"What are you staring at?" Out of nowhere, Rein had been beside me."No, nothing…." I went away. That boy followed my track to get to the classroom. I quickened my steps in order to avoid Rein. But, that boy didn't give up, trailing behind me until I took a right turn while he moved in the opposite direction. The exam started a half hour later. But, it was struggling for me to concentrate on the test papers before me. Those two fishy men screwed me up as they occupied my head now. My brain didn't seem to be working well. "You have one hour left." The warning from the supervisor startled me. I nervously copied my answer on the answer sheet. Unfortunately, I couldn't respond to questions one hundred percent with the limited time left. I condemned myself for being so careless. I couldn't fail the test. It would affect my performance, meaning I wouldn't get to the next level. That would only extend my study in this academy. I inhaled and exhaled to calm myself to complete the test w
"Who is he?" One of the kids mumbled, questioning the boy who ambled toward us. "He is so handsome," another kid in a ponytail admired that boy. Rooting on my feet, I pretended not to hear the children's compliments about Lanzo. "How can you be here?" My unfriendly question marked as my welcoming words. He didn't feel offended. "Spending my holiday in this quiet place would be the best escape from the routines. Besides, I love children." The children had gathered around him like ants crowding the sweets. Their cheerfulness confirmed how delighted they were with Lanzo's presence. He threw his backpack on the edge of the field and happily interacted with the children. Letting them enjoy their moments, I stepped to the one side of the area and rested on the bench under the tree, watching them running here and there to catch the ball. The affection among them touched my heart; unconsciously the drops of tears dripped. Their laughter was able to cure my agitation. Never did I think th
The ceiling stared down at my gape eyes. It had been an hour since I laid on the bed with the purpose of dozing off. However, my mind trapped me to keep awake. Lanzo's statements that he would always be on my side stunned as well as terrified me. His kindness mesmerized me but sometimes he didn't look like what he really was. The mysteries camouflaged him. That doubted me to put my trust in him.His last sentence before going to bed disturbed me, really. How could he say that to me? How would he always be by my side? Who was I to him? Did I matter to his life? I tried to wipe this question out, but I failed : did he like me?"No," my mouth took over; my hand instantly covered it when my brain managed to figure it out that I just yelled for the stupid thought. He wouldn't like me or any other girls; that was what he had ever conveyed. A love might not live in his cold heart. But, was it really cold? Was it true that there wasn't any warm space in his heart for affection to grow?I hat
The warmth on my face woke me up. The light above shot its glow on me. Getting up on a bed, I found myself in my room with my pajamas. Nothing I remembered except the fist on my temple and the blood that rippled. The headache came. I plopped back to the mattress. Lanzo...where was he? Those men ambushed him. Could he survive? What if they abducted and detained him somewhere? I had to ask Brad. The pain deterred me from moving. My body was still too weak. It was hard for me even to reach the door that wasn't closed. Someone might just get out of this room and carelessly let it open. "Ms. Grayson…" With my shaking voice, I tried to reach out for help. But, none heard me. "Mr. Thompson…." I didn't want to give up easily with my situation. Maybe, If I kept calling their names, they would come eventually. "Miss. Dawson…." I could breathe in relief seeing Brad rushing to the door."Where is Lanzo?" That was my first question since I worried about him too much. I was afraid that they wo
Lanzo didn't even take a final look at me. The way he treated me nonchalantly dug a deeper hole of loneliness and uneasiness in my heart. And it was weird that his oblivion upset me. Was I in love with him? I shouldn't have let love grow as I knew that it would only result in disappointment. Lanzo wouldn't develop the same feeling. Staggering, I managed to get up. I felt no water falling on my hair. Did the rain stop suddenly? When I looked up, the umbrella barricaded the downpour. Turning around, Lanzo had been at my back with one hand securing the umbrella. "Go, get changed. You're soaking wet." Without a protest, I obeyed him, slowly descending the stairs. He loyally counted his steps behind me, protecting my head with the umbrella. If it were a drama, it would be the most romantic scene I had in my lifetime. But, I didn't want to set high expectations. As a kind-hearted person, Lanzo did this as a form of sympathy. He would do the same thing to anyone who was in my position.
"Lanzo...wait!" It was useless; he disappeared in the next corridor when I was trying to run after him. Something bad must have happened to him. Who assaulted him that he ended up battered? That wasn't important to think about now; what mattered was to help Lanzo get his wound treated by a doctor before it was too late. Instead of roaming around to look for Lanzo, I jogged to the reception office to report it to Brad. He could be of any help with this. At least, he would know what to do. And Lanzo wouldn't refuse his initiative Catching my breath, I recounted Lanzo's pathetic condition to Brad who listened to me attentively. He swiftly went to his room after I shared the information with him. Meanwhile, I waited nervously in the reception room since I didn't have any access to the boy's room. In no time, Brad was back alone. I wondered why he didn't come with Lanzo. Where was that boy? Did he turn down Brad's assistance?"How is Lanzo?" I inquired in panic."Don't worry. The doc
The picture of those two men attacking Lanzo reminded me of what Yura had been through. Before losing her life, that girl went out of the dorm with them. Would Lanzo end up the same? I jerked, getting rid of that negative thought. It was just a picture; it wouldn't prove anything. My concern for Lanzo kept growing inside me and sucked my attention. Until the day shifted, uneasiness still caged me. The only thing I feared was Lanzo would share the same fate as Yura's. My eyes flinched open. I had locked myself in my room for a few hours upon my arrival from the academy. Even skipping my dinner did not matter to me. Everything about Lanzo confiscated my mind now that I forgot to have my meal. The knock on the door drove me to roll out of my bed. A servant arrived with food. Ensuring I received my meal, she turned away. I just eyed the battered fish with large chips without having the desire to taste them. I had already lost my appetite to eat.In an hour, that servant came back; m
The tense inExhibitionlong with Lanzo's roaring voice. No one dared to intervene as his hand hauled the boy's collar. In a second, that boy's body ended up on the crystal clear floor with a grimace on his bruised temple after it crashed to the ground. My effort to mediate them was all in vain since the incident happened in a blink of an eye. The bodyguard took the boy out of the room. Meanwhile Lanzo ambled toward his seat like nothing occurred; he even ignored the glasses boy who thanked him. The situation got back to normal in a few minutes. The food silenced us. Next thirty minutes, the intelligentsia emptied the room. My punishment kept me in the breakfast room for the next ten minutes. I had to assist the staff to clean the table. "You did a great job today, Ms. Dawson." A praise came out of that beautiful smile of one of the staff. "And to be honest, I appreciate your bravery to handle the hard situation this morning.""That sounds exaggerated. I did nothing. It was Lanzo wh