"I didn't think it was Darryl she was after. When she shouted beast, I thought she was referring to another person"

"She did call her beast"

"Oh my G.o.d who is she. Do you know who is her camp officer? Someone should call her camp officer right now before things turn really bad"

"Does she even know who she was talking to? Doesn't she recognize him?"

"She sure had all the nerve! I cannot pull out such att.i.tude in public, more so with the Lagdameo heir!"

Every camper who was in the dining hall panic for what was about to unfold. No one goes against any of the elites nor so the Lagdameo's. Going against them is like lighting a fire and burning your own self with the flame. However, the girl who was calling the Lagdameo heir a beast seemed to be oblivious on that fact.

Darryl didn't know how long he can portray his act. That was the reason why he didn't want to meet her soon because he knew how vulnerable he can be when it comes to her. In fact, before he signed up for this camp, he made sure she wasn't coming. So he had someone check on the names of the students who signed up for the camp this year and he was very sure her name wasn't there. But then on station zero, he saw her rummaging around even before he can turn to leave. If only he knew their paths will cross at the camp, then he should have rejected the task of coming with the San Sebastian students and the other tasks that he signed up for.

Darryl sighed deep, hoping Xhemin will just stop and ran away with her rage. Perhaps he could bear that, bear her leave him, bear her hate and resentment towards him as long as she could do it swift— because he don't even know how he managed to endure every second without touching her. Truth was that he wanted to— very much that he was losing all his sanity of thinking over and over how much he was missing her.

But he couldn't. He wouldn't—because the Diamond Prince was right, he was not in the position to protect her. That's why he was trying so hard to stay away from her, to do nothing with her anymore, to cut the string that tie them together until then—until he was powerful enough to protect her. He believed that there is a time for everything, unfortunately that time is not now. But he would do anything in his power in order to keep her safe, even it means he had to lost his heart and hurt his woman.

For now, the hope of 'perhaps someday' was the only thing that kept Darryl Lagdameo's dying heart going.

"So what now?" Xhemin's words continued "Playing deaf and mute are we? G.o.d! I didn't know you were such a good actor? How many roles can you portray so G.o.ddam good?"

"Miss calm down!" Miguel who cannot believe how easy it was for the girl to badmouth Darryl tried to alleviate the situation "I'm just going to remind you in case you forgot, he is the Lagdameo heir"

"And so what? Lagdameo heir or not, the beast had no right to play on me like that. It doesn't mean that you are an elite you can do whatever you like including hurting other people" She responded, her words packed a powerful punch and by the look in Miguel's eyes, she knew she had hit the punch.

"Miss perhaps you can talk about this somewhere private?" Persistent in his plea, Miguel suggested gently and tore his eyes from Xhemin to Darryl. "Darryl?" Miguel hoped Darryl would do the initiative of talking things through with the girl, perhaps outside, but Darryl gave him nothing but only a blank look.

Knowing that Darryl and Xhemin had an affair in the conference, Miguel somehow had an idea of what was happening. Perhaps, he thought, Darryl had lost interest in the girl and Xhemin can't get over with it so that explains why she was on rage.

"Obviously he doesn't have the guts to talk to me," Xhemin blurted out more annoyed than she ever was when Darryl had given Miguel no reaction at all. "Truth be told, after everything, Darryl, the ever famous Lagdameo heir had lost sense of being responsible with his actions"

Seeing the determination in Xhemin's eyes, Darryl knew it was useless to play pretend with her nor so argue with her.

"I'm sorry" Darryl spoke for once, and his words echoed in the whole room and had silenced all the whispers that had been going on since Xhemin started her confrontation. He straightened his back to his chair to face the girl that was demanding his audience and shove his one hand in the pocket of his jeans.

"I'm truly sorry—if that is what you came for. But this has to stop, all of it has to stop."

Darryl's words cut through Xhemin's heart like a sharp lazor blade. Then her insides started bleeding tremendously and the pain travelled deep. In an instant, tears round up her eyes waiting to fall one by one, but Xhemin was too proud to let everyone see her tears.

Darryl saw how Xhemin quiver as she bravely tried to bring herself back under control. He knew how his words had cause a casualty inside her because no matter how much she tried, he could see the tears that she held. d.a.m.n! Her tears had always had the power to unman him. He clenched his fists and forced himself to remain where he was, not to give in to the temptation to go and comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I truly am" He continued, his words were gentle but hard to swallow. He hated having to see her almost in tears, the very fact that she was trying so hard to hide any sign of weakness from him made her tears difficult to ignore and he can't bear that. So he stood from where he was, opting to leave. He cannot stand to face her anymore, she was his weakness and he had to go before that weakness consumed him.

"Sorry?" Xhemin repeated his words tonelessly even before he could pa.s.s through her. "Ha ha ha ha ha" she laughed through it, as if is words were a lame joke.

"You think you can buy me with an apology?" She mocked at him " And you think you can get away with it just by saying you are sorry? That you can get rid of me like that?"

Xhemin turned to the beast who was about to leave "I didn't come here for your apology, if that's what you are thinking"

Darryl was appalled on Xhemin's words, what does Xhemin meant? His curiosity and the chaos inside him made him unable to respond to her words, but he tried so much to remain phlegmatic as he could, hiding his shaking fist in his pocket.

Xhemin walked toward him and paused leaving a small gap between them "I came here to tell you that, it's not your call Mister Lagdameo, It's mine. And if you are having hard time digesting those words then let me be clear—it's over when I say it's over— not when you just felt like ending it."

The girl gave her a protruding look before she turned her back to leave before Darryl could. She didn't give him a chance to walk away from her again, so she walk away first.

Darryl was unable to move from where he was and all he could do was watched the girl walking in her back away from him. And just when he though the commotion was over, he swallowed a big gulp when she saw her coming back looking back at him, drowning him in her deep ink eyes.

"I forgot something" She said simply, in a gentler tone now as she paused inches away from him.

"Wha—" Darryl was about to ask her when unexpectedly and in a quick succession, her lips consumed his.

She kissed him.

She kissed the Lagdamoe heir blatantly.

In the dining hall.

In front of everyone.