Saving the Villain

Even though Cosette slept late, she still woke up two hours later. Her lips curled up subtly as her eyes softened with affection, having Maxen as the first person she had seen. It reminded her of those beautiful yet fleeting memories of the past.

"Maxen," she whispered, caressing his face with her fingertips. "I kept my promise. It's not a 'what if' scenario anymore. It's happening."

Her smile stretched wider, thinking that she still did many things she had promised to do if she was given a chance to relive this life. Although she didn't remember until now, her heart remembered Maxen and her strong desire so they could have a story of their own that would end happily, not tragically.

'I'll protect you this lifetime.' She pledge in her heart, moving her face closer until her forehead was touching his forehead. 'This time… I will be the one who will make sure you'll be happy. That's why continue living and doing the hell you want. I'll give the world if that is what you want, so please be happy.'

Cosette closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. When she drew her head back and her eyes fell on his beautiful sleeping face, she smiled sweetly.

'I promise you… you won't go through all that again.'

Cosette idled on his side, staring at him to her heart's content. After a while, she carefully slipped away so she wouldn't wake him up. Once she was out of bed, Cosette tiptoed her way out to make lunch boxes, planning to continue what she had been doing all this time.

Everyone was used to Cosette working in the kitchen early in the morning. No one noticed the direction she came from as she started working in the kitchen to make their lunchboxes. Cosette barely had any sleep, but she didn't feel sleepy.

Arranging the lunch boxes, a smile dominated her face. She had finished her lunch box and Conrad, now working on Maxen's lunchbox.

"I'm so silly," she mumbled to herself, chuckling while shaking her head.

Initially, Cosette started making lunch boxes so Maxen would have anything to eat. She used it to tug his conscience, and it worked way better than she expected. But now that she remembered everything, Cosette had another reason to do this.

Back then, she cooked for Maxen for the first time after knowing her deteriorating health. Maxen happily ate the food she made herself, but when Cosette had a taste of it, she realized how bad it was. And yet, he ate it all as if he had starved.

She promised at that time to cook for him until she gets better since Maxen had a bad eating habit. Sometimes he would just have coffee the whole day.

In other words, a part of her had nurtured this desire to become a housewife. It was silly for Cosette since she was a career woman. However, she wanted to take care of Maxen and now, she was doing that even though she had forgotten that part.

'I don't know why this happened, but I'm grateful. This time… it's our story that I am going to write. Not someone else's.' Her lips stretched wider as her mood slowly peaked.

Cosette then resumed decorating Maxen's lunch box happily, humming a tune, starting her day on a good note.

******

When Maxen woke up, he immediately spread his hands on the side of the bed where Cosette slept. A deep exhale slipped past his lips, realizing she had left. Maxen checked the bedside table and saw it was thirty minutes before six in the morning.

"What time did she wake up?" he wondered, idling on the bed, knowing he had more time. "We slept late, so I thought she will oversleep."

Maxen remained silent, stretching his limbs to keep his blood flowing. After that, he pushed himself until he was sitting up. His legs were out of the bed, feet touching the carpet. Maxen rested his arms on his thigh, mustering his energy to get change and go through his quick morning routine before joining breakfast.

As he stayed seated on the edge of the mattress, Maxen could not help but recall Cosette's story last night. She sounded very sad for the villain and his love interest, but then she looked relieved before sleeping.

"I hope she's feeling better now," he mumbled, gazing up at the shut door. "She keeps worrying me. How can she cry over a fictional character?"

A weak chuckle slipped past Maxen's mouth, knowing the reason Cosette would make a fuss over a character. She preferred reading over watching, and she had always told him it was better.

"Even though reading sometimes devastates her." He chuckled. "She always has the biggest heart. That's why she shed tears so easily."

Maxen didn't think much about what happened last night anymore as he pushed himself up. He tossed the thought at the back of his head, assuming everything was already fine and Cosette seemed to have come to terms with the cause of her tears last night.

"Should I snitch myself again?" he wondered as he marched towards the bathroom to do his morning ritual. "Her dad will kill me at this rate. Should I find a place to avoid this from happening?"

Maxen stopped in front of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. A scoff escaped his mouth, thinking about the sudden idea that crossed his head.

"Is that really the reason? To avoid? Or to have a private place for the two of us?" Maxen snorted at himself, shaking his head, knowing his perverted side. Fortunately, it was super late last night and Cosette didn't do anything to trigger him.

Still, it felt nice to sleep with her in his embrace. His face brightened up, obviously in a good mood for the sole reason he could still feel her warmth. And her lingering scent stuck to his skin. Good thing he had showered just hours ago, so he didn't need to shower before going to school.

******

"Are you alright now?" Conrad asked Cosette as he sat down in the head seat to join her for breakfast. Cosette nodded, sitting on his right. The seat across from her where Maxen would usually sit was empty.

"Maxen probably overslept," she muttered, but still smiled as she looked back at Conrad. "I'm fine now, Papa. Sorry for worrying you."

"Will you tell me the problem now?"

"There's no problem." She shook her head. "I told you last night I missed you so very mega much."

Conrad observed the bright smile plastered on her face and secretly sighed in relief. He knew his daughter. He was the only person Cosette wouldn't fool, no matter how good she was at hiding her feelings. Hence, he was certain his daughter wasn't faking it.

"I told Warren I'll be working from home for now," he announced solemnly.

"Pardon?"

"I hadn't been staying in the house that much for the past months. So I want to rest."

Cosette smiled subtly in relief, which Conrad noticed. Seeing her expression, he was relieved to know he made the right call. It seemed to have made her sincerely happy.

"What about your meetings?" she asked out of plain curiosity.

"I will only meet the most important people. Warren can do the negotiations for the rest."

"I see…" Cosette smacked her lips and grinned. "Then that's good. Papa, you should also watch out for your health. Although you are handsome and don't seem to age at all, you need to take care of your health."

Cosette happily reminded him as she offered to serve him food, which he allowed. His lips stretched gently, pleased to listen to her nagging as if she was his mother.

"What is money if we're going to use it to pay for our medical bills, right?" she sat back in her seat, keeping her bright smile. "Take it easy. It's not like you have to prove something anymore. You're the best father I could ever ask for."

Conrad chuckled. "Did you do something I should get mad about? You keep flattering me."

"Of course not. I'm not flattering you, though. What I'm saying is a fact." Cosette dawdled, stressing each word to get her point across. She then leaned closer and whispered yelled. "You're even better than CEO Quinn. Isn't that why he kept annoying you?"

"You don't have to take it that far." Conrad shook his head with a chuckle, but when he set his eyes back to her, he rocked his head in agreement. "It's not that I'm better. He's just bad at it."

Cosette broke out in laughter, like a little evil for making fun of Maynard Quinn. However, Cosette and Conrad knew Maynard wasn't that bad. It was just that the man had a different parenting way.

As the two of them laughed together, sharing a warm ambiance in the dining room, Maxen smiled subtly. He stood at the entrance silently, darting his eyes between Cosette and Conrad as the two happily chatted.

The atmosphere in the dining hall had always been warm, with Cosette in it. And only now did Maxen truly realize how different it appeared from another point of view.

'A part of me doesn't ruin this scene…' he thought, only to snap his eyes when Conrad set his eyes in his direction.

"Maxen, what are you doing there?" asked Conrad, while Cosette slowly turned her eyes in his direction. "Join us for breakfast. You'll be late."

"We've been waiting for you," Cosette chimed in with a wide grin. "Come!"

'I'm… grateful,' Maxen whispered in his head as he joined the two of them, thankful to be a part of this small family that welcomed him with open arms.

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