Chapter 5

• "Hey! You're cheating!" Said Claire with disgust.
• They are playing with snakes on a ladder. Yes, they are playing that kind of game. Kinda childish, right? But Alastair seems to enjoy their game, especially since he always wins.
• "Cheating? I am not doing anything. I'm just really lucky so I always win." He smiled in response to her.
• "Ah, I don't want to play this game anymore. I always lose anyway." She said while frowning while Alastair just laughed.
• "You are going to just give up this easily?" He said while shaking his head.
• "It's because you are a cheater." She replied and rolled her eyes.
• Alastair just smiled and shook his head as he put away their toy.
• Ever since she agreed to stay on the island with Alastair, he didn't do anything again. He was also very kind to her and treated her like a princess. He's also doing all the household chores, especially when it comes to cooking.
• Of course, she appreciates it but that doesn't mean that her anger for Alastair is slowly melting. She still hates him for kidnapping her and forcing himself on her without any reason other than that forced marriage which is not valid enough. But she has no choice.
• She doesn't want to anger him anymore, afraid that he will change his mind. Alastair may end up telling her parents where they are and they'll be forced to get married. So she decided to be a good girl for now. Just a month. After that, she can go home and she will see Ruby again.
• When her eyes went to Alastair, she saw him staring at her.
• "What?" She asked with an arched brow.
• "Nothing. It's just that, you are so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off of you." He said and winked at her.
• She smirked. "Stop flirting with me. It doesn't affect me anyway. I'll just remind you that I already have a girlfriend and that I love her so much that those flirting styles of yours don't even work on me." She answered.
• "Yes. You have a girlfriend but it's me that you are with now." He replied and then grinned at her.
• "And it's because you kidnapped me." She said, causing Alastair's grin to disappear.
• It's already too late for her to realize what she said. And for some unknown reason, she suddenly felt guilty, especially when she saw how dim Alastair's face was.
• Why am I feeling guilty? I'm just telling the truth. She asked herself.
• "Ahm...It's a beautiful day today. Let's take a bath?" She said, trying to ease the tension that was slowly building around them but a few minutes passed and he still did not speak.
• Alastair stared at her coldly and for some unknown reason, she felt something else again.
• "I'm tired. I'll just sleep instead. You can go on by yourself." That was all he said and left her, frowning while her eyes followed him.
• Alastair didn't seem to like what she said. But she is just telling the truth.
• He indeed kidnapped her so she was forced to live with him.
• But why does she suddenly feel guilty? Why does there seem to be a part of her that wants to apologize to him?
• "Why should I apologize to him? I didn't say anything wrong. I am just being honest." She said, contradicting her feelings.
• She feels that she is about to go crazy with the thoughts inside her head so he shook his head and then looked at the open window, which was just next to the door, where he could see the vast ocean.
• The weather is good and it looks like it's nice to dip in the sea for a while. And since Alastair seems to have lost his mood, she will just take a bath all by herself.
• Alastair was in his room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed and facing the large window where he could see Claire who seemed to be enjoying the sea.
• He sighed when he remembered the answer she had given him and she can't argue with that.
• Claire was right. She was only forced to live with him because he abducted her and because she also wanted to go home. But he did not expect that he would still be hurt after hearing that from her.
• It hurts to think that she was just forced to be with him. It hurts to think that the only reason she is with him is that she doesn't want him to disturb her anymore and she doesn't want to be married to him. It hurts to know that the person he loves so much hates him.
• Yes. He is in love with Claire. He's been in love with her since the first time he saw her.
• He closed his eyes and just like a movie, he was brought back to the past. The past where he first saw Claire.
• Alastair was walking in the corridor of their university. He was on his way to his next class when suddenly something hit his shoulder causing his books to fall.
• He heard the laughter of his fellow students who were also in the corridor, as well as the passers-by but he just ignored it. He does not care what other people think of him. As long as his grades are high, he has no more problems.
• Yes. He is a nerd. And just like a typical nerd, he wears big and round eyeglasses like Harry Potter's. His hair was divided into two as if he was still in old times. Even his clothes are very ugly and unfashionable compared to what his classmates wear. So he does not wonder anymore why he gets bullied all the time.
• Alastair was about to get the last book when suddenly, someone kicked it. He looked up at the one who kicked his book and saw one of his classmates on a certain subject, who never fails to bully him.
• He is Drake. The team captain of their university basketball team.
• Drake grinned at him as if telling him that he is nothing compared to him.
• "So being lame comes with being ugly," Drake said while grinning.
• The students who heard what Drake said laughed but he completely ignored them. He just stood up and turned his back on them to get his book which was just at his back.
• But before he could reach the book, Drake had already grabbed his hand and forced him to look at him.
• Drake made him face him then he pulled the collar of his shirt causing him to get closer to him. They are only the same height so he can see how his eyes glaze over him.
• "Don't turn your back on me when I talk to you!" He said through gritted teeth but as he always does, he did not show any emotion. He did not even speak, causing Drake to become even angrier.
• "What? Acting brave now?" Drake asked in an angry tone. He still did not speak. He just kept his mouth shut as he stared at its face, without any emotion on his face. "Aren't you going to talk, huh?" Still, Drake got no answer from him. And by that time, Drake's fists were already clenched. "You don't want to talk, ha." He then bowed his fist.
• He just closed his eyes and waited for his punch but a few seconds passed and he still felt no punch.
• He opened his eyes and he was surprised when he saw that something or someone had stopped Drake's fist. And what made him surprised even more was when he saw that it was not a man who stopped Drake's fist but a woman.
• The women lowered Drake's fist who looked as if he was bitten by a snake.
• "Is there even something that you're good at aside from bullying weaker people?" She said with a serious tone which he found hot.
• Everyone in the corridor seemed to be statues, especially men, like Drake who was just staring at the woman.
• How can they not be stunned if the woman in front of them is so beautiful?
• She looks like a living doll!
• She has a porcelain complexion, long dark hair, a sharp nose, and rosy lips that looked kissable.
• This is the first time he has been fascinated by a woman.
• Yes, there are many beautiful women in their university but this woman is different. There is something about her that will make you dumbfounded.
• After giving Drake a harsh and sharp stare, the woman turned to him.
• There was no emotion in her eyes. "Next time, don't just let these idiots do what they want. Don't be a coward. Stop being weak. Learn how to fight." She said and then left, causing him to become dazed.
• He did not know but instead of being angry or annoyed with calling him a coward and weak, he felt different.
• He admired her courage and her character. She was very different from the female classmates and all the women he knew.
• And since that day, he started stalking her. Wherever she goes, he is also there. And because of his continuous following of the woman, he learned many things about her.
• He found out that she is younger than him. Claire is a second-year student who is about to graduate next year. He also learned about her favorite foods, her favorite places to go, and more. He also found out that she is a lesbian but that was not enough to turn him off. She is also always with her best friend, Andrei Delos Reyes. And God knows how much he hates them being together all the time. Especially when Andrei hugs Claire. He knows that being close to each other does not mean anything but he doesn't like it. He is in love with her. He knew that was how he felt for Claire and he knew it was kinda weird. They haven't even talked or been together yet but he already loves the girl. But isn't that how love is? You can't explain it. You do not know when and how you loved the person. You just suddenly feel it and that's what happened to him.
• He tried to talk to her, approach her and befriend her but every time he tries, he suddenly gets scared.
• He is afraid that she might reject him. Until he just settled at following her and looking at her from afar.
• Until he graduated, he still was not able to talk about her. But even though he is no longer studying at their university, he still knows what is happening to the girl.
• He still secretly follows her when he has time. He has also changed. He is no longer the former nerd who gets bullied every time.
• The reason why he changed? It's because of Claire. He wanted to be a better man for her even though he knew it was unlikely for her to notice him, especially that he is doing nothing for her to notice him.
• Until he found out that she has a girlfriend.
• He was so broken that he almost drowned himself in alcohol.
• Whenever he sees the two together, he feels like his heart is being squeezed.
• He wished it was him. He wished it was him who's holding her hands, hugging her, kissing her, and telling her how much he loves her.
• He tried to forget Claire. He tried to move on. But no matter what he does, his heart still longs for her. That every time he sleeps with another woman, it's her name that he calls. He got addicted to her. The girl seemed like a drug to him.
• So when he found out that Claire and her parent's company wanted to merge with his company, he did not waste the opportunity. He grabbed the opportunity to have the girl even though he knew he would hate her.
• When Alastair opened his eyes, he had already returned to the present.
• He knew it was unlikely that she would love him as much as he loves her. But he still wanted to try. He still wanted to gamble even though he knew there was a big chance that he would lose. But at least, he did something. Even if she still doesn’t choose him in the end, he still won’t regret it because he knows he did something.