"I am just trying to protect you. I don't want you to get hurt by letting someone take advantage of your naïveté. This guy is already 23 years old. I know his kind. I know he's just after your name. You are my sole heir and someday you will handle all our family's wealth. Use your head Jewel!"  -Mr. Morrison

JEWEL's POV

When I turned around to see who it was, I almost forgot how to breathe because he looked so handsome. He was just wearing a red and black checkered polo, a pants and snickers but he is still handsome to my eyes.

He gave me a peck on the lips before he handed me the bouquet of flowers which was full of my favorite violet orchids. I thanked him and we kissed for a couple of seconds before we pulled away. The happiness on our faces were so evident.

****

He took me into the cinema and watched a movie then we went to a restaurant and had our lunch there.

After that, we just went to the mall, walking hand in hand. We laughed a lot because of his jokes. We even decided to go bowling too and compete against each other which ended me being the loser. I was so happy that I thought this was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn't ask for more. Even though it was just a simple date, I really enjoyed his company that I forgot about our situation.

When it was almost 6 pm, he asked me if I could stay a little bit longer and I agreed. We went back to our secret hide out and to my surprise, the rooftop was decorated with a lot of balloons and flowers. At the center, there was a round table with a red table cloth and a small vase with a long stemmed red rose in it and a candle at the center.

I was mesmerized of how this place turned beautiful like this. He walked towards a portable CD player and push the play button and a sweet music suddenly played. I looked at him confusedly but he was just smiling at me. He picked up the pink big teddy bear which I failed to notice until now and gave it to me.

"Happy Anniversary again love" He said and I hugged him tightly. My eyes were full of unshed tears. I felt him pulled away a little bit and started putting something on my ring finger. I looked at him questioningly.

"This ring is the proof of my love for you. It's the symbol of my promise to you that I will wait for you and love you, only you" He said full of promise.

"You didn't have to do this but thank you" I said full of emotions but at the same time the happiness was overwhelming. I took out my gift for him from my bag. It was a dog tag necklace with the words 'Zander ❤ Jewel' engraved on the pendant. I put it around his neck. He touched the small pendant and stared at it with full of emotions on his eyes.

"Thank you love. I will treasure this like our love for each other" He bent over his head to my height and rested his forehead against mine.

"Will you give me the pleasure of dancing with you Miss Princess Jewel Morrison?" I beamed joyfully and nodded my head in agreement. Soon, we were dancing slowly with the sweet music in the air. The world felt like it stopped moving and the only people left were just the two of us. The overwhelming emotions in our hearts were singing as one. After I didn't know how long, we proceeded on eating.

I was even surprised when Hannah and King came out from nowhere and served our food. It looked like they were Zander's accomplice into making all the set up. King is Zander's childhood friend and best friend. They greeted us for our anniversary. They looked so happy for us and I thanked them for their efforts.

****

I went home at 10 pm. Zander gave me a ride home on his bike. I had the guts to let him drive me home because I knew that my father would come home on Monday. That was I expected but when I entered the house, Nanny Dina, who opened the door for me, told me that my dad was home and was so mad. Fear instantly crept through my entire being.

I saw him at the living room seating at the couch but when he saw me, he immediately stood up and walked towards me with long strides. Before I could react, he slapped me. I was so shocked. Even though he gets mad at me almost all the time, it never went to the extent of him hitting me. My hand went to my cheek while the tears fell from my eyes. He looked like he was so mad at me.

"How dare you keep this from me Jewel? How long are you in a relationship with that guy?" I was so shocked because I realized that he discovered about my relationship with Zander. I guess there is no secret that could be kept forever.

"Break up with that guy Jewel! I'm warning you! I will never accept that man for you!" He yelled at me. I shook my head no and that made him more furious.

"I love him dad. Please don't do this to me. He is a good guy and he loves me a lot" I said while sobbing. I bit my bottom lip to stop my whimpers.

"You don't know what you're talking about! You're still 17 years old for goodness sake! What do you know about love?!" He said as he reached for my shoulders and shook them, as if he was trying to put some sense on my head.

"Dad, even though I am still young, I know when I am in love!" I insisted. I gathered all my will power to try and to stand up for our relationship. He shook his head disbelievingly again.

"Love is not always enough Jewel! What do you expect from that man? He is as poor as a rat! What would he feed you when you get married, his d*ck?!" I winced of what he said and I felt disgusted. I saw his expression mellowed when he realized what he just said. He heaved a sigh and looked at me.

"I am just trying to protect you. I don't want you to get hurt by letting someone take advantage of your naïveté. This guy is already 23 years old. I know his kind. I know he's just after your name. You are my sole heir and someday you will handle all our family's wealth. Use your head Jewel!" I looked at him in disbelief. I shook my head and was about to walk out on him when I heard him spoke again.

"I want you to pack your things. I will send you to Switzerland and continue your studies there" I stopped on my tracks and looked at him.

"Dad please, I don't want to go there" I begged him. I wanted to raise my voice too but that would just worsen the problem.

"I already made my decision Jewel! We will fly there tomorrow so get ready. End of discussion." He said with finality in his voice and walked away. I felt hurt but at the same time worried. No! I refuse to leave Zander! I love him so much!

I ran to my room and cried on my bed for I didn't know how long. I didn't know what to do. I reached for my mother's picture from the night stand and stared at it.

"Mom, please don't let dad do this to me" I sobbed, talking to her picture like she was alive in front of me. Whenever I was down and lonely, I used to talk to her picture and it made me calm but this time it was different. Tears were continuously pooling down my eyes. This is one of the times when I really wish my mom's here with me. I remember when I was younger, I always felt pity towards myself whenever I saw other children with their parents.

Especially during programs at school. My classmates were always with their parents but me, I was just with my nanny. Dad never attended any school events. During my birthdays, he was always there but he was just talking to the visitors about business and never paid attention to me. Until one day, I got used to it and didn't seek for any attention from him anymore. But there were times that I still felt hurt.

Other children used to bully me too because I don't have parents. I told them I had a father but they just mocked me and didn't believe me because they never saw him. I looked at my mom's picture again and then a sudden decision came into my mind. I put back the picture on the night stand and got off the bed. I went inside my walk-in closet and took some of my clothes. I put them on a small suitcase. I also got my passport, credit cards and some important ID's.

After packing, I called Zander and told him to pick me up at the bus stop which was just a 10 minute walk from our house. He was worried that he agreed immediately. After that, I discreetly went out of my room. I walked as careful as I could so that nobody would notice me. It was already past midnight and I bet all the people in our house were already asleep.

When I reached the gate, I saw the guard and I face palmed. I totally forgot about him. I waited for almost an hour, constructing a plan on how to walk past him without him noticing me. Then luckily, I saw him stood up and went to the servant's quarter, maybe to take a leak or something and that's the opportunity I was waiting.

When he was gone, I quickly tiptoed towards the gate and opened it as quietly as I could. After I closed it again, I ran my ass off to the bus stop. Zander was already there with his bike, waiting for me. He looked so worried that he was about to bombard me with questions when I motioned him to stop and told him to get us out of there fast. He agreed and then we drove off to his house.

"Love, what happened?" He asked when we were at the living room. He eyed my suitcase and then looked back at me. My eyes brimmed with tears again. He hugged me and let me cried to my heart's content against his chest. When I calmed down, he gave me a glass of water.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked tenderly. I nodded.

"Dad discovered about our relationship and he was so mad"

"Why? Because I am not rich like you?" He asked bitterly. I couldn't answer right away to confirm it because I didn't want him to get hurt. When he couldn't wait for my answer, he stood up and paced the floor as he raked his hand through his hair.

"Love I think he just misjudges me because we never met before. Let me talk to him" He said determinedly but I immediately shook my head no.

"We can't ,love. I ran away because he wants to take me to Switzerland tomorrow and continue my studies there. I can't! I don't want to go there! I don't want to leave you here" I cried again and he sat back down beside me and comfort me.

"Love, maybe we can go to your house and talk to your father. Maybe he would change his mind and accept me as your boyfriend. I just need to prove to him how much I love you"

"No. He won't listen to anybody. He never did. I ran away because I tried to persuade him into accepting you as my boyfriend but he didn't listen at all" I saw his jaw flexed in anger but he didn't say anything. He kissed my forehead while stroking my long hair gently.

"So what is your plan now then?"

"If it's okay with you, let's move in together" I suggested. He stared at me worriedly of what I said.

"Love, are you sure of what you're saying? You're still young. What if you'll regret this someday?" I squeezed his hand gently and smiled at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry love. I won't regret this because I know for sure that you are the only one. I love you so much" His hand raised to my cheek and caressed it with my back of his hand.

"I am not rich. I can't give you all the luxury like your family have"

"I don't need luxury as long as I'm with you" his eyes brightened with happiness.

"I promise you love, I will passed the board exam and become America's best architect so that I can provide for us and for our future children" My heart leapt for joy because of what he said.

"I know you can do it ,love. You are very intelligent and hardworking"

"Thank you for believing in me. I love you" he said and we sealed our new promise to each other with a passionate kiss. He lifted me up onto his arms and carried me towards the stairs to his room. His lips never left mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck while kissing him with equal fervor.

When we reached his room, he slowly put me down to his bed. My senses went wild while he began to pleasure my body until all the worries and burden I was carrying flew out of my head as I responded willingly to him.

****

Hello guys! Zoé here! I hope you like this story. Please don't forget to COMMENT, VOTE and SHARE this story. Thank You!