16. Deal

Innessa thought that Henry had forgotten about her, but she was wrong. Fear cocooned her heart as she stood rooted to her spot, her legs felt heavy, and she couldn't move.

"Why do you look so pale?" he asked coolly, leaning closer as she flinched back. Tears stung the back of her eyes when she noticed three of his goons standing in the shadows of the alley, snickering and smoking, waiting for his orders to hurt her.

Her fear-filled eyes darted to the almost empty street. Henry had pulled her into the alley. They were in shadows; no one could see them. If she screamed for help, Henry would cover her mouth and would hurt her for pulling that dare on him.

Sweat beads spread across her forehead; she could feel the wild thumping of her heart in her ears. She was certain that her heart would burst out of her ribcage any second.

The clouds rumbled loudly, followed by an untimely downpour. The raindrops were coming down at them hard and fast; drenching them instantly.

"W... What do you want?" she asked with mustered-up courage. She hated herself for being so weak and scared in front of him.

"How many times do I have to tell you this? I thought you were intelligent, but it seemed like you're too dumb, Innessa," He spat, annoyed by her.

"Issac-"

"Is not here right now. So, what's going to happen to you now, poor thing?" He mused, flashing her his wicked smile.

"If you hurt me, he'll kill you," She used the old tactic, and he scowled at her.

"I didn't see you guys together for the past week. It looks like you guys aren't together anymore, so who's going to save you now?"

Her voice got stuck in her throat as she tried not to panic and think rationally.

"I'm thinking of something," He mused excitedly, pulling out a pocket knife. He twirled it between his fingers skillfully.

"I'll make the dean kick you out of the academy. How about I snatch your scholarship for rejecting me? This will teach you a proper lesson." He grinned.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she brokenly shook her head. Not her scholarship. She had worked so hard for it. It was her dream. Her family's expectations. She couldn't let him ruin her life. Her future.

"I've earned it. You cannot forcefully take it away from me," she said with fake bravado, meeting his eyes head-on. His face hardened as he closed his eyes to control the anger.

Innessa took advantage of that fleeting second as she shoved his chest. His knife got in the way, slicing her palm as she winced in pain, but Innessa couldn't care less. She made a blind dash out of there and ran down the street in hopes of reaching her dorm. Her heart shrank in raw fear when she heard their footsteps getting closer; they were coming after her. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen once they caught her.

She felt Henry's fingers trying to grab her shirt as she fastened her pace with a stifled scream. She glanced at him over her shoulder to find them so close.

In her hysteria, she tried to cross the road before the car would pass, but she wasn't fast enough as the flashing headlights almost blinded her, and she closed her eyes waiting for the impact while her heart ceased to beat.

The car stopped with a screeching sound just inches away from her.

She slowly opened her eyes to be blinded by the flashlights and rain as she raised her hand to block the light. Innessa couldn't feel her legs anymore. They were numb as she dropped to her knees.

The person stepped out of the car and hurried over to her. Tears gathered in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks when her eyes locked with those familiar cognac brown eyes.

"Issac," She breathed his name as if it were her earnest prayer. The rain instantly drenched him as he watched her with a stoic look on his face.

Henry and his goons stopped a couple of steps away from them as the girl pulled herself to her feet with the help of the car and lunged at Isaac, grabbing his arms as she stood closer to him.

"I... Issac, Henry... he..." She couldn't form coherent words.

Issac grabbed her hands and removed them from himself as the girl stiffened. Her wide eyes stared at him in panic and fright.

"Our deal is off, Innessa," he said calmly, letting go of her hands and turning to leave.

Her heart galloped to her mouth in terror as her face blanched, she grabbed his jacket in her small fists tightly almost plastering her body against his because of the fear and panic.

"No, please," She pleaded in a small voice.

Water dripped from Issac's hair which was now in bangs because of the rain pouring hard on them.

"Please help me." She whispered in a small voice. Issac grabbed her arm to slightly move her back to create distance between them, but Innessa clung to him more.

He was her knight in shining armor. Her only savior.

"I could keep you safe. They're all scared of me," His deep voice was like a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel. He was the only hope. Her savior.

"I... I know. Please, save me," She implored as her tears washed with the heavy rain gushing down on them.

"This time it won't be free. I want something in return," he said in that deep tone, causing her stomach to twist as she blinked at him cluelessly.

"We have no beef with you, Issac. It looks like you guys aren't together anymore, so you should stay out of it," Henry said loudly so they could hear him over the wild pitter-patter of the rain.

"I'll do anything." The words tumbled out of her lips on their own.

"Please, help me. I'll do anything you want," The naive girl didn't know the things that were reeling through his mind. Her innocent thoughts were that he'd ask for her help academically.

A faint devilish smirk curved the corner of his lips.

"Good choice," he mused before stomping over to Henry as he raised his fist, landing a quick, hard punch on Henry's jaw as he stumbled back. The punch wasn't as strong as his friend held him before he could fall.

The pocketknife fell from his hands as he glared at Innessa. "You're dead once you guys break up," Henry hissed when Issac stood in front of him, blocking her sight.

"What did you say?" He boomed, landing another punch on him as he fell on the ground along with his friend.

"You're dead if I see you near her again!" Issac spat as Henry and his goons scrambled off as if their pants were on fire.

He turned to face the girl who was hugging herself and shivering like a leaf. He noticed red on her hand, and his brows creased. He stomped over to her and examined the cut. "He did this?" His voice was coated with such menace that at that moment, he looked sincerely furious.

"I... I'm fine," She breathed, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

The honk of another car had their heads snapping at that car.

Issac walked the girl to the shelter of the store and made her sit on the bench. He hurried to his car and parked it on the side before barging into the store.

She sat on the bench, dazed as tears kissed her cheeks, and she wiped them with her uninjured hand. Just when she thought she could dive back into her normal life, the chaos hit her again.

She was angry because she did nothing wrong and had to face all of this mess.

A huge person stopped right beside her. She didn't have to look to see who it was. Innessa could smell that perfume with the scent of faint cigarettes and leather anywhere.

Issac sat beside her as he took her small, shivering hand into his big one. His touch was gentle as he cleaned the wound, the clouds rumbled, and the thunder struck the sky so vividly that she jumped in mild fright.

They both raised their heads, and their eyes locked. The anger in his eyes seemed to wither away as he asked, "Are you afraid of thunder?"

Innessa peeled her eyes off him as she wordlessly bobbed her head. His heated gaze roved her face before dropping to her hand as he put disinfectant on the cut, and she winced in pain. Her eyes watered because it stung. Issac brought her hand close to his lips as he gently blew on it, and the girl watched his tender gesture with innocent eyes.

Issac was such a gentleman.

He put Band-Aids on the cut and put the things away. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked as she shook her head, her eyes cast down.

"Come, I'll drop you," he said.

They stood under the shelter. Issac took off his jacket and draped his arm above her to cover her with a jacket like an umbrella. "On the count of three, let's run to the car," he said.

"1."

"2."

"3," They sprinted down the streets as a small smile caressed her lips. It felt nice.

She opened the door as Issac covered her with the jacket as much as he could.

"I... I'm wet," She breathed, looking up at him, and his eyes widened, those pupils dilated as if she put him under some hypnosis.

"What?" he asked almost breathlessly.

"I'm drenched, your car will get dirty," she said in a worried tone, and he refrained from rolling his eyes and slapping himself. She was Innessa the saint. What the f*ck was he thinking?

"I'll get it serviced tomorrow, no worries, hurry up and get in. I'm getting drenched over here," She quickly perched inside, closing the door. Issac got in the driver's seat, and he jerked his jacket once out of the car before tossing it on the back seat as he drove the car.

It was raining cats and dogs. She could barely see anything outside. It was a miracle that Issac could still drive.

After fifteen minutes of silence, he pulled over the car at the dorms. The rain has slowed down a little.

"I don't know how I could thank you enough for your help-"

"You can," He cut her off as she blinked at him.

Issac grabbed his phone, which was in the car, as he scrolled through it and showed her a picture. It was a letter, she scrutinized closely, it was a confession letter written in rough writing with a red ink pen, she guessed.

"A girl is after me. She wrote this letter with her blood." He said, and Innessa gasped, her eyes widened in shock as he stared at her calmly, observing each of her reactions like a hawk.

"If she found out I'm single. I'm afraid she'll blackmail me with her life. I told her I've got a girlfriend. But then you canceled our deal of fake dating. I'm afraid that if she found out that I'm single and didn't want to be with her, she'd hurt herself." He spoke.

Her brows drew together, and sheer worry flooded those icy blue eyes as he continued.

"So, it's not one-sided help anymore. You'll help me, and I'll help you," he said as the girl bobbed her head innocently. Lowering her eyes as if thinking before she meets his eyes again, with a question swirling in her pretty eyes. Innessa was so easy to read.

"Why don't you want to be with her? It looks like she likes you a lot," she said. "You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable," She quickly added.

"I've got my eyes on someone else. So, it would be wrong of me to indulge with the girl I'm not interested in." He rasped, peering into her soul.

"Oh," the word slipped her lips as she lowered her gaze in understanding.

"I'll help you. Please, don't worry," she said innocently, genuinely concerned for him.

"It's not that easy, Innessa. That girl is sharp. She'll catch on quickly. So, there are some things we have to do every day," he said, garnering her attention as she peered at him.

"Goodbye, kiss every day." He said, and her eyes doubled in size as if he said something blasphemous. Her cheeks turned bright red along with her neck, and he wondered where else she blushed.

"B... But that's-"

"I know it's too much. Last time the kiss was sudden, but from now on I'll give you a heads up every time, so it won't be too sudden for you," He assured her.

"You'll also have to go to my place once a week, and on a date every weekend for some time until she backs off," he said calmly.

Innessa gaped at him with a pale face.

"You said you'll do anything," He added coldly when he saw her backpedaling, even though she didn't say a word. He could read it in her eyes as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"I...Ican'tkissyou.You'renotmyrealboyfriend," She mumbled.

"You're mumbling," He rasped as she inhaled sharply.

"I... I can't kiss you, it's not right," she said in a small voice.

"So, you'll let the girl die?"

Her head snapped up as she stared at him, horrified. "No, I would never," She blurted out.

"It looks like her life is not important, but the mere fake kisses are," he said coldly, gripping the steering wheel tightly.