When Allen finally arrived home, he was greeted by a frowning man, who was his older brother, Ronald Coldwell—he has red hair and silver eyes. Just like their mother, he has smooth skin. Also, he has a ponytail hairstyle.
"Allen. Finally, you're here. Here I thought you're going to be late again. After all, you stalk that girl a lot." Ronald said, narrowing his eyes. He walks closer to Allen, giving him a slight look of disapproval. "Just what on earth do you see in that commoner? Don't you know what you're doing will tarnish our family's reputation?"
Allen's eyebrows furrowed, clearly offended by his brother's statement. "Brother, could you shut up? I think you're misunderstanding something here—"
"Shut your mouth, Allen. I know what I'm saying. And I am telling you to stop what you're doing, right this instant!" his brother snapped.
"Allen."
A cold voice says, warning Ronald to stop. The two turned around towards the source of the voice. They shivered when they were greeted by their dad's scary expression.
"But d-dad—" Allen tries to say, but the old man interrupts him.
"Enough. Your brother is right. You need to stop doing this nonsense." says their dad, Elliott Coldwell. The man has red hair, blue eyes, and a fine figure. Despite being in the age of forty-nine, he looks young. A lot of people often mistook him as a twenty year old man.
A moment later, another figure appeared behind Elliott. She's an old woman with a pixie hairstyle. She looked at Allen, telling him with a scolding tone, "Allen, we've already talked about this. You need to stop this before it turns unhealthy."
"Sigh. Mom, you too?" Allen groaned.
The old woman who scolded him was their mom, Regine Shey Coldwell. She has jet black hair, pixie hairstyle, grey eyes, and smooth skin. Despite being in the age of forties, she still has a gorgeous slim body and a baby face that's beautiful as always.
Allen glared at Ron. It irritates him whenever their parents favor his brother too much. It's always like that. Ever since they were young, their dad favors Ron, the eldest. While their mom favors Louisse, who's the youngest. Because of that, Allen gets less attention than his older and younger siblings. So far in his life, they were the ones who had better treatment than him. He tried really hard just to get their parents' attention, but it doesn't work out really well, so he just gave up.
When they were kids, no matter how right or wrong his siblings were, their parents always take their side. But when Allen was accused for something he didn't do, they didn't even try to defend him. Instead, they blamed him for it. His parents aren't actually bad people. They still care for him, but there's just this so-called favoritism. The other kids in his age were the worst. They all bully Allen because he's not excellent as the others. They make false accusations, making him the bad person. Allen was a good kid back then, but ever since that day, he changed.
"Tsk, fine..." Allen clicked his tongue, looking defeated.
Seeing Allen grumble, Ronald just sighed, going back to the couch he was sitting. Ronald can't help but worry for his brother. He doesn't want Allen to get hurt. He's afraid that his recklessness might go out of hand.
A black haired girl who's sitting on the couch, looked at her brother with slight pity. As the young man sat with a defeated expression, the girl sighed, "It's no use, brother. No matter what we say, Allen is just too stubborn."
They both remained silent at the moment, watching their parents scold Allen. But the boy refused to listen.
The two siblings sighed, shaking their heads. Both of them were thinking the same thoughts like: 'Sigh. He's still the same as always.'
Ronald looks at his younger sister. He gave out a slight smile—there was a hint of sadness in it. "You know, I may be strict often towards Allen. But I'm doing this for his own good. I want him to grow up as a fine man. As his brother, I can't help but worry for Allen." he tells the brunette.
"Brother, I understand that you worry about his future." the sister sighed, closing the book she was reading. "But he gets offended so easily to the point he would throw a tantrum."
Ronald grumbled. The sister looks at him intently, there was a hint of concern in her eyes.
"I also worry for Allen. That's why you must try a different approach whenever you want to lecture him." she says.
Ronald scoffed. "Louisse, you know we've already tried a lot of methods. What kind of approach do you suggest this time? Mom and dad are also trying hard, but Allen wouldn't budge."
Louisse remained silent, thinking for a while. Honestly, she's out of ideas, so she doesn't know what to suggest. "Well, I don't know. But whatever approach we might come up with, please take it easy on him. Our brother may not look like it, but he's very sensitive. So please refrain from yelling too much." she says.
"Uh, seriously?" Ronald sighed, a bit displeased by his sister's statement.
"I am just saying to be careful. Since Allen is sensitive, he would easily get offended. He would try to run off. And I don't have to tell you what happens next, do I?" Louisse stares at him.
Before the two could even continue their conversation, a certain redhead appears between them. Both of them were shocked as they see Allen's displeased expression.
"What are guys talking about? Are you trying again to be a nuisance?" Allen says in a very cold tone.
"Allen, it's not what you thi—" before Ronald could even finish sentence, Allen cuts him off with an icy tone.
"Can't you guys leave me alone?" he says. "You've already took everything away from me. Aren't you satisfied?"
"Allen. Enough. We don't want to fight." Louisse says, trying to calm the situation.
"Shut up. I don't care what you say. I will do what I want and there's nothing you could do about it." Allen growled.
After that, he walks away, leaving the two alone. While Ronald still felt annoyed, Louisse pats his shoulder.
"No matter how much he could be irritating sometimes, please take good care of him." Louisse sighed.
Ronald's expression softens, finally calming down. "Of course. Even if he's a prat, I'll still protect him until the end. After all, he's our precious little brother." he smiles.
---xXx----
The next day, Allen talks again with his friends in school. They were sitting again on their usual spot and the redhead was annoyed. His friends knew why he's acting like that. After all, Larence and Bella have been together for how many hours—they seem to be having a good time.
"That bastard's already making a move on her." Allen growled, burning with jealousy. Both of his friends started to shake as they witness the redhead's fury.
"Now, now. Temper, temper." Ryan tells Allen, trying to calm him down. "Let's try to chill, okay? We don't want any flying tables around or have some objects destroyed." he chuckled nervously.
Calia just sighed, trying to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. She could clearly see that Allen doesn't stand a chance with Bella. Seeing how painfully obvious it is, she can't help but shake her head from Allen's hopelessness. "Allen. Remember your promise. You promised us you won't stalk her agai—"
"I remember. So shut it." Allen interrupts Calia. His two friends flinched from his cold tone.
After a moment of silence, Ryan decided to give up on trying to calm Allen. Instead, he decides to tell him some important information. He leans closer to him, whispering at a very low tone, "Look. I don't know if you noticed, but Einz and Larence are already suspecting you."
Allen was confused at his friend's warning. "What do you mean?" he asks.
Before Ryan answers the question, he first looked around, being more cautious than ever. As he sees that no one was watching them, he finally speaks to Allen. "Come with me. Let's talk somewhere private." he whispers.
Allen arched a brow, wondering why his friend is being so secretive. Ryan stands up from his chair, gesturing the Allen to follow him. Because of curiosity, the redhead decided to follow him.
"Hey, guys. Where are you going?" Calia asked, curious on where the two are going.
"We'll be back soon. Allen just forgot something in the classroom, and he wants me to go with him." Ryan lied.
Allen became confused. "Huh? What are you talki—" he tries to say.
But before he could even finish his sentence, Ryan immediately grabbed him, quickly dragging him into an isolated area. As the blue-haired friend finally confirms that no one's around, he finally faced Allen.
"Look. I know you broke your promise." Ryan says with a deadpanned expression. Allen's eyes widened, starting to get nervous. But before he could even say something, Ryan interrupts him, "Don't worry. I didn't tell Calia."
Allen sighed in relief. Then a moment later, he starts to worry—thinking that Ryan might tell him again to stop.
As Ryan sees Allen's expression, he chuckled, "Look, man. I ain't stopping you anymore. After all, no matter what we do, we can't get into that stubborn head of yours."
Allen eyed his friend suspiciously, thinking that he might be lying.
"Woah. What's with that look? I told you, I'll leave you alone already." Ryan raises both of his hands, trying to make peace.
"Really? How come?" Allen arched a brow.
Ryan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, I should know better that you Coldwells always do anything to get what they want." he says, somehow annoyed, but he didn't try to show it. "But remember this, Allen. We already warned you. I hope you won't regret this."
Allen scoffed at Ryan. "Oh, please. I'm pretty sure I won't regret it." he says, rolling his eyes. Then his expression turns into a smug one. "And yes, you are right. We Coldwells do anything to get what we want. Once we set our eyes on something, no one will be able to stop us."
Ryan felt his eye twitch as he saw that smirk. However, he decided to not give him any reply, since there's nothing more for him to say.
"I see that you are now willing to help me. That's good." Allen smiled. He's now starting to like his friend's attitude.
"Not really. I only warned you about them because we're friends after all." Ryan grinned, giving out a thumbs up.
"Very well. I shall take note of your warning." Allen smirked.
"Also. Once you get in trouble, I have nothing to do with you, okay?" Ryan says jokingly—it may sound like it, but deep inside, he means it.
Allen scoffed again. "Sure, sure. As if I will get into trouble. My family's rich anyway, they could cover me up. After all, our money reaches at the same level with the Rockefellers." he says with a very proud expression. "When it comes to wealth, I stand a chance in fighting Larence."
Ryan stayed silent, sighing again at the the arrogance of his friend. "Very well then. I already told you what I needed to tell." he says.
"Is that so? Then shall we go back then?" Allen smirked, turning his back on Ryan.
"Yes." Ryan answered. He looks at Allen who's now walking ahead, his eyes suddenly narrowed. Right now, no one notices the frown he's making.
On their way back, Allen felt annoyed when he saw Larence standing near their table. If Ryan hadn't warn him earlier, he wouldn't have known the brunette's purpose. He knew that he's here to discuss about Bella.
The two boys glared at each other, while Calia shivers at the intense atmosphere, and Ryan just calmly stands near the corner.
"Finally." Larence says with hatred. He glared at the redhead who comes near. "For a while there, my patience was running thin."
Allen curled his lips. It irritates him whenever he sees the brunette's face. Everything about his personality was his total opposite. He hates how overconfident he is, and how he acts such a know-it-all.
In their first meeting, Allen didn't hate him that time. In fact, his impression towards Larence was good. That's why he decided to befriend him. Unfortunately, Larence was somewhat unsociable, so he often ignores Allen—of course, the redhead was humiliated. After all, such a thing happened in front of the crowd. From that day onwards, Allen hated him. Since he can't forgive what Larence had done, he does any certain measures to humiliate him. Sadly, in the end, Allen's the one who gets humiliated instead. His hatred grew stronger because of that. Since Allen was consistent in bothering Larence, the feeling became mutual.
"You. What are you doing here?" Allen growled.
Larence looks at him in displease, it's as if he's seeing trash in front of him. At first, he only saw him as a pampered brat. But as time passes by, it turns out he's a nuisance who insults people about anything. "Stop stalking Bella. You're bothering her." he says, getting straight to the point.
Allen felt his eye twitch. "I'm not stalking her, you bastard. Quit your nonsense." he sneered. Who does this bastard think he is!? I only admire Bella by watching her from afar!
"I see. So you're not going to stop? Shall I embarrass you in front of everyone, then?" Larence gave out a threatening look.
Allen flinched at the tone. He gritted his teeth and walked away, leaving his two friends behind. He may be acting tough right now, but deep inside, he doesn't want to admit that he's scared by the threat.
"Tch. Go ahead and try it, I'm not scared." Allen snaps at him.
This made Larence smirk. "Oh? Judging by your statement, you seem scared." he says mockingly.
A vein pops out from Allen's forehead. As he sees that smug look, it irritates him deeply.
"Scared? As if." Allen scoffed. He walks past Larence, intentionally hitting him with his shoulder.
As Allen walks out the scene, only the three of them were left behind. Larence stood there with a hateful glare, while Allen's two friends remained silent.
---xXx---
Allen walks alone through the hallways, he can't help but feel irritated at the gossips he hear.
'Ugh, him again? Why does he always bother Einz and Larence? He's so immature.'
'Mhm. I agree. He's such a pompous brat.'
'I know right? Also, he should learn his place. He should be thankful that Einz haven't sued him for his rudeness.'
'Yeah. He's lucky that prince Einz is nice. Hmph, that bastard Allen should know his place.'
'Sigh. Also, he should learn to control his jealousy. Why can't he accept the fact that Larence is much better him? And he should know by now, that Bella is way out of his league.'
Allen gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his anger. Right now, he had no mood to yell at them. He hates to admit how right they were, and he really wants them to shut up. He ignores them and continues to act like it's nothing. But then, some certain statements hit a nerve.
'Allen is so annoying, he always gets in the way of our ship.'
'Yeah! I hate it whenever he interrupts my otp!'
'Yes. Larence x Bella is life!'
At that moment, Allen finally snapped. He turned around to face those two girls who were gossiping about their ships. He gave them a dark glare, causing the two to shiver in fear. The others stayed silent, averting their gazes on a different direction. As the redhead sees their silence, he huffed and continued walking.
As Allen was finally away, people checked to see if he's really gone. When they had confirmed his absence, they returned again in gossiping. This time, the topics were harsher than before.
Meanwhile, Allen goes to the school's garden, trying to calm his mind. His day had been worse than ever. Einz had sent him a warning letter this early morning, Larence had tried to threaten him, and then he became the most target of rumors—sure, he's always one, but this time, it's worse.
Allen didn't care though. No matter what, he won't give up on Bella, and he'll prove those bastards about how better he is.
Just when he's about to kick the hay that was laying nearby, he saw something shine in the sky. He looks up to see an object falling at a very fast speed. Before he could even react, it plummets through the hay, causing a mess.
'BAM!'
"What the—!" Allen exclaimed as he spits some parts of the hay that went into his mouth. He looks at the direction on where the object fell. As he observes closely, he can't identify it. Its features are very unfamiliar to him. "W-What the hell is this?..." he gulped as he walks closer.
He sees a light coming from the object—there are writings that are written on it. He slowly touches the unknown object with his pointing finger. As he presses on the screen, he flinched when he saw the words scroll downwards. The redhead was shocked.
"The words are...moving?" he says with a questioned look.
He observes the object for a while. A moment later, he discovers that the words move whenever he touches its rectangular glass. When he noticed that the object's harmless, he finally picked it up and observed it more closely.
'This object looks strange. In my whole life, I've never seen such a thing.' Allen thought. 'But the language is in English, so that means it must've been invented somewhere in this world. English isn't my native language, but it is internationally well-known.'
"Could this be some new invention that no one knows yet?" he asks himself as he looks at the object.
Before Allen could explore the object any further, the bell suddenly rang. He sighed. Then he groaned a moment later, slightly annoyed at the bell's wrong timing. He just shook his head and hid the unknown object inside his pocket. After that, he finally ran off to class.