5. Did he take advantage of the opportunity?

All the guards at Winterbourne's residence stared at Luna, who had just left the house, with pitying looks, even though they knew Luna's actions were unjustifiable.

"What a pity. Behind her beautiful face and kind demeanor all this time lies a rotten heart. Ugh, I even feel nauseous just seeing her walk past me," James muttered, covering his nose.

The overweight security guard looked at Luna as if she were a disgusting piece of filth.

Luna stopped for a few minutes and glanced at James. She did not expect that all the workers in her house, who had always respected her, would now look at her with contempt, not a shred of respect left for Luna. She had to accept the painful reality that all of this had happened because of a problem that she herself did not understand.

"Watch your mouth, James," said another guard standing not far from James.

James just sighed wearily in response to his colleague's rebuke.

"You'd better think twice before reprimanding me, Noah. Don't tell me that your feigned concern is just to get that slut's attention and make her fall for you." James smiled mockingly at Noah.

"Hey, what are you saying?" Noah glared at James, who continued to argue with him.

"Don't be a hypocrite, Noah. You know very well that the whole town doesn't even want this girl here, so you can easily ask for something in return for your attention towards her." James shrugged.

"Something in return, you say?" asked Noah, not understanding where James was going with this.

"Yes, reward. Your sympathy for her will surely melt her heart. That way, she won't hesitate to share her worthless body with you," James quipped, laughing afterwards. James' laughter only stopped when Noah kicked his leg.

James' words immediately made Luna's chest throb, and she shot a sharp glance at the man. She wanted to silence James' sharp tongue, but her tongue seemed to be tied, her body trembling as she held back tears that she couldn't hold back.

"Ignore what James said, Miss. You'd better leave immediately before Mr. Alex gets angry when he finds you still here," explained Noah, prompting Luna to drag her suitcase again and walk quickly through the gate.

Luna walked unsteadily across the pavement. There was no one she could turn to for temporary shelter at the moment. Even Sophia Reed, her best friend, had just told her that she couldn't take Luna in, saying that Sophia's parents wouldn't allow a dirty girl like Luna to set foot in their house.

It was quite hot that afternoon. The sun seemed to be baking Luna's skin, which was starting to turn slightly red.

An old sedan stopped on the side of the road, causing Luna to immediately turn her head towards the car. She wanted to see who would get out of the vehicle. However, the sparkle in her eyes, which had been filled with hope, instantly turned to flashes of anger when she saw the man who was the reason she had been kicked out of her parents' house.

The man walked around the front of the car to approach Luna.

"Come with me, miss," said Matteo, sounding more like a statement than a request.

Matteo's strong hand grabbed Luna's hand to take her with him.

"Let go!" Luna screamed as she pushed the man's hand away. "Do you think I would willingly go with the man who caused everyone to hate me?" Luna's words were choked off, tears filling her eyes again. Crystal droplets once again flooded her cheeks, causing Matteo to soften his gaze towards the girl. "Why are you doing this to me, Teo? Is that why you're always so possessive of me?"

Matteo took a deep breath as he massaged his throbbing temples.

"Miss, please listen to my explanation." Matteo's deep baritone voice made Luna, who had been looking away, turn her head with her eyebrows furrowed.

"What explanation do I need to hear from you? Can I still trust anything you say after you took my virginity?" Luna asked sarcastically.

The girl was about to continue her aimless journey, but Matteo grabbed her hand again, stopping her in her tracks.

"It wasn't my choice!"

"If it really wasn't your choice for us to end up in bed together, why don't you explain that to my father!"

"It's useless, Miss. No one will believe me."

"Of course no one will believe you, because it's clear that you're guilty in this matter!" Luna shouted as she stamped her foot and tried to continue walking, but Matteo stopped her again.

The man forcibly pulled Luna's body and put her in the car.

"What now?" asked Luna as Matteo sat her down in the back seat. "You've already taken my virginity, and now you want to kidnap me? Jerk!"

All of Luna's insults made Matteo's head spin. The man took another deep breath as he looked up at the cabin ceiling. It was exhausting dealing with Luna's tantrum.

"Let me out!" Luna pounded Matteo's chest, which didn't hurt him at all.

Ignoring Luna's insults, Matteo got out and locked the car doors so Luna couldn't get out before finally getting in and sitting behind the wheel.

"Hey! Are you deaf? I'm asking you to let me out of here!" The girl's screams almost ruptured Matteo's eardrums.

Matteo no longer responded to Luna's curses. He started the car engine and drove Luna away from there.

.......................................

The car they were both riding in arrived at the apartment building's courtyard. Luna immediately frowned when she saw the apartment building through the car window.

"We're here," said Matteo in a flat voice that sounded monotonous to Luna. The man often spoke in an annoying, flat tone.

Looking through the rearview mirror, Matteo saw that Luna seemed reluctant to leave her seat, so he took the initiative to help her out of the car.

"What are you going to do now?" Luna asked sarcastically as Matteo opened the car door for her.

"Help you get out, miss. What else?" Matteo's hand reached out, making Luna glance alternately at Matteo's muscular hand and the building across the window.

"Are you planning to lock me up in there?" Luna asked, pointing at the apartment building.

The question that escaped Luna's small lips made Matteo shake his head. The man's face began to tighten. Throughout the journey, no words escaped the girl's adorable lips except for curses that offended him.

"If that's what you think, fine, I'll accept it, Miss," said Matteo as he grabbed Luna's hand and her suitcase and got out of the car.

"I can do it myself!" Luna growled as she tried to free her hand from Matteo's grip, which he ignored, of course. The man continued to pull Luna and take her into the apartment building.

Luna's gaze scanned the apartment corridor she was passing through. The place was very different from where the girl had lived before. The sound of rodents made Luna's pupils dilate. A rat ran past Luna's feet, causing the girl to reflexively jump and press herself against Matteo's body.

"Kyaa!" Luna screamed, reflexively hugging Matteo. The two faced each other, and their eyes met.

For a moment, Matteo felt his heart racing, but he did his best to keep his expression in check. If he had followed his heart and turned around to hug the girl, Luna might have thought that her accusation that he was a lecherous man was true!

Slowly, Matteo removed Luna's arms from around his body with a straight face. This, of course, made Luna blush with embarrassment.

"Ah, sorry, I was just afraid that creature would bite my leg," Luna said softly, which did nothing to change Matteo's expression.

The man took Luna by the hand again to lead her into the apartment he rented.

From behind Matteo's back, Luna repeatedly pouted and rolled her eyes. If translated into words, Luna's gaze seemed to say, "What the hell is this idiot doing? He took the most precious thing from me, but when I accidentally hugged him because that unlucky animal almost bit me, he didn't respond at all and instead let go of me like a puppy that didn't want to be separated from its owner who had abandoned it"

"We're here," said Matteo when they arrived in front of a door marked with the number 120. Matteo opened the door and entered the room.

With her head full of questions, the girl followed Matteo's footsteps.

"It may be very different from where you've been living, but I hope you'll feel at home here, miss," said Matteo.

For a moment, Luna was stunned. Matteo was offering her a place to stay that was certainly difficult for Luna to refuse, given her current situation.

However, another question crossed the girl's mind. After the embarrassing incident that night, Matteo was now giving her a place to stay when everyone else hated her and rejected her. Was Matteo's intention to give her a place to stay purely out of concern for Luna's fate, or was he taking advantage of the situation?