🍀 Alisa 🍀
I clung to Cutie—also known as Patrick—like my life depended on it.
Because honestly?
It did.
Mr Gorgeous stood across from us looking like a furious beast seconds away from ripping someone apart. His sharp eyes stayed glued to my hands wrapped tightly around Patrick's waist.
"Move out of the way, Zane," he snarled darkly. "Or I'll kill you too."
I blinked.
What exactly was a Zane?
"Then you won't have a best friend left to annoy you," Patrick replied calmly. "Now breathe."
"I don't wan—"
"Breathe."
The warning in Patrick's voice made Damien inhale deeply through gritted teeth. His chest rose and fell slowly until some of the murderous rage disappeared.
A little.
"Good," Patrick nodded before turning to me gently. "Now Lisa, what happened?"
"A squirrel broke into the house and attacked me," I cried dramatically. "So obviously I had to defend myself."
Patrick blinked once.
Damien looked ready to pass away from stress.
"I thought I told the guards not to let you outside," Damien growled.
"Er…" I scratched my head guiltily. "They didn't."
Patrick sighed in realization.
"You escaped through the window?"
I nodded proudly.
"Why would you do that?"
"I was hungry," I whispered sadly before bursting into tears again. "Lisa hasn't eaten since yesterday morning. Then when I came here, Mr Gorgeous wouldn't even let me drink water…"
Patrick slowly turned toward Damien.
The look on his face screamed disappointment.
"Damien," he said dangerously calm, "how could you starve her like that?"
"I didn't want her destroying my property," Damien snapped back coldly, though his eyes remained fixed on my arms around Patrick. "Now remove your hands from him and step away."
"No."
My voice trembled as I buried my face deeper into Patrick's back.
"Damien," Patrick said sharply, "you're being heartless. If she dies, what happens to your stupid contract? What exactly am I supposed to tell her family?"
"Don't bring my mother into this," Damien warned darkly.
I stopped listening after that.
I was too hungry. Too dizzy. Too tired.
Patrick continued yelling while Damien stayed silent with an unreadable expression on his face.
Good.
Teach him a lesson.
Using the chaos as a distraction, I quietly escaped through the window again. But this time I made sure to close it behind me.
Another black squirrel might enter and seduce my Mr Gorgeous.
Absolutely not.
I found blueberries in the garden and quickly tried eating them, but my stomach twisted painfully and I threw up immediately.
Oops.
I forgot.
When I stay hungry too long, small food makes me sick.
So instead, I climbed an apple tree and picked five apples.
I had to survive somehow.
I needed to prove to my family that Alisa wasn't useless.
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🌿 Damien 🌿
"Why do you always act like a fucking monster?!" Patrick exploded the second she disappeared. "You need her, Damien, yet you treat her like garbage!"
God help me.
"She had a life before you dragged her into this mess!"
I dropped dramatically to my knees and grabbed his legs.
"Patrick," I begged desperately, "in the name of everything holy, stop saying 'fucking' every two seconds before I lose my sanity."
He frowned deeply.
"What are you even talking about?"
"…Where's Alisa?"
Relief flooded through me.
Thank God.
Anything was better than another ten minutes of his angry vocabulary.
"She ran away!" he panicked instantly. "How am I supposed to woo her sister if I lose her?!"
I stood up immediately.
"Shut up and clean the house."
He blinked slowly. "Do I look like your servant?"
"No," I replied smoothly. "You're my dog. Good boy."
I patted his head and walked away before he could kick me.
The rain had already started falling heavily by the time I stepped outside.
The guards standing by the entrance immediately stiffened when they saw me.
I punched one without hesitation.
"You idiots couldn't tell someone was destroying my house?"
"Sir—"
"You stood here while my property got trashed? What exactly are you being paid for? To stand around and look stupid?"
"We're sorry, sir."
"You're fired. All of you."
Their faces paled.
"And tell Oscar he's fired too."
I meant every word.
What if she'd actually been hurt?
Would they have just stood there doing nothing while she died?
The thought made something ugly twist violently inside me.
I walked toward the fruit garden while rain soaked through my clothes.
And there she was.
Curled beneath an apple tree with her face buried in her knees.
Her tiny shoulders trembled softly.
She was crying.
Again.
I sighed heavily before walking toward her.
She slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes were red.
Damn it.
"Go inside and clean the mess you made," I ordered coldly.
"I'm hungry," she sobbed quietly like a child.
For one dangerous second…
I almost cared too much.
"Not until you clean up your mess."
She pouted before standing up sadly and running away.
God, I hated my life.
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🍀 Alisa 🍀
I had officially made a decision.
I was poisoning that beast one day.
And honestly?
Jail didn't sound too bad.
At least society would thank me for getting rid of him.
I cleaned the destroyed house while silently planning his funeral.
Glass cut my fingers several times, but Mr Gorgeous didn't even care. He simply glanced at me once before walking away like nothing happened.
Heartless vampire.
Patrick joined me later while I struggled with broken decorations.
"I'm guessing you're plotting his murder already," he joked.
Little did he know.
"He's not as cruel as you think," Patrick said softly after a while. "Damien's actually a good person. He just doesn't know how to show it anymore."
I snorted.
Sure.
"Life broke him, Lisa," Patrick continued quietly. "Both of us went through things no child should ever experience… but Damien took the damage differently."
His eyes slowly filled with tears.
"He used to be the warmest person I knew. Friendly. Kind. Always smiling."
I stopped cleaning.
"But now…" Patrick swallowed painfully. "Now he's just anger, fear, pain and loneliness trapped inside one body."
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I keep trying to help him, but nothing works. Every day he becomes colder. More broken."
I found myself crying too.
Something hurt inside my chest.
The first moment I saw Damien… I'd felt it.
That sadness.
That emptiness hiding beneath all the anger.
"What happened to Mr Gorgeous?" I whispered tearfully.
Patrick froze.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Mr Gorgeous?"
I blushed hard.
"Well… he is gorgeous."
Patrick laughed harder while wiping his tears.
"Don't worry about him too much, angel," he smiled softly. "Go rest."
I nodded quietly before dragging myself upstairs.
Stupid stairs.
As I collapsed onto my bed, one thought stayed in my mind.
I was going to figure out what broke Damien Petersen.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
I was going to fix him too.
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🌤 The Next Day 🌤
🌿 Damien 🌿
Patrick forced me to clean the house with professional cleaners all morning.
Apparently destroying my mental peace wasn't enough.
We replaced almost everything before lunch.
Except the vases.
Those cost millions.
Gone because of one chaotic squirrel hunter.
By evening, Patrick finally left.
I showered, changed clothes, then stared at the tray of food in my hands for a long time.
I couldn't believe I was doing this.
I walked to her room quietly and found her fast asleep.
Still sleeping.
I placed the food beside the bed and crouched near her.
She was softly chewing her hair in her sleep.
I chuckled before I could stop myself.
"Hey, Sea Girl," I whispered gently. "Wake up."
She only mumbled and turned away.
"Sleeping Beauty," I tried again, shaking her lightly.
She whimpered softly before turning toward me.
And my chest tightened instantly.
She looked beautiful.
Too beautiful.
My eyes drifted toward her lips unconsciously.
Small. Soft. Pink.
Kissable.
I stood up immediately.
Dangerous thoughts.
Very dangerous thoughts.
Before my brain could betray me further, I grabbed the jug of water nearby and poured it directly onto her face.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
She rolled dramatically off the bed.
"Cedric, are you mad?!"
Who the hell was Cedric?
Then she noticed me.
"Oh." She blinked innocently. "Good morning."
"It's afternoon."
"Did I sleep that long?"
"I brought food."
Her eyes lit up instantly as she climbed back onto the bed and grabbed the tray excitedly.
"Won't you eat with me?"
"No."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"I don't want to die alone. Eat too so I know it's not poisoned."
"I guess you're not hungry then."
"Please eat with me."
"No."
She sighed dramatically.
"Don't make me use puppy eyes on you. You'll fall into my trap forever."
I crossed my arms. "Still no."
"Well…" she grinned wickedly. "You asked for it."
She closed her eyes.
I frowned.
"…This is your puppy face?"
"Wait for it."
Then she opened her eyes.
And my entire body malfunctioned.
Her lips puffed into the cutest pout imaginable while her sparkling electric-blue eyes practically glowed. Her nose scrunched adorably as she stared directly into my soul.
My heartbeat stumbled violently.
My throat went dry.
Sweat gathered against my forehead for absolutely no reason.
I couldn't breathe properly.
"I'll ask again, Mr Gorgeous…" she whispered sweetly. "Will you eat with me?"
I tried to say no.
I really did.
But I was already doomed.
Slowly, helplessly…
I nodded.
She squealed loudly and launched herself at me without warning.
My eyes widened as her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
My hands moved on instinct, settling against her tiny waist.
And suddenly…
All I could smell was honey and chocolate.
All I could feel was warm, soft skin pressed against me.
"Thank you so much, Mr Gorgeous!"
Patrick would never let me live this down.
She finally pulled away when her phone rang.
"My Cedric!" she squealed happily before answering.
I froze instantly.
"My God, I missed you so much…" she giggled sweetly into the phone. "Your hugs, kisses and cuddles…"
Something dark twisted violently inside me.
I angrily grabbed meat from her plate and shoved it into my mouth.
"I love you too…"
Excuse me?
Then another call came in immediately after.
"Boo!" she answered happily. "I missed you too…"
How many men did this girl have?!
I crushed the glass cup in my hand accidentally.
"No, I'm not with anyone important right now," she whispered while glancing at me.
Excuse me again?!
"I'll come sleep at your place tonight."
That was it.
Rage exploded instantly.
"Give me that stupid phone!"
I snatched it from her hand and crushed it violently before throwing it across the room.
She gasped in shock.
"Don't you dare leave this house," I snarled furiously. "Or I'll break your legs."
"But—"
"No buts!"
The words exploded out before I could stop them.
"You are NOT leaving this house to sleep with another man because you are MINE!"
Silence.
Her mouth fell open.
Mine probably did too.
I stormed out immediately before I completely lost my mind.
Back in my room, I paced angrily.
"Stupid girl," I muttered. "Having multiple boyfriends while engaged to me…"
Then I froze.
Wait.
Why exactly did I care so much?
…What the hell was happening to me?