"You are the haughtiest and conceited person I've ever met." Scarlett frantically commented as she turned away from him. The prominent smug smile that he'd carried made her so incensed at this moment.

Not so humorously, he chuckled, leaving her all the way more irritated. Turning her to him, Dylan cheekily grinned. She glared at him, but that was only for a moment as he unpredictably pulled her towards him for a brief kiss. Although it's one of his wicked plans to get away from her grumbles, Scarlett could not avoid the bliss that she'd get whenever he kissed her. His one touch and she would turn all tingly and her legs go jelly. Additionally, even if she managed to conceal the influence he had on her, the reddening of her cheeks clearly clarifies it all to him, making him smug all over again.

However, Scarlett pulled away. Maintaining a stern face, she glared at him, deliberately hiding her glowing state, "Don't you dare break off me using your vicious ways. I hate you. Go to that girl who..." and once again, Dylan cuts her off by giving her a chaste kiss on her lips, making Scarlett disregard her covetousness for a while.

She glared at him, only to get a swanky smirk. Scarlett could never win against this malicious jerk, could she?

"You're overthinking, Angel," he chuckled. His hands reached out for her face, as he brushed a few strands of her hair away. A grin instantly added to her lips, when he'd stared at her in admiration. Scarlett's heart smiled whenever she was next to him. He continued, "She is just a friend." He explained, his thumb leaving soft caresses on her cheek making her feel giddy and fall for him powerfully and deeply.

Dylan continued staring at her eyes, making it hard to maintain her tranquillity. However, she ignored it to an extent.

"If you really love me, then marry me," Scarlett stated brusquely, as he took his hand off from her face. He looked confused and his instant reaction only made her grimace. Instantaneously taking away his steps, he stood in the distance, against her partiality.

Reaching to where he was rooted, she glanced his way, "You certainly don't intend on marrying me. Do you, Dylan?" She asked unswervingly and this time a sigh escaped his mouth. She looked up at him in glumness and that very instant, she decided to leave, but he was quick in making her stay as he pulled her back, his hands directly making their way around her waist.

"I feel I'm not good enough for you. I fear that I can't take good care of you or show you the love you deserve." He articulated, his eyes losing his natural gleam as he removed his hold on her, leaving her confusingly blank.

Sighing out of exhaustion, Scarlett held his hand, making him place his hands on her face again, cupping her face like earlier. She expressed looking straight into his eyes. "If there's anyone that I want to spend life with, then it's you and only you. Whether you like it or not, you're trapped with me." She declared as he chuckled. She quickly continued, "Only you can make me happy, Dylan. No one could make me feel the way you do." She finished in a quiet voice, slipping her hands around his neck, as she intently looked deep into those alluring eyes, the same pair of orbs that had successfully managed to take her breath away, each time she fixed her eyes on them.

"I love you," Scarlett whispered, maintaining eye contact as he smiled.

"I cannot imagine my life without you, Angel." He whispered back leaning in. Scarlett fitted tightly in his arms as he kissed her passionately.

Scarlett jolted awake abruptly. 
It was the same memory again, will he ever leave her mind? She sighed getting up from her armchair, as she realized it was time for the sun to go down.

Steadily taking her steps, she settled in front of the office window. The lights outside played a prominent role in making the city look mesmerizing and beautiful.

Was that all a façade? She exclaimed to herself sadly. Of course, it was, she answered her own thoughts. How did she even think that he'd ever loved her? 

Scarlett again wondered – Could he really want to marry a thick girl like her? Of course not, she felt – she was so naïve and immature that she could not come across with the real fact. She remembered carrying huge amounts of remorse – her mother, Julia had tried to warn her plenty of times, but she was so blinded by his counterfeit love.

Scarlett cussed herself repeatedly, that how big of a fool she had been over those past years, where she could not understand his true target of being with her and using her, only to attain at a definite point.

She blamed herself acrimoniously for everything they've endured. Precisely, he had no plans on being hitched with her and now when she reminisced, it was constantly her, all the time. It was instinctively her, that was daydreaming about him and her and fantasizing about having their happily ever after. Scarlett could not get out of her own imagination and see the reality, whilst he succeeded in making her fall for his charms and planned to hit the prevalent jackpot of his entire life at the same time. Additionally, she was the one who was unwise and dim to make his strategy easier. These were the things that'd left Scarlett questioning herself and being ominous about it all.

Furthermore, that's not it. Dylan continues playing the same games and no matter how hard she may deny it, she has been vulnerable as ever. She's the one that had been misled to that extent.

Scarlett sees her disappointed self when her gaze stopped by the closed glass windows.
To keep her brain away from Dylan and her upcoming wedding with Aaron, Scarlett had consumed more than required mugs of coffee, not considering the truth that no matter how many amounts she'd intake, her mind would be still void and dizzy.

Sitting back on her chair, Scarlett's gaze fell on the stack of files that were present on the desk table in front of her. Keeping the half-emptied cup away from the folders, she scrunched up her nose in dismay.

"You have not changed your mind, have you?" Involuntarily, she was reminded about Aaron's uncertainty. He is not the one to censure though. Unquestionably, he would have noticed the changes in her conduct. Before Dylan, she has been peaceful. She hates to acknowledge the fact that she falls short to bury her translucency at her most terrible times.

"I love the effect I have on you, baby." This time, it was Dylan's words that occupied her attention. She felt her jaw clenched, recollecting the devil's words, which repeated in her head.

Drifting back to reality, she cringed at the disturbing voice of her phone going through her ear. She looked at the caller ID. Doubtfully, she stared at it, as it was a confidential number.

A while later, she opened a file, getting a hard grip on herself because for a second time the device on the table started ringing mercilessly.

This time, she'd connected it instantly and placed it on her ear without glancing over it.
"Greetings, Angel, I'm the one who your mother had warned you about, isn't it?" Scarlett was startled hearing his voice mixed with a light chuckle. Still, in a daze, she checked her phone another time to validate and it showed as a personal number.

It's him! Scarlett mumbled under her breath.
"Yes, sweetheart," she could feel him carrying a smug expression; "I can hear your heartbeat racing. Nice consequence!" He remarked and it did not take her long to disconnect his call. Silencing it, she slammed the device on the desk somewhere. Scarlett does not want him to disturb her again. Sighing over frustrations, she held her head between her palms as steadily, she started to get a migraine.

Scarlett had no idea how long she stayed like that until a memorable voice dragged her out to reality. Her heart skipped a beat watching him walk inside smoothly, leaving her to gasp out loudly for air.

It was Dylan! The amount of stupefaction her expressions held was unmatchable.

"What are you doing here?" Scarlett glared at him as his lips twitched into a full knowing smirk, "How the hell you managed to enter here. How dare you?" He chuckled in incredulity, making her stare at him ferociously.

"One question at a time, Angel, I'm here now. We are not rushing anywhere," he smirked, settling in front of her incessantly carrying a conceited smile.

"GET UP." Scarlett thundered only to get a small, amused chuckle.

"Easy, my love," Dylan mused, taking her hand immediately, pushing her back gently, resulting in her body landing on her armchair. He smiled evilly making her shoot him her most deadly glare.

"Scarlett..." Aaron stepped inside. The moment his eyes spotted Dylan, his eyes showed fury. His eyes turned into slits – they deciphered immense antipathy.

His gaze traveled towards Scarlett as she sighed.

"Hey buddy," he grinned impishly at him, "How was Japan? That was pretty quick, huh?" He smirked again, still sitting on the chair as he entirely ignored their stares. Finally getting up, he stated in a normal tone, "Anyway, how are you?"

"How dare you come into this property?" Aaron gritted.

"Well, I have some fragmentary business here in this company. Dad left a few things for me here, for which I am at this juncture." He casually shrugged, landing his gaze everywhere in the room.

"He was not your Dad?" Scarlett yelled in response, as he gave me a dry look.

"He was actually," he scratched his forehead, his expression changed into an unreadable one. However, he was prompt in passing them a sly smirk, "What do you think Aaron, who was nearer to him?" There was an unknown contempt in the way he'd spoken and his expression soured for a moment.

Flashback:

"Stop staring. He'll catch you." Leah whispered, leaving Scarlett to stagger a bit as she looked away.

"What are you talking about?" She played oblivious as she shunned her best friend's demanding stares on her.

"Do you realize a fact here, Scarlett?" She queried in mockery, "The way you are gawking at him, even a sightless would know about your soft spot for him." She bantered, making her eyes lower in a flushed state.

"Uh oh...looks like someone's in love." Leah continued, playing with her eyes as she wriggled her brows in tease, making the former stare at her cross-eyed.

Leah rolled her eyes and Scarlett glanced at Dylan all over again. The grip on her paper tightened instantly as she witnessed her beau getting attention from his project partner.

"Just tell me when I will be there with my dad's licensed gun." Leah meddled, teasing her jealous state as she looked at the latter in incredulity.

"What are you talking about, Lee?" She hissed in distrust only to get a simper from her friend.

"I thought you wanted to kill her," she started, playing innocent, "Don't you?" She added, hiding her playful smirk.

"Am I that transparent?" Scarlett enquired, after a while, her gaze still landed on the two distantly figures, who were too close to her liking? A little pout added onto her lips as she looked to her side, glimpsing at her best friend, Leah.

"Certainly, yes," her best friend answered, nodding in an obvious state.

"I feel you, sweetie," Leah uttered dishearteningly, "Completely and totally." She muttered, her expression soon changing into an ominous one.

"So, what's the matter with Aaron?" Scarlett inquired, noticing her gloominess.

Recently, she has been noticing her actions. Clearly, Leah was being obvious to the point where Scarlett had to intrude and tell her to look away when Aaron is around her.

The thought of their two best friends being together made her feel very overjoyed. For a while, Scarlett forgot about her diffidence. She grinned as she glanced at her, who deliberately avoided looking at her.

Eventually, Leah looked at her, to dismiss her when she intervened all over again, "Don't even think about it, Lee." She shook ardently.

Sighing in defeat, Leah gave her a stare, while her friend arched up her brow in question, asking her to speak up.

Scarlett grinned evilly when something impossible happened. Her friend, Leah, known for her wit and rejecting people was found looking down and smiling shyly.

"Oh, my sweet Lord! Is this the end of the universe! Lee, you are withdrawn and blushing. I can't believe this." Scarlett exclaimed dramatically. She turned so ecstatic that she completely ignored the fact that she was being loud and Leah had to power her.

When the class was finally over, Leah dragged her friend, Scarlett leading somewhere. She protested though, but it was Leah in the front, which was reputed to never listen to whatever others had to say.

"Stop it. Just come with me." She said, "Hey Dylan, are you heading home with Scarlett?" She asked as he stared at Scarlett blankly.

"No. I'm going alone," There were his plain replies, leaving her all the way more incensed and furious. His tone was annoyingly flat and his face, void of expressions.

Apparently, Leah did slightly know his outlying attitude. Before she could counter, he turned around and not sparing another glance, walked away, disappearing with the crowd.

Even in their mansion, he stayed the same.

Scarlett glanced over Leah as she spoke, "I want to throttle his neck sometimes." She uttered, making her friend's lips curl up into a small smile.

**********