ck Moon from now on." Wait. What if this man heard it and didn''t like the name? Would he be mad at her? "Don''t me me, okay? I gave it to you because I don''t know your real name. You can tell me your real name when you wake up, and I''ll tell you mine. For now, let me call you ck Moon, okay?" Kaylee pulled up a chair to sit next to the man. "Do you mind if I hold your hand?" Kaylee directed her hand on the man anyway, knowing he wouldn''t answer. "Your hand is so big and warm. I wonder if these hands have protected someone." like that person. Again¡­ she thought of that young man. Chapter 227 - Ch. 227 She Couldnt Let Go Kaylee wondered why she was still thinking about the boy even though she had decided to let him go. Kaylee tried to think of something else so she wouldn''t think of him. "Hey, do you like listening to music? I can y the piano for you. What a coincidence! There is a piano in the next room. But¡­ I don''t know if you can hear it or not. Well, it''s no problem. The song I''m going to y is horrible after all." Kaylee let go of her hand on the man and walked out to move into the next room. Without waiting, Kaylee yed a song she could y up there. She didn''t expect her uncle toe into the room and hear her y the piano for the first time. "Well, well, well. I never knew you could y the piano too." Kaylee lowered her head, hearing her uncle''s words, and stopped the song. "It¡­ it was ugly, right." "No. It was beautiful." "You said that because you know nothing about music." "That''s true." her annoying uncle deliberately didn''t deny it made Kaylee put on a sullen face. "I''m just teasing you. Where''s your sister?" "She¡­ she goes¡­ to¡­ the festival, I think." Kaylee didn''t know what to say because she didn''t know where Roxy was. The amusing look on her uncle''s face vanished the second he heard that. "That girl. I hope she didn''t make a problem." "She won''t. She will be back at ten¡­ I think." "You think wrong, youngdy. She would be back tomorrow morning. She loves creating trouble and make me look older than I am." Kaylee gave a thin smile and stood up to her uncle. "I know my brother''s feeling now. She''s a pain in my ass." Kaylee chuckled lightly, "Oh, please, uncle. We both know that you and papa adored her the most." Pierre''s footsteps stopped making Kaylee stop too. "No. We love you both equally. I don''t have kids, and I already treat you like my own daughter. So don''t ever feel like we have a favorite one." "But¡­ everyone looked up to her." "Well, that''s only because she''s the oldest one." Pierre walked to the parking lot, followed by Kaylee. "To be honest, I prefer you. Do you want to be my adopted daughter?" Kayleeughed at that, and the two of them headed home while talking cheerfully. Recalling her time in Barcelona with her uncle and sister made Kaylee, who had just woken up from sleep, smile gently. Kaylee blinked a few times and nced sideways where her desk clock was. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the clock. It was still showing the number five. Ugh! Why did she wake up so early today? Because she had already woken up, Kaylee got up and immediately took her phone to check her email. She sighed sadly when she didn''t get a new email. Maybe¡­ her sister is too busy there, so she hasn''t had time to check her email. After all, she just sent the emailst night, so it''s possible that her sister hasn''t opened her mail inbox yet. If it''s five in the morning, that means it''s around midnight in New York City. Maybe her sister was asleep. Thought Kaylee. Little did she know that her dear sister Roxy was still not sleeping because she decided to reveal the truth behind their switch ces around nine years ago to Den. "I feel curious about this ck Moon guy, which makes my sister excited about telling a man she doesn''t know. That was the first time I saw her so hyped up about a guy." continued Roxy with a slightly hoarse tone. "So¡­ I tried to find out and peeked into your infirmary. And that''s when I knew that the ck Moon that my sister meant was the unknown mister I met the year before." "You still remember my face?" "How could I not? I always draw your face in my sketchbook whenever I feel bored." "That exins my faces on your book." "Yeah. I think because of my sketchbook that my mother decided to use you. She knew you could bring me back, and her n worked." "She just wants to see you again." Roxy shook her head as she couldn''t believe her mother wished to see her... her real self. "Why do I feel you are siding with my mother?" "I''m not. Go on. What happened after that?" Roxy sighed in defeat, realizing Den was trying to go back to her past story. "And then¡­" Roxy remembered her attitude had started to change towards her sister. She wasn''t hostile towards her, but she avoided her sister as much as she could. "Sister Roxy, did I do something wrong?" and yet, her sister managed to confront her early in the morning, where her uncle and aunt were still asleep. "Why do you think like that?" "Then why are you avoiding me?" "Just your feeling." came her short reply before walking past her sister and downstairs to the kitchen. "Roxy, I came here because I wanted to spend this summer break with you. But you left me in the hospital just to y with your friends here. And then¡­ you''re cold to me all of a sudden without telling me why." "You also didn''t tell me the reason when you used me of snatching your man." Roxy immediately regretted her words the minute she said that hurtful words. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean that." Kaylee didn''t answer, and her eyes started to get moist, but the teenage girl tried to hold back her tears. "What do you want me to do now? You want me to go?" Yes! I wish you''re gone. That way, she could rece Kaylee''s position to apany the handsome mister. "No." but she didn''t have the heart to do it. "Would you like to take a walk with me? The weather today is very nice." Kaylee''s pair of ck eyes lit up at that. "Of course I will! I''ll get change first." Like a child who had just been invited to y at the yground, Kaylee''s behavior made Roxy feel guilty. ''Our sisterhood is that matters.'' Roxy knew Kaylee had sacrificed her feelings to make up with her, but¡­ she couldn''t. She couldn''t sacrifice her feelings. Since she met with that handsome mister, the man''s face has never left her head. She even purposely stayed here for a year because she hoped to see the man again. Almost every night, she came to the same bar and waited for the man to arrive without knowing that the handsome mister had decided to start a new business, so he kept himself busy at work instead ofing to the bar. Chapter 228 - Ch. 228 Switch Place Kaylee and Roxy went to the shopping center and sat on one of the long benches on the edge of the pedestrian area. "Now I understand why you like this ce. The atmosphere here is vivacious and pleasant." "I know, right. Everything feels different here. No rules, no one would order us to do this or that. We can be free here." added Roxy as she agreed to her sister''sment. "But, we can''t forever live here and leave our parents." Kaylee still remembered that her purpose ining here was to persuade Roxy to go home. Even though her father never showed it, she knew he missed his eldest daughter very much. Not only her father, her mother, and others expect the true sessor of Hades to return home soon and continue her training to be a Hades. "I know. But I want to find a breather once for a while. Plus, being like papa wasn''t my dream." "Then¡­ what is your dream?" "To be a designer." came her reply with a proud tone. "I saw your works. They are beautiful." Roxy''s smile grew wider when she heard her sister''s praise. "How about you? What is your dream?" "Me? I''m going to be a pianist like you. But¡­ it''s mission impossible for me... I think." Roxy giggled at her answer. "Why not be a professional cellist? You''re good at it." "..." Kaylee didn''t answer and just gave her a sad smile. "I might do it¡­ someday when I ampletely separated from our family." "We will never be separated from our family. I heard we don''t get to choose who our parents are. Once we are born, our family name will stick with us for life." "That''s true. But we can write our own story, right? You said that to me." "What''s the use to write our own story when our papa is relentless to get us?" "It''s not like papa would force his will on us. I''m pretty sure he would listen to us as long as we behave." "Yeah, like I''ll behave." Roxy had a great pride that she couldn''t break. If she thinks she was right, she will hold that belief even if her faith was wrong. Thus, she often rebels and didn''t listen to her elders. "I can do it for you." Roxy turned to her sister with a confused look. "What do you mean?" "Do you remember we used to trick people by switching ces?" "Yeah?" "We can do it again when we get back there. I will act wild like you but with some limited deed to show that you have changed and are more obedient. Then I''ll talk to papa about your dream and persuade him to let you study in Paris." "Even though we can outwit papa, we can''t fool mama. She can always tell us apart and knows that we switched ces." "Then, we only have to avoid mama as much as possible." "Like she''ll let us do that." "Don''t worry. I know how to avoid mama." grinned Kaylee from ear to ear. As she thought. Kaylee has more wicked ways than her. "So, are you in?" asked Kaylee for a second time with expectant eyes. Roxy thought for a moment before answering, "Alright. I''ll book the ticket for us." her answer invited a delight sequel from her sister. "Then I''ll let them know we''re going home. When do you want to go back? Tomorrow, this weekend, or next week?" "I gotta see the empty seats." Roxy fished her cell phone out of her coat pocket and logged into a flight booking website. "We can go home this weekend. I need to say goodbye to my friends after all." "Okay. I''ll call mama and let her know." Roxy let Kaylee call their parents while she booked ne tickets for two. She started to list her name as the first passenger, and then she put Kaylee''s name. But just as she was about to pay for it, a cunning idea crossed her mind. What if she sent her sister home using her appearance? She was sure her father would pick them up, considering their father was very overprotective of them and preferred to protect them using his own two hands. Kaylee could look like herself and be kind and please her father to persuade him to let her continue her studies in France. At the same time, she could take over Kaylee''s spot to apany the handsome mister as soon as her sister broad on the ne. It kills two birds in one stone! Quickly, Roxy repeated her order and only entered her name to let her father know that she was going home, although it was her sister who was going home. Roxy didn''t tell Kaylee on purpose and said, "I bought the tickets for us." Of course, the innocent Kaylee would believe everything she said. On the day of their departure, Roxy and Kaylee have swapped ces dressed like their sisters. Kaylee wore a tank top with a knitted sweater with a beret hat, while Roxy wore a white knee-length summer dress. Their hairstyles were even different to make sure anyone who sees them couldn''t recognize them. Kaylee braided her hair together while Roxy parted her hair and had dyed her hair as ck as Kaylee, remembering that she had applied a dark red spray to the ends of her hair. They even managed to outwit Uncle Pierre and his wife because he had mispronounced their names when dropping them off at the airport. Of course. No one would be able to tell them apart because of the resemnce of their faces that almost looked like twins. In this world, the only ones who could tell them apart were their mother and Gwendy, Roxy''s best friend. Their mother immediately recognized her two daughters even though they were both walking in a vast field, while Gwen only recognized them after talking to one of them. Apart from the two of them, no one was able to recognize them. Even the ''evil guy'' spying on them thought the one on the ne was Roxanne because of her notable appearance. And thus¡­ that heartless man bombed the ne along with other innocent passengers. Chapter 229 - Ch. 229 Her Heart Cried But Her Eyes Didnt The two of them had arrived at the ticket check, but only Kaylee went inside while Roxy didn''t move from her spot. Not that she couldn''t get in, but Roxy didn''t take out her boarding ticket and her passport. "Sister? Where are your ticket and passport? Why don''t youe in?" asked Kaylee in confusion and wondered why her sister had not taken out her ticket. "I''m sorry, but I changed my mind." her short answer brought nothing but further confusion. "What do you mean?" "I only bought one ticket, and I''m not going with you this time. So you''re going to go home yourself and tell papa that I''m going to stay in Barcelona." "But¡­ the registered name is yours." "Precisely. Your name," repeated Roxanne in a firm tone. She even smiled when she saw her sister''s agitated expression. "Sister¡­" begged Kaylee as if she would be destroyed if her sister wasn''t by her side. "Nu-uh. I am Kaylee, and you are my elder sister. Your appearance is perfect, just like me." Roxanne looked at her sister from head to toe with satisfaction. As usual, no one would ever set them apart. No one would ever know that it was Kaylee who came home instead of her. Well, as soon as Kaylee met their mother, she would know right away. "But¡­ I can''t do it alone. I need you." "I know you can. You''re the best sister I''ve ever had." "I am your only sister." Roxy giggled lightly, hearing her desperate tone. "That''s why you''re the only one I can count on." "Sister¡­" "Sister Roxy, I''ll count on you." Roxy interrupted her sister by calling her own name to her sister. She saw a disappointed and gloomy face on Kaylee, but she ignored it. She even felt like partying because she managed to get her sister out of this country. She would get the ck moon guy, and this time she wouldn''t let that man go. That night, she decided to go early at dawn because she got word that her father sent one of his henchmen to track her down. If her father found out that she has slept with a strange man even though they did nothing, her father would surely hunt the handsome mister. She didn''t want her father to find the handsome mister. Hence, she left quietly without leaving any clues to the man so that he wouldn''t look for her. Maybe after two or three months, Roxy would find him and meet him at the same bar. But, who would have thought that it wasn''t their fate to reunite? Never did she expected the handsome mister didn''te to the bar again after that night. On the other hand, her sister was so lucky to meet the handsome mister directly and spend thest two weeks with him. She didn''t know when the handsome mister would wake up, but she had overheard the doctor in charge of Den''s recovery talking to one of his assistants. ''He shows movement, and his eyes react to light. It looks like he''ll wake up soon enough.'' Roxy wished to be by that man''s side as soon as he wakes up. She would lie and tell the man that she has apanied him for the past two weeks. After all, she was a pianist, and her gifts were far greater than Kaylee''s. She also knew the song her sister was ying because she''d sneaked in to hear her y when Kaylee yed the piano for him. Roxy didn''t know what Kaylee had said to the man, but it didn''t matter to her. She had a thousand ways to cover up this little fact, and the man would never notice. Besides, they had metst year, and it was her advantage. "The flight to Folnd Ind CE743 will depart shortly at 1:44 pm." an announcement sounded, and it was time for Kaylee to enter the boarding gate. "It''s time. Go on and say hi to mama for me." urged Roxy felt impatient to escort her sister away. Kaylee was speechless and decided to walk towards the gate of her ne. Every two steps, she would look back at her sister with pleading eyes in hopes that her elder sister would change her mind. Usually, Roxy would feel disheartened to see her desperate gaze and grant her wish, but that day¡­ Roxy was somehow heartless and act oblivious to her desperate expression. On the contrary, the heartless sister smiled at him and waved her hand enthusiastically. On the other hand, Kaylee couldn''t smile, and with a defeated expression, Kaylee walked into the boarding gate. Roxy did feel guilty, but she steeled her heart. She promised herself she would make up for her selfishness that day once she had the handsome mister and came home. Never did she imagine, the ident happened and took the life of her only sister. Never did she expect, her conversation with her sister at the airport was theirst encounter. And she never wished of her sister disappearing from her sight for good. Yes, she wished her gone, but¡­ it was only temporary. Roxy never wanted to kill her sister nor remove her from this world. Roxy wants her sister toe back to South America, and she''s even been nning entertaining things to make up for her selfishness. But¡­ her sister had left¡­ with a gloomy and disappointed face¡­ disappointed in her. The day she heard Roxanne''s name¡­ her sister, was killed in a ne crash was the day someone snatched the source of her happy dreams. It felt like she had been washed away by the wave and drown to the bottom of the sea. Roxy couldn''t think as if her brain had stopped functioning and died. She was no longer interested in attending the handsome mister because her heart was too mourning for her loss. She shut herself in her uncle''s house without much to say or eat. Every time she ate, she would vomit it back, but the tears never came out of her eyes. For some reason¡­ she couldn''t shed a tear hearing the death of her only sister even though her heart was bellowing. Chapter 230 - Ch. 230 The Hurtful Words ''Serve you right.'' She could hear a whisper inside her head ming her. ''See what have you done?'' Roxy didn''t know who nted the seed of guilt in her heart, but the seed grew at rapid speed until it devoured her soul. ''It''s your fault. You don''t even care about her disappointed expression.'' ''You said you love her, but you never did. Your selfishness has won and proved that you never loved her.'' Roxy was having trouble breathing and didn''t dare to set foot in the airport. The airport was thest ce she saw Kaylee''s face. And even then, it wasn''t her sister''s cheerful face nor her angel-likeughing voice. Every time she imagined an airport, she couldn''t help but remember herst conversation with Kaylee. If she saw the airne symbol anywhere, her breath would bebored, and the image of her sister''s disappointed face filled her head. Nevertheless¡­ she still managed to survive. Roxy still has unyielding willpower to live until¡­ "Roxy? You are Roxy, right?" inquired her mother when her parents came to Spain to pick up their remaining child. Right now, Roxy''s appearance was disheveled, and her hair was loose without ever beingbed. Her long hair covered most of her face so people couldn''t see her face. Even her father still thinks she was Kaylee, especially now that Roxy was not wearing any make-up. But as usual¡­ her mother immediately recognized her even though she looked like a dead person. "Roxy? What do you mean? Isn''t she Kaylee?" her father was confused by his wife, who called their youngest daughter by the name of their eldest child. Without answering her confusion, Britney walked quickly towards the lifeless-like girl who was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Britney brushed away her daughter''s hair and cupped Roxy''s cheeks with trembling hands. "You are Roxy. If you are here, where''s your sister? Where''s Kaylee?" Roxy raised her gaze, and her pair of brown eyes met her mother''s ck eyes. She could see her mother''s gaze filled with renewed hope and could not wait for the good news. It felt like her mother''s gaze could squeeze her heart, making it ache and cause tears to gather in her eyes. Roxy burst into tears for the first time since she heard the news of her sister''s death. "I¡­ I''m sorry," Roxy muttered in a very soft and trembling voice. Her lips trembled violently, and she felt her hands were cold because she didn''t turn on the heater and neither ate nor drank. "I''m sorry," she repeated her words making Britney''s eyes moisten. "What do you mean you''re sorry? Where is she? Isn''t this all just your usual prank?" Britney''s voice started to tremble, and her hands gripped her daughter''s shoulders so tightly that Roxy groaned in pain. Nevertheless, the pain in her shoulder was not as painful as her heartache, which was now d with guilt. "You said you were going home alone, and now you''re here. Doesn''t that mean Kaylee is still here too? Huh? Answer me! Answer me, Roxy!" Britney was getting out of control and was shaking her daughter''s shoulders as if she was pulling something thick out of a bottle. "I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry." as if she had just learned to speak and only knew those words, Roxy said it a hundred times as if she was reciting an incantation. Hades III immediately went to his wife and hugged her from behind to pull her back. "Calm down. Pierre, what happened?" Pierre sighed sadly and nced at his niece with concern. Then he looked at his brother guiltily for failing to protect his daughter. "The truth is¡­." Pierre then told what happened to the sisters and told them about their switching ces making Hades III and Britney feel like they had stopped breathing. "So¡­ the one on the ne is¡­ my Kaylee?" asked Britney in a muffled sob. "My poor baby was on that ne?? How? Why?" as if she closed herself off to this world, Britney could only see a conclusion. She lost her youngest daughter because of Roxanne. "It''s you!" Britney suddenly pointed her index finger at Roxy who was still crying on the floor making Pierre and Hades III gasped in shock. "IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU!!" "Britney! It''s not her fault," exined Pierre and Hades III at the same time, but at this time Britney''s condition was filled with so much anger that she couldn''t even hear what the two men were saying. Britney marched back to her crying daughter and shook her back like Roxy was a puppet doll. "Give me back my daughter to me, you evil girl! How could you do this to your sister!? Huh! Why? Tell me why?" Britney didn''t get the answer because Roxy''s cries grew louder and her lips trembled too much to form a word. "Britney, calm down." Mr. Zouch tried to calm his wife down by pulling her away from his daughter, but Britney''s wrath was so big that she couldn''t move. He could have pulled his wife by force, but he didn''t want to hurt her. "Because of you, I lost my daughter! Why do you have to teach her to switch ces? Huh?" Britney was relentless demanding answers from Roxy made Roxy''s feelings of guilt grow so much that she couldn''t stop it. "I regret that I brought you into this world!" Roxy gasped at that. As if a volcano had exploded and she was at the foot of the mountain, Roxy felt like she didn''t know what to do. Even if she wanted to run, she wouldn''t have time. The moltenva must have hit her body, and she would have died. That''s how she felt right now. Roxy thought she was already dead when she heard the most hurtful words from her mother''s mouth. Her eyes were nk, and she felt like she had stopped breathing. She even felt that someone had hit the back of her head, making her entire vision darken. She couldn''t see nor feel, but she could still hear. "Britney! You''ve gone too far! Why did you¡­" and she didn''t hear the rest of her father''s words because that''s when she ckened out. Chapter 231 - Ch. 231 Its Not Your Fault Even though it''s been almost nine years and Roxy''s mood was getting better, Roxy''s heart still hurts whenever she recalled her mother''s words. Her tears dripped down Den''s shirt, making Roxy wanted to wipe her tears. But before she wiped her cheeks, Den had moved his thumb to wipe away her tears. "It''s my fault," Roxy confessed without lifting her head. Instead, she snuggled deeper as if she wanted to hide her face. "She died because of my selfishness. I don''t even feel worthy of calling myself her sister." Den gently patted Roxy''s shoulder in his arms while whispering firmly. "It''s not your fault." "Everyone thinks it is." "No one can avoid cmity, Roxy. No one is at fault in this. Stop ming yourself." "But¡­" "Roxy, are you going to set what people think of you? Aren''t you the kind of person who doesn''t care what people think of you?" "But I still can''t forgive myself." "Then learn to do it. I know it''s not easy but try it. Whatever happens, I will be here with you until you can ept yourself." "..." Roxy didn''t make a sound and just gripped Den''s shirt as if her life depended on it. ''ept yourself?'' How could Den know that she was disgusted with herself? She used her other alter as a hiding ce. She was even willing to disappear and let her second alter take over her body for good. Roxy was willing to appear only because Den wanted her to be herself when she was with him. If she hadn''t met Den¡­ If only Den hadn''t loved her or she loved him so much, Roxy might never havee out of her shell. Even though she feels ashamed of herself for being so imperfect, Roxy was willing to get out of her shell because Den asked her, and she wanted to be with him. Nevertheless, Roxy couldn''t shake off her negative thoughts because of her selfish self. And because of her selfishness, she lost her beloved little sister. Because of her selfishness, Roxy made her father retire, and they all moved to North America. She had even troubled Rothbert, Gwen, and Nicu to help with her mental recovery. She knew Den was telling her to forgive herself and ept herself, but that was very hard to do. Whether that cmity would have happened or not, were it not for her selfishness, she would not have abandoned her sister alone. At least, she would die with her. At least, she would not hear such hurtful words from her mother. Roxy remained silent without uttering a word causing Den to sigh in resignation. He straightened himself and came face to face with Roxy. As the girl avoided his gaze, Den brought her chin up to look at him. "Don''t avoid me," he asked gently. "I am not supposed to say this, but I can''t bear to see you like this." Roxy looked at Den in confusion while wondering what he wanted to tell her. "The ne crash was not an ident. Someone orchestrated it." Roxy''s temple frowned when she heard that unexpected remark from him. "What? What are you talking about?" Roxy thought she had heard wrong and was dreaming. "It was nned, my love. I only found out when secretly investigating your past and going to Folnd Ind. The ident wouldn''t have happened if you didn''t get on the ne or dy your departure. But whatever ne you''re on will explode no matter if you leave today or tomorrow." "I¡­ I don''t understand." "They targeted you, but don''t me yourself on that. If you want to me someone, me that evil person who had evil intent toward you and your family." "What?" Roxy still couldn''t believe that the ne crash wasn''t an ident. "Anyway, everything that happened wasn''t your fault. I''m sure your sister doesn''t want you to spend the rest of your life ming yourself either." "Did¡­ my father know about it?" "Not only your father, your mother and your cousin also know about it. I''ve spoken to them, and they wish you well." "But it is not possible. My mother¡­" "She was indeed at fault, but what can we do if she did something wrong. Your mother is not a perfect human being, neither am I and everyone else. I don''t quite remember who said it to me, but I will tell you. Everyone has experienced a big storm in their life to do things they regret for the rest of their lives. But when the storm subsides, that person will see a rainbow and prepare for a new leaf." Roxy lowered her head with a frown. "Don''t hate your mother." "I wish I could hate her, but¡­ I never hate her. It just¡­ hurts me to see her." Den held his wife in his arms while hugging her back gently. "That''s enough. Let''s wait for your wound to heal first." Roxy didn''t say anything and looked up to observe the man''s expression. Den noticed it and smiled gently at her. "What is it?" "After hearing all this, you still prioritize my feelings? I don''t know if you''ve been blinded by love or you''re stupid." Den chuckled hearing that. "I think the only person in the world who dares to call me stupid is you. And for your answer, I think I have been blinded by love, but I''m not stupid. The ne crash wasn''t your fault. That is an undeniable fact." "But, if I had not left her, I could have apanied her through all¡­." "Now you''re the stupid one." "..." Roxy stared dagger at Den as she protests. How could she be stupid now? "If you get on the ne and go with your sister, how else would we meet?" "..." damn, this guy. "How about the culprit? Did my father catch him?" "I don''t know. I heard that when your father found the person, he found him dead. They suspect the body was only a pawn." So¡­ the real culprit still hasn''t been caught? Is that why her father allowed her to use Kaylee''s identity and erase her photo from the inte? Chapter 232 - Ch. 232 Thank You After conveying all the burdens that filled her heart to Den, Roxy felt herself lighten as if there was no longer gravity pulling her into the dark abyss. Without realizing it, her slightly puffy eyes became heavy, and she fell asleep. Den smiled faintly at the innocent peaceful face adorning his wife. Before this, Roxy''s forehead would frown every time she fell asleep as if the girl had a bad dream. But tonight, the girl seemed to be sleeping soundly as if no nightmare would bother her. There were no nightmares, but that didn''t mean no one came to her in her sleep. Roxy was standing in a flower garden located behind her mansion in South America. She felt nostalgic and walked further until she saw two teenage girls picking flowers there. "Kaylee, next time you meet the jerk like that again, call me as loud as you can. I will definitelye to you." said the sister in a firm tone. "I won''t forgive myself if anything happens to you." Kaylee giggled lightly at her sister''s words. "Sister Roxy, you are not a man. What can you do against those big boys?" "I will get stronger. I will protect you no matter what." Kaylee''s eyes softened as she looked at her sister. "I''m okay, sis. I''ll be fine. You don''t have to me yourself even if something happens to me; it''s not your fault." "But¡­" "You are my sister, not my bodyguard. Promise me, okay? Don''t ever me yourself if something happens to me." Hearing her sister''s words made Roxy''s eyes wet. She remembered this conversation with her sister when they were teenagers. Kaylee often hid in a corner or read a book in the library during ss breaks. Roxy''s friends, who were jealous because Roxy was the brightest kid in the whole school, used Kaylee to knock her down. They taunted and bullied Kaylee by hiding her textbooks or snatching her purse when Roxy wasn''t with her. Nevertheless, Kaylee never once med her and neverined. Her sister¡­ had a stronger and more pure heart than her. It was precisely because of this that she felt the most guilty. Kaylee looked up to her and loved her unconditionally, but she took advantage of her instead. ''Don''t me yourself.'' a familiar voice sounded nearby made Roxy turn towards the source of the voice. It was there that she saw the figure of herself, but she knew¡­ it was ''Kaylee,'' her other alter. "Kaylee, you finally showed up." Her second alter smiled gently at her. "And this is thest time I will appear in front of you." "Why?" "You don''t need me anymore." "What? No!" Roxy suddenly panicked, and her heart was beating fast. "Shh. It''s okay. You''ll be fine." "Are you going to disappear?" For the umpteenth time, ''Kaylee'' smiled gently at her. "I will not disappear. I am you and will always be here. It''s just that I won''t show up, and we won''t be chatting like we are now." "Isn''t that the same as you disappearing?" Roxy didn''t want her second alter to disappear from her. "I know you are me, but to me¡­ you are my sister. If you disappear, I¡­." "Kaylee is always here. Look." ''Kaylee'' turned to the two teenagers who were talking while picking flowers with a big smile. "As long as you remember her in your heart, she will always be here." "But¡­" "Let me ask you this. If you see the sunset, will you not believe the sun will rise tomorrow morning?" "That¡­" "If summer ends and a lot of leaves fall, will you not believe that summer wille again next year?" "That''s different." "It is the same. Even if you don''t see me or talk face-to-face like this, it doesn''t mean I''m gone from your life. Even though Kaylee is no longer in this world, it doesn''t mean she left your heart." Roxy couldn''tment, and her lowered gaze stared at her feet as if that was all she could do. "Your sister and I will always be in your heart as long as you remember us. But¡­ I have a favor, and I wish you could do it for me." Roxy lifted her gaze and looked straight into her second alter''s eyes. "What is it?" "Please, watch that video." "What video?" "The rose USB that Den gave you." Roxy remembered the rose USB that Den gave when the man gave a surprise visit to the campsite. But didn''t she throw it away already? "I threw it away." Roxy clearly remembered she had thrown the USB in the wastebasket without Den knowing. "Den took it." was her other alter''s short remark. "What?" (shback) When Den woke up to call his assistant in the middle of the night, his eyes caught a rose-shaped USB in a dry paper waste basket. Den sighed in resignation and took the USB. "If Roxy finds out, she won''t like it." a sudden voice made Den turned his head toward the sound. "Did I wake you?" Kaylee shook her head. "It''s our silent deal. When I sleep, she will wake up. When she''s asleep, I''ll be the one to wake up." "Won''t it exhaust your body?" "We''ll manage," Kaylee replied. "What are you going to do with that USB?" "I''ll keep it. Tell her to reach out to me whenever she''s ready to see it." (shback end) "He said that? You blocked my memory again." "I had to do it because I knew you were still not ready to face your mother¡­ our mother." "And you think I''m ready now?" "Who knows. But I don''t think you''ll regret watching the video. Promise me to see it soon." "What if I don''t want to see it?" "Then I won''t force you." was her short answer that made Roxy sigh. ''Kaylee'' walked closer to her and hugged Roxy tightly. "We''re not on Folnd Ind anymore, Roxy. You are no longer your father''s sessor and must undergo as much training as you can remember. You are you, and you can write your own story now." "¡­" isn''t that her words?? "That''s right. I borrow your words." ''Kaylee,'' answered her silent query. "You are a strong girl, Roxy. You were born to be a star, and I''m sure you will be the most shining star among all." Roxy gasped in surprise hearing that. Isn''t that¡­ "See? Even though you haven''t created me, I know all your dreams as if they were mine too. I am always here and will always be." With trembling hands, Roxy raised her hands to return her other alter''s hug. As soon as her hands wrapped around her torso, her hands were no longer shaking. "Thank you," Roxy said atst. "Thank you for everything." "No, thank you. Thank you for having me." ''Kaylee'' smiled in relief before her frame slowly disappeared without a trace. *** Den was waiting outside the unfinished mansion when he saw a taxi entered the courtyard of his estate. ''Here hees, atst.'' Thought Den, who was already feeling exhausted from waiting for that person''s arrival. And yet, the one who got of the taxi was a young man with long hair, thick sses and a fat body, and¡­ overly thick jacket. Overall, the appearance of this guy was utterly ugly! Who is this guy? "Mr. ck! It''s really, really hard to find this ce." "..." This voice... isn''t it... !? Nichs!! Chapter 233 - Ch. 233 Since When Did You Like Me? A few hours earlier¡­ "Despite the distance that separates us, I will make sure you are never alone here." Nick ced his forehead against Lydia''s, inviting a happy smile from the girl. "I gotta go." Lydia couldn''t help but feel dejected, but she hid it well as usual. Nick had walked towards the door, and his hand was on the doorknob, but the young man hesitated. "What is it?" "Wait. How can I get out without getting caught? Tsk. I''m too handsome, and my father''s henchmen would recognize me right away." Lydia rolled her eyes at the narcissism in her boyfriend''s tone. "I can make you less handsome if you want." Nick turned to Lydia with sparkling eyes. "You can do it?" "Who do you think I am? I am the one who changed Miss Kaylee''s appearance just like you." "Then, what are we waiting for? Let''s do it now!" at least Nick could be alone with his girlfriend a little longer, even if only for a few minutes. After getting her gear ready, Lydia applied arge number of skin patches to Nick''s cheeks and applied thick fake skin to the young man''s neck. "Why do I feel like my face is getting heavy?" "Shh. Don''t talk too much." "Where did you get all this from?" Lydia sighed, knowing this young man would never stop talking. "I''ve been experimenting ever since Miss Kaylee asked me to help change her look. She said she wanted me to transform her into someone who is not her. So I bought a lot of skin patches and learned make-up techniques to turn someone into someone they weren''t." "Have you ever tried it on yourself?" "Of course. I had infiltrated the upper social circles, and no one recognized me. That time Miss Dunst invited me to the ball and introduced me to many handsome men." "¡­" "Ah, there is one man who is very handsome as a Greek god. His eyes are blue like the vast ocean, and he has unique hair." "¡­" "You should see him. His hair is a beautiful tinum color, and when I asked him if he dyed his hair, he said his hair has been like that since birth." "¡­" Nick wanted to seal this girl''s lips so that she wouldn''t talk about another guy when they are alone. "Ah, he''s also a descendant of British royalty. No wonder he has such strong authority." "Are you done talking?" Lydia pursed her lips, trying to hold back herughter. She had no idea that the only way to make this young man stop talking was to make him jealous. "Hhhh¡­ we''re going to be apart for three years right on our first day, but you''re talking about another man instead. Is he that handsome?" "He''s much better-looking than you." were her honest words as if she didn''t care if something stabbed into her lover''s heart. "That really hurts. Are you going to stay like this until the end?" Lydia gave a cute giggle while staying focused on her work. "Why are you suddenly gloomy? You''re still young, aren''t you? Maybe I''ll fall overhead heels on you when you get back." Nick didn''t feel good about it even though he knew Lydia meant to cheer him up. "Why do I feel like you''re enjoying this so much?" "That I really do." "Are you happy?" "Of course, I am." "Then, gimme a kiss." "..." Lydia''s hand suddenly stopped at his request. This boy¡­ "I am happy, but why should I give you a kiss?" "Aren''t I the reason you''re happy?" "¡­" "Here," Nick pointed his lips with his finger excitedly as if he couldn''t wait to ept the most priceless reward. For some reason, Lydia felt that her decision to ept this young man''s confession was too hasty. She felt she had fallen into a pitfall without her knowledge. "I''ll give you one when youe back." was her short and firm answer. "Aww¡­ That''s too long." "Then you''d bettere back soon. Now, hush." Nick acted like a sullen child, but he sits still nevertheless. He let Lydia do her job without taking his eyes off the girl. He never thought he would like a girl, and that too¡­ it was Lydia. Nick often saw the girl when Lydia first came to his house to dress Wendy, who was going to a friend''s wedding. At that time, he looked at Lydia like any other girl and flirted around with her. Of course, the girl''s reaction was the same as the others and quite responsive. But before long, the girl''s response was casual and sometimes cold towards him. Thinking she didn''t like being around him, Nick stopped trying to get close to her and was rarely home. Plus, at the beginning of his career, he has swamped with training along with his friends. "Why do you keep looking at me?" asked Lydia without stopping her activity. "What''s wrong with staring at my girl?" "You''re interfering with my work." Nick smiled amusedly as he closed his eyes. "Okay. How about this?" Lydia smiled broadly as she shook her head then continued her activities. "Since when did you like me?" Lydia''s hand stopped again when she heard the boy''s unexpected question. It seemed that Nick wouldn''t be content to end the evening without disturbing her. "You said you''ve been in love for a long time? Since when? Was it the first day we met?" "No. Now, shut up." "Was it from you seen me y guitar? Usually, girls will fall in love with me after seeing me y the guitar. After all, I looked very charismatic when I yed it." "¡­" How could she like this narcissistic boy? "How about you? Since when did you like me?" Nick opened his eyes, and that''s when their eyes met. "I don''t know." Lydia sighed in resignation and resumed her work. "All I know is, when I realized my feelings, it grew so fast I couldn''t stop them." Lydia''s hand stopped for the umpteenth time as she pressed the faux leather to Nick''s cheek after hearing Nick''s words. Chapter 234 - Ch. 234 Ugly Nerd Lydia lowered her gaze and straightened her body, not knowing which way to look. Nick smiled slightly at the girl''s blush and took his lover''s hand. "It''s¡­ It''s done." came the announcement from Lydia. "Don''t you want to see my handiwork?" "Sure." Nick got to his feet and walked over to the mirror on the wall. His brow furrowed in displeasure when he saw his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked narrower, and his cheeks looked more¡­ chubby. Not to mention, his neck looks swollen, like he had a lot of fat! Needless to say¡­ he looks ugly!! "I have round sses in a square bag. Ah, I also have a thick men''s jacket to make you look fatter. No one will recognize you once you leave this house." Lydia, I want you to make me less handsome, not an ugly nerd T.T Of course, only Nick could hear his cry. His girlfriend was so heartless! "Why are you silent? Aren''t I great?" Nick helplessly nodded his head. "Yeah. Your skill is... top-notch. I don''t even recognize myself." Lydia chuckled when she heard her boyfriend''s disheartened voice. "I like you, Nick." Nick stared at his lover in disbelieve, not expecting the girl''s confession at all. "So,e back soon and don''t make me wait too long." Nick wrapped his hands around her shoulder and hugged the girl tightly. "Are you teasing me? You said you like me when I''m this ugly. Why didn''t you say it when I look the best?" Lydiaughed as she smacked Nick in the chest yfully, and they bothughed. Nick nced at the clock and sighed resignedly when he realized it was time for him to leave. "I have to go now before my father found me here." Nick released his arm but took the girl''s hand. "Can I see your phone again?" Lydia gave her cell phone without hesitation to Nick and let the young man fiddle with it. "Their location had changed. Do you have Mr. ck''s contact number?" "I do." "What''s his name?" Lydia was about to take her phone back, but Nick stretched his hand far away from her so Lydia couldn''t take it. "Give me back. I''ll show you." "What is his name?" Lydia bit her lower lip in frustration, wondering why Nick was so perceptive to her nervousness at a time like this. "I can''t find Mr. ck." came the word from the boy when looking at the contact list on Lydia''s phone. "But I found a ck prince." Lydia scratched the nape of her neck whileughing nervously. "That¡­ I will change the name." she tried to seize her phone one more time in vain. "Why does it have to be a prince?" "Give me my phone!" "Dun wanna. But, how did you get his number?" "Isn''t it so that I can help you? Give it back." "A sweet talker, aren''t you? I won''t give it back until you tell the truth." Lydia sighed in defeat and decided to give up because Nick wouldn''t give her phone back. "At that time, Mr. ck calls everyone because Miss Kaylee is missing. I don''t know what happened, but it seems like it was a bit pressing at the time." "Kaylee disappeared?" "Did you know her hand was swollen?" "Wasn''t it because she fell down the stairs?" "Fall from stairs? I doubt that. If I remember correctly, someone kidnapped her." "What did you say?" Nick''s brow furrowed in disapproval of hearing this. "Why? Are you worried about her?" "Why do I hear a jealous tone?" "I''m not." "Instead of that, I''m the one who feels jealous because you mention Mr. ck like that. You''d better change that before I leave." finally, Nick returned Lydia''s phone. The girl quickly changed the name Mr. ck on her phone. At the same time, she changed Nick''s contact name to something else. "Here. I''ve changed it." Nick''s brow furrowed in confusion at the profile photo, which was the logo for his music band. Then he saw the name above was ''My Prince'' made Nick smile with satisfaction. "Are you satisfied?" "Extremely delighted." nodded Nick with a wide grin. "I need to make a call." he stretched his hand at Lydia as if asking for something made Lydia sigh. "Why do I feel like dating you is draining me?" How could she not feel tired? This young man managed to force her to pour out of her heart until she felt her world being stirred up to make her head dizzy. Then she had to change Nick''s appearance with a heavy heart, knowing that they would have to part and never know when they would meet again after this. Andstly, she still had to quell this unnecessary jealousy from her lover. "Eh? I haven''t even taken you to the room yet." "¡­" this guy¡­. "I''m just teasing you. You should see yourself in the mirror. So cute." "..." whatever! Lydia turned and packed up her make-up kit and put the faux leather in a stic bag. Nick smiled in amusement at his sulking girlfriend as he walked away to contact Den ck. That''s why Den took the call as soon as the man arrived at his mansion, and Den gave the young man his address so Nick coulde to him. Den didn''t want to give his address at first, but¡­ "The The God Eyes. I know you have that, Mister ck." "¡­" "Aren''t you afraid I''ll bber about it?" "Are you threatening me?" "No. I need a favor in exchange information." "I doubt you have something I want, Mr. Larson." "It''s about Kaylee and her past." "I already know about it." "Not all, Mr. ck. Have you heard the Frontier Shadow?" "Why should I know that name?" "Kaylee is their leader." "..." Den knew Kaylee was gone and that currently with him was Roxy. But after hearing that Kaylee was the leader of something that sounded dangerous, he finally yields in. In the end, he gave Nick his address, and that''s how Nick came to Den''s mansion with the appearance of an ugly young man. Chapter 235 - Ch. 235 Frontier Shadow The following day, Roxy woke up feeling very airy and carefree. Even though ''Kaylee'' was no longer apanying her in the soul, she believed she could face any obstacle. The only thing left was¡­ her mother. For the past few days, she hadn''t dared to go home since she couldn''tmunicate with ''Kaylee.'' She only received her mother''s call, and even then, she only said a word or two before hanging up her phone. Roxy got up and straightened her body with lowered eyes. Her fingers squeezed the nket carelessly as she thought about what she would do next. She was too lost in her thoughts that she didn''t realize Den had entered the room. "Are you awake?" Roxy looked up and smiled at the man very sweetly. "Good morning, hubby." Den smiled amusedly as he walked over to her to give her a good morning kiss on the forehead. "Morning, wifey. Let''s go back before others arrive." "Okay. But why do you have panda eyes? You didn''t sleep?" Den didn''t have time to answer the question, Roxy continued her sentence. "Is it because of me?" "Are you testing my limits?" "It depends on whether you dare to cross your limits or not." Den narrowed his eyes at his lover with a mischievous look. "You dare to be like this because you know I won''t do it here." Roxy couldn''t help butugh out loud. "I''m smart, aren''t I?" "Hhhh¡­ luckily, I have mentally prepared myself beforehand." "Ha?" "Falling in love with a woman like you who has unlimited naughty ideas, I have to mentally prepare myself if I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Roxy giggled as she opened her arms wide as if asking for a hug, and Den was more than happy to give what she wanted. Roxy breathed a sigh of relief while being in the man''s arms made her heart fill with peace. Everything will be fine. She must be able to face the past and start a new chapter in life. That was what she repeated in her heart as if she wanted to hypnotize herself. "Did something happen?" as usual, Den could always sense the hidden uneasiness from his wife and guessed that something was bothering Roxy. "Did you have a bad dream?" Roxy shook her head, "She''s gone." muttered her in a very low voice. "Kaylee is gone¡­ she said she was no longer needed." "I see." Den patted Roxy''s back gently and tightened his embrace. "Don''t be sad. She may not exist anymore, but she is you, which means she hasn''tpletely disappeared." "¡­" "As long as you remember it and embrace your moment with someone, that someone will stay in your heart." Roxy smiled, amused at the man''s words. Why did he say the same as Kaylee? Do they have one mind? "She said the same thing with you. Hhhh¡­" Roxy took a deep breath. "Why do I feel like you two are nning something behind my back?" "We''re not." "Then, exin the USB." "What USB?" he had forgotten the rose USB he took from the trash bin. "My USB. I threw it at the cottage. But she said she saw you took it." "Ah¡­ that USB. Your mother gave it to me. Of course, I''ll keep it." "..." this man. "Never mind. Anyway, are you unable to sleep because of me? You have dark circles in your eyes." Roxy touched Den''s eye socket with her finger. "I was careless. Just now, I was tricked and lured into buying an expensive product, but in fact, I don''t really need it." "Ha? What thing?" "Aren''t you feeling hungry? There is no food in this ce, and it takes half an hour to reach the city. Let''s go home now." Despite being confused by Den''s multiple-meaning sentence, Roxyplied and let Den hold her hand. The two of them walked towards the car, and not long after, their car drove away from the location. On the ride home, they passed a freight car with many men wearing yellow helmets behind them. "Are they the workers?" "I guess so," Den replied curtly. "What do you want to eat?" "Anything is fine. But aren''t you sleepy? Do you want to rest first?" "I''m fine. I''m used to not sleeping for days." "If you say so. But let me know if you want to take a rest. I''ll drive." Den turned to his wife in surprise. "You can drive?" "Of course. Do you think I''m a spoiled girl who needs a chauffeur?" Den chuckled at that. "I''ve never seen you drive, and besides, you rarely drive your car." "That''s because you oftene to pick me up. Ah, I haven''t brought a car since I became Nick to college. Every day I have to get up early to change my appearance so that I will feel sleepy. I choose to take the subway or taxi when I go to campus." Den smiled as he listened attentively to Roxy''s story. One of his favorites was hearing her tell a long story like this. Her voice was like music to his ears, and sometimes he got to know her better through her stories. But his mind couldn''t get rid of the conversation he had with Nickst night. If what Nick said was true, then Roxy wouldn''t know about Frontier Shadow, let alone about her sister, who was its leader. But¡­ "Roxy, have you heard of Frontier Shadow?" "Frontier Shadow? Not really. What''s that? Is it thepany name?" "¡­" As expected, Roxy didn''t know it. He also doubted that Mr. Zouch knows it. Even though Mr. Zouch wasn''t the eldest, but he wasn''t the youngest either. ''All members of Frontier Shadow are the youngest children. If you don''t believe me, you can seek Pierre Zouch, a doctor in Spain and the youngest brother of Kaylee''s father.'' Hhhh¡­ Now he understands his father''s worries. ''Are you sure you want to get involved with the Zouch family? Their family is not as simple as we think.'' That was the warning from his father before they announced their engagement. Den looked at his smiling wifey with a loving look and wide smile. Nevertheless, he didn''t regret his decision. Chapter 236 - Ch. 236 Both Siblings Are Troublesome The two of them arrived at one of the restaurants near Den''s house area, and both immediately ordered food ording to their tastes. After ordering the meal, Roxy looked at Den with great curiosity. "So, who managed to trick you?" "Hmm?" "Didn''t you say earlier that someone tricked you into buying something you didn''t need?" "Oh, that. He¡­" Den couldn''t finish his words because Roxy had continued her sentence. "I wonder what kind of person managed to trick you. I never think anyone will be able to trick you, let alone makes you interested in buying something. What kind of stuff did you buy?" Den smiled, amused hearing that. "I might do it if it rtes to you." "Ha?" "If someone kidnaps you and demands a payoff from me, even all my assets in this country, I will give him." Roxy rolled her eyes at that. "How could anyone dare to kidnap me? Before they touch me, they will run away as soon as they see you." "I''m ttered, Miss Zouch. That means you have entrusted your life to me." "I have put my full trust in you, Mr. ck." Den smiled faintly as he gave his wife a light pinch on the chin. "So who is it? Don''t dodge my question." Roxy protested because she didn''t get the answer she wanted. "I wanted to answer you, but you interrupted me first." "Ah¡­ hehe." Roxy wrapped her arms around Den''s arm while smiling sweetly. "Forgive me. I won''t interrupt again. So who is it?" "Why are you so curious about the person?" "Tsk. If you don''t want to tell me, just say so." Roxy let go of her embrace and reached for her drink with a frown. "It was Nichs Larson." Roxy turned to Den when she heard her friend''s brother''s name being called. "Nico? What did he sell? Isn''t he a musician?" "Do you know that your friend will return to the south today?" "What? Why?" "It seems their father wanted them back." "¡­" so that''s why Hades IV was in front of Wendy''s housest night. The man came to the north to pick up his two children. Roxy took out her phone in her bag to see if there was a new message. She couldn''t believe Wendy would leave this country without telling her. And as she expected, Wendy did call her repeatedlyst night, but she didn''t know it. In the end, Wendy sent her a pretty long text. ''Kaylee, I''m going away for a while with my brother. I don''t know when we''ll be back because suddenly we have family matters to attend to. Please don''t me me because I can''t meet you in person to say our goodbyes. My father came home uninvited, and I had to go with him. You''ve met with Mr. ck, and I am sure that you will find your happiness with him. I won''t worry about you anymore because I''m sure your life will be cloudless in the future. But, I''m worried about your cousin. I''m pretty sure he''ll catch up with me as soon as he finds out I''m home. Can I ask you a favor? Whatever happens, don''t let him catch up with me. Please. Let''s just say I''m indebted to you. I''ll pay for it when the opportunity arises. PS: Even if I''m not there, don''t ever feel left out. This message is for your other side.'' Roxy looked at the message with a gloomy look. She took a deep breath and let Den also read the message''s contents from her best friend. "She knows about you too?" Roxy nodded weakly. "Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and need a friend. She recognized me as Roxy the first time she met me in New York. So, I always call her every time I show up." "Let me guess. You drank with her." Roxy smiled faintly hearing that. "How did you know?" "My wife''s tolerance was high enough as if she had practiced it for a long time. I don''t think I can drink with you." "Why? Are you afraid that I will take advantage of you?" "Of course not. What is in me is yours." "¡­" here he is¡­ how can there be someone so thick-faced like Den? "I wanted to call her, but if I did, she would get worried." "They''ll be fine." "I know. But¡­ looks like I have to go back to college as Nick." "¡­" "Nick is in the South anyway. Ah, did he tell the Adams manager? I hope their poprity won''t decrease because Nick isn''t around. What do you think?" "What?" "About the poprity of the Adams. Nichs was their group leader, after all." "In my opinion, you worry too much about other people''s business. Also, why did you have to go back to campus? These two siblings really could not leave us in peace." Roxyughed, amused at the protest tone of her lover. "They had helped me a lot when I needed someone. At least helping Nick finish his studies smoothly isn''t difficult for me." "That''s not the problem. Your friend asked you to take care of Robert, while her brother asked me to take care of his girlfriend. Both siblings are troublesome." Roxy looked at Den with a confused look while trying to digest the man''s words. Nick asked Den to take care of his girlfriend? Nick has a girlfriend? Who? Since when? And why did the boy ask Den instead of her? Why would Den be willing to help Nick? Many questions filled her brain, and she wanted to find answers quickly. But before she had time to ask, their food had arrived. Nevertheless, Roxy kept asking. "Who?" "Nichs," Den replied while shifting Roxy''s te of food in front of the girl. "I mean, who is his girlfriend? Since when has he been dating?" "Seems like recently. Here, eat a little." Den fed Roxy calmly and makes sure the girl finished her meal. "Why did he ask for your help? Why didn''t he call me?" "How should I know? Maybe because he thinks you''re Kaylee and doesn''t want to involve you." "By involving you instead." "He''s wise." "What?" "He knows that I''m the only one who can help him right now, so he reached me." "Ha? I don''t understand." Den smiled faintly as he stroked the back of her head gently. "Eat first. This is not the right ce to talk." Roxy nced around and realized that this ce was very crowded, and many ears could hear them. Even though the odds were slim, Roxy understood Den didn''t want to risk someone paying attention to their conversation. Chapter 237 - Ch. 237 Kaylee Is A Leader? Arriving at Den''s house, Roxy grabbed Den''s hand and sat on the longfortable sofa. She demanded an exnation on Den. "Tell me. When did Nick call you? And why would he choose to look for you over me?" "He paid a visitst night." "Last night? Aren''t I always with you?" "You''re still sleeping, and I couldn''t bear to wake you up in the middle of the night," Den replied in a witty tone as he brushed his nose against her. "So?" and yet, Roxy was more interested in hearing Den''s continuation than making out with the man. "He said he would give me some valuable information if I were willing to help him. He wants me to make sure his father¡­ Hades doesn''t touch his sweetheart while he''s not here." "Who is his girlfriend?" "Your make-up artist." "Lydia!?" Roxy covered her mouth with both hands and widened her eyes in disbelief. What? Nick is really after Lydia, and the two are dating?? Is Wendy a fortune-teller? How could her best friend be so sure that her brother liked a girl? "I don''t know if I should be happy or angry." "Why?" asked Den, curious about what his wife was thinking right now. He had no idea that the news that Nichs Larson had won the heart of his wife''s make-up artist would be such a shock to Roxy. "I feel happy that Nick has finally found his love. I also feel d that Lydia doesn''t have to carry all the burdens on her own. Although she seemed to be smiling from the outside, that girl hid all her stress and suffering. She is a bit simr to Nichs. That''s exactly what I''m worried about when the two of them are together." Den smiled in amused while stroking the top of Roxy''s head. "You think too much. Then, why do you feel like getting angry?" "They just started dating, but Nick has left her? Which guy would leave his girlfriend on the first day? If I were Lydia, I would have broken up with him right away." Den shook his head and was grateful that he wasn''t Nick and Roxy wasn''t Lydia. "I feel like Nick tricked her, and now he''s tricking you. Uh, what information did he give you? Is itpletely useless?" "You are Roxanne, so this information is useless. But if you were Kaylee, maybe this information would be of little use." "What kind of information is it?" "Frontier Shadow." "Ha? Didn''t you ask me that earlier?" Den nodded his head as he answers. "What''s wrong with Frontier Shadow?" "He said Kaylee was supposed to be its leader." "What? Kaylee? A leader? Are you kidding?" Den chuckled in amusement at his wife''s disbelieving tone. "Why do I feel you underestimate your sister?" "I didn''t mean to belittle her. But she''s not a leader. Plus¡­" Roxy suddenly didn''t continue her sentence when she remembered something. "What is it? Why are you suddenly silent?" "It reminded me of something. I think¡­ she might be one." "Why do you think so?" "I had this feeling. She was like¡­ a sleeping dragon. I remember a ssmate of ours tore my sketchbook and threw it into the river. I was outraged and wanted to cry because the sketchbook contained my proud works." "You cried?" "Of course not in front of them. I cried at night when I lock myself in my room." A faint smile was stered on his face. "Then? What happened?" "I took revenge on her and threw all the books that were in her bag into the same river. Then she got angry, and we fought and grabbed each other''s hair." "I can''t believe I could imagine it." Roxy pouted her lips when she heard Den''sment. Her face was so cute that it made Den chuckled in amused. "Go on." "Her body is much bigger, and she has an annoying older brother standing up for her. As a result, I lost, and I was injured." "You get hurt?" "I was alone at that time, and coincidentally all my friends were not there to help me." "Are you stupid? If you''re alone, why are you fighting her?" Roxy had opened her mouth to protest, but she closed her mouth because that was how she was in the past. Stupid and reckless. "You''re right. I was stupid and finally went home full of wounds. I could even still smile and show all my wounds proudly. People say, having a wound is a pride in itself." "That''s silly thinking. Are you a guy?" Roxy folded her arms in front of her chest while sighing in annoyance. "Are you always going toment every time I finish a sentence?" Den chuckled at the frustrated look on his wife''s adorable face. "Okay. I will notment. Then what happens?" "Kaylee saw my wound and asked me who hurt me? I answered honestly without any guilt and told every name that ganged up on me." Roxy lowered her gaze and looked pensive for a moment. "The next day, I heard that the people who ganged up on me had an ident. Some died, some were in aa for several months in the hospital. And the girl who tore my book... she no longer could walk." "..." Den frowned upon hearing this. "You don''t think it''s all Kaylee''s doing, do you?" Roxy shook her head. "Kaylee was young. She couldn''t possibly do it alone." "Alone?" "That wasn''t the first time, Den. Every time I told Kaylee who hurt me, whether on the same day or the next day¡­ the person who hurt me always gets worse. There was one time I didn''t tell my sister¡­." "Nothing happened?" Roxy nodded her head once doubtfully. "There''s no way she did it, but¡­ I''m sure she ordered someone to do it. But I can''t understand why that person did Kaylee''s wishes and also¡­ she never showed the impression of wanting to avenge someone''s actions." "..." why did Den feel that the real Kaylee was a dangerous girl? "Maybe it''s just your feelings." "I wish so. Nevertheless, I neverined about my sister again. Instead, I always try to win all the struggles I face, and I won all those fights." Den smiled broadly at that. "But¡­ what if it turns out that Kaylee is indeed the leader of this Frontier Shadow?" Den''s smile disappeared at his wife''s question, and his brow furrowed as he took a deep breath. "That''s none of our business anymore. After all, she''s already gone, but people out there believe you are Kaylee. Everything will be fine if you show up as Roxanne, but¡­." "The person who targeted me is still out there too." Den nodded his head once again in response to Roxy''s guess. "Hhhh¡­ Even though my family and I have left Hades, the two of us are still trapped in that organization. Luckily Kaylee wasn''t here anymore. Otherwise, I don''t know how to protect her." "¡­" For some reason¡­ Den got the impression that Kaylee had been protecting Roxy secretly and put a weakling yet innocent appearance to fool everyone. Frontier Shadow, huh? He will try to discover this hidden group. Chapter 238 - Ch. 238 Kaylees Ideal Man The Familia cafe was bustling with visitors because they wanted to see a new employee who was very handsome and charming. Needless to say, the visitors whoe are primarilydies. "Kaylee, it looks like you have a poprity rival." ire teased to Kaylee invitesughter from the owner of the Familia. "Oh,e on. That''s one of the reasons why I hired him. He will increase the poprity of this ce. Isn''t he a dreamy guy?" "Oh, my. Do you like him?" "Well, he''s not my type." Kaylee''s witty answer made ir smile meaningfully. "Then, what is your type?" "Hmm¡­let me think." Kaylee tried to think of her ideal man, but what appeared was that guy''s face. She immediately brushed it off and shook her head quickly. "I don''t have one. I will know when I meet the one." "Oh, it''s not fair. How about that cousin of yours?" "What? He''s my direct cousin, and that too, we have fifteen years gap." ire gasped in surprise at her employer''s words. "He''s that old!? He doesn''t look like one." her surprisedments made Kaylee giggle lightly. "I know, right. Anyway, I will check the mail for my audition first. Let me know if something''s up." "Sure." Kaylee walked back to her office and opened herptop to check the audition results through the video. Her face shed a smile when she read the news that she had passed and received an invitation to Vienna. One more step to bing a member of the orchestra team in Germany and one step to fulfilling her ns. Kaylee refreshed the mail to check for other new mail¡­ especially from her sister, but she found nothing. It had been two days since then, but there was still no reply from her sister. Kaylee threw herself into the back of the chair while closing her eyes. Kaylee still couldn''t forget every word her cousin said about Roxy''s condition. ''Your sister tried tomit suicide several times until she lost her memories.'' If she came back, would her sister remember her? Would her sister hate her because she didn''t tell them she was alive over these years? It didn''t matter if her sister became resentful towards her. She had already prepared herself to face her family''s wrath when she decided to return. But¡­ it felt like she wouldn''t be able to face her amnesiac sister, who couldn''t remember her. ''Who are you?'' If she heard those words from her sister¡­ Kaylee didn''t know if she could endure it or not. If only Kaylee had known that Roxy was so devastated to hear of her death, she would have returned to her family. Kaylee would not listen to the man''s ns and would still return to her family. But¡­ ''If you go back now, do you think this will not happen again? They will still target your sister until your sister dies. The only way to protect your sister is to let everyone think you''re dead.'' Kaylee facepalmed while massaging her temple as if to get rid of the headache that was attacking her. Since Robert''s arrival that day, she has had trouble sleeping and has only slept two or three hours. Now her head and body ached, and she didn''t feel like she had the energy to do anything. Kaylee wanted to contact her family¡­ no, she''d rather wanted to reach Frontier Shadow, but¡­ she couldn''t because that person forbade her. That person was worried that hermunication with his family or Frontier Shadow would be tracked and her whereabouts would be discovered. That''s why Kaylee had survived in this foreignnd by herself without contacting anyone in America. It had been almost nine years, and now Robert knew she was still alive. Isn''t it time to go back? After all, she was no longer a weak child who couldn''t do anything. But¡­ ''If you want to go back, you should at least have an alternative identity to cover up your true self.'' Her alternative ID was the cellist in a well-known orchestra, but... she failed the audition twice. "Kaylee, Kaylee!" Kaylee got up from her chair and walked to the door to see who was knocking on her office door. "ire? What is it?" "It''s Lucy. She just called me. She said she got lost when she wanted toe back here and also¡­." "And?" "It looks like she walked through that small path. You know the street is full of badds at this hour. So she didn''t dare pass by and just hid there for a while. But¡­ if she was there¡­." "I see. I''ll go to her." "Eh? But you''re also a girl. How about we call Logan or Luca¡­." "They''re both busy, right. I''m alone is enough." "But¡­" "Don''t worry. We''ll be back in a sec." after saying that, Kaylee took a ck umbre with a wooden handle before walking out through the back door. Kaylee walked briskly down a small street that was rarely passed by after sundown. That''s because the street was usually used as a hangout ce by young people who use drugs or get drunk and have sex. Lucy was Luca''s younger sister and was only fifteen years old and not familiar with the streets of this city since she just moved to Delft a few weeks ago. "I want to go." "Hey, don''t be in a hurry. y with us." "Please, let me go." Kaylee''s steps became faster when she heard Lucy''s voice. And as soon as she saw the teenage girl surrounded by three youngds, Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief. "Lucy," Lucy turned to Kaylee with tears in her eyes from the fear. "Boss Kaylee. I¡­" "Let go of the girl." "Yo, isn''t this the cellist in the cafe across?" said one of the delinquents with a hideous grin. "She is more beautiful and mature than this chick. How about you take her ce and y with us?" "Okay," Kaylee answered without hesitation. "Let go of her, and I''ll keep youpany." Lucy looked at Kaylee with fear and confusion as her hands had slipped from the boy''s tight grip. After getting the eye code from Kaylee, Lucy immediately ran towards her and hid behind her back. "Let''s go." "Now, now. Where do you want to go?" Lucy''s body trembled even more when she realized otherds appeared from her left and right side. Kaylee sighed heavily, knowing she had to face more than three guys. Now, her mood was ruined pretty good. Chapter 239 - Ch. 239 Kaylees True Colors "Do you know the way back?" Kaylee asked in a calm tone as if her current situation didn''t frighten her at all. On the other hand, the poor scared Lucy felt her hands freeze, and her whole body was shaking violently with fear. "I¡­ I know." "Good. Go to your brother." "But¡­ how¡­ about you?" Lucy was scared, but she worried about her new employer''s well-being. "I''ll be fine. Go." Kaylee gently pushed Lucy''s back from her and gave her a reassuring look. Kaylee even smiled gently and urged the girl to leave before these damn jerks changed their minds. Well, she didn''t want Lucy to see her true colors. Plus, that girl would only be a burden if she stayed here. She couldn''t focus on protecting someone while defending and attacking at the same time. It was better to make Lucy leave her as soon as possible. "Go. And don''t ever look back." Lucy was hesitant, but she decided to run fast and faster until she lost her breath to get help. Kaylee''s gentle smile vanished as soon as Lucy was safely out of this small area. Kaylee ced the tip of her ck umbre on the ground while her hands rested on the curved wood handle of the umbre. "Well, boys. Where were we?" The delinquentds, who were twice as big as Kaylee, grinned evilly, and she could see the lust in those disgusting eyes. They have the same n inside their mind. They want to have a good fuck and use the cellist cafe as their sex toy. The thought of having a curvy angelic woman with an alluring body shape makes their lust burn. They were even willing to give up their first target because Lucy looks like a child due to her very young age. "First, let''s see what''s underneath that jacket. Why don''t you strip for us?" "Yeah." the others agreed while walking closer to Kaylee impatiently. Kaylee was still on her spot, and a crooked smile was stered on her angel-like face. The light in her eyes had changed and contained with a murderous aura. On the other hand, the poor teary Lucy arrived at the cafe while panting. "Lucy! Where''s Kaylee?" "She¡­ She¡­" Lucy couldn''t finish her sentence because she started to cry. "Lucy? What is it?" Luca just so happened to think of his sister, who bought snacks outside but hadn''te back yet, so he took the time to go in the back. But instead, he found his sister crying, which made him worried. "Luca¡­" Lucy couldn''t hold back her tears anymore and stammered to tell what happened. "Where''s boss Kaylee now?" "She¡­ she''s still there¡­." Luca was about to go out to help Kaylee, but Logan had appeared first. "I will go. You go serve the customer and rece me." "Eh? But I don''t know how to brew coffee." "Boasten will help you," said Logan quickly as he walked out the back door to catch up with Kaylee. Not long after, Logan passed Kaylee, who was walking back towards the cafe at a leisurely pace. "Logan? Why are you here?" Logan frowned confusedly at the petite figure, who looked as if nothing had happened where thugs ganged up on her. "Kaylee? You¡­ are you okay?" Logan investigated Kaylee''s condition from head to toe, making Kaylee tilt her head in curious "What happened to me?" "Lucy already told me that¡­." "Hhhh¡­" Kaylee sighed heavily. "Looks like she''s scared, so she''s making a big deal out of it." "Ha? Then what happened to the delinquents?" "They''re gone. I''m just talking to them." "And they are willing to listen?" "I guess so. You don''t have to follow me here." "I''m worried about you. You''re a girl alone on a small street with thugs. Who wouldn''t worry about you? You didn''t know our new employee''s sister was crying like you just died." Kayleeughed loudly at that. "Alright, alright. I get it. I am alright. Let''s go back." Logan believed Kaylee and the two walked back toward the cafe. "Seriously. They just go like that after talking to you?" "Oh, I think I did make them a little angry," Kaylee replied, shaking her head. "Don''t you have any local police acquaintances?" "Yes?" "Tell your acquaintances and colleagues. I will give them free coffee whenever theye in the evening." "Ha? Are you serious?" "I''ve never felt more serious than this," Kaylee replied with a big smile. Kaylee knew that sooner orter, those thugs would revenge and try to destroy her cafe. They wouldn''t dare toe during the day because many security officers will pass by around the cafe area. It was different at night, where the officers would rarely pass her cafe''s location. But if there were police in the cafe, they would not dare to act. Not too far from them, the delinquent thugs earlier were lying down groaning in pain. Some held his arm, and some had his manhood. "Ugh! Who is that bitch?" "She beat us all with an umbre!? Damn it!" The ck umbre that Kaylee had brought had been lying in one of the trash bins because it had broken. No one knew the ck umbre was the umpteenth umbre that Kaylee broke for an unknown reason. Logan didn''t feel suspicious because Kaylee''s eyes returned to normal, and her attitude seemed like she knew nothing. Plus, her whole figure was unscathed. That night, the Familia cafe operated smoothly without any disturbance. They alsoforted Lucy, who was still feeling traumatized and made her promise not to go out alone when the sun had set. After ten o''clock, Kaylee and Logan began preparing to close their cafe and head home. As usual, Kaylee went straight home without stopping anywhere because she wanted to rest. When she arrived in front of her house, she realized that the door was unlocked, making her frown confused. Did she forget to lock her door? No. She was not a careless person and was sure she had locked her house. That means¡­ that person hase to visit her. Kaylee opened the door to her house, and as expected¡­ an uninvited guest entered her home. Chapter 240 - Ch. 240 The Culprit Is... Kaylee entered her house without ncing at the person who had infiltrated her home. She acted as if she didn''t see anyone in her house, as if she lived alone. "It''s been a while, Kaylee." greeted the older man regardless of Kaylee''s terrible mood. Kaylee took off her coat and hung it in the coat closet by the door, then walked into the kitchen to brew some hot water. She wanted to drink warm milk to calm her turbulent emotions. "I heard Rothbert had found you. What did you tell him?" "..." Kaylee was still silent and still drank her warm milk while waiting for the drink''s magic charm to calm her nerve. "How about your audition? You''ve auditioned twice, and you failed. Is it sessful this time?" "¡­" Kaylee sighed heavily, hearing his relentless inquiries. They had notmunicated with each other for over eight years, but how did this man find out she had failed the audition twice? She knew she would fail as she was busy establishing this Familia cafe and strengthening her martial arts. Now that she had be a martial arts master and the Familia cafe had also been achieved, only then would Kaylee have time to practice her cello. However, she had to pay a pretty high price. Her left wrist was now often sore, and the doctor who examined her wrist advised her not to y the cello for some time. However, Kaylee must join an orchestra team and stay there for two years before returning to Folnd. The cellist of the world''srgest orchestra would prove her identity and cover up the fact that she is the sessor of Frontier Shadow. "Kaylee, why is the cold shoulder?" Finally, this uninvited guest couldn''t stop himself from speaking up and voicing his opinion. Kaylee put her ss of milk on the kitchen table rudely then looked at her uncle with disapproval. She doesn''t even hide her horrible mood, and she doesn''t have to worry about the innocent and crybaby image she has built up. After all, Pierre Zouch was the one who formed her facade and knew her true character. "You lied to me." "I did?" "Robert has told me everything. He told me what happened to my sister and my family. They even moved north to hide the fact that I was the one on the ne." Pierre exhaled a heavy sigh as he dragged a chair to sit across his niece. "If you knew about them, you woulde back to them." "Of course, I would." "And that would be the fatal mistake you have ever made. If youe back and everyone finds out you two are still alive, one of you will undoubtedly be killed for sure." "¡­" "You were lucky you decided to get off the ne that day. Otherwise, we lost you for good." "That didn''t exin why I should remain dead while my family suffered without knowing I was and am still alive. What''s the difference I would be back or stay quiet in this country?" "You were not ready. Neither of you was. I doubt you aren''t ready either today. How is your training?" "¡­" "Kaylee, if you want to return, you must secure a permanent position to cover your¡­." "I know." Kaylee stood up and sighed tiredly. "I''m tired." "Wait." stopped Pierre before Kaylee went into her room. "I heard you injured your wrist." "¡­" "Let me see." For the umpteenth time, Kaylee sighed heavily and walked towards her uncle, as well as her mentor. She stretched out her left hand and let her uncle examine her hand. Kaylee''s brow furrowed in pain as her uncle bent the back of her hand backward. "You''ve had a fight." "..." really. They hadn''tmunicated with each other in a long time, but how did her uncle know right away? "How did you know?" Pierre smiled faintly at his nephew''s innocent question. "I have eyes all over this country, Kaylee. Have you forgotten?" "When can I be like you?" "You have a lot to learn. Anyway, Anach already knows about Frontier Shadow." "What? How?" "I don''t know. I suspect we have a mole on our side. If he finds out all the FS members are the youngest child, he will suspect Nicu and me. He hade to New York to pick up Gwen and Nico. I heard he locked them in the basement once they arrived at the south." "What? How could he do that to his own children?" "Ever since he knows about FS, he was relentless to destroy it. And he came to Raffeto''s son to kill you¡­ I mean your sister in New York." "¡­" Kaylee didn''t expect to hear that guy''s name at this moment. "He¡­ couldn''t possibly say yes, could he?" "He didn''t refuse, but he didn''t ept either. It was easy for him to kill your sister, and he found it wasn''t a challenging mission." "Then I have to go there immediately¡­." "No. He has seen your sister''s face, and now he knows it''s your sister. He won''t hurt your sister as long as she stays in the north. But it was a different case with the culprit." "After investigating for nine years, FS still can''t find the culprit?" "We have suspicions but still doubt it, and also¡­ we have no evidence against that person." "Who?" "Just think about it. An ident that could have imed your sister''s life, who will benefit the most from your sister''s death? Everyone already knew that your father loved their two daughters very much. If something happened to one of his daughters, what do you think your father would react?" Kaylee was silent for a moment, imagining what her father would do. "Papa will be very sad and decide to stop so that he won''t lose another child?" Pierre nodded his head. "The people who understand your father''s personality are the two of us as well as¡­." "Conn Anach." "The person who nned the ne explosion left no trace but gave a false one. This guy knows our search system, and he also knows¡­." "He knows where we were." "He was your father''s second-inmand. He knows everything that happened to your father''s family." "So¡­ you think he''s the culprit? But¡­ Anach was loyal to my father. He can''t be¡­." "That''s why we doubt him. We suspect him, but we have no evidence nor clues. Kaylee, you are our only hope." "Me? Why?" "Everyone thought you were gone, and your family had epted this fact. Youring back would be the most unexpected, and it would get the main culprit caught off guard." "¡­" "That''s why I came here to confirm something. Are you ready?" Kaylee didn''t know if she was ready or not. She never wanted to be involved in the Hades organization, but she was born as Hades''s youngest child. For as long as she could remember, Roxy always protected her and watched over her. She was naughty yet affectionate towards her. Now¡­ it was time for her to protect her sister. Chapter 241 - Ch. 241 Last Meeting With Kaylee In a prison cell in Italy... A young man with a red snake tattoo was ying arm wrestling with other criminals. That''s when an officer told him he had received a package. "Who sent me the package? Is my old man dead?" "No. It''s from Mr. Anach." The tattooed man raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. Thest time Hades IV visited him was because the older man wanted him to get rid of Kaylee. Now the man sent a package? What did the old man want from him? Can''t he live in this prison quietly and peacefully? He was tired of dealing with his father or with Hades out there. "You don''t want to ept it?" asked the officer, realizing that Raffetto had not budged from his seat and was still ying arm wrestling with his friends. "He said you wouldn''t regret it." Raffetto won arm wrestling for the umpteenth time while clicking his tongue in annoyance. "You ruined my mood," he grumbled as he rose to his feet and violently nudged the officer''s body. The only criminal who dared to fight the officers and guards in this ce was only Raffetto. This prison area was Raffeto''s territory, and the Raffetto family has bought all the local police in this ce. Raffetto''s son stayed here because of his own doing and decided not to go out. He would rather live in prison than live in his mansion above the sea. After all, even if he gets out of prison, Hades III would figure out a way to put him back in jail. He almost killed his youngest daughter, after all. Hades III was very vindictive and never allowed him to roam freely. Even though he''s retired from Hades'' organization, the man still has spies everywhere and bothers him. Raffetto felt guilty, and he didn''t mind the punishment his former mentor gave him. After all, no one would look for him at home. "What is it?" A guard who received the package gave a small envelope to Raffetto, making the young man frown in confusion. He opened the envelope and took out its contents which was a photo. The photo showed a ck-haired girl walking side by side with a man. He didn''t know the man, but he knew the girl. The girl''s appearance looked like Kaylee''s, but¡­ why did he feel like there was something else? Raffetto marched to his cell to take the photo of Kaylee he had. He carefullypared the two pictures, and the more he looked at them, the more his brows furrowed. Isn''t this Roxy? Why did Anach give him a photo of Roxy? No. This wasn''t the Roxy he knew. Raffetto turned over the photo he had just received, and his jaw clenched as he read Hades IV''s handwriting. ''Kaylee was on the ne, and Roxanne is alive.'' What is that about? What does this writing mean? Roxy still alive? And in this photo is¡­ Roxy? Raffetto turned the photo over to see the face of the girl in the image once again. The more he looked at it, the more he felt sure that the girl was Roxy. Raffetto closed his eyes, and his mind drifted back to the night he was about to kill Kaylee. He hade to the hospital not to kill her but to make sure Kaylee was doing well. He knew Kaylee''s feelings for him, but he deliberately ignored her because he didn''t want to bring Kaylee into his world. All this time, Raffetto viewed Kaylee as a weak, timid girl who liked to hide in corners. Plus, the matchmaking that his family nned was a cunning n from his father to control Hades. Master Raffetto wanted to use his wife and control Hades secretly by holding his wife hostage. That''s why Raffetto didn''t tell his father whom he wanted to marry. Everyone already knows the sisters were Hades III''s beloved daughter, and the older man loved them equally. It didn''t matter which one he would marry. He thought that Kaylee would not be able to be his wife under his father''s pressure. Although he could protect her, yet we are talking about his father. Nothing could match that man''s cunning and hidden ns, but Roxy could. That''s why he didn''t refuse when they set him up with Roxy. Neither did he ept it. He nned to call it off at thest minute because he doesn''t want to marry a girl he doesn''t love. And yet¡­ Roxy had already fled without even listening to his n. Well, it worked well for him because he didn''t have to bother nning this wedding. But then¡­ Raffettoid down and closed his eyes while remembering hisst conversation with Kaylee. "Zee, can I talk to you?" "What?" he acted indifferently, but inside, he was happy that Kaylee approached him. "I heard about the arranged marriage with Roxy." "¡­" "Are you going to ept it?" "I n to do so, but it seems your sister doesn''t want to marry me." "Then¡­ how about me?" Zee gave a sarcasticugh, hearing that without the girl knowing, he felt like punching himself in the face for being an asshole. "You? Are you Roxy? You''re not." "Why should it be Roxy? "Because I like her. She is like every guy''s dream girl. Don''t you think so?" "What kind of a dream girl?" "She''s strong, quick-witted, and fun. She''s likable, and I like her." "So¡­ with me like this, you don''t like me at all?" "No. I don''t like weakling and crybaby." "Then¡­ why did you protect me from those people and ensure my safety. Because I am the daughter of your mentor?" "It was one of them. But the main reason is that you are Roxy''s sister. I don''t want her to be sad to see you hurt." "¡­" "If you have nothing more to say, I''ll be leaving." "Wait." "What now?" Zee turned back while giving an irritated sigh even though he wasn''t irritated at all. "I''ll bring her back." His brow furrowed in confusion hearing this. He was about to ask furthermore, but the girl had turned away from him. He didn''t wish Roxy toe back at all because he didn''t care about this matchmaking. But he didn''t expect it that day to be hisst meeting with Kaylee. No. At that time, he didn''t know. He thought Kaylee was still alive and wanted to make sure she was by going to the hospital. But¡­ Chapter 242 - Ch. 242 Ezzo Raffetto "Raffetto, are you going to Spain?" when Zee was about to leave for the airport to see how Kaylee was, Conn Anach came to him. "That means you''ve heard of the ident." "..." Zee had never liked this man from the start. Conn Anach was not much different from his father, who had thousands of hidden ns that cannot be predicted by those around him. "I heard it was orchestrated, and Kaylee knew it long ago." "What do you mean?" Zee frowned in dislike when he heard this news. "Kaylee told us all she was going home with her sister, but in reality, she didn''t board the ne, and the one who did was Roxanne.. That''s because she knew someone was after Roxanne, and she purposely didn''t board at thest minute." "You lied. She wouldn''t have done it." "If you don''t believe it, why don''t you see it for yourself? I heard the reason Roxanne left the country in the first ce was because of their fight over you." "..." what? "Kaylee let Roxanne died in the ne crash." No. Kaylee couldn''t have done it. If the girl knew that someone was going to harm her brother, Kaylee wouldn''t have let Roxy get on the ne. But¡­ Ezzo remembered the conversation he had with Kaylee a few days ago. What if the girl turns out to be hurt and hates her sister because of his answer? Although he does not have feelings for the sisters, Roxy was his best friend. They were often bickering andpeting to be the best, but at the end of the day, they would hang out by the beach talking about their dreams for the future. At that time, he was young and immediately believed Anach''s words and thought Kaylee was deliberately getting rid of her sister in such a cruel way. That''s why, as soon as he arrived in Spain and walked up to Kaylee''s room, Ezzo immediately used the girl of it. "You killed her! How are you still alive when she''s dead? Shouldn''t you two go together?" the room was very dark, and the appearance of the girl in front of him was not much different from the Kaylee he remembered. He thought the girl in front of him was indeed Kaylee without knowing that the girl was Roxy, who was looking for thousands of ways to kill herself. "That''s right. I killed her. I hate her, remember? I wished she was gone! You should be mine!" provoked the girl, only to add oil in his raging fire. Without his brain''smand, his much bigger hands immediately wrapped around Kaylee''s neck. Zee had been blinded by anger because he didn''t expect the pure, innocent, and kind-hearted Kaylee to send her sister''s death so cruelly. He had misjudged her. People like Kaylee don''t deserve to live. Zee was determined to send this girl to where her sister was, but¡­ ''I''ll bring her back.'' He was sure¡­ Kaylee said it sincerely. He felt sure Kaylee missed her sister too and wanted her toe home. So why¡­ why did that girl have the heart to do it? His grip on the girl''s neck loosened, and that''s when something hit his body, causing him to fall to the floor. Several people restrained him and handcuffed his hands. Right now, he couldn''t kill the girl. His body would not allow him to kill her. But someday¡­ "I will kill you, Kaylee. Someday I will avenge her death!" was his promise. However, over time he forgot his promise. He no longer intends to seek revenge for the death of his friend. He didn''t even want to see Kaylee nor hurt the girl anymore. Being in prison for several months and in and out of jail due to Hades III''s relentless to hunt him made him think calmly. It didn''t matter whether what Conn Anach said was true or not. He was sure Kaylee felt the loss too. For as long as he could remember, Kaylee had never once shouted at him or provoked him. On the contrary, that girl was always sweet and lovable to the point his sadistic side kicks in and constantly bullied her. He remembered he had eaten Kaylee''s portion of ice cream when they were all kids. The girl cried andined to Roxy, causing the older sister to kick his leg as repayment. He also remembered that he had put his pet snake in Kaylee''s school bag. Kaylee did not know about his prank and opened her school bag to take out her textbooks. At that time, her reaction was really adorable and incredibly epic. The first thing she did as soon as she saw something crawled inside her bag was scream and jump up and down while throwing her bag away. Her eyes became wet, filled with tears, and she immediately ran to look for her sister. The girl loves to follow her sister wherever Roxy goes. She''s like a tail that always clings to Roxy. There was no way Kaylee wanted to get rid of Roxy. Even if she did, it would only be a momentary feeling of anger. He said those hurtful words toward a girl who had expressed her love for him, and he shouldn''t be surprised if Kaylee would be angry and jealous at her sister. It was not entirely Kaylee''s fault. He was also guilty of Roxy''s death. Hence, he no longer wanted to take revenge on Kaylee. But now that he had received this new photo from Anach, Zee was beginning to understand. He should have been suspicious of Kaylee''s change in attitude when he used her. Kaylee never rebuked and would remain silent when someone used her. But that night, the girl provoked him and made him even angrier. But he thought Kaylee was feeling depressed at that time, so she did something she didn''t usually do. Who would have thought¡­ it turned out to be Roxy? Zee squeezed Roxy''s photo into a ball, and his face revealed a crooked smile. "You vixen girl. You dare to trick me?" His golden eyes shone dangerously, and when he called out to the officer guarding the front of his cell, his voice sounded ice-cold. "I want to get out of here." "..." And in a matter of hours, Zee¡­ aka Ezzo Raffetto had left the prison and directly contacted one of his right-hand men. "Find out Roxanne¡­ No. Den ck''s fiance''s whereabouts." Chapter 243 - Ch. 243 Roxy Cooked?? It''s been two days since Roxy staying at Den''s house after ''Kaylee'' said goodbye to her. During these two days, she went about her activities as usual as if she no longer felt sad. Even so, she still wasn''t ready to watch her mother''s videos and just kept herself busy with the music arrangement. When Den goes to work in the morning, she will practice piano or work as aposer. Wendy was no longer in New York, and she has to do Wendy''s part of the task as a mixer and editing. This was precisely the part that makes it difficult. She''s not very good at editing, let alone mixing tracks. Luckily she has Den, who willingly helps her in editing and mixing. In addition, the proceeds from the sale of herposition services are wholly hers. Den did not want to receive a penny from her even though he was the one who mostly took part in mixing and editing. What a lucky girl she is! She had to hold on to Den''s hand tightly because she wouldn''t find any better man than Den.. Roxy decided to surprise Den by cooking something for the man. As soon as Den left for work, Roxy immediately browsed food bloggers and saw recipes and cooking methods. No wonder that Den''s kitchen, which was initially clean and tidy, had be stained with vegetables scattered on the floor and smoke making Roxy cough. "What happened? Why do I feel like I''m in the middle of a battlefield?" Roxy asked herself and was horrified by the current state of the kitchen. Roxy nced at the clock and gasped in a panic, knowing Den would be home in two hours. She had to quickly clean up this kitchen and prepare a nice romantic dinner. What should she do? She couldn''t possibly finish it in two hours! She suddenly had a mischievous idea and smiled like a madman. Two hourster¡­ Den arrived at the basement parking lot of his penthouse at precisely six in the afternoon. In his ear was a Bluetooth headset, and he was talking to the person on the other end. "I don''t want an eighty sess rate. I want more than ny-five. And I want it before the new yeares." "Mr. ck. You ask for impossible things." "Impossible is not in my dictionary." "I think I can force them to do it if they haven''t slept for days, but they are human. They need enough rest." "I promise to give them two weeks off once this project is done." "Mr. ck. You do realize your workers have not slept for two whole weeks to achieve an eighty percent sess rate? The sess rate didn''t even reach fifty before today." "Then they can reach above ny within ten days." "Ten days!? Mr. ck¡­" "Kris. I hired you because I know your convincing skill. Use it now." without waiting for a response from his right hand, Den disconnected the call and walked towards the elevator. After entering the password to ess his penthouse floor, Den exhaled a very long breath. He stroked his temple tiredly as he thought about his orders to Kristopher. Since Roxy was abducted by a stalker whose name he doesn''t remember, Den was more rtable about his hidden project. Plus, a few days ago, Nichs Larson¡­ Nicu Anach met him and told him about Frontier Shadow. He didn''t know what kind of organization Frontier Shadow was, and neither did Kris, even though he had been a member of Hades'' organization for a long time. Kris had never even heard of the name, so it wasn''t easy to trace the group''s whereabouts. But he knew Frontier Shadow did exist because Nicu was one of those members and knew about his god eyes project. He hasn''t activated it yet because he has tounch a satellite into space. The program system and working methods for tracking the were ready, but the telemetry line and satellite orbital speed were still problematic and were not ready to beunched. If Roxy weren''t Hades'' daughter or didn''t have a close rtionship with Hades'' organization, Den wouldn''t feel relentless as this. He became even more restless and felt as if Roxy would disappear from him without his knowledge. That''s why he wanted to speed up theunch of the God Eyes satellite so he could find his wife when there was a situation that required him to look for her. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Den walked out and down the long corridor where the entrance to the penthouse was. He opened the door of his house, and the delicious aroma hit his nostrils. Did Axrde here and cook for him? Den walked inside and saw Roxy standing up to greet him with a big smile. As soon as he saw her smile, all the restlessness, and tiredness he felt just disappeared somewhere. His face that was initially filled with tension, now rxed and smiled along with his beloved girl. "Wee home. How is your day?" "Lonely without you." was his sweet answer, inviting a crispugh from Roxy. "I prepared dinner for us. Come on." Roxy walked over to him to grab Den''s hand after the man took off his ck coat. Then the two of them walked towards the dining room, where various dishes were prepared on the table. On average, all of them were Den''s favorite dishes, making Den confused. "You prepared all of this?" Den couldn''t believe it because Roxy couldn''t cook to his knowledge. "Yup. With some help, actually. Go try it." Roxy urged as she pushed Den to sit on a chair while taking some of the side dishes on his te. Den tasted the dish and chewed it slowly. Through its distinctive taste, Den immediately knew who had helped Roxy. "With some help, huh? How did you ask the blue king to cook?" "Eh? You know?" Den chuckled at the adorably confused tone of his lover and pulled the girl unexpectedly until Roxy sat on hisp. "I''ve eaten his food many times and know the taste very well. How do you get in touch with him, anyway? I don''t remember you guys exchange contact numbers." "I have my way." Roxy gently massaged Den''s forehead while speaking softly. "Why do you have another frown? Did something happen at work?" His eyes softened at her concern. The only one who understood and felt his unease even though he had hidden it was only Roxy. Chapter 244 - Ch. 244 Our Love Power Is Invincible! "I''m working on something, but the trial results of this project are not very satisfactory. The results will improve if given more time, but¡­ I want it urgently." Den exined his trouble even though he knew Roxy wouldn''t be able to provide a way out for him. Den kept all the burdens and problems he experienced alone in his whole life. He hardly ever spoke his heart out, much less about his work. His parents didn''t even know what he was doing in hispany. The two of them¡­ no. Not only his parents but everyone who knew him thought Oscar Security was apany that only offered securities services. The truth is, the OSpanyprised much more than just securities services. That''s why he never talked about his job to his parents or anyone else. But he could reveal it to Roxy even though the girl wouldn''t understand what he was doing.. Just like that night where he wanted to be alone but needed a friend, Roxy apanied him and became a good listener. "If you know the results will improve with time, why are you rushing it? Are you stupid?" Den chuckled in amusement when he heard the mischievous sneer in the girl''s tone. "I need to, love. To protect you." "Me? What does that have to do with me?" Roxy suddenly remembered her conversation with Den a few days ago. "Den, don''t tell me that you''re investigating Frontier Shadow?" "¡­" He did, but¡­ that was not his main concern. "Forget about it. Frontier Shadow or whatever it is, no one would break our love." One of Den''s eyebrows shot up hearing this. "Our love power is invincible. Don''t you realize it?" "That''s a unique way tofort me." his remark invited a cute giggle from his wife. "Tell me, wifey, why do you think our love power is invincible?" "Don''t you think so?" was her smart answer. "¡­" Why did Den feel his wife was asking him to y a word puzzle? "I think¡­ it does." "Why do you think so?" "Roxy," Den gave up and hugged Roxy tighter while inhaling the girl''s delicious scent by kissing her neck, creating a cute giggle from her lips. "I''m just teasing you," Roxy felt ticklish due to Den''s endless light kiss on her neck. "When I saw Axrd cooking, I just thought about it. Who would have thought that we would meet again and get engaged after our first meeting?" Den lifted his head a little to look at his wife with a faint smile. "Do you know? I always came to the same bar just so I could see you again?" "You did?" "Yeah. My uncle scolded me every night and cut off my allowance to avoid going to that bar again. Then one yearter, I met you again in an unpreferable way, but we met again nheless. Since the ne crash, I''ve decided not to see you nor look for you. I even shut the world down and hid behind my creation alter. But then, my mother found my sketchbook and reunited with her old school friend who coincidentally is the mother of my future husband." Den''s smile widened at Roxy''s story. "I had decided to stay in the darkness of my heart, but you managed to force me out of there. You even managed to convince me to be myself when I''m with you. Whenever you''re with me, I feel like I can face anything." "Me too. Every time I see your smile, I feel I can do anything. You are the source of my motivation and the purpose of my life." Roxy wrapped her arms around Den''s neck while giving him a sweet smile. "I don''t know what you''re worried about, but if you''re worried about me, then you should know this. I will be fine. Even if I end up getting into trouble, I''m sure I won''t die. I have no desire to die anymore. On the other hand, my desire to stay alive is much stronger than my desire to die. I have you by my side, and there are still many things I want to do with you. For example¡­" Roxy deliberately didn''t continue her sentence right then and nced at Den shyly. "Cooking for you." Den smiled happily, hearing that, and kissed his lover''s lips softly and gently. "Give me time. My cooking skills will improve," whispered Roxy on his lips. Denughed hearing that, and his heart wasforted by the girl''s words. "You don''t have to, love. Besides, you can satisfy my hunger in other ways." Roxy tilted her head in full of wonder without knowing the hidden meaning of his word. The next second, Den had carried Roxy as if she weighed nothing and walked towards the room. "You! You, shameless man!" "And you love this shameless man." "¡­" she would never win against this man, and she did helplessly fall overhead heels for this cunning shameless man. A few momentster, Roxyid sideways, facing the wall without seeing Den''s face. Really. When the man said she could satisfy his hunger in other ways, she had no idea that shameless man would eat her alive. Nevertheless, they never went all the way and saved their real first night on their wedding day. "Sweetheart, I''m hungry now," stated Den while giving a light kiss on her exposed shoulder. "¡­" now he tells her that he''s hungry!? "I''m too sore. You get your food yourself." Den chuckled in amusement, "Alright. I will bring it here." Den kissed her cheek before getting out of bed and walking out of the room. As soon as Den came out of the room, Roxy smiled in satisfaction and stretched her stiff arm muscles while sighing in pleasure. Making out with that man really felt good. She became curious as to what it would be like if they went all the way. Well, she could only wait for her answer on their wedding night. Not long after, her cell phone rang, and because she was in a good mood, Roxy picked up the phone without seeing who was calling her. "Hello?" "Kaylee, I miss you, darling." "..." her smile disappeared right there and then. Chapter 245 - Ch. 245 I Love You To The Moon And Back Roxy didn''t make a sound nor greet anyone who contacted her. "Kaylee, when are youing back home? I know you''re in passion with Den right now, but at leaste home once a week. How about this weekend? You can take Den with you, and we''ll have dinner together. What do you think?" "..." Roxy felt like she couldn''t find her voice and put the phone away from her ear before she took a deep breath. Her eyes felt wet, but she held herself back from crying. She even didn''t know whether she should hang up right there and then or... talked to her mother.. After a while, she heads up and sits back against the headrest withplicated feeling. After calming herself down, only then did she put the phone to her ear again. "Ma, I¡­" "¡­" Britney, who was famous for talking, suddenly became mute when she heard her daughter''s voice. "I think¡­ I can''t go home right now." "..." Usually, Britney loved to interrupted whatever her daughter talk about, but not today. Roxy was so confused by the silence on the other side that she thought their call was disconnected. Once again, she looked at her phone screen, and after making sure their call was still connected, she called her mother. "Mama?" "Yes, darling. Then when will you go back? Can''t youe this weekend? Please doe this weekend." Why is her mother persistently begging her toe home this weekend? What date is that day? Roxy nced at the digital clock beside her bed and realized that this weekend was her parents'' wedding anniversary! Roxy... ''Kaylee'' would never miss her parent''s anniversary. If she missed it now, wouldn''t her parents suspect her? She wanted to conceal the fact that she was back from her surrounding a little bit longer. "Okay. I wille this weekend," stated Roxy finally while clutching her nket as if her life depends on it. She doesn''t want toe. Roxy still doesn''t want to go home and see her mother. Her heart was still not ready, and she didn''t know if she could bear the pain she felt whenever she saw her mother''s face. But¡­ "What do you want me to bring for your anniversary day?" Roxy could barely hold her tremble voice, but she did well by maintaining her tears. "Nothing, dear. As long as youe back, that is more than enough." was the gentle answer from her mother made Roxy frown in confusion. She knew what her mother meant was to return home. But why did she feel her mother was talking about her ''return''? Did her mother know that it was Roxy currently talking to the older woman? "Then¡­ see youter." Roxy wanted to end their conversation because she couldn''t hold back her tears. "Darling," and yet her mother''s voice stopped her. "I love you to the moon and back." Roxy felt her eyes became blurry as the tears filled her eyes, and she almost sobbed when she heard her mother''sst sentence. ''I love you to the moon and back.'' That was her favorite phrase to express her affection for her mother. She remembered when her mother finished reading her storybook before going to bed, Roxy always said this to her mother every night. ''I love you to the moon and back, mama.'' ''And I love you infinity and beyond.'' That was her mother''s response to her. Roxy covered her mouth with both hands, and her tears flowed uncontrobly. Den came back into the room carrying a tray with several tes of food. He promptly put the tray on the nightstand as soon as he saw something was wrong with his wife. "Roxy? What''s wrong?" Den cupped her face and wiped her tears in vain. Her tears flowed down like a broken pipe made Den''s heart also feel sad. Den was confused and wondering. He had only been out of the room for a few minutes, but why did Roxy suddenly be so sad that she burst into tears? "Tell me, love. What is it? Why are you crying?" Den noticed a phone in her hand made him think someone was calling her while he was picking up food outside. "Who called you?" asked him in a gentle tone as if he could scare the crying girl if he spoke in a loud voice. "It''s¡­ It''s my mother." Den smiled faintly at Roxy''s sobbing reply, and he carried the girl into his arms. One hand gently patted Roxy''s back while giving aforting whisper. "Why did she say?" "She said she missed me and invited us toe to their wedding anniversary?" "When?" "This weekend." "Then why are you crying?" "I don''t know." was her honest answer. She didn''t know why she would cry when she rarely cries. But¡­ hearing her mother''s voice and her almost forgotten phrase-making, her heart yearned for something. It was a mother''s warmth. Roxy missed her mother as much as she missed her sister, yet¡­ her heart ached every time she met her mother face to face. "I think my alter ego has affected me a lot. I''m not this crybaby." Den chuckled in amusement at his lover''s tantrums. "I don''t mind you''re a little bit crybaby. You''re cute when you cry." "..." Roxy''s mouth opened wide at the man''s words. "Are you a pervert?" "I am when I''m with you." came his shameless reply, causing Roxy to inhaled a helpless sigh. Den kissed her cheeks many times to kiss away her tears, and it worked like magic. Roxy was no longer cry and her heartfelt full when Den secured her in his warm embrace. "Are you hungry?" Roxy nodded her head, and Den took the food tray, and the two enjoyed their dinner solemnly. Only after they finished their meal, Roxy spoke something unexpected. "Den, I want to see it." "What do you want to see?" "The video." "¡­" "My mother gave the USB to you, right. I want to see it." "Are you sure?" Roxy was silent for a moment, then looked straight into Den''s eyes with unwavering eyes. "I''m ready." Chapter 246 - Ch. 246 The Videos Den took the rose-shaped USB in his desk drawer, then walked out and sat next to Roxy, who had aptop on her thigh. "Here." "Thanks." Roxy plugged the USB into theptop port and sighed heavily while the USB system was still loading inside. "Do you want to be alone, or should I stay?" asked Den gently. "Stay here." Roxy leaned her head against Den''s shoulder, and her heart drummed like someone scared her by surprised her behind her back as a folder opened automatically. However, the contents of the USB folder did not have one video, but dozens of videos!. "There are so many videos here. Which one should I see?" "Hm¡­" Den was as confused as she was. "How about we take a look at them in order from above?" "Didn''t my mother tell you which one to look at?" "No. She just wanted me to give it to you." "..." Roxy nced at the row of videos on herptop screen wonderingly. Isn''t this USB hers? Does she save videos here? But as she recalled, she only filled her USB with her designs pattern and some music sheets she liked. Then¡­ where did all these videose from? Did her mother want her to see all of these? "Okay. I guess we have no choice but to open them one by one." Den chuckled in amusement as he rubbed the top of Kaylee''s head. Roxy pressed the video at the top and the next second appeared a baby who was just learning to walk. "Come on, baby girl. You can do it. Come to mama." a loud and melodious voice rang out from the sound of herptop. Theughter that erupted out of the baby''s tiny mouth when she dashed toward her mother made anyone who heard it feel warm. "Is that you?" asked Den with an interesting look at his future wife''s childhood. Moreover, this was the girl''s very precious first step. "I¡­ I don''t know." The baby came closer to the camera not long after, and the same mother''s voice was heard again. "Good girl. Aren''t you a fast walker, my Roxy?" Yup. That''s her! "I changed my mind. I want to see it alone." that''s so embarrassing if Den saw her childhood through this video. "Nope. I want to see it now." "..." Roxy let out a sigh of defeat at Den''s stern tone. She was sure the man wouldn''t budge from his spot and had a thousand ways to get her to agree. In the end, Roxy lets Den see a video of her childhood with him. The average video contains about her growth and togetherness with her sister. Watching this video made Roxy miss her sister even more, but at the same time, she could lessen her longing by looking at Kaylee''s face on these videos. When Roxy was ying the tenth video, the first person to appear in front of the camera was herself as a teenager. "Hey, everybody. Today is the ninth of July, and we are all going to the beach." greeted the young Roxy with a smile on her face and bright red hair that was tied back into a ponytail. "Look at my hair! I just dyed it myself." "It''s ugly!" someonement, making the young Roxy frown in disapproval. "Shut up, you dickhead!" "Language, missy. Your mother would scold you if she heard that." "Mama is not here, so I can speak whatever I please." Roxy became speechless hearing her youth was so wild behind her parents. She nced at Den, who was now smiling amusedly without taking his eyes off theptop. "It''s not fair. You know all of my childhood, but I know nothing of yours." Roxy grumbled after pausing the video for a while. Den smiled wittily at her and pulled Roxy''s body closer to him. "You have plenty of time to know my youth after we got married. I''m already yours anyway." Den brushed his nose against her, inviting a cute giggle from the girl. Roxy resumed the video and saw her pointing her camera at the a figure of someone who looked like her. "That is my dearest sister. Isn''t she a stunner? Hey, Kaylee, say hi to the audience." Kaylee turned to the camera, then ran towards a small boy and hid behind the child. Her behavior was very adorable because herrger frame was still visible even though it had been hidden behind someone''s back. Well, the boy was only five years old, so automatically, most of Kaylee''s body was still visible. "Kaylee, do you think I can''t see you even if you hide behind Nico?" "Sister, turn it off. What are you doing?" "I''m recording our day." "We haven''t even gone to the beach yet." Kaylee got to her feet and red at her sister. "Roxy! Behind your back." "Ha?" The young Roxy turned around, and the camera automatically turned around and saw a teenage boy pointing the snake''s head at him, making the young Roxy jump backward. "Damn you! Why did you bring your sneaky ugly pet?" "Language, Roxy. Languages." warned the boy as he shook his head resignedly. "And it''s not ugly. She''s pretty." "The hell with mynguage! Put it down, or I will chop its head." "Her name is Rosaline." "What the heck? Why did you give it my name?" "Are you stupid? Your name is Roxanne, not Rosaline." "Put it down! Now!" "Are you sure? I guess why not?" the boy put his favorite red snake on the floor, and in an instant, it slithered towards the young Roxy, making the camera bearer scream and run. And that''s the end of this video session, making Roxy think back to the young boy. She remembered¡­ he had tricked the young man and provoked him to kill her years ago. Now¡­ how''s that guy doing? "Who is that boy?" Den''s question stirred Roxy''s thoughts. "He¡­ He was an old friend." "I don''t like him." "Yeah, me neither. But¡­ he''s a good boy. When I don''t have anyone I can trust, he''s the first person I look for after my mother." Den frowned in displeasure, making Roxy chuckle in delight. "And now I have you. You will be the first thing I will think of." "That''s more like it." Den lowered his head to seek her full lips and gave her a sweet and gentle kiss. Chapter 247 - Ch. 247 Bad News Britney was brewing hot tea, wondering when her two daughters would be home. Roxy had fled to Spainst year, and no one knew about it when the girl left. Now her youngest daughter has gone after her sister, and again¡­ no one knows. Doesn''t her husband have a member who can trace someone''s departure? Why is no one aware of the departure of her two daughters? More and more, she could not trust the safety of her daughters in this dangerous country. "This is all your fault." Britney med her husband for demanding too much of Roxy. "How so?" "If you don''t lock her up by force or get her married to Raffetto''s son, Roxy would never leave this ce in the first ce. If it happens to my daughter, my two daughters, I will hold you ountable." Hades III sighed in defeat, hearing his wife''s threat.. "Those two are also my daughters. They will be fine. Isn''t Pierre there?" "Like I will believe in his protection. You just can''t protect our daughter. How can anyone else?" "Britney," "When are we going to stop? Don''t you want to give up your position to Rothbert?" "Hhhh¡­ He doesn''t want to take my position. What do you want me to do?" Britney didn''t answer and was lost in her own thoughts. Not long after, they heard the phone ringing from their house. With quick steps, Britney picked up the receiver, hoping that her daughter was calling her. "Mama," "Kaylee! Have you met your sister? Are you girls all right?" "Mama, I''ve met Roxy, and we''re staying at Uncle Pierre''s. We''ll be home the day after tomorrow." "Really? You''re going home?" Britney''s face brightened, and she looked at her husband with a twinkle in her eye. Hades III shook his head at the sudden change in his wife''s mood. After receiving her youngest daughter''s call, Britney felt her heart was no longer cloudy and awaited the return of her two daughters. The eldest had been away for a year and only contacted her asionally, while the other had been away for almost two weeks. Nevertheless, Britney misses her two daughters very much, yet Roxy called her and told her a different notice. "What? Why are you the only one going home? This morning Kaylee said you two were going home." "She changed her mind, ma. She wanted to spend the rest of her vacation here. Plus, Barcelona is a fascinating city, and Kaylee wanted to stay here longer. I''ve lived here for a year, and this ce no longer charms me." "Roxy, don''t tell me this is your another prank." "Of course not, mama. I''ll be going home alone, and Kaylee will go home when she''s satisfied living here." "Why didn''t she tell me herself?" "Ma, you also know what Kaylee is like. She couldn''t voice her inner mind, let alone speak her heart. As soon as she hears that you want her toe home, she will definitelye back too. I know her very well, so that''s why I helped her talk." Britney took a deep breath before she agreed. "Okay, then. Your papa will pick you up directly at the airport. Please promise me you won''t leave without telling us after this. It almost gave me a heart attack." Roxy chuckled at her mother''s request. "I promise." Britney hung up herndline with a disappointed sigh. Well, at least she''ll meet Roxy soon. She had not seen her eldest daughter for a year because the naughty girl left without saying goodbye. "What did she say?" Hades III asked his wife, confused by Britney''s erratic mood swings. "She said she was going home alone, and Kaylee stayed." "What? No. They both must go home. I will call Pierre." "Darling, this is the first time Kaylee has wanted to vacation outside, and you also know she''ll be home as soon as she hears a word from you. Do you have the heart to take away your daughter''s entertainment? You forget what happens when you restrain your daughter too much?" "You spoil them too much." "I just want them to be happy before they enter real life. They''re still kids, and I want them to have the fun they crave." Britney knows being born as a child of Hades will not have an easy life. Hades should have been Rothbert''s father and then Rothbert. But... someone killed Rothbert''s father, and Rothbert himself didn''t want to be his sessor. As a result, everyone expected Roxy or Kaylee to be the leader of this organization. They expected Roxy and Kaylee topete with each other and be an invincible leader. For the Hades organization, there was no such thing as a woman or a man. The most important thing was their ability to lead and their shrewdness in managing all fierce ex-criminal members in the organization. After seeing the sisters'' growth over the years, everyone believed Kaylee was unsuitable to be a sessor to Hades because of her meek side and likes to hide in corners. No wonder all eyes were on Roxanne and hoped that the girl would be her father''s sessor. Although Roxanne was expected while Kaylee was not considered, Britney never looked down on her two daughters. Britney knew her two daughters were pretty different. One was like an angel who always brightened her day, while the other was like a little demoness that caused her headache. However, Britney loves them both and hopes that the girls could have the life they desire¡­ and not because Hades'' organization ensnares them. Is there no way to get Roxy out of this situation? She knew neither of her two daughters wanted to be Hades. While Britney was looking for a way to help her daughter out of Hades, she received terrible news through the news on television. ''Airline CE743 suffered engine failure, and the control center lostmunication. Right now, the ne is missing in¡­.'' "Wait a minute. Isn''t that¡­ Roxy''s ne?" Britney hoped she had misremembered the ne''s serial number, but¡­ the destination and the name of the ne¡­ were all the nes her eldest daughter was supposed to be on. "Wait a moment. I''ll check it out." her husband directly contacted his men to find out about the ne that had just disappeared from the radar. ''Please, not my baby daughter. Please not my little angel.'' prayed Britney inside her heart, but her tears went uncontroble when she heard her husband''s orders. "We''re leaving now. It''s Roxy''s." Chapter 248 - Ch. 248 Im Sorry From Roxy It was like she was at the bottom of the ocean without being able to swim up when he heard the terrible news. Britney felt unable to breathe, and the world around her seemed to stop rotating. "Britney? Britney!" her husband repeatedly called her to wake her from her reverie. "Our daughter will be fine. We''d better go first and find out what happened." Britney''s vision became even more blurry when she heard her husband''s desperate voice. Hades III did look cold and didn''t seem to care about the news of the ne crash, but Britney felt the tone of concern, and her husband''s hands trembled as he held hers. Roxy will be fine. Prayed Britney inside her heart. The child was endowed with great luck and loved by all. There was no way that child would leave this world so soon.. Roxy was a naughty and unruly child. She often made all adults had headaches seeing her misbehavior, but everyone still loves the child and hopes that she will be a sessor. "Conn, I leave everything here to you." Britney could hear her husband talking to his right-hand man, but her vision was now nk. Britney still couldn''t ept the fact that she would lose her eldest daughter. She hadn''t even met her daughter after a year of not seeing each other! ''Please, be safe wherever you are.'' Britney continued to pray in her heart and wish her daughter well. "Leave it to me," replied Conn in a firm tone. "I hope she''s okay. She has the god of fortune by her side." "I don''t believe in gods, but I hope she''s okay." Hades III nced at his wife, who was so pale she couldn''t speak. "Let''s go." The two immediately departed for a private runway and boarded their ne. Britney did not stop feeling restless during the flight, and her fingers did not stop clutching her shirt tightly. "Britney, calm down. Trust me. Our daughter will be fine." "No. As long as I haven''t seen her face, I won''t be able to calm down." Then she remembered her youngest daughter. "Kaylee, she''s okay, right? She didn''t get on the ne, so she should be fine, right?" "Yes. She''s still at Pierre''s." Britney nodded her head in relief, but not enough to relieve her nervousness. She had yet to meet Roxy and was constantly praying for the safety of her eldest daughter in her heart. Never once would she have thought that she mentioned the wrong name in her prayer. She should have mentioned Kaylee''s name in her prayers because the one on the ne was Kaylee and not Roxy. They arrived at the Spanish airport around four in the morning and headed straight for Pierre''s house. Pierre and his wife could not sleep all night while waiting for the arrival of his brother while coaxing his niece to eat. He knew he wouldn''t be able to persuade Roxy to eat, and he hoped that the arrival of his sister-inw would be enough to bring the child out of her misery. "Pierre, what exactly happened? How about Kaylee? Where is she?" "Kaylee? Actually¡­" Pierre forgot to tell his brother that it was Kaylee on the ne, and now he didn''t know how to answer his brother. And Britney immediately walked in without asking the host''s permission to look for her youngest daughter. Apart from wanting to make sure her youngest daughter was okay, she also wanted to ask why Kaylee had let Roxy go home alone. If Kaylee wanted to stay in Spain longer, she should have kept Roxy staying with her so that Roxy''s life wasn''t taken away by the ne crash. Britney had to open the bedroom doors one by one to find her daughter, and she finally found her after opening the fourth door. Her husband and brother-inw caught up with her because of their wider and faster pace. "Kaylee, are you okay?" Hades III immediately approached his youngest daughter with great sadness. He knew very well that Kaylee loved her sister very much and vice versa. If one of them got hurt or fell ill, the others would apany her sister in her room andfort her. Now hearing that Roxy had gone in the ne crash, she didn''t surprise why her youngest daughter had be sluggish andcked the will to live. However, there was something odd about his wife''s behavior. Britney didn''t budge from her spot and looked at their daughter probingly. The girl''s fingernails¡­ were long, and there were also red tick marks on some of her fingers. Besides¡­ this girl''s hair was unnaturally pitch ck as if she had just dyed her hair nonchntly. "Roxy? You are Roxy, right?" Britney could barely hide her joy at the fact that her eldest daughter was still alive. Her relentless prayers during the journey here havee true! "Roxy? What do you mean? Isn''t she Kaylee?" Hades III was confused by his wife''s calling toward their youngest daughter. Without answering his confusion, Britney dashed towards the lifeless-like girl who was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Britney brushed away her daughter''s hair and cupped Roxy''s cheeks with shaking hands. Her daughter was still alive¡­ which means¡­ both of her daughters were fine! "You are Roxy. If you are here, where''s your sister? Where''s Kaylee? Why does everyone here look sad?" Britney had new hopes and couldn''t wait for her daughter''s answer when Roxy raised her gaze. Britney was expecting good news, but the girl¡­ was crying instead? "I¡­ I''m sorry," her daughter''s voice was incredibly soft like a whisper, but Britney could still hear it. "I''m sorry," repeated her daughter, and without realizing it, her eyes became wet. "What do you mean you''re sorry? Where is she? Isn''t this all just your usual prank?" Roxy often tricked people around her and acted like she was gone. It made her almost have a heart attack at first, but now she was used to her prank. However¡­ she didn''t have the mood to get her usual prank, and it was not funny. "Darling, please tell me. Where is she? You said you were going home alone, and now you''re here. Doesn''t that mean Kaylee is still here too?" Britney became more and more agitated when she heard her daughter''s cries grow louder. Why¡­ Why is her daughter crying more and more? No matter how mischief her daughter or how masterful her acting talent is, Roxy never sheds a tear in the middle of her prank! Chapter 249 - Ch. 249 Im Sorry From Britney Britney could feel her husband holding her from behind to pull her away from her daughter. She could even hear her husband''s voice, but his words did not enter her brain. When she heard that Roxy''s ne had disappeared and it was possible that all the passengers would not survive, Britney felt herself being hit by a storm and her body being carried away by a whirlwind making her despair. But Britney still hoped that her eldest daughter was safe, and she had even prayed throughout her flight to this ce. A glimmer of hope appeared when she saw Roxy in this room, and she felt thrilled that her daughter was still alive. But why does everyone who lives in this house put on a long face? Why do they all look like people who are grieving? Britney''s feelings became uneasy, and she instantly questioned the whereabouts of her youngest daughter. Since she arrived at this house, Britney had not met Kaylee and like a ckout in the middle of the city, what Britney saw was darkness. "The truth is¡­ They switched ces and¡­ it was Kaylee on the ne. I''m sorry. I didn''t know the crash would happen. I failed you, brother." Britney couldn''t hear Pierre''s words once she heard her two daughters swap ces. "So¡­ the one on the ne is¡­ my Kaylee?" Britney was filled with deep sorrow, even more so than she heard the bad news about the Roxy ne that disappeared. "My poor baby was on that ne?? How? Why?" Britney was too blind by the lost that she did something she would regret all her whole life. "It''s you! IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU!!" No, it''s not. Britney knew it was not Roxy''s fault deep down in her heart. But right now, she needed someone to me. Before this, she felt miserable but wished that her eldest daughter was still alive. She had even prepared herself to stay strong so she couldfort Kaylee in case Roxy''s body wasn''t found. As soon as she saw Roxanne in this room, her hopes suddenly skyrocketed, and she believed her prayers had been answered. Her daughter is fine¡­ both daughters are alive and well. And yet¡­ apparently Kaylee is gone? Britney felt herself who had just flown high to celebrate something suddenly dropped into the bottomless abbys. Her entire nervous system became tense, and she could no longer think. "Britney! It''s not her fault," Britney could hear her husband and brother-inw''s voice, but she didn''t hear what they were saying. Instead, her current feelings were getting bigger and filled with anger. She marched back to her crying daughter and shook Roxy like she was a puppet doll. "Give me back my daughter to me, you evil girl! How could you do this to your sister!? Huh! Why? Tell me why?" Britney needed an answer¡­ No. What she needed right now was a bright spot in her dark sight. She never thought that losing her youngest daughter would make her fall into a dark hole, so she med everyone, including Roxy. "Britney, calm down." But she wouldn''t listen and kept going on letting her rage went rampage. "Because of you, I lost my daughter! Why do you have to teach her to switch ces? Huh?" She knew since childhood, Roxy had a naughty idea that could fool all adults. On the other hand, Kaylee was a sweet girl who almost never made adults mad at her. But¡­ sometimes, Roxy would teach her a thing or two to y a prank on the adults. Roxy was a bad influence for Kaylee and now she brought her to her doom. "I regret that I brought you into this world!" dered Britney without knowing her words killed her daughter''s feeble soul. Britney felt her body being pulled violently by someone and a pair of eyes filled with anger stared at her intently. "Britney! You''ve gone too far! Why did you say something like that? Do you realize you have gone mad?" "So, it''s my fault now? You me me? If she had never taught her switching ces, then my Kaylee would never have died!" "Then, do you expect Roxy to die?" Britney gasped in surprise at his question. "Did you expect Roxy who was on that ne and now she''sing home with just a name?" "I¡­ I¡­" "You are crazy if you think like that!" "Brother, Roxy is unconscious." stated Pierre when he realized that Roxy''s sobbing had stopped and the girl''s body didn''t move anymore. Instantly Britney and her husband turned to look at their daughter and they both panicked when they saw Roxy was lying unconscious on the floor. When Britney was about to touch her daughter, her husband pped her hand roughly. "Don''t touch her. You have no right to worry about her." this was the first time Hades was rude to his wife. Although Hades was known to be a cruel man and merciless toward anyone who made mistakes, Hades had never been rude or tried to dominate his wife. But this time¡­ Hades felt angry with his wife''s unreasonable attitude. Gently and caringly, Hades III picked up his daughter andid her on the bed. Pierre immediately checked his niece''s condition and breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that Roxy was only asleep. "She''s fine. She''s only sleeping." Britney, who heard it, also breathed a sigh of relief, but her tears started to flow non-stop. She didn''t want her two daughters to be harmed, and now she regretted it very much. Why did she lose control and put all the me on her poor daughter? The sound of her sobs being heard by her husband made Hades nce at her sarcastically. "Clear your head off, and then we''ll talk. I don''t want to talk to my daughter''s heartless mother." ''Heartless mother.'' That suited her, and it made her cry even more. ''I''m sorry. I''m sorry..'' Now she understood why her daughter kept saying the word because right now, she didn''t know what else to say to her daughter aside from ''I''m sorry''. Chapter 250 - Ch. 250 Roxys Guidance Star Roxy''s mental state worsened, leaving Pierre confused. The girl refused food and often pulled out the IV needle. Every time the girl woke up, she would scream hysterically when she saw someone in her room. Roxy acted as if she was trying to keep herself away from everyone who cared about her. She shut everyone out of her and shunned the world. "At this rate, she would lose her sanity. We need to bring her to the hospital," suggested Pierre which Hades immediately agreed. Unfortunately, even in the hospital, Roxy didn''t get better and hurt herself more and more. She broke the flower vase and scratched her wrist with the shards. Sometimes she would bang her head against the wall. Whatever she did, Pierre got the impression that the girl wanted to end her life. Finally, he decided to give her a sedative and anesthetic to put the girl to sleep. "How is her progress?" asked Hades III to his brother. Pierre shook his head and seemed hesitant to continue. "Say it." urged his brother impatiently. "She''s getting worse, brother. She refused to eat or meet people¡­ she always hit and screamed whenever the nurses or I attended her. It was like she didn''t want to get well. Her health is getting worse." Zouch knew very well because his daughter''s body had be thin as bones from not wanting to eat for the past few days. It had been almost two weeks since the death of his youngest daughter, but nothing had gone well. Conn urged him to return to Folnd as soon as possible because there was a minor rebellion from the inside, and also¡­ his wife also refused to eat because she was sorry for hurting their daughter''s heart. Britney tried to talk to Roxy to persuade her to eat, but as soon as Roxy saw her mother''s face, the child immediately screamed hysterically and kicked Britney out of her room. As a result, Pierre ordered no one to visit Roxy''s room and let the nurse tended to her. Sometimes, when Roxy was feeling weak, she wouldn''t care about strangers entering her room. On the other hand, once someone she knew entered her room, Roxy would push them away with all her might even though her body was fragile. Roxy didn''t want to see anyone she knew in this world. It doesn''t matter if it''s her father, mother, or uncle. She even hoped that the stranger who entered her room was a criminal who wanted to kill her. That''s why Roxy didn''t scream nor chase anyone she didn''t know. Until one night, when everyone was asleep, someone entered Roxy''s room. No one thought that the person was one of Hades'' confidants but instead intended to kill Roxy. "What? That boy wants to kill Roxy? Why? Hadn''t that kid sworn to protect Roxy? How about Roxy? Is she okay?" asked Britney in a hurry as soon as she heard this news. She had lost her youngest daughter, and she didn''t want to lose her other daughter. Britney had calmed herself down for the past two weeks and was embarrassed by her disgracing behavior. She shouldn''t have said vile words like ''I regret that I brought you into this world,'' to Roxy. The ne crash wasn''t the girl''s fault, and Kaylee''s death had absolutely nothing to do with Roxy. Britney hoped that her daughter would meet her and listen to her apology. She knew¡­ she didn''t deserve to be forgiven, but at least¡­ she didn''t want her daughter to be sad and hurt herself. "She is fine. We have to take her home. She''s safer protected in the Folnds." was her husband''s answer that made Britney frowned in displeasure. "Don''t you remember what happened when we took her to the airport?" They had tried to bring Roxy back to Folnd, but the girl was struggling in the car like a victim screaming for help. It was as if she was being kidnapped as soon as she realized where they were going. Pierre told them Roxy had an acute trauma and hated being at the airport, so they had no other choice but to take care of the girl in this country. Hades III had been out of the Folnd for too long, and his presence was desperately needed in his organization, but he didn''t want to leave his daughter alone. If Roxy''s physical and mental condition improved and the girl had a fighting spirit for life, maybe Hades could go home first. Maybe Britney could keep their daughter here a little longer for her recovery. Unfortunately, her daughter''s condition was getting worse, and it seemed that her daughter intended to follow her younger sister. If he were careless even a little bit, Roxy would really be gone, and he would lose his two daughters in a row. Thus, he didn''t want to leave his daughter here alone, not while that girl didn''t want to see her mother. "We have no other choice. We have to go back to the south¡­." "For what? To take care of your favorite organization? Wasn''t the ne crash intentional, and someone was after Roxy? What makes you think she''s safer if she goes back there?" "I have the power to protect her there, and I can send my men to find the culprit more loosely." "No. I don''t want to bring her back there." Britney insisted firmly, making Hades III look at his wife angrily. Just as Hades was about to speak, Pierre''s wife was interrupted and called out to Britney. "Britney, can youe with me for a bit? I have something for you." "I don''t need it." was her indifferent answer. "It''s about your daughter." Britney nced at her confusedly while Hades left because he didn''t want to talk to his wife anymore. Since his wife''s callous remarks towards their daughter, their rtionship has be disordered, and there was a crack in their marriage bond. Hades would never forgive his wife if his eldest daughter''s mental condition didn''t improve. If Britney hadn''t said that, Roxy wouldn''t be like this. They all know Roxy loved her mother dearly and always looks for her first whenever the child encounters a problem. For Roxy, her mother was her guidance star, and yet.... the heartless mother broke it. Chapter 251 - Ch. 251 Kaylees Diary (part 1) Britney''s mood was still deteriorating even though her husband had gone to see Pierre. She realized that her rtionship with her husband was no longer what it used to be. She knew her husband was furious from the first day they got here, and Britney didn''t know how to fix their bond¡­ not while their daughter''s condition worsened. "Come on, Britney." invited Anna, her brother-inw''s wife. With heavy and reluctant steps, Britney followed Anna into one of the rooms. "This is Kaylee''s room during her stay here," Anna said as she walked to the dressing table to get something. "I found this under her bed while cleaning this room. It looks like this was her diary." Britney looked at the book held by Anna with a heavy heart. She had never seen the book nor knew her daughter liked to keep a diary. Well, Kaylee liked to sit in the corner reading a book or writing something, but Britney had no idea her youngest daughter would write a diary. With trembling hands, Britney epted the book, and her breath hitched. She turned to the first page, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "This is indeed her handwriting," She couldn''t read her daughter''s writing clearly because her eyes were now filled with tears. Her sweet baby girl was no longer in this world, and Britney missed her badly. She wanted to hug her daughters¡­ not only Kaylee but also Roxanne, yet she pushed her eldest daughter away. And now¡­ Roxy shunned her and didn''t want to meet her. What should she do to make Roxy ovee her suffering? She knew that right now, Roxy and her husband were grieving because she also felt lost. But both of them hated her and didn''t let herfort them. "I don''t know what to do, Anna. It was out of hand, and I felt agony in my heart. My daughter and my husband¡­ It''s all my fault." Anna walked over to her and hugged her tightly while gently rubbing her back. "I''ve lost my daughter, and I don''t want to lose another one. But I hurted her, and now she''s hurting herself." continued Britney with a heartbreaking voice, causing her tears threatened to fall. "I should just die¡­." "Hush! You can''t talk like that." countered Anna gently. "Your husband needs you, not to mention Roxy. Both of them need you, and thus, you have to be strong." "But I''m not." "Yes, you are, Britney. Both of your husband and daughter couldn''t hold the bitter reality." "Neither could I." "At first, yes. But now you have ovee it, and you are ready to be their stronghold. They need you more than you know. I believe time will heal everything. Just give them some time." coaxed Anna as she let go of her arms. "I will give you some space, and if you need anything, feel free to let me know." "Thanks." Anna gave a gentle smile and walked out only to see her husband watched her with a grateful look. "You are getting better atforting my sister-inw." "I think I''m used to considering my sister in New York." "Is something happened to her?" "I heard her daughter had a minor ident. It was nothing, but my niece wouldn''t be able to walk for days." "What?" Anne only responded to her husband with a sad smile while ncing at the room where her brother-inw''s wife was. She wanted to go to America immediately tofort her sister, but she couldn''t possibly leave Britney alone. After all, her sister had many people to cheer her up, while Britney¡­ right now she was alone. "Only time like this, I''m grateful we don''t have children," muttered Anna without realizing it. "Why don''t you want to have children?" Pierre had always wanted to have children, but Anna always refused, and he didn''t force her either. "I know who you are. I don''t want to have the feeling my sister and sister-inw have. I''m not strong enough to handle that feeling." Pierre smiled sadly at her as if he felt guilty. "I''m sorry you married me." Anna walked to her husband to hug the man''s waist. "I don''t regret it. Marrying you is the best decision I''ve ever made." Pierre smiled a little and lowered his head to peck his wife''s lips. On the other hand, Britney sat on Kaylee''s bed and started reading the diary of her dead youngest daughter. ''13 March. Someone bothered me at school for the nth time, and my sister came to help me. Whenever I run into a problem, Roxy is always there to help me¡­ every time. I feel weak and a loser. I wish I were strong and brave enough, like papa. I wish I were born as a guy so that I would never hearparisons from people.'' ''12 April. What will happen if I train hard? Today is the first day of my training with Mr. Anach. He said I''m weak and not muscr. He even told me not toe to his training room again. Sometimes I felt like that scary man hated me. But, if I don''t train, how can I protect myself? How long can I keep relying on my sister?'' ''I decided I would be strong. All this time, Roxy had been protecting me and defending me. One day, I''ll be able to protect her instead.'' ''15 July. Today I managed to beat one of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu disciples, but as a result, my body was covered in bruises. When I got home, Roxy quickly took the ointment and massaged my body. Well, I didn''t tell her I took Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sses secretly, so she thought someone was attacking me.'' ''She even med herself for not being able to protect me when she herself was often injured when fighting with her friends. I wish I could convince her that whatever happened to me wasn''t her fault.'' ''21 August. For the umpteenth time, I heard theparison between us. Sometimes I also feel that my mother tters my sister. I feel like mama loves Roxy more than me. But¡­ how could she not? Everyone likes Roxy and prefers her to be theirpanion. Roxy was like sunshine that brought a smile to everyone''s face, while me¡­ I was like her shadow that following her around wherever she goes.'' Britney sped her lips with her still shaking hands, and without realizing it, tears started to drip down her daughter''s diary. Chapter 252 - Ch. 252 Kaylees Diary (part 2) Britney knew a lot of people made aparison between her two daughters. One was too wild and uncontroble, while the other was too quiet and docile. Her husband expected Roxy to be his sessor so that his requirements were more demanding and their eldest daughter''s space was tighter. No wonder Roxy felt Hades III loved Kaylee more than Roxy, but Britney has never had favoritism. She treated her two daughters fairly and got mad reasonably if both of them did something wrong. Britney didn''t understand why her youngest daughter thought she loved Roxy more than Kaylee. ''September 25th. I take back what I said that my mother was favoritism. My mother is the best mom I could ever have.'' Britney instantly wiped her tears and read the continuation of her daughter''s diary. ''Roxy poured her heart to me today. She said mama was picky and loved me more than her. That''s when I realized. Mama never had favoritism. It was our own ego that made us think both our parents were favoritism. In fact, they never are and would never be. Roxy was too uncontroble and loved to counter back every time papa told her something. On the other hand, I''m too quiet and prefer to be in the safest ce. I was a coward and didn''t dare to get out of my shell, so our parents had to guide us differently. ''Nevertheless, I know now they both love us equally. I already understand this, and I hope Roxy understands one day.'' ''October 4th. I did the most outrageous and stupidest thing in my life. For the first time, I¡­ I hurt my sister''s feelings. I shunned her and avoided her as if she was a bug. And now¡­ she''s leaving. Her departure made our family feel unhappy. Mama doesn''t want to eat, and papa rarelyes home to track down Roxy.'' ''I don''t get how she got out of this city without being tracked down, let alone leaving this country. I tried to call her, but she wouldn''t pick up. I texted her, but she never replied. I thought I was doomed, and it made my heart cried.'' ''December 25th. This is our first Christmas without Roxy. I wish she were here toplete our family dining. It felt like something was missing when I saw the empty chair and te on our dining table.'' ''February 5th. I can''t help but miss my sister. So I ventured out of my shell and sneaked out of the house to go to my sister''s regr hangout ce. And guess what? I found her friend who helped her get out of this ce without being traced. So I also asked for his help to catch up with my sister. But¡­ he gave me an unexpected condition.'' Condition? What conditions? Britney searched for the continuation but found no clues about the terms in question. And all of a sudden, her youngest daughter''s diary jumped the day Kaylee left. ''10 June. This is it! Finally, I arrived in Spain and met my sister. At first, I was afraid that Roxy wouldn''t want to see me. But when we met face to face, she let me hug her. I feel all the weights in my heart being lifted, and I''ve never felt so light before.'' ''12 June. I took one of my sister''s sketches by ident, and guess what I saw? A very handsome and charismatic man.'' Britney took a piece of paper folded neatly in the middle of the page and opened it. There she did see a picture of a handsome man holding a ss with his gaze resting on the drink. Roxy was indeed a multi-talented child. She could y the piano so well, and she could draw so beautifully. But¡­ who is this guy? Is this Roxy''s imaginary man? ''I was curious about this man, and what was even more surprising was that Roxy drew a dozen of these faces. I wonder if Roxy knows this guy. Who is this man? Howe she never told me before? She never even told anyone about this man. I doubt our mama even knows about it.'' Britney''s brow furrowed in confusion, reading her daughter''s writing. Roxy drew the same dozen of the same man in her sketchbook? That means¡­ this drawing wasn''t Roxy''s imaginary man! Britney got to her feet and walked out, looking for her sister-inw''s wife at a brisk pace. "Anna. Anna!" "I''m here, Britney. What''s wrong?" Anna emerged from the kitchen worriedly at Britney''s hasty voice. "The sketchbook. Do you know where Roxy''s sketchbook is?" "It''s in her room. Why?" "Without answering Anna''s question, Britney immediately turned around to head to Roxy''s room. She directly looked for a sketchbook belonging to her eldest daughter, and as soon as she found it, she immediately opened it. And it turned out to be true. Her eldest daughter''s sketchbook was filled with the same faces but with different poses. Some were facing her, and some were facing the side. But the most stunning picture was when the man looked at her with a gentle gaze and a charming smile. Who is this man? Why is Roxy drawing the same guy''s face over and over again? "Oh, my. What a handsome guy. Who is he?" "I¡­ I don''t know." Britney wanted to find out and ask Roxy, but¡­ with Roxy''s current condition¡­ it seemed impossible. "I want to meet my daughter." "I heard she hasn''t woken up yet. I think you can see her for a second. I''ll take the car, then we''ll go to the hospital." Britney nodded slowly with a look that couldn''t be shifted from the image of a man''s face smiling at her. This young man¡­ must be someone who means a lot to her eldest daughter. Arriving at the hospital, Britney marched to her daughter''s room and slowly opened the door. Usually, when her daughter woke up and saw her face, Roxy would scream or do extreme things like breaking a vase and hurting her wrist with the shards. Fortunately, Roxy was sleeping at this time, and Britney could see her daughter''s face, whom she missed so much. Her heart cringed at how skinny her daughter was and the dark circles under her eyes. Britney held her daughter''s thin hand very gently as if she was afraid she would hurt her daughter. She held Roxy''s hand to her cheek while crying. "I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry, my baby." For hours Britney apologized tearfully, but her heartless daughter turned deaf on her and death to the world. Never did she expected that leaving her youngest daughter''s diary on Roxy''s side would change everything. Chapter 253 - Ch 253 Good And Bad News One of the nurses at Zouch hospital entered the room to check on Roxy''s condition ording to her routine. But she didn''t expect that Roxy had opened her eyes and was looking at her with interest. This was the first time this happened, so she greeted the girl hoping to get a response. "Good morning. How are you feeling?" "Starving." The nurse blinked a few times and then smiled widely. "What do you want to eat? We have porridge, soup, and¡­." "I''m craving fish soup. Do you have that?" "Yes, we have that. Wait a moment, I will call the doctor and get your soup." the nurse dashed in lightning speed to get the doctor, leaving the baffled Roxy. Doctor? Why does she need a doctor? The confused girl''s eyes shifted around her, and she realized she was in a hospital room. Not long after, the doctor came in and checked the girl''s condition with various questions, but Roxy mainly chose to remain silent. "I heard you''re craving fish soup. I guess you have an appetite now." "..." Roxy didn''t answer and just stared at the doctor in confusion. She nced in all directions as if looking for someone''s figure but sighed in disappointment when she couldn''t find it. "What is it, dear? What are you looking for?" "Where is my family? Where is my mother?" For a moment, the doctor gasped in confusion. He turned to the nurse before returning his gaze toward the girl. "Do you want to meet your family?" Roxy''s brows furrowed in displeasure. She felt this doctor did not want her to meet her family. "Who are you? Where is this?" "Get doctor Zouch here." ordered the doctor to one of the nurses. Doctor Zouch? Does he mean Uncle Pierre? Is Uncle Pierre here? But she thought Uncle Pierre was in Spain. After waiting for a few minutes, the door to her room opened again, and her uncle entered in a hurry but approached her slowly. Roxy smiled beamingly when she saw one of the people she knew. At first, Roxy was worried because unfamiliar faces surrounded her, and it scared her a little. However, upon seeing her uncle''s face, Roxy felt immense relief and smiled broadly as she greeted her uncle. "Uncle Pierre! It''s been a while. What are you doing here?" "..." Pierre turned to his partner with a question mark only to find the answer shaking his head from his partner. "I work here, Roxy. Of course, I''m here." "You work here? But I think you''re in Spain." "¡­" "But¡­ why did you call me Roxy?" "..." Pierre sensed that something was wrong. Her drastic change as well as her appetite¡­ Of course, Pierre was happy that Roxy''s mental state was recovering and improving, but¡­ something wasn''t right. "Then¡­ what should I call you?" asked Pierre cautiously. "I''m Kaylee." "..." At that moment, Pierre felt something pierce his heart when he heard his niece''s answer. "Aren''t I?" Pierre shifted his eyes to calm himself and his eyes caught something on the floor. He walked over to pick up a book, and his eyes darkened when he realized it was Kaylee''s diary. "Is this yours¡­ Kaylee?" "No. I''ve never seen it before," answered Roxy¡­ Kaylee without hesitation. Pierre bent over to give his niece a warm hug. "It''s okay. From now on, all your suffering is over." The girl frowned in confusion and looked at the other doctors and nurses looking at her with sympathy. What happened? "Uncle," "Yeah?" "What happened to me?" "You''ve been unconscious for a while. That''s why you are a skinner now. Don''t you realize it?" "Yeah, now you mention it. My head is a little dizzy, and I feel no strength in my muscle. And that too¡­." Growl!! Kaylee''s face turned to beat red while clutching her stomach. Her adorable gesture invited a chuckle from her uncle. "I''ll get the meal for you. And do you want some pancakes?" "Oh, you do know I love pancakes." "I''ll let your parents know." "Do they still love me?" asked Kaylee in a dejecting tone. "Of course they do. Why do you think otherwise?" "Then¡­ why aren''t they here? Why aren''t they the first ones I see when I wake up?" Pierre''s gaze softened at the disappointment in his niece''s voice. Oh, how he wished the girl knew that her parents came to visit her every day. But the girl refused to meet anyone. "Theye to attend you every day, Ro¡­ Kaylee. They couldn''t even sleep, so I forced them to go home because I was already here to take care of you. Don''t misunderstand them, okay?" "Okay," replied Kaylee in a lighter mood. Pierre ordered his employees to buy pancakes and increase the portion of Roxy''s meal so that the girl could increase her energy. He returned home to inform his brother about the progress of Roxy''s condition. "There is a good news and bad news for you. The good news is that Roxy has woken up and is currently eating her favorite fish soup." "She did?" there was hope in Britney''s voice. "She did, sister-inw. She even finished two servings of fish soup and three pancakes. Her appetite returned to normal. I think after a few days, she will be able to return home." "This is really great news!" cried Britney while shedding tears of excitement. Hades III also breathed a sigh of relief at this good news, but his smile disappeared as he remembered his brother''s words. "Then what''s the bad news?" Pierre took a deep breath before saying, "Roxy believes she was Kaylee. I think¡­ she created a fortress and decided to be her sister after reading this." Pierre gave a book to his brother, but Britney took it and looked at Pierre with a look demanding an answer. "What do you mean?" "Her behavior, thinking and also¡­ her taste¡­ are all like Kaylee. The psychiatrist has also checked her and asked her several questions, like how old she is, her date of birth¡­ all the answers she gave were things that Kaylee should have answered." An eerie silence surrounded them for a moment. "Brother, Roxanne isn''t around at the moment.. It''s like we have Kaylee with Roxy''s face." Chapter 254 - Ch. 254 The Face Is Roxy, But The Personality Is Kaylee Kaylee in Roxanne''s body? Does this make sense? Roxy and Kaylee are different souls. The two have contrasting characters. Britney knew Kaylee was gone, and nothing could bring her youngest daughter back to her. Britney had epted this reality and prayed for the recovery of her eldest daughter, who every day tried to find a way tomit suicide. She didn''t want to lose her two daughters in a row. Britney wished Roxy would recover so she could apologize and hear her voice again. She hoped that Roxy would forgive her and return to her usual cheery demeanor. It didn''t matter if Roxy wanted to explore this world ording to her dreams. It didn''t matter that Roxy didn''t want to be Hades'' sessor. Britney never wanted her two daughters to remain in the organization, anyway. As long as Roxy is willing to listen to her, as long as Roxy''s health improves, Britney is willing to ept any punishment. But¡­ not this kind of punishment. Britney had just epted the fact that Kaylee was gone forever, and now she had to face Roxy''s sudden new condition? Britney still couldn''t believe it and hoped that Pierre had lied to her. She walked into Roxy''s room with her husband slowly. She wished Roxy didn''t kick her out like she used to, but Britney didn''t want to see Roxy as Kaylee. "Mom, Dad!" Mom? Dad? That''s not how Roxy or Kaylee called them. Nevertheless, Britney saw her daughter sitting on the bed with a big smile and open arms. Her eyes shone like a child who was rejoicing at getting a new toy. The Roxy in front of her was not a naughty, wild, or uncontroble Roxy. The Roxy in front of her was just like¡­ Kaylee. Britney was still frozen there while her husband ran over to their daughter to hug her tightly. The older man''s body was monstrous, and his embrace was too tight for Roxy''s petite figure. "Ugh! Dad! I can''t¡­ breath¡­." Hades III immediately let go of his arms. "I''m sorry. Are you alright?" Roxy gave a cute giggle when answering her father. "I''m fine, dad. Why are you looking sad? Why is everyone here looking so sad?" Hades III instantly changed his expression. "I''m not sad. It doesn''t matter anymore as long as you''re alive. You are still my daughter." Hades III hugged his daughter back, but this time more gently. Roxy closed her eyes, enjoying her father''s warm embrace. She always feltfortable and protected in her father''s arms. Britney felt like something pierced her heart, seeing the interaction of her husband and daughter. ''You are still my daughter.'' it was her husband''s deration. Yes. It didn''t matter if it was Kaylee or Roxy in front of her. That girl was her daughter. Britney walked over slowly, and tears welled up in her eyes as her husband stretched out his arms towards her. Once Britney was within his reach, Hades pulled her closer, and the trio embraced each other with their daughter in their arms. "Why are you crying, mommy? Are you feeling sad?" "No, dear. I''m so happy." "So it''s happy tears?" "Yes, it''s happy tears." Britney kissed the top of her daughter''s head in gratitude because she was finally able to hug her daughter back. *** "I think it''s time to go back home." "No." denied Britney emphatically. "We would not go back to Folnd." "But we can''t stay here any longer." insisted Hades III. "I''m sorry, brother. May I suggest something if you don''t mind?" interrupted Pierre smoothly. "What?" "I think sister-inw is right. You guys can''t go back to Folnd Ind. We still haven''t found the ne hijacker and whoever thinks Roxy is dead. Right now, Roxy''s condition doesn''t allow her to return while she thinks of herself as Kaylee." "He''s right. Going back to Folnd won''t make it any safer than this ce." Britney agreed. "But staying here is no longer safe. We don''t know if there are spies or someone would recognize Roxy''s face. I can make my workers shut up, but there''s no way Roxy would stay in the hospital forever." added Pierre. "Then what''s your suggestion?" "You''d better stay in a different ce. Yet better again, not in South America." Britney and her husband looked at each other. "How about north?" suggested Britney. "I think I still have an unused house in New York thanks to my father''s inheritance." "You mean that tiny house in Brooklyn? I thought you''ve sold it." "I did, but¡­ I didn''t. I decided not to sell it." "It''s better to ask Roxy¡­ I mean¡­ Kaylee. She is the one who needs a good environment for her mental health." "¡­" Should they start to call her daughter Kaylee now? But¡­ it''s not her name. "Yes, we should." and thus, they went to Kaylee''s room and asked about her opinion. Kaylee was confused and believed that she had amnesia, so that she didn''t remember she went to Spain. Neither did she remember where she lived, but she still recognized her family member and her childhood friends. "I can choose where we would live?" although confused by her parents'' decision, Britney could detect an excited tone in her daughter''s voice. "Yes, dear. Where do you want to live? You can also choose where you want to go to school." "Then¡­ New York city! I want to be a pianist and study at M university." "¡­" "¡­" Both Hades and Britney fell silent hearing this. Roxy is indeed a pianist, but her dream was not to be a professional one. Bing a pianist and studying at M university was Kaylee''s dream. Their daughter''s face is Roxy, but her personality is Kaylee. Will they never see Roxy again? "New York it is. I will retire from my position as you wish." Britney was surprised to hear her husband''s deration. "Are you sure?" "The north never wee Hades''s presence. If we decide to live and be citizens there, I have to cut ties with the organization." "Darling," "It''s okay. I''m just like you. I want to have a normal family life." Kaylee had no idea what her parents were talking about, and she didn''t care.. What was on her mind right now was imagining her life in the city of her dreams. Chapter 255 - Ch. 255 Multiple Personalities Mr. Zouch and his family have been living in New York for two years. As Kaylee wanted, Mr. Zouch established her in a music academy before finally getting into M university. Fortunately, Mr. Zouch had contacted Rothbert and asked him to use the young man''s connections to be a lecturer at the campus. He felt more at peace if there was someone to look after his daughter on campus. Hades knew Kaylee wouldn''t feelfortable, knowing a bodyguard was guarding her for a total of twenty-four hours. Even though her current personality was Kaylee, she had a rebellious nature from birth. Mr. Zouch didn''t want to risk making his daughter want to rebel and run away to leave his wing. That''s why he gave freedom to his daughter. Kaylee was free to choose the study field she liked and choose the career she wanted. Britney and her husband have made it a habit to call their daughter ''Kaylee'' even though their daughter''s name was Roxanne. They get used to it, but sometimes they miss her mischievous nature and their wild daughter''s spirit. One night, Britney couldn''t sleep and decided to drink alone in the pantry. She was about to take a sip of her drink when she heard a voice from outside. Thinking that an intruder had entered, Britney took a knife and walked soundlessly out of the kitchen. She saw a human figure there strolling down the stairs and then walking towards the exit door. Looking at the figure and the height, isn''t that figure her daughter? Why is her daughter out at this time of night? Feeling worried for her daughter, Britney quickly took her coat and followed her daughter from behind. She kept a great distance because the streets were deserted. If her daughter looked back, the girl immediately knew that someone was following her. They walked on until they entered the youth hangout area, which opened until three in the morning. It''s not too quiet there because many young peoplee to drink, hang out, or karaoke until they don''t have much energy left. This made Britney confused and puzzled. If Roxy''s personality were that of Kaylee, her daughter would never havee to this ce. Nevertheless, Britney followed quietly and sat some distance away as her daughter sat down at one of the round tables belonging to a bar. This table was in an open field with a broad canopy and heatingmp. Visitors didn''t have to worry about the chill because arge heatingmp was above their heads. Britney sat quietly and watched what her daughter was doing. Her eyes widened as a waitress delivered an alcoholic drink to her daughter. That''s not Kaylee! Kaylee never drank beer, even though someone offered her. On the other hand, Roxy would secretly steal beer from the fridge even though she wasn''t old enough. Is¡­ that girl Roxy? Britney wanted to get up and approach her daughter, but¡­ her heart was too cowardly to ept her daughter''s harsh treatment, who still seemed to hate her. "Roxy!" Britney widened her eyes in surprise when she saw Gwendy¡­ Wendy came up to her daughter and casually called her daughter Roxy?? "Have you adapted to this city?" "I''m the expert at this thing. I adapt well. But really. The house makes me sick." "Why?" "I don''t know. It''s difficult to breathe there." "So you always reach to me whenever you show up. I wonder why you show up at night rather than during the day. Wouldn''t it be nice if you woke up during the day?" "..." Roxy didn''t answer as she raised her head to stare nkly at the heatingmp. "The dark suit me well. I preferred toe at night." Hearing her daughter''s pessimistic answer made Britney''s heart wince. Did her daughter be like this because of her? "Aren''t you going to tell your parents?" "About what?" "About you having multiple personalities." Britney covered her mouth with one hand hearing the words of her daughter''s childhood friend. Roxy has multiple personalities? "Once they know, I would never show up. I preferred to be like this. My parents got the daughter they wanted, and I received my punishment by living in the darkness." "Roxy," "Let''s talk about something else." interrupted Roxy while gulping down her drink. Britney got to her feet and turned to walk home with tears in her eyes. Now everything makes sense. Her daughter woke up one morning with apletely different change of character. The child never argued and was quieter, although sometimes Kaylee brought joy to the house. But there were times when Kaylee had a headache when she woke up and craved a fish soup that Roxy liked. Roxy always ate that soup whenever she was sick or drunk, even though the girl was not that fancy toward the dish. At certain times, Roxy preferred to eat steak or pasta. As for Kaylee¡­ that kid preferred sds and other vegetables. The girl hated fish soup and would feel sick every time she smelled it. Even though her personality has changed, but sometimes her craving that only Roxy has would appear when she woke up in the morning. Kaylee couldn''t draw, and ever since Roxy turned into Kaylee, the girl never touched her sketchbook and her hands looked stiff when she tried to draw something. But sometimes, the drawings on the pages of her sketchbook would add up subtly. Sometimes the girl would turn out to be like Kaylee, other times like Roxy. Britney and her husband were very confused by the erratic changes of their daughter. And now she gets it. Roxy¡­ has created her alter ego, who has the same personality as Kaylee. That''s why the girl thought of herself as Kaylee and only remembered the good things she wanted to remember. What Pierre said was true. Roxy built a defensive wall to hide in and created something where only beautiful and good things were in the picture. ''Kaylee'' was a girl filled with joy and peace while all darkness and gloom umted on Roxy. Chapter 256 - Ch. 256 Meet An Old Girlfriend Whenever Kaylee went to college and her husband went to work, Britney felt lonely alone in the house. But when Kaylee returned home, Mr. Zouch would alsoe home and y a good father and a good husband in front of Kaylee. But Britney knew her bond with her husband was no longer the same, and there was an invisible gulf between them. Over the past two years, Britney has gotten used to living in her house with only her servants apanied. All her needs were sufficed, and Mr. Zouch didn''t hate her, though he didn''t approach her the way he used to anymore. When her husband and daughter were not at home, Britney would cook or look at the photo albums of her two daughters hidden in the warehouse. Or once in a while, she would go shopping to relieve her stress because she feels alone. Her husband and daughter lived in the same house as her, but there was never a moment when Britney didn''t feel lonely. Now, Britney has been daydreaming since she found out that her daughter had multiple personalities. The fact that Roxy didn''t lose her memory but created another individual from within her shocked Britney so much that she was speechless. Even when Kaylee and her husband had returned home, Britney remained daydreaming as if she had isted herself. She didn''t have the mood to cook or shop. All she did was sit on the back porch staring nkly at the sky. "Dad, what''s wrong with mom?" asked Kaylee curiously. "I heard she''s been like that all day." Mr. Zouch sighed hearing that as he nced at his wife, who was still sitting pensively behind the terrace. Usually, his wife would greet him when he or Kaylee came home. But the woman didn''t do it today and sat in the back of the house. "I''ll talk to her. Go get changed." "Change? Are we going somewhere?" "How about we go to the cinema and watch some movie?" "I''d love that!" agreed Kaylee excitedly and dashed toward her room to get dressed. Mr. Zouch walked over to his wife and gently stroked the back of her head. "What are you thinking?" Britney turned to her husband in disbelief. "Did you just¡­ stroke me?" "I did. What''s so strange?" "This¡­ was the first you touched me in two years." Mr. Zouch''s eyes softened seeing his wife''s teary eyes. He crouched down and sped his wife''s hand with both hands. "I know I have been ignoring you for the past two years. The truth is, it hurts my heart to see you depressed, but¡­ I can''t forget that day¡­ when you¡­." "I understand. I''m sorry." "No. I''m sorry. I should have listened to you a long time ago and left the organization. If I do, we won''t lose our daughters. So, I''m sorry." Britney shook her head, and their foreheads connected, not realizing their daughter was watching them with a stifled smile. "Kaylee, how long have you been here?" Mr. Zouch was the first to notice his daughter''s presence because Kaylee could barely contain her giggles. "Are you guys fighting or something? Why do I feel like you guys are making up?" Mr. Zouch and his wife looked at each other before they both burst outughing. Britney noticed her daughter was dressed up as if she was going somewhere. "Are you going somewhere, dear?" "Aren''t we going to the cinema?" "Cinema?" Britney turned to her husband, who was now grinning widely. "Yup. We''re going to go tonight. You''reing?" "You know I am." with enthusiastic steps, Britney rose to her feet and hurried to change clothes. Since then, the invisible gulf between Britney and her husband has shrunk until it disappeared without a trace. Britney once again felt the family united even though there was a hole deep down in her heart. Nevertheless, Britney could smile again as time went on and was relentless to pray for her daughter''sing back. She knew Roxy would never want toe back, but Britney hoped her daughter would. It didn''t matter if Roxy would hate her or stay away from her¡­ the only thing Britney wanted was for Roxy to be herself and live happily. Unfortunately, even after more than five years on and Kaylee decided to live in her own apartment, Britney couldn''t find a way to bring Roxy back. Until one day¡­ "Britney?" Britney was at the shopping mall to buy new clothes for her husband and daughter when someone called her. She turned towards the source of the voice. Her brow furrowed in confusion because she didn''t recognize the woman who was now walking towards her. "I knew it was you. It''s been a while, isn''t it? How are you?" Britney was still trying to dig through her memory to recall something about this woman, but she found nothing. "I''m fine, thanks. But, I''m sorry. You are?" "It''s me. Helena. How could you forget me?" teased the woman. "Helena? Helena Lopez?? Helena giggled happily because her old school friend remembered her. "It''s Helena ck now. I''m married. You?" "That''s great, and yeah, me too. I''m married." "I didn''t know you were back in New York. I thought you moved out of town or something as soon as you graduated from college." "Yeah. I think I missed my hometown." "And you never think to reach me back. What an unfaithful girlfriend you are." Britneyughed hearing that and took Helena''s arm in a cheery mood. "We are no longer girls¡­ girlfriend. Would you like to apany me shopping?" "Of course I do." Helena followed Britney wherever she went, and the two entered a women''s clothing store. "What do you think of this dress?" asked Britney for her friend''s opinion. "It''s beautiful, but aren''t you too old for that kind of dress." "Oh, please. It''s for my daughter." "You have a daughter?" "Yeah?" for some reason, Britney heard an enthusiastic voice at her best friend. "How old is she?" "She''s 24. Why?" "I have a son, and he''s still single. What if we pair up our kids?" Britney nced at her friend and gave a forced smile. "I don''t know. I prefer to let my daughter choose her partner." "Oh, so does she have a boyfriend now?" "No, not yet. But¡­" "Then, it''s perfect. I can assure you my son is handsome and a good man. We can be inws as we dreamed when we were kids." Britney and Helena once had a dream to marry their two children when they grew up. But it was no longer Britney''s dream. Britney didn''t want Kaylee to run away a second time, considering Roxy had run away once when she heard about her arranged marriage with Ezzo Raffetto. Chapter 257 - Ch. 257 Helenas Son Helena Lopez¡­ Helena ck was a cheerful and talkative person, just like her. That''s why they were prettypatible with each other and have been best friends since childhood. They went to the same school, and they lived next door! Unfortunately, after graduating from high school, they separated because Lopez sent Helena to study abroad. Britney stayed in New York and studied there until she met Bossley Zouch. In the end, when Helena returned to New York, she couldn''t meet Britney because her best friend had gone to South America and settled there. Since then, they never reached out to each other because Britney was not allowed to contact anyone in the North¡­until now. "I didn''t expect you to drop out of college because you wanted to get married. Why are you in such a hurry?" "Well, I think I was young and naive. But I don''t regret it." because she had two amazing little angels. But¡­ Without realizing it, Britney''s eyes became sad. The only thing she regretted the most was saying those heartless words. ''I regret that I brought you into this world!'' Until now, Britney still couldn''t forget her thoughtless words as if he was the one who was hurt. "Brit?" "Hmm?" Britney was awakened from her thoughts when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder, and her friend''s voice sounded so gentle. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I''m fine." "Are you sure? If your husband acts violently, you can let me know. My husband has a legal acquaintance who will punish your husband." was Helena''s conclusion about her unhappy friend''s situation. "What? No." Britneyughed lightly, realizing her best friend had misunderstood her. "My husband has never been violent with me. On the other hand, he was very good to me. I feel like I''m the one who doesn''t deserve to be with him." not only was she not a good wife, but she wasn''t a good mother either. "Why do you think like that? Who is your husband? It''s not like he''s a president in this state." "He''s not a president, but he''s my dream man." "A¡­ Is he handsome? I remember you have very high requirements towards your future husband." "He is." "I bet your daughter is beautiful, too." "Of course, she is." "Oh, my. This is the first time I heard you praised another girl''s beauty." Helena remembered that Britney rarelyplimented a girl no matter how beautiful she was. "Not other girls. She is my daughter." "I know, I know. I''d like to meet her sometimes." "Hm¡­ How about today? Would you like to visit my house?" Britney remembers Kaylee would go home today, ording to her routine schedule. "Really? You know I''d love to." The two friends giggled, and after paying for Kaylee''s new dress, they both headed off to Zouch''s house. When they arrived in front of the house, Britney realized that the car that Kaylee used to work was parked there. "Oh, she came home earlier than usual." "Who?" "Kaylee, my daughter." "So her name is Kaylee? It''s a beautiful name." Britney only smiled when she heard the words of praise from her friend. They got out of the car, and Britney ushered her best friend inside. "Mom, do you know where Chopin''s music book is? Oh, hello. I''m sorry, I don''t know we have a guest." Kaylee immediately became polite and smiled kindly at her mother''s guest. "Hi, sweetheart. How charming you are." Kaylee blushed and nced shyly at her mother. "Kaylee, this is my school friend, Helena. And Helena, she is my lovely daughter, Kaylee." "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Helena." "Pleasure is all mine, darling." "Uhm¡­ Mom, do you know the book?" "Didn''t you store in the piano chair?" "I did, but I couldn''t find it." "Your room?" "No." "How about your studio room?" "I''ve checked it twice." "Hm¡­ Let me think. I think I saw a stray book in my car." "Oh, that''s right. That time I borrowed your car." Kaylee dashed toward her mother. "The key, please." Kaylee smiled broadly as she stretched her palms towards her mother as if asking for something. "Here. Are you going again?" "I''ll be back at five. Love you, mom." Kaylee gave a quick peck at her cheek before running off to get her book and then rushed to meet Wendy. "She''s so cute." "I''m sorry. She''s not like this at usual times. I think she''s in a rush." "Did she work at weekends too?" "Yes. Sometimes the clients want to see her on the weekends. But she alwayses home every weekend." "She lives independently?" "Ever since she built her studio building, she wanted to live alone. She said her apartment was very close to her studio." "She is an amazing girl. You''re lucky to have her." "I do." Britney sighed sadly but quickly changed her expression to a cheerful one. "So, a cup of tea?" "Lovely." The two of them enjoyed tea together and talked to each other about many things. One of them was Helena''s only son, whom she was very proud of. "Wait a minute. Wasn''t it me who got married first, but why is your son over thirty?" "Ah, that''s a long story. But I can ensure you Den is the most obedient and loveable son." Somehow, Britney felt Helena was reluctant to tell more about her son. "Here, I''ll show you his face." Helena took out her phone and showed Britney her photo gallery. "Is this your husband?" "Yup. Isn''t he a hotty?" Britenyughed aloud, hearing her best friend still hasn''t changed in describing a man''s handsomeness. "And this is my son." Britney smiled gently when she saw her best friend hugging a boy lovingly. She also wanted to have a son, but she was blessed with two daughters. Britney still looks at many photos of her best friend''s son from around the age of seven to his teens. She could see that Helena loved Den very much, but she wondered why there was no photo of Den when the boy was still an infant? Could it be that Den¡­ Before she could finish her thoughts, her eyes were fixed on the adult version of Den. Why did she feel she had met this man before? Chapter 258 - Ch. 258 Declan Is The Key "This¡­ This is your son?" asked Britney as she tried to dig up her memory. She was pretty sure she''d seen Den''s face somewhere, but she couldn''t remember it. "Yes. I told you, right. He is handsome. I''m sure Den and Kaylee will make a great couple." Britney did not respond to her friend''s words, but her eyes continued to look at Den''s face, who was hugging Helena with a gentle smile. The longer Britney looked at Den''s photo, the more confident she became that she had seen this face. But where? Where had she seen him? Britney was sure she had never met Den, but why did she feel like she had? "What does he do?" "He''s a founder and director of Oscar Security. But he also teaches at M University as a piano teacher. You know I like listening to music, so I took him piano lessons when he was little. Who would have thought that he liked to y it so much until now." Piano? Has Britney ever seen Den ying the piano somewhere? That''s also impossible. Instead of listening to other people y the piano, Britney preferred to listen to her daughter ying it. "He is handsome but, I don''t want to force them." Helena sighed at that. "You''re right. We can''t force them. The truth is, I''ve tried to force Den to attend a blind date with a few girls, but none worked out. I''m afraid he has a disorder." "Disorder." "You know, if your son has above average good looks, you will worry about the percentage of chances he has different preferences." "What? Why do you think so? You''re overthinking it." "Yeah, I hope so." The two continued their conversation. Although Britney seemed engrossed in talking with Helena, her mind kept drifting towards a question. Where had she seen Den? That day, the Zouch family weed Helena ck with open arms, and they all enjoyed dinner together. Kaylee was very polite and would asionally put on a cute pout when her father teased her. Seeing the temperament and adorable nature of Kaylee made Helena fall in love even more. But she refrained from appreciating Britney, who did not want to pair up their two children. As soon as Helena returned home, she told her husband everything, including her wish to set Den to her best friend''s daughter. "Wait. What did you say? The Zouch?" "Yes." "Do you mean the Zouch that owned hundreds of banks around the world?" "Hm-hm. Isn''t the background great?" "No. Although it''s remarkable, we don''t want to join his circle," said Mr. Old ck firmly. "Why?" "Darling, you can pair up Den with all the girls you want, but not the Zouch." "But what if Den likes her?" "How can you be sure he''ll like her?" "She''s beautiful¡­ and cute." "There are a lot of other pretty girls, and none of them attract him." "She''s innocent. Den doesn''t look like one, but he has a soft heart. He will like her." "Alright. If he does like the youngdy Zouch, I''ll let him be. But don''t force him to marry her." "I won''t." After all, this matchmaking does not necessarily end in marriage. She only needed to assemble her son and her friend''s daughter once. On the other hand, Britney couldn''t sleep because she was thinking about her friend''s son. It''s not like she''s cheating on her husband. Yes, Den was a handsome young man, but it was because of something else. Britney closed her eyes to try to sleep, but her mind drifted back to eight years ago where Roxy contacted her when she had only arrived in Spain a few days. "Mama, when will papa stop chasing me?" "Thene home, Roxy. Your papa is worried about you." "I don''t want to get married." "I''ve reassured him, and he won''t be discussing marriage again once you get home." "He won''t?" "Have I ever lied to you?" There was a squeakyugh from the other side. "But I like it here. And you know, ma¡­ I met someone." "Who?" "Just someone. I don''t know his name." "His name? So it''s a guy. Roxy, you do know that every guy¡­." "I know, I know. He''s a good guy. I can feel it. Oops. Uncle found me. Gotta go now. Love you, ma." "Wait, Roxy." Britney opened her eyes again as she recalled her conversation with her eldest daughter at that time. Roxy met a guy¡­ and¡­ Didn''t Roxy draw a man''s face in her sketchbook? Is it possible¡­ Britney opened the nket without knowing the loud pounding woke her husband. Regardless of the sound of her husband''s sudden awakening groan, Britney came out of the room and ran towards the warehouse. "Brit?" Bossley was surprised by his wife''s behavior and decided to get up to catch up with his wife. He was even more surprised when he realized they were headed for the warehouse¡­ to be precise, the warehouse for Roxy''s belongings and some of Kaylee''s belongings. Does his wife miss theirte daughter? Bossley stood at the door, watching his wife unpack Roxy''s belongings. Once she found what she was looking for, Britney took the box and opened it to remove all its contents. Unable to contain his curiosity, Bossley walked over to his wife. "What are you looking for at this time of night?" "Roxy''s sketchbook." Roxy? "What for?" "I just wanted to confirm something." was her short answer without stopping her searching. Her hands'' movements stopped as her eyes caught Roxy''s familiar sketchbook. Hesitating but filled with renewed hope, Britney took it and turned to the first page. As if a force was pulling her out of the abyss, that''s how Britney felt when she saw the face of a young man in her daughter''s sketchbook. Roxy''s imaginary man¡­ is Den ck? "Who is this young man?" "It''s¡­ Den. His name is Den." "Ha? Who is Den?" "Darling, I think I know how to bring Roxy back." "¡­" "Den is the key. I know he could bring her back." Roxy drew a lot of Den''s face in her sketchbook. When ''Kaylee'' showed up and imed she couldn''t draw, sometimes her daughter would dance her finger across a table as if to draw something. Whether her daughter realized it or not, deep down inside her daughter''s heart, that girl yearned for this young man. And thus¡­ begins the arranged marriage between Den ck and Kaylee Zouch. Britney was even more relentless and eager to marry them until it overwhelmed Helena. But as you can see¡­ the arranged marriage worked out just fine and Roxy dide back. Chapter 259 - Ch. 259 She Cant Forgive Her Roxy listened to everything her mother had to say, exining how much she regretted it since Britney hurt her feelings. Everything she did when she urged Kaylee to ept Den''s advance and so on was to bring Roxy back. If she hadn''t met Helena and seen the face of her friend''s son, Britney would never have thought of ''forcing'' Kaylee to meet Den. However, if the matchmaking didn''t work out until the end, Britney wouldn''t keep forcing her and started over. "I know I have no right to say this, but I don''t regret bringing you into this world, Roxy. I never did. I don''t know why I lost control at the time, and I repent it." said the mother, who was now in tears. Roxy bit her lip at the sight of her mother''s tears, and ever since she found out her mother''s true feelings, her heart began to tremble. Her mother has also suffered as much as her ever since the ne crash, and both of them could not bear Kaylee''s sudden departure. If only Roxy were on the ne and Kaylee survived, maybe everything would be fine. Kaylee didn''t look like one, but her mentally much stronger than her. "To me, you are the most beautiful gift I have ever had. You two and I don''t want to trade you girls for anything. You can hate me, and you can scold me or whatever you want to punish me. But, please¡­ don''t live as someone else. Don''t let your other side take control over you." Roxy held her breath without realizing it. She knows? Her mother already knew that there were two different personalities in her? Roxy turned to Den with a questioning look, and although no words were spoken, Den understood what she wanted to ask. "She knows. I learned it from her too." Roxy turned back to theptop and listened to her mother''s continuation. "To tell you the truth, I didn''t expect you to fall in love with Den and agree to this arranged marriage. Even if you speak up and don''t want to marry, your father and I will always hear it. I know you think we''ve never listened to your opinion, but do you realize¡­ since we''ve lived here in New York, we''ve never once refused your request. You asked to leave this house to live independently; we granted it even though it broke our heart because you are not with us as long as it used to be. When you want a career as a pianist and join an orchestra group, we also allow it, although we both hope you don''t have to work. Even if you want to work, at least you can work in your father''s bankingpany. When we were back in Folnd, I disagreed with the idea of ??everyone expecting you to be the next Hades. But this time, I support your father to make you a director in one of our banks. But most of all, I will support you to do whatever you want. Please, go home, my baby. I miss you and I¡­ am ready to face you. Just be yourself when you go home. I love you to the moon and back, my little angel." And that was the end of her mother''s video recorder. Roxy neither reacted nor shed tears even though her heart was currently sobbing. Her gaze looked at theptop with a nk stare. "Hey, are you alright?" asked Den gently as he kissed her crown. "No. I''m not alright. I don''t know what to say. I don''t even know whether I should hate her or¡­ go back to the way we used to be. Den," "Hm?" "If you''re in my shoes, what would you do?" "Hm¡­ Well, my birth mother took me away from my father and abandoned me in the orphanage. Luckily, I have a second mother that cherished me and adored me sincerely. But if someday my birth mother showed up and wanted to meet me to apologize, I would meet her and say, ''I forgive you and thank you.'' That''s what I''m gonna say." "What? I understand that you would forgive her, but why a ''thank you? Don''t you ever hate her?" "I did. I used to hate her." "Then?" "Then I realized, no matter what she had done, she is still my mother. She was the one who gave me birth, and I thanked her for that. Otherwise, how could I meet you and fall in love with you?" "That''s¡­ I''ve never thought like that." "Roxy, she said she regretted bringing you in the world, but she said it in her lowest state. People would make bad choices when they were mad or scared, or stressed. And your mother just lost her youngest daughter and made her feel depressed and chose to me you. But in the end, she regretted it too." "But¡­ I can''t forgive her. I was suffering too, and I was¡­ scared and stressed. I barely hold myself not to sumb to my guilt, and I needed her¡­ I needed her tofort me. To give me strength, but she didn''t. She even med me and¡­ said that words¡­ What kind of mother is that?" Roxy settled herptop aside, and she got up and walked around. She felt her heart filled with something suffocating, but she didn''t know how to get it out. "Roxy," "Your mother was different from mine, Den. Your mother abandoned you in the first ce, and there was no guarantee she would look for you¡­ or your sister. No offense, though." Roxy said thest words in her most sincerity. "But my mother¡­ was like an angel and always there for me. She was the first one to know whenever I wanted to pour my heart. But she hurt me. She betrayed me! And now she wanted to see me so she could get rid of her guilt?" "Roxy, calm down." Den coaxed while walking towards the girl, but Roxy refused and stepped back. "No! Please, I need some time alone.." Roxy turned around and locked herself in her room. Chapter 260 - Ch. 260 One Time Vs Hundred Mistakes ''I can''t forgive her. I can''t see her.'' was the endless thought inside Roxy''s head. Her head says she must not forgive her mother. Her head says not to go to meet her. And yet, her heart said otherwise. ''You love her, and you crave her warm hug like she used to hug you.'' Yes. Roxy indeed craved her mother''s hug or a goodnight kiss whenever her mother slept with her. But¡­ "IT''S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" Roxy couldn''t forget her mother''s words while ming her. Her mother''s words killed her soul, and every sentence her mother spoke seemed to stick in her mind. She even felt like it happened only yesterday every time she remembered those soul-killing words. Even though her mother regretted her actions, the wound in her heart was still there. Even though Roxy wanted to forget the events of that day, sometimes those dark memories would appear in her dreams. Roxy couldn''t forgive her mother. Even if she did, she didn''t want to meet her mother. She knew the wound in her heart would return once she met her mother in person. Knock, knock! Roxy heard a knock from outside while she remained seated behind the door with her back against the wall. "Love, don''t shut me away." was Den''s gentle voice from the other side. "I know it''s hard for you right now, and I know talking is easier than doing it. But if you want to see the sun, you have to try it. And you''re right. Our mother is different. But then¡­ doesn''t that mean you know that your mother is better than mine? Everyone made a mistake or two or even hundreds of times. Your mother could forgive you thousand times every time you make a mistake. Why couldn''t you when she only made a one-time mistake?" Roxy felt herself being shot by an arrow and straight through her wounded heart. She felt herself to be the stupidest person she had ever been. Without her brain''smand, she recalled something she hadn''t thought about in a long time. When she was a little girl, the principal called her mother to tell her about her eldest daughter''s behavior. "I''m sorry, but your daughter broke the ssroom ss and got into a fight with her friend. I know she''s only seven, but her behavior was too untamed." said the principal. "What?" the mother nced fiercely at the young Roxy, making the little girl lower her head in fear. Britney took Roxy''s hand casually and walked out of the principal''s office. "I''m sorry, mama." was Roxy''s soft voice as the two walked towards the house. Roxy knew her mother liked to talk the most and babble at length, but this time her mother became quiet and didn''t talk to her at all. She knew right now her mother was super angry with her. Therefore, she expressed her regret to soften her mother''s anger. "If you feel sorry, why did you do it again? This isn''t the first time, Roxy." "I know what I did was wrong. Trust me. I don''t want to fight with them either. But, I can not." "What do you mean you can''t?" "I don''t know." was her innocent answer, making Britney sigh resignedly. Britney''s footsteps stopped, and she crouched down to look her daughter straight in the eye. "What should I do to make you stop fighting?" Little Roxy didn''t answer and just lowered her head. "Looks like you don''t want to talk to me anymore." "I want to talk to you." "Then why did you beat up your friends? Take a look at your clothes." Britney turned Roxy around slowly and saw cuts and bruises all over her daughter''s body. "Did you win?" "Of course," Roxy answered proudly, then lowered her head again when she saw her mother''s disapproving look. "What makes you proud to feel happy? Your body is full of wounds. Think about what would happen if your papa or Kaylee saw your condition." Her father would be angry ande to her school to meet the children who beat her. And in the end, Roxy had to leave school and transfer schools again, which Kaylee would automatically follow her. On the other hand, if Kaylee saw her condition¡­ the girl would cry and not be separated from her all night long. "I don''t want them to know." "How could they not know? From head to toe, nothing can hide the fact that you''re fighting... again." "Mama," Roxy pouted her lips, and her eyes were a little bit teary. "Don''t cry. I won''t be fooled by your tears." Miraculously, Roxy''s eyes went back to normal. "Mama," Roxy pleaded desperately while putting on puppy eyes. "What are you offering me, Roxy? If you want me to help you avoid your father''s wrath, what can you do for me?" Roxy thought for a moment. "I''ll help you grow your favorite flower." "I don''t need it." "I will y the piano for you every day." "I can hear Kaylee ying the cello, and there''s still Rothbert ying the piano." Roxy bit her lip in exasperation and said, "I promise I won''t fight again." "Haven''t you made a promise all this time only to break it?" "Then¡­ what do you want me to do?" "Keep your promise. No fights or damage to school property. If theye to challenge you, you should run as fast as you can and find Ezzo or your ss teacher." "But running away proves I''m a coward." "It''s not running away, my dear. It''s called avoiding the hole you fell into. If you see a hole in the road, do you keep walking through it?" Roxy shook her head quickly. "Good. If you keep walking, it means you''re stupid. Are you stupid, Roxy?" Roxy once again quickly shook her head. "Then keep your promise. Friends who challenge you are a hole you must avoid. They will only lead you to ruin your future, so you should avoid them. Do you hear me?" Roxy nodded her head quickly, making Britney stroke the top of her daughter''s head gently. "That''s my girl. Now, let''s get you clean, and you can pretend to be sick in your room. I''ll exin to your papa and Kaylee." Roxy became happy to hear that and immediately agreed with her mother. Nevertheless, her mother was again called to school because Roxy couldn''t stay quiet in ss. Roxy often invited her ssmates to chat or y and didn''t listen to their teacher at all. Her mother always forgave Roxy and found a way to make the little girl change for the better. Remembering everything she had ever done from childhood until now while her mother always patiently guided her and taught her made Roxy''s tears fall. Chapter 261 - Ch. 261 Jacob Is Seeing Someone Suddenly the memory of her mother always defending her and protecting her no matter what she did wrong burst out just like that to cover her memory where her mother used her. Her heart trembled with longing to meet her mother, and she couldn''t stop her tears. "Roxy, love. Open the door, please." Roxy could hear the soft voice that lulled her to open the door, but she didn''t want to show her tears. No. She was embarrassed that again Den found her weakness and enlightened her. "Sweetheart?" called Den once again. His gently shooting voice touched Roxy''s heart. She was neither a good girl nor a good child, but why did her mother and fianc¨¦ love her unconditionally? Roxy wiped her tears from her cheeks and got up to open the door. As soon as the door opened, Roxy immediately buried her face in the man''s chest. Den''s hands circled her and enveloped her in a tight embrace while showering her with his kisses. "Howe you never mad at me?" "I''m mad at you." "Don''t tell me you''re mad in love with me." Roxy stared at her fiance nkly. She already knew this man''s skill at twisting her words. "Well, you already know me." "That''s not what I meant." "I know. But I could never be angry with you. If I recalled it again, I think, I never get angry at my sister too." "You never? Like ever?" "Hm¡­ Unless that she endangered herself, I was never mad at her." "Lucky her. Rothbert is always angry at me, like¡­ all the time. He''s a bad big brother." Den chuckled in amusement. "Are you feeling better now?" Roxy didn''t answer and snuggled deeper inside his arm while sighing in pleasure, feeling the warmth of Den''s hug. "What should I do? I don''t know if I''ve forgiven her, but¡­ I do miss her." "Then we can meet her." "But¡­" what if her heart ached again when she met her mother? What if the voice of her mother ming her reyed in her head? Roxy felt bound by a tangled thread, and she didn''t know how to break free. Even if she found scissors to cut the thread that binds her, the thread cannot break and binds her even more tightly. "Didn''t your mother invite us over this weekend? We will go, and if you can''t stand it, I''ll take you away. We will do it slowly. What do you think?" "Okay. Let''s do what you said." Roxy closed her eyes while taking a deep breath to smell Den''s masculine scent that calmed her heart. "What am I supposed to do without you?" Den smiled softly at the whisper of his wife. "I''ll always be here." The next day Den received a call from his father. Mr. Old ck summoned him as he had something to talk about. Before leaving for the office, Den decided to stop by his parents'' house first. "Oh, Uncle. Good morning." greeted Jacob, who happened to be going somewhere. It''s just, why does this young man look neat as if he''s about to go on a date? "Are you seeing someone?" "Yeah, I''m seeing my friends." "¡­" that''s not what he meant. "What about the assignment I gave you?" "Oh, please, uncle. You gave me an impossible assignment. I know nothing about BPE, and you gave me the newest project." "It''s only a theme park." "Only a theme park?" "I think you like ying." "¡­" he likes ying, but he prefers ying online games rather than a theme park for kids. Really. How old does his uncle think he is? "Can I take a breather?" Jacob had no other choice but to plead for his mercy. Den held back his amused smile and said, "Alright. Go and have fun, but when my assistant calls you, you have to listen." "Okay. See you." Jacob wasted no time running away before his uncle changed his mind. And a few minutester, Jacob arrived in front of the bus stop while greeting someone. "Letti," "Jake," Letti replied with a big smile. "You came early?" "Not really. I just arrived too. Did you manage to get an old Katleen Morse album?" "You bet I did. Here." Jacob handed Letti the album of the legendary jazz singer. Letti epted it dly. "Are you sure I can have this?" "Yup. I already copied the songs in my iPod." "Thanks, Jake." "So, where do you want to go for today?" asked Jacob in a friendly tone yet sounded excited. "How about we go to the town square? I heard our seniors will perform there." "Sure!" They both got on the bus they were going to, and Den knew nothing about his sister''s newfound friendship with his nephew. Den walked straight to his father''s room and greeted the older man who was reading a book. "Dad?" "Oh, you''re here. How are you?" "I''m great. So, what do you need to tell me about?" "Have you ever heard of Dario Gonzales?" "Yeah, I''ve heard him. He has an oil miner in Arabia and built a food factory in Montana. What about him?" "He made an offer to us. You know I''m nning to build a hotel in Montana, and he suggested investing in thend and the architect." "Isn''t that good?" "Yes, it''s good, and it''s quite tempting, knowing he''s one of the sessful businessmen. But he required to meet you to sign the contract." "Me? I''m only a temporary director in BPE, and I can''t go to Montana to see him." "You''ve never met him, do you?" "No. Should I know him?" Mr. Old ck rose to his feet and picked up his phone on his desk. After opening a gallery and finding what he was looking for, Mr. Old ck gave his phone to Den. Den received his father''s phone in wonder, but his eyes were fixed on the person when he saw a photo there. This person¡­ is Dario Gonzales? "What do you think, son? Are you going to meet him?" Den''s eyes shifted to his father, and he asked in a t voice, "When is the appointment?" Chapter 262 - Ch. 262 Face The Mother And The Past On the D-day, Roxy decided toe with Den to her parents'' anniversary. She had prepared a wedding anniversary gift for her parents. She made it herself, and it took her nighttime to finish it and hurt her wrist as it had been a while since she did it. Nevertheless, the result was satisfactory, but¡­ Roxy wasn''t sure if she was ready to give it. If she gave it, it meant she was telling her parents that she had returned. Roxy was still biting her lip with a heavy feeling even though the car had arrived in front of her parents'' house. Roxy looked at her house with an anxious look, and her two fingers fiddled with her dress as if her fingers couldn''t stop moving. Den smiled gently, realizing his lover''s anxiety. He grabbed one of Roxy''s hands, making the girl stop ying with her lower dress. "Hey, everything will be alright. Trust me." The nervous girl calmed down and smiled faintly at him. After parking the car, Den got down and turned to open Roxy''s door. The two of them walked into the gates of Mr. Zouch''s mansion, and someone came outside to wee them. "Kaylee, darling." Roxy blinked a few times before finally smiling broadly at the person who called out to her. "Aunt Anna. You came here?" "Of course, and your Uncle Pierre is here too." "He''s here?" "Do you think he will let me travel alone?" Roxy chuckled at the witty tone of her uncle''s wife. "No, I don''t." "And you must be Den. I''ve heard so much about you." greeted Anna to Den. "I hope only good things." "Oh, it is. Come on in. I bet your uncle would be thrilled to meet you guys." "Where is mom?" "She''s in the kitchen. I wanted to help her, but she kicked me out. I think she wanted to prepare dinner for all of us." Roxy nced at Den with a questioning look, and after getting a light kiss on the forehead, Roxy said goodbye. "I''m gonna look for her." "She''s lovely, isn''t she?" asked Anna as soon as Roxy went inside and headed towards the kitchen. "She is." replied the man with a gentle look. "Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?" "Well, I''m a¡­," and the two of them walked inside to join Pierre and Bosley for a small talk. In the meantime, Roxy entered the kitchen room slowly with a thunderous heart. She didn''t expect Pierre and Anna toe here too, and she saw Robert''s car, which meant her cousin ??had alsoe. Roxy didn''t know if she was ready to meet her mother, but she didn''t want to keep shutting her mother out of her life forever. What Den said was true. She would not be able to avoid her mother or the past for the rest of her life. Sooner orter, she would have to face it so that she coulde out of the darkness of her heart. Roxy smelled a delicious aroma and immediately knew her mother was cooking her favorite dish. She walked deeper, and when she found the figure of her mother who was ordering the cook to help her, Roxy felt the tears gathered in her eyes. "Mom?" The mother turned to her, and Roxy could see the disappointed look in her eyes made her confused. But the disappointed look turned into a cheerful one and greeted her with joy. "Kaylee darling,e here. Try my soup." Roxyplied and approached her mother without taking her eyes off her. Every now and then, she would nce up at the ceiling to prevent tears from falling. The mother gently scooped up the soup and pointed it at her daughter. "Careful, it''s hot." Roxy blew the hot smoke on the spoon and then sipped the sauce slowly. "How is it?" "It''s perfect, as usual." Britney smiled widely, hearing that made Roxy dumbfounded. For some reason¡­ she felt that something had happened to her. Britney told her cook to lift the soup pot and finish the rest. Then she took her daughter''s hand and hugged her tightly. "Naughty girl, I miss you. Why are you justing home now?" Roxy was stunned and speechless. Not that she decided to keep silent, but she didn''t know what to do. She was even bewildered about her current feelings. Oh, how she wished ''Kaylee'' was here right now so she could hide in her shell. But¡­ "Can we talk? Alone?" Britney let go of her arms as she looked at her daughter with a curious look. "Do you want to take a walk with me?" Roxy nodded once, and the two walked out into the backyard after putting on their coats. "Have you met your uncle? Pierre and Anna will stay here for a few days. Have you got any ns with Den on Christmas Eve? How about we spend Christmas Eve together this year? It''s rare for your uncle and aunt toe to New York in the winter." Roxy walked in silence while listening to her mother speak like ''Kaylee'' usually does. "Why are you so quiet, dear? What do you want to talk about?" Roxy''s footsteps stopped, and for a moment, she considered what she wanted to say. And then¡­ "It''s me, mama. I''m Roxanne." Hearing her eldest daughter''s name escape from her daughter''s lips, Britney turned to look at her eldest daughter, and her eyes began to tear up. "Roxy?" "Yes. I''ve seen the video¡­." Roxy didn''t know what to say to continue her words. She felt her heart like a tangled thread that she could not unravel. Her feelings were tooplicated and raging that she couldn''t find a way out. "Are you still angry at me?" Is Roxy still feeling angry? Was she mad in the first ce? No. Roxy was never mad at her mother, but she was disappointed. She was hurt, and she decided to shut everyone out to protect herself. "I can''t forget what you said that day." "I know. I''m sorry.." Britney clenched her fists while taking a deep breath. Chapter 263 - Ch. 263 The Magic Words After calming herself down, Britney walked over to her daughter, who was a few steps ahead of her. "I know I''m not a good mother, and I have a weakness for saying hurtful things when I''m headless. But, Roxy¡­ I didn''t mean every word I said. I was stupid and abandoned you at your lowest point." Britney gripped Roxy''s hands gently as her eyes fell. "In these nine years, there has not been a day that I have not thought about what I said back then." Roxy fell silent hearing that. She didn''t expect his mother to think about that day either. "I wish I could turn back time, but I can''t. I don''t mind if I suffer, but I don''t want to see you suffer." Britney raised her gaze and looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes. "Tell me, Roxy. What do you want me to do? I''m lost and I¡­ I¡­" Roxy could see her mother''s teary eyes and her heartfelt like being shed by a knife. She felt the strings binding her tightened so much that she couldn''t breathe. Roxy didn''t know what to do. She wanted to do something, but just like her mother¡­ she was lost. If only she could escape, she would. But now she hase to her parents'' house and confronted her past. She even met face to face with her mother and talked about that night from heart to heart. Then¡­ what should she do next? "Can''t we just go back to how we used to be?" Roxy felt tears begin to gather in her eyes. She wasn''t a girl who cried easily, but somehow she became a crybaby whenever she thought of her mother. Why? Why does she always cry because of her mother? No. Her heart always cried seeing her mother shed tears. She didn''t want to meet her mother, right? Then why does her heart feel sad to see the older woman suffer? Roxy realized that both herself and her mother had suffered from unsolved rifts in the past. Her mother wasn''t well even though she always had a smile on her face, neither was Roxy. Why did Roxy insist on not wanting to forgive her mother when in the end, neither of them were happy? ''If you want to see the sun, you have to try it.'' was Den''s advice when Roxy refused to forgive her mother. Her eyes do see the sun because the sun always rises every morning. But her heart¡­ had not seen the sun for a long time and was in darkness. ''You have to try it.'' She has to try it¡ªrepeated Roxy inside her head. Roxy pulled away from her mother''s grip making Britney feel sad. Would her daughter never want to see her again? But what Roxy did stun her. Roxy put her arms around her mother and whispered, "I forgive you, mama. I miss you." Roxy closed her eyes, and a tear fell one by one. Britney felt herself standing in a vast field, and a cool breeze blew against her as soon as she heard her daughter''s words. Roxy herself felt the unbreakable thread that had previously bound her heart suddenly breaking and freeing her. She felt light and could breathe effortlessly. ''I forgive you.'' she didn''t think those words were the magic words of her misery. It was like she saw the sunlight illuminate her entire world of darkness, and she was pulled out of the cold abyss into a vast expanse of color. "I miss you, too, my baby girl." Roxy chuckled at the name of the endearment. "Mama, I''m not a baby." "Okay. A little girl." "Ma," protested Roxy invitingughter from her mother, and Roxy couldn''t help butugh with her too. "But¡­ since when did you know that I created my other self?" "I followed you one night and saw you talking to Wendy. Once a month, you would show up and go out in the middle of the night." "That¡­" "It doesn''t matter now. You''re back, and that''s all that matters." Britney stroked her hair affectionately. "Mama, ''Kaylee'' is gone. She will nevere back. I''m afraid¡­." Roxy was worried that she wouldn''t be able to be a sweet girl like Kaylee again. "I''m sorry. It seemed my words hurt you badly." Roxy bit her lip and lowered her eyes level. She did forgive her mother, but what she has said and heard, she could never forget. The scar was there and would remain forever. "Roxy, please mind my words this time. You and Kaylee are different, and we¡­ I never expected you to be Kaylee or vice versa. I already know what kind of character you are, and it will be difficult to change it. When I met this tiny baby for the first time and was in my arms, I knew I would love you and ept youpletely. You are the greatest gift that we can receive. I meant it." "Mama¡­" "I know it won''t be easy for you to forget my mindless words at that time, but I hope you remember what I said today. I meant every word. And besides, I love to see your papa''s frustrated face, so I pardon you to do naughty things." Roxyughed at her mother''sst sentence, and the two decided to go in and join the others. "I prepared a present for you." "Youring back is the greatest gift for us." "No, you will like it. I promise." Britney tilted her head in confused hearing a mysterious but mischievous tone from her daughter. "Did I miss something?" Both mother and daughter turned towards a voice and smiled broadly to see Robert standing there with a curious look. "Why are you crying?" "No, I''m not." "You should see yourself in the mirror. It''s red." Roxy pouted and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Ma, Robert is teasing me again." "I thought you said you''re not a child. Why are you evenining to me?" Robert grinned widely at this, but his smile vanished the next second. "Wait. What did you just call her?" "What?" Roxy was still irritated and subconsciously answered her cousin in an angry tone. "Roxy?" "¡­" she didn''t expect that. "What?" "You are Roxy, right? So... you remember?" Roxy: Why does it feel all her family members already know about her? Chapter 264 - Ch. 264 What If Kaylee Is Alive? From the start, Britney and Bossley never told Robert about the true identity of ''Kaylee.'' They thought that Robert would find out himself after meeting Roxy in person. Unexpectedly, Robert believed that their daughter was Kaylee. Kaylee and Roxanne''s faces were simr, but one could still tell the difference if they knew them. Unfortunately, Robert couldn''t recognize her and thought his surviving cousin was indeed Kaylee. Bossley and Britney decided to stay quiet and let Robert treat Roxy the way he treated Kaylee. "Yes, she is Roxy, Robert," announced Britney to answer her nephew''s inquiry. "I''m sorry for hiding this fact from you. But you don''t seem so surprised. Did you know it from the start?" "No. I figured it out recently." to be more precise, he only found out after meeting Kaylee in the Nethends. Robert looked at his cousin with joy and¡­ "I know that look. You want to strangle me!" pouted Roxy, elicitingughter from her cousin. "I''d love to, but I can''t do it. Mr. ck would strangle me to death instead." "Hmph. It''s good if you know." Roxy chirped, ignoring her annoying cousin''s amusedugh. "Looks like you have a lot of things you want to talk about. I''ll go in first." Britney kissed Roxy''s cheek briefly, making the girl smile happily. "Don''t stay out too long. The wind is getting cold." "We''ll be back in seconds, mama." After letting her mother back into the house, Roxy started talking to Robert. "Is there something you want to say?" "Hmm?" "It looks like you want to tell me something." Robert looked at his cousin sadly, but soon his mood changed to a more normal one. "It''s nothing. I''m just wondering something." "What is it?" "What if¡­ I talk about if, okay." "Okay." Roxy giggled, seeing her cousin seem hesitant to say something to her. She wondered what made the fearless Robert feel reluctant to discuss something. "What if Kaylee is alive?" Roxy''s smile disappeared as soon as she heard that. "Why are you wondering about that?" "I don''t know. Perhaps, I''m a little bit missing her." "I got it. Everyone misses her more than me." "Roxy, that''s not what I meant." "Rob, if she were still alive, she would have been back home for ages, but she didn''t. There is no ''if'' in this case. I don''t want to hear it anymore even though it was only a joke." "Don''t you miss her?" "I do. But I was barely out of my darkest ce, thinking over my guilt. Her departure created a rift between mama and me. Now we''re going back to we used to be; I don''t want any mishap to happen. Don''t raise a false hope to me¡­ or mama. We''ve suffered enough." Robert: If only you know. Kaylee is alive and healthy. She even lived quite well in a foreign country. But¡­ "I know. But I can''t help but wonder about this. What would you do if it turned out Kaylee is alive and showed up here someday?" "¡­" Roxy didn''t answer and stayed quiet for a while. "The first thing I would do is kick her out." "What?" "If it turns out that she''s still alive but didn''t return home, doesn''t that mean she abandoned us? She no longer cared about her family and cut ties with us. So why should we ept her again?" "¡­" That makes sense. "Instead of wondering about this ridiculous probability, I''m surprised you didn''t directly follow Wendy and head south." "..." Robert was eager to head straight south no matter if Hades IV would arrest him or lock him up. But his current priorities had changed since he met Kaylee. "I''m not that stupid. It needs a neat n to arrive at the Falnd safely." "That''s true. Feel free to let me know if you need some help. I know an acquaintance to help you sneak into the south undetected." Robert raised an eyebrow hearing this. "You mean Den ck? He won''t help me." "Of course, not him. Who do you think helped me to sneak out of the country at that time? Even papa couldn''t trace me right away." "Who?" "Just an old acquaintance. I can''t tell the name, but I can tell you this person is trustworthy." "So is it a she or he?" "It''s a secret." Roxy suppressed an amused smile as she watched the corners of her cousin''s lips twitch. "Let''s go back. I need to get the present first." Robert followed suit, and the two of them walked inside. As soon as Roxy saw Den, she smiled widely and asked Den to apany her to collect her gifts for her parents in the car. The gift that Roxy prepared was art that poured out of her heart. She hadn''t drawn in a long time, and her hands felt a little stiff, but she did well. "Do you think they like it?" "You said they would love it." "I did, didn''t I? But now I''m not pretty sure." Den chuckled in amusement at the tone of doubt on his beloved girl. On one second Roxy was filled with extremely high self-confidence, but the next second, the girl was filled with unsignificant doubt. "Den, Robert asked me a weird question." "What questions?" "He asked me what I would do if Kaylee survived the crash ne and showed up here someday. What a ridiculous question, really." Den didn''tment and let the girl continue her words. "But, I said I would be angry and would kick her out. But after I saw this drawing¡­ I''m thinking¡­ how wonderful it would be if she did survive." Den stroked the back of Roxy''s head gently tofort the girl. "But it''s only wishful thinking, isn''t it?" "People are allowed to have a wish. Who knows, a miracle did happen." Roxy felt better and took out the giant frame-block that covered most of her body. "Do you need help with that?" "No. I want to bring it myself," replied Roxy while carrying the frame and walking back into the house. She couldn''t wait to see her parents'' reaction when they saw her masterpiece. Chapter 265 - Ch. 265 The Anniversary Present As soon as Britney came back into the house after a walk with Roxy, everyone was amazed at the endless joy on the middle-aged woman''s face. Her beaming in delight showed as if she had just won a lottery. Well, they had a lot of money in the bank, so of course, Britney wouldn''t be this happy even if she won the lottery. Not while the lottery prize money came from their bank. They couldn''t help but wonder what had happened in the backyard while Britney was talking to Roxy. "Is something good happened in the backyard? Why do you look blooming?" Bossley Zouch couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked his wife. "You wouldn''t believe what happened. Our daughter, she¡­" s, Britney couldn''t continue her words because Roxy hade and called her in a loud, cheerful voice. "Mother, father. I have something for you." Everyone frowned in confusion with the ''something'' that Roxy brought, but one had no idea what Roxy would give her parents. Britney was suspicious of what her daughter wanted to give. She knew her eldest daughter had so many talents that everyone who saw her would be envious. And she knew one of the talents Roxy was most proud of was her drawing skill. Whenever Roxy rxed, or no matter where she was, as long as she had a sketchbook and a pencil, Roxy would draw something. But the girl never drew anything on arge scale. Plus, it had been a long time since Roxy had touched her sketchbook since she created ''Kaylee'' to rece her. Even though sometimes Roxy would show up and draw something on her sketchbook, the drawing never theplicated ones. With enthusiasm and emotion, Britney waited for her daughter to show her work in front of all. "Are you ready?" Roxy asked in a highly excited tone and rotated the much bigger frame so everyone could see what was behind the frame-block she was carrying. Instantly everyone gasped and was awe-stricken at what they saw. They saw a husband and wife sitting rxing on the beach while their two young children built a sandcastle. The four of them were filled with happyughter while watching the sunset view. The drawing was colorless and only filled with ck and white. Nevertheless, it was breathtaking, as if they could see the people in the portrait were alive. It was as if they could see the colors even though it was otherwise. And above it all, the four people in the portrait were none other than Bossley Zouch and his family. It even had two little girls! Could it be? "Darling girl did you¡­ did you¡­" Bossley didn''t dare hope, but his eyes were red from trying to hold back the tears of emotion. Roxy grinned widely and let Den help her bring the frame-block for her. She walked over to her father while Anna wiped her tears because this unexpected incident touched her heart. "It''s me, papa. I''m back." Bossley turned to his wife and wondered the cause of his wife was overjoyed because their daughter had returned. Britney nodded her head a few times quickly while smiling happily. The father turned back to his daughter as he raised both hands to cup her face. "Roxy? Is it really you?" Roxy giggled and nodded once. "Yes, it''s really me, papa." "Roxy, oh my Roxy." Bossley hugged his eldest daughter tightly while kissing the top of her head repeatedly. Bossley nced at Den gratefully, and his mouth moved to form a ''thank you'' to the young man. Den smiled gently and gave the older man a nod of respect. "Papa, I can''t breathe¡­."ined Roxy as her father embraced her too tightly. Bossly immediately loosened his embrace, and they allughed with joy because finally, the long-awaited eldest daughter had returned. Roxy walked back to retrieve the frame-block containing her family and handed it over to her parents. "This is for you. I poured my heart on this drawing." They knew that Roxy poured her heart into her masterpiece. They could feel it and felt touched by it. "It''s beautiful. I love it, darling." "We¡­ love it." corrected Bossly invitesughter from his wife and daughter. "Tell me you will not leave without a word again." "I won''t, papa. I promise," ensured Roxy with clear eyes as for the first time since the ne crash; her heart could see the sun. "I learned my mistake, and I won''t do it again." "I know you won''t. Now, who''s hungry?" Everyone agreed to head to the dining hall, and they all enjoyed a delicious meal while chatting. For the first time, Pierre and Anna listened to the story behind the arranged marriage between ''Kaylee'' and Den ck. They never expected that Den was the key to bringing Roxy back. "I never expected that you guys had met before. Love is truly something, isn''t it?" Anna looked at her niece tenderly and joyfully. "I doubt that. So, you''re the guy who kidnapped my niece at her first week in Spain." Den almost choked on his drink when he heard Pierre Zouch''s sarcastic question. "Well, I can''t say that I was grateful that you guys met each other back then, but I''m grateful you found each other." "Uncle Pierre. You are the best." praised Roxy while raising her two thumbs toward her only uncle. "Talking about finding each other¡­" added Anna suddenly. "Robert, do you have anyone you fancy?" Robert almost spurted his tea when he heard his aunt ask him. On the other hand, Den stifled an amusedugh seeing Robert''s startled expression. "Why me?" "You almost forty, and you haven''t settled down. Even Roxy is about getting married. How old are you now, Den? You don''t mind if I call your name, right?" "No. Den is fine. And I''m thirty-three." "See?" inquired Anna toward Robert. "How about you, Den? When are you guys getting married?" Robert shifted the topic right away to avoid his aunt''s question. "I''ve spoken to both my parents, and we are ready to have a wedding ceremony whenever you are ready." "Is that true? How about next summer?" And this time, Roxy spurted her drink upon hearing her father''s suggestion on the wedding date. Chapter 266 - Ch. 266 Declans Terms Roxy knew she had agreed to her marriage to Den. She didn''t even mind marrying the man, but she certainly didn''t expect the whole family and Den to be so enthusiastic about nning their wedding. Roxy felt her head filled with fireflies which made her head dizzy to hear her family''s discussion with Den. They even discussed a suitable romantic venue for their wedding reception. It''s not that Roxy isn''t happy, but should she let someone else control her life again?? Roxy liked to write her own stories, and she often did the opposite of what her parents told her to do. Even if she desperately desired to marry Den and be the man''s official wife, that doesn''t mean she wants to get married anytime soon! The old Roxy would positively rebel and reject all the ideas they were discussing. She felt proud that she was now more mature and could refrain from letting her emotions take over. But¡­ she still couldn''t stay still. "Uhm¡­ Den, can we talk? Alone?" Den nced at Roxy with a questioning look before excusing himself and following Roxy out of the dining room. "What is it?" "You''ve never mentioned this." "About what? Our marriage? I did try to tell you, but you were too focused on drawing for your parents'' gift, and I didn''t want to interfere with your work." "It''s still your fault." Den chuckled, amused at the girl''s sulking tone. "Alright, it''s my fault. I''m sorry." "Den. Can we postpone our wedding? I mean, the next summer is too fast for me." "Until when?" "Maybe¡­ three years?" Den''s eyebrows rose at Roxy''s hand, which was raised and showing her three fingers. "You can''t be serious. Three years?" "How about two and a half?" she tried to negotiate as if she bargained for the price. "Reason?" "You know I''m still in college right now and also¡­." "Hold on right there." cut Den. "What do you mean you''re still in college?" "Did you forget I took Nick''s ce for college?" "¡­" "I have to go to campus and finish what I started. If we get married now, I won''t be able to go to college if I''m pregnant." Roxy knew very well that Den would go all the way once they got married, considering this man''s satiety was endless. What''s more, both her parents and inw also wanted to see their first grandchild as soon as possible since both parties had only an only child. "Thest time I checked, Nichs Larson has left the country, and he certainly did not need to go to campus." "But the one who registered using his name was me in the first ce. Plus, the other kids would wonder if I suddenly disappeared without a word. Even though Nick isn''t here anymore, I''m the one in charge and will finish this college term." "What if I don''t allow it? Why would you bother going to college again when you already got your certificate? You also had a great career, and your co-workers have left you. Shouldn''t you focus more on your work? Why are you prioritizing the education you''ve been to?" "That¡­" "Roxy, if you didn''t tell me the real reason, I would never agree to it." "Are you my father? Why should I seek your approval?" "I am your husband." "Future husband." corrected Roxy. "Still your husband. Will you disobey if I don''t permit you?" "What would you do if I did?" "Don''t test my limit, love." "You have a limit? I''ve never seen it." "Roxane." Den''s voice sounded lower and deeper than usual when he called her name. "Fine. The truth is¡­ I love campus life. I mean¡­ the whole group, the ss, and hanging out with some friends, I''ve never felt it before. When I entered college a few years ago, it was ''Kaylee'' inside me who did it. And she never hangs out with friends or¡­ you know, did something challenging. I''m a free-spirited girl, and I want to do whatever I dreamed of before I got married. Please?" Den looked at Roxy and saw how much Roxy wanted to continue her disguise as Nichs Larson. "It doesn''t have to be at the M University, right. If you want to experience campus life, why not major in designer? I thought your dream was to be a fashion designer." "That''s a good idea, but¡­ I don''t want to be a designer anymore. I have another dream now." "What is it?" "To be your wife," Roxy responded with the sweetest smile she had ever shown and a soft tone that could captivate a certain heart. "Are you bribing me?" "Can I bribe you, though? Besides, how will we meet if I move to another campus? I chose to stay at M university so I could have an illicit rtionship with you." Den was speechless. This beloved girl of his really knows how to turn his heart upside down by her words only. How could Roxy say the sweetest yet poisonous statements at the same time? "You want to amplify the bad rumors about me. I believe you''re the only one who has the gut to pull my legs." "Because you love me too much and will do whatever I wish." Roxy blinked her eyes several times, making Den no longer able to fight back. "Alright, you win." his announcement made Roxy squeal in delight. Roxy circled her hands to Den''s neck to give a quick peck on his lips. "Thank you, hubby." "Don''t be too happy. I have some conditions for you." "Okay. Tell me." Roxy would follow all the requirements of the man as long as Den allows her to continue staying at M University. "First, you need to finish it in two years and not more than that." "I can do that. What''s the second?" "You should change to a piano major." "What?" "Your guitar ying is horrible, and it would ruin our campus''s image." his blunt word invited a pout on her lips. "And thest one¡­." "Still more?" Roxy suddenly regretted agreeing that she wouldply with all of the man''s terms. "You will tell your family about dying our wedding by yourself." "¡­" This future husband of hers is¡­ too heartless! Chapter 267 - Ch. 267 Mr. Zouchs Threat By the time Roxy and Den returned to the dining room, they heard the voices of Anna and Britney, who were enthusiastic about preparing the prettiest wedding dress for Roxy. "Roxy darling. I''ve prepared a special design for you, and I''ve wanted to make it real for a long time. Do you want to see it now? You can choose it." offered Anna in an enthusiastic tone that made Roxy feel bad. She would surely disappoint the kind woman by saying she wanted to postpone her marriage to Den. Above it all, her father would have a word with her. Roxy looked at her lover, hoping the man would help her, and stated the decision instead of her. s, Den just walked and sat back in his position and continued his dining that he had left behind. "So, have you guys set a date yet?" asked Britney as she couldn''t wait to see her daughter get married and wear a stunning wedding dress. Roxy sat next to Den and felt something in her throat constrict. Her former self would interrupt her family''s discussion very easily and quickly. She was number one when it came to interrupting people''s talking. But now¡­ for some reason, she had a hard time interrupting as if she didn''t have the courage to voice out her opinion. Could it be because she had gotten used to being silent all these years? Even though ''Kaylee'' was gone, Kaylee''s timid and quiet character was still etched in her mind and soul. Roxy nced at Den with full of questions. Did Den know it? Is that why that man purposely told her to tell her family with her own mouth? Den felt Roxy staring at him and nced at her gently, making Roxy frown. How could the man still look at her tenderly after leaving her alone on the ''field of war.'' "I thought you''re gonna say something to them," whispered Den, and only Roxy could hear his voice. "I can''t. Why don''t you tell them, please?" Roxy blinked her eyes and put on a puppy face to melt the man''s heart, but that heartless man rejected her straight away. "Why don''t we just get married the next summer, then. I agree with all of them." was his reply with a trademark sly smirk. "You¡­" Roxy was speechless, and this was the first time Den ''betrayed'' her. "Roxy?" called Britney when she realized her daughter was putting on an edgy look. "Is there something wrong?" Roxy bit her lip as if it was her first time facing the real world. "It''s your chance," Den whispered again, and just like the others, the man waited for the restless girl to speak. "I¡­" Roxy took a deep breath before finally speaking her mind in one breath. "I would like to postpone the marriage." "Okay. For how long?" surprisingly, Britney agreed with her! "For two years." and both of her parents'' faces became dead stiff. "Two years?" asked Britney and Bossley in disbelieve at their daughter''s unreasonable answer. Pierre scratched his neck awkwardly while Anna decided to lock her mouth. On the other hand, Robert held back his amused smile because he had not seen the rebellious side of his cousin in a long time. "And you agreed to this?" demanded Bossley to Den. "I didn''t, but she convinced me." Mr. Zouch red at his daughter with so unloving. Did she make him angry? "Come to my room, now." Bossley rose to his feet and summoned his daughter in an imposing tone. "Does it have to be now?" "Now." "But, papa." "Roxanne." Roxy sealed her lips once she heard her full namee out from her father''s lips. In the end, Roxy had no choice but to follow her father''s orders. As she followed her father into his room, Roxy racked her brains to think of an excusable exnation to convince her father, and she realized something. This was the first time Den didn''t want to help her. She knew Den couldn''t possibly be afraid of her father. Is it possible that there is a hidden agreement between Den and her father? After all¡­ the ones confirming Den''s conjecture that ''Kaylee'' had another identity were her parents. Her father, who was very overprotective of his children, could not possibly give up his daughter to another man carelessly, let alone telling the truth that ''Kaylee'' has another personality. Even though her father had wanted to marry her to Ezzo Raffetto, it did not mean that his father was willing to marry her off to just any man. Ezzo was her father''s best disciple and one of his confidants who had sworn to protect Roxy with his own life. Meanwhile, Den¡­ Den was just an ordinary businessman and a foreigner in her father''s eyes. Even though Den was the key to bringing her back, Roxy thought her father would at least be happy if their wedding were postponed instead of getting angry at her and seeming eager to marry her off to Den. As soon as the door to her father''s study was closed, Roxy spoke first. "Papa, is there an agreement I don''t know about between you two?" Bossley looked at his daughter in surprise. "What do you mean? What agreement?" "How should I know? Den will always do what I ask, but now he didn''t." "Are you a kid? Why do you need him to do whatever you ask?" Roxy pouted, hearing his scolding. "So? No agreement between you two?" "Instead of wondering about that, exin to me why you have to wait two years to get married?" "That¡­" Roxy didn''t expect her father would steer the conversation right away and that too, he dropped the bomb right at her face! "I thought you''d be relieved to hear that." Roxy quickly thought of a satisfying answer before the ticking bomb exploded. "I don''t want to leave you guys. Who will apany you when I get married?" and it worked like magic! Her father looked at her gently, and his facial muscles eased again, indicating he was no longer angry. "But you need to marry him as soon as possible." What? "But, papa... why?" "I know he is the young man you were with at the hotel in Spain many years ago. And I also know you two have been living together for the past few weeks. If you don''t marry and get pregnant out of wedlock, I will circumcise that young man." "..." Wasn''t her father already out of Hades? Why did her father return to being the merciless Hades?? And above all, why did her father threaten her? T.T Chapter 268 - Ch. 268 Bossleys Hidden Agenda Roxy stifled a nervousugh to break the tension between her and her father. "So, you did threaten him." Roxy couldn''t help but believe her father had threatened Den, so he didn''t want to help her this time. "I didn''t. Do you think I''d hand you over to a man who''s afraid of me? Even Ezzo was never afraid of me even though he alwaysplied with my orders." "Then why didn''t he help me?" muttered Roxy in a soft voice. "Isn''t that because he''s eager to marry you? Roxy," Mr. Zouch sat on the chair after exhaling a long sigh. "I no longer have the power to protect you anymore. My movement is limited here, and besides, the court is still monitoring all my actions." "Why?" "You know why. The Hades organization was never weed in here." "But no one knows you are Hades. Andst time I checked, nach was here and roamed the city freely." "It''s because he had the facility to be an invisible man while he was here, but I didn''t." "Papa, aren''t we living a new life here? What are you afraid of?" "..." Mr. Zouch looked at his daughter sadly. "It''s Rafetto. I''m worried he would hurt you like years ago." "It''s only because he believed I was Kaylee. And I provoked him that night, so¡­ don''t me him, papa. He wouldn''t hurt me once he knew I''m Roxanne." Mr. Zouch knows that. But it was something else that worried him. "It''s not about Ezzo, isn''t it? What is it, papa? How could I know if you didn''t tell me anything? I''m not that clueless little girl. I need to know if something concerns me." Bossley lowered his eyes while pondering whether he should tell his daughter or not. "Has Den told you that the ne crash wasn''t an ident?" "He did." "We still haven''t found the culprit until now." "But he hadn''t appeared since¡­." her sentence was cut short when she suddenly remembered some strange happenings around her when ''Kaylee'' was still taking over her body. She remembered that she was almost hit by iron from above when she was casually walking. She also recalled falling down the stairs, and she swore she felt someone push her on purpose. Could it be¡­? "Papa, you can''t possibly think¡­." "Whoever did it, this person is still after you, no matter if you are Roxy or Kaylee. I thought if we moved here and left the organization, that person wouldn''t be after you. But my guess was wrong." "But why? I think this guy''s goal is to target me¡­ or Kaylee, to force you to step down from Hades'' post. Did you ever think maybe Conn Anach was the culprit?" "What?" "I never liked him. The look he had when he looked at me was like someone who wanted to get rid of me." Bossley Zouch chuckled at his daughter''sment. "If there is someone who supports you the most to be the next Hades, Conn is the only one. That''s why he trained you hard and tightened all your space moves. He wanted to prepare you for a worthy sessor, and everyone would do nothing but listen to you. He is someone you can trust with your life." "It''s hard to believe, but it doesn''t matter now. He has be Hades, and I have lived a new life here. I will be fine." "Roxy," "Besides, I wouldn''t necessarily be much safer with Den even if we weren''t married. Unless you guys have a hidden deal, I don''t know about." "¡­" "So you do have, don''t you? What is it?" "You think too much. There''s nothing like a secret agreement between us. You can leave now before I change my mind." Roxy knew her father was avoiding her question. She was sure that there was something her father was hiding. But right now, the most important thing was that her father had allowed her to postpone her marriage. "Okay. I''ll join with others. Thank you, papa." Bossley looked at his daughter''s back sadly. The truth is, Bossley had a hidden agenda about Roxy''s marriage, but Den didn''t know it. He wanted to use Roxy''s marriage to Den to distract the court from him. Den ck, especially Oscar Security, has received recognition from the secret military from the states, and they would not dare to touch anything that belongs to Den. If Roxy marries Den, the secret military agents would automatically not disturb Roxy or Zouch''s family. Moreover, they could secretly protect Roxy if the ''enemy'' decided to take his other daughter. *** That night when Roxy came home with Den, Danielle texted her to check her email. Her assistant said something was interesting about one of the senders, and maybe Roxy would like to see it. "How did you convince your father?" Den was curious because, to his knowledge, Bossley was eager to get his daughter married to him even though he didn''t know the reason. "I had my own way. But did you guys make a deal I didn''t know about?" "What deal?" Den looked confused, and Roxy felt the man wasn''t lying to her. "Never mind. Anyway, I need to check my mail. Dani said something was interesting about one of my fans." The corner of Den''s lips twitched at that. "Female or male?" "I need to check it first." "Are you asking me to devour you now?" A cute giggle escaped from her lips, and she wrapped Den''s neck in a teasing manner. "Don''t be silly. My eyes are only on you, and after all, I''m just teasing you." Roxy tiptoed slightly to give Den a quick peck on the lips. Roxy knew Den would want to deepen their kiss. Before the man could react, Roxy immediately let go of the man''s neck and turned to get herptop while humming cheerfully. "¡­" that vixen girl¡­ why are her reflexes getting so good? Den became more hopelessly fall in love with his beautiful yet mischief wife. He couldn''t wait to im her rightfully, and yet he needed to wait for two years. Ugh! Now he regretted having agreed to the girl''s request. Chapter 269 - Ch. 269 Declans Birth Parent Dear Miss Roe, My name is Kei, and I''ve heard about you since a long time ago but have never had the privilege to see you perform in person. I live far away and can only admire from here. I particrly liked listening to you y the piano, and my admiration skyrocketed when I found out we''d met before. You might not remember me, but I remember you so well as if we just met yesterday. I used to want to follow in your footsteps to be a pianist, but I have no talent in it. In the end, I decided to y the cello, and now I am very good at ying it. If you wish, it would be my honor to do a duet with you. Along with this email, I attached a file from my ying. Feel free to let me know what you think about my presentation. From your admirer, K *** Roxy''s eyebrow raised after reading an email from an unknown name. This sender admitted they had met before? Why didn''t she remember it? Who is this sender? Roxy grabbed her phone and called her assistant to ask about this mysterious sender. "Dani, what''s so interesting about the email you showed me?" "Have you listened to the track file?" "Not yet. I just read it, and he said he knows me." Roxy downloaded the attached file while she was talking to Danielle. "Do you know this person named Kei?" "No. I thought you recognized him because he said you two met." "Nope. I never had a young acquaintance named Kei. Unless he were an ugly boy that could be easily forgotten, I would remember him somehow." "Maybe you''ll remember after listening to the song." "Why do you think so?" "Because you yed the same tune in the early days I was your assistant." "What tune?" "You haven''t yed it over these two years. I''m sorry, I never ask the title, and I''ve never heard it in anywhere." "..." Roxy tried to remember what song she used to y around three years ago, but she recalled nothing. "I don''t remember. I''ll just listen to it now." "Okay. I can prepare everything in case you want to invite him over." "And let Den kill him? No, thanks." Danielleughed, amused at that. "Is there anything else that I should know?" "There was an invitation to the Vienna orchestra, but I''ve turned it down. And there was also a request from the film industry to make a music soundtrack that fits theirtest film genre. Will you ept it?" Roxy opened her schedule on herptop and saw that she was still on vacation until mid-January. "I should be able to do it if no mishap happens. Send me their disposition list. I''ll give it a try first." "Okay." After ending the call, Roxy opened the file she had just downloaded and listened to the audio. But Den walked up to her and spoke in a serious tone making Roxy mute the audio. "Roxy, there''s something I need to tell you." "Okay. What is it?" "I''m leaving for Montana the day after tomorrow and will probably be back on Tuesday or Wednesday." "Business trips?" "Something like that. But," Den took a deep breath before continuing his sentence. "I don''t know if this trip will end up in a contract deal or something else." "What do you mean?" "This person required me to go there to do the deal, even though somebody else could do it in my ce. I''m only a temporary director in BPE, and I intend to hand over my position to Jacob." "But Jacob is still young." "I know. That''s why I train him." "I could imagine his frustrated face." Roxy giggled teasingly when she saw Den''s brow furrowed in displeasure. Is this guy jealous of Jacob? "Go on." "But for some reason, this person wanted to meet me. Apart from my father and major shareholder, no one knows I work at BPE." Den hardly everes to BPE firms because he was busier with his work as a lecturer at M University and Oscar Security. Not to mention that he needed to perfect the god eyes project, so he had no time to take care of the project at BPE. But asionally, he woulde when there was a shareholders'' meeting or his father summoned him. Otherwise, he would note. "You can refuse if you don''t want to go." "Yes. I did reject it. But as soon as I saw this person''s face, I changed my mind." "Hmm? Why? Could it be that she is a woman? Is she prettier than me?" Den chuckled in amusement at her teasing tone. "He''s a guy, and his name is Dario Gonzales." Roxy''s pair of eyes widen at that. "You mean¡­ The Dario Gonzales?" "You know him?" "No, but I''m sure my father knows him. He owns the biggest oil mine in the world! If I remember correctly, years ago, he used my father''s bank to buynd in Montana, and now it''s a food factory." "I see. What a small world, isn''t it?" "You can say that. But what about him? Why did you change your mind when you saw his face?" Den took out his phone and showed Roxy a photo of Dario Gonzales. Roxy nced at the photo and gasped in surprise to see it. She saw an older version of Den! Shepared the image on Den''s phone to Den himself. "Wow, you guys look so much alike. Could it be¡­ he''s your birth father?" "There''s only one way to find out." "Is that why you changed your mind?" Den nodded his head once. "I have never looked for my father because I don''t know my father''s name. What I do know is that my father is a wealthy man because we live in a big house, and he seems to own a bigpany." Den looked at Roxy lovingly as if just looking at her would calm his heart. "My mother took me away from my father''s house when I was four. I don''t really remember my father." This is the first time Den has told her about his birth parent. Chapter 270 - Ch. 270 Someone Targeted Lydia "You must be thrilled to meet your father atst." "Well¡­ to tell you the truth, I don''t know. If he is my father, why didn''t hee looking for me? I guess¡­ my father doesn''t want me either." "Like you said. There''s only one way to find out. You better go and find out the truth." "I wish you could apany me." "..." Roxy wanted to apany him, especially the man who had apanied her when she needed someone. But¡­ "By train?" "..." Den sighed in resignation, hearing that. "Wouldn''t your cute buttocks hurt if you sat for tens of hours?" "Den, it''s not like I don''t want to apany you. But, I¡­ even though I''ve returned and epted the past, I''m still not ready if¡­." "I get it." Den stroked the side of Roxy''s head gently. "I will miss you." Den shifted closer to shower her face with his loving kisses. Roxy giggled as she let Den kiss her. "Isn''t it just a few days? I will wait for you here." "Of course. You can''t go back to your old apartment." "Alright, alright." Roxy didn''t n to return to her apartment either way. She was too used to living at Den''s house. "It''ste. We''d better get some sleep. I want to take you on a date tomorrow." Roxy agreed and closed the media yer on herptop. Regrettably, she didn''t listen to the audio recording sent by Kei. Roxy would have known right away that the cellist who emailed her was her sister if she had listened to it. Roxy would know that her sister was still alive because the only ones who knew Kaylee''s ''ugly'' song were Roxy and Kaylee. The next day, Den and Roxy had a pleasant date without feeling anything suspicious. They shopped for a while at the mall, then ate burgers while sitting in the park like any other couple did. In the middle of their date, Roxy''s phone vibrated, and a restless voice was heard as Roxy picked up the call. "Lydia? What happened?" Roxy straightened herself and listened intently to the caller. The next second she turned to Den with a raised eyebrow, making Den wonder what happened. Den had heard the name ''Lydia''e out of Roxy''s mouth, and he wondered if the Lydia in question was Lydia Brewster? He remembered his deal with Nichs, and he had promised to take care of the girl in that boy''s ce. Den had settled Aubrey to be Lydia''s attendant and ensured the girl''s grandmother''s care was covered. "Where are you now?" Den heard his wife asking Lydia. "Okay, you wait there. I''ll be there soon." as soon as Roxy put her phone back, she stood up. "Den, take me to this ce." Den devoured thest bite of his burger and agreed to her request. But he didn''t expect an usation toe out of her mouth. "What did you do to Lydia''s grandmother?" "Ha? What have I done? What happened?" "There was an unfortunate incident in Lydia''s grandmother''s patient room this morning. A patient died, and the name on the room was Lydia''s grandmother''s name. But, oddly enough¡­ the corpse Lydia saw wasn''t her grandmother, but someone else. She said a girl named Aubrey, who worked for Oscar Security, imed to have moved her grandmother to a safer room. Now she''s confused." "¡­" "Den, what exactly happened? Are you hiding something from me?" "me on the boy. It''s because of him." "That boy? Who?" "Larson. He asked me to take care of his girlfriend while he wasn''t here." "Oh, I remember. But why did something like this happen?" "Larson is the son of Hades IV. Automatically he has enemies everywhere. He was worried that something might happen to Lydia or her grandmother, so he asked the OS for help to protect her." "But you should have told Lydia first if you wanted to move her grandmother. Now she was confused and panicked in searching for her granny." "..." Den didn''t answer for a few seconds. "You''re right. My bad." The truth is, Aubrey was already aware of the existence of a stranger who had been after Lydia. They had met Lydia in person and told the girl to get out of the country and stop contacting Nichs. Lydia didn''t want to leave the country because she didn''t want to leave her hospitalized grandmother. The older woman had no hope of life, and she had less than a year left. That''s why Lydia didn''t want to go even though she didn''t mind not contacting Nick. They even threatened her by using her grandmother to make Lydia feel scared and worried. Fortunately, Aubrey showed up in time and made those who met Lydia in person and threatened her to back off. Since then, Aubrey always appeared whenever Lydia went, and the two had be friends. And a few days ago, Aubrey reported that someone wanted to target Lydia''s grandmother to scare the girl. Luckily they reacted quickly and transferred Lydia''s grandmother to a safer ce. Nevertheless, they did not change the namete in the room and were forced to use another victim. Not that Den was heartless using other people as bait. By chance, he came across a patient who had been brain dead for a long time and had no hope. Her family had also given up and signed a letter of termination of treatment. That''s why Den used this patient but kept her treatment running and protected her. Den and Aubrey acted as if the patient in the room was Lydia''s grandmother. Unfortunately, despite being guarded and protected, this patient remained a victim of premeditated murder. No one knows how the perpetrator did it. Was he disguised as a doctor? Or the nurse injecting something into the victim? "I hope her grandma is okay." a voice filled with worry echoed and broke Den''s reverie. "I heard she only had her grandmother at the moment. I can''t imagine if she had to lose her only family member." "You don''t know?" Den was surprised because it seemed that Roxy didn''t know about Lydia''s grandmother''s illness. "What do I not know?" "Her grandmother only has about eight months to live." "¡­" Chapter 271 - Ch. 271 Nicks Request Arriving at a hospital, they saw Lydia and Aubrey standing in front of the entrance. Without waiting, Roxy got out of the car as soon as Den parked and dashed toward her make-up artist. "Lydia!" "Kaylee," Lydia''s voice sounded grateful and relieved when she saw Kaylee''s face. Lydia had never shared her personal life with Kaylee, but she had thought of Kaylee as a sister deep down. No wonder she felt relieved as if she was looking at her elder sister. "Are you alright? How about your grandma? Why didn''t you ever tell me about your grandmother''s health condition? Didn''t I tell you to tell me if something happened to you? I thought you already thought of me as your friend." "Thank you, but¡­ I''m used to relying on myself. Then I met Aubrey, and she told me you asked Mr. ck to help me." "Ha?" since when did she ask Den to help Lydia''s situation. Roxy would help Lydia herself instead of asking him. Roxy had considered Lydia as her family member... as a sister. "Thank you, Miss Kaylee." "Why with the formalities? How is your grandmother now?" "She¡­" Lydia glimpsed at Den in bewilderment but filled with expectant. "She is in a hospital managed by BPE. I can take you there if you want." Roxy nced at Den with an using look. Why did the man relocate someone else''s grandmother without the knowledge of the family members concerned? At least, Den could have told Roxy beforehand when they were on their way here. But the man said nothing nor exined it in more detail. In the end, they all went to the hospital to see Lydia''s grandmother. Arriving at the hospital, one of the doctors recognized Den and greeted the man with great respect. Inevitably, Roxy decided to be with Den because the man held her hand. Meanwhile, Aubrey apanied Lydia to the top floor, where her grandmother was. It seemed Aubrey knew precisely the room as she was the one who guided Lydia to meet her grandmother. After short pleasantries between Den and his acquaintance, Roxy demanded an exnation from her lover. "I know you''re only keeping your promise to Nick to look after Lydia and her grandmother. But why did you have to hide this from Lydia? Don''t you feel sorry for her? Not only does she think her grandmother is dead, but she thinks she won''t be able to meet her grandmother without saying goodbye." "I understand you''re angry. But I have a reason. Trust me." "I will believe you if you give me a tolerable reason. Why did you suddenly transfer her?" "Are you jealous that I regarded another girl?" "Tsk. I''m not you who likes to be jealous blindly. I''m just annoyed that you freaked Lydia to death. I don''t mind you giving the best care for her grandmother, and I''d be angry if you did otherwise. Lydia is like a sister to me, and to be honest¡­ doesn''t she look a bit like Kaylee?" Den reminisced about his time with ''Kaylee,'' and although he had only met Lydia a few times, he could sense that the younger girl did have traits simr to Kaylee. No wonder ''Kaylee'' and Lydia match well, and Roxy loves her like she loves her real sister. "When you say it that way, she does look a bit like you back then. But I feel sad." Ha? "Why?" "You don''t feel jealous at all." Roxyughed, amused at the slurred tone of her lover. "That''s because I believe in you. You won''t turn to any other woman but me." Den''s gaze softened hearing this, and he kissed the girl''s forehead before the two entered the elevator. By the time they arrived at the room dedicated to caring for the grandmother, Roxy could hear Lydia''s cheerful voice had filled with relief, knowing that her grandmother had no injuries. "Good day, Granny." greeted Roxy when they entered the room. "Isn''t that¡­" "Yes, she is, granny. She is Miss Kaylee I''m talking about." "Good day, Kaylee. I''ve heard so much about you from Lydia, and please, just call me Pa." Roxy smiled softly at that, but there was a sad look in her eyes when she heard her ''sister'' name being mentioned. Now that ''Kaylee'' is gone, she has to get used to hearing people call her ''Kaylee.'' Her family had discussed it yesterday when they all knew Roxy had returned. For the time being, Roxy would continue to use her identity as Kaylee, and only when she distributes her wedding invitations with Den will she use her name again. "Unfortunately, she hardly ever talks about you to me. Otherwise, I would have visited you earlier to keep youpany." Paughed and pinched her granddaughter''s cheek lightly, who was now putting on a guilty face. "I can understand why she didn''t tell you. This kid always hides all her burdens alone." "Granny," Lydia protested, but her grandmother continued to speak. "I''m afraid she''ll be alone if I go." "..." no one dared to speak, and Lydia felt her heart cut into pieces hearing her grandmother''s sad voice. "Kaylee, don''t you have any acquaintances with a dependable young man who is suitable match for Lydia?" "Granny!" Lydia didn''t know how to hide her bashful face. "Don''t worry, Pa. Someone has been keeping a close eye on her, and to be honest, Aubrey is here too because of her boyfriend''s request." "Ha?" both the grandmother and her granddaughter looked at Roxy in astonishment. Lydia wondered if ''Kaylee'' knew that she was in a rtionship with Nick or not? She also wondered if Aubrey knew Nick. If so, why did the young man ask Aubrey a favor? "Lydia? You already have a boyfriend? Why didn''t you ever tell me? Could it be the doctor?" "No. Not him. But¡­" "No? Who is it, then? Kaylee, do you know her boyfriend? What does he look like? Where is he now?" Like a mother who seems excited to meet her future son-inw, Pa was thrilled to hear that her granddaughter finally had a boyfriend. Roxy couldn''t help but giggle to see the over thrilled olddy. But¡­ why was Lydia''s expression filled with sadness like someone who had just had their heartbroken? Did something happen to Nick? Chapter 272 - Ch. 272 Non-threatening Threaten Words Roxy apanied Lydia to sit in the lounge while sipping coffee in silence. She didn''t know why, but she felt that Lydia harbored a deep sadness and was trying to hide it from her grandmother. "I''ve heard from Den. She said, your grandmother¡­." Roxy couldn''t bear to continue her sentence. "I have epted this fact. Even though my grandmother had surgery, it did not guarantee that she would wake up because of the age. My grandmother also said it was better to let her enjoy her life in peace. I can''t say anything more to her decision." "I''m so sorry to hear that. I wish I could help." Lydia shook her head in resignation as if she had given up on her destiny. "I guess I was meant to live alone." "Who said you were alone? Don''t you still have me?" Lydia smiled softly at that. "Also, you still have Nick watching over you." and suddenly Lydia''s smile disappeared as if she had never smiled. "That boy, he will nevere back. You don''t have tofort me about it." "Did he say he''s noting back?" "He said he''d be back, but he hasn''t contacted me since¡­ Forget it. Young people today are easily carried away by feelings, thenter regret it and throw it away easily." "What are you talking about? I don''t understand at all." Lydia moistened her dry lips with her tongue, wondering if she should tell her friend or not. "Lydia, Nick is my best friend''s brother, and we grew up together, so I know the boy''s personality very well. He does flirt around and likes to y around, but he''s not a liar. If he said he woulde back, he would unquestionablye back. Plus, he doesn''t have to bother asking Den to help look after you while he''s not here." "Why would he do that? He didn''t need to ask Mr. ck or whoever to look after me. I''m not a weak girl who needs help." "Don''t you get it? He loves you, and he had to leave because he had something to do. His family situation was veryplicated, and he was forced to return home withoutpleting his dream of bing a musician." "What''s soplicated about the Larson family?" "That''s a good question. The problem is the Larsons is not his real family." "What do you mean?" "I can''t tell you more than this, but I want you to know Nick cares about you. I remember I was pretty dislike seeing Wendy tried to matchmaking you guys. But I could see his sincerity and sensed his affection toward you. Believe in him some more." Roxy could only guess that Conn Anach had suspected Nick''s rtionship with Lydia. That''s why Nick enlisted Den''s help to take care of Lydia before he left. Then¡­ would anything terrible happen to Lydia''s grandmother if Den hadn''t moved the poor older woman? The patient who was said to have died¡­ does it have anything to do with Anach? After all, Hades wouldn''t allow his two children to have a rtionship with someone who didn''t bring any benefit to the organization. Could it be... "If he cares about me, why doesn''t he contact me?" Lydia''s voice was as low as someone whispering, but Roxy could still hear herst words. "Maybe¡­ he really can''t reach you." Roxy knew it was only an excuse, and it was an uneptable one. If Den hadn''t called her for a few days and didn''t let her know, maybe Roxy would have experienced the same insecure feelings as Lydia. Lydia just gave a faint smile before taking another sip of her coffee. She shouldn''t have trusted Nick''s sweet promise and not given her heart to the young man. She should have endured and closed her heart tight to the young man so that she wouldn''t have to feel this kind of pain. "It doesn''t matter anymore. I will focus on spending thest time with my grandmother, then start a new life again." "That''s not a bad idea. What''s your next n?" "I haven''t thought about it." "Is your grandma still strong enough to walk around?" Lydia shook her head. "She has to be in a wheelchair, but I think the doctors let her out for some fresh air." "I know a suitable ce for sightseeing this winter. The weather is not as cold as in New York, and I can ask my uncle''s connections to provide a nurse while you are there." "What?" "I will cover all your travel expenses and needs there. You just enjoy your time with your grandmother." "But¡­ Miss Kaylee, I can''t take it. Plus¡­" "That''s a great idea,"mented Den as he approached the girls, followed by Aubrey. "You think so?" Roxy was amazed by Den''s explicit consent, but this only strengthened her suspicions. "How is my grandma?" "She''s asleep now. Don''t worry." Lydia breathed a sigh of relief at Aubrey''s answer. "I heard you''re talking about going somewhere? It''s good for you to leave this city, preferably out of the country," added Aubrey. "We already have a lot of work, and it''s impossible to add another." Aubrey aimed herst sentence to Den, not knowing Roxy had caught her slightest hint of urgency. "How about the Nethend? I have an acquaintance there, and I could ask him a favor." "Nethend? As in Europe?" Lydia was too shocked by this unexpected progress. "No, it''s too far away and¡­." "Lydia. Think about your grandma. She had not seen the beauty of this world in her entire life. And if I remember correctly, wasn''t your dream to take your grandmother around the world? You have an opportunity before your eyes, and yet you have a second thought? If I were you, I wouldn''t let this golden opportunity go. You will regret it." Den cleared his throat and nudged Roxy''s shoulder with his hand. "Why are you threatening her?" "I threaten her?" Roxy looked back at her make-up artist. "Lydia, did I threaten you?" "What?" Lydia was too confused and too shocked to ept all the new facts she had just received. Her brain seemed to stop working, and she couldn''t think of anything else. Roxy didn''t threaten her, but she reminded Lydia to give her grandmother the best before leaving for good. Her tone sounded non-threatening, but ordinary people who didn''t know Roxy could detect a hidden threat behind her words. Chapter 273 - Ch. 273 Lydias New Resolution Lydia only had her grandmother left in this world. Her parents died when she was a child and it was her grandmother who worked hard to raise and support her. Lydia loved her grandmother very much and would do anything to make her happy. She knew her grandmother liked to see beautiful ces and Lydia wanted to take her grandmother around the world. But¡­ given her grandmother''s health and finances, Lydia knew it was impossible to fulfill her grandmother''s wish. However, all of a sudden, a client and a dear friend offered her an opportunity that she had never wished for before. Kaylee was willing to pay for all her transportation and necessities while she goes on vacation with her grandmother abroad!? Lydia felt like she had won a lottery prize, but¡­ "Sorry, I can''t ept it. I know you mean well, but I still can''t ept it." was her firm answer. Lydia didn''t want to sell herself or be indebted to others. Growing up as a poor child but surrounded by a wealthy family made Lydia realize the meaning behind ''funded.'' Rich kids do give money with the intention of helping, but sooner orter, they would feel they have bought time and soul of the person they helped. Lydia already thought of Kaylee as her friend and she was sure Kaylee thought the same as her. Hence, she didn''t want to ruin their friendship. "Lydia," "Please, Miss Kaylee. Please do not force me. If I want to take my grandmother on vacation, I prefer to go back to our hometown. I''m sure she''ll be more than delighted if she could go back to her hometown." Lydia knows her grandmother would support her decision. "You are right. I can''t force you," stated Roxy in a resigned tone, then turned to her fiance. "Den, she won''t leave if you don''t tell her the real reason." One of the man''s eyebrows lifted hearing that, thenughed a little. "You know?" "You think?" Den sat next to Roxy and faced a confused Lydia. "Miss Brewster, did any strangers meet you before Aubrey came?" "Strangers?" Lydia tried to dig up her memory and she remembered that a suspicious man dressed in ck invited her for coffee. "Yeah?" "Did he say something?" "He gave me some money and told me to leave this ce. He wished I never came back here." "How dare he! Who is he?" Roxy instantly felt angry hearing that. "Why didn''t you tell me?" Lydia smiled awkwardly while scratching her non-itchy neck. "I thought he was just a mysterious stranger, so I didn''t think about telling anyone. Besides, he never appeared ever since." "He only gave you money?" inquired Den as he was sure there must be more stories Lydia had yet to tell. "That¡­" "He threatened her." Lydia pursed her lips as Aubrey began to speak. "He said Lydia would regret it if she didn''t leave this country soon. Then vo, I came like a knight who saved the damsel in distress." Lydia lowered her head as soon as Aubrey finished exining it to Den and Kaylee. "It was nothing, really. I don''t think he meant what he said." "That''s a real problem, Miss Brewster. If I don''t relocate your grandmother to this hospital in time, the person who died this morning would be your grandmother." "What? What do you mean?" Lydia felt her heart stop beating when she heard Den''s words. "Lydia, listen to me. I told you Nick had aplicated situation now and I think the man who threaten you was one of Nick''s birth father''s subordinates. I think he wants you out of here so Nick won''t be able to find you when hees back." "But, what does that have to do with my grandmother?" "I can''t go into detail, but they like to attack their target''s weaknesses. You are Nick''s weakness, and your grandmother is your weakness. Attacking your grandmother means attacking Nick as well. That''s why Nick asked the OS for help to look after you." exined Roxy attentively as she cupped Lydia''s hand into hers. If she had cared for Kaylee the same way she had for Lydia, Roxy wouldn''t feel regret like this. The guilt was like a thorn in her heart, and it ached her to the point she wanted tomit suicide. Even though she wasn''t in pain as in the past, the thorn was still there. She genuinely cherished and adored Kaylee, but she realized the person who always cared about her well-being was Kaylee instead of her caring about Kaylee''s well-being. Kaylee loved her unconditionally, but she used Kaylee for her own benefit. What kind of sister is she? She was really the worst sister. "Lydia. Please mind my words. You''ll be safer in Nethend, and I can assure you that your grandmother will receive the best care during your stay there. I''ll bring you back when the situation here is under control. Or maybe I''ll have Nick pick you up there." Lydia looked at Roxy with a confused but grateful feeling in her light. "Will we be alright if we stay abroad?" "Of course, you will be. Isn''t that right, Den?" Den nodded once while offering Lydia a reassuring smile. "I''ve contacted an acquaintance of mine there and he agreed to lend one of his apartments to you." "What? That¡­" "You have to ept it and we refuse a no answer if you still consider her as your friend." Den nced at Roxy who was now smiling amused to see the man winked at her. Didn''t this man just ask her why she threatened Lydia, but why did Den even threaten the girl himself? Lydia sighed resignedly knowing that she could no longer refuse Mr. ck and Miss Kaylee''s offer. Moreover, she was anxious about her grandmother''s safety. She didn''t know whether what they told her was the truth or not. Her grandmother had not had much time to live, but Lydia still wanted to be with her. That''s why Lydia didn''t insist on refusing the couple''s good offer. It was better to evade the danger than to have herpletely lose her grandmother earlier than it should be. But¡­ "Miss Kaylee," "Hm?" "You know Nick much better than I do. Why do you think he hasn''t reached me at all?" Lydia had contacted Nick through the SOS number the boy had given her. Nick still hasn''t reached her until this second. Nick promised tomunicate with her as soon as he got an SOS call, but¡­ "I¡­ I don''t know. But believe him. He must have a reason why he didn''t call you." Lydia didn''t know how to react to that answer. She had just agreed to be Nick''s girlfriend, but Nick had left and disappeared on that same day. It was better that she didn''t wait for him and started a new life once she left this ce. That was her new resolution. Chapter 274 - Ch. 274 The Allanach Siblings In confinement on Folnd Ind, a pair of brothers and sisters sat pensively counting the days. They were pretty sure their father would expel them after a week, but there was no sign of their heartless father showing up. "Oh, what a life. Who would have thought that the day woulde when I would be locked up here? What should I do? Am I really my father''s son?" The brother''s singing made the corners of his sister''s lips twitch. "Could you please stop your annoying song? It worsened my mood." "And now my sister hates my song¡­ Uuuhh, what a life. What did I do in my past life to deserve this?" and yet the brother kept singing his newest tune. "Nicu Anach!" Nick stopped singing when his sister called his real name. "Sis, why are you giving me that scary re? My inspiration flow fluently here. I should have asked my manager to lock me in the basement in the past. Who knows, I mightpose dozens of hit songs?" "You''re too rxed for a person who was imprisoned by his own father?" "Imprisoned? This ce is our home, and there are no police observing us. Hhhh¡­" Nick let out a long breath as he tapped a piece of wood against the bars of his prison. "I can understand why father locked me up, but why did he lock you up too? I thought he loves you more than me." Wendyughed sarcastically at that. "Father loves us? The world will end if he does." "Why do you think like that?" "He only uses us as tools. The reason why we are good friends with Roxy and Kaylee was because he wanted to get info from Mr. Zouch." "What kind of information?" "Frontier Shadow, or so I''ve heard." "¡­" How did his father know about Frontier Shadow? "Frontier Shadow? What''s that?" nheless, Nick behaved like a clueless boy and asked curiously. "Don''t ask me. I tried to snoop something from Mr. Zouch, but he knew nothing about it." "Tsk. We shouldn''t havee back here. Didn''t the Larsons want to adopt us officially? We should just ept their offer." Nick steered the conversation so they wouldn''t talk about Frontier Shadow. "And leave our father alone?" "You still think of him as a father? He doesn''t think of us as his kids, why should we think of him as a father?" "He''s not like this before. Our father was a loving and doting father." Nick looked at his sister sitting next to him in disbelief. Conn Anach is a loving and doting father? Which part of their father seemed to be a loving and caring person? From head to toe, Conn Anach was everything but a loving and affectionate father. He was cruel, heartless, and ruthless, a perfect incarnation of Hades. But Nick knew his sister would never lie to him. "Then, what made him change?" "Our mother''s death. Ever since that incident, he''s changed for the worse. He no longer cared about us and¡­ used us as his tool for revenge." "Revenge? Didn''t our mother die of a heart attack?" Nick didn''t quite remember his mother because Mrs. Anach died when he was three or four. "That''s what he wanted people to believe. The truth is, our mother was murdered." Nick''s brow furrowed, not at all expecting this new truth. "Why are you telling me now?" "Maybe this ce made me reminisce and decided to let you know the truth." "Did he find the killer?" "He did, but he didn''t have the proof, or someone might lead us astray on purpose. Who knows?" "Who is it?" "Let''s stop for now. What about you?" This sister of his changed the topic deliberately. "What about me what?" But Nick decided to follow her lead. "Did you manage to win over Lydia?" Nick had opened his mouth to answer his sister''s curiosity, but he changed his answer when his ear caught a sound. "What does it have to do with Lydia?" "Oh,e on. I''ll be a fool if I can''t recognize the way you look at her. You''re in love." "I''m not. Lydia is an attractive girl, and she did attract me. But not anymore since I was locked up here." Wendy nced at her brother disdainfully. "Are you really my brother? Why are you so heartless ying with a maiden''s heart?" "As if you''re not as heartless as me. You know how deeply Robert loves you, but you keep avoiding him and leaving him." Wendy was about to refute her brother''s words, but a deep, menacing voice preceded her. "It''s because she is wiser than you think." The Anach siblings raised their heads at the front gate, where someone appeared and stared at them coldly. "You''ve been here for a week. Is there nothing you want to say?" Neither Nick nor Wendy spoke. "You seem to like living here. Who would have thought that you would rather live in a ce like this than in yourfortable room?" "Is that what a father says to his kids?" Nick ignored Wendy, who nudged his elbow and refuted his father sarcastically. "Lydia Brewster, isn''t it? You know, one of my spies identally killed her grandmotherst night." Wendy gasped in disbelief at that, while Nick''s jaw tightened at that, but he controlled his emotions. "You threatened me with Lydia Brewster a few days ago. Now you killed her grandmother instead, doesn''t that mean you''re not interested in what I know?" "What''s the point of finding out an organization you don''t know about?" "Then why did you touch her?" "Because she is your distraction." "I told you. I had no rtionship with that girl!" "Then why are you angry?" "I''m angry that you implicated an innocent people!" Nick got to his feet and looked at his father with anger. Sometimes he wondered if this person was his birth father? Even Mr. Larson was a much better father than this older man. As evil as humans are, they never harm their flesh and blood. But what Conn Anach had done over thest ten years was nothing but abandon and use his children to his liking. "No, Nick. You got her involved. Ever since you entered her house and hid there for hours, her fate was settled." "¡­" how did his father know? Chapter 275 - Ch. 275 Nick Finally Know Nick was sure he wasn''t being followed by the time he arrived in front of Lydia''s house. He felt sure there was no tracking device attached to his body. That was why he dared to hide in Lydia''s house for hours. And he was pretty sure no one would recognize him when he came out of the girl''s house with a much-modified figure. Then, how did the older man know it? "You think you''re smart for tricking my men. Of course, you are clever because you are my son. But you forgot something important." Conn Anach gave his youngest son a crooked smile, making Nick feel something burning called anger inside of him wanted to burst. He lived at his father''s house until he was nine before he moved to New York and his sister. Even though he lived with his father and knew his father had sent him to school and provided for all his needs, Nick didn''t know what kind of father he was. Conn Anach rarely came home, and if there weren''t a family photo album in his house, Nick probably wouldn''t have recognized his own father when he passed the older man on the street. Nick even considered Conn Anach as a stranger. He had always known Conn Anach was not the father figure he admired. He had only been able to feel the parental love of a father and mother since he entered the Larsons. At first, Nick hoped his father intended to mend the familial bond that never existed between father and son. But who would have thought he saw his father''s true colors right now. "Before I handed you over to the Larsons and entered the north, I injected a tracking device inside your bodies." Wendy and Nick gasped in surprise, not expecting their father''s announcement. The two did not expect their father to have the heart to insert a tracking device into their bodies. "Through the tracking device, I knew you were in the girl''s house for hours. And I know you went to see Den ck too." "..." Nick was too shocked and confused that he couldn''t even think. He thought Wendy was just joking when he said their father treated them as tools, but he didn''t expect that it was the fact. "Now, my son. What were you talking about with Den ck that night? Are you guys talking about Frontier Shadow or¡­ the god eyes project?" Nick''s face was now filled with confusion and anxiety because he didn''t expect his father to be watching the movements of his two children all this time. Did that man know that he was a member of Frontier Shadow when hemunicated with them? No. Nick didn''t know where FS''s main base was, and he''s never been there. His father wouldn''t know about this. But what confused him the most was, how did his father know about the god eyes project? Isn''t it only FS who knows because they got this secret info from Oscar Security with great difficulty? Or is there a mole in FS? "You said I am your son. But not only did you imprison your children in the basement jail, but you also inserted tracking devices into our bodies. Why should I answer your question? Besides, I don''t have the answer to what you want to know. Even if I had it, I wouldn''t tell it to someone like you." "You stubborn boy. You''re just like your mother. So stubborn and strong-willed." Conn Anach let out a resigned sigh, knowing he wouldn''t get anything out of his youngest child. "Alright, I don''t care about FS or whatever. Kaylee is dead, and all that''s left is Roxanne. Since the FS leader is gone, sooner orter, the organization will copse." Wendy lowered her head at her father''s words. She didn''t know how her father found out, but it seemed Roxy''s identity wasn''t a secret anymore. "What do you mean Kaylee is dead? Did you hurt her?" Unfortunately, Nick was still clueless and believed his sister''s best friend was Kaylee and not Roxanne. "Why should I hurt her? Even if I wanted to hurt her, I would have done so long ago. I just didn''t want the unknown Frontier Shadow to unite with Oscar Security, so I looked for a way to prevent their marriage." So¡­ Conn Anach came to the south just to prevent ''Kaylee'' from marrying Den? "But that is no longer necessary. The one who will marry Den ck is Roxanne. That girl has nothing to do with FS, so I have nothing to worry about." Nick felt his brain was processing too much and couldn''tprehend a single word of his father. Had he lived in North America so long that he had forgotten his mother tongue? "What are you talking about? What do you mean Den is getting married to Roxanne? Roxanne is dead, isn''t she?" "Why don''t you ask your sister? It seems that she already knows her best friend''s little secret." Nick turned to Wendy and asked in a demanding tone. "Gwen, what is he talking about?" Wendy let out a resigned breath before answering her brother. "Kaylee is Roxy. The one who got on the ne years ago and left us was Kaylee." "What? What do you mean?" "I''m telling you, Kaylee is Roxanne. Roxy lost her memories and thought of herself as her sister. That''s why she acts like Kaylee and makes everyone believe that she is Kaylee. But the truth is¡­." Wendy took a deep breath before continuing her words, "She''s Roxanne." "I¡­ I don''t understand." "Who is good at ying the piano, and who is good at ying the cello? Kaylee could y the piano, but she could never match Roxy. On the other hand, Kaylee yed the cello, but never once did the Kaylee we know to y it." Nick felt his chest rumble loudly, and his head felt as if it had been hit by high-voltage electricity. "Kaylee is Roxy, Nick. Roxy is still alive, and Kaylee¡­ we lost her." Kaylee is Roxy? And Kaylee, whom he''s known for so long, is dead? Shit.. He made a huge mistake. He shouldn''t have told Den that Kaylee was the leader of the FS!! Chapter 276 - Ch. 276 Where Is The Real Kaylee? Nick massaged his temple in frustration while cursing how stupid he was. He thought his sister''s best friend he had known was Kaylee. And as a sessor to the chief of Frontier Shadow who would marry Den ck, Nick believed there was nothing wrong with telling Den the truth. But¡­ it''s a different story if it turns out that it''s not Kaylee who is married to Den. What had happened had happened, and he couldn''t cry over the spilled milk. He just hoped that Den wouldn''t find out more about FS and forget what he said. "Nick, Nick." Nick was still so focused on his thoughts that he didn''t notice his sister calling out to him. It wasn''t until his brother shook his shoulder that he realized and tilted his head to his sister. "What are you thinking? Why do you look serious?" "Nothing." "I''m sorry." "For what? For hiding the fact that you know that Kaylee is Roxy?" "That too. But also about Lydia''s grandmother. I didn''t know father was threatening you with Lydia all this time. Is that why you don''t want to have anything to do with her?" Nick sighed tiredly at his sister''s words. "Her grandmother is fine." Nick has been investigating what kind of man Den is ever since he heard Kaylee was engaged with Den. Den was a responsible person and had the principle of not hurting women or weak people. He deemed Den as someone he could trust. Plus, the man wouldn''t stay silent when his fianc¨¦''s loved one was in trouble. That''s why he entrusted Lydia to Den. With OS''s worldwide reputation, he was sure that Den had managed to save Lydia''s grandmother. "How do you know?" "Aside from that, what should we do now? He''s going to release us tomorrow morning. What''s your n?" "I don''t know. I think I''ll find my old friend here and stay at her house. But I changed my mind when I found out there was a tracking device inside my body. I don''t want to involve anyone else. You?" "I will lock myself in my room. Who knows my inspiration will flow endlessly, and I could be a famous songwriter?" Wendy rolled her eyes, hearing it. "It''s not like you''re going back to the north." "I will back," muttered Nick in a whisper-like voice. "What?" Nick was going back north because he had promised Lydia he would go back. He knew his father would not allow it and blocked all paths for him to return, but he refused to give up. "Nothing." In the middle of the night, when Wendy was sleeping, an intruder entered the basement prison. The intruder was whispering so softly it didn''t make a sound, but Nick heard it. "Lydia Brewster''s grandmother was saved and is under the OS''s wing." Nick heard the report and didn''t react. Right now, his mind was filled with the fact that Kaylee was Roxy. "Did you know?" without needing to exin the meaning of his question, this intruder understood what he wanted to ask. "No. I only found out today." the intruder had overheard every conversation between Conn Anach and his two children. "I bet the higher-ups know about it, but they hid it from us." "I made a huge mistake. Den ck knows about FS needlessly." "Don''t worry. He wouldn''t investigate us as he''s more focusing on his god eyes project." Nick nodded once at that. "I''m afraid I can''t bring you to the headquarters before you get rid of the tracking device." "I won''t get rid of it. I don''t know where my old man put the tracking device. He would have caught me first before I let it out. Let''s pretend I''m not one of you." "But¡­" "I have my own ns. And also¡­ didn''t you notice?" "¡­" "If Kaylee were dead, FS wouldn''t have been active since three years ago." "But FS is still active until now even though we got orders to stay low." The two of them became silent, and both thought of a near-impossible but usible possibility. "Do you think¡­ she is alive?" "I bet she is. That older man hid it pretty well. Let''s pretend we know nothing." "Okay. Should we tell H?" "No. We can trust no one. We have a mole from inside, and before we figure out who leaked our information to an outsider, we will stay quiet." Nevertheless, Nick wonders where the real Kaylee is now? The girl in his mind arrived in Vienna to attend a music conservatory and received a contract letter to be a member of one of the world''s leading orchestras. "Congrattions. From today onwards, you are our lead cellist. The practice schedule is every Friday and Saturday. If we''re going to perform at a big event, the schedule will be extended. We don''t ept excuses for being absent unless you''re lying in the hospital. Do you get it?" "Crystal clear," Kaylee replied with a polite and charming smile. "Follow me. I''ll show you your private practice room." From today onwards, Kaylee would live in this city and y in an orchestra. That was the role she chose for the next two years. During the day, she was Kaylee, a cellist from der Liebe, but at night she was Kei, a seller, and buyer of ssified information in the ck market. Kaylee would disguise herself by wearing a dragon mask and enter a secret passage in the city. The meeting area was only visited by agents working in the ck market, and Kaylee didn''t have to worry about anyone trying to take her mask off. The first rule to bing a member of the information supplier in the ck market was to wear a mask. This way, no one would know her true identity and would not look for her in the day. Kaylee entered her private practice room and acted as if she admired all the wless furniture there. After she thanked her guidance, she immediately closed the door. Finally, after trying four times and failing auditions, Kaylee managed to be the leading cellist in this ce. She should be happy that she would be back in America to rejoin her family in two years. But¡­ her heart didn''t feel happy at all.. She felt empty as if there was a big hole in her heart. Chapter 277 - Ch. 277 Kei, The Informant In an old town in Germany, a man in a ck robe and wearing a headscarf walked through a deserted street. This ce was almost uninhabited and was called a wasted city. Yet this man walked with confident steps as if he knew where he was going. This person arrived at an old, run-down building with broken ss windows. This person stepped into this old building without any fear and kept walking until he found a bookcase. Surprisingly, the furniture in this house was damaged and old, but this bookcase still looked good even though there were no books in it. The room in this building was pitch ck, and this man could barely see. He remembered the rule that said there should be no light in this ce. Inevitably, this person used his hands to search for something in this bookcase. As soon as he found something stuck, this person pulled the lever, and in an instant, the bookcase shifted to the left, revealing a tunnel. This person marched into the tunnel, and the bookcase shifted back to its original position. Without looking back, this person removed his hood and showed a dragon mask as he walked until someone in a ck mask greeted him. "Name." "Kei." a deep voice like a man sounded from the direction of the dragon masked person. "Passwords." "Nerve breaking." The doorman made no furtherment and opened the door behind him to let Kei in. Kei walked in and was presented by many people who were now selling illegally. Some sell military weapons, and some sell illegal drugs. But Kei wasn''t interested in what they were selling. He was more interested in the information he had been waiting for for ages. Kei walked through the crowd of masked people until he found a staircase leading to the second floor. It was on the second floor that he would buy information with the information he had. Arriving on the second floor, Kei walked towards one of the rooms with Ragnarok written on the door. He knocked on the door three times, and after getting an answer, Kei opened the door and went inside. He saw a person in a red demon mask with two horns on either side, weing him. "Kei! It''s been a while. I thought you would nevere back here." "You said it took you three months to find what I wanted. I''m just waiting." The person in the red demon mask gave a devilish chuckle and invited Kei to sit in front of him. "You know, I wasted eight lives and ten million Euros to get the information you want. What information do you offer me in exchange?" "Frontier Shadow." Kei could see the pair of eyes behind the demon mask widen hearing that. "Is that even real? I''ve heard a rumor about it, but I thought it was just a legend. Is it true that Frontier Shadow ever killed the president of the united states on Hades'' orders?" "¡­" "This is very interesting." "Who is he?" Kei didn''t want to answer the person''s question before he got the answer he wanted. "It was challenging to open a case that has been buried for decades, but we have managed to find a name. Dario Gonzalez. That person was responsible for that woman''s death." "Wasn''t Hades the one who killed that woman? What do you mean this person was in charge?" "This is the best part. Gonzales nted the seeds of suspicion in Hades and provided false evidence that the man had betrayed him. Just as Hades was about to execute him, his sister came and received Hades'' shot. You know, the woman''s husband didn''t ept the truth and wanted revenge for his wife''s death." "¡­" The woman''s husband¡­ isn''t it¡­ "Unfortunately, no matter how much he hates Hades, he could never kill Hades or his family. You know, that guy was injected with the loyalty serum. But¡­" the demon masked person brought his body closer to Kei. Even though Kei couldn''t see what the person''s expression behind the mask looked like, Kei could imagine an evil smirk on this person''s face. "He used other people''s hands for revenge. I heard that one of Hades'' daughters died in a ne crash." Kei''s hand clenched into fists hearing thest words of the owner of this Ragnarok room. "I wanted to retrieve evidence that Dario Gonzales had sabotaged Hades'' right-hand mission, but my men died in his hands. So I failed to get the proof. That is all I know. How about you? What do you know about Frontier Shadow?" "¡­" Kei told him what this person wanted to know and let this person spread rumors of whatever he said. After finishing his assignment, Kei decided to go back home. He took off his mask to reveal his beautiful face. Kei was none other than Kaylee! She used voice control to make her voice sound heavier and muskier like a man. After she put everything off, she received a text from her unregistered phone. ''They decided to make a move. We had to send Red.'' Kaylee''s eyebrows rose as she read this. Red? Somehow¡­ she felt her heart rumble just hearing this code name. *** When Den was leaving for Montana, Kaylee got Den''s ck coat and made sure he had everything he needed without leaving anything behind. "I''m not a kid." "Who said you were a kid?" refuted Roxy while giving an amused smile. "You are my future husband, and it is the duty of a wife to serve her husband." "Oh?" Den showed a wide grin at his wife''s proactive words. "I''d rather you serve me in the room." Den wrapped his arms around Roxy''s waist and pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together. Roxy gave a light punch on his shoulder. "You pervert. Let''s go. Otherwise, you''ll miss your flight." "I don''t want to go." Den sulked, inviting amusedughter from Roxy. The man even lowered his head to steal a kiss from the girl, but Roxy turned her head to avoid him. "Seriously. You''re going to miss your flight." "Nope. We have a lot of time. The ne could wait for me." What? Roxy didn''t have time to argue because the man had carried her and brought her to the room. Chapter 278 - Ch. 278 The Most Shameless Cunning Man Sometimes Roxy forgot that she was in love with the most shameless cunning man in the world. Den was an expert to make her speechless and twisting her words to his liking. And now, because of her being caught off guard, Roxy ended up in bed with him, straddled her, and kissed her as if she was hisst meal. She couldn''t even struggle because Den pinned her hands on both sides and sealed her lips with his wet passionate kisses. With the way he kissed her, Roxy couldn''t help but close her eyes and kissed him back. In the end, Roxy no longer fought back and didn''t care whether this man would miss his flight or not. After all, Den could buy another ne ticket. ''The ne could wait for me.'' Roxy chuckled inwardly, remembering Den''s words. She had no doubts that in the end, the ne that Den was going to be on didn''t leave and waited until Den came. After all, the Skyline airship was the air transport belonging to the ck Enterprise. No wonder the ne was willing to postpone their flight schedule if Den requested it. But¡­ wouldn''t the other passengers'' nag? Roxy felt Den let go of her hands only to touch her stomach under her shirt. She felt the wind caress the bare skin of her body, and instantly she felt her heart was pounding fast. Roxy patted Den''s shoulder to end their intimate session to remind him about his flight, but the man was relentless to devour her lips. His tongue was intruding into her mouth and tasting every corner, leaving none untouched. Her body started heating up because of the way Den touched her bare skin down there. She even felt his giant hand cup one of her breasts and began to knead it. Roxy was losing her strength to fight back as his kiss and touch were melting her as usual. She was sure that not long after this, hermon senses would drift off somewhere and let this man do whatever he wanted. When Den pulled away to let her breathe for some air, Den moved his kisses to her neck. He licked it, nipped, and gave a little bit of bites, inflicting a sexy moan from the girl. However, Roxy''s sanity was still intact, and she remembered this man had a flight to catch on. She knew the ne could wait for him, but she didn''t want to let man face the trouble he would faceter on. "Den¡­ your flight." "I''m starving." Then why don''t you eat something?! Cried Roxy inside her heart. As if Den could hear her silent cry, Den lifted his head only to lift her shirt to reveal her alluring upper body. "Happy meal for me." Happy meal, my ass! Roxy wished to curse him, but she could say nothing, and only a pleasing moan escaped her lips when Den showered her upper part with his naughty wet kiss. Roxy arched her back as she was hit by the pleasure, and Den used this to unhook the bra, and both her breast sprung free in all her glory. Without further ado, Den yed his tongue, circling her tiny tip before he finally sucked it while his hand was kneading the other. Roxy''s body responded and twitched as she felt the double sensation from him. Den was sucking and biting her poor tiny bud while the other hand pinched and twisted her other one. The girl in ecstasy moaned louder and the room filled with her moans which was a piece of heaven music for Den''s ears. After being satisfied with leaving his mark all over her chest, Den slid his kisses down to her tummy, and his other hand cupped breasts. Roxy''s breath hitched when she felt Den''s hot kiss reach her womanhood. She was embarrassed when she felt Den sniff her southern part and wish to hide. "I love your sex''s scent. It arouses me." With a sensual motion, Den shifted his hand down to her womanhood and into her underwear. He slipped his finger in and started rubbing her inside. Her moans were encouraging him more in their intense moment, and it made Den hungry for her even more. Not wanting to see anything that covered his favorite meal, Den pulled down her white silk underwear, and his eyes darkened to the wet sight. "It looks delicious." At this point, Roxy''s sanity was out of her mind, and all she could think about right now was how much she wanted more from her lover. Her whole body trembled in pleasure, and she knew she would get the release she craved if she let Den continue his ministration. This man was an expert at pleasuring her, after all. Den positioned his face right in front of her wet core and ced his two fingers on her lower lips to open it wider. The sight was beautiful, and it bewitched him. Roxy felt her whole body rising the longer Den stared at her inside. She felt more embarrassed than usual. "Stop staring at me." "My, my. Impatient one, aren''t you?" "That''s not... ugh! Stop teasing me!" Den''s devilish smirk and the eagle-like eyes that filled with lust made Roxy''s heart almost explode. Den wanted to tease her more, but he couldn''t wait any longer and ced his tongue on her clit. Roxy screamed in delight when his slippery tongue touched her wet clit. She could feel Den''s warm, wanton tongue exploring the whole inside of her, making her clutched Den''s ck hair from being overwhelmed by the ecstasy. She pulled his head as if wanting to make his tongue prate her deeper. Not to mention, Den opened her southern cave wider than usual and added a finger that joined his tongue and hit the right spot to make her mind and song sing. Roxy arched her back, and her muscle twitched as she was close to the climax. Den quickened his pace and sucked on her clit while inserting three fingers inside her suddenly. "Annnggg¡­" and her love juices spurted with Den was more than happy to drink all of it. Chapter 279 - Ch. 279 Arrived At The Airport Roxy was exhausted, and the drowsiness was back to get her. Den pulled away and licked his wet finger because he didn''t want to miss her sweet love juices. "I know what you''re doing." was Roxy''sment. "You don''t want me to drive you to the airport." Den smiled gently andid down next to Roxy after pulling Roxy into his arms. "I know you have trauma to the airport. I don''t want you to force yourself." "But I''m not. You don''t know what it''s like to be apart from you, even for one day. It feels like months." Den looked at Roxy in disbelief, but the next second, his gaze was filled with so much love that Den himself couldn''t measure it. "Believe me. I feel the same way as you do. But I''m more worried about your condition." Roxy smiled happily, hearing Den''s exnation. She knew this man loved her deeply, and perhaps the only person who would stand up for her even though the world was against her would be Den alone. "I want to know where my limit is. I''ve made peace with the past, but I still can''t forget myst meeting with my sister at the airport. I want to go with you, whether on a business trip or visiting rtives who live out of town. I want to do it with you." Roxy raised her head a little, and two pairs of eyes stared at each other lovingly. "I don''t know if I can get into the airport or not, but at least I want to be brave enough to stand in front of the airport entrances." was her unwavering resolution. "Besides, I want to see you a little longer before you leave." Den carried Roxy even deeper into his arms. "As you wish, my love." Not long after, the two of them got ready again and left for the airport. Den called Kris and ordered the man toe over to the airport and drive Roxy home. "I''ll be fine. He doesn''t have toe." that''s what Roxy said. "I can drive on my own." "It''s not for your sake, but it''s for mine. I would be calmer if someone apanied you." "Even though that person is another man?" asked Roxy in a teasing tone. "Kris is not another man. He is someone I trust." "Hmm. Is he someone you trust or are you not that jealous anymore?" Denughed in amusement while shaking his head, realizing Roxy was teasing him. He grabbed Roxy''s hand as usual and brought it to her mouth to kiss her. "I love you." "Not more than I do." "Well, I doubt that. I''m pretty sure my love is much greater than yours." "Are we debating now?" "You started it first." They bothughed amusedly without letting go of their hands. As they approached the airport area, Roxy broke out in a cold sweat when she saw a ne flying and about tond. Without her brain''s permission, the image of Kaylee''s face filled with disappointment and hopelessness towards her appeared in her mind. At that time, her heart told her to take her sister''s hand and cancel their return. Roxy really couldn''t bear to see her sister''s desperate face like that. But¡­ she obeyed her brains more because she didn''t want Kaylee to be by Den''s side when he woke up from hisa. It was a day of regret, and she knew¡­ she wouldn''t be able to go back in time to fix it. "Are you alright?" Den noticed the hand he was holding had be icy cold from the moment they entered the airport area. Moreover, the hum of the ne started to sound, and Roxy became more and more silent. "I''ll be fine." Den knew Roxy was trying her best to look tough. "You don''t have to force yourself." "I''m fine, Den. It''s a good start. I''m not shaking, at least." "You do realize that your hand is as cold as ice." "..." Den stopped right in front of the airport gate and turned to Roxy with a gentle gaze. "Should I cancel my departure? You look pale." "No, you can''t do that. This is your first meeting with your father." "I''m not that excited to meet him, though." "Den, I''ll be fine," stated Roxy in a reassuring tone. "You have to go. I promise I''ll be fine and return home safely." "Don''t go home alone. Kris is on the way here." "Dec," Roxy was about to protest but fell silent as Den continued his sentence. "That''s my final word, Roxy, unless you want me to postpone my flight." "Fine." Den smiled with satisfaction seeing his wife''s obedience, and continued to enter the airport gate. He noticed Roxy closed her eyes and tried not to imagine herself at the airport right now. "How are you feeling now?" "I''m fine." Roxy felt like she had said the same thing a hundred times. "See? I''m doing great." Roxy pushed her memories of that day deep into her mind and focused her attention on her lover. That was the only way to get rid of her trauma and guilt. Unfortunately, she didn''t know whether she could hold it in until Den boarded the ne or not. Den saw that Roxy''s expression had improved, and the girl''s hands weren''t as cold as before, so he believed her answer. The two got out of the car after Den parked his car in the parking area. They walked hand in hand, and Roxy tried her best to control her feelings because now her heart was beating fast as they approached the departure gate. Roxy''s footsteps stopped as she couldn''t hold back her guilt anymore. Not to mention, the bustling atmosphere and lots of people hugging each other as they were about to part made Roxy feel like a vault was crushing her. It was heavy, as if it wanted to be pulled her into the abyss. She couldn''t do it. She thought she could, but she couldn''t. Den realized his wife''s struggles and decided to walk back to the parking area. His sudden action left Roxy confused and wondering, did Den cancel his trip? She didn''t know whether she should be relieved or guilty. Chapter 280 - Ch. 280 Overcrowded Road By the time they arrived at where their car was, Den led her to get into the car. "Den?" "You just rest here. I can go inside myself." "But¡­" "Roxy, you promised not to push yourself. I don''t want you to get sick. Your health is my top priority." In other words, if Roxy fell unconscious right now, Den would cancel his departure and postpone his meeting with his birth father. Roxy didn''t want to be the one to get in the way of the first meeting between the father and son. Although Den never talked about it, Roxy knew that Den was looking forward to his reunion with his father. "Okay. I''ll rest here and wait for Kris, then go straight home. Are you happy now?" Den smiled in satisfaction as he nodded his head and rubbed the top of Roxy''s head. "More than happy." Den pulled Roxy''s neck gently to kiss the girl gently. "See you tomorrow." "I thought you''d be back in two days." "Well, I can''t be apart for more than two days with you." Roxyughed, amused at that. "Alright then. See you tomorrow." and the two kissed again before Den walked back towards the departure gate. Unbeknown to them, someone watched their interaction, and after confirming Den had entered through the boarding pass checkpoint, the person spoke through his earphones. "The target is alone now. Block that guy." On the other hand, Roxy stroked her stomach. She felt it was spinning ever since Den left her. Roxy felt uneasy, and the hairs on her neck rose. Was it because Den wasn''t by her side, or because she came to the most traumatic ce? If she knew this, she wouldn''t being to the airport, but¡­ Roxy still wanted to see her fianc¨¦''s face a little longer. Roxy gasped in surprise when she realized something she had not been aware of. Roxy had never felt an intense longing when left by the person she loved in her whole life. When Robert went to Ennd to study abroad, Roxy felt sad but did not feel this longing. Well, her feelings towards Den and Robert were much different. She thought no one would be able to love her for who she is, let alone make her fall overhead heels with someone. She never expected that she would fall in love with someone to death. Roxy was a wild and unrestrained girl since childhood. Even her parents sometimes raise a white g when handling her. They may have been able to control her when she was a child, and her mother often advised her to make her change for the better. Roxy did change, but that was because she wanted to please her mother. Unbeknownst to her mother, Roxy kept acting and making trouble here and there without her parents knowing. In the end, her father grounded her by locking her in her room and not being allowed out of the house for several days. Even so, Roxy managed to escape on the second day after finding a secret passage in her room. Roxy chuckled as she recalled her wild past. Thinking of her childhood memories made her mood gradually improve, and she no longer felt nauseous. Roxy nced at the clock on her phone screen and wondered when Kris would arrive. Speak of the devil. Kris called her in the nit time. "Miss Zouch. I''m sorry, the roads here are clogged, and there is an ident ahead. I''ll be turning around, but¡­ I doubt it''ll make it in time. Do you mind if you wait a little longer?" "No need toe. I can go home alone." "But..." Mr. ck will kill me if he finds out I don''t drive you home. Cried Kris inside his heart. "Don''t worry. I won''t tell Den. Let''s just say you''ve arrived and taken me home. As long as we''re both silent, he''ll never know." "..." Kris never expected his master''s wife to have such a naughty idea and dare to trick his master. "If you say so. But please do let me know once you get home." "Okay, okay." Why does everyone in this world treat her like a child? Convinced that her condition was not as bad as before, Roxy started her car engine and drove her car out of the airport area. The moment she entered the crowded city area, Roxy groaned in frustration because the streets in this city were overcrowded that she couldn''t move. Roxy had asked Kris which areas were jammed, so she avoided Kris''s path, but apparently¡­ the roads here were also full. Roxy had no other choice but to follow the rtively deserted path, and the green light shed. When she got another red light, Roxy sat down while turning on the radio to find an alternative route. Not long after, Roxy''s phone received a text from an unknown person making her frown in confusion. "When the sky meets the earth, it''s time to jump." Roxy read the text out loud while trying to digest the meaning of the text. "What the hell? Who sent this ridiculous text." Beeps! Beeps! Roxy quickly threw her phone aside as the car behind her honked its horn. She just realized the green light was on, and she didn''t drive while the cars in front of her were already moving away. Roxy steered her car, but instead, she headed to the opposite road to Den''s apartment. She was unfamiliar with this area and needed the help of a map-guidance app. Luckily she ran into another red light so she could reach for her phone and open the map-guidance app. s, her phone signal suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason, and the app was running rather slowly. Roxy took a deep breath and tried to call Kris back. However, she couldn''t contact the young man because her phone signal was literally gone. Having no other choice, Roxy continued to drive her car along with the current in search of her phone signal. Little did she know that someone controlled this heavy traffic jam and the red-green light to guide her in their wanted ce. Chapter 281 - Ch. 281 Im The Mouse Inside The Trap? After following the path and crossing the urban areas from one to another, Roxy''s phone still didn''t get a signal. Roxy became restless again. She felt like someone was stalking her and about to pounce on her. And usually, her instincts were spot on. It didn''t matter whether her phone had a signal or not; Roxy was constantly trying to contact Den. But she was very sure Den was on the ne now, so she tried to get Kris in vain again. Then Roxy called her father, Danielle, or whoever was on her contact list, hoping that her phone signal would return. She nced here and there, looking for a way out in vain. And that''s when she realized the ck jeep behind her was following her. Of the many roads turns, many cars were in the same direction, but some left the clogged area by stopping or entering a building. However, this jeep has been following her, making Roxy''s heart feel restless. No. No. It might just be a coincidence. Roxy tried to convince herself, yet her instinct was telling her otherwise. What should she do now? Roxy decided not to follow the flow that had the green light. She decided to join the other cars who were stuck in traffic because of the red light. For some reason, Roxy was confident she would end up falling into a mousetrap if she went with the green light path. Roxy heaved a sigh of relief when the ck jeep no longer followed her and continued into the track that had the green light. It looks like the jeep just happened to be following her because of how overpacked the road was. But... where should she go after this? Roxy didn''t recognize the area of ??this street area, and as time went on, she was increasingly being led away from her house or Den''s apartment. Roxy thought she could rest her back muscles and closed her eyes while lowering her chair. But who would have thought, suddenly, the path she had chosen to be on a green light? On the other hand, the path that was previously driving has now stopped? What happened? Does she bring luck so that whatever path she takes will have the green light? Or is it possible¡­ someone purposely controlled a traffic light to lead her somewhere? Hahaha... impossible. Roxyughed nervously to herself. "If I manage to get home safely, I won''t go far away alone." Roxy reminded herself. She never goes to the New York airport, and the terminal was quite far from Den''s house. Roxy never traveled anywhere that was not her or her parents'' residence area. She should have waited for Kris no matter how long it took him to arrive at the airport. Roxy didn''t have any other choice but to keep driving following the route. A pair of eyes nced in the left rearview mirror reflexively and saw the same ck jeep joining in the backne and was in the two cars behind her. Roxy clutched the steer, and this time she felt sure someone was following her. She reached for her phone again, only to find there was still no signal on her phone. Did someone hack her cellphone? Roxy nced in all directions for any loopholes to get her out of this trap, but it seemed toote. The car entered a one-way road and entered a long bridge with an ocean on the right and left sides. This bridge was not the famous New York bridge, but it was leading to a suburb that people rarely crossed. Roxy decided to speed up her car to trick the jeep behind her. She managed to keep some distance between them, and for a moment, Roxy felt like she could breathe a sigh of relief. But she suddenly hit the brakes and mmed the steering wheel so that the nose of her car headed towards the sea. Why did she hit the brakes and swerve? That''s because the very same ck jeep was waiting for her upfront. Not only one or two, but dozens! Roxy nced to the right, where the jeep following her appeared along with a simr car. "Looks like I''m a trapped rat. So unlucky. Why am I so careless?" Ever since she was at the airport, Roxy had been feeling restless and nauseous, as if something unwee woulde to her. But Roxy thought her uneasy feeling was just because she was in the airport. Roxy believed she still couldn''t get over her guilty feelings towards Kaylee and couldn''t handle it. Roxy would probably never forget that day when she saw her sister for thest time. Roxy probably wouldn''t be able to shake off her guilt for the rest of her life. But at least she had epted it. Roxy had epted Kaylee''s departure and was trying to forgive herself. She should have been able to distinguish between the anxiety caused by trauma and the alert feeling from someone stalking her. She was the daughter of a former Hades, and she has been trained to be on guard to her surroundings. That''s why she managed to escape from kidnapping or anyone who wanted to hurt her all this time. Her instincts were quite sharp, and she was always on the lookout for anything lurking around her. But today, Roxy misinterpreted her restlessness. Tsk. Had she not been at the airport, she would have known that something was wrong with her surroundings. The overcrowded and packed streets were also highly suspicious as if someone had taken over the traffic light and only given her the green light. Or maybe someone did. Then, what about Kris? Is it possible that the man was stuck in traffic because of the same person? Did someone prevent Kris froming to her? Roxy noticed the jeeps'' riders getting out of the car with guns pointed at her. "If you don''t want to get hurt, you''d bettere with us without a fight." Roxy bit her lip in frustration at the threat of one of the people trying to catch her. What should she do now? She wasn''t afraid of them, but she couldn''t fight them all. ''When the sky meets the earth, it''s time to jump.'' Roxy suddenly remembered the mysterious text she received on the way. Her eyes looked straight ahead, and she saw ''the sky meets the earth.'' Does that mean¡­ Roxy didn''t care if she died or not, but she wasn''t going to let these people catch her without a fight. She stepped on the gas pedal and crashed through the bridge''s railing, and the car plunged into the sea. Chapter 282 - Ch. 282 Kriss Suspicion Chapter 282 ¨C Ch. 282 Kris¡¯s Suspicion Kristopher relentlessly called Roxy''s phone in vain, and his heart started to feel worried. In the end, he contacted his twin sister and told her about his dilemma. "What do you mean Miss Zouch is gone?" "She isn''t gone. I just said I couldn''t reach her, and I''m still stuck on this damn the same trail. It''s been hours, and I''m still not moving." "She should be home by now, right? You said she could go home on her own." "And she also said she''d tell me when she got home." "It''s not like you''re her lover." "Seriously?" Aubreyughed out loud at the worried tone mixed with anger from her brother. "Uuuu¡­ Someone is in a bad mood." "I''m gonna strangle you to death." "Is that something you should say to your dear sister?" "My sister won''t mock me and help me out of the dead." "Oh, please. Mr. ck won''t kill you even if Miss Kaylee isn''t home. Maybe she stopped by a clothing store and went shopping with her friends." "¡­" Kris was in a lousy mood to respond to his sister''s conclusion. "Fine. I will go to Mr. ck to make sure she''s there. It just so happened that Lydia and I were shopping near her house." Kris ended the call without giving any response to his sister. He truly wished Kaylee Zouch had arrived at his master''s house. He only felt calm when he received news from his sister. For some reason, he had been feeling uneasy. He felt there was something strange about this traffic jam and congested. He heard there was an ident far ahead, but no further action from the police made him curious. He got out of the car and walked forward as the other motorists did. But they did not encounter any idents other than a line of cars waiting in line like giant snakes. Some of the people who got off decided to go back to their respective cars because they didn''t want to go too far, but Kris decided to keep going. He remembered that a few blocks away, there was a traffic light making him wonder where the ident was. He kept walking to find out, and the further he went, the more unsettled he felt. And as he feared. He didn''t encounter any idents along this road until he ended up at a turn where there was a traffic light. Kris looked at the traffic light, which had stopped at a red light without changing for ten minutes, and he felt that something was wrong. He immediately contacted his men to trace the position of his master''s wife only to get a report that the girl''s phone could not be traced. He quickly dispatched the team to go to a road that Roxy might be traveling on, but as he feared, his team members couldn''t break through the heavy traffic with their transportations. They could only walk or take a helicopter, but it was toote. They wouldn''t be able to get to Kaylee''s position on foot and attract unwanted attention if they took a helicopter. Plus, they wouldn''t necessarily be able to track down Roxy''s car even if they tried to find her from above. Neither could he take a taxi, because almost all the taxis had been stuck in this traffic jam. Kris had also tried taking the subway, but strangely, all train activities were suddenly stopped. That''s why Kris could only go back to his car and call his sister. He hoped his master''s wife had arrived at Den''s house safely. He was eager to report to Den, but he was afraid that the man would act rashly and use the Eagle Eye again. Or worst, he''s going to get engineering technicians to speed up the God eyes project andunch hundreds of millions of dors worth of rocket. When Den activated the Eagle Eye for the first time to search for Miss Kaylee when Osbert kidnaped her, the military backed by Alvianc started to sniff out Den''s expertise. And recently, they found a spy in the God Eyes project and got rid of them. He didn''t know who these spies worked for, but they were sure there was a high chance that this top-secret project had been leaked to a third party. Den was indeed a thoughtful and careful person in making a decision. He always thinks two to three steps ahead before acting. But somehow, whenever something concerned Miss Zouch''s safety, the man became reckless and irrational. Kris admired Den because he had nothing to fear. Den was known as a dauntless, domineering and unwavering man. But apparently, he was wrong. Kaylee Zouch¡­ no. Roxanne Zouch was Den''s kryptonite. "Hhhhh¡­" Kris took a deep breath as he struggled with whether he should report to Den or not. No. Kris would wait for news of his sister first. Who knew Roxy was too tired and decided to take a nap as soon as she got home that she forgot to tell him. Kris didn''t want to give unnecessary worry to his master. He would wait a little bit longer. In the meantime, Aubrey apanied Lydia to pay for her bought things at the cashier. "Are these things enough? You don''t want to buy more?" "No. I can''t bring all of this. And besides, we can always buy things once we''ve arrived." "That''s true." Lydia decided to buy a suitcase and some warm clothes for her grandmother before they left for Europe in a few days. "Lydia, can we stop by somewhere after this? I want to make sure your friend is home." "My friend? Which one?" Lydia had many clients but only a few friends. The only friend she could talk to without being cautious was Kaylee Zouch. "Of course, Ro¡­ I mean, Kaylee Zouch. She just took Mister ck to the airport, and now my master wants to make sure his wife is home safely." Lydia smiled at that. "Mr. ck literally doted on her. Miss Kaylee is lucky." "Or it''s the other way around," Aubrey murmured in a whisper-like voice. Aubrey knew how Den lived his life before he met his fiance. And she was sure that Den felt he was lucky to have met Roxy. By the time they arrived at Den''s penthouse, there was no sign of Roxy''s existence. Chapter 283 - Ch. 283 Lost Signal Chapter 283 ¨C Ch. 283 Lost Signal ''I just arrived at the airport and now heading straight for the meeting ce.'' That was the short message Den had sent to Roxanne once he got his luggage back. Den walked out and saw a whiteboard that said ''Wee to Montana, Mr. Den ck.'' brought by an old man. Den approached the person and greeted the older man in a friendly manner. "Good evening, I''m Den ck." The older man smiled widely and stared at his face with admiration, making Den feel ufortable. "Is there something on my face?" "I beg your pardon. You look very much like my master. For a second there, I think I met my master when he was young." Den could understand what the man was feeling, but¡­ did his face look so simr to Dario Gonzales that someone would mistake him for his father? Well, he is the biological son of Dario Gonzales, so it''s no wonder their faces are simr. Den just gave a faint smile and let the older man lead him to the car. Den grabbed his phone again to check a reply from his future wife on the ride to the meeting ce. But he saw nothing. He only received a message from his employee, who had just finished an assignment from him. Maybe Roxy is taking a shower? Or shopping? How is the girl now? She looked pale, but Roxy assured him she was okay. Hopefully, Roxy had returned to his home and could rest peacefully. After all, Kris was by her side and could protect the girl in case something untoward happened. Even so, Den missed her very much. So he tried to reach her, but the call went to voicebox instead. It looks like the girl was busy. But why did he feel restless? Somehow Den bes restless whenever he thinks of his wife. In the end, Den decided to contact Kris just because he wanted to make sure that Kris had taken Roxy home. But before he could contact Kris, the older man who was now driving the car he was riding struck a conversation with him. "Have you ever been to Montana, sir?" "No. It''s the first time." "I hope you enjoy your stay here. There are many interesting ces that tourists often visit. I''m sure you will like it very much. How long will you stay here?" "Ie here to sign a partnership with Mr. Gonzalez. I will return after our business is aplished." "Ah, I see. What a pity." Den just smiled in response, then continued to contact Kris when he realized there was no signal on his phone. "Does this ce have no signal?" "Ah, sorry about that. We''re heading into the mountains, so certain providers'' signals will be disrupted." One of Den''s eyebrows rose to hear this, and suddenly his mood turned cloudy. He had no other choice but to wait and arrive at a ce that had a good signal. At the same time, Aubrey and Kris were both trying to track down Roxy''s whereabouts in vain. After Aubrey took Lydia home, Aubrey went straight to her brother and hacked some CCTV near the airport area. They could see the red car Roxy was riding in, came out of the airport field and drove into an area she had never been through until it got stuck in traffic. "Why did she take another route? Isn''t it a bit a little farther?" "Maybe because she knew the road I''m on was very congested and couldn''t move for hours. So she took a detour." "But¡­ the roads she drove were never this overcrowded. Why did it so bustling all of a sudden?" "Check the traffic light." "Why?" "I suspect something is wrong with the traffic light. The road I walked on had a red light for hours and never turned green." "That''s ridiculous." nevertheless, Aubrey''s fingers danced on herptop and hacked the city''s traffic system. "You are right. Several ces experienced red lights for several hours, starting at 1 pm. It''s not just the road you''re on, but the area the young miss was going through is the same." "What do you think?" Aubrey was still typing something without answering her brother''s question. On the monitor screen appeared small green writing running from top to bottom and Aubrey''s eyeballs moved quickly to read all the letters. "Someone controlled the traffic lights for three whole hours, and strangely no one noticed." Kris scoffed at her exnation. "Of course, no one was aware. If anyone did, there would be further action. But¡­ isn''t it weird for anyone not noticed it?" "So you''re saying it was the inner guy''s doing?" "It''s highly so. Do you think the one who targeted Miss Zouch was the higher-ups? But, why are they targeting her?" "Didn''t you say Mr. Zouch was the previous Hades? Maybe they have solid evidence of Bossley Zouch''s connection with Hades, so now they''re taking action." "You think so?" "Well, I''m just guessing. What should we do now? We need to tell him." "I''ve been trying to reach him, but for some reason¡­ I can''t." "What now?" Aubrey retyped something and entered an algorithm her brother didn''t understand. "Master has now arrived in Montana, and it appears that his phone signal has been interrupted." "At a time like this?" what a great time! How do they tell Den now? "Interesting." "What?" "This ce has a strong signal destroyer. I can''t even prate it." "¡­" "We won''t be able tomunicate with the master until he''s out of that ce. I''ll try to trace Miss Zouch''s path first to find out where she went. You try to contact Mr. Zouch and exin the situation." What other choice do they have now? They couldn''t contact Den and couldn''t possibly find Roxy without the help of the girl''s father. Far away from their position, a man was waiting for someone''s arrival while staring at the mountains nkly. Someone came to see him and gave him an unexpected report. "We lost her, sir." "What do you mean you lost her?" "She jumped into the ocean with her wheels." The man turned to the information bearer with the same nk stare. "Find her. If she were alive, bring her to me.. If she were dead, I need to see her body myself." Chapter 284 - Ch. 284 Meet His Birth Father Chapter 284 ¨C Ch. 284 Meet His Birth Father Den looked down the street to see the area of ??the road he was passing. He patiently waited for his phone signal to appear so he could contact Roxy or his right-hand man. The longer the wheels he was riding entered the mountainous area, the more uneasy he felt as if he had entered enemy territory alone. Was it wrong to make a decision to meet his father? "I thought we''re going to Mr. Gonzales''s ce." Den didn''t know that his father had changed their meeting location. "Yes, we are going there, sir. My master inquired you to his house to have dinner together. And he would love you to stay overnight." One of Den''s eyebrows shot up hearing this. His secretary had booked a hotel suite in the town because he wasn''t nning on staying at his father''s house. But since it was his father who wanted him to stay the night, Den had no reason to refuse. Not long after, they arrived at a magnificent vi with many shady trees around it. The sun was almost setting, and the weather around them was getting colder. And not to forget, they had entered winter, so every breath Den breathed out was cold steam. Den put his hands in his jacket pockets as soon as he got out of the car. He had looked back at his phone, and there was still no signal he could receive. Inevitably Den had to wait until tomorrow when he came down the mountain and got the signal back. "Please, sir. Master has been waiting for you." Den followed the driver into the vi, and another older man warmly greeted Den. This man seemed to live here as a head attendant. "Good evening, young master Den. It''s my pleasure to serve you." Young master Den? Den remembered neither the driver who picked him up nor the butler called hisst name. This driver only wrote his name on a namete so Den would recognize him, but never once did the driver state hisst name. And now the maids of this ce call him young master? "I''m not your master. I''m here for business with Mr. Gonzalez." "Indeed. Pleasee in." Den sighed in resignation and followed the old butler. He was relieved that he no longer had to be cold and could take off his ck coat. Somehow he felt he would not like his meeting with his father. It wasn''t that he didn''t feel enthusiastic about meeting his birth father. At that time, his mother took him away forcibly without letting him say goodbye to his father first. Den remembered that his father pampered him and always looked after him whenever the older man came home from work. His father even took time amid his busy life just to apany him to study, y and even take him to school before leaving for the office. Den whole-heartedly admired his father, and he''d be lying if he said he wasn''t looking forward to their reunion at all. That''s why he immediately changed his mind when his adoptive father showed him a photo of Dario Gonzales. Den couldn''t remember his father''s name, nor did he remember what his father looked like. But when he saw the image of Dario Gonzales, Den instantly knew¡­ the man was his birth father. But¡­ somehow, ever since he entered this mountainous area, Den felt restless. Did something happen to Roxy? Or¡­ will his reunion with his father after more than twenty years of no see be disastrous? Den didn''t know the answer and could only wait for his father to appear in silence. The butler led him into a room he thought was Dario Gonzales'' study room. "Please, think of it as your home, young master." that''s what the butler said before going out, leaving Den alone in this room. Think as it was his home? Was it because the man knew that he was Dario Gonzales''s son? Den walked over, and like a child curious about something, Den looked around the room. Without realizing it, a small smile graced his face. "That old man hasn''t changed at all. He still loves to read." Den remembered his father''s study and bedroom filled with business and quarry books. His father''s books even filled almost the entire room in his house, making his mother nag. Unlike his father, who loved to read, his mother hated reading books. Den scanned the cab filled with his father''s books with one hand while reminiscing about a past he hadn''t thought about in a long time. When the ck family adopted him, Den has decided to forget his memories with his family. But apparently, he didn''t manage to forget it because now the memories came to the surface as if he had never thrown them away. Come to think of it, why did his mother decide to leave his father? For as long as he could remember, his parents loved each other and rarely quarreled, although they often bickered. Den was curious, but he could never find the answer. But one thing he knows, this is all his mother''s fault. Nevertheless, he neither hated his mother nor med her anymore. Den walked over to the rows of books until he saw a small frame. There he saw a pair of young men and women while behind them was a beautiful flower garden. The young man''s face was very simr to him, although there were some differences. Was that young man his father when he was young? Then what about the girl next to him? He saw his young father embracing the girl, and his gaze was fixed on the girl with a look of adoration. On the other hand, the girl smiled widely, and her gaze was fixed on the camera. Is this his mother? No. That girl was not her mother. Although he didn''t quite remember his mother''s face, he felt absolutely sure that she wasn''t his mother. Then who is that girl? Why did he feel familiar with the woman? "Oh, you found something I wanted to hide." Den turned around when he heard that deep voice filled with authority and saw¡­ his father. His birth father. Chapter 285 - Ch. 285 His Fathers Secret Chapter 285 ¨C Ch. 285 His Father¡¯s Secret "Good evening, Mr. Gonzalez. Nice to meet you atst," greeted Den in a polite tone, and he felt himself a little awkward, but he hid his awkwardness well. "Why with the formalities? Have you eaten? I just told my head cook to prepare our dinner." replied Mr. Gonzales while inviting Den to sit with him. Denplied, and he couldn''t help but find himself immersed in his father''s self-assurance. Back when he spent time with his father, the older man seemed very high-reaching, and sometimes he felt he would never be able to reach his father''s hand. He greatly admired his father and obeyed everything his father said. Den was even willing to follow his father whenever he invited him to go out with him. Den felt amused at how the feelings he once had are now returning to him. He still admires his father, especially seeing how sessful his father was, and became a victorious person even the name Dario Gonzales spread throughout this country. Only a few people could move Den''s heart, which was filled with great ambition and strong will. The only person he respected was his adoptive father, and he was willing to do what his adoptive father said as long as it didn''t interfere with his golden rule of life. And now¡­ he feels the same way toward his biological father. "Is it just me, or is the mood bing awkward?" Den smiled faintly at Dario Gonzales'' question. "That makes two of us. Frankly speaking, I don''t know what to do or say at a time like this." Mr. Gonzales chuckled in amusement in response to his son''sment. "So you already know who I am?" "It''s not hard to tell by the resemnce of our faces." "That''s undeniable, isn''t it? How are you doing?" "As you can see, I''m doing great, but¡­ now that I see you, I feel much more than great." Dario Gonzalez''s smile widened at that. "My, time flies so fast, and just you''ve grown without me noticing it. It felt like only yesterday you sat on myp while I was doing a story-telling." Den smiled at that and wished his father didn''t mention his embarrassing moment. "Not to mention, you don''t have to raise your head, and I don''t have to crouch down to talk. Now we can talk one-on-one with the same eye-level." "You''re right." "I''m sorry." Den was a little surprised to hear his father''s apology. Why did the older man suddenly apologize? "I''m sorry for not preventing your mother from taking you away. And I''m sorry that I haven''t been looking for you all this time. Believe it or not, I was looking for you, and by the time I found you, you were already under the ck''s wing." "¡­" Den didn''t expect his father to have found him all this time, but the man didn''t contact him at all. "I thought you were a lot safer and happier with the cks, so I let it go." "Safer? What threat of danger will haunt me if I return to your side?" "You want toe back to my side?" Den felt the older man in front of him was paving a trap and waiting for him to enter the web. Since he was no longer a child who always listened to his father''s words, Den knew his father would not treat him like he used to. "You want me back?" was his counter-back question made Dario Gonzalesugh. "Didn''t you ask why I wanted to see you now?" "For missing me?" came his overconfident response made Dario Gonzales blink his eyes before finallyughing out loud. "You are really my boy. You''ve never changed." Dario remembered that his son likes to boast about himself. ''I wonder why I was born as a handsome and adorable child. It turns out that I inherited my father''s good looks!'' "You remember you said that when you were little?" Den cleared his throat in awkwardness. "I do not remember." lied Den. "Why do you even remember it? You should have forgotten about it." "Why? Are you embarrassed that you are now an adult?" teased Dario while holding back his amusedughter seeing his son feel like a child again. "You haven''t changed either. Still like to pull my leg and make me cry." "Ho? Are you still that crybaby?" "No." was his short answer. "Ever since mother abandoned me that day, I''ve forgotten how to cry." Den continued in a serious tone. Right. Den had no longer shed tears since his mother dumped him in the orphanage. Every time he wanted to cry, he would somersault and turn the source of his sadness into a focus on not falling. Since then, he didn''t know if his tears had dried up or disappeared. Den was no longer shedding tears. "I''m so sorry to hear that. I know your mother left me because she couldn''t stand me anymore. I know she doesn''t want you to be influenced by my character and take you away. But I didn''t expect she would leave you in an orphanage. She shouldn''t have taken you away if she did that." Dario clicked his tongue in annoyance, and Den detected hatred in his father''s voice. Did his father no longer love his mother? Then whose photo is the woman disyed in the small photo frame? The picture frame looked clean and nice as if the owner took great care of it. Den nced at the small frame he had been looking at curiously. Who is that girl? "Didn''t you say earlier that I found something you were hiding? Did you mean that photo?" Dario also turned towards what Den was looking at. "If you wanted to hide it, you shouldn''t have put it there or had your head servant lead me here. It seemed to me that you wanted me to find your secret instead. Isn''t that right?" Dario shed a crooked smile and turned to his son with a look of menace that Den had never seen before. "You are really my son. That''s right. I want you to see it, just like when your mother found it." Den''s brow furrowed at that. "She was my first love, and I wished you could help me to find her." What? "Why should I?" "Because she has something that belongs to me." "What is it?" "My daughter." "!?" "In other words, your half-sister." Chapter 286 - Ch. 286 He Had Another Sister? Chapter 286 ¨C Ch. 286 He Had Another Sister? Den was seven years old when the ck adopted him. Like any normal child, Den longed for aplete family and was happy when he was informed that a family had chosen him. Even though he had entered the ck family and epted the loving and kind-hearted husband and wife as his new parents, Den hoped for his biological parents deep down in his heart. He wanted his father to teach him things when he was growing up, and he wanted his mother to hug him when he was sad. But his birth mother had abandoned him, and his father just stood there as his mother took him away. At that moment, little Den felt his father looking at him dispassionately as if the older man didn''t care whether Den was out of his life or not. Nevertheless, Den received the affectionate wee of the ck couple who loved him as if he were their own child. Den also felt the warmth in a mother''s embrace from his adoptive mother and the whole family. But Den couldn''t get rid of a deep hole in his heart. And one day, when the sky was clear, and he was in a good mood, Madame Esther contacted him only to tell him that his birth mother was visiting Grace''s orphanage. Thinking his birth mother was looking for him, Den directly went to the orphanage after school. Unfortunately, his mother has left but left a beautiful and adorable one-month-old baby girl. "She said this is your sister." that''s what Madame Esther said when she showed her a baby who was fast asleep. "My sister?" Den felt a wave of tremendous anger that he had never felt before. He was not angry at the baby but furious at his mother. Not only did she dump him in an orphanage when he was a toddler, but now his mother walked out on her newborn daughter in the same ce. Den was eager to find his mother and demanded an exnation for what she had done. Why did his mother leave him in an orphanage after taking him away from his father''s protection forcibly? Why did his mother throw away this newborn daughter? At that moment, Den was so angry that he couldn''t think straight, and without realizing it, his expression became dark and unnerving. "Den, if this baby were to wake up and see your current face, she would cry." Den snapped from his own thoughts and nced once more at the baby wrapped in the thick warm cloth. One hand rose to touch the corner of the baby''s lips and received a small response from the baby. The baby wiggled its mouth as if looking for something to chew. Her eyes were fluttered and opened to see Den''s face. The baby didn''t cry but looked at Den with a curious look. Her head tilted slightly towards Den''s hand to feast on Den''s finger, which was still on the corner of her lips. That''s when Den felt the hole he had filled again when he saw a pair of chocte-like eyes full of wonder. "Oh my, she''s hungry." "What is her name?" Den asked Madame Esther without taking his eyes off his newborn half-sister. "She said she hasn''t given her a name yet. How about you give her one?" Den found a suitable name for his sister. He felt that he was now walking on air and the presence of his sisterpleted his life, which has had a big and deep hole. "Letticia. It means bringing happiness." "What a suitable name, considering that this kid is nice and only cries when she is hungry." For the first time since his birth mother left him at the orphanage, Den was happy to hear he had a younger sister. He vowed to take care of this girl, cherish her and protect her until this little girl finds someone who deserves to be with her. But now¡­ he got word that he had another half-sister? And that too¡­ the girl is his father''s daughter! For some reason, Den didn''t feel happy at all hearing this. Getting the news he had a younger sister no longer made him feel joyful. To him, Letticia was his only younger sister. And he had no other sister besides Letticia. "Is this a joke?" Den still didn''t want to believe it, and now his demeanor changed. He no longer felt awkward or viewed Dario Gonzales as a father he had not seen in a long time. To him right now, Dario Gonzales was none other than his adoptive father''s business partner, and his main purpose ofing here was to settle their business matters. "No." was Dario''s short reply. "Do I look like I''m joking with you?" "Is this the reason you wanted to see me? Not because you want to see your son who has grown up, but wants me to find your daughter?" "Half of it. I heard you''re getting married." "So?" "I wish you annul that marriage. You can''t be with the Zouch''s daughter." Den''s jaw clenched hearing this. And his eyes were no longer filled with the respect or admiration he once had. He did admire his father, but his father''s words were so outrageous that his respect and admiration evaporated without a trace. "Whom I married is none of your business, Mr. Gonzalez. I came here toplete your offer to my father." Den emphasized his tone as he called ''my father'' as if his current father was Mister Old ck. "I see." Dario didn''t seem surprised by the change in his son''s vibe. "Let''s call it a day, then. I''m quite sure the head cook has finished his dish." "I''m not hungry." Den stood up. "Please stay. We haven''t seen each other in a very long time." "I would love to stay, but you ruined it by telling jokes." "I told you, I''m not joking, Deck." Den''s lips twitched hearing his father call his name like he used to. "Fine. I''ll stop talking about it. Have dinner with me, please." the word itself sounded as if Dario was begging Den, but his tone sounded like a hidden order. Den had no idea what this man was nning to do with him. He was sure Dario knew Den had booked a hotel room in the town, but the older man took him to this mountainous area without his consent. Not only to stay here, but there was no signal as if this so-called father of his wanted to prevent him from contacting his people. Is this a trap? But why would Dario Gonzales trap his own son? Chapter 287 - Ch. 287 Bossleys Secret Phone Line Chapter 287 ¨C Ch. 287 Bossley¡¯s Secret Phone Line When Den was on his way to this vi and got word that he was going to have dinner with his father, Den imagined hundreds of scenarios for conversing like a father and son pair. He expected an awkward moment but heartwarming dining, but not like this. No one spoke, and Den refused to open his mouth. Telling him that he had a half-sister was something, but opposing his marriage to the woman he loved, made things worse. Dario was his birth father, but that didn''t mean the older man could go against what he wanted to do. They hadn''t seen each other for over twenty years, but this older man had nothing to say but drop a bomb twice right in front of his face. How could he prepare himself when he expects an amiable meet-up and talking? "Do you like the meal?" "So-so." was the short answer for his father''s kind question. "I see. I don''t know what your favorite dish is, so I just had the head chef prepare somethingmon that a lot of people will surely like." Den didn''t know what his father was thinking. He was kind like any other father in one time but changed into someone Den had never seen in another. And the next second, that older man was back to being a caring father that would like to get to know about his long-lost son. "It''s nice. I''m not a picky eater." Den nced at him briefly and saw a satisfied smile on his father''s face before Den went back to casually devouring his food. "I have signed a cooperation agreement from Mr. ck. I will give it to youter." Den only nodded his head once without making a sound. "How long are you going to stay here?" "I''ve already booked a ne ticket for tomorrow evening." "That soon? I hope you can stay here for a few more days." "Why don''t you juste to New York? I will introduce you to your future daughter-inw as well as¡­ my half-sister." Dario''s hand slicing his steak stopped hearing it. He nced at Den with a questioning look. "You know you have a younger sister?" "How could I not? Mother left her in the same orphanage right after she gave birth to her youngest child. I watched her grow up, and I took care of her. She is the only sister I have." Den couldn''t read his father''s mind because the older man didn''t react to his words. His father didn''t seem surprised, but at the same time, Den felt his father didn''t know that his mother had another child from another man. "That woman¡­" Dario murmured as he nced sideways as if something he hated was there. "So you don''t know." Den sliced ??his steak casually. "How old is she?" "Why? Are you going to meet her? Why are you angry? You also have other kids with other women." "I thought you would like to have a peaceful dining with me." Dario lifted his wine ss casually and took a sip of his drink without taking his eyes off his son. "Isn''t it a bit toote for that?" Den felt satiated even though he barely finished half of his meal. "Thanks for the meal. I''ll excuse myself." Den got up and came out of the dining room to go to the room that the head assistant of this house had provided. On the contrary, Dario continued to eat as if there was no cold war between him and his son. "Master, we managed to find that person''s secret line." "Hmm." after devouring thest bite, Dario took a white cloth only to wipe his mouth. "Link me to him." Dario got up and walked towards his room. "Yes, sir." Back at the Zouch residence, Kristopher arrived and asked to meet with Bossley Zouch. "Kristopher McCoy? I don''t know him." Bossley was confused by the arrival of this unknown guest named Kristopher. "He said he was Mr. ck''s man, sir." "Which Mr. ck again?" "It''s Mr. Den ck." Bossley frowned in confusion at this. Why did Den send his right-hand man here to talk to him? "Okay. Let him in." Bossley waved his hand at his assistant as if he was shooing the person away when he noticed a red light on his very rarely used telephone. This telephone was the secret line he used to contact Hades'' core members, and since they lived in this house, it had never been used. Why are his team members¡­ former members now contacting him? When Conn Anach came to town to pick up his two children, he didn''t even stop by just to say hello. Bossley picked up the phone and remained silent as he waited for the person on the other side to speak first. "It''s been a while." Bossley''s eyebrow rose at this unfamiliar voice. It''s not Conn Anach''s voice or his hidden protector. Surprisingly, he also felt familiar with this voice, but he couldn''t remember where he had heard it. "I have something for you. Turn on the TV in your room." Bossley''s eyebrows twitched as he was annoyed with the person on the other side. Now he was sure this person was neither a member of Hades nor his hidden protector. Nevertheless, Bossleyplied with what the caller wanted. The person who could infiltrate his secret line system was definitely not a passerby. Therefore, he wanted to know this caller''s intention of disturbing him. As soon as the TV turned on, he saw that his future son-inw was there, in a room filled with books. Was this person going to threaten him using Den? That''s why Kris came here to ask for help. Hmph! If Den falls into a trap and needs his help to save Den, then the man doesn''t deserve to be his son-inw. "No matter what you do to him, I would never buy it." There was a slyugh across the line, and Bossley couldn''t help but have a feeling he''d heard this type ofugh before. "Keep watching." Not long after, he saw Den pick up a small figure on top of one of the bookcases. Bossley squinted his eyes and used his sses to see the young couple within the small frame. And it turned out¡­ Bossley''s hand that was holding the phone''s handle was tightened until it almost broke the algae. "YOU!!" now he remembered. He recognized who was on the other side. "What do you think of my son?" "!?" "Den is surely an ideal son-inw, don''t you think?" "What are you talking about?" "You heard me. Den is my son." As if Bossley heard an explosion in his head, he felt a wave of wrath emerging from inside. Den is that bastard''s son!? Chapter 288 - Ch. 288 Heartless Father Chapter 288 ¨C Ch. 288 Heartless Father As soon as Kristopher confronted Bossley Zouch, the young man exined the situation that urred today. He was straightforward without further ado and stated they couldn''t find Roxanne. "Are you sure she''s gone?" "We can''t find her, sir. And the phone is off." "She might have wanted to be alone right now. My daughter tended to go without telling us whenever she craved to be alone. She''ll be back in a few days." "But, sir¡­" "Kristopher, isn''t it?" Bossley cut in without giving Kris a chance to finish his words. "What makes you think someone wants to kidnap my daughter, let alone intent to hurt her? My daughter barely revealed herself in public, and she wasn''t a public figure that loved to show in any media social. My daughter preferred to keep a low profile and go about her daily life normally. No one had any reason to hurt her. Am I right? Unless that someone had bad blood with your master and endangered my daughter, that would be an entirely different story." What is that supposed to mean? Kris could only grit his teeth to restrain his rage from losing control. "I hope that was the case. I''m sorry for thete introduction, but I was once a member of Hades." Bossley''s brow furrowed at this. "You were?" "Well, I was only an outer member, but sometimes I caught a glimpse of you in front of the main headquarters. And now I know that you are the previous Hades master. So I doubt anyone didn''t have any evil intent toward the young miss, especially she was once the most wanted Hades sessor." Bossley hid his surprise because he didn''t expect anyone to recognize him as Hades. And that too, this man was once an outer member. "Where is your master? He should be the one looking for his future wife." Bossley knew very well where Den was now. And he knew the disappearance of his eldest daughter must be because of his past archenemy. Tsk. He had been trying to hide his daughters from that ''man'' all these years. But in the end, that person managed to find them. Was that person still not satisfied after witnessing his life''s crumble after epting his youngest daughter''s departure? Even though Roxy was currently in Dario''s hands¡­ that man wouldn''t kill his daughter right away. He was sure that Roxy was still alive and safe for the time being. Nevertheless, Bossley hid all the anxiety, hatred, and worry for his eldest daughter behind his perfect calm demeanor. "Master is in Montana, and we can''t reach him due to a strange signal restriction." Bossley knew who caused it. "I''ve used everything at our disposal to track down thedy''s whereabouts, but¡­ we''re at a stalemate." "If you guys can''t find her, why do you think I can find her?" Kristopher''s jaw hardened hearing this. Is this man deaf? His beloved daughter went missing, but that older man did not seem panicked or worried. In fact, the man looked rxed, as if his daughter''s existence didn''t matter at all. "Sir," Kristopher tried to contain his frustration and anger and continued to be patient. "This is your daughter. Aren''t you worried about her? Even though you can''t do much at the moment because many eyes are watching you, I''m sure you still have something inside your sleeve." "She''ll be fine. I''m sure she is safe and will be back in a few days." "Why are you so sure?" Kris did not understand what kind of reaction Mr. Zouch had given at the moment. What kind of father doesn''t think about his daughter''s safety and instead sits casually as if enjoying tea in the morning? "Rather than that, I have a quick question for you. Is there by any chance your master is not Mr. Old ck''s birth son?" "¡­" why did this man ask about his master. Is he allowed to tell him? After all, Den''s background wasn''t a secret. "Yes, sir. Mr. Old ck adopted my master when he was seven." Kristopher couldn''t read Bossley Zouch''s mind because of his unchanging expression. "Once you managed to contact your master, have hime to see me." "Sir?" Kris'' mouth was wide open, and he couldn''t believe what was happening right now. Bossley turned and walked over to his balcony and looked up at the sky as if he was enjoying the beautiful moon view. What was that man thinking? Was the man not worried about his daughter at all? Even Kris himself, who has no rtionship with Roxy, was distraught and kept praying for the girl''s safety. But the girl''s own father was not worried and did not provide him any assistance in tracking down his daughter. Instead of trying to find his missing daughter, that older man asked Den''s background! What is in the mind of this former Hades? Hades was known as fearless, ruthless, and heartless toward anything that brought harm to his loved one. But Kris never expected this Hades would be atrocious for his only daughter too. Having no other choice, Kris had to tell the truth. Bossley Zouch was truly a heartless father if the man still didn''t react after hearing this news. "There''s something you need to know. We found thest railroad Miss Zouch was and the vehicle she was in. She crashed her car into the railing of the bridge and plunged into the sea. The car was transported and found Miss Zouch''s belongings in it, but we couldn''t find miss." As he feared. No further reaction from the older man. What a heartless father. Feeling unable to contain his anger, Kris walked out of the house. He could only wait for Den''s arrival, considering his master had booked a ne ticket tomorrow evening. And if Den hadn''te back tomorrow, he would have followed the man himself and gone to Montana. Little did he know, the heartless father he believed was now clutching his chest as if he was in pain. "Roxy, my dear Roxy. Why do you have to be tied to that man''s son?" A tear fell from the corner of his eye.. The famous Bossley Zouch, who had never shed a tear, was now breaking down. Chapter 289 - Ch. 289 Who Is Darios First Love? Chapter 289 ¨C Ch. 289 Who Is Dario¡¯s First Love? Since there was no signal or inte in this magnificent-looking vi, Den still didn''t know about Roxy''s disappearance. He suspected that his father was deliberately blocking the telephone signal in this ce as if this older man wanted to prevent anyone from contacting Den. But why? Den didn''t know the answer. He couldn''t help but think that his mother was innocent when she left his father. Maybe¡­ it was only his assumptions, but it might be that his mother caught his father having an affair. Therefore his mother decided to take him away and leave his father. But Den still couldn''t grasp why his mother left him in an orphanage. After meeting his father and being engaged in that tense conversation, Den reminisced about his childhood. Where did he live? What was her mother''s name? And what was his father''s name? Yet, he could remember nothing. He was barely five when he was taken away by his mother. He lived with his mother for several days and moved around as if they were being chased by something. Or were they being chased? Was someone after his mother? Was that why his mother left him in the orphanage? Den walked to the bedroom window and saw the empty night sky. He had no interest in looking for his mother because the woman had left him. Not only leaving him but also throwing away his newborn daughter and leaving the girl an orphan. But, now¡­ "Mom, why did you do that?" he genuinely wanted to know, and when he got home, he would try to find his mother. Knock, knock! Den turned his head towards his bedroom door when he heard someone knocking twice. He remembered his father was about to give him the cooperation agreement he had signed tonight. With reluctant and heavy steps, Den walked only to open the door to his room. But not the father he saw, but the butler who had weed his arrival. "Good evening, sir. Master wanted me to give this to you." Den received the brown envelope containing the cooperation agreement letter. It made him wonder, what had hee here for? "Young master, are you truly not intrigued in looking for her?" "Who should I look for?" "Your sister." Den nced at the butler with an unfriendly look. "Why should I?" "I heard that the young miss is not happy with her family. Her stepfather forced her to marry another young man until the young miss ran away from home. Since then, we haven''t heard from her again." Den snorted sarcastically at that. "She had the guts. I''m pretty sure she can survive." "But it wasn''t her fault, sir. You know that the most, don''t you?" It wasn''t her fault. Den knew that more than anybody. But he couldn''t help but hate the girl for being born to a woman who made his family tear apart. If there was Roxy by her side, what would that girl say? ''I would look for her if I were you. Protecting a little sister is the duty of an older brother. Isn''t it?'' Den gave a faint smile when he heard his fianc¨¦''s trademark voice inside his head. "Alright. I''ll look for her. Do you have any data on that wo¡­ I mean, the girl''s mother?" "I''ll give it the first thing in the morning." Den nodded his head and closed the door to his room after the butler left. The butler went into his master''s private room to report on the task he hadpleted. "The young master has decided to find the young miss." "Did he now," a sly smile filled with satisfaction graced Dario Gonzales'' face. "I''m so excited. What is the reaction of that older man now? I want to see it in person." The butler lowered his gaze and was lost in his thoughts as if he was thinking about something. "It''s time for me to leave," announced Dario. "May I know the reason? Why do you seem in a hurry?" "I underestimated my son''s ability. He''s smarter than I thought. He''ll notice before you give him the data. I don''t want to die at the hands of my son." Dario chuckle in delight when he imagines something. "I''m looking forward to seeing his murderous look, though." "I don''t understand. If you wanted the young master to follow you, why did you let him go?" "He''ll be a saver with that woman rather than be with me. I was never in the mood to call him back. But now everything is different. I won''t let him marry that girl." On the other hand, Den opened the contents of the brown envelope to check once again the contents of the businesses partnership agreement between his biological father and his adoptive father. He felt a little weird because he interceded for his two fathers, who became business partners. This coboration was a trivial matter because it''s only building a hotel, but why did Dario demand his father''s side send someone here? Was it true that his father wanted to meet him and used this excuse? Or did his father have other intentions? ''She was my first love, and I wished you could help me to find her.'' that was what his father said to him. And the butler also expected him to look for this unknown half-sister of his. The butler wouldn''t say it on a whim. Den felt confident that his father had sent the butler to persuade him. If the father truly desired to find his daughter, why need his help? The older man could seek her himself, considering he could find Den so easily. Or¡­ could it be that his father wanted Den to investigate on his own and find out something he shouldn''t? Den sighed at the thought of this. He was sure that his father purposely told him to look for his daughter. The man wanted to keep the photo of the little figure hidden among the rows of books but instead put it where he could see it. Really, what did his father want him to know? His sister? Or the mother of his younger sister? Strangely, Den felt he knew that young girl¡­ his father''s first love. He had only glimpsed it, but he had a pretty sharp memory of remembering people''s faces. Den was sure he had met the girl¡­ but¡­ where? Den closed his eyes and started to dig into his memories of where he met girls. No. If the photo were taken about thirty years ago, it would mean that the young girl had matured by a lot. Den narrowed his search, and one woman appeared in his mind, who bore a resemnce to the young girl in the photo. Instantly his eyes opened in surprise, and Den felt his heart stop beating. "Impossible!" Chapter 290 - Ch. 290 Declan Was Furious Chapter 290 ¨C Ch. 290 Den Was Furious In the end, Den couldn''t sleep all night after thinking about the possible identity of his father''s first love. He hoped that what he was thinking was wrong and prayed silently that the woman he was thinking of was not what he wanted to find. It was impossible, but¡­ knowing his father and that woman''s background¡­ No. Den didn''t want to think it further before he researched it himself. Den put on his ck coat and walked out as the butler approached him. "Good morning, sir. Did you have a good sleep?" "Do you have it?" without answering the butler''s friendly question, Den demanded what the butler was about to give him without further ado. "Yes, sir. This is the record regarding the mistress." Den''s jaw hardened as he received one. "Where is Mr. Gonzalez?" "He has returned to Russia." Russia? "He lives there?" "No, sir. He lived in Rome and settled there. He came here and built his business in this city nine years ago. I''ve prepared a vehicle for you. Do you want to go straight to the airport or stop by somewhere first?" "Airport." Den had an evening flight because he thought he was going to spend time with his father. But seeing how their situation interacted yesterday, it seems that Den would never be able to rebond their lost rtionship. As soon as they drove out of the mountainous area, Den''s phone rang repeatedly, indicating pending notifications because it had no signal. Den didn''t open anything else but looked for Roxy''s name. But there was nothing from the girl. No reply, no calls, making Den feel thispletely restless. And yet, he noticed a hundred texts from one of his trustee men. Den decided to contact Kris first. "Good heavens, master! You finally picked up my phone!" "¡­" I called you, idiot. "What is it?" "That¡­" Kris was ready to ept his punishment and told his master about Roxy''s disappearance. But now that he heard his master''s voice sounding cold and seemingly excruciatingly irritated, Kris hesitated. "When will you go home? I''ll inform you when you get back." "It''s not like you''re my lover. Why should I tell you?" The corners of Kris'' lips twitched at this. He knew his current master was in a bad mood and he had gotten used to his somewhat irritating attitude. But¡­ "It''s not the time for that." "Then, what is it?" Den was getting more and more impatient as his right hand seemed to be deliberately stalling. He wanted to contact Roxy and hear her voice. At times like this, just hearing the girl''s voice could extinguish his fire of stress. "Is that master?" One of Den''s eyebrows rose when he heard Aubrey''s voice on the other side. It seemed like the pair of twins were together and rxing. It appeared he was pampering them too much and giving them less work. "Let me talk to him." Aubrey grabbed her twin brother''s phone and spoke in a fearless tone. "Master, we lost her." "Who?" "The miss. We couldn''t find her. Or rather, we don''t know if she''s still alive or not." Den took a deep breath because he could guess who Aubrey meant. But he hoped his assumption was wrong. "Tell me clearly. Who did you mean?" "Miss Zouch." And for the first time in his entire life, Den''s eyes were filled with a murderous aura. "And Mr. Zouch would like to meet you in person. He ordered us to deliver this message to you. You have to meet him the first thing you arrive at the town." "I got it. I''m going home now." During the flight to New York, Den opened hisptop and inserted the USB his father''s butler had given him. But he was hesitant to see the contents of the file. What if it turns out that the contents of the file are what he fears the most? What should he do? Furthermore, why did Mr. Zouch require him to see him even though his daughter had disappeared? Den found himself filled with puzzles, and he must connect them all to solve the mystery that fills his head. But he was afraid to solve the mystery. Den pulled the sleeve of his coat covering his wrist and saw a silver chain bracelet there. The bracelet he wore was a pair bracelet with Roxy. It was the girl who gave him the bracelet as a Christmas present a while ago. "Den, give me your hand." Den was still typing something on hisptop when Roxy asked for his hand. Nevertheless, Den held out his hand towards his fianc¨¦ even though his eyes were still reading an important document on hisptop. It was only when he felt something wrapped around his wrist did he nce at what his fianc¨¦ was doing. He saw a ssic silver chain bracelet wrapped around his wrist that made him frown in confusion. "What''s this?" "A handcuff." One of Den''s eyebrows rose while showing his trademark nted smile. "Did I do something wrong? Am I the criminal now?" "Of course, you''re the criminal." Roxy giggled mischievously while brushing her nose against his. "You stole my heart, and I will imprison you for all your whole life." "My, my. Who has learned to speak sweet words?" Roxy shrugged her shoulders. "I have a great teacher. And look." Roxy raised a hand showing a bracelet simr to Den''s. Den''s eyes lit up looking at her, and he lowered his head only to kiss her. What a sweet moment and Den yearns for his girl even more thinking about this memory. And yet, someone nned to separate them? Den and Roxy were meant to be together. He felt sure about it, but¡­ Den repositioned his sleeves so he couldn''t see the silver chain bracelet on his wrist. He decided not to back down now. Den has decided to find out who was the woman who ruined his father''s family life. And he was also curious about who his younger sister was. Den opened the USB contents file and then read the contents carefully. The longer he read it, the darker his eyes became and filled with the desire to eliminate someone. Chapter 291 - Ch. 291 What Is His Mothers Secret? Chapter 291 ¨C Ch. 291 What Is His Mother¡¯s Secret? As soon as Den got out of the airport, Kris and Aubrey walked up to him and greeted him with regretful faces. "Did you find her?" Both Kris and Aubrey couldn''t answer his question and could only shake their heads. Den didn''t want to waste time and walked straight to his car while the two people he trusted followed him, exining what they had done. "I''ve activated Eagle Eye around where the Miss jumped from, but¡­ we couldn''t find any sign ofdy''s life apart from her vehicle and belongings." "Speed ??up theunch of the God Eye satellite. That''s the only way to find her." "But the functional percentage andunch orbit is still not perfect. The scientists are still researching¡­." "Then look for other alternatives. I can''t believe I couldn''t find her." "How about we borrow a military satellite first? We can connect it to our God Eye system and find Miss Zouch." Aubrey suggested this because she knew there was no other way to find her master''s fianc¨¦. "But isn''t that very risky? If the government finds out, they will try to seize our GE and EE." Kris was worried that if the government found out that the OS had a system procedure that could see the entire world under one control, they would pressure Den and seize what they had been creating all these years. "Darrel Alvianc won''t divulge it." Den''s footsteps stopped hearing him and turned to look at Aubrey in surprise. "Darrell Alvianc? When you said, we were going to borrow a government satellite¡­." "It belongs to the Alvianc group." was her short answer, getting a nod once from her master. "Do it as you said." By the time Den got into the car, Kris had got into the driver''s seat while Aubrey got into another vehicle because she had other things to do. During the trip, Den did not speak and only read the same document he had read on the ne. The silence that gripped Kris made Kris feel even more guilty. Usually, the master was silent on the way, but not this scary. The more calm and silent his master looked, Kris knew the more anger the man harbored. Den read the contents of the USB file from top to bottom, then scrolled up again, then down again, and so on. He hoped that he had misread and that his father was just tricking him, but Den was sure his father had not lied to him. Are the contents of this file fake? If indeed what he is seeing right now is the real thing, doesn''t his father know that his first love has lived in New York since nine years ago? Den closed his eyes, trying to dig up memories he hadn''t thought about in a long time. That night when he was four and knew nothing about his father''s affair, his mother came to his room in the middle of the night. "Deck, I can''t stand it anymore." Little Den was already asleep, but he woke up feeling a soft caress on the top of his head. "I don''t want to live here anymore. I want to go, but I can''t bear to leave you here alone. Do you want toe with me?" a soft whisper but sounded very depressing as if the woman had just had her heartbroken, making little Den not know what to do. In the end, he decided to continue pretending to be asleep and listen to every word his mother wanted to say. "You bettere with me. How about we stay in New York?" Little Den didn''t make a sound and kept his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep. Without realizing it, the soft caress on the top of his head made him fall back asleep. The following day, Den didn''t remember his mother''s arrival in the middle of the night, and he thought it was just a dream. He couldn''t believe that his mother was suffering living in this house where a husband loved her and a small child who adored her very much. That''s why little Den just thought it was a dream and forgot about it. However, who would have thought the mother actually took him away from his father''s house a few dayster. And they went to New York per his mother''s whisper. Den was still adapting to his new environment and trying to understand why his mother took him away from his father. He couldn''tprehend why they had to move from ce to ce. Until finally, his mother left him in the Grace Orphanage. As time went on, Den understood the reason why they couldn''t stay in the same ce. His mother did not bring a penny when he left his father. They could only live in a particr house for the homeless and sometimes slept on the streets when they didn''t have a queue for the home. Maybe his mother left him in the orphanage because she couldn''t bear the burden anymore or because she didn''t want to see him sleeping on the streets again. Den didn''t know the reason either. But now¡­ after interacting and getting to know his father a little, coupled with the identity of Dario''s first love, he couldn''t help but think, is it possible¡­ his mother doesn''t want to live in the same ce because they''re being chased? Who is chasing them? His father or¡­ Dario''s first love''s family? Den reached for his phone, and after finding a name, he called the person. "It''s me. I just sent you a name. I want you to investigate her past as well as¡­ her daughter''s name." Kris didn''t know who Den was contacting, but judging by the way the man gave the mission, it must be the person with the codename Hawk he was calling. But why does his master want to investigate a woman''s past and want to know her daughter''s name? Was the man not worried about his wife at all? Roxanne Zouch has been missing for over twenty hours, for God''s sake. Neither the girl''s father nor the girl''s fianc¨¦¡­ are those two not worried about Roxy at all?? "Um, master. Can I ask you something?" "¡­" Den didn''t respond and just read the contents of the same file over and over even though he listened to what his right-hand man wanted to ask. "Aren''t you worried about Miss Zouch?" The movement of the hand scrolling up and down stopped hearing this question. Did he seem unconcerned about the girl? It looks like he did. Den couldn''t me his subordinate. The truth is¡­ he was worried¡­ but was overwhelmed by this sudden fury that he had never felt before. "She''s alive." "¡­" what the heck? Den had the feeling he knew who kidnapped her.. And even though that person failed to kidnap her, it only means¡­ the Frontier Shadow managed to save her. Chapter 292 - Ch. 292 Declans Other Sister Chapter 292 ¨C Ch. 292 Den¡¯s Other Sister Den walked into Zouch''s residence with undoubtful steps even though his heart was restless. Mr. Zouch''s assistant escorted him to the older man''s private room. Den''s expression was expressionless, as if he felt no emotions while his heart was pounding in anxiousness. By the time Den stepped into Bossley Zouch''s private room, Den found himself diving into the darkness. He hoped that what he feared would not happen, and Den prayed desperately that what he was encountering right now was just a dream. He preferred not to see Bossley Zouch as he wanted to find his little wife, but this older man was both his future father-inw and the one who could give him answers to his puzzles. Den had no other choice but toe to see this man despite his heart keeping telling him not toe. "I''m here, Mr. Zouch." greeted Den politely. He carefully investigated Bossley Zouch''s expression, but there was no hint he wished to find. "I heard you went on a business trip yesterday." "I did." "And I heard something interesting that you are not blood-rted to Mr. Old ck. Is that true?" And this was what worried him the most. Den didn''t answer and decided to stay silent while letting his future inws continue questioning him as if the older man had investigated a criminal. "What is your father''s name?" Mr. Zouch dropped the most difficult inquiry right in his face. What should he answer now? If Den was to get the answer he wanted, he had to answer it. But what if the answer he got turned out to be precisely what he feared? ''Roxy, what should I do?'' "Dario Gonzalez." in the end, Den gave him a name he had only just met yesterday afternoon. For as long as he could remember, he never memorized the names of his parents, and only a few days ago, he learned that his father''s name was Dario Gonzales. And never did he expect, his birth father had bad blood with the Zouch family since ages ago. "I see." Bossley Zouch got up from his seat and walked around his desk. He leaned against the table while crossing his arms in front of his chest with authority. "I would like to annul your engagement with my daughter." Den''s hands clenched into fists hearing this. He had expected it since he found out his father''s first love identity. But hearing it in person really made his heartache many times over. "Do you mind telling me the reason?" "You can''t be together. You''re not meant to be together." "I can''t see why. We loved each other, and you already gave us your blessing." "My mistake. I didn''t know who you were." "Is it because of my birth father? He let my mother take me away from him before my own mother walked out on me in the orphanage. Since then, I''m Den ck, and my father is Mr. Old ck." "It doesn''t matter." "Give me a good reason, Mr. Zouch, because I will not break our engagement. I love your daughter¡­ sincerely, and I couldn''t¡­." "YOU CAN''T LOVE HER!!" Bossley snapped at the moment, and his eyes showed how much he hated Den right now. "You can''t be together, not in this moment and not in the future. I told you, you are not meant to be!" Den''s jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened. He didn''t feel the tears but felt his heart soar as he said, "So, it''s true? Is Roxanne¡­ not your daughter?" Den didn''t need to hear the answer right away when he saw Bossley Zouch''s surprised expression. Precisely because he didn''t get the answer, Den felt himself falling into a bottomless pit. As he expected. Entering this house just to face his future father-inw would only lead him into the prison of despair. All this time¡­ the girl who captivated his heart¡­ was turned out to be¡­ "Is Roxanne¡­ truly my half-sister?" Den felt his voice tremble slightly as he wanted to confirm it once more. But hisst bit of restraint managed to cover up his weakness. He didn''t want to believe this fact, but he had to confirm it. "I didn''t expect him to tell you right away. If you knew, now you understand you can''t marry her." Den felt a force blocking his airway. He couldn''t breathe and believed his heart had stopped beating at that moment. He couldn''t even think anymore and didn''t know what to do. On the other hand, Bossley Zouch looked at the hopeless Den with a guilty feeling. He could see Den and Roxy loved each other, and he acknowledged Den''s will to protect and make Roxy happy even if he challenged the world. But¡­ ''I''m sorry. I must do it to protect her.'' Den couldn''t hear what Mr. Zouch said in his heart. Even if there were a voice right now, Den would turn a deaf ear because the only thing on his mind was¡­ he couldn''t be with Roxy. There was a knock on the door, and not long after, a girl entered without noticing that Bossley Zouch was receiving a guest. "Sir, we still can''t find her. I''m afraid she¡­." "No, don''t jinx on her. She''s still alive." It was then that Den was brought to reality once hearing the older man''s words. "I''ll find her." came the unwavering resolution. "Mr. ck, I told you¡­." "I understand what you''re worried about, but please allow me to find her. I know your mobility is limited, and many people are observing you, and right now, the only one who can find her is me." Bossley Zouch didn''t immediately agree and pondered it for a while. Then, "On one condition. You should put an end to the engagement as soon as you meet her. I don''t care how you do it, but you two are no longer rted by the time shees home. You get me?" "Yes." Den''s voice sounded very weak and heavy, but he had no other choice but to agree to the older man''s terms. When Den came out of Bossley Zouch''s private room and was about to head to hispany, he bumped into Britney. "Den, it''s a pleasure you stop by. But, is there a problem? Why do you look gloomy?" Den looked at the woman nkly, and Britney realized the man''s gaze in front of her was no longer shining. "Den? Are you alright?" How could he miss it? This woman''s face¡­ Chapter 293 - Ch. 293 He Had To Put An End Chapter 293 ¨C Ch. 293 He Had To Put An End "Den?" Britney walked over and was about to touch the man''s arm as she had considered Den like her son. But Den instead walked backward as if avoiding her touch made Britney wonder. Without answering or responding to Britney''s calls, Den turned and walked out, leaving the clueless older woman confused. Den immediately went to hispany and called all the officers he trusted. After giving instructions and so on, Den was alone in his office without a single human apanying him. There was nothing he could do but wait for the search results from his subordinates. Den took this time to recall what he had experienced over the past two days. Den saw the face of Dario''s first love, and he felt familiar with the girl. Of course, he did feel familiar because it turned out that the young girl was Britney when she was a teenager. He rarely saw Britney Zouch, but asionally he would meet her on a family asion likest weekend. The Zouch just celebrated their twenty-sixth wedding anniversary, but who would have thought that their daughter would turn out to be an illegitimate child? After all, how could Roxy be his birth father''s daughter? Either way, his biological father and his future inws were against him marrying Roxy. Doesn''t that mean Roxy is indeed Dario Gonzales'' daughter? He was eager to match his DNA test with Roxy''s, but what if the answer he dreaded came out? Without even using a DNA test, the actions of his biological father and Mr. Zouch had convinced him that Roxy was indeed his other half-sister. Furthermore, Dario Gonzales had no intention of seeing him, yet the man had invited him toe to his dominion only to make him realize that his future wife was his younger sister. Apparently, the investment offer for constructing his adoptive father''s hotel was just a trick by the man to lure him. The real reason Dario wanted to meet him was to prevent him from marrying his own sister. Why? Why didn''t they tell him earlier? Why did they have to tell him when he and Roxy loved each other so profoundly like this? Once again, Den found it difficult to breathe, and as if the world around him had stopped spinning, Den let the emotions he had been suppressing for a long time burst out. His anger was too great, even more so when he found out his cousin was sabotaging his business. Den couldn''t bear it, and without realizing it, his body moved on its own by pushing away all the objects on his desk roughly. There was a loud noise from falling objects, and even people outside heard the noise. It didn''t stop there as Den mmed hisptop, and whatever object he saw, he threw in all directions made people outside feel afraid to go inside. Den walked to get something else, and that''s when he saw a ss cupboard containing his books. He saw his terrible appearance in unkempt clothes. His top two buttons were open, and his eyes were so dark he didn''t recognize himself. Den threw a punch at the ss cab in one hit, and instantly the cupboard door cracked. Some of the shards pierced Den''s hands until they bled. But he didn''t feel any pain. No matter how badly the broken ss caused the wound, Den felt that his heart was far more aching than his hand. ''You should put an end to the engagement as soon as you meet her. I don''t care how you do it, but you two are no longer rted by the time shees home.'' No. Den didn''t want to end his engagement with Roxy, and he couldn''t live without Roxy by his side. Den has even nned his future with his wicked, naughty wife in each of his ns. Then suddenly¡­ they said that Roxy was his sister? How could he ept it? He didn''t want to ept it, but Den knew he had to end it. Den slumped over to his desk and sat limply on the floor with his back leaning on his desk. One leg bent in front of his chest while his injured hand rested on his bent knee. Den had never once wanted another person''s life as long as he could remember. He started hispany to protect, not hurt. Even when his cousins ??interfered with his business, Den never once intended to hurt his cousin even though he hated the woman. But now¡­ he had a tremendous and deep hatred for someone, and his current feelings were even more than his admiration for that person. The target of his hatred was none other than his birth father, Dario Gonzales. If it''s true that Roxy is his half-sister, that means his father hooked up with Britney three years after his mother took him away from his father''s house. He recalled the data he had read about Britney Zouch from his butler father. Britney had lived in New York to study there. Her parents died when she was neen, and then Bossley Zouch took her to the south. Before that unfortunate event urred to her, Britney was in a rtionship with his father, and they¡­ slept together. Did Britney not know that her lover was married and had a son? Even if she did, what''s the point now? Britney''s eldest child was the result of Britney''s conception with his father, and Den¡­ felt like dying every time he thought he had to end his involvement with Roxy. "Master!" Aubrey and Kris get word from Den''s secretary about a suspicious voice inside Den''s room. They immediately ran to the floor of Den''s office and entered without knocking on the door first. They didn''t expect Den''s office room to look as though it had been through a war. "Master, get your feet together. We found her!" Aubrey thought Den had gotten into this deep depression from not meeting Roxy. "You found her?" Den nced at Aubrey with a nk and heavy gaze. Neither Aubrey nor Kris understood why Den wasn''t as enthusiastic as they expected once he got the good news. In fact, they felt like Den was walking on thin ice tomit suicide upon hearing this news. Unbeknown to them, that was Den feeling right now. The sooner he met Roxy, the sooner their rtionship had to end. "Yes, we found her trace." Chapter 294 - Ch. 294 Hide And Seek Chapter 294 ¨C Ch. 294 Hide And Seek A group of small children yed in arge yard filled with flowers and grass. They decide to y hide-and-seek and vote who would be the ''it.'' "Yeah! Kaylee, you''re the ''it'' now." "Eh? Why is it always me who is the ''it''?" Kaylee frowned cutely as she made a puppy face towards the taller boy. The boy looked at Kaylee gently and ruffled her hair in affectionate touch. "I will hide in the usual ce." "Hey, Zeezee! Do you know it''s called cheating? You''re pampering her too much?" "How about you? You are her big sister, but you always make her a loser?" "What?? Kaylee, did I make you a loser?" "No. But I did often be in losing one and became the ''it'' at the end of the day." "See? I didn''t make her a loser, but she often loses and has to be the ''it.'' It''s not my fault that she wasn''t a hiding-expert!" "Is that what a sister supposed to say?" Zeezee argued. "Then why don''t you just be the ''it'' in her ce?" challenged Roxy fearlessly, even though the boy was much bigger than her. "Who''s afraid? I''ll be the ''it'' this time." the boy said in a smugly arrogant tone, but that changed as soon as he spoke to Kaylee. "Kaylee, whatever happens, close your eyes and don''t make a sound." "Tsk, tsk, tsk." another girl clicked her tongue while shaking her head. "Aren''t you going to just leave her as usual? You always pretend you didn''t see her even though you found her hiding ce. Roxy, we can''t let him do what he wants." "I agree with you. Kaylee will be the ''it.'' End of discussion." Roxy''s decision was unanimous, and she was sure that nothing would be able to change it. "Roxy, you¡­" Zeezee couldn''t continue his earful scolding when he felt something tug at the hem of his shirt. He turned to the little girl who was looking down shyly as she said in her very distinctive voice, "I''m fine with being the ''it.''" "¡­" Zeezee was speechless at how timid this little girl was. Why are these sisters had contradictory nature? One was wild and decided things at her will, while the other was timid, shy, and liked to be alone. "See? She''s willing to be the ''it.'' Why are you so fussy?" "¡­" this girl really¡­ He wished he could knock some sense on her brainless mind. "Fine. Kaylee, don''t forget my hideout." Kaylee smiled as she nodded her head while Roxy and Gwen rolled their eyeszily. Roxy immediately marched into her favorite maze garden and hid there as soon as the game started. She didn''t expect an adult to be there, so she had to go deeper until she found a strange floor. The floor had a stone color that was different from its surroundings. As curious as she is, Roxy crouched down with one hand perched on amp pir while her other hand touched the floor. Unbeknownst to her, her hand touching the pir shifted to the side. No. It wasn''t her hands, but the pir! And now, the strange floor under her other hand was splitting in two, revealing a staircase leading to the lower ground. ''What ce is this?'' Little Roxy couldn''t help but be curious about what she would find down there. Could there be a hidden treasure that her father kept secret? Oh, Roxy loved treasure hunting. Moreover, she nned to make her father panic and be bewildered when he learned that one of the hidden treasures had disappeared. Of course, Roxy was the one who stole it. The eight-year-old Roxy walked down the spiral staircase until her feet reached the ground floor. She couldn''t see anyone standing not far away and watching her anxiously. ''No, go back. Don''t go there.'' a voice appeared not far from the little Roxy, but the voice seemed to have fallen to dead ears. The curious little thing couldn''t hear the voice nor see the owner of the voice. She kept walking inside until she forgot she was ying hide and seek with her sister and friends. Until one point, she heard a voice, but not the same voice that warned her. "Please, believe me. It was a setup! I would never betray you." "I almost lost one of my daughters a few days ago, and all the evidence is in my hands. You''re still saying that you were framed?" "Papa?" Roxy recognized thest voice, and she quickened her pace towards her father''s voice. ''Please, don''t go.'' and once again, little Roxy couldn''t hear the warning voice. Little Roxy was too excited to surprise her father on this secret tunnel. She knew her house had several¡­ even dozens of underground passages connected in certain ces, and Roxy enjoyed exploring them. The further she walked, the louder and clearer her father''s voice became. Unfortunately, Roxy reached a dead end, and only a brownstone wall was in front of her. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn''t get rid of you right now." Ugh! She was closed! Roxy was sure that her father was behind the same rock wall next to her, and all she needed to do was turn to the right and appear before her father. Little Roxy investigated the wall that prevented her from seeing her father and found a small hole but big enough to see what was behind this wall. Roxy settled her hands against the wall and brought her face closer to the hole. She peeked at what was happening there and was a bit surprised because she didn''t expect to see what she saw at that moment. Right now, her father was pointing a gun at an unknown kneeling-on-his-knees man. That man wore a desperate expression filled with terror, and Roxy could see the tears that escaped from that poor man''s eyes. "Please, please¡­ spare my life. I really didn''t do it." "Wrong answer." The moment Roxy heard a loud explosion, a woman appeared out of nowhere and protected her father''s target. Everything was going so fast that Roxy couldn''t react. Who is she? As the woman slumped down, Roxy gasped in surprise when she saw the woman''s face. She didn''t even realize she made a voice. "Who''s there?!" A gun aimed precisely at the hole she was peeking in made Roxy wake up from her long dream. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!