NOT A CHAPTER : HER BEAUTY WITHIN

A LOT OF YOU HAVE ASKED FOR THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY. I AM SORRY BUT IT IS NO LONGER ON LIGHTREADER, IT HAS BEEN PUT ON WEBNOVEL. ALSO A READING APP. BUT COMING SOON TO LIGHTREADER. HOPE YOU'D ENJOY THIS AS WELL. IT'S A NICE MORAL TEACHING NOVEL.

FIRST TWO CHAPTERS.

PROLOGUE : A youthful silhouette sat on the paling of the bridge as she gazed at the river. It was the onset of dawn so there vastly weren't cars passing. Perhaps she was fragile that she was barely seen. The few who saw her back just seized a subtle look before alienating her. The young girl was caressing the locket around her neck. Sometimes, she would try to wipe her tears from falling but as it is, it was of no use and sometimes, she would bite her lower lip.

'They all hate me...no body wants me anymore. Why? Am I at fault for being fat or ugly or even useless? I just needed support but none of them could give me '

Throwing limited gravel at the stream, she raised her hand to the sky, her chubby face frowned. The sky had grown dark and droplets of rain were receding.

'Even the weather is unpredictable, why am I then judged?' She felt even more depressed. Her chubby hands dropped.

'Tomorrow is my graduation...a day which was to become spirited would turn outrageous for me soon. I wish I wasn't graduating...so ironic' She sighed.

The rain started with little droplets of water but as time went by, they fell more gradually until a storm formed.

Like every human, when the rain starts they leave to get cover but she stayed. Her eyes looked around but she took a deep breath to get the courage to do what she came there for. 

'Grandfather I am sorry but I don't think I can take the insults any longer. Bye,' She mused and jerked herself to the ocean.

.......................................

On the other side of the road.

Inside an enormous jeep, a man in the driver's seat was closely observing the girl. His grey eyes exacerbated every time her shoulders dropped. He knew she was crying her eyes out and that made him disturbed. At first, he had wanted to leave his car and attended to her but he was scared. Scared she would run away from him.

His hold on the wheels tightened. His heart hurt from that scene. He felt angry at himself for just observing her from the back. What was the point of his love if he wasn't going to show it? It pained him so much that he wished he could hunt down those people that made her that way.

But just watching her was the best. He didn't wish to show himself. He felt his phone ring, and looking at the caller, he grimaced.

'Why is he calling me?'

Annoyed, he pressed the end button. The phone continued to ring until he picked up.

"Can't you see I have no time to talk to you?" His deep masculine voice suppressed the caller. But the caller took a deep breath and still said "Looking at her won't do anything, instead you will be weeping over her dead body...she is about to jump"

The cold man froze, he noticed that the rain was plummeting but he didn't see the girl. Thinking she had lunged, his entire entity dropped. Fear. That emotion squeezed him.

'She can't leave me'

He hurriedly descended from the car and ran as fast towards the bridge. His heart was busy beating so fast. But when he didn't see her shadow, he felt shattered.

'Did she jump?'

He took slow steps towards the bridge and looked down. He glanced around for her struggling to live under the water but didn't find anything. The water was calm. He staggered towards a pole and sighed.

"She didn't jump, that is great but....wait where is she then?"

"Help me...anyone, I don't want to die please...grandfather..." The loud cry of a girl penetrated his ear. He followed the voice to see the girl brandishing the bridge branch connecting to the water for her dear life.

As if a burden had left his shoulder, he blinked at the girl and shook his head.

"Help please"

"And what are you shouting for help? Didn't you want to end your life?" He said coldly making the girl stare at him. Her lips pouted in defeat.

"I made a mistake, please help me...I don't want to die anymore...I am scared" She whimpered.

"And why should I help you? If I do, what do I get in return?" He smirked.

Willow blinked her brown eyes at him in disbelief. But she was really scared of dying.

"Anything, you can ask for anything but please help me...there must be sharks in there" She pointed at the river and moaned "Help me please"

The man wanted to laugh at her stupid reasoning but he still maintained his cold demeanour. He stepped closer and took his hand down to help her up. Willow, immediately grabbed his hand with her eyes closed until the man helped her back to the bridge.

Finally touching the ground, she hugged the man tightly.

Ethan stopped. He looked down at the chubby girl and glowed. His heart was beating fast as she embraced him. He wanted to return the hug but he thought not to.

"Little girl, you are safe now"

Willow shook her head and began crying in his chest "I didn't want to do it but they forced me...they don't love me...I wish you are a cupid who can grant me my wish" She sniffed.

Ethan couldn't hold it in anymore and chuckle. He slowly took his hand up and put it on her hair. Shortly, he began stroking them.

"Can I ask what I want in return?" He enquired. Willow left his embrace and sniffed. She looked at the man with wide eyes. Why was he so handsome? Now she had dirtied him.

Ethan never stopped touching her hair and since he was so much taller than her, he used that as an advantage. Willow hated people touching her hair and even at that moment, she slapped his hand and frowned.

'Don't touch my hair' She scolded.

Ethan didn't take her behaviour to act as he grinned "How could you be so ungrateful to your saviour? Too bad"

"I...I am sorry" She lowered her head and bit her lower lips. Ethan smiled. He took his slender index finger towards her chin and grabbed it. Willow blinked her brown eyes at him. She was confused at the man's behaviour towards her.

She was ugly and unwanted but why didn't he feel disgusted. This was the second person to stare at her with affection. First was her grandfather who loved her more than anything.

Ethan became serious as he pinched her cheeks "Anything...you will grant me anything huh? What if what I want is...you?"

"Uh"

"Right now I want to kiss your lips, can I?" He lowered his gaze to her crispy heart-shaped lips. Willow narrowed her brows in shock.

"W...what do you mean? I am ugly and dirty and useless...you can't be serious...don't you see that I am fat? And if you are just joking with me... I don't like it".

Under the rain, Ethan unbuttoned his suit. He wrapped it around the woman and took her to his car. 

Inside the car, there was silence between the two. Willow looked outside the window with a conflicted feeling.

What did he mean by he wants me? Look at me, I am so ugly and fat. Why would he want me? That's absurd.

`````````````````````

SECOND CHAPTER.

HER GRADUATION : Everyone had arrived at the event. The graduating students sat in their respective seats. The girls flaunted their adorning dresses while the boys their tuxedoes.

Amongst the crowd, a chubby girl sat alone in the third row. No one wanted to sit in her vicinity. Even her fake friends had ditched her and said she was too ugly to behold. The chubby girl looked around before accepting defeat by lowering, her head to the floor. 

'You are used to this, Willow. Don't break down' She ascertained and comforted herself but the pain and hurt were still there. Fiddling with her fingers, she evolved nervously when the party commenced.

"Is this seat free?"

She moderately tilted her face to the familiar voice. Her heart shuddered when she saw the person. She instantly shook her head but the person smiled and sat on the seat next to her. 

"The seat is not free, please don't sit close to me...i...i" She panicked.

A pair of hazel eyes was candidly checking her out. He adjusted his outfit and relaxed in his seat.

"Frightened of being insulted, downgraded or humiliated? Aren't I fit to sit next to you, hmmm?" Willow felt the guy was behaving bizarrely. She didn't bother to reply to his questions and looked away but the minute that happened, her body was shaking from fear when she felt all sorts of eyes on her.

Envy, jealousy and resentment.

After all, who didn't know the guy sitting beside her? He was one of the most popular people in school. How can she, a nobody be able to sit close to him? When she thought the third roll was all going to include just her, the strange guy just had to show up.

"You must be Willow right? Hi, I am Aiden...nice to meet you" The hazel eyes brought his hand forward for a handshake

From behind, gasps of dubiety were heard. And shortly, murmurs filled the air.

"Why do you think Aiden sat beside her? And he is introducing himself...you've got to be kidding me"

"She is so dirty for my Aiden. I can't believe he sat with her. She is very filthy, unattractive and fat...ewwwww Aiden, get away from her"

"She is such a jinx, her family doesn't want her as well. Too bad"

Willow calmed her boiling heart from those nasty words. She unexpectedly felt vexation gush through her from the accusations. Did she tell the crazy man to sit next to her? Did she call anyone? No!!! Why then were they trying to drive her insane by pointing fingers at her?.

She glanced at the stupid Aiden and stared angrily at him. The foolish guy flashed her a smile and that made her more frustrated and annoyed.

"Get the hell out of here" She yelled at him, clenching on her dress, her eyes burning from pure rage. She herself didn't understand why all of a sudden, she was angry in the first place. Shouldn't she be crying her eyes out by now? She was probably tired of wasting her precious tears for people who didn't deserve it.

She agrees, she is fat, ugly and unclean...so what? It was her life.

"Look at her, yelling at our Aiden, who exactly does she think she is? Such a failure" A blonde girl hissed. Another girl who looked just like her but was a brunette hummed as she agreed to her twin sister's words. She muttered "Showing such attitude to him, does she think she is compared to him? To hell with her"

The two sisters laughed mockingly at her.

Willow gritted her teeth and bit on her lower lip out of habit, to calm herself. The guy beside her was enjoying the drama. He wanted to see if she would defend herself or run away crying as always. He just hoped she would do as expected.

The sisters weren't done, as they continued to say hurtful things to her.

"She is someone who doesn't deserve any love...who is she anyway?"The brunette hissed.

"I know right? All she does is to eat eat and eat and then get uglier...so unclean" The blonde snickered.

'Now, that's it' Willow frowned. The others in the room followed her as she got up from her seat and slapped the blonde twin hard across the face. The hit was very thunderous that it got the attentiveness of the people.

"Oh my God, did Brianna just get slapped and by that nobody?"

Aides paused in his seat. Though he expected her to defend herself but not that way. Man, she can be dangerous too.

The blonde girl became furious after being slapped. She raised her hand to return the slap but Willow caught it in time. Rather, she gave her another heated slap.

"..."

"The fuck do you think you are doing?"The brunette pushed to the limit to fight for her sister but by contrast, she got a taste of her own medicine. Willow used her closeness as an advantage to hold her hair and trudged on them prompting the brunette to begin howling in agony.

The security and teachers went forth in anxiety to curb the quarrel.

"Agggh you bitch, let me go" The brunette screamed.

Aiden crossed his legs as he watched the drama with admiration in his eyes. At that moment, the gullible Willow was gone and she didn't plan to leave the brunette's hair. Her scalp was aching that she could not help but hurl loud in anguish.

"Let her go right now, you ugly jinx"

*PAH*

The blonde was slapped for the third time, tears streamed out of her eyes from the pain.

"Miss Qing, let her go this minute" A teacher decried but Willow shook her head and inflicted more pain on the brunette's hair. 

'She was bullied, so how will she let it go...it wasn't unfair'

"If you don't, you will be thrown out of here and won't graduate" Hearing that, Willow reluctantly released her hand but before that, she gave the brunette a befitting slap and sat back down as if nothing happened.

'This girl...acting innocent after that brutal beating' Aiden mused to himself, he glanced at her but his look was repaid with a cold glare. Clearing his throat, he looked away and smiled. 

The teacher inquired about the incident, and they explained but nothing was taken into action because the girls did deserve it. The twins left the place in anger but that didn't stop the joyous occasion from proceeding.

As time went by, the names of graduating students were called. Finally, it was time to call the first runner-up and overall best graduating student.

"The first runner but for graduating students is...Mr Johnson" Aiden expected his name to be called but not as the first runner up but the overall. If he was the runner-up, who then was....? He stole a glance at the chubby girl beside him and frowned.

She finally beat me. How smart!!.

Shrugging off, he stood up from his seat and fixed his outfit before going down to collect his certificate. As he went up the stage, thunders of claps filled the room.

"Congratulations to you, Mr Johnson" The principal shook his hand. Aiden faked a smile as he stared at the camera but deep inside, his gaze was on the chubby girl. His lips curled upward when he saw her nervous state.

Brother really did fall for this timid girl? How?.

...........................................

"Now the moment we have all been waiting for....the best graduating student...goes to....."

The expectant graduates waited eagerly for the name to be announced. They were quite shocked to know someone had beat the 'Almighty Aiden'. Feeling more curious, they waited patiently for the name to be called.

Aiden leaned closer to Willow and teased "Guess who it is? I am sure you never thought of such a person"

Willow pretended she had not heard his words as she was also waiting for the name. If her name wasn't called, doesn't that mean she didn't graduate? If that was the case, she would be heartbroken. But it is not possible, right? She read really well and was sure she did pass.

"Congratulations Miss Qing, you are the best graduating student...come down in grace and get your certificate" The principal flashed her a sweet certain smile.

"Eeeew"

"The hell"

"Shit, she passed Aiden" were the words the graduates blurted as disbelief, shock and whatever emotion to describe what was written on their faces. They didn't believe it. How did she pass? Didn't she always fail?.

"I told you, didn't I?" Aides whispered inside her ear. Willow had stiffened when her name was announced. She felt scared, nervous and happy. Very happy. Lifting herself for the seat, she carried her chubby body to the stage.

The students began laughing over her body.

"Such a loser...maybe she used tricks to get good marks, who knows?"

"True'

Aiden fisted his hands. His elder brother put him in charge of caring for his future sister-in-law. Hearing awful words against her is like hearing those words against his brother. He cherished his brother a lot. Now they were beginning to irk him.

With his aloof voice, he cried "I'd advise you all to shut up and don't offend me" His cold threatening sentence made the whole place deadpanned.

Meanwhile, back on the stage. The principal shook Willow's palm "Congratulation...you have done well, girl" The middle-aged woman patted her back.

Willow collected her certificate and trophy and bowed her head. Tears compiled on her face...she went towards the mic to say her speech.

"All I can say is thank you to the never-ending support of my grandfather and late father. Papa, I will do more for you...I will make you proud. I promise"

After that, she left the stage.

From the moment she went up the stage, not a single clap sounded but after her emotional speech, two people clapped. One from the principal. The graduates glanced at the other person and to their surprise it was Aiden. Out of fear, they forced themselves to clap and cheer for her. Willow sobbed even more and formed a smile.

'I will surely make you proud of me, Papa' She made that promise in her heart and her eyes flashed with determination and honesty.

.................................................................