Past - 11
Third Party's POV:
"What's that?" Brey asked, pointing at Sven's jacket. Exhaling a puff of smoke from his cigarette, Sven followed Brey's gaze to the inside pocket of his jacket.
A faint snort escaped his lips as he imagined Elysia's panicked state when she would eventually realize her diary was gone.
"Nothing much," Sven replied casually, and hid the diary inside his pocket, taking another puff of his cigarette, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Elysia.
That girl was a fascinating subject for teasing. He had never met an interesting girl like her before; her reactions were far from typical, and he couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
The more she tried to avoid him and hide from him, the more he became curious about her. In fact, she was the sole reason Sven had been attending classes regularly lately.
He even went so far as to avoid trouble to keep from landing in detention, all in the hopes of annoying her daily.
"You've been acting strange lately," Brey commented, looking at Sven with a scrutinizing gaze. He had been noticing the unusual shift in Sven's behavior over the past few weeks.
"What do you mean?" Sven asked, leaning his head against the wall and gazing up at the night sky, taking a long drag of his cigarette before releasing the smoke into the air. Brey, too, leaned against the wall, lighting his own cigarette.
"I don't know, man." Brey responded, exhaling a long puff of smoke into the cool night air. "But there's something different about you. You seem... happier, I guess?" Brey couldn't pinpoint the exact change in Sven but there was something unusual about him.
The two of them stood outside a bustling nightclub, staring into the dark night. Drunken people roamed around, and others sought solace in their cigarettes. The thumping music from inside the club barely reached them due to the closed doors.
Sven contemplated Brey's words, realizing that he was actually right. In the past, he had actively sought trouble, trying to create chaos for Philip and Melissa Damaris, engaging in fights, causing disturbances in school, and making appearances in the tabloids with different girls every week. He had done everything possible to tarnish the Damaris family's reputation.
Ironically, this was the longest period he had refrained from causing any mess around, and surprisingly, he was okay with it. In fact, the thought of creating mess around didn't appeal him as much as before.
"...Maybe you're right," Sven muttered, still gazing into space. "I think I've grown tired of trying to be relevant to the people who couldn't care less about me," he added, sliding his one hand into his pants pocket. "...tired of doing things just to appease others or gain their attention."
Brey looked at Sven, deep in thought, absorbing his words, and studying him thoughtfully. "Is she the reason for this change?" He inquired, gauging Sven's reaction. Sven glanced at him with a questioning expression.
"The new girl, I mean," Brey clarified.
"Nah," Sven responded, turning his gaze back to the world beyond, again taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "I haven't thought of her in that way." he affirmed in a resolute tone.
"Why not? She's quite beautiful," Brey remarked, furrowing his brow in confusion, as he felt Sven's actions and words didn't align.
"That's true! She's undoubtedly beautiful" Sven admitted readily. "But she isn't my type; too innocent, and I'm not into nice girls," he explained honestly.
"Well, good girls tend to fall for bad boys. I wouldn't be surprised if you two became a thing eventually," Brey remarked with a sly grin and a playful wiggle of his eyebrows. A chuckle slipped from Sven's lips at his comment.
"That's not going to happen. She's into someone else," Sven stated, sighing and taking a deep puff on his cigarette, a subtle hint of annoyance crossing his features, betraying his calm demeanor.
"No way, who is it? Someone from our school?" Brey asked, raising his eyebrows, clearly surprised by this revelation. Sven nodded, releasing smoke from his nostrils, his expression growing somewhat irritated.
"Just someone insignificant," Sven replied, biting the inside of his cheek. The mere thought of Ares Simon Knight irritated him, especially the way Elysia seemed so captivated by him. It was as if she couldn't see anyone else when he was around. Her eyes glittered with unmistakable admiration and adoration for him.
And all of this bothered Sven more than he would care to admit. He couldn't fathom why it bothered him so much that he was acting against his nature to pull Elysia away from Ares every time she was around him.
Normally, he couldn't care less about what any girl did, but when it came to Elysia, he found himself genuinely concerned. She troubled him in ways he hadn't realized he was capable of being troubled. The extent of attachment she displayed for Ares was unhealthy, especially because it was one-sided.
Elysia might not have recognized it herself, but she was deeply in love with Ares, and her feelings had the potential to hurt her in the future if they continued to grow.
Sven might be a reckless and irresponsible jerk most of the time, but he genuinely liked Elysia as a person. This was the reason he wanted to be around her.
However, as he got to know her better, he realized that she was fundamentally different from other girls. Her heart was pure and clear, much like water. She had a selfless nature, especially when it came to her loved ones.
She was too sensitive, too innocent, and too naive for the cruel world that surrounded her, and people like her often ended up suffering in the end.
Sven's eyes snapped back to the present, realizing that he was thinking about Elysia more than necessary. It wasn't his concern if she was naive.
Shaking his head, he threw his cigarette on the ground, stomping on it to extinguish it, and then turned to Brey. "Let's head inside!" Sven suggested, running his hand through his hair, and made his way back into the nightclub.
The loud music inside the club blared in their ears, as Sven entered, followed by Brey. They navigated through the dancing crowd, eventually reaching their usual table where the rest of their friends were seated.
"Where were you, dude? Someone's been dying for your attention. She just went outside," Gabriel yelled over the music, his expressions nasty and a smirk played on his lips, as Sven and Brey sat across from the others.
Sven didn't need to ask who the one was, as there was only one person who had been clinging to him: Ophelia Blake.
Sven's expression soured, and he glared at Gabriel, immediately silencing him. All of his friends were heirs of their families, and the only reason they befriended him was because he was the son of the Damaris family. Sven knew none of their friends were genuine; it was all business, just like he was advised by his father to befriend them for the future collaboration, they were the same. That was the reason he never felt like himself around them, except with Brey.
Sven wasn't a saint himself, but he had his limits in everything he did, even with girls. However, his friends didn't share those limits.
The girls who had been dancing with them returned to their seats, sitting on the guys' laps.
Sven gazed around the crowd, his expression distant and blank. Everything was the same: the music, the dancing crowd, the friends, the girls. But for some reason, he found himself feeling suffocated in that place, as the walls were closing onto him, trapping him.
He stood up, turned to Brey, and mouthed that he was leaving. Brey nodded in understanding and waved at him. Sven signaled to the others before making his way out of the club, despite their protest.
Just as he was leaving, Ophelia entered the club and spotted Sven departing. She hurried over to him and blocked his path.
"Hey, babe," Sven stopped abruptly, his jaw clenched at her sudden appearance.
Ophelia sensually circled her arms around Sven's neck and leaned close to his ear, speaking suggestively, "Let's leave together?" She looked into his eyes, biting her lip and giving him an inviting look.
Sven stared coldly into her eyes, removed her hands from around his neck, and walked out of the club without a second glance.
"What the heck?" His steps halted again when Ophelia chased after him outside the club and blocked his path once more. An annoyed sigh escaped Sven's lips, and he looked down at Ophelia without bothering to hide his irritation.
"You can't just ignore me like this. I've been trying to be with you for weeks, and now you don't give a damn? You can't just end our relationship like this," she yelled, her chest heaving with anger.
"A relationship?" Sven raised an eyebrow. "We never had one. You knew perfectly well that I don't do relationships," he stated calmly. Ophelia clenched her jaw and glared at him.
"Fine, but you won't be the one to end our arrangement. It will end when I say so, and right now, I want you!" She gritted out and moved closer, intending to kiss Sven.
No one ever rejected Ophelia Blake. She was always the one rejecting others, and it would continue that way.
Sven stopped her hands that were about to reach him and spoke in an irritated manner, "Snap out of it, woman! The world doesn't revolve around you," he pushed her away slightly and turned around to leave.
Ophelia held onto Sven's arm, trying to prevent him from leaving. "Come on, babe, are you playing hard to get? This game is going overboard now," she complained, her fingers stroking his chest, visible underneath his shirt as the few top buttons of his shirt were undone.
Deeply annoyed, Sven momentarily closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. This girl was seriously testing his patience.
Removing her hand from his chest, Sven turned to face her, leaning in close, just inches from her face. A triumphant smirk appeared on Ophelia's face as her eyes fixated on Sven's lips.
Sven leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "It's good while it lasts..." He pulled back, observing the shocked expression on Ophelia's face before it turned red with humiliation.
A silent scoff escaped Sven's lips. She had asked for it, and he wasn't exactly known for being a nice guy to start with. Giving her a mocking look, he turned and walked away. However, Ophelia's next words pushed him beyond his limit.
"Is it because of that b*tch Elysia? Did she already spread her legs for you?" She sneered. "I wonder how long she'll last before you get bored with her and come back to me." Ophelia made a sarcastic remark, insulting Elysia.
Instantly turning around, Sven took a few long, quick strides toward Ophelia and forcefully grabbed her chin. "Listen to me, woman! Very, very carefully," he gritted out in a menacing, low tone. Ophelia's eyes widened in shock, as a hint of fear crossed her face.
"You're perfectly aware that I'm not the type of person to mess with. I don't give a damn about laws or rules. If I catch you anywhere near her, even a few meters..." Sven tightened his grip on her chin, causing her to wince in pain. His sharp gray eyes bore into Ophelia's without blinking. "With a snap of my fingers, the whole world would know exactly what kind of girl Ophelia Blake, daughter of Andy Blake, truly is," Sven sneered maliciously, "and that includes your parents and the media, of course."
"Is that clear?" He demanded in a low, dangerous voice, gritting his teeth.
This was the first time Ophelia had encountered this side of Sven. She was genuinely frightened by the intensity in his eyes, which mirrored his words. He was willing to go to any lengths to get what he wanted, and he never let those who crossed him off the hook. Her life would be ruined if her parents discovered her secret life.
Ophelia nodded, utterly speechless and too terrified to speak. Sven held her jaw in an aggressive grip.
"Words, woman, words!" He demanded, emphasizing each word.
"Y-yes," Ophelia stammered. Sven scoffed, casting one last mocking glance in her direction before letting her go.
He straightened up, turned on his heel, and walked away, leaving Ophelia standing there, frozen in place.
***************
Lying on his bed, Sven stared at the small gray diary on his side table, contemplating whether to read it. It seemed like her personal diary, and it would be rude to read it.
He remembered how Elysia had clutched it against her chest throughout the class. Silly girl! Despite her attempts to make it seem random, she was only drawing more attention to it.
A hearty laugh escaped from Sven's lips, recalling Elysia's large eyes looking around cautiously as if on a mission.
When Mr. Mitchell called her to his office, she dropped her diary in nervousness and left the class.
With a sly grin, Sven quickly picked up her diary from the floor and hid it under his desk, intending to tease her when she returned. To his surprise, she completely forgot about her diary after she came back.
The entire time she seemed to be in a daze, and even after school ended, Sven waited in hopes that she would try to find her diary, but she didn't. It was strange, making him wonder if the diary wasn't that important to her.
Sitting up on the bed, he grabbed the diary and placed it in front of him.
"Well, she dropped it and even lost it afterward," he paused, "and then she didn't even look for it. So..." Sven trailed off.
"It's a lost diary, and a lost diary can be read by anyone," he reasoned, making a weak excuse for himself, and then picked up the diary.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the very first page and began to read.
My Best Memories...
"I already miss Nova a lot; I wonder how he is and when we will be able to meet again. I played a lot with him today because Mother had to leave town for the whole day. We went for a ride in the fields, and he showed me a beautiful pond near our house. I never knew we had water near our house. I had memorized the way so that when Mother punishes me next time and refuses to give me water, I could sneak out there and drink some water. I love Nova; he is my only friend!"
Sven's eyebrows furrowed, his expressions becoming complicated as he read just the first page. He glanced back at the heading.
It said "My Best Memories," so what kind of memory was this?
With a puzzled expression, Sven turned the page, and read through it.
"HORSES CAN LAUGH! I discovered this today when I reunited with Nova after two months. As soon as he saw me, he made a soft, tinkling sound, almost like laughter, and galloped joyfully alongside me in the field. It was like his unique way of expressing happiness, and it tickled my heart to see him like this. It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard."
Sven continued flipping through the pages, realizing that half of her diary was filled with Elysia's moments with Nova, presumably her horse.
He turned to the next page and began to read.
"There's no happy memory this time. I haven't eaten for days, and I miss Nova so much. I don't know when I'll be able to escape from here. Nova is my only friend. He never hurts me or punishes me like mother does. He always lets me cry on him, never complains, and even carries me when my legs are injured. I was really happy yesterday because papa bought me ice cream, but mother took it away from me after he left and locked me in the basement again. I managed to sneak out through a small window in the basement. I wish Nova and I could escape from this place and live happily. That would be the happiest day of my life."
Sven's eyes widened in shock as he read the entire page.
"What on earth!"
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