Living With The Seven Bad Boys

Chapter 3 - Getting Closer

Ellie’s POV.

I was in the middle of unpacking my luggage when my phone suddenly vibrated. I paused and picked up my phone from the bedside table. It was Lavinia.

“Hello, Lav?” I answered.

“Ellie…” Her voice was trembling, and I could tell something was wrong. “I think we have a problem.”

All of a sudden, a shiver rippled through my chest. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say, but I needed to hear it from her.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Your Mom is starting to search for you, as we expected,” she said. “She knows you’re not at home and I’m sure she won’t stop until she finds you. She’ll do everything to bring you back.”

I closed my eyes, knowing that this day would come eventually. I could feel her distress. I hoped she didn’t say anything.

“Lav, did you perhaps tell Mom?” I anxiously asked, holding my breath.

“Of course not! Why would I do that?”

I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her response. I was glad she kept her mouth shut because otherwise we would both be done for. Mom was a difficult opponent. She wasn’t one to take betrayal lightly.

“Thank you for not saying anything,” I said gratefully. “I just asked to be assured.”

“I know how Auntie can be,” she replied understandingly. “Anyway, where are you right now? Did you find a place to stay?”

I swallowed hard because of her unanticipated question.

I hesitated before answering. “Yes, I found a place to stay.”

“Really? I’m so relieved to hear you’re safe! How’s your new place?” she asked eagerly.

I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to say would sound unbelievable. “Well, Lav, you see…”

“What?”

I didn’t know how to tell her the truth, but I didn’t want to keep it from her either.

“I’m living with seven men…”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and I could almost picture Lavinia’s jaw dropping in shock. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t exactly a typical living situation.

“Are you serious? Seven men?” she finally exclaimed.

I let out a nervous laugh. “I know. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

“b***h, what?! Seriously, Ellie? What the hell are you thinking? You’re telling me you’re surrounded by seven men in a house where you’re the only woman?”

I nodded as if she could see me through the phone. “Yes.”

“I won’t ask how that happened, but did they do something to you? Did they threaten you? Tell me right away so I can sue them!”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop overreacting, Lavinia. I know you’re worried about me, but take it easy. They didn’t do anything to me. They’re actually really nice.”

She scoffed, “Or pretending to be nice…”

I shook my head. “No, I swear they’re genuinely kind. They let me into their house when I was stranded and they even offered to let me stay here as long as I needed.”

Lavinia was still skeptical, “And why did they let you stay? Come to think of it, you’re a mere stranger to them. I don’t think I would let a stranger of the opposite gender stay inside my house unless I had some ulterior motive, right? You never know whether their actual motive is to help you or to harm you.”

“Why? Can’t people be naturally helpful to others? Besides, I told them I had escaped an arranged marriage,” I recounted. “They were concerned about my safety and asked if my parents would come looking for me. I told them yes. Knowing Mom, she will do everything for the company, even if saving her dying company means torturing her own daughter to death. So, they insisted on letting me stay for a long while until I was safe.”

“Fine, I’ll believe you for now. But are they good-looking?”

I let out a soft chuckle. I knew this all too well. I knew she would ask that. Lavinia had always been a sucker for a handsome face. It didn’t matter to her if the person had a terrible sense of style or had red flags, as long as they were good-looking, she was interested.

“They are,” I admitted.

A second later, I pulled the phone away from my ear when she let out a squeal of excitement. I might become deaf because of her in no time.

“Ugh, Ellie! Save one for me, will you? Don’t hog them all! Oh, gosh! I want to visit you there!”

“Don’t!” I reprimanded her. “Mom might find out where I’m hiding if they put a tail on you. She has eyes everywhere. I don’t want to put your life at risk as well as the seven men who helped me.”

“I understand. Introduce them to me when you come back and everything is settled. I’ll have to go now. Mom’s here to pick me up. I’ll try to call you later if I have the chance to sneak out. I miss you!” she said her goodbyes before ending the call.

After cleaning up the guest room, I made my way to the living room. I found the seven in there, all huddled around the TV, playing video games. They paused for a moment when they noticed me.

“Do you need anything, Ellie?” Raven asked with a smile.

I shook my head. “No, please don’t mind me. You guys can keep playing.”

They resumed their game, and I took a seat on the couch, watching them one by one. Throughout the game, I was amazed by the way Hyde played. He was good at handling guns and he was incredibly fast! Without realizing it, I found myself staring at him like a fool. I immediately sat up straight and looked away when he suddenly spoke up.

“Stop staring at me,” he said with a playful smirk.

Did he catch me? How embarrassing!

My cheeks heated up in embarrassment. From then on, I never looked at him again. I decided to focus on the others instead.

The game came to an end when the clock stopped at noon. I was expecting them to get up and start preparing lunch, but to my surprise, none of them moved.

“Uh… What’s for lunch?” I asked brazenly because my belly was aching in hunger. “Aren’t you guys hungry?”

“We can just order something,” Jeremy replied nonchalantly, pointing to the kitchen cabinet.

“Wait, you guys don’t know how to cook at all?” I asked in disbelief.

They exchanged looks and then shook their heads. I couldn’t believe it. These were grown adults, and none of them knew how to cook a proper meal. I knew I had to do something about it. After all, a diet of junk food and instant noodles wasn’t going to do them any good.

“I’ll cook.”

They simply nodded in agreement. I turned away and headed straight to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and thought of something to cook. Thankfully, it was well-stocked. It was a pity they couldn’t cook.

I may have grown up with maids and chefs, but I never shied away from learning how to do household chores. My parents were always busy with work, so I had to learn how to be independent at a young age. I had to learn how to take care of myself. I didn’t want to rely on maids or anyone else for that matter. I hated asking for help, but I couldn’t deny that staying here and accepting help from these strangers did sting my pride a bit, but I wasn’t complaining either.

“Food’s ready!” I called out to them.

I set the table and served the food. They all gathered around the dining table and sat down. We looked like a family sitting at one long table and eating together.

As we ate, I could see the seven of them had hearty appetites. I lost count of how many servings of rice they had each spooned onto their plates.

In between bites, we chatted and got to know each other. I learned that they were all the same age, except for Joaquin who was a year older, and Clarence, who was the youngest in terms of birth month. They were two years ahead of me.

“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Jeremy groaned, rubbing his full stomach.

After eating, the seven of them rose from the table and headed back to the living room to resume their game. I was baffled by their actions. I was the one who cooked our feast, yet I wasn’t exempt from cleaning and washing the dishes? I see.

I sighed. In our house, not a single plate was ever washed by me. But strangely, I would be more tolerant of this situation than being a pampered princess and forced to marry a man I didn’t love.

Asher Tan, the son of my parents’ business partner whom I was set up with for a marriage. He was always the rich, popular, and handsome one. I had known him since we were children. As we grew up, our families often joked about the possibility of us getting married in the future, but I never once saw him as anything more than a friend and a brother.

One day, he confessed his feelings to me, but I turned him down and kindly explained to him that I didn’t see him as a man. Despite my rejection, he continued to pursue me, hoping to change my mind. I must admit, his persistence was flattering, and I started to consider our engagement for the sake of my mother’s wish.

But as the days went by, he began to change. He became possessive and controlling. He got angry with me once over a small disagreement, and I saw a dangerous side of him that terrified me. He threatened and even slapped me, all in the name of forcing me to marry him.

I was shocked and scared. He did things I never thought he would, which changed how I saw him. Although he apologized and I forgave him, I decided not to marry him. I couldn’t take the chance of being with someone who could act violently.

“How long will you stay in the kitchen?” Hyde’s voice from behind broke through my trance.

Startled, I turned to face him, my eyes widening when I saw that the dishes were sparkling clean and the water was overflowing from the sink. I quickly shut off the faucet and apologized.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice,” I muttered, feeling ashamed of my absent-mindedness.

Why was he always so cold?

He turned his back on me and walked towards the living room. I followed him and there they were, the six, completely engrossed in their game. I let out a sigh and shook my head. They didn’t even take a break, seriously!

“Hey, Ellie, come play with us!” Clarence called out.

I scratched my head. “I don’t know how to play video games.”

“I’ll teach you,” Hyde interjected.

I raised an eyebrow. Why was he suddenly offering to help me when he was usually so distant?

“What’s wrong with you, man?”

“What!?” he hissed to them.

The group laughed and shook their heads before they continued playing.

“Come here.”

I hesitantly walked over. I couldn’t understand his behavior towards me lately. One moment he was distant, the next he was trying to assist me. It was all too confusing. Was he trying to be nice or was he just messing with me?

I pointed to myself. “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” he replied with a hint of annoyance.

I couldn’t believe his tone. It was as if he was indirectly telling me that I was stupid. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I hated when people talked down to me like that, but I had no other choice. I had to obey him. If I asked another question, he would probably start blowing fire at me. That’s just how he was — a grumpy man.

He was teaching me how to play the game that the boys were all obsessed with. At first, I struggled and could only kill a few monsters. But with practice, I quickly caught on and was soon keeping up with them. In fact, I had the highest kills and points compared to the seven who were supposed to be skilled players.

“Wow, Ellie! You’re amazing!” Clarence exclaimed in amazement.

“I didn’t know you were such a fast learner!” Axle added, clearly impressed. “Maybe you can teach me a thing or two?” I couldn’t help but laugh at his playful comment.

“I’m just kidding,” he quickly backtracked, earning a glare from Hyde. “I’ll leave you to it, Ellie. The boss is getting angry and I don’t want to die just yet.”

“Game over, guys. We just got defeated by a lady,” Raven grumbled.

“Hey, losing to me isn’t a big deal. We win some, we lose some,” I said with a smile.

But they just looked defeated, like they couldn’t believe they had been beaten by a woman. Their shoulders were slumped, and their heads hung low. I could tell they were not used to losing, especially to a woman like me.

I stared at the seven of them, and a smile crept onto my face. Suddenly, I burst into laughter. They were surprised by my sudden outburst, but within seconds, they were laughing uncontrollably too.

If someone had told me that I would fit in so well with these strangers, let alone a group of men, I would have never believed it. But here I was, laughing and bonding with them like we had known each other for years. In such a short time, we had gotten close. It was nice to be able to let my guard down.