Chapter 17: Tactics

Giovani crossed her arms while looking at Fiona who didn't change her expression. “There's no need to pretend to be cool. No girl doesn't like Leonard. And there isn't a single girl who isn't crazy about him."

Instantly, Fiona burst into laughter until her shoulders shook with laughter. Giovani's eyebrows knitted together in surprise when she saw the girl laughing by herself.

“What a pity! Just take him away. I'd rather date a pig than him. Pigs aren't as perverted as that guy and I'd rather take a mud bath than drool on him."

Giovani gasped and she slapped Fiona on the cheek. Within a second, her laughter stopped and Fiona's face fell to the side in shock.

"You don't deserve to talk like that, you know?" Giovani said coldly and sharply. Making Fiona's heart suddenly roar hot and boiling. Fiona's hands suddenly clenched into fists, but she still resisted the urge not to slap the woman's face back. She turned her head and looked straight without the joking expression like before again.

“Does it matter whether I deserve it or not? You all—even this family, are like pigs. They never knew how to treat people until they just restrained me and kidnapped me."

Giovani blinked and was about to pounce on Fiona again. But with deft movements and using her strength, Fiona held Giovani's raised hand. Since it was already boiling, the surge and urge to explode was already on the tip of the tongue.

"Do you know what Leonard has been doing to me all this time? You absolutely don't know and you will never want to know. Being treated like a prostitute while he takes advantage of my consciousness, can't it be like an animal? They are all pigs, not humans.”

The more Fiona mentioned pigs, the redder Giovani's face became. But Giovani's powers were limited to that. The slap just now was just like the bluff of a cat that was afraid of its enemy. Fiona has the freedom and has no demands here. The more she behaves like a demon, the more she hopes to be expelled from here. Let Mrs. Noura see it and not approve of her being Leonard's future wife.

The two wrestled and pushed each other. Giovani let go of the restraint first and flinched back when Fiona didn't let go of her thrusts. The two of them were panting like two pigs who had just fought and gone crazy. Giovani looked away while exhaling loudly.

“If you don't like him, why are you still here? Why don't you just run away?"

Fiona rose to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. Her face scrunched up in protest. "You think I want to be here, huh? I said that I was kidnapped from home and Leonard forced me to come here. If I could have run away earlier, I would have run away," Fiona grumbled firmly. She also didn't want to stay here long. If she could run away now, she would run away.

Giovani looked up and now softened her cold expression a little. "You really hate Leonard that much? Don't you intend to marry him?"

"You see my face now? Do you still think I’m joking around?" Fiona's face was stiff and serious. Giovani let out a loud sigh as if relieved to find that her enemy wasn't really an enemy. With graceful movements, while straightening her skirt, Giovani pushed her hair behind her shoulders and stood up.

"I don't know what Leonard did to you. But we all know—everyone knows that Leonard was the most open and honest person. He can directly kiss the person he likes in front of everyone without caring about what people say. And I understand that, for example, he is really crazy about you and tortures you until you say that he is using you as he pleases."

Fiona snorted, "Then you want to be his whore?"

“Stop calling yourself a whore. What did he do, huh? Did he ever make out with you?”

This time Fiona froze. During the heated meeting between her and Leonard, the boy had never done anything out of line. But they were 'almost'. And what's more dangerous is that Fiona always falls out of consciousness every time Leonard does that.

“Not yet, right?” Giovani suspected. She smiled faintly, "Because he knows how to push and pull. That's why I'm crazy about him."

Both of them remained silent for a moment. If she pays attention, Giovani is a graceful, sexy, and alluring girl. Fiona seemed to see that there were upper-class women from the British Empire hanging around her and were willing to lower their status just for a perverted guy like Leonard. However, Giovani's words sounded earnest.

"If you really don't want to marry him, and are planning to run away, I can help you. But this all requires a lot of tactics and to make Cornelius and Noura believe," said Giovani, suddenly changing to sound confident. For some reason, those words actually awakened hope in Fiona.

She looked straight at the woman. "How?"

From in front of the door, Fiona heard Yulia welcoming someone who had come. Before Giovani could continue her words, the door was jerked open and Leonard appeared there. Behind him, two well-dressed bodyguards followed him into the room. Leonard's gaze was full of inquiry towards Giovani and Fiona.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Giovani.

The woman flashed a small smile. “Just greet your candidate and get to know each other a little. Right?" Giovani's voice was soft and seductive. But Leonard didn't sound at all passionate. Instead, he froze and looked at her coldly.

“Get out.”

Giovani snorted softly. She did not hesitate to immediately comply. After arriving at the doorway, Leonard held it. “And never come here again. I will guard Fiona's room with bodyguards starting today."

As if giving an order along with those words, the two guards behind him nodded and Giovani just gave a thin smile and went out. Leonard's two guards went out and closed the door.

“What the hell with being guarded by bodyguards? What model do you want to make a prison for?" Fiona demanded, forgetting the agreement that almost happened between her and Giovani. The sting of anger began to spread hotly in her chest. As soon as Leonard tugged at the corners of his lips and walked closer, Fiona reflexively moved back.

"So you are starting to voluntarily consider yourself a prisoner in this house?" Leonard had put his arm around Fiona's waist, who looked away. She felt Leonard's warm breath falling on her exposed neck and shoulders. The man lowered his head and kissed Fiona's ear gently.

"Call it whatever you like, babe. The point is, you won't be going anywhere until our wedding day."

Fiona's heart felt like it was stirring with annoyance. Just wait for the right time to explode. Now is not the right time. Being trapped in Leonard's hands would never allow her to escape anywhere. She had studied that a long time ago. So instead of wasting energy, Fiona saved it until her plan was mature.

Leonard pulled Fiona's chin so that her face looked up to look at him who was taller. Leonard's gaze fell into eyes full of burning anger. He smiled a little while enjoying the expression. They talked at close range which made Fiona want to smash her fist into this guy's face.

"My people have found out your background and what happened to you when you were in Paris. You're an erotica writer, right? Why is it that when you find something fictional becomes reality in front of your eyes, you're not happy?" Leonard asked quietly.

Fiona returned the man's gaze sharply. “What happens in fiction are the characters I create. Not myself. The author never wanted anything in the world of fiction to happen except true love."

Leonard's eyebrows rose. He looked at her seductively. It made Fiona's stomach churn for a moment. For some reason, the charm that Fiona blocked so hard never worked for Leonard.

"Oh really? Then, if you fall in love with me and are crazy about me, would you do something for me as payment for your impulse?"

Fiona chuckled lightly. "Impossible."

Leonard's hand stroked Fiona's temple until Fiona had to stop herself from being called out. She was used to being played like this. However, the instinctive hormones in her body always responded first to Leonard's touches and teasing without permission.

"Then you don't need to be afraid, right?" Leonard's lips were getting closer. Fiona held her breath and had already raised her hand to push Leonard away. But the effort was in vain.

"If you refuse, that's a sign that I was right. You're afraid you'll fall in love with me..." After saying that, Leonard grabbed Fiona's mouth with force. He dropped Fiona again in his arms until the sound of the heart could be heard through the touches that intertwined beneath Fiona's consciousness.

***