A different girl.

Her lips were so kissable, and the way they pouted appeared so sexy and cute. Daren just couldn't hold back, and even when his mind was yelling at him about what he was about to do, he still couldn't hold himself back. Kissing her was the only thing he was badly in need of, regardless of the fact that she was a poor stranger.

"I don't know you, but I really like you. Don't push me away. Don't hurt me. We aren't in the same league, but, my heart is...."

Daren's eyes widened as he saw her lips move and those words pouring out with deep emotions while her eyes remained closed. Daren backed away at once, thinking she was awake, but when she didn't move or open her eyes after saying those words, he felt relieved. She was only dreaming of him and confessing her feelings unconsciously.

Without wasting time, he hurried back to the bed and covered his entire body with the duvet, closing his eyes tightly as he grunted at himself.

He felt like slapping himself. What just came over him? Was he really going to kiss the young girl, whom he should abhor? Was he about to return to his mistake of giving a woman a chance in his heart?

Fuck!!

He groaned and opened his eyes in frustration. His heart was tugging in anger. He was pissed at himself for ever thinking of kissing the girl, but what irks him most now is the image of her lips stuck in his head. A tiny part of his heart was confronting him for not tasting those lips, even if it was for a second.

Was that a kind of spell she used on him? Because that should be the only explanation for his strong urge to kiss her. Wasn't that a kiss for someone you care about?

"What came over me? And for goodness' sake, what if she ever woke up and saw him in that position? How in the world was he going to explain himself?"

A loud hiss escaped his lips as he turned and faced the wall, shutting his eyes tightly.

"It was nothing special! Just lust, so it's normal to desire kissing her!" He fumed to himself and sighed, realizing how much he was lying to himself.

"It still doesn't change the fact that I hate all women—heartbreakers!" He snorted and lay still, waiting to fall asleep.

*******

Rays of the sun radiated through the window and right into Anna's face, forcing her out of her sleep as she tiredly turned to the other side and slowly opened her eyes.

Before stretching out of the couch, she yawned and scrubbed her sleepy eyes almost simultaneously. Her neck and waist all felt sore and stiff due to how she squeezed herself on the chair.

Her brain seemed blank for some seconds as she wondered why she slept on the couch, but just at the same time, she recalled all that happened last night. Her eyes instinctively darted to the bed, hoping to see the handsome stranger she saved last night, but her heart jumped out of her chest as the beds all appeared empty.

"He is gone?" She murmured, feeling so much sadness in her heart that even her eyes began to burn with tears.

She couldn't understand what was really wrong with her, but at that moment, her heart seemed shattered and crushed. Sitting on the couch, she buried her face in her palms, which were resting on her laps.

"Why did he just leave?" She moaned, biting her lower lips to push back the outburst of crying that was threatening to come out of her mouth.

The pain in her chest was beyond what she ever imagined. It was the throbbing pain of a woman who caught her fiancee making love with another woman.

"Hey....what are you murmuring to yourself?" Her ear caught his voice, and at first she thought it was an illusion, but when she raised her head, there he was, standing in front of her with his hands shoved inside his pocket.

His body was wet, showing he had just taken a bath. Now she could see his face clearly in the morning as it shone like the bright sky. His wet, messy hair and dreamy brown eyes gave him that killer look that could grasp everyone's attention.

"You didn't left!!" She squeaked in excitement, jumping up on her feet even before she could realize how stupid she sounded. He sneered at her for a few seconds before asking.

"You thought I was gone and began to cry?? Was that the meaning of those tears in your eyes?"

His voice was grumpy, his face emotionless, and his stare at her was a sheer scowl.

"Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your night." Anna mumbled with a smile, trying to ignore how harsh he was on her, even when it hurt differently.

"You said you don't have a phone, yet I found one in that cupboard. Was that how shamelessly desperate you were?" He snapped at her, frowning deeply.

"It wasn't my phone. My stepmother ordered me never to use it. It was purchased, so she will contact me whenever there is a need for it. That is why I lied, and I apologize." Anna muttered, staring straight at his face.

He was really getting on her neck, and that admiration was dissolving. The man here sounded too harsh and doesn't even appreciate her. treating her as if she were worthless. Maybe it was time to kill and bury the "good girl" attitude.

"Whatever..." Daren shrugged off her apology before sitting on the bed.

"You haven't even thanked me for helping you!" She rasped, and he scoffed.

"Write down your bank account details. I will transfer your payment for the help there. And that should clearly be the end of anything between us!"

"What do you mean?" Anna interjected, vexed.

"It means that last night never existed anymore. "What I mean is, after the payment, don't act like you've ever helped me or met me before, expecting to be treated differently. We aren't in the same class. Luck brought me to you." He said them directly to her face, his face grim as his eyes glazed over.

Anna's jaw dropped instantly while she stared at him sadly, wondering if she really heard him well.

His words hurt.

"You must be one of those girls who is obsessive and mad over me, acting crazy and dreaming all night to have me. This isn't your chance to get your silly dream because I owe you nothing after the payment!" He added, snickering, ignoring the shock and pain that glinted in her eyes.

Before he could see it coming, Anna sprung from the couch and lashed a hot slap on his cheek, which snapped his face to the other side, leaving him stunned to the core as he clutched his hand on the painful cheek, staring at her with widened eyes.

It was like a dream to him, and there was no way he would have believed she actually slapped him if he wasn't feeling the pain on his left cheek. This was the first time in his entire life that a girl had ever laid her hands on him.

He had been harsh and insulting to the ladies, but they didn't care and still craved him.

All the girls, rich and poor, he had met in his whole life were always simping and drooling over how hot and rich he was, without caring about whatever insult he blurted at them. They all primped and did everything possible to make him love them.

As he stared at the poor but beautiful girl in front of him, his brain kept going blank, and there was nothing his mouth could say.

How could she be different from other women? Doesn't she know who he was? And even if she doesn't know him, he can't believe she would be an exception to falling crazily in love with his handsomeness and wealth.

"Who the hell do you think you are? I helped you yesterday night. You should be on your knees, thanking me! Spoilt child. Instead, you're spitting sh*t out of your mouth? You pathetic ingrate!" Anna yelled at him, her fist clenching as she looked him threateningly in the eyes.

If there was anything she couldn't bear, it was to have this man scorn her and reduce her to trash. For god's sake, he was seeking refuge in her house!

Daren was dumb as her voice rang like a bell in his head. He could feel the pain and disappointment in her voice, yet there was this strength to it.

"I think you don't know who I am. My father can buy your life and everything you ever had, girl..." He boasted with a smirk.

"But he couldn't buy the bodyguard to save you and prevent you from crawling on the floor like a leech outside my door, pleading and sulking for help like a sissy!" She fired back, and that was when Daren realized he had met the wrong girl.

Her words felt like another slap on his face as his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

"I am Daren, the son of Mr. Richard, owner of the Red Dove Wine Company, if you don't know. Your dumb head should know what that means. Even if you saved my life, it doesn't give you the right to talk back at me!" Daren fumed, expecting to see her cower in fear after he introduced himself, but he was disappointed as she only snickered, walking away.

Everyone knows how big his father's company was in and outside the USA. His father was literally a billionaire, and that had actually earned him fear and extreme respect.

He got everything he wanted with the snap of his fingers, including every female he wished to have. Now that his father was about to give him the largest share of his company, it could mean his life was about to go smoother. He was actually very popular for his perfect cuteness, which was like a charm to all girls.

Many billionaires' daughters melt in his presence, desiring and trying hard to win him over—doing everything possible to get his love—but what everyone doesn't know is that it was just impossible; his heart had been stolen and crushed. Now he just met a different girl who he couldn't understand.