Chapter 4

Liza didn’t take her eyes off Hunter, who was busy looking around the living room of her house. The two of them were sitting on the couch facing each other, while Hunter’s two male companions were just outside the broken door of her home.

“Not bad,” Hunter commented, turning his gaze back to her, which she immediately met. “For a B-list celebrity, this house is not bad.”

“Should I take that as a compliment or what? And how did you find my house?”

“It seems like what we did last didn’t take a toll on your body since you can still run your mouth like that.”

Liza wanted to laugh. The fucking they had did not affect her body? Does he even remember what he did to her body? He covered her in hickeys, and she still felt the pain in her womanhood, breasts, and thighs. And the sexing they did took a toll not only on her body but also on her fucking career! But she won’t say it out loud. She won’t tell Hunter that the fucking they did wreak havoc on her life. Because Liza has this feeling that if she tells him, Hunter will think she liked the sex so much and that he did such a good job fucking her that she just let him do whatever he wanted even though she was aware of the consequences, even though it’s true that he enjoyed the sex they had. But she still won’t say it. Her pride cannot allow it.

“And did you like the sex so much that you went crazy over me and even stalked me here in my house like a damn stalker?” She mockingly asked back. Liza was expecting Hunter to deny her accusation and be enraged, but instead, he simply replied with a flat “Yes.” But her surprise was short-lived, and an incredulous half-smile quickly replaced it as she scoffed. “So? What are you going to do about it?” She asked, shaking her head. “Don’t tell me you came here to tell me you want to have a serious relationship with me because I am telling you now; I will not accept it. I am all for one-night stands, but sleeping with the same person twice and being in a serious relationship is not my forte. If you understand that, just leave me a payment for the door your men broke and leave quietly and never come back.” She said it sternly before standing up and turning her back on Hunter. But Liza was only a few steps away when Hunter spoke again. “I’m not going anywhere, woman. Not until you hear me out and say yes.”

Her brow furrowed in perplexity, and she came to a halt. ‘What in the world is this jerk saying?’ she thought.

She gave him a stern look. “I’m not interested in what you want to say or ask, so I’ll repeat it. Just leave a damn payment for my door and fuck off; I am not in the mood to play games with you,” she said as she turned away from Hunter and began to walk towards the stairs.

She knows she’s crazy for letting Hunter and the other men into her home, even though they invited themselves with force and left them to roam freely around her house without even calling the cops, but right now, she doesn’t care. She lost her job and dream, and her body is still aching and sore. And those are enough reasons for her to lose concern about what will happen to her and her life. She simply wants to take a break from everything that has happened today.

“Are you sure you don’t want to listen to me? Even if it’s about your career?” Liza immediately stopped while walking toward the second floor of her house after Hunter’s question caught her attention. She looked at the man with a frown. “That piqued your interest, huh?” Hunter asked, his face blank, making it difficult for Liza to tell what was on his mind and what he was up to. Liza did not speak. She stared at him, not trying to hide her interest in Hunter’s words, and waited for him to say something else. “If you want to hear more, come back here, take another seat, and listen to me,” Hunter continued.

“You’ll have to say more than that if you want me to stay and listen,” Liza replied bravely, looking into Hunter’s eyes.

Hunter met Liza’s gaze, and with a blank expression, he said, “I can make you the biggest celebrity in the country.” And that’s all it took for Liza to return to the couch where she was just a few moments ago, and she lent all her ears to Hunter while crossing her legs without saying anything, and Hunter understood it meant Liza wanted to hear more, so he continued to speak. “I understand that your agency has finally let you go because you could not meet one of the terms of your contract.”

Liza frowned again after hearing what Hunter said.

‘How did he know that? Sahara and I just finished talking, so how does he already know that M&D has released me? And how did he know that I was working in the entertainment industry? And lastly, how did he find my address? I did not remember telling him anything about me except for my name. Just who the hell is this guy? Is he a stalker?’ she thought again.

“You seem to have a lot of questions inside your head,” Hunter said again, which was why the many questions in Liza’s brain stopped. “Go on. Ask. Voice out your thoughts and questions.”

“Are you stalking me?” Liza’s immediate question surprised Hunter a little.

Liza rolled her eyes and thought, Why is he acting surprised? He told me to ask and voice out my thoughts and questions.

An amused grin appeared on Hunter’s face. “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

“Don’t answer my question with a question.”

“So now you are the only one allowed to ask?”

“If you don’t want me to end this conversation, chase you and your minions away, and call the police, then give me an answer. Are you my stalker? Did you plan everything that happened last night?”

The amused grin on Hunter’s face grew wider. He then said, “It was you who came to me first. You seduced me, so how could you think I planned everything that happened last night?”

Liza’s cheeks immediately reddened and went hot after Hunter said that.

Hunter was right. It was she who came to him and seduced him.

Now she’s feeling embarrassed for asking that question. But then, another set of thoughts came into her head. Thoughts like, What if she just got ahead of him? What if he planned to approach her? He was staring at her intently last night, which is why he caught her attention. What if Hunter planned to go to her? That’s why he was staring at her intensely the previous night. And it just happened that she was ahead of him, so he grabbed that opportunity to attract her.

But Liza’s thoughts stopped again when Hunter spoke again.

“As for the case of whether I am your stalker or not, well, I guess you could say that yes, I am a stalker.”

Liza’s eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her lips, and she thought, ‘I was right! He is a stalker!’

And the moment she thought of Hunter being her stalker, fear slowly crept up. She’s heard many dangerous and scary stories and rumors about stalkers doing unimaginable things to the people they are obsessed with. Some of it even resulted in killings.

That explains why Hunter knew what was happening with her career and address.

From Hunter, Liza’s gaze went to the broken door of her house, where the two men with Hunter were standing and guarding, and then she looked back at Hunter, who was smiling.

The hairs on Liza’s body stood up.

She hadn’t noticed it last night because she focused only on Hunter’s face and body and how to get him to bed. But now that she sees him in the open and lust isn’t clouding her judgment, she can see and feel Hunter’s unsettling and dangerous aura. She can feel the same atmosphere around Hunter’s minions, but she’s unsure how to explain it. Hunter just seems different. Because aside from the creepiness and danger she can sense in him, Hunter emits a domineering personality that his minions lack.

How did Hunter even know her? As far as she knows, she isn’t widely popular or has done significant projects yet, so having a stalker has never crossed her mind. So how could she get Hunter’s attention? Where, when, and how did he get to know her? What did she even do for this handsome man to start stalking her?

“You don’t have to be alert and look scared. I told you I would not hurt you if you cooperated.” Hunter spoke again, which caused her to stop her thoughts.

Liza’s eyes widened. “But you will if I don’t do what you want. You, asshole!” She scoffed, then continued to speak: “You know what? You’re just wasting my time. Just leave. And don’t bother leaving a payment for my door anymore. Just leave and never come back,” she said, standing up and turning around. She was about to leave when Hunter spoke up again.

“Ever heard of Starsnest?”

Liza instantly halted after Hunter mentioned the Starsnest. And every aspiring celebrity would have the same reaction as hers if they heard that company’s name.

Starsnest Corporation is the Philippines’ most prominent and popular media and entertainment company, where most of the biggest, finest, and highest-paid Filipino celebrities come from. It is the entertainment company that every Filipino who aspires to be a celebrity wants to sign with.

Liza didn’t answer Hunter’s question, and she didn’t look at him either, but her ears were more than willing to hear more about what he wanted to say. It’s like she has temporarily forgotten about Hunter being her stalker. The only word that pops up inside her head is Starsnest.

Liza is still not looking at Hunter, but she can feel his every move. She felt him standing up from the couch, then she heard Hunter’s footsteps going towards her, and the next thing she knew, Hunter was already right in front of her, and their faces were so close it surprised her and made her gasp a little.

Liza took a few steps back. But every time she steps back, Hunter steps forward. Until Hunter seemed to have run out of patience, and before she could back away again, he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him until their bodies touched.

Hunter’s actions surprised Liza once more, but she quickly came to her senses and pushed him in the chest, but Hunter did not let go of her.

“Let go of me.” She said it through gritted teeth.

Hunter mischievously said, “Didn’t you like our bodies being so close that air couldn’t come between us? I remember you clinging so much to me last night.”

“You son of a—”

“I told you I was not leaving without hearing you say yes,” Hunter said, cutting off what she would say. “And I won’t let you get away from me either.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Yes, I am. I am crazy for you.” Hunter answered quickly while grinning. “And I’d go even crazier if you refused my offer.”

‘Just what does this asshole want from me?’

The way Hunter is trying to flirt with her, and even the way he stares at her as if she’s some kind of delicacy that he cannot wait to taste, makes her feel uncomfortable and, simultaneously, annoying. She just wanted to know what he meant when he mentioned her career and Starsnest.

Liza sighed deeply before she looked Hunter seriously in the eye. “I will lend you my ears about the offer you are talking about and what you have to say about my career and Starsnest, so let go of me and let’s go back to the couch.” She said it in a now-calm voice.

“We can just talk like this. I’ll do the talking while you listen and give me the answer I want. Besides, don’t you find this position comfortable?”

“No, I do not—”

“I will make you the most popular Starsnest artist and the biggest celebrity in the country.”

Liza frowned and said, “I need more explanation than that,” but she couldn’t finish what she wanted to say when Hunter pulled out something from the breast pocket of his black suit and presented it to her.

Still frowning, Liza shifted her gaze to Hunter and the thing he was giving her.

“Take it,” Hunter says when she still does not take what he gave her.

Liza still hesitated if she would accept what he was presenting, but in the end, she took it.

She looked at the thing Hunter had given her. It is a calling card.

She read the writing on the calling card, and her eyes widened.

Liza’s mouth was slightly agape, and in disbelief, she looked back at Hunter, who was still staring at her with a grin.

Liza spoke in an incredulous voice, “You are...”

“Yes, sweetheart. I am Hunter Ramirez, the CEO of Starsnest Corporation.”