Saving the Villain

"Cozie, are you angry with me?"

Cosette kept her eyes on the pool with her arms crossed. After they entered the mansion, Conrad told her he would need to discuss something important with Maxen. Therefore, here she was in the pool area, sitting on one of the lounge chairs while Luke sat on the one beside her.

He was sitting on the edge, facing her squarely. A frown was reigning over his face, as she had been silent and barely spoken a word with him.

"Cozie..." he trailed off when she returned his gaze. "Did I do something wrong?"

A quiet sigh escaped her mouth as she flung her legs out of the lounge chair to his side and faced him.

"Luke, I'm not angry with you. I'm just... upset and a little worried," she confessed, and let out another sigh. "I know you want to be my friend and I appreciate you making time to hang out with me. But... Maxen is my dearest friend. I'm not telling you to like him or befriend him — although that would be nice."

Cosette huffed faintly as she looked him straight in the eye. "All I'm saying is, if you want to be my friend, you have to be a little nicer or lenient towards my friends. I know you had nothing to do with Maxen and his life, but being a little kinder won't harm anyone." She clasped her hands on her lap, not taking her eyes off of him.

"I know you are a good person and absolutely sincere, but Maxen is very important to me." — she was doing this for everyone's sake too!

If Maxen turned into a villain, not only Mia and Asher would be in jeopardy, but also Luke! He would die, for Pete's sake! But honestly, although that was Cosette's initial plan, her heart slightly changed. A huge part of her was still thinking about the original plot of the novel.

However, another part of her was doing all this solely for Maxen. He was kind and considerate and sometimes... warm. The more she spent time with Maxen, the more she realized Maxen wasn't as scary as to how he was portrayed in the novel. He wasn't a menace or as crazy or as unreasonable.

Maxen... was just like everybody else.

He was just like everyone who had their hands outstretched, waiting for someone to take it and pull him up from falling into the abyss. He was just like anyone who needed mercy, warmth, and just someone who would be there for him.

Hence, if Luke would only do damage to Maxen, even if she sincerely liked Luke, she wouldn't consider hanging out with the two of them present. That also meant she would spend less time with Luke if she must since her priority was Maxen. Bias others may call it, but Cosette had already decided long ago and she would keep her promise.

"I see..." Luke rocked his head as he pursed his lips, seeing the thousand unspoken emotions gleaming in her eyes. He may be a little spoiled and hot-tempered, but Luke could read the sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cozie," he whispered and frowned. "I didn't mean to make you sad. It's just... you seem to like him when I'm courting you."

"You said you want to be my friend. I didn't know this is what you call courtship."

"I like you..."

Cosette blinked, convinced Luke's feelings weren't that deep, and she was correct. He was someone who would go for something head-on with little plan or didn't think much about it.

"Luke, if you're pursuing me, then my answer is a no," she denied him after a minute of silence, watching his frown grow deeper.

"Why? Is this because of that guy?!"

She shook her head. "My answer has nothing to do with Max. I don't plan on dating anyone. Not now or in the future." She sighed and smacked her lips, not feeling anything in particular about this strange love confession that was one of the major highlights of any novel.

"Right now, all I can think of is enjoying my time in here. I'm still too young for romantic relationships." Cosette raised her head and smiled subtly. "I want to focus on my life, the memories I create, my family, and friends. Was that a bad thing?"

Luke remained silent, staring at her sweet smile while hearing his heart beat in his ear. "Will you marry me?" he blurted out, causing her to scrunch her nose up.

"Luke, are you even listening?" she asked in dismay.

"Mhm. It's just that I always get stunned whenever you smile like that." He laughed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "It's okay. The second rejection isn't as painful as the first one. Hehe..."

"Luke..." Her eyes fell soft before she chuckled in disbelief. He took her rejection quite well — as expected.

"But anyway, I know what I want now." Luke reclined with his palms on the lounge chair, eyes on her, lips stretched from ear to ear.

"What you want?" she tilted her head to the side, thinking that was quick of him.

Luke nodded and his closed lips stretched even broader. "I don't want to see you frowning, especially because of me... and I will try and try until I succeed."

"..." The first one nearly moved her heart, but the next sabotaged it entirely.

"I don't give up on things once I set my mind to it." He grinned playfully. "And I'm not losing to that guy!"

"Maxen has a name."

"But he never even called my name even once!"

"Because you keep calling him names."

"I introduced myself to him and he just ignored me. Have you forgotten?"

"Your introduction is more like an intimidation, duh?"

"Cozie, that's how men introduced themselves!"

"Luke, just what sort of men are you hanging out with?"

While Cosette and Luke bickered in the pool area of the Blac residence, Maxen and Conrad, in the latter's study room, were utterly silent.

This wasn't the first time Maxen was in this room and sat on the same couch. And this was definitely not the first one he watched Conrad settle on the one-seater armchair after unbuttoning his blazer suit.

"Sir." But this was definitely the first time Maxen would break the silence between them. "I know you're a busy man, so I won't beat around the bush. How do you know where I work?"

Conrad leaned back comfortably, raising his leg to rest over the other. "I knew all the places you worked, Mister Cloven."

"What?"

"I didn't plan on telling you since you might think I am invading your private life. However, after my daughter introduced you to me, I had to do my own digging." A frown instantly resurfaced on Maxen's face at Conrad's explanation.

How could Conrad do a background check on him? It was not like he didn't have the power, and not that Maxen couldn't understand his worries. However, just the thought of someone knowing his entire life... left a bitter taste in Maxen's mouth. He didn't like the idea.

A quiet sigh slipped past Conrad's lips. "This is why I didn't plan on telling you since no one like someone else taking a peek in their life," he admitted in a low tone, tapping his fingertips on the armrest. "My apologies."

"Sir... didn't you say what I did in the past or my status doesn't matter to you?" asked Maxen as he lowered his eyes, a little betrayed as it seemed Conrad didn't dwell in his history back then because he already planned on doing a background check on him.

"And I still stand on that." Conrad waited for the young man to raise his head before he continued, "Mister Cloven, I still don't care about which family you came from or how tragic your life had been. I am a man who doesn't dwell in the past, but in the future — not even in the present. Well, now that changed a little since I liked my life in the present."

His eyes fell soft as a subtle smile appeared on his face. "The only reason I did a background check is that... Cosette had been thinking of applying for a part-time job."

"Huh?"

Conrad nodded. "My daughter used to help in our company, but she didn't ask to have any position in the company. Instead, she wanted to apply for a cashier position at a convenience store. When I asked her; 'why?' she told me you were working multiple part times." He paused as his expression gradually turned somber, with eyes growing sharper by the second.

"Mister Cloven, having one part-time for a student is already illegal, but multiple ones for your age... I was concerned," he expressed, thinking about all the details from Maxen's profile. It was a lie that Conrad didn't care — he does. Especially after reading Maxen's biography.

"That's why I asked you to come with me since I had an offer to give you," he added, not beating around the bush, eyes on Maxen. "I am risking a lawsuit here, but work for me."