Saving the Villain

Cosette was mortified throughout the bus ride as she kept hearing whispers criticizing the youngsters nowadays. She wanted to defend all the youth they were stereotyping, but her tongue kept rolling back to her throat. In the end, she kept her head hung low until they reached their destination.

Not just her, but Luke and Maxen also kept quiet the entire ride. So, as soon as they left the bus from hell, Maxen cleared his throat.

"Your ride is here, right?" he looked around to search for any car that was parked, waiting for her like usual. "That's the one?"

Maxen pointed at the car parked several feet away from the shade they were standing under. It wasn't like the car that fetched her before, but Cosette's family owned several vehicles. Cosette snapped back from her trance and shook her head to keep her composure together.

She raised her head and gazed in the direction he was pointing at. "No?" she furrowed her brows and glanced at Maxen, only to see him avoiding her gaze.

"Maxen, I didn't tell Mister George to fetch me," she explained, but Maxen just rocked his head without looking at her. "Will you walk us home?"

"No."

"Heck!"

Maxen and Luke spoke at the same time, causing her to dart her eyes between them. Luke scrunched his nose and clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Cozie, it's already enough to let him ride with us. Why does he need to walk us back to your house?!" Luke gasped in disbelief, having enough of this 'love triangle.' He then jerked his chin at Maxen. "You. Can you read the mood? She's already near her home. You don't have to come with us."

Maxen frowned, but nodded in agreement. He didn't want to spend another second with Luke. It was already awkward as it was and he had also enough with that brat's whining. However, seeing Maxen's reaction, Cosette skipped a step and held his arms, making the latter freeze on the spot.

"Luke, why are you so mean at Maxen?" she asked almost innocently, looking at him with doe eyes. "Maxen said he will make sure I am safe. I feel unsafe around you."

"What?" Luke nearly choked. Did he fail to mention he was a black belter?

Cosette ignored Luke as she faced Maxen squarely, gripping his arm tightly. She flashed him with the most pitiful puppy eyes she could ever make to get his sympathy.

"Max, you don't trust Luke, right? He is rich and he might take me home! I cannot go with him all alone!" she exclaimed, rendering Luke speechless while Maxen's brain was overheating at her grip around his arm.

When Maxen recovered at the tug on his arm, his face crumpled as he pulled his arm away from her. A frown instantly dominated her face at the complicated expression in his eyes, as if she disgusts him.

"Don't --" his breath hitched before he cleared his throat to fix his stuttering. "Don't cling to me like that."

"Hey, Cozie! Why do you make me sound so bad, eh?! Also, he's right. Don't cling to this fatty --" Luke accidentally bit his tongue when Cosette glared at him.

"Luke." Her voice was oddly low, sending a chill down Luke's spine. Cosette huffed and clicked her tongue, a little upset that Luke had been harassing Maxen unprovoked. Even though she was glad Luke was quite lenient to Maxen than his usual savagery in the novel, enough was enough.

Luke was going too far.

But before Cosette could open her mouth to scold the heated Luke, a car suddenly stopped in front of them. She blinked twice, setting her eyes on the black sedan as the tinted window rolled down, revealing a dashing man in a suit sitting in the back passenger seat.

"Papa!" her face brightened up the second she recognized who was that handsome creature inside. Cosette jumped towards the door, bending over to flash Conrad a blinding sweet smile.

"What are you three doing here?" asked Conrad, glancing at the two young boys standing behind her and under the shade. Maxen, as usual, bowed, while Luke was too annoyed at something, barely greeted Conrad.

"We're on our way home." Cosette sighed as she frowned, not noticing her upset expression caused her father's eyes to darken.

"Then, get in." Conrad tipped his head without hearing why the three were idling here instead of walking home. Before Maxen could refuse, he continued.

"You three." His eyes glossed over the reluctant Maxen and the shocked Luke, his tone firm and commanding. "Get in. Don't make me repeat myself."

Cosette shivered at the coldness in her father's voice, eyes round. She only heaved a sigh of relief when he nodded at her encouragingly.

"But can we fit in?" she asked, knowing the four of them would fit in the back passenger seat if they squeezed into each other. Conrad wouldn't like that, right?

"Yes." Conrad nodded before setting his eyes on the person sitting in the front passenger seat. "Warren, do some stretching outside."

Warren, Conrad's executive assistant, was speechless as he glanced in the rear mirror. Seeing Conrad's poker face, not showing the slightest remorse for dropping him off to walk back to the Blac Residence, Warren looked back with a frown. But Conrad was unfazed, tipping his head to the door.

"I will ask someone to fetch you."

"Thank you, Mister Warren." Cosette smiled mischievously before hitching inside and joining her father. Warren's frown grew deeper and simply dragged his feet out of the car.

"Boss..." Warren sighed deeply as he looked back inside, only to see the father and daughter duo, not caring about him. "Who am I to complain? I'm just an assistant."

Warren was mumbling before he noticed the two young teens standing under the shade. Another deep exhale slipped past his lips before he sported a polite smile.

"Second Young Master Quinn, please get in." He motioned his arm as if his sacrifice was his own idea, shifting his eyes at Maxen. "Sir Cloven?"

"Geez!" Luke stomped his feet after casting Maxen a glare, riding inside the back passenger seat as he wouldn't let Maxen taint even Conrad. As he did so, Warren furrowed his brows but was not surprised at the explosive mood of the second young master of the Quinn family.

Luke was notorious for his temperament. The reason people usually compared him to his older brother since Asher was very mature at his age — just like how Cosette was in the past. So, Warren didn't dwell on it as he shifted his focus on Maxen to make sure he was alright.

"Sir Cloven?" he called warmly, watching Maxen return his gaze. "You can sit in the front."

Warren heard Maxen's quiet sigh before the latter nodded. "Thank you," came out a muffled appreciation before he marched and hitched inside the front passenger seat.

Warren stood on the sidewalk while the window rolled up, and then they sped away. He kept his eyes on the speeding car, tilting his head to the side.

"I think... I know why Miss Cozie was a little upset." He nodded, grazing his chin, as it was obvious. Luke and Maxen didn't get along, but both of them were her friends.

"Oh, youth..." he chuckled, completely forgetting his own circumstance. "Well, we can't help it. Our young miss is beautiful and captivating. That's why our dearest boss is being bombarded with marriage proposals for his daughter. I think even Mister Quinn brought this up last night — was he rooting for the second young master for our young miss?"

Warren laughed, recalling how Conrad refused tons of marriage proposals from other families who were interested in his daughter. But his excitement was short-lived when a honk reminded him he didn't have a ride.

His face instantly contorted. "Aish..." he huffed as he planted his hands on his hips. Knowing Conrad, he would surely let Warren take a taxi instead.

"If not for friendship, I would've resigned long ago."

*********

[ Blac Residence ]

When Conrad, Cosette, and Luke hitched outside the car, Conrad and Cosette turned their attention to the person leaving the front passenger seat. Maxen bowed slightly before raising his eyes directly at Conrad.

"I will be on my way, Sir." Maxen kept his brave front under Conrad's gaze. "I only planned to walk her home safely."

"Do you have any arrangements for today?" asked Conrad with his cool voice, but before Maxen could answer, Cosette chimed in.

"Max, can you stay here? You said you don't have any more part-time today." Her request brought this deep frown on Luke, making him pray Maxen could read the air and leave them alone. He needed some time alone with Cosette!

Maxen secretly clenched his teeth. "I need to --"

"Stay here for a while, Mister Cloven. I actually need to talk to you regarding something," Conrad urged, which sounded more like a command. "That convenience store will stay close... until I say so."

"Huh?"

Conrad didn't have much reaction as he faced Cosette. "Let's head inside Cozie." His eyes then slid at Maxen once more and spoke in a commanding tone. "Mister Cloven, come inside."

"Uh... yes... sir."

With that being said, Cosette smiled subtly as she linked her arms around Conrad. Maxen followed closely behind, tilting his head as it baffled him how her father knew about the convenience store.

Meanwhile, as the three of them were walking on the step-up of the mansion, Luke darted his eyes and pointed at himself.

"What about me?" he wondered, feeling that Conrad was purposely ignoring him and Cosette was very upset with him. "Won't they ask me to come?"