Chapter 7: I don't like sharing

Scarlett’s Point of View

I grasped my mother's hand, intertwining my fingers with hers and gently brought it to my lips for a kiss. I gazed at her delicate features, her face drained of color and her lips dry from medication as she lay peacefully sleeping. I fought back the tears, determined to show strength in her presence, but eventually succumbed to the torrent of emotions, unable to contain my weeping any longer.

As tears streamed down my face, I trembled in fear at the thought of losing my mother. Suddenly, the door burst open and Daniel and Noemi, my two best friends, rushed into the room.

"You're a mess," Noemi teased, as I noticed tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Come on, wipe those tears away. Aunt doesn't want to see you sniffling like that."

I was aware that she was attempting to lift my spirits, but like she told me back then, her own strength faltered whenever she saw me in such a state. It was as if I were a helpless child, uncertain of what path to take in life.

Daniel gently stroked her back in an attempt to soothe her, but she only responded with heaving sobs. Seeing this, Daniel turned to me and knelt before me, tenderly brushing away the tears that streamed down my face. "Why don't you try to get some rest?" he suggested. "It's already 4 am and if your aunt wakes up tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be the first person she wants to see."

I declined with a shake of my head and croaked out, "I'm okay. I don't want to leave my mom alone in case she wakes up."

"But, you don't look fine to me."

"Don't worry, Daniel. This is normal for me. Remember, I work graveyard shifts too so I'm used to not getting any sleep," I reassured him in an attempt to calm his concerns.

Daniel's gaze bore into mine, but I couldn't meet it. His kind eyes held both concern for my well-being and a love that I had been avoiding. I didn't want to confront the possibility that he felt more than friendship towards me. He was my closest friend, and all I wanted was for him to stay by my side, as long as I needed him and as long as he needed me.

"Scarlett, please. Just listen to us for once. I know you've been working tirelessly for months to pay off Aunt's bills. Let us help by taking care of her this time," Noemi pleaded with a look of desperation in her eyes.

"Noemi is right." Daniel was insistent. "If you truly refuse to rest at the moment, then allow me to cover Aunt's bill. Just this once." He reached for his wallet, determined to take care of the expenses.

Unable to argue any longer, I begrudgingly stood and raised my hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. You two can handle her while I'm gone. I promise to return by 9 am," I conceded.

Noemi's face lit up with joy at my words while Daniel looked down at my bare feet. Anxious to escape further questioning, I hurried out of the room and fled from the building.

Upon my arrival at the villa at precisely 4:30 am, I noticed that everything remained unchanged from when I had left earlier. The gate was still open, the house door unlocked, and the untouched meal was still sitting on the table. No guards or driver were present, leading me to believe that Storm had instructed them to leave in order to avoid being caught by his grandfather for bringing a woman into our home.

As soon as I walked in, my eyes were drawn to the food on the table. My stomach growled with hunger, having not eaten anything earlier due to Storm's unexpected visitor. But the thought of him passionately kissing her and his predatory gaze towards me killed my appetite. So instead, I simply made my way upstairs without indulging in the meal.

As I walked towards the stairs, a strange noise reverberated from either side of the wall. With each step, my stomach twisted with an unfamiliar feeling as I recognized it as the moans of a woman.

Without my conscious knowledge, my feet carried me to Storm's door, as if driven by some unknown force. I stood there, my mind a chaotic tangle of thoughts and emotions. Without fully understanding why, I lifted my hand and prepared to knock, unsure of what would happen next.

Nonetheless, realizing it, I snapped back to reality. 'What the hell am I doing?'

Just as I was about to retreat and return to my own room, the door swung open, revealing Storm standing before me. He was naked, sweating, his eyes looked like a drunk who was thirsty for something else.

We both jumped at the sight of each other, but as I took in his completely exposed form, my throat tightened and my instincts urged me to flee. But my feet refused to move, trapping me in place. Meanwhile, Storm's face twisted in irritation at the sight before him.

He stared at me with a blank expression as he asked, "Why are you standing in front of my door? Are you some kind of pervert trying to peep at us?"

"W-what?" My cheeks blushed and finally my feet took a step back. "Are you crazy?"

As he scanned me up and down, an arrogant smirk played across his lips. "Then why are you here? Judging by your presence here, it seems you're eager to join us. Do you want to do threesome?"

My jaw dropped in astonishment at his words, and my heart flooded with frustration and anger. "Join you?" I scoffed disbelievingly. "You must be joking. I'm simply here to tell you that if you bring another woman over, she better not be making such loud moans. I'd like to get some peaceful sleep."

"Sleep peacefully?" he sneered. "Didn't you leave the house earlier? Why did you leave? To meet your man?"

A smirk formed in my lips to his question as I retorted, "It's none of your business."

I was already prepared to retreat to my room, but his tight grip on my arm gave me pause. His voice was cold and demanding as he asked, "Where did you go?"

I couldn't help but turn back towards him. "Why do you care? Let me go!"

He pulled me closer, my body pressed against his bare chest. Just as I was about to push him away, he surprised me by lifting my hair and taking a deep sniff of my neck. My eyes widened in shock, and before I could move away, he began sucking on my side neck, close to my collarbone, with intense passion.

"There is a man’s perfume in you," he grimaced.

Because of that, I pushed him with all might and touched the part where he sucked me as I roared, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

He stared at me with an icy glare before turning his back and storming towards his room. Just as he was about to disappear behind the door, he muttered something inaudible and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

"I don't like anyone touching what's mine. I don't like sharing."