"You and I are strangers . . . classmates at most . . . You've already repaid me yesterday by allowing me into your home and invited me to dinner . . . We are . . . even."

". . ."

". . ."

Eric thought that Evangeline would get angry and leave. Surely, she got the underlying meaning behind his words. He wanted her out of his unit. She was proud and arrogant and didn't take kindly to anyone who made her feel degraded and shame. Therefore, it was only natural that she would storm out. It was expected.

But to his astonishment, she laughed. Her laughter resonated inside the room, and he was stunned at the sight of her laughing face.

It was not an exaggerated laugh, more like a burst of giggles from a little girl first time doing a successful prank.

"Oh Eric, if you wanted to chase me out, no need to be so polite about it." Evangeline chortled before wiping away the tears in her eyes.

She didn't know why, but instead of feeling humiliated, she was happy to hear Eric's words––no, she was delighted upon hearing his tone of voice. The subtle changed in his tone from deep to trembling gruff, suggesting that he was having a hard time in forcing those words out from his mouth. Like he didn't want to say it at all!

It only means he wasn't honest.

It was either he was too polite, or he was waiting for her to affirm what their status was. She giggled before she slowly approached him while Eric back a little, too bewildered to know what Evangeline was up to now.

Evangeline smirked. "Do you think that after what happened yesterday, you and I are still strangers or classmates? The moment I let you enter my house, you and I became more than just that . . . It's too late, Eric. You've already caught my attention."

Her eyes sparkled in delight at watching Eric's conflicting expressions.

"It's rare for me to notice someone. But once I do, I won't stop until I get that someone."

Eric was stunned when Evangeline bent down and gently tapped her finger on his nose.

"You belong to me now, Eric. Whether you like it or not."

She straightened her back and grinned before she turned and moved to the door, swaying her hips as he spoke along the way with a tantalizing soft voice.

"You rest some more while I prepare your dinner." And she went out, but didn't close the door.

. . .

. . .

W-Wha . . . What happened?

Eric was stunned. His brain was stuck on the image of Evangeline. He didn't even register half of what she said when she bent down and her dress stretched, exposing her enticing cleavage and plump breasts held together by a black lacy bra.

His jaw tightened, and he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. It was a good thing that the blanket covered half his body. She didn't notice his hard rock erection going haywire from the surging lust and heat . . . At least, he hoped she didn't.

He slumped on his bed, suddenly feeling tired. He covered his eyes with his arm, feeling dizzy –– again.

I think I'm going to get sick from a different type of sickness.

He continued to close his eyes in deep thought. He was still sick, but he felt a little better now. He was digesting what Evangeline said to him. He didn't go ahead of himself in thinking she loves him –– no.

It was more like . . . a fascination rather than anything else.

And Evangeline hadn't exactly said that she likes him or anything at all that would give away their current relationship status . . . which somehow . . . he was relieved at.

As of now, their relationship leveled from strangers to classmates to . . .

Servant and master?

He stifled a laugh.

Being her servant might not entirely be a bad thing. He was, after all, secretly observing her from the start ever since she adopted Snow in her care. Even to the point that he secretly took jobs in places she frequented to.

But he never thought that he would attract her attention.

It was never part of his plan.

Now that she wouldn't leave him alone anymore, partly because of his doing, he might as well indulge himself in what his heart been craving for in secret.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly got up and out of his bed. When he reached for his glasses, he heard a thunderous explosion from the kitchen.

BOOM!

Panic and worry flooded his heart. He dashed to the kitchen, not noticing that he was wearing a different shirt.

"EVE!"

An insanely creeping fear ate his mind as he ran to the kitchen.

He only breathed the air he held when he saw Evangeline standing meters away from the stove and smokes.

Evangeline was in a state of shock when she was yanked away and landed on a man's body.

"Eve! Are you hurt?"

Eric checked her up and down, and carefully inspect her hands and fingers. When he made sure that not a hair was missing nor a wound on her skin, he exhaled another breathe of relief.

Blinking, Evangeline now registered what was happening. The explosion was so fast, shocking her entire system and she shut down for a moment. When she came too, Eric was inspecting her from head to toe and her lips curved in a mocking smile.

"Eric, something is wrong with your kettle. It exploded. It must be fake. You've been doped."

". . ."

". . ."

Pft!

Eric held his laughter when amidst the cinders sprinkled on Evangeline's face, she still had the audacity to say those words with innocent eyes and mocking smile.

Chuckling, he gently wiped away the black dusts on her face with the pad of his thumb.

"What exactly did you do for it to explode?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow as if telling him that it was obviously not her fault why the kettle exploded.

Nevertheless, she replied honestly, "I poured water in it and placed it on the stove, as you can see."

"Ahuh . . . and then?"

After making sure that she was not hurt in any way, he turned off the stove and placed the burnt kettle in the sink, turning on the faucet.

Evangeline's perfectly shaped brows creased in one line while the taunting curve of her lips didn't diminish.

"I wanted to make ginger tea, but the water taste . . . tasteless. Thus, I added sugar in it."

". . ."

". . ."

Eric's eyelid twitched. "You added sugar . . . on boiling water . . . inside a covered container like the kettle?" he questioned without malice. In fact, he was rather amused.

Crossing her arms, Evangeline puffed her cheeks, seemingly proud. "Yes, what's wrong with that?"

Eric breathes a laugh as he slightly shook his head. "No wonder it exploded," he mumbled before leading her to a chair.

"Sit here first while I prepare us something to eat."

"That won't do, you're still sick." Evangeline got up from her seat, but Eric held her shoulders, stopping her.

"I'm fine. Thank you by the way."

He then left her and ransacked his ref for the leftover food from yesterday night. He reheated the foods as well as the porridge she brought for him. And after a moment, he lost himself in cooking their dinner.

Evangeline watched as Eric smoothly prepared their dinner. It was like watching a pro-chef in the kitchen like in the movies. His movements were fluid. No actions wasted. In a matter of thirty minutes, everything was served, and Eric was now sitting opposite her.

Her taste buds had long been pampered by top renowned chefs. Nonetheless, simple dishes like stirred fry vegetables and the reheated leftover food tasted divine when he added something to it with his personal touches.

"I got to say. You can do part time jobs every day without letting it affect your academics, and you can even cook like a pro." After tasting the soup, she lightly tapped a napkin on her lips before leaning towards Eric, who was blowing porridge from his spoon.

"I'm living alone, so I have to learn to cook for myself," he answered simply and began to eat.

He hadn't eaten all day, and his stomach was grumbling the moment he woke up. Though he didn't have any appetite and his taste buds were not working properly due to his cold, the important thing at the moment was to sated his hunger.

Evangeline knew this too, so she stopped bothering him and let him have his fill first.