Chapter 38

"Is there a reason why I can't go out with a D'aboville?" She asked, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Amelia shot her a glare. "There is a huge problem."

"What problem?"

"Avery, don't be stubborn. Now, change out of those slutty clothes and do your homework or something. Stay away from that family at all cost." She dismissively waved her off.

It was unexpected but to her surprise, Avery chuckled and remained in the same position. "No."

"What did you say?" Screeched Amelia who had never been told no by her daughter.

"I said no. I am not going to do something just because you said it. First of all, mother, I have every right to have friends and go out with them when I want to. I'm not doing anything wrong."

"You are under my roof and…"

"And I will not be for a day longer if this house turns into a cage. What do you think I am, a bird?" She interrupted her mother. She knew that she was being rude but she couldn't stand it. The family had always thought of her as a prisoner instead of a daughter.

"Secondly, I will wear whatever I want as long as I'm comfortable in it. At least these slutty clothes fit me more than the ones you have been buying. You don't even know my height!"

"Avery!" Bryce roared.

"And mother, I will go out with the president if I want to. I don't care what you have against the D'aboville family, I was not there when the feud started and I will not let it define my life either."

A slap landed on her face from Bryce.

She held her cheek and glared back at him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Avery. You are our daughter and it has never been your turn to lecture us." Before she could say a word, she was pushed back into her room. She was no match for two men, so they locked the door before she could fight back. The assholes!

They had said that they would not send her any food—not that she was ever expecting them to. Starving her because she had apparently defied their will was not new. The last time, after starving her for an entire day and night, they had made her clean the entire mansion on an empty stomach before she was allowed to cook her own food—all because she had expressed her dissatisfaction about the university they had selected for her.

But she was not going to let them have it their way this time.

She glanced at her window. They probably thought she was too scared to scale walls and jump through windows. She was in the past, but not anymore.

…

"Perhaps I acted out of anger. I wasn't thinking straight." She berated herself when she arrived at Damon's apartment complex. She would have to go back home later and obviously, her parents would make her pay the price for sneaking out.

Damon opened the door just as she raised her hand to ring the doorbell.

"Uh… hi." She was nervous.

"You look beautiful." He remarked. He had said it a million times already but seeing his expression, he definitely meant it.

"Thank you." She stepped into the house when he stood aside to make way.

She smelt his cologne when she brushed past him. It wasn't as if she was new to his smell but it felt hypnotic this time, and she would have taken another sniff if that wouldn't be creepy.

He had already set up the living room for a movie—a fluffy mat on the floor with large throw pillows and a mega basket of popcorn. It was a simple set up and she liked it.

"What are you in the mood for?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. She could tell that he was nervous. Why was he nervous?

"I don't know. Pizza?" She gave a random suggestion.

"Okay." He placed the order and took his place on the mat. She sat beside him. The mat was not too big so they were suddenly sitting closer than they ever had. She couldn't help grabbing a fistful of her throw pillow uneasily.

He played the movie which he would pause once their pizza arrived. For the first few minutes, she couldn't make head or tail of the movie as her mind was filled with whatever would happen if her parents realized that she was gone.

"Is everything alright?" He asked when he saw how restless she was.

She wanted to say that she was okay but she wasn't. Instead, she blurted out what had happened. He must have a superpower that made her comfortable enough to talk about her insecurities with him no matter what they were.

In response, he held her hand. "Then you had every right to sneak out. I'll be sure to sneak you back in safely but do you know what should happen before that?"

"What?"

"Let's make the time worth it." He winked.

"Yes." She looked at him for a while. He didn't look away even as she smiled awkwardly and before her mind could process it, she moved in and pecked his lips.

They were both shocked by her sudden action and she recoiled, her face flushed.

"I don't know why I did that either. I…"

"No." He pressed his forefinger against his lips. "Don't apologize." Then, he cupped her face and kissed her.