CHAPTER 4

After we left the pizza shop, Camille was the one carrying our leftover food while I silently spiraled in my thoughts, unsure whether to go through with this madness or just walk away.

“So, where are we going first?” she asked, still chewing a slice.

“The real estate agent said Sunday. So… not that.”

She raised a brow. “Then?”

“We’re going straight to him.”

“Ooooh, devil man,” she teased, drawing out the words like a slow knife twist.

“Camille, shut up,” I muttered, already regretting saying anything. But knowing her, she wouldn’t stop until I was emotionally limp from embarrassment.

“He said Las Espanya,” I added while digging for my phone. “First time I’ve heard of it.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait! that Las Espanya? That place charges you just for breathing near the door! You sure about this?” I wasn’t. Not anymore.

“Maybe we shouldn’t—”

“Nope. He’s paying. Let him burn through that wallet. We’re going.”

God, this girl really has no brakes.

Eventually, I checked G****e Maps only to discover it was literally across the street. A short walk later, we were facing a vintage path leading to a grand building that shimmered under the sun like it didn’t belong in this world.

Just as I stepped toward the entrance, my phone buzzed.

> "Tell the guard Mr. Windham is expecting you. If not, be ready to pay two thousand pesos, just to walk in."

What the actual hell? Two thousand?! This place really catered to people who didn’t need to check their bank balance.

“Hi ma’am, what can we do for you today?” the guard greeted with a trained smile.

“Um, Mr. Windham asked me to come. I’m with—”

I turned to check on Camille. She was already inside. How?

The guard handed me a gold plate etched with Roman numerals, like something from an elite secret society. My phone vibrated again.

> "Go upstairs. Look for the door marked ‘VVIP’. Go in."

With every step up the marbled stairs, my heart beat like a war drum. When I reached the door, I hesitated. Then I opened it.

Inside was a dining setup too extravagant for a casual lunch like a proposal, a trap, or something more dangerous. Everything gleamed: silver cutlery, velvet chairs, flowers arranged like a promise or a lie.

“What took you so long?” his voice drifted behind me.

I turned slowly. “W-what do you want?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he said, stepping closer. “You disappeared. No explanation. No goodbye.”

Like he hadn’t disappeared first.

“There was something urgent.”

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, his tone unreadable.

“No.”

He stepped into my space. His gaze was dark and consuming.

“After you moan my name? Open your legs again? Beg for my hands?”

“Shut up. I—I have my personal reasons.” I mumbled. That thing he'll never understand because he's rich and didn't have to worry about money.

“Yeah? How personal? Like maybe someone else paid better?”

“That’s enough,” I said, my voice almost trembling but not backing down.

“But isn’t it true?”

“No.” My voice was quiet but sharp.

He let out a low, mocking laugh before pulling out a chair. “Sit. Eat. I don't want to ruin my appetite for a woman pretending to be noble.”

I walked to the door, head high.

“I’m sorry that’s how you see women. Whoever broke you....maybe you deserved it. Some monsters are born. Some are made. You? You cultivated it.”

Before I could leave, he blocked the door. “Monster, huh?”

He moved slowly, like a predator, forcing me to step back. “You’re afraid of me.”

“I’m not,” I whispered, eyes lowered.

“But you missed me.”

“I didn’t.”

“You want this.”

My heart skipped. No. Yes. God help me, I hated how his voice sounded like a key turning in a locked door inside me, one I’d sworn never to open again.

“I want to go,” I said, almost breathless, but it came out.

He locked the door.

“Then resist,” he said, voice low, taunting, dangerous. “If you can. But if you can’t, then sit your pretty ass down and eat the damn food.”

Before I could even take another breath, his mouth crashed into mine. This kiss was war....ravenous and raw, the kind that stole the air from my lungs and left fire in its place. I should’ve pushed him away. But instead, I pulled him closer like my body had been waiting for this moment, aching in silence, begging for the chaos only he could bring.

The clatter of plates and silverware rang through the room as I swept everything off the table with one arm. Damn, I feel the burn. His lips moved like each second he wasn’t touching me was pure agony. His kiss was oobsessio, the kind of need that makes people do unforgivable things.

His hands mapped me, tracing the line of my throat, the curve of my waist, gripping my hips like he owned every inch. I gasped into his mouth when his fingers dug inside me.

"Fuck!" I shouted when he moves it in and out, up and down. My body was fire. Every nerve lit up like a thousand tiny matches, flaring under his touch. I hated how much I wanted this. I hated how much I wanted him.

“Don’t calm down honey,” he growled, desperate. “You’re making me insane.”

I smirked. I let my blazer fall to the floor, slowly like shedding the last piece of restraint I had. Armor off. Surrender on. “You want obsession?” I whispered, lips grazing his ear. “Then let’s burn.”

He growled something unintelligible, pressing me onto the table like a man starved. His hands were frantic pulling, unfastening, exploring. Mine mirrored his, tugging at his tie, unbuttoning his shirt.

We moved like we're desperate and unstoppable. Every kiss felt like punishment. Every touch, a reward. It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even lust. It was deeper and darker, like we were both drowning and refusing to come up for air. His forehead pressed to mine as he caught his breath, eyes wild, voice ragged.

“I hate how much I need you,” he whispered.

“Then hate me after,” I said, barely able to speak through the burn in my chest. “But right now, make me forget.” And he did with his mouth. With his hands. With every piece of his body that met mine like it had been waiting for this.

We weren’t just kissing. We were unraveling. We weren’t just touching. We were destroying. And neither of us wanted it to stop.