Chapter 3

After spitting those words with no small amount of venom, Lilith turned and left. Yaeger and I were the only ones left in the room. The elderly man regarded me with a softer gaze as he said, "Come here, Leon." With that, he sat on the couch. When I walked over to him, I felt him assess my red, swollen cheek. He sighed a moment later as if in resignation. "I suppose none of this would have happened if not for the incident three years ago." I kept my face neutral as I shook my head. "It's fine. I would have signed the contract even if the misunderstanding hadn't happened. I would have sold my services to the Storm family anyway." Yaeger looked at me then, his eyes filled with doubt. "You might have done it for your sister, but if Lilith hadn't… She's always been a bit untamed, even as a kid. She could have gotten into big trouble three years ago, and she even led me to believe you were unscrupulous—" "That's in the past," I cut him off. "Besides, there's only a month left until the contract is up. I'll be free after that." Yaeger was quiet and made no reply. A long pause later, he offered, "I'm happy to help you out in whatever you want to do after a month. Think of it as compensation, if you will. But I hope that…" When he trailed off, I tilted my head to one side and asked, "What?" "I hope you could try to teach Lilith some life lessons during the final month of your contract instead of doing her bidding," Yaeger suggested. "But don't dive straight into it; give her some time to adjust to your change of tone." I stared at Yaeger evenly. If this was his way of showing his love and care for Lilith, I had a hard time understanding it. "I'll fulfill the remaining term of my contract as agreed, Mr. Storm. Don't worry," I promised before turning to leave. Three years ago, Lilith had gotten severely drunk at a drinking party that happened following our graduation from Melrose University. She was lying on the street and nearly got picked up by strangers. She and I were fellow graduates. It was by sheer coincidence that I found her passed out in the streets just before a few hooligans got to her. Instead of walking by and pretending I hadn't seen anything, I helped her up and brought her to a hotel. Unfortunately, Yaeger tracked Lilith down to the hotel and thought the worst of me. He nearly had me thrown behind bars. I was a scholarship student with excellent grades and behavior on campus. My lecturers had to plead my case to Yaeger before he finally calmed down and retrieved the security footage from the night I saved Lilith. Only then did the truth come out. It was precisely because of that incident that my path had crossed with the Storms. Anna had gotten worried about my safety after I was detained, and as she rushed to help me, she got into a car crash. Yaeger found out what happened and came up with the contractual arrangement that now bound me to Lilith. He wanted me to watch over Lilith, believing that my academic achievements could help her too. As Lilith's father, he knew better than I did how she got into Melrose University. The memories flickered through my mind as I lit a cigarette, leaning into the driver's seat. In the dimness of the garage, I felt the nicotine slither through my veins, burning my lungs. No one knew what I had been going through for the last three years. My former classmates mocked me—they called me the Storm family's lackey, a slave, and Lilith's lapdog. My friends had distanced themselves from me over time. They only knew I had dispensed with my dignity in favor of Lilith's leash. Word of what I had become spread to my relatives in my hometown. To them, I had endured a decade's hardship as a student only to end up as a lapdog for the rich. And so, I was made the object of my hometown's contempt. But only I knew how expensive my sister, Anna Schmitt's medical bills were. Even if I had graduated with honors from Melrose University, an average salaryman's paycheck would not be enough for me to save Anna from dying. The Storms had caused Anna to get into an accident, but they also gave me the choice to save her. I hated them, and I hated Lilith. Then again, hate was a strong word. My contradictory feelings were unsettling. It was also because of the Storms that I could have these resources and connections, not to mention the opportunity to lead a behemoth of a company. I did not regret throwing away the last three years of my life for Anna to have a slim chance at survival. The cigarette between my fingers burned out, nearly smoldering my skin. I quickly snapped to my senses and snuffed out the cigarette. It was time for all of this to end.