Chapter 2: Rules

I raised my head to look at him.

My jaws dropped, seeing how handsome he was. Thick black brows, pointed nose, chiseled jaw, and his lips… It was red. I want to taste it.

Goodness. What did I just say?

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, snapping me back to my senses.

“Not only did you eavesdrop on our conversation earlier, but you sat beside me without my consent?” I asked, tilting my head and raising an eyebrow.

Right. I should repel him while it’s still early. I don’t want Mom and Dad to do something embarrassing again.

Pushing away all the guys who will be near me, thinking they’re my suitors—for example.

“Consent?” he asked, the disbelief evident in his voice. “Do I need one?”

I blinked twice in shock. “Wait… Don’t you know who I am?”

“You?” He looked at me from head to toe. “You’re a woman who doesn’t want to be married to someone she barely knew.”

“Tch.” I scoffed, my gaze moving to the floor.

Right. That's why he had the nerve to speak to me casually. He didn't know my identity as the Miller family’s heiress.

Somehow, I felt relieved when he talked to me like this. Aside from Mia, no one dared talk to me casually as they found me intimidating.

In fact, this is the first time someone approached me.

I suddenly felt… normal. And free.

“If you still love your life, then leave,” I told him, my voice firm and authoritative. “My parents might misunderstand this conversation. They might think you’re my—”

I stopped speaking when he suddenly leaned his face toward mine, narrowing our distance.

“Lover?” he asked, his lips curving into a smirk.

I gasped. His breath is intoxicating. His eyes… showed so many emotions that I lost count.

My stomach churned, feeling the butterflies in it. I tried to look him in the eyes for longer but failed. I was the one who looked away.

“Y-Yeah,” I answered, and I couldn’t help but stammer. “L-Lover.”

Hell. Why am I stammering? It’s just… a man.

But he’s no ordinary man. His presence was already enough to melt me.

“Well, would it be more beneficial to you?” he asked in a low tone as he looked at me intently. “Once your parents know you have a lover, won’t they stop bothering you about the marriage, then?”

“No.” I shook my head. “They would rather kill you than let me call off that marriage.”

“Oh, they’re that ruthless and persistent?” the man asked with a smirk. “That reminds me of someone I know.”

Whoever the person that reminds him of my parents, I don’t rare.

But what the hell, why does his smirk look so hot? Damn, Serenity. What are you thinking right now?

I almost forgot that he was a stranger, and I should be careful around him.

Our family has too many competitors, after all. And that is one of the reasons why my parents wanted to marry me to the continental family.

To gain more power by using me.

“Still, I heard you’re of legal age,” the man said in a low tone, snapping me back to my senses. “Isn’t that more than enough for a reason to do everything you wanted?”

I shook my head, the sadness evident in my eyes.

“Can’t happen. They said I’m alive and experiencing a lavish lifestyle because of them. Which means… My life is also theirs.”

He didn’t answer, making me think that he agreed with that statement. Everyone, except Mia, shared the same sentiment.

But to my shock, he clenched his fists hard and chuckled darkly.

“That was the most bullshit thing I’ve ever heard.”

I blinked in surprise. “W-What?”

“Why would your parents take something you never wished to have in the first place?” he asked. “Being in this world isn’t someone in our control, isn’t it? So why are they talking about it like it’s our privilege?”

Not knowing what to say, I looked away. His questions hit right through my heart.

It’s as if he was reading my mind, saying all the things I wanted to say for a long time.

“And a lavish lifestyle? You can’t even have your freedom,” he added, his tone casual yet it stormed me away.

Everything he just said was right.

This isn’t a privilege, but a fucking prison. I would rather be poor yet I can do whatever I want, than to be a princess caged in a prison.

I clenched my hands resting on my lap, and I saw his gaze move at it.

“Right. That’s the situation I’m in…” I told him despite the difficulty. “So, what can I do about it?”

“Simple.” 

He smiled and held my chin, making me look into his eyes. 

“Now that you know the rules, you must break them.”

I frowned, not understanding his statement. “And how could I do that?”

“Hmm…” He acted like he was thinking as he leaned closer, his lips almost touching mine. “Why don’t you take the first step by coming with me?”

No. Don’t come! You could be in danger!

That’s what my brain tells me.

However, upon hearing those words, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. And where does my curiosity take me?

To him—a man whose name I didn’t even know.

“Alright,” I said, not even knowing I was digging my own grave. “I’m in.”

“Good girl…” he trailed off, looking at me with curiosity evident in his eyes. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Serenity,” I introduced myself. I didn’t know why, but even though his presence screams danger, I’m oddly comfortable with him. “And you are?”

He leaned forward, letting me feel his breath on my skin.

“I’m River, and that name is what you’re going to scream for tonight.”

***

“River—Ahhh, River! Shit!” I screamed heartily as I held onto his hair, my whole body trembling because of fear and anticipation.

At first, to be honest, I was afraid of where he would take me, especially after that bold statement that sent heat and shivers onto my body.

But now that I’m in this situation with him, I suddenly understand why he said those things.

He was right. I’ll really scream his name for tonight.

“Fuck you, River! I told you I’m not into these things! I might vomit—”

My sentence halted as the rollercoaster took a turn as the operator accelerated the speed, making me feel things I’ve never felt before.

And no, not in a good way.

“Ahh, shit! Shit! Stop this fucking ride at once!” I screamed.

River chuckled. “Is pulling my hair while cursing me repeatedly still not enough to lessen your fear, princess?”

“This is kidnapping!”

“It’s not,” River defended himself. “You’re not a kid, and you came with me, remember?”

“Ugh! But I didn’t expect you to take me here and force me to ride a rollercoaster!” I grunted.

He raised a brow, looking me in the eye. “Where do you expect me to take you, then?”

My cheeks flushed as I looked away. He’s right? What am I thinking? Why do I expect River to do such bad deeds to me when I wasn’t even raised this way?

And wait, did I just admit to myself that I’m thinking about doing hot, steamy things with him?

“Answer me, princess,” River demanded, his hand taking mine from his hair as he held it gently. “What do you want me to do?”

I didn’t know how to answer that question. And thankfully, I was saved by the bell. Literally.

The rollercoaster ride came to an end, and the operator rang the bell to inform us about it.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up, wanting to leave this place immediately. However, since it was my first time riding a rollercoaster, and hell, it wasn’t a good experience, I almost kissed the ground as I stumbled.

Luckily, River immediately held onto my waist to prevent me from falling.

“Careful, princess,” he said, his hands caressing my waist gently. “Are you okay?”

“Do I look like I’m okay to you?” I gave him a deadly glare. He was the reason why I was here, suffering.

“Well, yes. You look more okay to me now than earlier.”

And that’s when it hit me. The screams I had. Pulling his hair like it’s the last string of my sanity, and me cursing him as if it will make all the fear I’m feeling fade away.

I released the pent-up emotions inside my heart… all because of it.

“It feels good, right?” he asked and showed a genuine smile. “You’re not even thinking about your parents, those rules you obey, and even that marriage.”