"About you. I want to know everything about you."
The intense gaze of the handsome man who was now in front of Kalea and the hand that continued to stroke her cheek. Arthur was so good at treating women gently. Zeline was right, this man was indeed attractive and could make anyone fall under his spell.
Kalea broke her eye contact with Arthur out of slight embarrassment. "I don't know where to tell you if you don't ask," she said.
"Then let's start with something light."
"W-will there be something heavy?" asked Kalea becoming a little panicked.
Arthur smiled wryly. "Sure, if you don't mind. You can also ask me," the man replied.
"Alright."
Arthur was silent for a moment, wondering what he wanted to know from the girl he found quite mysterious. "What are you up to besides college?" asked Arthur now with his arm around Kalea's waist. As if he didn't want her to move an inch away from him.
"I work at the family restaurant and I'm a teaching assistant," Kalea replied flatly and carefree.
Arthur's eyebrows shot up, not expecting Kalea to be such a hardworking girl. "Don't you want to stop working?" Arthur asked, taking Kalea by surprise.
"Why should I stop?"
"Because you're already mine. Your life is already secured, it's better to stop working at the restaurant," Arthur replied, the look in his eyes not playing with his words.
Kalea got a little chill when Arthur said that she belonged to him. She was silent for a moment, as she looked up at the high ceiling of the room. "I can't," she refused.
Arthur furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"Just ... can't do it now." The girl's tone sounded unconvincing and uncomfortable if the direction of the conversation continued.
"Okay, fine. I won't ask too many questions about it. But if there's anything especially about money, you can tell me," Arthur said relenting. It seemed he had guessed wrong, this girl who became his sugar baby was a stubborn girl.
Kalea nodded slowly. "Okay."
"I think it's better for you to tell me about yourself. I'm afraid of offending something if I ask first," Arthur suggested because after he asked about the job Kalea's face looked different.
Kalea chuckled amusedly making Arthur blink. He hadn't expected her to laugh. "Okay." The girl was silent for a moment, Arthur remained waiting as he watched Kalea's face which was so charming and distinctive.
"I like your eyes," said Arthur, making Kalea who had been thinking now turn to him with a surprised face.
"Eh?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to say that I like the shape of your eyes. Like a cat's," Arthur complimented, smiling sweetly. The man blinked when Kalea turned her face away, did Kalea not like being complimented?
"L-lea?"
"Yes?" replied Kalea as she looked back at Arthur. Her face looked flat. The girl got up and leaned against the headboard. Kalea patted the bed for Arthur to sit by her side. Really, Arthur felt that Kalea was completely unpredictable to him. Finally, the man got up and changed his position to sit beside Kalea.
The girl took a deep breath before telling her story. "I'm an only child and only live with my mother. I've been working for a long time to support myself and my family. I only have a friend who I consider very close, her name is Aluna." Kalea seemed to be thinking again, she did not know what else to tell about herself. "I guess that's all I can tell you. There's nothing interesting about me anyway," she ended the story.
'No, everything she said was interesting,' Arthur thought to himself.
"So you've been working hard since you were a kid, huh?" Arthur asked. Kalea nodded her head slowly, memories of a sad past where no one really understood her. She was also reluctant to always share her complaints with Aluna, because of that Kalea became a figure who endured too much pain alone.
Arthur actually wanted to ask about Kalea's family because how could the two parents let their children work hard since childhood. However, it seemed that Kalea was not ready to tell him about it. And Arthur's position here was still as a stranger in the life of the girl who had hazel eyes in the shape of a cat. If he canceled the contract with Kalea and the reason was because she was a virgin, Arthur somehow didn't want to. He didn't want to leave the girl alone and make Kalea go back to working desperately to support her family.
'Shit, what a tough decision,' Arthur cursed to himself.
"Arthur?" called Kalea because Arhur had been silent.
"Yes?"
"If you want to cancel the contract... I'm fine with that. But please give me time to return all your money. Because I've already spent quite a bit of it," Kalea said, a look of fear on her face that Arthur would get angry.
"...huh? You think I'm going to ask for the money I already gave you?" asked Arthur who got a nod of the head in response from the girl.
Arthur laughed crisply, leaving Kalea confused and clueless. "Calm down. I'm not likely to ask for it again. My pride would be tarnished if I did," Arthur replied with a very sweet smile.
At first glance, Kalea was mesmerized by the kindness of this handsome man beside her. "That's very kind of you, Uncle," Kalea praised without realizing she was saying uncle again.
The corners of Arthur's lips twitched, he smiled irritably. "I am indeed kind, especially to a beautiful woman. But can you stop calling me uncle?!" Arthur protested as he pinched Kalea's cheek in annoyance.
"Sorry, I let it slip," Kalea replied as she stroked the man's pinched cheek. "So are you going to cancel the contract?" asked Kalea curiously.
"You want me to cancel it?" Arthur asked back.
Kalea paused, actually she didn't want to cancel the contract because she needed to hold on to the money. However, if she said that openly, Kalea didn't know how Arthur would respond. He would think that she was only thinking about money. Although that was true. "I... I'll leave it up to you," Kalea replied.
"Never mind, there's no need to cancel the contract. I can still taste this anyway," Arthur said and then unceremoniously kissed Kalea on the lips, making her startled but unable to resist. The man released his hold, Kalea had always been hypnotized by Arthur's piercing eyes. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"
Kalea turned her face away, her cheeks starting to blush. "You've been kissing me for a while now."
Arthur chuckled softly. "You're right."
Afterward they continued their conversation to get to know each other. Kalea learned that Arthur had a younger brother and that his family was harmonious. The man had been born rich and other things that made Kalea amazed and envious.
And one thing that became clear was that Arthur was a lover of women and often had one night stands with anyone he met and until now the man was not in a serious relationship until marriage. Just like Arthur, Kalea wanted to know more about him.