Chapter 6

[ARIETTA’S POV]

One thing’s for sure: Pierce Grimaldi’s kindness depends on his mood, and it’s not an everyday thing. Just the other day, I praised him for his kindness when he invited me to eat and when he kicked out that snobbish woman. But now, I wanted to peel his skin off for interrupting my work. "You can clean the bathroom even though I’m here," the jerk said.

How typical. I told him I’d clean his bathroom, and now that he’s here, he says he wants to shower. I feel like he’s doing this on purpose.

“I’ll clean it later, Sir. I’ll wait until you’re done,” I said.

“No, it’s really okay. You can clean while I shower,” he insisted, and I saw that grin of his. Just from that smile, I knew he wasn’t planning anything good. Think about it—how can I clean when he’s here? The shower has a glass wall. If he showers, I’ll see everything. Unless, of course, that’s exactly what he wants.

My cheeks flushed when I remembered his naked body from that night I first saw him in a hotel room. I quickly shook my head to get rid of the thought.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice he was already undressing in front of me and heading toward the shower. My eyes widened, and I quickly turned away. "S-Sir, I’ll come back later." I started walking toward the door when I heard his deep laugh.

"Come on, stop acting like you haven’t seen my body. You’ve seen it before." I turned even redder from what he said. I felt like I might faint from the things this man was saying.

I didn’t say anything else and quickly left the room. I could still hear his laughter as I walked out. I stopped just outside the bathroom to calm myself down. I placed my hand on my chest, trying to control my breathing.

I decided to distract myself with something else. I started tidying up the room. The bathroom door opened, and I glanced over. There he was, Pierce Grimaldi, standing proudly and flexing his perfect, masculine body, as if it were a gift from the Greek gods.

He only had a towel around his waist, covering the lower part of his body. There was also a small towel hanging around his neck that he used to dry his hair. "I’m done. You can clean if you want. I told you, you can join me." His last words hit me like a shockwave. Join him? Something else entirely was running through my mind.

I cleared my throat and put on my usual expression, pretending I didn’t care about him, even though I knew he was trying to lure me with his body. ‘I won’t fall for that,’ I thought. I’ve been interning here for a while, and with the beach here at their villa, I often see men’s naked bodies.

I swallowed hard. But why does his body affect me differently? Could it be because I saw him do...that? I remembered that night again. I need to bury those thoughts deep in my mind.

I was about to enter the bathroom when I heard a knock on the door. I excused myself for a moment and went to answer it. It was probably a good thing that I had a distraction, considering the thoughts running through my mind.

I opened the front door and saw one of the receptionists.

"Hi, Arietta! Someone's looking for you in the Villa lobby. They said they're your friend and came to visit you."

I furrowed my brow. Who would visit me? And why would anyone be visiting me?

I smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, I’ll go right away. Just a moment. Who was it, again?"

"They said it's someone named Eugene?"

I didn’t need to ask for his last name, because I had a feeling I knew exactly who he was. Eugene is a schoolmate of mine. He’s been pursuing me even though I’ve told him I’m not interested. But he still doesn't give up. He’s stubborn like that. No matter how many times I tell him I am not looking for a boyfriend, he just won’t leave me alone.

I wondered if I should let Sir Pierce know I was leaving, but then I remembered he was changing clothes, so I decided not to bother him. Besides, I’d only be gone for a moment. My conversation with Eugene probably wouldn’t take long anyway.

I headed to the Villa lobby right away. I saw Eugene sitting on a couch since wasn’t allowed inside because he wasn’t a guest. Eugene is good-looking—one of those heartthrobs in university. He also has a great physique because he’s athletic. He’s on the basketball varsity team at our school.

"Eugene." I walked up to him and greeted him. We usually get along well, though I get irritated at times when he brings up his pursuit of me.

"Arietta!" He stood up immediately and straightened his clothes. A quick run of his hand through his hair and it was perfectly in place.

Eugene is charming, but I’m just not attracted to him. Maybe because he’s not really my type. With his appearance and demeanor, he seems like the easy-going, carefree type. What I want is someone who’s hard-working and...mature.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He was holding flowers, so I already had a suspicion. I almost wanted to roll my eyes, but I figured it wasn’t the right thing to do.

"I thought I’d visit you. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Is your internship almost over?" He grinned at me and handed me the flowers he was holding. "These are for you."

I wanted to smile at him, but it ended up being more of a grimace. "Thanks. My internship still has a long way to go. What about you? Don’t you have anything planned for your vacation?"

"I’m helping out with some of my dad’s businesses. We went to New York and just got back. You were the first person I thought of visiting when I came back to Boston."

I forced a smile, unsure of what else to say to him.

"I’ll visit more often."

My eyebrows slightly raised at his statement. "You don’t have to do that. We’ll see each other when school starts.”

“I’d rather see you every day. If I’m not disturbing you, I’ll visit you here."

I sighed. "Is this still part of your courting stunt, Eugene? Didn’t I already tell you that I’m not ready for that kind of relationship?"

"Yes, I know. That’s why I’m not forcing you to answer me right away. You can answer me when you're ready."

I was stunned by his words. What if I had no intention of saying yes to him at all? He’s a jerk and a flirt. Everyone at the university knows that. I don’t like those kinds of guys; they’ll just fool me.

The protest I wanted to voice was swallowed up by a deep sigh. Eugene smiled at me. "I won’t take up too much of your time. I’ll come back tomorrow just to visit. Bye." He waved and left, not even giving me a chance to say anything. He probably knew I would protest about what he was doing. Still, I couldn’t control his plans.

I let out a deep breath and walked away. My head was down, and I was looking at the flowers. The arrangement was simple but beautiful. Where would I put them? They’d just wither away in the dorm. I stopped walking when, not too far away, I saw a tall man. His skin shimmered when it caught the sunlight. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he looked freshly showered. I gasped. I was still a distance away from him, but I felt nervous just seeing him.

What is Sir Pierce doing here? Is he going to scold me for leaving without informing him? I tried to pass by him, pretending not to be afraid of his presence. I was heading back to his private house when he spoke.

"You have a boyfriend?" 

I froze at his comment. I immediately defended myself. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Did he see me talking to Eugene, or did he just assume I had a boyfriend because of the flowers?

"Hmm…" he replied, almost as if he didn’t believe me. I turned to look at him and saw him suddenly approaching me. I stood up straight.

"Good, then it's clear," he said, and walked past me. I didn’t get that. What’s clear? Clear about what? He’s so confusing in this part. Clear that I don’t have a boyfriend? Why does it matter to him? I pushed those thoughts aside. Maybe he’s just messing with me again.

I should really get used to his behavior. I didn’t see Sir Pierce again. At first, I thought he might just be at the beach or off womanizing again. That guy is a playboy, after all. Even though I’ve only known him for a short time, I already knew he was a womanizer. He probably didn’t even have a girlfriend, considering the woman I caught him with once.