Love Game With The Rebel Billionaire

"His what?" I heard him, but I wanted to make sure.

"Protection?" Haze repeated, even more puzzled by the frown on my face. "You didn't know? Haven't you wondered why no one bothers you here even though you're alone? No one else could do that for you." Mason could, too. I wanted to say that but held back.

It had been a long time since I talked to Ash. I hadn't even seen him again, despite how clingy he used to be.

I wish I could forget everything he did for me, or at least how it felt when he was beside me... but his absence made me miss him even more. And I hate it.

A MONTH passed, and I had just finished enrolling for the second semester, so I decided to go up to the rooftop to get some air.

Time had passed just as quickly before Ash messed up my life. Now that he wasn't talking to me again, time seemed to speed up once more. The only difference is... I'm hurt as time goes on.

I couldn't even admit that I was hurt because of him, especially when I could see him from the rooftop, leaning on the rail, puffing his cigarette. "Thank you..." I muttered as I played with the hem of my shirt.

I should have said it to him long ago, but I only realized it now that he's stopped bothering me.

For all the times he helped ease the pain in my heart, for being there even when I wasn't calling him, and for saving me even when I didn't want to be saved anymore... I wanted to thank him for that.

I wasn't sure if he heard me. I could barely hear myself say it. Deep down, I was scared he would avoid me because he didn't want to see me anymore.

And that's exactly what happened.

He glanced at me but quickly looked away. He tossed his cigarette to the ground before walking past me as if he hadn't seen or heard anything.

And it broke my heart even more.

"I like you, Ash..." I muttered under my breath as he slammed the door, leaving me here alone, just like the last time we talked.

"IF YOU have a problem or whatever it is, don't bring it here to class," our group leader lectured one of our members, who had been zoning out and making mistakes in our project for days now. "Focus! This is the last semester. If you're just going to drag us all down, it's better if I just remove you."

"Sorry," the person muttered while looking down. I glanced at them briefly and noticed that they looked back at me but quickly averted their gaze.

My group leader was right. If they had problems, they shouldn't let it affect our group activities. It may be harsh to say, but it's the right thing to do. Even if it hurts, life still goes on.

I couldn't believe how fast time had flown. It felt like just yesterday when I saw Ash during our enrollment day, but now here we were, working on an activity. I was taking my last subject and internship.

Two more months, and I'd finally escape from this hell called school.

"How's your internship, Sapphire?" Leslie, one of my group members, asked while typing on her laptop.

She was responsible for the graphic design, while I handled the encoding.

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"It's fine, I guess," I replied shortly as I continued typing. I wasn't going to stop what I was doing just to chat. "It's tolerable."

"You're lucky you ended up in a good auditing firm!" she complained, and I just grinned as she suddenly started typing harder on her keyboard. "It's so unfair how things work in this school."

It seemed like she was venting her frustrations because while I got placed in a reputable auditing firm, most of my classmates ended up in small, struggling companies, or ones just starting out.

Employers don't look at wealth when they choose interns. It's all about talent and skills. That's what got me into one of the best auditing firms in town. They even offered to make me an audit associate after graduation if I performed well during the internship.

But that wasn't the reason I was working so hard. It was because of my grades. I knew that if I had good grades, more opportunities would come my way.

I sighed as thoughts of my future flooded my mind again.

Right, Sapphire. This is what you should be focusing on. Not those pointless things. Not the unfairness of life since childhood, not my stepfather... and not even Ash.

WHEN we finished class, I hurried to the university gate to head to the auditing firm where I worked. My schedule there was 8 to 5 from Monday to Friday, but I had requested a half-day today because of this project.

They told me I'd need to make up for it by working on the weekend, but that didn't bother me. In fact, it was better because it gave me an excuse to leave the house.

"Damn," I cursed when someone bumped into me.

"Sorry!" the person yelled before continuing to run into a nearby building.

"Ouch," I groaned, making a pained face while holding my arm.

I usually wore a black blazer to make my appearance more formal, but today it had another purpose: to hide the bruises on my arm. I wouldn't have felt them as much if it weren't for that bump earlier.

I bit my lip, trying to take a deep breath to ease the pain. I hadn't even treated the wounds.

I guess being Mason's hidden sister didn't make a difference. Dad still beats me up whenever he wants to.

In the end, you really have to save yourself.

As I was lost in thought, someone suddenly stood in front of me.

"Ash?" I asked as I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing my hand and intertwining his fingers with mine.

Thankfully, he held my hand because if he had grabbed my arm, I would've winced from the pain.

"I'm busy." I tried to pull my hand away, but he only tightened his grip. My heart pounded as I felt his warm, soft hand gently caressing mine.

I wanted to see him, but not right now. Not when I was in a rush to get to work, where my supervisor was strict. One late arrival, and I'd have to work an extra day to make up for it.

"This won't take long." He clenched his jaw before pulling me into the nearby auditorium.