Chapter 4: "It's your fault, Maxwell."

As the car stopped at the red light, Trey’s next word caught Maxwell's attention.

"Speaking of Miss Moore, isn't that her?"

Following where Trey's gaze was pointed, Maxwell looked at the familiar silhouette of a woman.

It was Selena Moore, the woman Maxwell just bought today.

Inside the tent bar, Selena hastily raised her arms and smiled cheerily as she burst into a laughter.

"Everyone, let's cheer!"

Her boisterous voice attracted lots of weird glances from the other customers.

"Kuee~" face scrunching at the sweet, bitter taste of the beer, Selena put her glass down with a thud; and poured herself another drink of beer.

"Oh?"

Pouting, she held the beer to her eyes, shook it up, and peered inside the empty bottle.

“Where *hic... are you~”

Whirling her head at the stall owner while pointing at her, she shouted, "You!"

Eyes glaring, she ordered, "Give me one- no, six more new bottles!"

Right after the owner gave her newly ordered beers and left with a happy-money smile, a middle-aged man who had his eyes on Selena's gorgeous face this whole time, rose up from his seat and sat across her.

"You are quite drunk, miss," the lecherous man grinned and scanned his eyes over her body's figure. "What about I take you to your house?"

Selena gawked at the stranger.

While her eyes bore into him, her brows slowly etched in a frown. Unconsciously, she lifted her arms and touched the man's head.

Face flushing in red, the man gulped at Selena's touch. While he’s ogling Selena’s face, tears suddenly trickled from her cheeks.

"You," her voice trembled, sniffing before speaking, “ Your hair... they're, they're gone!"

She continuously tapped his head to look for his hair and shook her head like crazy.

"It's gone." Covering her mouth, Selena let out a sob. "What should we do?"

Feeling the veins on his neck popped, the drunk bald man took off her hands on his head. Forging a smile, he once again looked at Selena.

"You're not in your right state, miss." He held her wrist and stood up. "This won't do. Let this handsome man help you."

"No!"

Yanking her wrist away from him, she frantically shook her head and pointed her fingers at his head.

"In your scalp... there's a big bird poop on it!"

Subconsciously, the man touched the top of his head. Realizing that a drunk woman fooled him, blood immediately rushed up to his head. While he was in the moment of trying to calm himself, Selena took a tissue from her bag and wiped the snot on her nose. Soon, she rose from her seat. And without waiting for the man to react, she wiped the tissue she had used on his bald head.

Goosebumps immediately rose from his skin when he met with the cold and sticky sensation on his head.

Frozen, the man helplessly watched Selena as she sat back on her seat with a relief smile on her lips.

"It's clean now," she said.

With his trembling hands, the man picked up the tissue on his head. As his rationality transcended, the man banged the table with his fist.

Flinching in her seat, Selena glanced at him, whose eyes were now flaring.

"You," He blatantly raised his hands on her. "You damn b*tch! "

But before he could lay his hands on her, as if his arms froze, a firm grip of hands wrapped around his wrist.

 "What are you doing?"

An icy voice enough to send chills down his spine rang above him.

Tracing his gaze up at the owner of that voice, he saw a handsome young man. No- it was a beast, a wild beast ready to spring at his prey. To him.

'No need to be intimidated, he's... he's just a young man.' As he spoke those words in his mind, he bravely retorted, "Who-who are you?" although his stuttering voice had failed to hide his fear.

Maxwell's lips tilted.

"Should I be the one asking that?"

Over his calm voice, Maxwell's eyes, which were shrouded with flame, petrified the man. Soon, he winced at the pain in his wrist.

"Will you go or..." Maxwell's grip tightened as he spoke in his low, threatening voice, "I'll make you leave?"

Fear heightened by his warning, the man pleaded, "I-I'll go."

The moment he freed his hands, the man hastily stumbled as he ran away.

Ceasing the glare in his eyes, Maxwell turned to Selena.

However, the woman was gone on her seat. And while his gaze was at the empty chair, he felt a light poke from his shoulder.

Turning around, he stared down at Selena.

With her amber eyes directly glaring at him, Selena cupped his cheeks with both hands, catching him off guard. Not giving him time to react, Selena pulled his face closer. So close enough for him to smell the reek of beer through her breath.

With his eyes slightly opened, which quickly went back to normal, Maxwell tried to pull his face away from her.

“What is this behavior you're showing-"

Squish.

Squishing his face harder, which made him shortly lose the ability to speak, Selena once again pulled his face closer.

"I know you..." she mumbled, eyes narrowing on him.

"Your face *hic... familiar." Not minding the close gap between them, Selena leaned more.

Feeling the tip of her nose on his, Maxwell's gaze froze on her eyes.

Slowly, her breath met the tip of his lips.

"I really know you."

It was warm and ticklish.

Subconsciously, his gaze traced down. To her nose and to her moist lips that constantly part while she speaks nonstop.

He frowned.

Arms lifting, Maxwell quickly held her hands and pulled them away from his face.

However, the moment he freed his hands on her, as if she had lost her ability to stand, Selena felt her legs weaken as her body started to wobble.

'I'm falling.' A voice in her mind spoke. But she didn't care at all, nor did she try to save herself.

'Let's sleep.'

She smiled, closed her eyes, and prepared herself to fall from her imaginary feathery bed. But contrary to her expectation, a strong snake wrapped around her waist instead, pulling her away from the feathery bed. Pulling her closer and making her forehead bump with a hard yet warm wall. She then heard the wall speak with an annoyed low voice as she felt it vibrate on her forehead.

"Hey."

Unaware of her drunken illusions, with his arms on her waist and her head pressed on his chest, Maxwell looked down at Selena and mercilessly shook her shoulder.

"Selena," he called.

Still no movement.

“Miss two hundred million dollars.”

He shook her shoulder again.

“...”

Maxwell weaved a long, weary sigh.

Meanwhile, Selena, who still had her head leaning on his chest, finally opened her eyes. Supporting her chin on his hard chest, she narrowed her gaze at Maxwell, who had a displeased expression.

"Ha!" she gaped. “I remember you!” and poked Maxwell’s forehead with her fingers.

The impact was too strong, leaving Maxwell shocked as he looked at the dark sky.

“You are the big bird who pooped at the man’s head!” Selena continued, unaware of the forming dark clouds on Maxwell’s face.

Lips twitching, Maxwell gawked back at her.

Stepping back from him, Selena frantically nodded and muttered, "No wonder why the man was so scared of you." She pointed to him and laughed, "That guy was afraid that you'll poop on his shiny head again!"

As if a crow passed through the whole tent, a short silence prevailed.

"Pfft.." but soon followed by snickers from the other customers.

Maxwell pursed his lips and looked intently at Selena. It was a look enough to make someone feel numb. 

His intimidating gaze was well sent to Selena.

“Why-why are you looking at me like that? You’re getting scary.” Stepping back, she crossed her arms on her forehead and said, “Pooping in someone’s head is a big no-no. No matter how seductive my head is, you can’t poop on me, big birdie.”

“Big birdie?” as soon as those words escaped from Maxwell’s lips, his stone-cold eyes shot her.

“If you want to poop,” walking forward to him, Selena held his collar with one hand and pointed the other one on her left. “There’s a giant statue there. That naked man is a veteran of getting pooped on his head. He won’t get angry nor run away at you if you pooped there.”

Her words earned more laughs from the customers.

"Stop it," he whispered between his teeth.

Ignoring his warning, she continued, “But don’t forget to leave some space for the other birds to poop. Never betray them-”

Maxwell grabbed her wrist this time with more force, halting it as he warned, "I said stop..." but immediately paused his words the moment he saw her face, to her cheeks that were gushed with a flood of tears, to her melancholy eyes, and to the quiet sound of her sobs.

"Don’t betray them," she quietly whispered.

"… betray,"

“ Dwaine betrayed me."

Maxwell's grip on her wrist started to loosen.

"It's your fault."

"...your fault, Maxwell."

With her hands drooping down on the sides, Selena lowered her head and cries in silence.

"So that guy already told you about it.” Maxwell unconsciously reached his hands on her while whispering those words. His fingers wiped her tears. But no matter how much he wipes it; her tears eventually fall like nonstop droplets.

"What am I even doing?" he let out a faint scoff after coming to his senses.

"Why? Why did you take me?" her hoarse voice was more like a whisper. But it was enough for him to hear it.

Her gaze met his.

"Tell me why?"

But instead of an answer, what she received was his cold response.

"I’ll send you home.”

It was as if he was telling her not to ask.

Turning his back on her, Maxwell walked to her seat and picked up her bag. But just when he was about to face her, suddenly, a heavy thing landed on the back of his head.

And the next thing he felt was... an immense physical pain.

"What the- ack! "

Grabbing his hair with immense force, Selena pulled it down and shouted, "This is your fault, you devil!"

"Se-Selen...ahh!"

Eyes wide open, Maxwell hurriedly reached his hands on her, but owing to his effort, the hands on his hair were like steel that wouldn't be moved.

Looking around, Maxwell quickly glanced at the other customers and sought their help. Despite his signal, no one took the energy to help him.

For his last resort, Maxwell's gaze shot at the black Rover car that was parked across the street. Even though he doesn't see him, Maxwell knows his assistant is watching them.

His guess was correct. His signal was well delivered to Trey, who had been watching them from the start.

‘Help. Me. This. Instant.’ This was written on his boss’s face.

However, instead of getting out of the car and helping his struggling boss out of Selena's grip, a grin tugged on Trey's lips.

"You deserved that, boss."

Turning a blind eye to him, Trey averted his gaze at Maxwell and set his three-minute timer.

'This is your punishment for working me overtime.' As Trey said those words in his mind, he chuckled.

"That bastard," clenching his teeth, Maxwell glared at Trey's direction.

'I know you're watching. Just wait until I get out of here.'

Mix anger, pain, dizziness, embarrassment, and hopelessness had filled Maxwell in just three minutes. Had he known this would happen, he would have tied Selena's hands to the statue and never freed her. Nonetheless, it was too late for him to regret it.

Exactly that time, Trey finally showed up to help him and set him free from Selena's clutch. And that's what Trey initially planned.

But....

"Ack.."

"Argh..."

It seems things got even worse as both grunted in pain while they struggled to free Selena's hands on both of their hair.

"Help! Someone is killing-"

Covering Selena's mouth with his hands, Maxwell shot his assistant a glare.

"What are you doing? Do you want to die?" he asked threateningly.

Averting his gaze at Maxwell, Trey hardly spoke as he tried to reach Selena's hand. "Miss Moore...had a friend..."

"And?"

Trey replied, " Her name is Lily Austin. We can call her for help."

As if on cue, a loud thud was heard from the floor. Both looking down, Maxwell and Trey looked at the cell phone on the ground.

It was Selena's phone. 

Feeling the beads of sweat on his forehead, Maxwell immediately glanced at Trey and ordered him.

"Pick it up."

Since the phone was nearer to Trey, he hurriedly picked it up and opened her phone. However, Dwaine's name appeared on her phone screen when he opened it.

"Boss, Dwaine is calling," Trey said.

However, Maxwell didn't have time to mind Trey as he sensed Selena's grip loosened. Taking the chance, Maxwell successfully freed his hair from Selena. Leaving her body as she lay flat on the hard ground.

Straightening his legs, Trey, whose hair was completely disheveled, once again said, "Dwaine is calling her, Sir."

Panting, Maxwell diverted his eyes at the phone on Trey's hands. After signaling Trey to pick Selena from the ground, he snatched the phone and answered the call.

["Thank goodness you finally answered the phone, Selena."]

The desperate tone of his voice was very obvious.

["Where are you right now? At least let me explain before you decide to end ties with me."]

However, unlike Selena, Maxwell doesn't give an inch of care to the man on the phone.

["I pick you up so let's-"]

"Don't bother," Maxwell flatly said.

["..."]

Silence pervaded on the other line not until his exasperated voice was heard.

["Maxwell?"]

Dwaine's voice was threatening low.

["Why are you the one who's answering the phone? Where's Selena?"]

"Haaa," an abrupt laugh had released from Maxwell. Gaze falling at Selena, slowly, his smile dissipated.

He said, "Selena doesn't need a bastard like you, so don't call her again."

["What-"]

Without any hesitation, Maxwell ended the call.

"Is it okay for you to say that?" Trey asked while he watched how Maxwell deleted Dwaine's phone call history on Selena's contact.

"It's not like I'm wrong," Maxwell muttered, tossing Selena's phone in his pocket.

"That guy would regret it." With his gaze on Selena, Maxwell's mouth quirked up as his eyes glinted coldly.

'Because there's no turning back, Dwaine.'