Saving the Villain

"Do you hate me, Cosette Blac?"

"What?"

"You said, 'if you know this would happen, you would've dragged him.' What do you mean by that?"

Cosette frowned as she pondered if there was something in what she said that could be interpreted as hating him. Her frown deepened, wondering what sort of processor he had in his head as it seemed he was hearing things differently. But Cosette didn't bother with it as she clarified.

"Don't think too much. All I'm saying is that I thought my grandparents wouldn't want other people interrupting our time." A deep exhale slipped past her lips. "My longing for him has nothing to do with you, duh?"

"I see…" he rocked his head, but still evidently unhappy with how affectionate she was to others but very different to him. Asher had noticed it before; Cosette was not only clingy to Maxen, but she was also extra patient with Luke and had acted very free around his little brother.

However, when it comes to him, she just changes completely. There was also a clear line between them. It was not like he didn't want that line between them, but it was appalling for him.

Cosette studied his side profile, wondering what could be possibly going on inside this guy's head. She stared at Asher's side profile, and the questions in her head slowly turned into words of appreciation. If Luke was charming, especially whenever he was grinning from ear to ear, and Maxen had this sinful beauty as if temptation was the key ingredient the deity used to create him. Asher's allure was something she couldn't undervalue.

This guy just looked incredibly… elegant. Although Asher was young and she knew his looks would appear more defined in the future, he was already a fine young man. Now that she thought about it, she did think Asher was very attractive, even when she was with Maxen Devilsin. It was just that Maxen was the only man in her heart, and that was why she only played with Asher in the past because they were both CEOs of their company and it was fun getting into his nerves.

'I think… my relationship with him isn't that terrible,' she thought, recalling her relationship with him before she fell sick. 'Right… I think he sort of knew about my condition, but I forgot how did he figure it out and a lot of things since my brain was shrinking so fast and my episodes had grown frequent.'

"Don't just stare and say…" Asher trailed off as he faced her, catching her biting her pinky while cupping her cheek. Her brows elevated in surprise when he turned, blinking from her trance.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Don't bite your finger while staring at someone." He pointed out, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "It doesn't look good."

"I'm not trying to look good."

"Just trying to look what?" he quirked a brow, cocking his head to the side. "Seductive?"

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever."

"Hey." Cosette frowned, straightening her back while twisting her body to face him. "I was biting my finger as a habit, alright? It just so happened I was observing you. Don't have any funny ideas, goodness. I don't like you."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you like me?" he inquired without a second hesitation.

Cosette blinked. She studied his dull expression and there was only a slight trace of curiosity in his eyes, but it didn't seem he had that question in his head until now.

"I mean, I don't like you that way," she clarified, as she didn't want to be tangled in a misunderstanding with him. But then, she frowned, realizing she didn't like him either, even as a friend. "You're a jerk. Do you know that?"

"I do."

"If you do, then you shouldn't be surprised." She shrugged. "All the encounters I had with you, all you do, is anger me and press my nerves. I mean, what did I even do?" — a part of Cosette suddenly considered it as karma, since she was a prick before who also enjoyed pressing all his buttons. It just so happened the older Asher Quinn had gained longer patience, unlike this current one.

"I'm not trying to anger you. I was treating you as an equal."

Cosette nearly choked as those words sounded so familiar. She looked at him incredulously, mouth falling open.

"What now? Would you prefer it if I talked to you while considering you are slow-witted and won't follow? Most of our encounter so far centered around business," Asher reminded her, making her rock her head. "I admit I overstepped that one time during summer, but I don't think I deserve to be hated. At least, not by you."

Cosette leaned back and crossed her arms, reconsidering his words and somehow he made sense. But that doesn't mean she had to act chummy with her because, at the end of the day, she wanted nothing to do with him.

'This guy suffered because of Max in the past. Although I brainwashed Max and consistently told him to behave, I still remembered how much this man suffered.' There was a slight bitterness that swirled in her eyes, almost like she was in pain that didn't go past his radar. 'Since that hadn't happened yet, the only thing I can do for him is to let him have a good life with his woman without us bothering them.'

A shallow breath slipped past her lips before smacking them.

"You should use this time to rest." Cosette peeled her eyes away from him, trying her best to hide the guilt of causing this man's misery in the past. "You're busier than most people. I won't bother you with the shallow talk anymore, so rest assured."

"You're bothering no one."

Cosette furrowed her brows and glanced at him, only to see him looking ahead already.

"And a shallow talk every once in a while isn't bad," he said, casting her a quick look. "You have a nice voice, after all. It's pleasant in the ear."

"..."

Cosette's brain processed his remarks very carefully and when she was certain she didn't mishear him, she gasped in horror.

No shit.

But before Cosette could slap his shoulder or beat sense into him for flirting with her, a servant approached her. She and Asher gazed at the servant, telling them the Madam was calling for them to greet the other guests and also to have lunch.

"Other guests…? Just what sort of family day is this?" she mumbled, shifting her attention to the tent, only for her heart to stop upon catching a young lad around the same age as Asher.

'That guy...' she whispered in her heart, staring at the guy in surprise as her grip on the armrest tightened. Her reaction caused Asher to furrow his brows, following her gaze, and caught a young man greeting the elders.

"Isn't that… the young master of the Stone Family?" he muttered, casting Cosette a look. "Do you know him?"

Cosette snapped her eyes and looked back at him. "Mhm," she hummed, pushing herself up as her demeanor completely change as if the goddess of winter possessed her.

'He was my first love… and also the man who ruined me.'