Saving the Villain

The next morning, Cosette woke up on Asher's bed, but the guy didn't spend the night in the same room with her, which was so nice of him. Even so, Cosette swore to herself she wouldn't drink ever again; unless she was with Maxen, then that could be as wild as she wanted to be.

Since Cosette planned to go to school, she was already up early in the morning. It was good she didn't have any hangover… was what she wanted to tell herself, but when she met up with her gloomy father, she wished she had a terrible hangover because Conrad seemed like he barely stopped himself from committing murder.

Cosette pretended not to notice as she bid her grandparents farewell. She wasn't very pleased with their plans the entire weekend, but seeing how happy her elders were; she didn't have the heart to feel anything but relief. At the very least, they seemed they had enjoyed it, even though Cosette and Conrad clearly didn't.

After a long exchange, Conrad grumpily told his parents they were leaving and dragged his daughter away. Marcel, Conrad's father, threw a huge fit at his son's rudeness while Gretchen had to calm him down. She still sent them off with a gentle smile.

The car ride was silent and Cosette tried to get some sleep, knowing she would go straight to school. When they reached the airport, Cosette's face contorted. Apparently, even though they were going on a private plane, Maynard waited for them so they all could fly together.

God knows how terrified Cosette was upon seeing the jolly Maynard. His son, Asher, fortunately, took the earliest flight, so it was just Maynard. Although Cosette heaved a sigh of relief, Conrad's consistent terrible mood scared her. Conrad's dwindling mood seemed to have affected the weather as the sky turned dark and it poured heavily, causing their flights to get delayed.

It was still a surprise they managed to land without Conrad becoming a murderer and Maynard going home in one piece. Although Maynard parted with them while dragging his feet after Conrad's constant verbal and brutal attack.

In the end, even though Cosette planned to go straight to school, even if she would arrive at lunchtime, she decided to go straight home. The flight delays and the mental torture of watching her father endure Maynard's 'insufferable' presence were too much for her to still go to school.

"Gosh…" Exhaustion plastered across her face. "Today… was just pure torture."

Cosette didn't enjoy the weekend. Not one bit. And Conrad surely shared the same sentiments, although her father still had the energy to check the company after dropping her home.

"But at least I saw Nana and Baba," she mumbled, thinking that it was nice to see them again. She even embraced them, although they invited all those people and they barely spent private time. "I should arrange our next family gathering next time. Surely, they tried to invite all those not just for marriage plans, but they think I am social."

Her lips curved down as she scrunched her nose up. "This is what happens when they didn't keep in touch with me for years. They practically don't know me."

The Blac Family was a small family, unlike other clans. This was because Marcel, Cosette's grandfather, drew a clear line with all their relatives. They didn't even have any relatives working in the BLK Corporation.

The reason for this was that Marcel didn't want any power struggle in the family. Marcel wanted to protect their family from those family dramas he had seen in other families occurring, while Conrad made sure no one in their relatives would even think about coveting what wasn't theirs.

That was the reason Cosette was pressured back then. She wanted to be like Conrad, and leave no questions from the board or from their relatives once she inherits the business.

And because of this, her grandparents didn't keep in touch with their granddaughter even if they wanted to raise her back then. She only knew this when she was already in the hospital in her previous life, and also their reason for keeping their distance from her. Hence, she couldn't really blame them since they did it not for themselves but for Conrad.

"Well, it's never too late to get to know them." Cosette nodded. "I should invite them here next time, instead of going to the ancestral home. Papa scares me, really. I thought his aura will suffocate me before we can even land."

Cosette lazily rolled until she was lying on her side, sniffing the soft pillow beside her. Her lips curled up and her mood instantly grew better as Maxen's scent wafted into her nostrils.

"Gosh… I missed him. Just what time will he go home?" she mumbled, feeling her eyelids turn heavy.

Cosette blinked weakly and before she could realize it, she fell asleep. She just got home and her day required a ton of mental and emotional strength, hence, she was exhausted. As her sleep deepened, three hours had gone by in a blur.

Three hours and thirty minutes had passed before the door creaked open.

Maxen stopped by the door, catching a figure lying on the bed. Her back was facing him, but his eyes immediately softened. He carefully closed the door behind him, almost tiptoeing his way in, afraid to disturb her sleep.

Maxen placed his bag beside the bed, walking around it on the side where she was facing. Gazing down, a gentle smile dominated his face. He carefully perched on the edge of the mattress, raising a hand to reach for her face.

His hand, however, stopped midway.

'I missed her,' he said inwardly, retrieving his hand back with a deep exhale. 'She looked exhausted.'

Despite that Cosette was sleeping soundly, he could feel her exhaustion. He didn't want to wake her up, even though he wanted to embrace her or kiss her or anything to express his longing for their two-day separation.

She didn't have any idea how hard it was for him to not see even her shadow for the past two days. The workloads Warren gave him kept him busy, but he had constantly stopped functioning just to think of her. Maxen had stopped himself from calling her or messaging her, knowing he had to respect her time with her grandparents.

Maxen carefully laid down beside her, keeping an arm-length distance from her, and just stared at her. The gentleness and affection in his eyes were clear, smiling just for the reason he was glad to see her.

"Mhm…" Cosette moaned and moved slightly, opening her eyes weakly. She blinked and blinked until Maxen's face grew clearer. A subtle smile instantly appeared on her face, staring back at him in silence.

"Max," her voice was soft and relieved. "You're back?"

"No," he said in a quiet voice. "I'm home."

Her smile stretched even wider. "I'm home too." She stretched her arms to him, wiggling her fingers.

"Hug?" she asked, and he chuckled, scooting over to her side.

The two of them adjusted, slipping his arms underneath her neck while Cosette leaned her face until the tip of her neck was touching his neck. A satisfied smile was plastered on her face, sniffing his light, yet intoxicating perfume.

'He used to have a very strong scent,' she thought as she couldn't help but compare the current Maxen to the adult version of him. Both smelled good, but there was just something in Maxen's current scent that was relaxing.

He smelled… like home.

"Did you have fun?" he asked after minutes of silence, pulling her body closer to him.

Cosette kept her eyes shut, melting into the warmth of his body. When she carefully opened her eyes, she pondered about her answer.

"Yes," she said under her breath, deciding it would upset him to know he endured their separation only for her to get stressed. "How about you? How's your weekend?"

"Not bad." He casually brushed her back. "I've been with Luke. He's helping me out with something."

"Helping you out?" Cosette drew her head back to look at his handsome face. "For what?"

"I was offered a job," he answered, refraining from giving out details, as per Conrad's request.

"Huh?" she frowned. "Why would you do that? Do you need money?"

"Not really. I saved a lot since last year."

"If that's the case, why did you accept it?"

"Because… why not?" he smiled. "The schedule is flexible and the pay is high. I need to save more money."

"Why?"

Maxen blinked, studying the genuine wonder in her eyes. "Because I need to sustain your lifestyle once we got married."

Cosette looked at him blankly, absorbing his words well. Seeing her lack of reaction, he frowned a little. However, just as his lips parted to take his words back, her eyes grew watery, giving them a beautiful sparkle and brilliance.

"You're doing it for me?" she asked, moved by his answer. "Gosh… you didn't have to, but if that's the case, you should prepare a lot of money because you have to marry me at least ten times, okay? A church wedding, a beach, and a garden. I also want a wedding on a yacht, a wedding in a castle…"

Cosette listed down the weddings she liked with different settings, adding her plans to go around the world with him, and even adding she wanted children that were made in different countries. Listening to her enthusiastic voice as she told him about the future she see with him, his heart warmed up.

"Hey," he called, stopping her from her ramblings as she looked back at him. But as soon as she did, all Cosette saw was his face leaning forward. Maxen claimed her lips for a quick and soft peck and then rested his forehead against hers.

"I missed you… is what I wanted to tell you since forever," he whispered, clutching her back and feeling the material of her clothes.

Cosette's shocked expression turned soft. "I missed you too," she whispered, lifting her head to plant a kiss on his soft lips.