First crush

That man right there with a tall sturdy figure and luscious hair flowy like a horse's mane was Marcellus. Growing up, his amber eyes dazzled plenty of girls to the point of losing their minds. He smelt so good that whenever he stepped foot on the scene he would leave girls with a hypnotised appearance like they had been drugged or something.

Initially, Quinn didn't even notice him. From a distance, he looked like a haughty peacock flaunting his feathers. He would always smile at everyone with those pearly white teeth and every week there would be rumours about him with this girl or that girl.

Just one glance and you would know this young man was the very definition of trouble. Quinn naturally didn't pay attention to his existence.

That was until one day she came to school after being locked up with another boy twice her size. Her grandfather's instructions were simple. Knock him out in a fight and you will get to leave.

His purpose for this was simple. To run a criminal organisation she needed to be able to stand her ground. Fight or die was what he called it so one can only imagine the beating she got that night. Well, the other guy was definitely much worse than her but she was still injured.

The next day she managed to leave the room with non-fatal but painful injuries. Because she was still in pain she skipped class and settled behind the old gymnasium where the bad batch smoked.

Her hand rubbing her stomach she endured it like a cub licking her wounds that is until an unexpected person came over and crouched in front of her.

Yes, it was that peacock Marcellus and he was holding a bag of pain relievers, ointment and a panda-shaped flask. Because her grandfather wanted to make her tough she wasn't allowed to take anything to relieve her pain unless she couldn't walk.

Since she could walk and her ribs weren't cracked she was forced to endure it. But after seeing her mother after a long time she suddenly didn't want to bear it anymore.

Her emotional state was off balance and she just needed some comfort thus she accepted the help of a stranger. It seemed this haughty peacock was considerate after all.

Maybe it was at that moment that she had a crush on him. She couldn't understand it either but all she knew was that the lingering warmth from that day pulled her through some of the toughest times.

He didn't have to be told, he just recognised her pain and helped her. She never pursued him directly like with the other girls but she would be there whenever he needed her.

Looking at it now he was probably using her. Because of how wealthy her grandfather was she could get him anything he hinted at. If he said he liked a said brand she would get it for him for his birthday. If he wanted to eat something she would either go by himself or ask Liam to get it.

At the time she was chasing after the same feeling as that day. Other than her mother this was the only other person who had shown her affection and care.

This little crush of hers continued until the winter ball. She went with him like she wanted but the entire evening she wasn't so much as a date but a personal assistant.

All he had to say was jump and Quinn would ask how high. When she came back with his peach mocktail she stumbled upon a scene that shuttered her soul into a million pieces.

In the middle of the dance floor was Marcellus, her date, with her cousin dancing after being elected as Mr and Miss winter ball. Well, it was after all customary that they had this dance as part of the event so one should have at least given him the benefit of the doubt, right?

It was what happened next that nailed the last nail in the coffin. Ivy lowered her head shyly and took out a delicately wrapped box before saying,

"Senior Mars, I like you. Please accept my confession," in a soft tone her ears stained red with blood.

The entire group hall jeered them on as though cheering for a newly married couple. Quinn wouldn't have been surprised if they threw rice at them and blessed their marriage.

There it was, the perfect image of a handsome boy and a cute delicate girl falling in love early and making others envious. Even Quinn found it absurd that she actually thought she was a good enough suitor for this person.

Quinn turned to leave after that and didn't care to know what happened afterwards. What peeved him the most was that Marcellus knew how she felt. Anyway, she blamed herself for being stupid and letting him lead her on all because of one moment of kindness.

A few years down the line and here he was calling her cousin honey while familiarly calling her QQ.

And don't think little shrimp Ivy was innocent. Having such a terrible psychological shadow of what happened between their mothers she directly asked Ivy if she liked Marcellus and her answer then was a resolute no. She shyly lowered her head and said, "I don't like him at all."

Quinn's response was, "Good because I like him and I want to confess to him." Wasn't her question clear enough and Ivy's response crystal clear? After that incident, she gave up immediately.

She didn't want to suffer the same fate as her mother so she wisely moved right along. Seeing them together again brought back that scene but her heart was as black as ink. In other words, she didn't feel anything apart from a little annoyance.

Her mother knew she liked Marcellus and because of that her aunties also knew but she never explained in detail only that it ended badly. This was why Kaya reacted like this. She should have indeed checked everyone's horoscope before they left the house. Maybe they would have made better choices.