I forcefully broke free from his grip. I quickly fled the scene.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the guy was already sitting in the reserved spot. He was waiting for me.

I had already changed out of the conservative outfit I wore just now. I was now wearing a red bodycon slip dress. My long, curly hair was down.

The ambient lighting in the Western restaurant was well set up. The off-white lights cast a soft glow through the gaps in the partitions.

In this kind of environment, it's easy to get swept up in romance.

The six-pack guy was named Wilson Collins. From the moment I appeared before him, his gaze never left me.

I knew he was hooked.

At the end of the meal, he said, "Mila, be my girlfriend."

I slightly parted my red lips. I curved them into a bright smile.

The plan had reached its final step. It was time to reel him in.

I was just about to agree when a voice suddenly appeared above me.

"Having dinner with Jane?"

I froze. Goosebumps rose all over my body.

I slowly turned around and looked up.

Xavier was staring at me.

My heart skipped a beat.

Xavier had always hated being lied to. Anyone who ever lied to him was cut off.

According to him, I could lie. But just don't let him find out.

If he did find out, it was my fault. Not because he was too heartless.

Let alone the fact that I lied to him for another man.

"Who is this?" Wilson asked.

I stood up and said, "This is my friend. We grew up together. He's a junior in the computer science department at Turner University."

Wilson smiled. He revealed a canine tooth. "So, he's my senior."

Xavier let out a cold laugh. He didn't respond.

I reached out and pinched his sleeve. I looked at him with obedient eyes. I clearly showed I was admitting my mistake.

His expression softened noticeably.

I sensed an opportunity and was about to speak again. But then I heard Wilson say, "Would you like to sit down and join us? I get along well with Mila. It makes sense to meet her friends."

I was speechless.

Sure enough, the softened look on Xavier's face changed again.

Damn...

I was about to pull Xavier away. I wanted to explain everything to him.

Then I heard a soft female voice, "Xavier, what's wrong?"

I followed the voice and saw a woman in a white cotton dress. She walked over. Her figure was faintly visible.

Each of her steps was light and slow.

She was Xavier's ex-girlfriend.

The explanation I wanted to give got stuck in my throat. I couldn't say it.

Whether she was his ex or not had nothing to do with me, but I still felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

It must have been because he didn't eat the bento I made for him.

If he had eaten it, how could he have shown up here with his ex-girlfriend?

Xavier glanced at me. He took off his coat with no expression. He tossed it over my head.

Without turning back, he said to the girl, "It's nothing. Go back first."

I was stunned by the hit. By the time I took the coat off my head, he had already walked far away.

Wilson apologized, "Mila, did I make him uncomfortable?"

I let out an awkward laugh. I said, "Well... Actually, it's not really your fault. How about we just call it a day? We can talk another time."

For me, the game was already over. I didn't intend to interact with him any further.

After saying that, I turned to leave. He grabbed my hand and said, "I just heard the waiter say it's raining outside. I'll take you home."

Only then did I notice the streaks of water on the nearby glass window.

The neon lights' brilliant colors filtered through the rainwater. They illuminated Wilson's face.

Perhaps it was because the red light reflected in his eyes. For a moment, I felt he looked a bit gloomy.

I must have been overthinking it.

I politely declined, "No need. I drove here. It's not a problem."

His expression was somewhat indifferent. It made me feel slightly uneasy.

But soon, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Alright then, see you next time."

I nodded. But in my heart, I thought it would be better if we didn't meet again.

After stepping out, a cool breeze hit me. It made the hair on my arms stand up.

I instinctively put Xavier's coat on.

A pleasant scent of cedarwood surrounded me. It felt even more refreshing in the slightly chilly rain.

I suddenly realized why Xavier tossed the coat to me.

Even though he was angry, he still didn't want me to catch a cold.

The more I thought about it, the deeper my guilt grew.

The next day, I went to deliver breakfast to him as usual.

He took the breakfast and didn't say a word.

I obediently admitted my mistake. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you," I said.

He lowered his head and ate the breakfast. He didn't even look at me.

I tried hard to recall how I had coaxed him back after being caught lying before.

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't remember.

It seemed like he always cooled down by himself in the end. I never really coaxed him.

He was always harsh on others' mistakes, but he repeatedly tolerated mine.

The urge to make it up to him grew stronger. I eagerly took out the other side dishes from the lunchbox. I arranged them neatly on the table.

Then, I sat across from him. I placed my hands on the table. I stared at him with the eager eyes of a curious student and didn't say a word.

His lips were naturally a beautiful shade of pink. The sticky rice clung to them. They were inexplicably enticing.

I involuntarily swallowed. I strongly reprimanded myself internally.

"How could I have feelings for Xavier? He always sees me as a sister. There is no possibility between siblings."

I felt a bit disappointed when I realized this.

"If only Xavier wasn't my brother, if only my mom and his mom weren't best friends...

No. Then, I might not have had the chance to know him."

After a few minutes of daydreaming, Xavier finally couldn't help but speak.

He glared at me in annoyance. "What are you daydreaming about? Eat," he said.

I blinked. I quickly added, "Xavier, I was really wrong. I won't dare lie to you again next time. Will you forgive me?"

He nearly choked. He slammed the fork on the table. "Are you eating or not? If not, get out of here now," he said.

I stuck out my tongue. I reluctantly started eating.

I muttered quietly, "Why so fierce? If you keep being mean, I won't bring you breakfast anymore."

"Sure, you can take the breakfast away right now. I'll go home and tell your mom what you've been up to these two years in college," he said.

"Damn. He knows how to hold something over my head."

When I first started college, I was happy when my mom handed me the key card.

"Sweetie, this place is close to your school. You can drive to campus in five minutes. There's food, fun, and everything nearby. Feel safe living here," she said.

After living there for a few days, I found out that Xavier lived across the hall.

My mom explained it like this, "Oh, isn't this a coincidence! It's great to be near Xavier. It's not safe for you to live alone, so it's good for you two to look out for each other," she said.

Now, it seems Xavier isn't my guardian. He's my retribution.

We lived across from each other. He knew what time I came home every day. If I ever wanted to lie to my mom, I had to figure out a way to bribe him first.

Huh!

He had been suppressing me for so long. I couldn't stand living like this another day.

I slapped my fork on the table. I finally stood up for myself.

"Go ahead, say it. I'm done with this. Every time something happens, you use this to threaten me. Is that fun for you?" I said.

He probably didn't expect this reaction from me. He was stunned for a moment, then his tone softened.

"Mila, that's not what I meant," he said.

"If that's not what you meant, then what did you mean? I think my mom sent you to spy on me. She must have purposely bought this apartment across from you," I said.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. My tone grew harsher.

"I never should've gone to the same school as you. I don't know why I worked so hard to get into Turner University!" I said.

As soon as I said the words, even I was stunned.

Yeah, why did I insist on getting into Turner University?

Back then, my grades were above average, but I was still far from qualifying for Turner University.

The teacher called me in for a talk. She said my grades were good enough to aim for a second-grade university. She advised me not to be too aggressive.

I was dead set on Turner University and I studied like crazy.

In the end, I paid the price for my arrogance. I was placed in the least popular major at Turner University, geophysics.

I started to lose interest in studying. I began treating relationships as a way to pass the time.

"You worked so hard back then. Wasn't it because of your dreams?" Xavier said.

Xavier walked around the table and sat down next to me. His brows furrowed slightly.

"Mila, I always thought you pushed yourself so hard because you liked Turner University. But why did you fall apart after getting into college?

"You clearly had other options. You could've changed your major. You could've studied abroad. But instead, you focused solely on dating and treated your future like a joke. What were you thinking?"

What was I thinking? I didn't know either.

Was I so stubborn back then just to make things harder on myself?

Suddenly, I felt exhausted. It was like all the strength had been drained from my body.

"Let's leave it at that, Xavier. Let me be alone for a while," I said.

He pressed his lips together tightly. But in the end, he said nothing and did nothing.

I stormed out, leaving him standing there alone.