Eliz couldn't understand why her mother often put Maximus and Preston together in one room. They hated each other to the core. They were rivals in class rank and sports.

Ironically, they also competed in the number of women they played with.

"I thought this was a family dinner," Maximus side-commented as soon as they began their meal.

"It is," Marcelina said.

"Then what is this arse doing here?" Maximus glowered at Preston, who was sitting next to Eliz.

"Son, please," Marcelina simply told off her son.

"Talking about yourself?" Preston countered.

He groaned and turned to look at Eliz when she stomped on his foot beneath the table. That was a sign for him to behave.

"He's family,"  Marcelina told Maximus.

While Preston grinned triumphantly, Maximus was not pleased.

"You've brought another stranger for adoption?" he mocked.

Eliz clenched her teeth because she was sure that was a shade meant for her. Preston, on the other hand, playfully stuck his tongue out at Maximus.

"You'll have to accept it," Preston remarked. "Your family considers me as family."

"That's because you're lurking in this house more than I do!" Maximus snapped.

"Well, Eliz is here. Where do you expect me to lurk around?"

Marcelina butted in, "Boys, enough!"

Eliz and Marcelina looked at each other. Eliz shrugged at her as if to say, "I told you this is a bad idea."

After dinner, Maximus and Marcelina talked privately while Eliz walked Preston outside.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Eliz nodded. "Of course. Nothing new. You know he's like that to me all the time."

"That's exactly why I'm worried. And there's no use in telling you to speak up because you will never do that."

"Preston, I'm really okay. We're adults now. He'd probably still bully me, but not like before."

Eliz heard Preston sigh.

"I have a bad feeling. I prayed he won't come back here anymore."

"Why say that?" Eliz scolded him.

"Princess, he's trouble, okay? He will hurt you again. He will say rude things, make you cry, and make your scars bleed again."

Eliz wanted to retaliate about how he called her his princess again but decided not to because he looked seriously concerned about her.

"What if you stay in a hotel for now? I just really don’t want you to live in the same house with him again."

"Mom will never permit it."

"Or why don't you just tell Mrs. Wright that Maximus is a bully to you? Tell her. So she would stop trying to make you and that bastard close to each other."

Marcelina knew that Maximus didn't like Eliz. But she was oblivious about HOW he bullied her all the time.

Eliz chuckled. It made Preston stop, confused about her reaction.

"Is this funny to you?" Preston said in frustration.

Eliz shook her head and unexpectedly said, "Thank you."

Flabbergasted, Preston's eyes stilled.

"I'm happy I have someone like you to worry for me. But seriously, I'm fine." Eliz softly laughed. "And if he makes me cry again, I'll probably just say a short prayer for him to get enlightened and then call you."

Preston felt an aching all over his body. He didn't want to be someone worrying for her. He hated that he was just that.

Before they passed the main door, Preston swung his arm around Eliz's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm on your side."

Eliz looked up, touched by his words.

"You know that right?" he added.

Eliz nodded. She waited until Preston got inside his car and left. She could see where his worries came from. He was there whenever she cried because of Maximus.

On the way back inside, Eliz passed by her mom's sewing room. The door was ajar, and she was about to close it when she heard people talking inside.

It was her mom and her brother.

She didn't want to eavesdrop, but Marcelina mentioned Jenice's name, so Eliz halted her steps and listened.

"Don't argue with me. You can choose. You let her stay in a hotel or stay here but in a separate room. I can't let you two be together in one room when you're not even married," Marcelina said sternly.

"Mom, please! I brought her here. How could I send her alone to a hotel?" Maximus argued. "Besides, we already did everything a married couple would do."

Marcelina gasped loudly in disbelief.

Eliz bit her lower lip at what she heard. Jealousy sprung from the pit of her stomach. She pictured the couple tangled in bed.

Worst, she would hear everything because their rooms were next to each other.

"See? See?" Marcelina squealed. "Exactly why I don't want you two to be in the same room. Pre-marital sex is a sin! The Lord will never forgive me for raising my son wrongly!"

Eliz heard Maximus groan in frustration before she headed to the kitchen. She helped the maids clean the table and wash the dishes. Moments later, Marcelina joined them.

Eliz was curious if Maximus decided to follow their mom's wishes because that meant she was spared from hearing things she shouldn't hear from Maximus' room in the middle of the night.

However, she didn't ask because then, Marcelina would discover that she rudely eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Eliz, darling, can you bring this upstairs for your brother?" Marcelina was talking about the honey tea she had prepared.

She often made honey tea for Maximus since they were young because he often had trouble sleeping. Eliz hesitated as she could already visualize Maximus throwing the tea on the floor if he saw her, but she agreed anyway.

"Okay," she finally said.

While she headed for the stairs, Eliz's heart rattled.

Finally, when the dreadful moment was just a door away, she drew a long breath in front of the door.

Her chest drummed. She prayed that whatever rude things Maximus would say, she would be able to take it and not cry.

She balanced the tray on one hand while the other knocked on the door. When she heard no response, not even from Jenice, she knocked again.

Then again, she heard no sound. She tried to open the door, which was (un)fortunately not locked.

She placed the tray on the bedside table and looked around the room. If there was one place in the mansion she wasn't allowed to go to, it was this room.

She had gone to the room countable times when Maximus wasn't home. His place was an absolute no-go zone for her.

Then that same door caught her eyes.

There was another door beside the door to his walk-in closet. Eliz heard from her mother that it was Maximus' art room. And no one, absolutely no one, not even the Madame of the mansion was allowed to see what was inside that room.

Unlike years ago, it wasn't ajar. So Eliz assumed it was locked.

The warning on the door said, "DO NOT ENTER".

Eliz knew, by experience, that attempting to trespass was unforgivable. But still, she walked closer and touched the door knob.

Before she could twist it, she jerked in surprise when the main door of the bedroom swung open. From it came a shirtless Maximus in his pajama pants.

Eliz immediately hid her hand behind her back.

His eyes were dull but tantalizing at the same time. His jaw moved treacherously as he burned Eliz with his stares.

"What were you doing?" His voice was accusing.

Eliz shook her head.

"Don't make me mad. Tell me what you did." His commands were calm but threatening.

"I swear, nothing," Eliz lied.

Maximus slowly walked towards her.

"I saw you. Did you see what's inside?"

"No, I did not–"

Maximus quickly arrived in front of her. She took a step back, but Maximus took another step closer to her.

"Maximus, I'm sorry. I just–"

"You never learn your lesson."

Eliz grunted when Maximus made her face the wall. She tried to escape by moving away, but Maximus caught her wrist, and he pushed her again onto the wall. Maximus held her hands in place at her back.

She had no escape.

"I'm sure I already warned you to never enter that room."

"I didn't! I swear!" Eliz cried out.

She jerked when she felt Maximus' cheek on hers. She felt his cheek move as he spoke, and it made her skin tingle all over.

"Do you want me to remind you what I become when I'm mad?"

Eliz's heart crackled in a thunderous way. She was nervous.

"I'm sorry, okay? I won't do it again–Ah!"

He pushed her harder onto the wall.

"Eliza," he called her name, "stop provoking me."

Suddenly, Eliz's memory brought her back to that unwanted heart-throbbing encounter ten years ago. When she was 16 and Maximus was 20.