Chapter 1

Hey Lena, stop smiling foolishly. You have been like this all day long, it's almost frightening. Can you please cut that off? It scares me."

Lena, who had been all smiles before, frowned all of a sudden.

"Eh! What nonsense are you saying? What do you mean by that? How can you say that I'm foolish, Ella? That's very cruel," Lena complained.

"I didn't say you are foolish. I said that you are smiling foolishly," Ella argued.

"What's the difference?"

This time, Ella was speechless.

"Alright, you won. Now tell me, what's making you all so happy? You won some lottery?"

"Well... I think Richard is going to propose tonight," she said happily.

"Tcht! That moron. What makes you think he's going to propose? Did he tell you himself?"

"No he didn't. But tonight is our third-year anniversary and he promised to give me a special gift, something that I have always desired. Come on, think about it. What else have I desired all this while if not this?"

Ella scoffed and decided not to comment. "Anyway, I'm running late. I have to go now, I'm not going to do the night shift today. Please cover for me sweetheart," Lena said, putting on a pitiable face.

Ella's face darkened immediately.

"Fine, I will allow it just this once. Just remember you owe me a favor," she replied after a moment of silence.

"Thank you sweetheart." Lena happily hugged her and hurried off.

Ella glanced at her clothes and shook her head helplessly. 'She's even dressed huh? I hope that son of a bitch doesn't do anything that will upset her again.'

…

A few minutes later, Lena stood in front of the Wellington Hotel. It was the venue Richard gave her and also the time. After looking at the table number he sent to her, she quickly went inside the hotel. She met one of the staff and showed her the table reservation. The staff helped her to the reserved table, but Richard was yet to arrive.

She glanced at the time, tapping her fingers on the table. 'Why is Richard not here yet? What could possibly still be holding him?' Anyway, it was just a few minutes' wait so she didn't mind that much, or so she thought.

Richard arrived forty minutes late. He was wearing a small smile on his face and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry for making you wait babe. I got caught up in the studio, you know, trying to wrap some shit up," he explained.

Lena forced a small smile. 'Interesting, he delayed such a special day just to spend more time in the studio. Was it that important?' Richard was a musician—or so. He couldn't be considered much because he wasn't even well-known outside the studio.

Lena had to admit, he didn't have any talent in music. She had listened to some of his songs, and they were all wack. But seeing how much work he put into his craft, she didn't dare tell him that to his face. She had even borrowed him money a lot of times.

"No, don't worry. You don't need to apologize. I do understand how important your work is to you," she replied with a forced smile.

Richard nodded happily and continued talking.

Somehow, she felt Richard kinda wasn't the same tonight. He was still his talkative self, but somehow he seemed agitated or nervous. She couldn't put her hand on what it was exactly. He always avoided eye contact with her. It was very surprising.

Somebody you have been with for the past three years—there was no way you wouldn't be aware if he or she started acting out of place, and that was exactly how he was acting now.

"Are you sure you are alright Richard? Are you sick?" she asked worriedly.

Richard just laughed and claimed he was a little bit tired from working in the studio and that it was nothing much. What he said didn't sync, but she decided not to comment, being a considerate girl.

They ordered drinks and other refreshments as they continued to enjoy themselves. A few minutes after her first drink, Lena started feeling kinda funny. She couldn't describe how she was feeling at the moment.

Her body felt like it was on fire. A strange heat coiled in her veins, spreading all over her body. Her vision blurred, colors melting together, and her breaths came in small, desperate pants.

Lena swore this had never happened to her before. She wasn't an alcoholic, but she had drunk alcohol on some special occasions like this, so she was familiar with her body system and knew that what she drank wasn't enough to induce such a change in her system.

She immediately knew that something was wrong.

Richard came forward and asked worriedly,

"Are you alright babe? Seems like you are drunk. Come let me take you to the room I had prepared before," he said, offering his arms.

Even in her strange condition, she was still able to register what he said clearly.

'Wait, can it be that he purposely drugged me so he can have sex with me? No way that can be true, right?' Lena felt amused. She had been a chaste girl and hadn't allowed Richard to copulate with her.

Originally, she had decided to be more open today and give in to Richard if he proposed to her today, but alas, Richard wasn't patient and had already resorted to underhanded means, greatly disappointing her.

With the help of Richard, she was able to stand. She grasped his shoulder tightly and balanced her shoulders over his body. Maybe she was thinking a lot after all.

Perhaps this was all an accident, and she was really drunk. But then, how she was feeling now couldn't be described as simply being drunk. At the moment, her mind felt fuzzy, and she could no longer think straight. She was completely defenseless.

Unknowingly, she was resting her head on Richard's shoulder and didn't see him smile triumphantly. At last, he had succeeded. He had a look of pity when he looked at Lena, but then his face brightened up as if he thought of something.

He could feel Lena's hot breath on his shoulder. Her breath grew hotter and hotter as she clung tightly to his body like a koala. Richard frowned.

'I need to hurry up.’