Chapter Three: Blood Boiling

        I couldn't eat a single bite while sitting across from the man I hated most. Just being in the same room as him made me feel sick. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I excused myself and left the table, leaving my food untouched.

I walked out into the garden. Watching the flowers dance in the wind somehow gave me a little peace. I wrapped my arms around myself, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Can you really handle this, Freya?" I whispered, questioning my own strength.

I didn't even realize tears were streaming down my face.

"It's so exhausting, isn't it?" I whispered to myself. "All my life, I've just done whatever Mom and Dad wanted. I'm twenty-four years old, but I still can't make a single decision on my own. Why can't I just live my own life?"

Overcome with frustration, I buried my face in my knees and wept bitterly.

"Why is everything so unfair?" I shouted out into the night.

But I was completely unaware that someone was listening. Mr. Fuentebella suddenly appeared in front of me. He looked straight into my eyes and silently offered me his handkerchief.

“I was wrong when I thought that you were brave. You’re a crybaby!” He teased me.

I pouted while I was trying to wipe my tears with my own hand.

“Use my handkerchief. It’s disgusting to watch your mucus coming in and out of your nose,” he added.

I glared at him, and he just laughed at me.

Embarrassed, I grabbed his handkerchief.

“How did you know I was here? Hmm… you’re really a stalker, huh?” I mocked him back.

“Tsk! Call me whatever you want. The important thing is that I’m not crazy like you,” he said, laughing. “Talking to yourself, huh? As if that would solve your problem.” He continues to tease me.

“You know, Mr. Thief, if I were given the chance to choose someone to talk to, I would choose myself. I would rather talk to myself than to an arrogant person like you!”

He just shrugged his shoulders, and I was stunned when he sat down next to me.

I pushed him away, but I was surprised when he suddenly became serious and asked me a sensible question.

“Why don’t you try to convince your parents to not push their plan?” after hearing his question, I quickly turned all my attention to him.

I let out a deep sigh before I answered him with another question. “Hmm. You think I haven’t tried to convince my dad?”

He shrugged again. “Hmm… What if, you ask your boyfriend to marry you so that we don’t have to worry about this damn arranged marriage?” he insisted.

“Are you nuts? If I had a boyfriend, do you think I wouldn’t think about it?” I yelled as my forehead creased.

“No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend. I guess no man would stay with your attitude,” he continued and grinned.

He just made me hate him even more.

"Save your breath. I don't need your pity or your lectures. Just go back inside!" I said bitterly, pushing him away with my words.

"Okay," he replied simply and started to stand up.

But for some strange reason, my hand moved on its own. Before I knew it, I was holding onto his arm, stopping him from leaving.

“Wait!” I pouted.

"Why? Hmm... Don't tell me you lost something again," he said sarcastically.

I was stunned. Truth be told, I didn't even know why I had stopped him myself.

He waited for an answer, but my mouth refused to move. So he turned his back and tried to leave once more.

"I-I'm sorry." The words just slipped out, making him stop in his tracks. He slowly turned around to face me.

"Sorry for what?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"Tsk! Can you please stop playing dumb? You know exactly what I'm talking about!" I snapped, annoyed.

"Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. But if you don't want to say it, fine. I don't usually accept apologies unless I know exactly what they're for," he said, shrugging his shoulders casually.

Ugh! That gesture alone made my blood boil. I was so fed up with him. Every time he teases me, I feel like I'm going to explode.

"Forget it! I already apologized! Take it or leave it, I don't care!" I snapped, completely losing my patience.

"I don't accept apologies that aren't even sincere!" he shouted back as he walked away and left me alone in the garden.

I was so furious I felt like I was going to explode.

         THE next morning, I was woken up by loud banging on my door.

I scowled, my mood already ruined as I opened it to see who was disturbing me.

My eyes widened slightly when I saw Mom standing there, beaming happily.

"What is it, Mom?" I asked, my voice dripping with irritation.

“What the hell, Freya? It’s already eight o’clock! You’ll be late!”

“Mom, I’m the boss, so it’s okay if I go to the company late. Besides, I’m too stressed in my life, so let me sleep first.” I keep complaining.

“Tsk! Dylan’s is here. Don’t keep him wait for so long.”

“Who’s Dylan, mom?” I asked stupidly.

“Really? You don’t know your fiance’s name?” my mother asked in shocked.

"Mom, if you're talking about that man you want me to marry, I'm sorry but I'm not interested. There's no point in me even knowing his name," I said, glaring at her.

Mom let out a heavy sigh. "Just hurry up and get ready. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

"Mom, tell him to leave! I have my own car and I can drive myself to work!" I insisted.

"Freya, we already talked about this last night, didn't we? I thought you understood," she said, her brows furrowing in frustration.

“Mom, I don’t want to be with him!” I yelled.

I calmed myself for a second before talking again.

“Fine! Give me at least a little time to think about your decisions with dad. You know it’s hard for me, mom!”

I didn't wait for her to respond. I slammed the door shut and flopped back onto my bed.

I tried to sleep again, but it was useless. My mind was too active, and I just ended up lying there feeling bored and restless.

Finally, I got up, took a quick shower, and dressed up as fast as I could.

When I went downstairs, I saw Mr. Anderson sitting in the living room, looking all serious while talking to my parents.

The moment they saw me, they all stood up to greet me. Dylan even opened his mouth to say hello, but I completely ignored him and refused to even look his way.

"I'm glad you're finally here! We invited Dylan inside so he wouldn't have to wait out in the car," Mom said with a bright smile.

I stayed quiet and just turned to Dylan. I signaled for him to follow me, and thankfully, he got the message right away.

I walked out of the house first. As soon as we were alone, I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hey, Mr. Anderson!" I snapped. He stopped opening the car door, and looked at me.

“Hmm?” he replied calmly.

“How old are you?” I asked.

He furrowed his brows and looked at me.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer me, Mr. Thief!" I glared.

"Twenty-eight," he replied plainly.

"Exactly! You're twenty-eight years old, but why is it so hard for you to understand? Why can't you get it through your head that I don't want to marry you? Why do you keep coming here?" I bombarded him with questions, unable to contain my frustration.

Instead of answering, he just ignored me.

He got into his car without saying a word and suddenly looked out the window just to yell at me.

“Get inside the car, brat!”

“This guy is such a pain in the ass!” I muttered. I had no choice but to ride his car, though.

I sat down reluctantly beside him. Dylan just shook his head at my attitude before starting the engine.

After a while, I noticed we weren't taking the usual route.

"Hey! I thought you were driving me to the office?" I asked confused.

"No. We need to talk first, Miss Miller," he answered firmly.

"If this is about forcing me to marry you, save your breath! I don't want to hear about it anymore!" I warned him.

“Whether you like it or not, we will still talk about that matter,” he said, full of authority. I just glared at him.

He just continued driving.

We stopped in front of an Italian Restaurant.

He got out of the car and acted like a boss again.

“Get out of the car!”

"Tsk! So arrogant! What kind of man doesn't even open the door for a lady?" I muttered under my breath. I was sure he didn't hear me though, since he was already walking straight ahead into the restaurant.

I almost ran just to catch him. His steps were so big that I had to walk fast to follow.

As soon as he found a table, he sat down immediately like he was by himself. He even called the waiter right away, not even bothering to wait for me or pull out my chair. I just rolled my eyes and sat opposite him.

The silence was heavy and awkward. It was only broken when his food arrived... but I was annoyed to see that everything was ordered just for him.

I turned my head away and let out a frustrated huff. He is really so infuriating!

“What a jerk! He can’t even buy me some coffee!” I gritted my teeth as I mumbled it.

I turned back to him and just watched him eat, glaring daggers at him the whole time.

But then, my stomach gave a loud growl. I realized I hadn't eaten properly since yesterday, and I skipped breakfast this morning. My stomach was literally complaining!

I rested my chin on my hand, trying to ignore it, but as soon as he finished eating, he looked at me and asked something out of nowhere—which just made me even more annoyed.

“How about you? Don’t you have plans to order some food?”

"I don't have an appetite," I stated flatly, lying through my teeth. "Let's just discuss the stupid wedding arrangement so we can leave."

"Okay," he simply replied, letting out a deep sigh.

"To be honest... I don't want this marriage either," he said calmly.

"Oh, perfect! I don't want to marry you either! So why don't you just tell your parents that—"

"Enough! You just don't understand, Freya!" he interrupted, raising his voice. "My family owes your parents a huge debt. Even though they know this decision will ruin my happiness... they don't care. To them, this is just the only way to repay what your family did for us."

"Dylan... I-I don’t understand," I stammered, stunned.

"You will never understand unless you accept this marriage."

"Have you lost your mind? Love doesn't exist between us, so why should we marry?!" I argued.

"You think it's that simple?" he scoffed, letting out a mocking laugh that made my blood boil. "Remember... both of our companies are depending on this union. So, whether you like it or not, Freya... we are getting married."

"Hell no!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, drawing the attention of everyone inside the restaurant.

“Calm down!” said Dylan with full of irritation in his voice.

“How can I calm down when you have nothing to say but that damn marriage—”

I couldn’t continue what I was going to say as my eyes widened when he suddenly grabbed me closer and sealed my lips with a kiss.