"Enjoy your night."
Asher's brows rose, rendered speechless by the way Cosette clapped back at him. And yet, she was smiling so innocently. More than annoying, it was amusing for him. Now, there was no reason to doubt the reputation Cosette had in the academy.
"Already did." He smiled back, shrugging. "It was a great talk and I hope it's not the last."
"Definitely."
Cosette waved mildly, holding his gaze before he turned on his heel and went on his way. She fought the urge to make a face long enough until he entered the house.
"What a jerk," she grumbled, tossing herself on the lounge chair once more. "How dare he belittle Maxen in such a cunning way?"
Her frown grew deeper upon rewinding Asher's words in her head. Although Asher didn't say anything that could be found insulting when someone else listened to it, Cosette was good at reading between the lines. The only time she would feign ignorance was when Maxen chase her away.
"Is he also like that in the novel?" she arched her brow, recalling some scenes in the novel. "Yes, he is."
In the novel, Asher was branded as a doting husband and captured the majority of the readers' hearts. But he was savage. He had a sharp tongue, although he was a man of few words. The typical domineering, but doting CEO male lead.
"I guess since they were created — fated to be enemies, Maxen and Asher don't like each other at first sight." She nodded, extending her understanding of the development of the story she was trying to rewrite. The sudden thought made her freeze.
"Rewrite?" she asked herself, holding her breath for a moment until she couldn't take it anymore. "No..."
Cosette perked up and gazed in the direction where Asher had left. Her brows furrowed, letting out a quiet huff before sitting comfortably like previously.
"That won't change, right?" she mumbled. "This encounter won't change his future, right?"
Cosette bit the tip of her thumb nail as she pondered about it. She weighed whether Asher and Mia — the leads of the Devil's Den — would change with just this brief encounter. She shook her head after convincing herself there was no way there would be that big of an impact in the future.
There was nothing to worry about. For sure, Asher would forget about this encounter and move on with his life. This was nothing. Heck! They only talked for about five minutes. Maybe a little over it.
"That's right." She patted her chest mildly. "Nothing will change."
Cosette nodded continuously until she felt at peace once again. The reason she was in the pool area almost left her mind, since other distracting thoughts filled her head. And that was her goal — to stop thinking about being just a character in the novel.
'Mia and Asher will still get their happy ending. That's for sure.' — that had always been the plan, after all. Cosette only wanted to change Maxen's ending, not the entire novel. Luke too. But she still shipped Mia and Asher, although both showed they were jerks in their teens.
Cosette let out a long sigh, staring at the night full of stars. A smile appeared on her face, her eyes softening.
"I should enjoy my time here," she told herself, regaining the confidence she nearly lost today. "That's alright, right? Be a little selfish and just do the hell I can, since there's no way I'd know why I am even here in the first place."
Maybe it was because she didn't get to enjoy her youth that was why God pitied her and she went inside the novel. Or maybe she was just lucky. Either way, Cosette felt more alive inside a novel than in her real life. After all, being terminally ill was not fun.
As she thought about her uneventful life before waking up as Cosette Black, tears shone in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was already biting her lower lip, letting tears fall to the side. Her sniffles grew louder, and the tension in her chest and throat was distinct.
"Grandpa..." she whispered, now recalling the only family she had in her original world. "Grandma..."
It never crossed until now, and Cosette immediately felt this pang in her chest at this realization. She was never generous. Matter of fact, she had been selfish from the beginning. If only she was a good girl, just like what other people see her, then she would've thought about her elders who took care of her and provided for her needs.
But she only thought of them now after months of being stuck in the novel.
'I'm sorry...' Cosette hiccuped and covered her eyes with her arm. She cried silently, feeling all these melancholic emotions and longing she never felt before.
She missed them, and she wanted to apologize to them for being selfish. However, she couldn't tell herself to want to return to her original life. Not because she was way comfortable with her life, but because one way or another, Cosette wished she would just die.
It may sound like she was depressed, but honestly, she simply didn't want to become a burden to her elders. They were old, but they still had to work to provide the medical attention she needed. But alas, her sickness was just getting worse and worse.
"I really missed them..."
******
"Definitely."
When Asher turned on his heel, the side of his lips curled up in amusement. He shrugged and walked away just as silently as when he approached her. But as soon as he stepped inside the mansion, he stopped upon catching a figure leaning just right beside the door leading to the pool area.
Asher glanced to his right, and his eyes instantly landed on Maxen. The latter had his arms folded under his chest, casting Asher a nonchalant side-eye. But Maxen didn't show any sign of irritation despite overhearing Asher and Cosette's conversation. If anything, he was pleased about the last part before Asher left her alone.
"Lucky." Maxen smiled as if to spite him. "Guess that's what you will call having her wrap around my fingers."
"Well, I won't deny that." Asher shrugged nonchalantly.
Maxen chuckled, rocking his head mildly. "Your nosey attitude somehow made me happy; I'm glad you are."
"Enjoy it while it lasts." Asher didn't let Maxen's words affect him. He was quite in a good mood to let this guy ruin it.
"I will surely do."
Asher arched a brow and sized him up. He let out a short snort, before shrugging and walking away without saying a word. Maxen didn't stop him as well, watching Luke's big brother walk away without bickering with him. They were both not in the mood to use their sharp tongues since they had already used them this morning.
"I may be impulsive, but he is never my impulsive decision and will never be just an impulsive decision I could've prevented. I will do what I did and make the same decisions all over again if I must."
Maxen smiled subtly, recalling Cosette's words, which she had said a loud and with conviction. He wouldn't mind if she simply remained silent and listened to Asher. Actually, Asher was giving her a good lecture, and Maxen wouldn't deny that. However, Cosette didn't let the underlying meaning behind Asher's words remain unaddressed.
'She didn't have to do that, though.' He shook his head, chuckling with his lips closed. Before he could go back to his room since he was only there to get some fresh air, but ended up overhearing Asher and Cosette's conversation, he checked the pool area. He just wanted to make sure she wouldn't get drowned by her own clumsiness.
He smiled seeing her sitting leisurely on the lounge chair — the back of the lounge chair facing him. When he was certain she was simply enjoying the night breeze, he was about to go back but stopped when he heard sniffles. His brows furrowed, tiptoeing his way into the pool area.
The sound of sniffles grew louder as he went closer to the lounge chair until he heard muffled cries. That second, he froze.
'She's crying?' his pupils went huge, instantly thinking about Asher as the culprit for her tears. But this assumption was instantly crushed when she whispered; "I really missed them... grandma... grandpa..."
Maxen's heart softened and melted, gazing down, and could barely see her arms moving to wipe her tears. Cosette hadn't sensed his presence, and Maxen took a step back instead of consoling her.
'I really don't know her yet, huh?' he thought, standing in that same spot without making the slightest noise. He shoved his hand inside his pockets, looking up at the sky. Consoling her was the initial thought that came to his head, but the way she muffled her cries only meant they were cries she didn't want others to know.
Therefore, he stayed there just to be there for her, even if she didn't know about his company. That was to respect her, but at the same time, make her feel she wasn't alone. All she needed was to look back, and he would be there for her.
That night has gone by as silently as possible, with Maxen leaving before her, almost hiding from her. He walked behind her and made sure she returned to her room safely. Never once did Cosette look back, afraid to parade her puffy eyes. But that was fine. It wasn't like he wished for her to look back and get to find out his presence.
And that was how their memorable trip had ended with a remaining day, which everyone spent wisely and happily.
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