Saving the Villain

"Young Miss?" Butler George knitted his brows in surprise when he saw Cosette in the mansion's lobby. "Where are you going?"

"I will go to Papa's study. Is he there?"

The butler sighed before he relayed the news to her. "There was an emergency and Master's schedule was moved up. So, he told me to tell you he will make it up to you once he comes home."

"What?" Cosette knitted her brows as she registered what the butler had just said. "You mean… Papa already flew out to Sharie?"

Butler George nodded, only to see her complexion turn pale. "Young Miss, are you alright?" he inquired in worry while Cosette looked back at him in disbelief.

"No…" she whispered and without explaining herself, Cosette rushed to Conrad's study. When she saw his home office empty, Cosette jogged her way to Conrad's bedroom.

Nothing.

"No…" She held her head, staggering back. "… this can't be happening."

"Young Miss…?" Butler George, who followed Cosette out of worry, stood several steps from the door where she stood. "Is there something…"

"Butler George!" the head butler flinched at her loud call. "Can you call Assistant Warren? I need to talk to Papa!"

"Uh…"

"Now!" Cosette raised her voice, making Butler George flinch once again. "Emergency!"

"Oh… alright?" Butler George didn't know the urgency of the matter but still did what he was told.

Meanwhile, Cosette returned to the lobby where she paced back and forth, calling Conrad's number but to no avail. Butler George couldn't reach Conrad's assistant, but seeing Cosette, he kept trying.

"Come on… please pick up..." she mumbled, biting the tip of her thumb out of panic, worry, and fear mixed all together.

Even though Cosette already guessed Conrad had probably boarded the plane, she held on to the sliver of hope he hadn't. Butler George said Conrad left around thirty minutes before she asked for him. Therefore, it was possible Conrad hadn't left the country just yet.

'This can't be happening…' she thought, trying to stay positive although the scenarios in her head were growing negative. Her eyes began to heat up as the ringing sound echoed in her ear like thunder.

All she wanted was for Conrad to pick his phone up. As long as he would, she was certain she could convince him to stay. She couldn't let what happened in the past happen again. Not her father. Not when they were just starting to see eye to eye. They had so many things to do together and they wouldn't do that if he was bedridden.

Soon, her sniffle was heard, wiping the corner of her eyes with the bottom of her fist. Yet, she didn't break down and continued her attempt to reach Conrad. She would've rushed and followed Conrad, but she didn't know where he took off.

He could've boarded a private plane or just one of what they owned. It all depends on Conrad's mood and they couldn't reach their assistant as well.

While Cosette continued to pace back and forth in worry, she didn't notice that Maxen was just around the corner. Maxen furrowed his brows, darting his eyes between Cosette and then at the head butler, who was on also on the phone.

"Cozi…" he trailed off the second he noticed the worry in her eyes as she bit the tip of her thumb that was already wrapped with a band-aid. Maxen carefully approached her and before he could even think of what to tell her, he held her hand down, which made her look up at him.

"You're biting it so hard," he voiced out naturally, holding his breath upon recognizing the desperation in her eyes. "Are you…"

Cosette just ground her teeth and pulled her hand from his grip, looking away and redialed Conrad's number.

"Cozie…" Maxen whispered, a little bit taken aback at what he was seeing. He was used to seeing her smiling all the time, and he kept wondering when she would stop smiling. However, now that he was seeing this expression, it felt like a hand was squeezing his heart.

"Butler George, did you reach him?" asked Cosette, avoiding Maxen's gaze, ashamed to look back at him in such a state. Her heart sank when Butler George shook his head with a deep frown.

Cosette balled her hand into a fist and remained silent. After a second, a determined glint flickered across her eyes as her lips parted.

"Please call for driver George. I will look for him."

"But Young Miss."

"Now." she huffed, looking at the butler straight in the eye. "Please."

Butler George let out a shallow breath. Until now, he didn't understand Cosette and her heightened emotion, but since she was no longer a child, he understood it was probably important. Hence, Butler George called for Cosette's personal driver so he could drive her to Conrad.

As Cosette rushed to the driver, a hand held her wrist, and she looked back. "Max?"

"Cozie, I don't know why you're acting like this. But…"

"Please, Max. Don't stop me. I can't let my dad fly to Sharie right now."

"I'm not stopping you," replied Maxen with a sigh, watching her knit her brows. "I'm saying I will come with you. Your father entrusted your safety to me, and it is only proper if I accompany you."

Cosette bit her inner lip as she looked back at him before she nodded. A sigh of relief slipped past his lips before the two of them hopped to the black sedan parked outside the mansion. Her driver had worked for the Blac family for years. Thus, he didn't need direction when Cosette told him to drive to their company headquarters as fast as possible.

On their way, Cosette was still trying to call Conrad in silence while Maxen would glance at her from time to time. This wasn't what he expected on his first night in their house, but it wasn't like he had expectations at all.

'She looks really worried,' he thought worriedly. 'Now that I think about it, this is not the first time I saw that expression on her face.'

Cosette wore that same emotion in her eyes during their first meeting. Back when he was in the hospital, she looked at him as if she had known him all his life. He just didn't think about it until now because he somehow got used to her smiles.

Maxen raised his hand and held her arm, making her look back at him. "Stop biting your thumb," he said, putting her hand down to her side.

"Max…" she whispered but said nothing further. Instead, she continued her attempts to call her father and let him hold her arms down so she would stop biting her thumb. But with her nervousness, Cosette unknowingly started biting the excess skin on her lips.

'I can't hold that for her.' He sighed inwardly and squeezed her arm to get her attention. When she looked back at him once again, Maxen studied her eyes for a moment.

"Calm down," he advised in a calm tone. "I know you are worried, but panicking will not help. We'll reach wherever our destination is and if Sir Blac had already gone, you can just fly tomorrow, right?"

A subtle smile turned up on his face as he squeezed her arm mildly. "Stop biting your thumb and… lips. You'll only hurt yourself."

Cosette looked at him, but instead of listening to his advice, she bit her quivering lips while tears formed in her eyes.

"Everything will be fine." Maxen planted his palm on top of her head and ruffled it slightly. "Just take a deep breath, alright?"

Cosette nodded before she let out a muffled, "mhm."

"Now, give that phone to me. I'll try to call your father while you gather your thoughts." He retrieved his other hand from her head and then opened it between them, nodding at her encouragingly. Cosette reluctantly handed him the phone, and he smiled in satisfaction.

"Take deep breaths. I'll give it to you once he picks it up." Maxen waved the phone slightly before he leaned back. He kept his other hand on her arm, patting it with his fingers to soothe her while calling Conrad.

As the phone rang, Maxen glanced at her. Cosette closed her eyes while taking deep breaths. While she tried to calm herself down, Maxen noticed how her hand was balled into a tight fist. Usually, he would think twice about his actions. But right now, he couldn't.

And before he knew it, he already slipped his hand down from her arm to her fist. Her brows rose as she opened her eyes, gazing down to their hands, then back up to his eyes. Maxen didn't hold her hand, but instead, pressed his index on top of her fist.

It was strange, making her wonder what he was trying to do.

"Calm down," was all he said, then poked her knuckles, the phone still in front of his ear, eyes on her. "Loosen up, I mean."

Cosette pursed her lips into a thin line, but instead of just loosening up, she held on to his forefinger. It wasn't that she was trying to anger him, but she just need to hold on to something or someone. To her surprise, Maxen didn't complain as he let her hold him like that while he focused on the phone.

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