Chương 8: Chapter 8
She was the only woman he had ever loved. Before he first met her, he had never had a girlfriend, and his classmates kept teasing him about it in turns every time they brought it up.
He was in his final year of high school at the time, and his friends' words had echoed in his ears so many times that he could guess what they were about to say before they opened their mouths, especially his best friend Ethan.
"You have never had a girlfriend? How dare you not have one?" Ethan laughed so hard that he dropped his school bag.
Damon glared at him. "What's so good about having a girlfriend? There's nothing about it except having your head hurt from all the drama." He defended himself. Although that was what he said, it was far from the truth. The truth was that he was a chicken, he just couldn't bring himself to hit on a girl. He was one of the most handsome guys in school and countless beauties had a crush on him, but he would freak out as soon as any of them made their way to him.
He had seen a girl that he found exceptionally pretty once, but he froze as soon as she looked at him.
"Go after that beauty." Ethan nudged him when he saw a girl pass by.
He was annoyed by his friend's behaviour, until he saw the girl clearly. Wasn't that the pretty girl he was thinking about just now? The one who made her freeze with her gaze?
She was so beautiful in her blue dress and high heels, but her eyes were drooped in sadness. Why would such a beauty be sad? Who could bear to upset such an angel? They must be out of their mind.
"Don't be such a chicken. Let me tell you a secret, girls are more likely to fall for the guy who cheers them up." Ethan urged, who had been joined by more of their friends.
"Is that so?" It was an interesting assumption and besides, he did want to cheer the angel up as her frown seemed contagious.
"Go Damon!" The guys cheered him up. Feeling a burst of confidence, he hurried up to the girl and stood in her way before she could walk past them. She looked up in confusion and he froze, only to see his friends cheer him up from the corner of his eye.
He cleared his throat. "Hey, girl. Give a smile. You look like you broke up with your boyfriend." He tried to mimic Ethan's way of picking girls up, and he clearly did a bad job at it because his friends looked like they would die in an instant.
"What's it to you if I broke up with my boyfriend?" She glared at him in annoyance.
"I can replace him." He wanted to kill himself too. "I mean… I can turn your frown into a beautiful blossoming smile."
"You are too ugly." She walked past him with a harrumph, mumbling about meeting too many lunatics in this school. He so badly wanted to die.
"It's okay." Ethan patted his shoulder. "The first time is usually rough." He consoled him, and their friends agreed.
"Yeah, you just have to try again when you see her. Just be yourself."
He didn't know whether he wanted to try again but he didn't see her again during his remaining period in high school.
The next time he saw her, he was in his second year of campus. Who would have thought that they would end up on the same campus? They were in the same class as well, because he saw her when he arrived in the lecture hall. She was now a beautiful young woman and she stole his breath away with her alluring blue eyes. He couldn't help sitting next to her, which seemed to infuriate her.
"What are you doing here?" She snapped at him. It must be because she remembered him from high school and had some impression of him. Should he be flattered?
"It's a public lecture hall." He shrugged.
She stood in annoyance and found another spot to sit. He was no longer scared of women, so he followed her and sat next to her yet again.
"Why did you follow me?" She asked in annoyance.
"Because I want to." A laugh escaped his lips.
The lecture began and she couldn't spend the whole time moving around just to avoid him, so she ignored him and concentrated on the class instead. On the other hand, he spent the entire time studying her beauty. She was indeed an angel and must have landed right from heaven. Perhaps that was why he had not seen her again after meeting twice in high school-she must have gone back to heaven and was here to visit.
The lesson ended before he could realize it, and he was certain that he had gained nothing from it.
"I'll chop off your legs the next time you appear before me." She threatened before she left.
"Then I'll have to stick by your side because I will not have legs to walk away." He laughed heartily, before going to have lunch at the campus cafeteria. He was happily enjoying his lunch until a man slotted himself next to him. "Excuse me?" He asked about the sudden intrusion which, from the other man's gaze, looked almost like a declaration of war.
"Stay away from her." He warned, making Damon laugh. The other man was annoyed. "Do you know who you're messing with? That is Gabe's sister."
"Who is he?" He asked in amusement. Was there a man on campus whose sister he supposedly should not go after?
"Are you asking about me?" Came a threatening growl from behind him. He didn't bother to turn since he already knew that the man behind him must be the said Gabe.
"I don't know what's so special about you, that I should want to know you." Damon chuckled, and the other man pushed his head.
"He is seeking trouble. Boys, show him what happens to losers who go after a Vaillant."
So the angel's surname was Vaillant. Before he could wonder about what her first name was, five ruffian-looking young men closed in on him. They rained punches on him before he could process it and although he fought back, he did not escape unscathed.
"Stop!" Came a beautiful yet commanding voice from the other end of the cafeteria, startling him. Was that not the angel's voice? She sauntered over to them, landing a slap right on the face of the man who was supposed to be her brother.
He didn't know what happened between them afterwards because Gabe dragged her away. But the next time he saw her, he overheard her argument with her brother.
"I didn't ask you to protect me!" She snarled at Gabe.
"That's what brothers do. And I'm not going to sit back and watch losers take advantage of my sister." He countered, not in the slightest bit sorry for any of the things his sister was accusing him of. It seemed like he was the campus bully and had been involved in innumerable fights, most of which had something to do with her.
"I didn't ever ask for a brother! Not that I would have asked for you if I wanted one." She snarled at him and walked away. It was too late when he realized that she was heading his way, she had already noticed him.
"I'm not following you." He quickly defended himself.
She didn't look angry with him like she was when he sat beside him in the lecture hall. Instead, she was apologetic. "I'm sorry about my brother." She looked at him remorsefully. "He is always getting into fights and he is impossible.
"It's okay." He assured her, even though he wasn't. His swollen face hurt a lot, as well as his ego. How could he let her see his sorry state?
"Did you go to the infirmary?" She asked in concern, taking him by surprise.
"You know that fighting is not permitted. I could be expelled if the campus management found out.
"That's true." She sighed when she realized it. "But hey, he started it."
"It's his word against mine. Who would believe me?" He was supposed to be the campus bully but no action had been taken against him, which meant he must have a cunning tongue too.
"That's true. Unfortunately." She sighed.
"You're on my side?" He looked at her in surprise.
"I'm just on the side of the truth. Get better soon." She smiled before going on her way.
"Hey, wait. Can't you at least tell me what your name is?" He called after her and tried to catch up.
"No." She ignored him.
….
"What are you smiling about?" Avery asked the man before her, who looked lost in thought. How dare he blank out in the middle of an argument?
"You are still just as feisty." He commented, remembering how he had been ignored in the past. She glared at him and turned to leave.
She grabbed her hand to stop her. "Wait. What I mean is, I will be the best father to our son if you let me. I promise."
Chương 9: Chapter 9
Her eyebrows furrowed when she heard his statement. Why was he suddenly acting as though he was the one who had been wronged? She crossed her arms. "You had that chance, Damon. It was naturally given to you by the fact that you were his father but you didn't need it. What makes you think you need it now?"
"Avery…" He expected her to be unfriendly but that didn't mean it did not make him sad.
She ignored him and walked out, not sparing him a second glance.
"Damn it." His fists clenched tightly at his sides. It was going to take much longer than he expected. However, he did not blame her. If he were in her shoes, he would not be friendly either. Even so, he would not give up so easily.
….
Avery was still upset the following day when she went to work. How did her blind date turn into Damon? If she didn't know better, she might have thought that Mr. Baker was simply another alias of Damon's and that he had used it to get close to her.
"Are you alright?" Mina asked her as she brought a cup of tea.
Avery nodded. "I didn't expect Damon to stoop so low. What happened to Mr. Baker anyway?"
Mina let out a breath. When Avery told her what happened the previous evening, she had investigated the matter knowing that Avery would need answers. "He was offered a deal he had been negotiating for months, which he knew he was likely to lose." She responded.
"And he had to meet the other party last night?" Avery furrowed her brows. No such coincidence existed.
"No. The prerequisite was for him to ditch your date." Mina dropped the reality which was much worse than speculation.
Avery's eyes darkened. "That idiot. As expected, he is the most shameless creature on earth."
"What should I do now?" Mina asked for the next instructions, to which Avery smiled.
"Set up another blind date for me."
"But he…" Mina was uncertain.
"I don't believe he has the time to ruin all my blind dates." Avery smiled evilly. If this was the game Damon was going to play, then she would play along.
…
Avery's speculation was somewhat accurate. Damon didn't have the time to wreck all her blind dates. She had tricked him by setting up two blind dates at the same time of the same night. As expected, the first candidate regretfully gave her a call to cancel it.
She smiled in amusement and finished dressing up. She wore a long, black dress that was backless. Putting on a chiffon scarf, she applied a drop of perfume onto her wrist and went to meet her second date.
When she arrived at the restaurant that they had agreed on, there was a man sitting at the table that the other party reserved.
It was a handsome man, with neatly styled hair and a sculpted face. He was wearing a black tux and looked slightly nervous. It was normal, considering Mina did not reveal the identity of the woman he was meeting, only giving a surname. He must be wondering what kind of woman she would turn out to be.
"Excuse me, is this seat occupied?" She deliberately teased him for some reason.
"I'm waiting for my date. Her surname is…" He paused when he took a good glance at the woman before him. Her beauty stunned him and it took a while for him to gather his words. "You are Avery Vaillant. Are you my date?"
"You figured. That's not fun at all." She chuckled lightly as he rushed to pull a chair for her.
"It was a guess, actually." He confessed. "You are the most beautiful woman I've seen today-despite watching a live runway show earlier-so I didn't dare to hope that it is you."
"You are quite the smooth talker, aren't you." She smiled. She wasn't repulsed as she thought. At least she had a positive first impression of him.
"I am not saying this merely to flatter you. Forgive my manners. I'm Ethan Smith." He introduced himself awkwardly when he realized that he had forgotten.
"Hello Ethan." Avery was indifferent and didn't offer her hand for a shake, merely placing her bag behind her on the chair.
"You are actually more beautiful in person than you are on the magazines and screens." He was too busy admiring her beauty to mind that she was ignoring him.
She placed her order and paid zero attention to his recommendations. Although he had not expected the flame of first love between him and his blind date, it still bothered him.
"I get the feeling that you're not really interested in me." He mildly commented.
"What if I'm not?" She neither admitted nor denied the claim.
"Then we can skip the getting to know each other better part. Why don't we just have a friendly dinner? As acquaintances." He was neither impatient nor rude after being turned down. "Who knows, we might also become business partners in the future."
"You have a point." She couldn't deny that he was indeed a potential business partner. She heard of The Smith Group before, and all their companies had been constantly gaining increased fame in the business field.
He smiled when he realized that she was no longer completely ignoring him. If they couldn't get together, he would appreciate a business partnership. "If this is not too personal, what are you looking for in a man?"
"If you are asking so you hook me up with your single brother or friend, I don't know." She joked. "Though I would like your opinion on post-marital matters."
"Post… marital?" He tried no to let his imagination run wild. What was she asking?
"How soon would you want children?" She asked more straightforwardly.
He cleared his throat. This was a normal question considering they were on a blind date. "Honestly? Never."
"What?" She frowned, almost losing all the good points she thought he had gathered in her mind.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate children." He quickly explained himself when he realized that she must have misunderstood him. "I just… can't have any of my own."
Her eyes slightly widened. "I'm sorry." It must be a painful topic to talk about.
"It's alright. I wasn't planning to hide it from you anyway. It would be much better for my blind date to know what she is getting into before it is too late, right?" He reassured her, then took in her smile. How could a woman have such a beautiful smile? It was so captivating that he almost put a piece of steak on his nose instead of his mouth. He gripped his fork and swallowed. "The point is, my future wife should be willing to adopt or do without kids. This is my most important condition."
"There are other ways… " She suggested, impressed that he didn't think of it as a weakness.
"Adoption is the only one that works for me." He insisted.
"What about your wealth?" She asked out of curiosity.
"If I adopt a child, it's only right to pass my properties down to them. After all, he will not only be my son in name. I will treat him as my own." he answered and she believed him. How sincere.
She turned when she felt paranoid about being watched, but she saw no one who knew her. Strange…
"Is everything okay?" He asked when she looked troubled.
"Yes, yes. What if your future wife has a child with another man?" She continued her conversation with him.
Behind her, Damon placed down the large menu he had used to cover his face when she darted her eyes in his direction.
He had found out about her other blind date and followed her. He didn't interrupt it because he guessed that the other party would be at a disadvantage. On the other hand, he knew that it would be the other man's unlucky evening since Avery was not in the slightest bit easy to please.
But how did it turn out to be a smooth talker? !
"During our marriage?" Ethan asked in response to her question about his wife having a child.
"No, before your marriage." She secretly wanted to know about his thoughts of kids like Angel.
However, he laughed. "Avery, Isn't it too much to hope for that? Women who have children from their previous marriage are usually less trusting of other men. But why are we talking about kids anyway? We have already decided that we are not each other's match." He suddenly looked sad.
" You lying piece of scumbag!" A punch suddenly assaulted his face.
" Excuse me? " Ethan was caught off guard.
"Damon? " Avery was even more shocked.
"Ethan, I can't believe you." Damon punched him yet again.
"I don't know you. What is wrong with you?" Ethan tried to fight back.
"I thought we were friends. How could you turn back and try to lure my ex-girlfriend—who I still love, by the way—into marrying you? Are you trying to steal my son?" Damon kneed him in the stomach.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" Ethan exploded into fury. A group of guards rushed over and separated them before their fist exchange could get out of hand.
Avery looked at the two men with furrowed eyebrows. Just what she needed.
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