Blake Hagen is the one who Lancester City fears most. He was a master in his field, and part of what he was doing was allegedly unlawful. Camellia once heard a story about the man who worked in a place he shouldn’t have.
Many individuals are wary of making Blake Hagen angry because they want to come to terms with the man who owns obsidian eyes.That is why Camellia was unable to meet the man’s gaze after learning the name was strictly forbidden in Lancester City. Furthermore, she is currently on the man’s radar, which is bad news for Camellia’s future.“Why don’t you accept my handshake?”When the man asked, Camellia’s head immediately shot up. She then understood that Hagen had been expecting a handshake from her earlier, which Camellia had refused to do.She had no option, though. Considering that rejection is the same as wanting to die.The girl bravely held back her annoyance and faced Hagen without even a hint of fear. She must remain vigilant, particularly with men of this type who can detect fear and see weakness.“Camellia Duncan,” Camellia said, reaching out his hand and shaking it directly.Hagen’s eyebrows then rose to the level of his forehead as soon as he noticed Camellia’s bravery after his name was said. Anyone who had heard who he was before would not have dared turn to stare into his eyes.Of course, it immediately caused Hagen’s lips to twist upward, creating a string of unfriendly smiles.Hagen murmured, “Ah, Miss Duncan,” as he brought her hand to his lips, but Camellia hastily drew back so that Hagen just kissed the air.Hagen was momentarily taken aback. The one that happened just now caught him off guard, and once his laughter died down, Camellia backed away from him without realizing it.“What’s so funny?”Camellia almost received a kiss from the man’s hard lips as she hugged her hand.Hagen laughed again, this time with a low chuckle, and covered his eyes with one of his hands.After his laughter died down, Hagen remarked, “You truly dare to have rejected me.”Now that the man was giving Camellia a hard look, her breathing became immediately difficult due to her pounding heart.His look didn’t even really resemble the softening that would have come from laughing.Compared to before, his face appeared much colder, and his jaw had set.Camellia had never before encountered somebody who gave her a stare like he did. She felt like she was being suffocated when she was around him because he was so powerful and scary, made her restless and wants to run away.Camellia’s shoulders tensed and her hands clutched her pajamas when Blake Hagen walked up and whispered directly in her ear. “Look, I’m collecting something, which I think you already know.”His warm breath caused an odd vibration to travel down Camellia’s spine as it drifted around her ears. The man’s breath actually smelled like mint, and Camellia’s lungs immediately became ravenous.“I purposely waited for several days, but it appears that you and your family never intended to give me back all that was taken from me. That’s why I kindly discussed the matter right now,” he said with a faint grin on his face, which caused Camellia to flinch once more, but she swiftly edged closer.“I’m here to take something that should be mine, Princess.”As soon as Hagen noticed that Camellia’s cheek had turned a little pink because of their closeness, he gently stroked her face with one hand. Hagen lost a bit of himself in his interest in the girl’s skin texture.He was stunned for a while as Camellia’s cheeks flush gradually spread from her neck to her earlobes in response to his physical contact. Hagen regained consciousness after hearing her feminine voice, which was stifled.A curse formed in his chest at the thought that his attention had been drawn to something of her beauty.He also caught a whiff of the peach aroma that was restraining his body from leaving the girl’s side as he was about to do so. Many times he was so captivated that he huffed loudly, which caught Camellia off guard.It was hard for him to turn the girl’s hazel eyes so that the two of them looked at each other at the same time without bringing them back to their own world.Hagen was the one who broke their gaze. It caused Camellia to avert the man’s sight by lowering her head.She finally asked, “Are all my family’s debts here?”Camellia struggled to swallow her saliva as she opened the document that had been in her hand since. She made an effort to hide the fact that her hands were slightly trembling by acting tough.Hagen remained silent. He was observing Camellia intently, taking in every inch of her. In spite of his softening, Hagen was impressed by the girl’s poise.Camellia too took a deep breath after finishing the document.She said, looking him in the eyes, “I can’t pay for all of this in just over a year.”Hagen’s eyebrows rose to his forehead as his head tipped slightly to the left. He also gave Camellia an arrogant expression.“I don’t care how you did it, but I expect you to repay all the money specified in the document by the due date.”Camellia grew agitated when she noticed Hagen’s expressionless, cold face. She now felt lightheaded as well, till she stroked her temples unconsciously.“Give me five years, Mr. Hagen,” Camellia replied, moaning and slumping her shoulders.Her father is still receiving treatment. She needs cash to cover the hospital bills that her insurance does not cover. Not to mention the debts owed to banks and certain other creditors. How was Camellia still rational enough to pay off all at once?But suddenly Blake Hagen said, “Blake,” which is drawing Camellia’s attention right away. Camellia looked like she was about to ask what the man’s words meant when she face him again and looked confused.He just smile, and then leaned in closer, saying, “Blake, call me Blake.”It only takes a small, careless movement for the two to accidentally kiss. Their closeness halted Camellia breath.When she realized that, she attempted to wriggle free, but Hagen pulled her head back in such a way that his powerful hold made it difficult for her to swivel her head, even for a brief period of time. And, with a possessive manner, he held her close to his body.“Say my name.”Hagen touched the tips of their noses purposefully, causing Camellia to momentarily pause her breath. “That way, I’ll let you go.”Camellia’s chest started to rise and fall. Her lungs started screaming for air in an instant. There was something about the man’s closeness that made her feel trapped.Uncomfortable, Camellia’s tongue’s tip brushed against her slightly wet lips, drawing Hagen’s attention unintentionally.As soon as she realized her mistake, Camellia pursed her lips, lightly biting the inside of her cheek, and cursed to herself.The girl in front of him was acting so naively, and Hagen couldn’t resist the temptation. He purposefully brushed Camellia’s lips with the tip of his thumb, which caused the girl’s eyes to bulge like the full moon and caused her to immediately choke on her breath.“Are you having trouble pronouncing my name, Princess?” Hagen asked in a low, masculine voice.She had silky, rosy cheeks, and this enhanced her beauty. Camellia, a
CHAPTER 6 I Slept With Me One Year.“Th-three choices?” asked Camellia, stammering.Her hazel-colored, clear-round eyes looked at Hagen, full of confusion.“Yes, I give you three options that can pay off your entire family’s debt,” Hagen explained with his two thumbs, which he stroked on the soft surface of Camellia’s face.“What... do you want?”Hagen’s smile grew wider, but his gentle gaze that had just been replaced with a look of desire instantly knocked Camellia’s heart, making her forget how to breathe for a moment.She also held Hagen’s wrist, intending to dismiss the man’s touch on her body, but Camellia could not dispel his hand, even if it was just a brief moment. The expression on Camellia’s face clearly indicated that she was frustrated.It was easier for Hagen to read Camellia’s every change in emotions, like every page of the book he was reading.Still, with his hands cupped on each side of the young girl’s cheek, he curved Camellia’s beautiful face inch by inch in his m
Camellia’s steps up the stairs seemed to be stumbles. The look in her eyes, staring straight ahead, looked blank. Now, her head was filled with Hagen’s words, who kept looming along the way to her room.“Slept a year with him, he said,” Camellia muttered, which instantly stopped her pace. One of her hands was holding the stairs, clenched tightly. “I won’t sleep with you! You’re a jerk!”Camellia shouted with all her might, “Who are you who dare to look down on me?!”She hit the handrail of the stairs under her hand until her palm was numb.“You’re @$%&@, and I hope your junior %$#@& and ****** just die, you @#%&.” The girl also continued to curse without pause with every vulgar and colorful word she knew, which she happened to hear from garden workers and servants when the house was still in its luxurious state.“I hate you so much! You scum man!”After shouting the last word, Camellia’s tears suddenly burst out profusely, making her sob. She forced her broken cries to stop, her stirr
The pen in Camellia’s hand circled every list of places looking for employees. She also crossed out additional notes on when to put the application there.Some time ago, she even applied online to some companies that only needed a high school diploma, but all gave similar answers.“We are sorry, Miss Duncan, but you don’t fit the qualifications we’re looking for.”Surprisingly, all those companies wrote the same thing. It was as if someone was dictating to them. And the only culprit she suspected was Blake Hagen.“You bastard,” Camellia cursed as she threw a pen against the wall until the lid broke.She folded her legs under her body and hugged herself tightly while burying her head between her knees.As hard as she could, Camellia held back the sobs until she felt tight in the chest.“Hhhh...,” she sighed, deep breathing with a sense of despair. “What should I do?” she murmured, asking.Her head was filled with debts and money. If it goes on like this, she won’t be able to survive in
Camellia’s footsteps as she crossed the sidewalk looked haggard. The girl even used a sling bag over her head to dispel the scorching sun that was slowly rising.And by enduring hunger, Camellia also quickened the pace.Several times her head turned back because she felt as if she was being followed, but still, there was no one around.“Calm down, Camellia. It’s just your imagination,” she whispered as she continued walking.When she approached a small restaurant, Camellia’s steps came to a halt. Her face lit up slightly when she found the job advertisement in the glass window.The girl glanced briefly at the vacancy before she finally went inside and ran into one of the waitresses who were not far away from her.“Hay, can I talk to your manager?” asked Camellia suddenly, which caused the waitress to look at her twice.“Excuse me?”Camellia cursed herself after hearing the hostile tone of the waitress. She felt very impolite, but the urgent circumstances dispelled all the manners she
Hagen’s hand stretched slightly as soon as he felt Camellia’s resistance weaken. He also removed the twist of his arm from the girl’s body.Gradually, he backed away. However, his gaze did not escape her in the slightest.“You’re really a man who has no feelings. A Heartless Jerk!” The girl was cursing with a fiery look.Hagen’s eyes, which had been looking at her with desire, turned a little sharper.“Ah, Princess, I didn’t even say anything that could hurt you,” he said with a smirk.When Camellia was about to say a swear word, she suddenly heard a loud, embarrassing sound coming from her stomach. It made the two speechless.It looked like Camellia’s cheeks turned red quickly, which stopped Hagen in his tracks. The color change on the girl’s cheeks caught his attention right away.However, suddenly Hagen laughed in a tone that showed disbelief.The glare that Camellia threw at him made Hagen not care. As soon as his laughter subsided, Hagen put his poker face back on.He asked, “You
Camellia kept her attention on the barren pantry. She was once more threatened with starvation, which made her want to sob. Particularly since all she discovered was a pile of stale bread.The girl fought back the tears that were about to fall, her hands shaking and her body slightly limp.“I spent the entire day hunting for a job, but it was not that simple.” She cried out, “What I have to do, Daddy?” in a low voice.Camellia realized she was out of options because all that was left was a couple packages of noodles and some bread.When the sound of her house bell sounded, the girl’s hand was just ready to take the bread.She closed the fridge softly after giving up on her meal plans. Her brow was furrowed and her heart was full of questions.When she reached the door in a hurry, Frank was waiting there.The man’s face was the same as hers, and the smile she had been wearing that was about to burst out turned into a frown.The two now exchange glances. They appeared to despise sharing
Camellia was awakened by the scent of butter and coffee. The girl looked around, her head rolling and her eyes blinking a few times. She had a confused expression on her face. Her forehead furrowed in shock as she took in the room’s incredibly familiar ceiling at first sight.As soon as the aroma reached her nose, her stomach started to churn painfully.She exclaimed, “Ouch.”Camellia rolled a little on the bed and buried her head in the pillow. “Ou, Ou, Ou.”“I warned you, but you’re only making things worse for yourself by being stubborn.”When a man’s voice unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, she was on the verge of crying.The sound source caught Camellia’s attention as she turned her head and blinked. Her eyes rounded for a split second. She tried to stand up with a gasping breath, but her stomach once again prevented her from doing so, keeping her on the bed.Hagen took a calm breath and gave the girl in front of him a chilly stare as she appeared to be trying to escape his gr