Kaira couldn’t help but be captivated by the man she never thought could be so kind.
Even Raymond couldn’t resist stealing glances at the girl he had once only seen as someone to use and brag about to his friends.
He never imagined that he would be her first, and he had never believed in the possibility of a change of heart when it came to love.
But now, she was making him believe that it truly existed.
Now, all he wanted was to be hers and for her to belong to no one else.
He wanted to spoil her and make her the love of his life.
Although he wasn’t entirely sure if what he felt for her was love, he was trying to convince himself that it was simply an attraction.
After they finished eating, Kaira pleaded with him to allow her to retrieve some of her belongings, especially her books, as she needed to study.
“Please, I need to take a few things from my room, especially my books.
“Do you always read?” Raymond inquires.
“I made a promise to my mom that I will make her proud.
My dad is dead, and my mom doesn’t have anyone’s support. She worked hard to get me into this prestigious school, so I have to make her proud,” Kaira expresses.
“Come here,” Raymond, who was standing in the middle of the room, beckons.
He pulls her into his embrace. “I want you to succeed as well.
You have my support in whatever you want to achieve academically,” Raymond assures.
Kaira tightens her grip around him and says, “Thank you.”
“I will take you to your hostel to collect your belongings and move in with me,” he suggests.
“But we’re on school property, and we shouldn’t be living together,” Kaira protests.
“We have control over our own lives. I don’t want you out of my sight,” he insists.
Raymond drives her back to her hostel room. Kaira’s roommate, who is also one of her bullies, sees her entering the room wearing luxurious clothing.
She pauses and remarks, “I hope you haven’t stolen one of the students’ denim pants.” Kaira’s roommate doesn’t realize that Raymond is behind her until he speaks up.
“How dare you accuse her of theft?” Raymond confronts Kaira’s roommate.
Kaira’s roommate was taken aback by Raymond’s defense of Kaira.
Raymond approached her, reaching out to hold her hand.
“Allow me to assist you,” he said. He helped her gather some of her belongings.
He didn’t let her carry her things alone; he helped her carry them and held her hand as they walked out of her dormitory.
Some of Raymond’s admirers were astonished to see him holding her hand and helping her with her belongings.
They quickly became the subject of gossip within the school grounds.
Upon reaching Raymond’s dormitory, she looked at him and made a plea.
“Please, I have a request,” Kaira asked.
“Ask anything,” he replied, placing his hand on her jawline.
“I understand that we have a contract, but I still want to study,” she stated.
“Your request is granted. I told you I would support you, and I meant it. I will support you in every aspect of your studies,” he assured her.
Kaira’s face lit up with joy upon hearing that he would allow her to study.
Kaira hurried to the study table, taking out her books and beginning to review the ones she planned to read.
TWO WEEKS LATER.
Raymond rolled over to the other side of the bed and noticed that his side was empty.
He opened his eyes and realized that she had already gotten out of bed to read.
He walked over to her and closed the book in front of her.
“You’re studying too hard,” Raymond said.
“Because I promised to make my mom proud,” Kaira replied.
“I know, and I’ve been supportive, but you need a break,” he advised.
“You’ve been a strong pillar, but I need to…” he interrupted her by capturing her lips and taking the book away from her hand.
She was about to protest when he picked her up. She grinned as he refused to stop kissing her.
He carried her back to bed and they made love.
Raymond and Kaira became the talk of the school, and all the girls detested Kaira because of how Raymond treated her like a queen.
A few days later, Raymond’s cellphone rings and he sees Lita’s name on the screen. Quickly picking up the call, he excitedly calls out her name.
“Hey Lita, what’s up?” he says enthusiastically.
Lita replies, “Guess the surprise?”
Surprised, Raymond asks, “Surprise? What surprise?”
“I finally got admitted into your school,” she reveals.
Raymond questions, “Are you saying you are now a part of the college?”
“Yes, just tell me your dorm and I will find you,” Lita says.
“Okay,” Raymond happily responds.
He informs her of his dorm and within minutes, Lita is at his door, knocking.
Raymond opens the door and Lita jumps into his arms.
“God, I miss you,” Lita exclaims.
“I miss you too. Why did you have to keep trying to get into a college here in my ? Colleges in Kansas are also good,” Raymond says.
“I know, but I just want to be around you,” she says.
Confused, he asks, “Around me?”
Lita quickly changes the topic, saying, “Your dorm is cool,” as she glances at the books on his study table.
Then, her eyes fall upon a picture of Kaira and Raymond kissing on his laptop screen.
Her previously happy expression turns sour as she looks back at Raymond, then back at the picture, silently staring at it.
Raymond notices her gaze fixed on the picture on his laptop screen.
“That’s Kaira, my girlfriend,” Raymond says excitedly.
The words “my girlfriend” pierce through Lita’s heart like a knife because she has loved Raymond since they were teenagers.
She had always hoped that someday he would love her back in the same way that she loved him.
She had rejected admission offers from other schools in the United States to be closer to him, and now that she finally has a chance to get closer, he has a girlfriend.
She turned towards him and forced a smile. “She’s beautiful,” Lita managed to say.
“Yeah, she’s the love of my life,” Raymond replied.
Lita’s heart shattered when he referred to Kaira as the love of his life.
“You wouldn’t believe that it wasn’t love at first sight. It was supposed to be a contractual arrangement, she was meant to be my plaything, but she ended up being the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Raymond explained.
She held back her tears, not wanting them to fall from her face.
“How did you two meet?” she asked.
“She rejected me so many times, you wouldn’t believe I had to kidnap her mother to win her over,” Raymond confessed.
“What did you say?” Lita questioned.
She quickly grabbed her cellphone, pretending to make a call.
However, she stopped the call and asked Raymond about the kidnapping again, secretly recording his voice.
Unbeknownst to Raymond, Lita had recorded their conversation.
Kaira arrived, and Lita eyed her suspiciously. Raymond rushed to kiss her and introduced Lita as his childhood friend.
“Babe, this is my childhood friend Lita. Lita, meet my love,” he said.
Lita smiled and pretended to be happy for them.
A FEW DAYS LATER…
Raymond held a three-piece suit in his hand when someone knocked on the door. He opened it with a smile, leaving the door ajar.
Lita entered and closed the door behind her. She glanced at the suit in Raymond’s hand.
“Going out?” she asked as she sat on one of the couches in his room.
“Yes, Kaira and I are going on a dinner date, and I plan to propose to her,” Raymond replied with a smile.
Lita’s mood shifted, and she felt a pang of jealousy. She wanted to cry and couldn’t sit comfortably anymore.
She quickly took out her cellphone while Raymond went into the bathroom.
Scrolling through her phone, she sent the recorded audio of Raymond confessing to kidnapping Kaira’s mother and manipulating her into accepting his advances.
He sent the recorded Audio voice to Kaira. As Kaira was on her way to Raymond’s bedroom, she received the audio message.
Upon checking the message, Kaira realized it was an audio recording.
She played the audio and recognized Raymond’s voice confessing to orchestrating her mother’s kidnapping.
Kaira was devastated, tears streaming down her face.
Her hand trembled, causing her cellphone to slip from her grasp and shatter on the floor.
Despite the broken phone, Kaira hurriedly made her way to Raymond’s room, tears still flowing, ready to confront him.
Raymond stood motionless, donning his three-piece suit, a smirk forming on his face.
The door swung open, and Kaira rushed towards Raymond.
“Babe, you should also get ready,” Raymond said, smiling to himself.
Kaira delivered a harsh slap across Raymond’s face.
“How could you do this to me?!” she exclaimed. “You were the one who kidnapped my mother and demanded ransom, only to use me as your object of pleasure?”
Raymond opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it, unable to deny his actions.
“Kaira, I am so…” Raymond began, but Kaira cut him off.
“You… oh…” Kaira took a step back, tears still streaming, shaking her head in disbelief.
She hastily exited the room, with Raymond chasing after her.
“Kaira! Kaira!” Raymond called out, rushing after her.