The man was the only son of a prominent local winery owner. He was rich and did not keep a low profile at all.
Most of the girls in his school were fond of him. Although Eddison had stayed aloof to the squabbles and commotions in school, he still knew about him.
He was infamous for being a playboy.
Rumor had it that his ex-girlfriends were either dead or had gone crazy at the end of their relationships. Although those cases were all proven to be accidents later, the coincidences were too eerie and frightening.
Thinking of that, Eddison got up instantly and stood in front of Sierra.
âYouâre not welcome here!â
He berated the man sternly.
It was obvious that the man hadnât expected him to act in such a way, or, more precisely, he didnât even notice that there was someone else in the room as all of his attention was on Sierra.
Hearing that, he quirked his eyebrow.
âWho are you?â
âIt doesnât matter who I am. Anyway, youâre not welcome here!â
The man was incensed at Eddisonâs words. He asked Sierra, âSierra, is this your friend?â
Sierra grabbed hold of Eddisonâs arm and said, âDonât talk nonsense! Jairus is here to visit me.â
Eddison was baffled briefly, âAre you friends with him? Havenât you heard about the rumors in school?â
She turned her head aside.
She explained to Jairus, âHeâs my junior in school. He has just returned from Country C. Please donât mind him!â
Only then did Jairus smile and said, âSo, you two are schoolmates then. Nice to meet you, Iâm Sierraâs boyfriend!â
Eddison was flabbergasted by the word âboyfriendâ.
He suddenly remembered that Sierra had told him before that she had a boyfriend. It turned out to be this man, Jairus.
âSierra, about this matter, you-â
Sierra interrupted him, âEnough of that! Jairus is very nice to me, and Iâm also very happy now. I hope that I can have your blessing.â
Eddison pursed his lips. Before he could say anything else, Sierra accepted the flowers from Jairus.
âThank you, they are beautiful.â
âIâve also brought your favorite pears. Last time, you said that you didnât like apples. I remembered that!â
âThank you, darling!â she said, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at Jairus.
Eddison looked at the two of them, and then glanced at the apple in his hand. He couldnât help but regret his decision to visit her.
He turned around while saying, âIâm sorry for my disturbance.â
After that, he left right away.
â¦
In sooth, Eddison had no idea why he had gone to the hospital. He had reckoned Sierra needed him, but in reality, he only ended up embarrassing himself as she was clearly in love with Jairus.
He wandered around aimlessly. When he came to his senses, he found himself back at the dormitory.
His roommates, Larry, Victor and Carney, were busy chatting in the dormitory. Everyone was delighted to see him back.
âDude, how come youâve never told us that youâre coming back? We would have gone and picked you up from the airport.â
He found a seat and sat down, saying, âThereâs no need for that.â
âAll right, we havenât seen you for a long time. Let us treat you to a drink or two!â
It was still quite a distance away from the nearest restaurant, but several food stalls could be found nearby. However, Eddison did not really have much of an appetite.
As they were discussing where to go for a meal, he recalled Rachelâs words.
She had told him to head back for dinner.
Frowning, he dismissed the thought from his mind.
âNo, itâs too troublesome!â
Larry laughed and said, âOh, Iâve just remembered that a friend of mine came over a few days ago. He brought me some snacks. Let me show them to you!â
Hearing his words, Victor also dragged out a beer box from under his bed.
âShh, this is my secret collection!â
While speaking, Larry and Carney had come back with a variety of snacks in their hands.
Without wasting time, they started to eat the snacks and drink the beer.
Eddison was not a drinker. However, the feeling of dejection had descended upon him that day due to Sierra and Jairus. Thus, his roommates had successfully coaxed him into drinking.
He drank copiously, as though he wanted to forget about Sierra through drinking.
Larry could tell his sorrow. So, he patted him on the back.
âDid you visit Sierra?â
Victor, on the other hand, didnât notice Eddisonâs woebegone expression. He said, âWhy donât you just forget about it? She has a boyfriend already-Ouch!â
Carney pinched Victorâs hand hard, hinting at him to shut up.
Larry immediately said, âDonât think too much about her. Actually, she isnât as good as you think!â
Eddison furrowed his brows as he said, âStop talking!â
He wouldnât allow anyone to taint her reputation, even if he couldnât win her heart.
Larry and Carney exchanged a look. Subsequently, Larry became quiet.
However, Carney couldnât help saying, âWe donât care whether she is a good person or bad, but itâs a fact that you spent so much money on her. How dare that b*stard steal the fruits of your labour!â
Victor added while nodding, âThatâs right! Youâve lost so much weight. You must have done plenty of hard work to earn so much money, no?â
Eddison was not in the mood to hear them talk about anything else. All he thought about was the phrase âsteal the fruits of your labourâ.
âWhat do you mean? Who stole the fruits of my labour?â
âItâs Jairus. It was not until yesterday that I found out about the truth. Sierra thought that it was Jairus who spent so much money on her. Itâs exasperating, isnât it? Itâs true that the three of us didnât spend money on her, but we spent so much time, not to mention the energy, to set you and her up. Now that she has become Jairusâ girlfriend, all our efforts have been in vain. Of course, youâre the one who suffered the most. I feel bad for you, man!â
Eddison pursed his lips tightly.
âI see! Thank you. Letâs call it a day. Iâll leave now.â
âWhat are you going to do?â asked Larry.
âNothing!â
âThen, why are you going out at this time? The gate will be closed soon, and itâs not safe outside. Just stay here and rest!â
Eddison shook his head and explained, âI wonât be staying in the dorm anymore. Iâm leaving!â
After that, he went out.
His roommates looked at each other in incredulity, âWhere is he going to stay? Has he become rich?â
â¦
After leaving the dormitory, Eddison didnât go back to the apartment, but went to the hospital instead.
As he thought about how Jairus had deceived Sierra, he grew infuriated at once. In his opinion, since he already knew about the truth, he couldnât just sit back and watch Sierra be tricked.
He rushed to the hospital, but the staff over there said that Sierra had already fallen asleep, and he was not allowed to disturb her rest.
Hence, he had no choice but to head back to the apartment, thinking that he should tell Sierra about the truth the next day.
A bright moon hung in the sky, looking the same as in his hometown. However, he felt that something was missing.
He didnât take a taxi, instead just walking all the way back. By the time he arrived at the apartment, it was almost midnight.
There was a figure in front of the apartment. In the dim light, it was difficult for him to make out the figure. He thought that it was a sculpture. He got close to find that a few local hooligans were gathering there.
âHello, cutie! Are you waiting for someone? Letâs hang out instead!â
The figure turned out to be a girl.
The voice was so familiar to Eddison. Who else could it be other than Rachel?
She refused them immediately, âYes, Iâm waiting for someone. Please donât come near me.â
However, in such a free country, the citizens were used to acting recklessly. Therefore, those hooligans didnât care about her refusal.
They couldnât wait to make amorous advances on her.
It just so happened that Eddison was livid at that time. He came up to them and instantly threw some punches and kicks at them.