Saving the Villain

After they did grocery shopping, buying ingredients, cooking books, and everything that was on her to-buy list, Cosette decided they should eat out together. It was still early for them to go home, and it was the perfect time for her to bond with Conrad.

"Papa, can we have ice cream?" she asked while walking beside Conrad, who was pushing the cart that had the things they bought.

"Mhm."

The side of her lips curled up as she squeezed herself beside him, pushing the cart together. "We're like having a date. It's fun, right?!"

"Mhm." Conrad hummed as he glanced at her, seeing her look ahead. His eyes softened, as he never thought there would be a day they would go out together as father and daughter.

He was happy.

'I think her new school is helping her,' He thought approvingly because when she transferred, Cosette had been surprising him every day. He may have second thoughts when he agreed for her to transfer into that kind of school, but his daughter was never been this happy.

It didn't matter to him if she graduated into a public school as long as she was happy. Cosette had proven herself at a young age and she was already exceptional. So, it doesn't matter if the school she would graduate from wasn't the best school in the country because her talent, intelligence, and capabilities were more than enough to be the next head of the family.

'As long as she is happy,' he thought as a sigh of relief slipped past his lips. 'Sophia… can you see how our daughter has grown?'

****

As planned, Cosette and Conrad headed to the coffee shop of her choosing.

"No, just sit there and relax. I got it!" Cosette planted her palms on her father's shoulder for him to sit down. "Wait for me here, alright?"

Conrad wanted to stop her, but she already dashed away to the cashier. He chuckled helplessly, shaking his head as she kept insisting she would order some snacks for them.

"How cute," he muttered while leaning back, gazing at the cart beside their table. "To think we all had those ingredients at home…" but he didn't think it was a waste of money. He would throw away all ingredients in their home so the two of them could do grocery shopping more often.

It was nice if they would do this frequently.

Meanwhile, Cosette looked up at the menu above the counter as she chose which was a good ice cream her father would like. There was so much to choose from, giving her a slight headache as the names sounded fancy.

"One semifreddo, please."

Cosette's eyes dilated as she heard a familiar voice she would never forget. Her eyes shifted towards the counter, landing at the towering young man standing in front of the cashier.

'Asher?!' Her heart suddenly thumped against her chest loudly, covering her lips as she didn't expect to bump into the male lead as if this wasn't a world of a novel. 'Oh gosh! Is this my lucky day?!'

Inflamed by the determination to make use of this opportunity, Cosette rushed towards the cashier. She leaned her arms against the counter, standing on the toes, lips stretched from ear to ear as she faced the handsome Ashen.

"I'll get two of what he got." She raised two fingers at the cashier as the latter handed the receipt to Asher. The cashier nodded. Cosette smiled at Asher when he gazed at her.

"Hello," she greeted with the same smile, but Asher just raised a brow and didn't say a word. Instead, he walked away to the waiting area where his order would be served.

'Of course, he will not recognize me. We just met one time, and it was brief!' she clicked her tongue, paying the cashier with her card before rushing to the waiting area for her order.

Asher was just standing there with his hands inside his pockets. He glanced at her when she stepped inside his vicinity but ignored her purposely. He knew this young lady. Although they've only met once, he could remember her as she left quite a strange impression on him.

"Do you also like ice cream?" she asked after a minute of silence, gazing up at him curiously hands interlaced behind her.

He pondered whether to ignore her or answer her, but looking at her curious eyes, he decided to answer. "Sometimes."

"Ohh…" Cosette rocked her head, thinking of other things to keep the conversation going. "I like ice cream."

Asher kept his poker face, as he didn't actually care if she liked it or not. Cosette pouted as she already knew the male lead in the story wasn't much of a talker. Why do all male characters in here are men of few words?!

'It's been a while since I've seen the male lead. What a shame that I transferred school and can only stalk Maxen. But well, it's not like Asher is unhappy with his life. I'm very sure with or without my help, he will have a bright future.' Cosette sighed as she watched Asher take the tray of his order.

"Bye." She waved at him as he carried the tray.

He just gave her a side-eye and said nothing before walking away. Having people talk to him out of nowhere was not surprising to him. So, Cosette's action wasn't anything special that he could ignore like usual.

But as he walked away, he looked back to see her smile at the staff giving her the tray. It seemed she didn't take his cold treatment to the heart. So he proceeded to sit at the corner table to enjoy his ice cream.

As he sat down, he caught her figure rushing to a certain table. As soon as he caught the person she was with, his eyes narrowed.

'Conrad Blac,' he thought as he was well-versed on the remarkable businessmen since he was an heir to the Quinn family. 'I heard he had a daughter and… that's her?'

Asher narrowed his eyes as he watched the father and daughter duo. He had met Conrad in one of their business meetings when his father took him to meet their business associates. He had also heard about the perfect Cosette Blac. Well, who hadn't heard of the Blac Family in the upper echelon?

"Now that I think about it, I didn't see her name on the list on the previous exam result," he thought, recalling that Cosette's name that would usually be at the top of the list every exam was gone last exams.

"That's weird," he muttered, observing Conrad and Cosette. "I heard they didn't have a good relationship, but I guess it's mere hearsay."

Asher had heard a lot of people in the high society, although he rarely dwells on them. The only reason he was particularly inclined about the Blac was that Cosette's name would always turn up in important events and Conrad's success in the business industry. Not to mention, many people had told him she was like the female version of him; intelligent, responsible, and aloof.

Asher and Cosette were somehow — without their knowledge — became the model for elites their age.

He wouldn't deny the first two, considering she had been a top student in the academy, just like him. But aloof? They only met twice, but he could tell she was far from being aloof.

"People always exaggerate things," he mumbled and shook his head, chuckling in ridicule. "And to think I saw her as a rival… ridiculous."

Although Asher only knew her by name, the competitive part of him wanted to defeat her in every aspect. She had held the number one spot in her entire class, and he didn't want to be number two in his.

Who would have thought that the strange girl he met in the corridor and the one who copied his order now was the same girl he saw as competition without her knowledge?

"But why is her name not on the top list the last exam, though?" he wondered in a low tone, intrigued by what actually happened.