“Hey bro! What’s up?”

Lucius was caught off guard by his friend's unexpected appearance. Kian with Sandra-his cousin. These two were married only a week ago. He believes they returned home after their honeymoon.

"Has anything happened yet?" he humorously asked of the two.

Sandra giggled, smirking. "Tsk, I'm still not ready! I also stated that you will not have a nephew as long as you do not have a girlfriend!"

He laughed, even more, when he heard what he said. "Why? I'd rather have a nephew than a girlfriend." They both chuckled at the same moment.

"You have to do it now since we don't have a plan yet. But don't worry! As long as you don't have a girlfriend, there will be no baby! Period!" Sandra jokingly said. Lucius has several cousins, but Sandra is his favorite.

While cooking in the kitchen, he heard a shout from his room, and Estella appeared in his thoughts. As he entered the room, he noticed Sandra and Kian staring at Estella, who is now covered with a blanket since she is maybe shy.

"Oh my goodness! You fooled me!"

"She's not my girlfriend," he says flatly.

Sandra arched her brow. "Are you kidding me? Why is she in your room? You've never brought a lady into your room," Sandra pointed out.

"Hello, Lucius' girlfriend!" Sandra greeted Estella.

"Sweetie, the transaction is done. We can make out later," Kian remarked to his wife, winking.

"Sandra, Kian, please come out and rest," Lucius said to the two.

"Rest? Oh my! Did you two-"

"Is that what you're learning from your husband, Sandra?" Lucius asked with an angry tone. He's getting pissed at that time.

“Hey! Why am I impacted? " Kian's request. As the two of them exited the room, Lucius carefully closed the door, locking it. He had forgotten that the two enjoyed roaming around his condo.

"Who is that lady? Is she a girlfriend of yours? "Sandra asked again, but Lucius didn't respond. “Hey! Answer me, your mother needs to know, so she'll be happy.”

He shivered, and he was losing tolerance for his cousin. “How many times should I tell you that she's not my girlfriend?"

Kian approached him and patted his shoulder. "That's simple. Tell us

How did she end up in your room? ”

Lucius said, "It's a long story."

"Then make it brief," Kian said in a flash.

"If you don't share the story, yes. You should expect to hear from your mother that you took a woman home to your condo. " Sandra challenged him.

"You're blackmailing me, huh?" she said to her cousin.

"Well, as I tell her, there is nothing to blame. I'm sure it'll be entertaining once it gets going at your unit. " It even mocked him by smiling at him.

"Whatever," he said, knowing that no matter what he did or asked, his immature relatives would not always listen to him. "Anyway, I have some work to do. You may go home and start flirting.”

As the two idiots continued to tease him, he pushed them away. They both give off the same vibes: immature and annoying. Actually, he dislikes it when people play tricks on him. Lucius's time for jokes is limited.

He headed to his room to look at the girl, but as he was about to open the door when the ringing of his cellphone stopped him. When he opened his inbox and saw a text message from an unknown number.

Take care buddy

His eyes brightened as he immediately remembered his friend Yuan, whom they used to call buddy when they were still friends. Until now, he has refused to quit, oblivious to the fact that he suffers every night because what happened would have been a dream.

Lucius believed it was a huge mistake to bring Estella inside his condo unit and trust her. What if Yuan exploited her to permanently ruin him? Why did he allow it to remain in his home? He should have evicted her. But the more he frees the girl, the less he has a defense against Yuan; he must hold her until the truth is out.

When he opened the door to the room Estella was in. He noticed the woman was sleeping again, but she was in pain every time she tried to move. Something inside Lucius feels pity for the woman; he can't let her die in agony. She was simply weeping and frightened again. He was aware that she was in threat. If something awful occurred to Estella, he may become insane. It is because of him; he has only guilt in his thoughts his whole life, and suffering every night is enough for him.

When Estella woke up, she sat up as she remembered two strangers peering at her in Lucius' room. The man even came in to talk to her till he closed the door of the room, allowing her to breathe comfortably, but Estella fell asleep by accident.

She was hungry, and her skin was greasy. She hadn't taken a bath since arriving at Lucius' condo unit. It's nearly midnight, and it's dark outside the big windows of his room. She and Lucius have been together for nearly a day.

Her thigh hurt again, making it difficult for her to move. She staggered out of the room, grimacing at the searing agony that was developing in her thigh with each step of her feet. She can't move her hip, she can't walk normally, she's in pain, and it's all her fault. Nobody else is to blame. She just has herself to blame for her mistakes.

She saw Lucius's head inclined as she moved her feet in the kitchen. The alcoholic drink is on the table opposite it, and there is a cake in the middle that appears to be his food while drinking.

‘I’m so sorry, Nicole.’

Estella gazed at Lucius while eating the cake when she overheard him talking while asleep.

'I can't love you,' the young guy said again, sweating heavily despite the fact that his condo was air-conditioned.

Estella stopped eating and cleaned her hands before approaching the drunk Lucius. When she stroked his forehead, his sweat was as cold as ice, as if he was in the middle of a dream.

She helped Lucius in standing up, despite the fact that her thigh is pained. She pushed herself to move in order to assist Lucius in getting inside his room to rest. There is only one room in his condo. Only Lucius' room was available.

Estella slid Lucius' arm over her shoulders. They both entered Lucius' room. She put him in his bed, and he is still drunk and murmuring. Estella clenched her teeth. She had no idea what to do with the drunk man.

She was going to rise up to return the cake to the kitchen when Lucius yanked it from her arm, and half of her body had already touched her body. As their eyes met, her body froze, and she could plainly feel the anguish in his eyes. He was stronger than her as she forced herself out of the arm that was surrounding her waist.

They'll be kissing in no time if they make a mistake.

“Mr. Hudson…" Estella's heart pounded quicker and louder. "Let me go, I can't breathe anymore…"

When Lucius' lips crushed against hers, Estelle's entire body froze. Taking advantage of the little opening in his mouth, she slipped her tongue inside, roving as if she were probing every inch of Lucius' mouth. In response, he moaned quietly, and everything went away. She had forgotten everything, including her throbbing thigh.

They switched positions from previously when she was on top of Lucius. He towers over her. She was enjoying herself at the time, and she should have pushed the young guy away from her, but instead, she gripped his neck and reacted to his kisses.

Their kiss was sweet at first, but after a few minutes, it turned hot and wild. She stutters with each bite of his lips on hers; she just felt this way. But she was reawakened by the sensation of Lucius' hands entering inside her dress, causing her to shove Lucius away from her.

"What the heck are you-" Lucius' eyes widened as he awoke. His drunkenness vanished as he realized he was kissing Estella. "I-I'm sorry," the young man replied slowly, stroking his lower lip.

Estella is speechless… She can't say anything because her brain refuses to operate, or she refuses to move her feet because she wants to continue. But it is wrong. She doesn’t want to be Lucius’ one-night stand.

She knelt down and nibbled her bottom lip. "I'm sorry as well. " She muttered as she rushed out of his room, ignoring the ache in her thigh. There was no objective as she meandered throughout the condo, repeatedly torturing herself.

She swallowed carefully, and the burning she had been experiencing had gradually dissipated. It was a huge humiliation since the young man had an odd relationship with her. Its presence is distinct. Her thoughts were racing as she went till she arrived in an open room.

Music room..,

She proceeded further inside, and numerous instruments were placed. She sat in front of the grand piano, looking around the music room. Her ambition is not to be an actress just for the sake of earning money but to continue and develop her talents, which include singing and playing instruments.

She fixed her gaze on the piano in front of her and smiled, knowing how much she recalls her memories with her father. When she was little and her father was still alive, he taught her to play, and she inherited his love of singing and playing instruments. She has always participated in their town contests since she was trained, but after his father died, she stopped. She lost his desire for everything, even playing, and singing. Even if she wants to follow her ambition without the assistance of his father. But, her family needs her. She set aside her personal dreams for her family.

Her mind keeps telling her that she needs to play a piano key. She pushed a key, and when she heard a wonderful sound, she smiled. It causes her to become emotional. She closed her eyes and began playing the piano. She focused her attention on the music that made everything better.

“Oh my goodness gracious!” When she looked up, she realized she couldn't move in her location. She and her knees tensed once again. "It's you, Lu-Lucius.”

Lucius stared at the piano and shifted its gaze to Estella noticing she was also looking at him. "I didn't know you could play the piano..."

She gave a nod. "I'm sorry, but I noticed it was open and walked in-"

The young man shook his head. "It's okay. This music room isn't something I use very much anymore. You may hang around here if you wish to play. ”

“Really, that’s nice of you. Thank you,” Estella replied and smiled.

After she responded, the room grew silent and uncomfortable. She simply desired to be swallowed by the land rather than meet the young man she had previously desired.

"Anyway, I have some work to do. If you want to rest, you can return to my room. " He muttered as he walked out of the music room, leaving her speechless.

She inhaled deeply. What is going on with her? She is not like this; she still hates men, but Lucius is different. The enchantment he bestows on her is rather unique.

She had just left the music room to go to the kitchen; she was hungry and dirty, and she needed to take a bath, but she was thinking whether or not, since she doesn't have a dress to wear. She sought for clothing to wear after eating, but all she saw were men's clothes, and she was still a size huge up to her knees. She also has no option but to stink, so she'll simply put up with it.

Estella exited the bathroom wearing a black knee-length t-shirt even though it was intended for men. She brushed her hair while looking in the mirror to examine her face. She dropped off the comb when she was finished, then hurriedly went down.

Look around as if someone were hiding—there, here, left, right. Her meal had been interrupted earlier when she smelled her own horrible smell, so she grinned when she couldn't see the young man and hurried to the kitchen.

"It tastes good! Good goodness the refrigerator has plenty of food." Estella said as she ate the menudo from the refrigerator, her mouth full.

Estella was enjoying her meal when the doorbell rang outside, and her heart pounded at the thought that someone was coming again; what if it was the police, and the young man would let her go? What if... She is experiencing so many unfavorable thoughts.

"Estella, go inside the room." She was startled when she heard the young man's voice. "Faster, Estella! Bring what you eat."

"O-okay.."

She dashed into the bedroom, carrying the food she was eating, and quickly locked the door, thinking the young man would let her go. But why is he hiding me if he's going to catch me? Instead of continuing to eat, she simply dropped it on the mini table and then grabbed her chest with a strong thump.

***

"Lucius! Your name has already been ruined; are you just chilling here?" His manager said he could see it was stressful.

He only looked at his manager. He had no idea Estella was with him, and he didn't want to tell anyone because he wanted the confession to come from the girl herself. He didn't know, either, but he felt sorry for the girl. He has no right to pass judgment or level accusations if he does not know the whole story.

"Are you still paying attention, Lucius? You're disregarding this problem. What if-"

"Calm down, okay? Your beauty will be ruined, beks. Let me handle it alone." He stated he was speaking up and intervening because if he didn't, a lot of trouble would arise, and he didn't want that to happen.

He could feel his manager's stress as he took a deep breath, but he didn't want to insure the woman was here because he knew what would happen next.

"OK, I'll let you handle it, but if this problem isn't solved in a month, I'll handle it and make sure that girl is caught; too bad she's really beautiful," his manager said, disappointed.

"You look better, beks," he said, and he wasn't wrong because he appeared to lose his temper for a moment.

"Hmph! You really flirt," he said, parting his hair to make himself look like a woman. He is so familiar with his tickle that he can easily make him tickle. "But that girl, Estella Velazquez, just the sound of the girl's name seems to be famous,"

Lucius had no idea how long his manager would be staying. He was just waiting for him to leave because of his story and words. Finally his manager stood up, exhaling a sigh of relief. He led him to the gate, and when he finally left, he went straight to the girl's room to check on her. He discovered the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, looking distressed.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Lucius could see the woman's nervousness on her face, and she didn't say a word. He simply stared at her, as if her eyes were talking. He didn't know why, but he felt sorry for her and approached her to assure her that she had nothing to worry about.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucius asked the woman once again. The girl did not respond the second time. He hesitated to touch it, but he did so anyway to see if it was really okay. He could feel the chill in her body. "Don't worry, Estella, I don't see you-"

"Are they going to arrest me?" Finally, it spoke.

He was correct in his assumption that the woman was scared.

It calmed down when he shook his head. "No, don't worry, I'm not that kind of person, and I know you'll tell the truth when you're ready."

The woman smiled, and the nervousness on her face gradually disappeared. The heavy feeling he had earlier was replaced by a light feeling. He shouldn't have protected the woman, but why did he feel the need to protect her?

"Thank you, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry because you've been spoiled in public; why are you still helping me? Why are you like this despite the trouble

I've caused?" The woman started asking questions.

Even he didn't know the answer. He shouldn't care about the woman, but every time he saw the fear in her eyes, he felt he had to protect her.

When the woman stood up, he noticed she was dressed in a black t-shirt. It appeared to the woman to be a dress because it was knee length, but it was sexy despite its size. Because of her charming possessions, the woman cannot be mistaken for poor or in need of money.

What the hell happened? Why does he feel the need to get rid of his pet when he thinks of the girl wearing his t-shirt, especially with its fragrant scent that adds to his warmth.

The girl seemed to notice where he was focusing, so she sat down again near him. "I'm sorry if I messed up your clothes, but I don't see any women's clothes." It's a request for forgiveness.

"Just eat, okay?" He said to the woman before standing up and leaving the room.