Yor Regret is Too Late!

4

Aria walked hurriedly down the tenth-grade corridor. Her vision was blurry from the remnants of tears she hadn't yet broken away to wipe. In her hands, she still clutched a small bucket and a dirty mop—the lingering remnants of an unfinished punishment. She just wanted to get to the back cottage quickly, hide away, and cry until the suffocating weight in her chest eased.

Yet, fate seemed unsatisfied with how much it had already played with her.

At a busy intersection of the corridor, a group of students was walking in the opposite direction. In their midst, Asher walked with an arrogant stride, flanked by his loyal followers. Aria, her head low, didn't realize their distance had closed far too quickly.

Crash!

Aria slammed into something hard—a broad chest wrapped in high-quality fabric. The bucket slipped from her hands, the dirty water inside splashing across the floor, and worst of all, the damp, dusty mop landed right on the sleeve of Asher’s expensive blazer.

Instant silence. The entire corridor seemed to hold its breath.

Aria froze. A luxurious, masculine scent—a blend of sandalwood and citrus—invaded her senses. A fragrance so foreign, yet somehow deeply familiar in her memories.

"Damn it," a low, icy voice shattered the silence.

Asher took a step back, staring down at his sleeve, which was now marred by a grayish-brown stain. His eyes flashed with anger. He looked at Aria with a gaze more painful than a slap—a look of pure disgust, the kind people give when looking at trash on the side of the road.

"I—I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I..." Aria stammered, her hands trembling as she reached toward Asher’s blazer to wipe the stain away.

"Don't touch me!" Asher snapped, swatting Aria’s hands away brutally. He brushed off his jacket as if he had just come into contact with something contagious. "Do you even have eyes? Look at what you’ve done to my jacket."

"I will wash it... I'll take responsibility," Aria squeaked. Her voice was completely drowned out by the mocking laughter of the students surrounding them.

"Wash it? How much do you think this jacket costs?" one of Asher’s friends sneered. "A year of your salary wouldn't be enough to replace this, you dowdy brat!"

Right then, Aileen emerged from the crowd. She took in the scene with a look of feigned shock, though a spark of satisfaction gleamed behind her eyes. She quickly rushed to Asher’s side, pulling out her silk handkerchief to dab at the stain on his jacket.

"Oh my god, Asher! Are you okay?" Aileen’s voice sounded incredibly worried, incredibly sweet. "Your jacket is completely ruined..."

"This girl completely ruined my day, Ai," Asher growled, though his tone softened the moment he looked down at Aileen.

Aileen turned to Aria, putting on a contrived look of sheer embarrassment. She let out a long sigh, as if carrying a heavy burden. "Forgive her, Asher. She is... she’s just a distant relative staying at our house. Papa gave her a place to live out of pity, but she’s always been difficult to teach. She doesn't know the rules and has absolutely no manners."

Aria’s heart felt as if it stopped beating. A distant relative? Staying out of pity?

Aria stared at her twin, her eyes wide with shock. "Aileen, what are you saying? I—"

"Be quiet, Aria! Don't embarrass me any further!" Aileen cut her off sharply, her eyes shooting a crystal-clear threat. "It’s enough that you shame our family with your terrible grades, and now you want to pick a fight with Asher too?"

Asher looked at Aria once more, his gaze turning infinitely colder because of Aileen's words. "So she’s just a parasite in your home? No wonder she looks like this."

Asher then peeled off his expensive blazer with a violent movement and tossed it onto the floor, right at Aria’s feet. The jacket landed squarely in the puddle of dirty water.

"Throw it away. It’s contaminated," Asher stated flatly.

He spun around, turning his back on Aria. Asher took Aileen’s hand, leading the girl away from there as if Aria were a sight that could damage his eyes.

"Keep her away from me, Aileen. She completely ruined my day," Asher said coldly before walking away for good.

Aria remained standing there, frozen in the middle of the corridor, which was now filled with insulting whispers. She stared at the expensive jacket lying in the puddle of filthy water beneath her feet. Her tears fell, landing right on the stain of the fabric.

Her Asher of the past, the Asher who once willingly shared a broken umbrella with her in the pouring rain, now viewed her very existence as nothing but ruin.