Chapter 4: Probability
1136 Words
What was the probability of meeting a man who would take the Christmas spirit seriously?
"What? You didn't need to do that. I'm not interested."
He frowned at me, but nodded his head.
"I'll get you some hot cocoa."
He turned and walked towards the bar while I rubbed my hands together.
What was I thinking? Why did I lash out at him? That wasn't me. And why was he so kind?
I jolted when someone wrapped their arms around my waist.
"I missed you so much."
Disgust and anger made my veins pop. I untangled his arm, but his grip was stronger.
"Did you honestly think you could throw me away easily?"
I loathe every inch of him, and although it irked me to do this, I bit his arm like a snake with venomous fangs.
He screamed and retracted his arm.
"Have you gone crazy?"
My laughter roared through the darkness. The ship's engine and the music from the party drowned it out, but it was enough to establish the idea to him.
I pulled out the butterfly knife I had hidden under my dress and played with it while ignoring the dangers of its blade.
He was silent throughout all of this and stepped back when I pointed the sharp tip at his eye.
Yeah, I might have gone crazy because I did ridiculous things recently. Was it because I was hiding under a fake identity? Or maybe I adapted to the circumstances around me?
"You thought I would back down from your knife trick? Why don't we have fun in my room instead?"
Someone punched the jerk in the face. It might be the impact of the shock that my ex had a hard time standing up to his assailant. I even saw his tooth on the wooden floor.
Nick stood up and attacked, but he wasn't successful because this man attended the course on dodging attacks.
"What's your problem, huh?"
"You're assaulting her. People like you should've never been born in this world."
Nick patted Mr. Knight's shoulder. "You got it wrong, Mister A-hole. This woman is my fiance, and we're going to marry next month."
Mr. Knight turned to me. And of course, I shook my head.
Please do not believe that ridiculous excuse.
"Oh my gosh! What happened to you?"
The woman with a shrill voice rushed next to Nick.
"Is he your acquaintance?"
Miss Hawthorne stared at Mr. Knight's face as if she was studying it.
“He’s my fiance. Is there a problem?”
“He had way too much alcohol. You might want to put him in a cage.”
She stepped on his right foot. He yelped in pain, and his back slowly leaned on me. The couple used it as a chance to run away from us.
“Are you alright? That woman grew up getting what she wanted, so she’s a brat.”
“You didn’t have to. She stalked me a thousand times before.”
He put his hand on his mouth after realizing what he had done.
“Don’t worry; your secrets are safe with me.”
“How about you? Sorry, I was late. I know a good lawyer.”
This was the first time another person besides Liv and my father asked about my well-being. Everyone thought Secretary Seraphina Montgomery was invincible. Not even Nick asked me how my day was or if a sexist business executive offered a million dollars in exchange for being his side chick. And when an angry client slapped me, no one saw my crying face.
“You didn’t have to apologize. I was about to grab his eyeballs before you punched him.”
“Next time, don’t hesitate.”
I answered him with a nod, and we returned inside the ship before my whole body froze.
“Girl, I’ve been waiting for you! Let’s exchange…”
She didn’t finish what she was about to say because she got distracted by the enigmatic gentleman beside me. Olivia was the type of woman who was an expert in distinguishing the finer things in life... whether it was a purse or even a man.
She gawked at him, eyes wide as saucers. For sure, she scanned every clothing item he had, the smoothness of his skin, and his body structure. I told her a million times it was rude and we should never judge a person based on appearance, but she seemed deaf when I taught her basic etiquette.
“Girl, I’m glad you learned your lesson. If you date him, I will give you the seal of approval,” she said after the self-introduction between them.
My teeth gritted. “Please, Liv, I didn’t want to lose face even if I’m wearing a mask.”
“The blessings already knocked on your door. All you had to do was to open it.”
I was thankful to Rodick for striking up a conversation with Mr. Knight. Suddenly, an old man with a cane came and hit Mr. Knight.
“How many times do I have to tell you to look for a prospective marriage partner, not a one!”
With the way he was hitting him, the mystery of why he was the master dodger was solved.
I rolled my eyes at Liv, who walked towards the old man and whispered some juicy news. The man’s cheek turned red, his cane froze midair, and his eyes darted between Mister Knight, Liv, and me.
“Young lady, you must know I hate deceivers.”
The old man’s expression was like a trained dog waiting for a command to attack.
“I guarantee you. Why don’t you interrogate your grandson?”
Sweat beaded on my forehead because I got involved in their mess. The confirmation came two minutes later.
“Miss Savant, please, I needed your help.”
He sounded like he was about to cry, and the only thing to do was to kneel in front of me, but he couldn’t because it would look weird.
“A big no. You’re handsome and have money. You can take any woman you like.”
“Why am I in this position if your statement’s true?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. What I know is this: I want to pull all of my friend’s hair strands until she’s bald.”
His drooped shoulders and teary eyes awakened the guilt chamber in my heart, which I quickly turned off.
The probability of me accepting his offer was zero. What changed my mind? A crazy ex-boyfriend who didn’t learn his lesson. Was that punch not enough to prevent him from approaching me?
I pulled the desperate man beside me and said, “Fine, I’ll help you, but pull your weight, too. Kiss me right now.”
- Writer
