"Isabella?" We all turned towards the cabin door, and there stood Alex with the two guys who had been with Chelsie earlier.

Seeing Alex made me anxious. I couldn't forget his face from the dream and what he had said.

I stepped back when he approached me. Confusion flashed across his face when he saw me retreating, and even the girls seemed puzzled by my reaction.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" I looked at all of them before finally locking eyes with Alex, who seemed equally bewildered. I calmed myself.

It's just a dream, Isabela. Get a hold of yourself!

"Can you all leave me alone for a while? I'm not feeling well," I said without looking at Alex, keeping my head down. Every time I saw him, that scene from the dream played fresh in my mind.

They informed me they would leave, except for Alex, who remained quiet and kept staring at me. I lay down and turned to the side, not planning to engage with him right now.

I felt the bed shift, and my heart raced, but I forced myself to stay calm. It was just a dream, after all.

The bed became heavier, and my heart pounded faster due to fear. I suddenly sat up quickly, and Alex, who had been reaching out to me, froze in mid-air.

"W-what are you still doing here? I told you to go outside," I hugged the pillows and glanced at him. He withdrew his hand, his lips pressed together.

"I just want to check on you. You seem okay now. Get some rest; I'll head back to the cabin."

Although I was nervous, I still asked, "Will the plans for later still push through?" I checked the clock; it was only 10 in the evening.

"They will, but I'm going to sleep. I only came because you wanted me to. If you won't go, I won't either."

He started to leave, but before he could go, I grabbed the hem of his shirt. He paused and looked at me.

"Do you need something?" I was being unreasonable. It was just a dream, and I shouldn't be bringing it into reality, but I had something I wanted to clarify.

"I-I have a question." I took my hand back and hid it under the pillow.

"Spill it." Several seconds passed before I spoke.

"Alex," I gulped. "Is there really no catch to the things you give me? Like, won't you use my body in exchange for the things you do for me? Is there any hidden agenda behind our matchmaking agreement?"

"Are you concerned about what happened between us that night?" I bit my lower lip to hide my embarrassment. I was just scared. I was afraid something might happen between us, and then I'd be left behind. I was scared of falling for someone who had no intentions of staying.

To be honest, I was starting to feel comfortable around him. I felt something when I was with him, but I knew it was just because, from what I observed, he was fulfilling the contract. Here I was, being foolish again.

I wanted what happened too, so why was I even asking? I knew my place, and I shouldn't get carried away. He was yet to claim me, and my virginity was still intact. He was about to say something, but I stopped him.

"I'm sorry for asking, Alex. You don't have to answer. You can go now."

The world seemed to slow down as he leaned closer to me, and our lips met. I was shocked, and my eyes widened as I stared at his closed eyes. He didn't move, and I couldn't move either due to surprise, but I gradually closed my eyes. My heart was still racing, and I just let it be.

The door to the cabin suddenly swung open, and I quickly pushed him away.

"HEELL- oops, wrong timing!" I blushed deeply when I realized it was Addison. She closed the door abruptly, and I buried my face in the pillow.

"Tsk. Ruined the moment," I could hear Alex mutter, his annoyance evident.

"You should leave. Your sister might be looking for you. He might have something to say," I said without looking at him, still hiding my face in the pillow.

"Fine, take a rest and don't go out," he said, and I thought he was leaving. But then, something soft landed on my hair. "Goodnight, mon sucre."

I hugged my pillow tightly and couldn't help but smile.

I jolted awake because of consecutive knocks on the door. I lifted my gaze to the clock before approaching the cabin door. It was only five in the morning; it seemed Alex was visiting quite early.

When I opened the door, it wasn't Alex but one of his friends who greeted me. Didn't he know which cabin was Alex's?

"If you're looking for Alex, he's not here. He doesn't sleep here," I said, somewhat puzzled by the visitor's presence. What's wrong with this guy?

"He's not who I'm looking for," he replied in a low voice while still staring at me. Wait, me? We didn't even know each other well.

"Who are you looking for?" I raised an eyebrow slightly as he hesitated. He gave me a once-over before finally speaking.

"You're really his daughter," he said, which left me furrowing my brow. Did he know my father?

"What do you want from me?" I asked as he flashed a mischievous smile.

"Isabella Heyes Desmond. Nice meeting you, my long-lost sister."

It's been almost a week since our vacation in Hawaii, and life seemed to have returned to normal. Alex hadn't visited me for a week, and he hadn't called either, which was quite unusual. But every day, various things were being delivered to my apartment.

I didn't have any problems with food because there were groceries waiting for me outside. I didn't ask for them, but he kept sending them. I missed him slightly, I guess.

"Bes?! Why did you disappear again? I've been looking for you, and you're acting all innocent!" I quickly hushed her when the librarian shot us a disapproving look from across the library. She must have thought I was in a room and shouted in the library.

Shena looked embarrassed and just sighed, taking a discreet seat in front of where I was sitting.

"Bes," she whispered.

" My brother will be coming home today. My family wanted to see you"

I went back to my writing, taking notes on important parts of my upcoming report while Shena sat next to me.

"He's finally coming home. I thought he'd settle in Australia," I commented.

"Duh! If he wasn't forced to come home, he might never have. He got a girlfriend there, like there's no family waiting for him here," she retorted. I couldn't blame Shena's family.

Her brother, Silver, had been away for two years after graduating from college. He immediately went to Australia, where their mom's relatives were. Shena and her brother had some Australian blood, but they didn't grow up there.

I took a deep breath, realizing I had something to do after my class. I placed my paper and pen on the book I was reading and looked at Shena.

"Okay," I replied with a smile, "but our class won't end until seven tonight."

"No problem!" she enthusiastically replied. "My brother and I will pick you up later, so make sure to call me, okay?"

"Hmm."

"Okay, gotta go. I might be late." She stood up from her chair and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

After I finished reading, I returned the books I had borrowed before leaving the library. I hadn't even stepped out when someone blocked my path. I didn't lift my gaze or avoid the person, even though I felt irritation welling up inside.

"Isabella," I raised an eyebrow upon recognizing who had blocked the library door.

"We are in the library, please let me out," I replied firmly. I had been avoiding him for days, but there were times when I would encounter him in the hallway of our building. When we crossed paths, he would approach me, but thankfully, I would often be with Shena and her classmates, so he couldn't talk to me immediately.

Shena and Kalel's friends didn't get along well because Shena didn't like Kalel's group. She thought they were arrogant and just all about showing off. The four guys with Kalel were good-looking, especially Rhys, Kalel's close friend who was on the school's basketball team. He stood out because of his height and his fair, almost flawless complexion.

"Can we talk, Isabella? Please, just this once," Kalel's voice was filled with hope, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I didn't know how to face the words that were about to come.

"I have a class, Kalel. Not now," I replied, but it didn't deter him as he continued to walk beside me.

"Maybe after your class? I'll wait," he said, trying to catch up with my steps.

"I have somewhere to go," I insisted, trying to convey through my tone that I was reluctant to entertain the idea.

He reached out and touched my shoulder, the gesture heavy with emotion in that moment. I glanced at his soft expression, which seemed to plead with me.

"Please? I just really want to talk to you, Isabella, and I hope you'll listen to me, even if it's just this once."

I calmly inhaled, my breath steady and measured, a momentary pause in the conversation as I collected my thoughts.

"Fine, but as I said, I can't right now. We can meet on Sunday. You know I have classes," I said. His face brightened upon hearing this. I pulled away from his grip on my shoulder and continued walking, not looking back.

"Then, can we meet at the same location like we used to spend time?" he asked, raising his voice a bit because we were several meters apart.

I halted my ascent on the staircase, my steps coming to an abrupt stop. My hand rested on the smooth, weathered railing.

"Just don't be late," I replied and continued walking upstairs.

---

"Class dismissed," our professor said as the final words of our class. It was our last class, so I quickly stood up and gathered my belongings from the desk.

"Heyes," one of my classmates called as I was about to leave the room. I looked at the three girls who were my classmates in my minor subjects. I didn't socialize much, but I knew their last names.

They were the ones who kept up with what was happening in the university, so when there were issues, they would immediately share them with the class. I sometimes wished they had pursued journalism because their behavior didn't really match the course they took.

I glanced back at them. They had encircled me, trapping me in the middle.

"What's your relationship with Deacon? Are you his girlfriend?" the tall girl among them, whom I think was Rizonel, asked bluntly. They were talking about Kalel. They didn't know that we used to be friends.

"It's none of your business," I replied coldly and casually excused myself. I didn't have time to tell stories to them. They shouldn't assume that just because people talked, we were automatically in a romantic relationship. What a mindset.

As I was about to head outside, one of them grabbed my wrist, causing me to halt in my tracks. "We are talking to you, answer us properly. Isn't that too hard to talk to people?"

I didn't consider them people in my eyes, though. Why? Because aside from being gossipy, they were too arrogant and condescending. They believed that money could solve everything.

The one with short hair who grabbed my wrist was the dean's niece, so she thought students should immediately comply with her requests. Oh, I remembered that she had a huge crush on Kalel back then and got rejected by him several times. Kalel didn't have a crush on someone like her; he said he didn't like girls who looked like clowns. She was pretty but overly girly. I didn't know why she chose Law; she seemed more suited for fashion design.

With them was the chubby girl, with the last name Diolliore. She had pale skin and long hair. She was chubby but curvy, and I admit she was intelligent. Among the three, she was the most active in class, but she always came second to me. I was a straight-A dean's lister since my first year, and they would always encourage me to join contests, but I was the only one who didn't.

The last one was the bad influence among them, the tall girl with blonde hair I mentioned earlier. I heard she flirted with Rhys, the basketball player, and became a regular at the bar. I saw her there sometimes, and we recognized each other, but I didn't care. Sometimes, they got tired of bullying me because I didn't care.

"I have the right to refuse talking to you. Can you stop pestering my peaceful life?" She seemed to get angry, so she tightened her grip on my wrist. I pulled it away and raised an eyebrow at them.

"You bitch! How dare you—" I stopped her with my palm. I was tired of being bullied. I didn't really want to talk to them because I knew it would lead to this. Although they hadn't physically harmed me, they were afraid of getting expelled, especially since the students knew what kind of witches they were.

"Do you really want to know? Kalel is my childhood friend. Is that enough?" They couldn't speak for a moment. "Please excuse me." I turned around and walked out of the gate.

I waited for a few minutes, and Shena's car arrived. I expected Shena to step out and greet me, but someone else came down instead – Alex!