PROLOGUE

YOU HAVE a beautiful daughter, Amigo.”

“Of course, Amigo. It runs in the blood.” Bela’s father, Herman James, sipped on his glass of wine. The two men were talking at the garden of James’s residence as they watched over the seven-year-old, Bela, and the ten-year-old Elijah, who was playing badminton.

“And your son seems to grow more handsome than you, Edgar,” Herman said and put down his glass.

The man named, Edgar, laughed.

“Where’s his mother, Carol?” Herman asked.

Edgar didn’t respond and just sipped on his glass.

“Are you still being dominant to her? You should not have treated your wife as your submissive—”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Amigo. It’s easy for you to say since you love your wife before you got married. While me… we’re forced in a fucking marriage.” Pain and madness were visible in Edgar’s eyes.

“You should have filed a divorce, Edgar. Men must not hurt women. Say, you don’t love Carol, but looked, you adore and love your son. And it’s from Carol. You should stop treating your wife as your slave in the bed, Amigo. We’re not getting any younger,” said Herman.

Edgar sighed.

“What if Eli will accidentally saw how you treat your wife?”

“He happened to see it one time. When…” Edgar wiped his palm into his face, “when I’m whipping her in our playroom—”

“What?”

“It was my fault since I forgot to lock the door. I have cancer, Herman. You knew that. I have never been vocal with what I truly feel ever since. I don’t want to leave them—I… I like Carol. But… this dominant feeling that I let grew inside me, overcoming my affection towards her. I can’t just admit in front of her that I was sorry for years treating her just like a toy but not a wife.”

Herman could feel the burden of his best friend. He was against Edgar's behavior towards Carol ever since, but Carol plead to let him be.

Carol and Edgar were forced to marry each other by their parents for the sake of business expansion.

“I’ve been fighting with this illness since we’re in College, Herman. Carol knew that too, and she also knew that I am dominant. I didn’t force her to submit herself to me. I even gave her a chance to leave me—Damn!”

“Then just explain it to your son. Tell him everything.”

Edgar shook his head. “He’s just ten. I let him know when he’s in the right age.”

Herman shook his head. “Just try it.” He tapped Edgar’s shoulders.

***

ONE FINE MORNING, Bela decided to stay in the University’s garden where she could have a perfect spot to watch over her crush—Elijah Morelli. The man is three years older than her and was already in his last year as a university student. He’s her childhood friend as their dads were best friends during their college days. Having a crush on the guy since then, it happens also that she followed him in his university—well, she faces struggles at first since Eli went to an Ivy League school and she’s not that smart as Eli, but she did her best to enter the University. Now, she’s in the second semester of her freshmen days.

“Elijah will melt when you keep on staring at him, Bela.”

Bela heaved a deep sigh and face her friend, Aya. It’s their vacant time before their last subject in the morning.

“I just can’t get off of my eyes on him.”

Aya laughed which makes her frown. “Dream on, girl. Eli already had a girlfriend and they’re in the fourth year of their relationship. And you…” Aya looked at her from head to toe, “you’re just his childhood friend—his little sister.”

Bela heaved a deep sigh as she sipped on her matcha milk tea.

“Just accept that you will never have the chance. Look… in a few months, he will already leave college. So as his girlfriend. Later on, they will marry each other—”

Bela raises her right hand in front of Aya’s face. “Stopped.” She glared at Aya. They’ve been just friends for months and Aya reacts like she already knew everything. Well, she likes her and treated her already as her best friend but every time she was blabbering about her love for Elijah, Aya never supported her. They may be buddies in many things, but when it comes to her affection for Eli, Aya never takes her side.

“What kind of a friend are you?” Bela asked.

“Bela… As much as I want to support you, with your forlorn love, I just can’t turn impossible things into possible ones. Look how Eli gazed at his girlfriend. He’s in love, deeply in love. And Eli never dated other women, he never tried to cheat—”

“Like where did you get that news? You were just a freshman… like me,” Bela asked, confusedly.

Aya scratched the back of her head. “Research. Okay,” Aya sighed, “I asked some of Eli’s classmates—”

“You mean you flirted to one of them to get information?” Well, it’s Aya’s way. She will flirt—like she kinda likes the guy even if she’s just using them.

Aya looked away and bite on her sandwich.

“Gosh, Aya. You don’t have to do that—”

“I just want to help you—okay. Fine. I tried to help you to Eli but when I found out about those things, I realized that it’s useless. So, whatever you feel for him, just bury it.”

Bela smirked and looked at Eli who’s now Fr*nch kissing his girlfriend. “I will make him mine. You’ll see.”