chapter 9 : Mark

6 months later

It had been half a year since I started living with Mr. Lee. During this time, Isabel and I became really close friends in no time at all – we were now best friends.

Mr. Lee had left the country, and the last time I saw him was five months ago. He promised he'd be back within three and a half months, but it's been five months already.

I was really missing him and realized that being incredibly wealthy wasn't as simple as it seemed.

As for Ethan and Ray, Ray and I got even closer, although we were always quite close. However, Ethan and I still couldn't stand each other.

- "Hey Z, you can't study all day and night, you know."

- "Well, then what should I do?"

- "You should find a boyfriend, go on dates, spend time with your best friend which is me, and oh, don't forget to set me up with your brother."

- "Isa, be quiet, I'm trying to solve a math problem."

- "just listen to me for once! Take a break from your books and talk to me."

- "First off, I'm not really interested in having a boyfriend right now, maybe later. Secondly, I do hang out with you at school. And thirdly, Ethan is five years older than you, and you're only thirteen. A thing between you and him? Not a chance,"  I replied while working on math.

- "Ugh, fuck you"  she yelled, and I could totally picture her looking all pouty.

- "No way, that's kind of gross."

- "Oh, come on!"

Talking to Isabel on the phone felt like therapy to me. I cherished every moment we spent chatting.

- "Have you finished your revisions?"  Isabel asked.

- "Not yet. How about you?"

- "I'll start my revisions from tomorrow"

- "It must be amazing to have a brain like yours. You study just one week before the exam and still get good grades."

-:"I'm sure this time you'll grab the first spot, Z. You literally study around the clock."

- "I really hope so."

- "You will, okay? Miss Zoe."

- "Alright, I'm done with my math. I need to end the call now. It's time for me to study chemistry."

- "Okay, but don't stay up studying all night."

- "Even if I wanted to, you know I can't."

- "It must be really nice to have a caring older brother."

- "Alright, enough chit-chat. Time for us both to get back to studying," I said as I hung up.

i opened my chemistry book. from the past 6 months, all i did was study. the second semester would start after 1 week. was i scared? yes. i was super scared. scared to disappoint Mr Lee.

I heard a knock at the door. It was Ethan. Ugh, not again. "come in"  I reluctantly said.

He walked in and placed a basket on my desk. I glared at him, my eyes full of resentment.

"But the exams start next week, and I haven't finished revising yet,"  I protested, standing up.

"Put all your books in here,"  he instructed, brushing off my concerns as if I hadn't spoken.

I tried to reason, "But Ethan, the exams—"

"But Ethan, the exams—"

"Put. Your. Books. In. The. Basket."

"Please try to understand, I need more time to study,"  I said, my eyes almost welling up.

"It's almost midnight. You need to sleep. There's no need to study all night,"  he said in his cold tone

"But—"

"I'll count to five. Put them in. Five."

I looked down at the ground, tears filling my eyes. This wasn't new. For the past three months, he had taken my books away from me every night after midnight. But my exams were about to start, and I thought he wouldn't take my books this time. I was wrong. He was like a pure devil.

"two"  he raised his voice.

"okay"  I sighed, gathering all my books and placing them inside the basket.

He didn't say anything, just took the books and left. Ethan was just like my uncle—controlling. He had never hit me, not yet at least, but the fear that he might lingered in my mind.

I lay on my bed, clutching my pillow tightly as tears streamed down my face. "Why does he have to hate me this way? What have I ever done to him?   I never requested Mr. Lee to keep me here, so why?" 

I squeezed my pillow even tighter. "I can't stand him, I can't stand him, I hate him I hate him I hate him so much,"  I yelled out, my voice trailing off as I drifted into sleep.

"Don't take him away,"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine,"

"Please don't leave me,"

"I will..."

I woke up, drenched in sweat. "Not that dream again,"

I muttered, wiping away the perspiration from my face.

Wondering about the time, I checked the clock—it was 5 AM. "Oh no, I overslept,"  I exclaimed, hurriedly getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom. after having a fresh shower,

I sat in front of the mirror, I applied moisturizer to my face. Glancing at the clock once more, I saw that it was now 6 AM. Letting out a sigh, I left the room.

The pattern of him taking my books every night, followed by me crying myself to sleep, then experiencing that recurring nightmare, and finally waking up to sneak into Ethan's room to retrieve my books—it had all become a repetitive cycle. Strangely, there were moments when I found this sequence somewhat amusing, as if life was playing a peculiar joke on me.

4 days before my exam...

- "I don't get why everyone seems to like that jerk so much. I seriously can't stand him."

- "Oh, come on, don't talk nonsense about my future husband."

- "Fine then, consider this the end of our friendship. Goodbye."

- "Wait, wait, I'm sorry. What did he do this time?"

- "The usual stuff. Exams are just four days away, and he's making it impossible for me to study. That idiot even kicked me out of the house."

- "He actually kicked you out? Seriously?"

- "Well, he told me to come back after 7."

- "Relax, he might be planning a surprise for you, Z."

- "A surprise? Yeah, right,"  I said with an eye roll. Isabel burst into laughter.

"Him planning a surprise for me? Not a chance. He simply doesn't want me to study properly. He hates it when I study,"  I thought to myself. Frustrated, I kicked a rock while pouting.

I was wandering around a park near my home when I spotted a boy swinging on a swing. He seemed to be around my age, deeply engrossed in something.

Normally, I wouldn't approach strangers, but my curiosity got the better of me. I went closer to him and peeked at what had captured his attention. "wow"  I exclaimed when I saw a beautiful drawing.

It was breathtaking, and a single compliment wouldn't suffice. To truly do justice to the drawing, I felt I needed to shower him with compliments.

The boy quickly hid the drawing, so I sat on the swing beside him and asked, "Is that your drawing? Did you draw that?"

He looked shy but nodded in response. "wow"  I exclaimed, overflowing with excitement. "Did you really draw that? It's like a masterpiece!"

"I haven't finished it yet,"  he said, avoiding eye contact and looking away.

"Can I see your drawing book?"  I inquired, my excitement clear in my voice.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually allowed me to take a look at his collection of paintings.

I exclaimed, "Wow, you're really talented!"  I admired his drawings, amazed by how lifelike they appeared. Taking a closer look at the boy, I observed his appearance from head to toe.

He had brown hair and was of average height. Freckles adorned his face, adding to his attractive features. His lips had a natural pink hue. Every aspect of his appearance took my breath away, but what intrigued me the most were his eyes. With their vibrant green color, I felt like I could glimpse an entire enchanted forest just by looking into them.

"How old are you?"  I inquired.

"13"  he replied.

"oh same here"  I said.

curious, I asked, "What's your name? I'm Zoe."

"mark"  he responded.

"Which school do you go to?"  I asked.

"I'm not from around here," he said.

"I see"  I acknowledged.

As time passed, ten minutes felt like an eternity, filled with uncomfortable silence. I had been there for ten minutes, yet he only responded to the questions I asked without offering much else. Glancing at my phone, I noticed it was 7 o'clock.

"i have to go now"  I announced, standing up and looking at him. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground and softly murmured, "hmm" 

I didn't say anything more; it seemed like I might have been bothering him. So, I left, walking away in silence.

I pressed the doorbell, and Mr. Lewis opened the door with a welcoming smile. "Welcome home, Miss Zoe,"  he greeted. I returned his smile and entered the house.

Feeling hungry, I told him, "Mr. Lewis, I'm really hungry," my stomach making a hungry noise.

"Your big brother is preparing dinner. You can go to the kitchen; Mr. Ray is there too,"  he informed me. I hurried to the kitchen, a bit anxious. And indeed, there was Ethan, busy working on dinner preparations. I looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "you making dinner?"

Ethan turned his attention away briefly. He seemed to be adding some finishing touches to the dishes. As he placed the beautifully arranged plates on the dining table, he responded,  "yea sit down, its almost ready"

Ray, who was busy with his homework, reached out and held my hand, guiding me to sit next to him. He was focused on his studies, so I made sure not to disturb him. Ethan served our meals, instructing Ray, "Ray, put away your books and enjoy your meal."  Ray obediently closed his books and began eating. Both Ethan and Ray started their meals as well.

I hesitated, my gaze fixed on the plate of pasta before me. It appeared decent enough, but a nagging doubt crossed my mind – what if there was something harmful in it? Mr. Lee wasn't home, so there was a possibility Ethan had added something to my meal. Worries started flooding my mind: could I get sick from eating it? Could it even be dangerous?

Ethan noticed my hesitation and tried to reassure me, "You should eat it before it gets cold."

  I gave a hesitant nod, still contemplating. Summoning my courage, I picked up a spoon and glanced at both Ray and Ethan.

Taking a deep breath, I muttered to myself, "Here goes nothing," and took a bite.

To my surprise, it was delicious. I stared at Ethan in astonishment, my mouth agape. I had no idea he had such culinary skills. Our eyes met, and he gave me a warm smile. If I were someone else, I might have fallen for him, captivated by his charm. However, I knew better. I was aware he had a deceptive side; he was putting on a facade of kindness. I just couldn't figure out why he was pretending.

"Dad will arrive tomorrow,"  he informed me.

A realization dawned on me, "Ah, that explains why he's treating me decently... I was actually beginning to believe he had changed,"  I muttered under my breath. With that thought in mind, I began to eat.

The food turned out to be incredibly delicious, to the point that I found it hard to resist taking more bites.

Once I polished off my meal, I made my way to my study desk. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, the weight of pending studies urged me on. I reluctantly opened my physics book and glanced over at the basket nearby .

"I need to complete my physics study by midnight, before that annoying person takes my books away once more,".I said to myself with a sigh. Recalling our earlier conversation, I chuckled..

"Guess what? Jerks can actually whip up more than just chaos – turns out they've got some culinary tricks up their sleeves too!"

page 9