Chapter 64: Chapter 64

"Aland, I..."

"You're dating Hunter? I thought you didn't like him all along. Am I wrong, Jonea? Don't you really hate Hunter?"

Aland cornered Jonea until her back was against the emergency exit. Jonea could feel the cold from the metal door on her spine.

Aland looked genuinely angry. He wasn't joking. Jonea could see the lines of sadness and disappointment on the young man's face before her. Jonea longed to reach out and feel for the sword-shaped earring on Aland's left ear. However, the gray wolf roared again and spat out words that hurt Jonea.

"Why are you dating him, Jonea?"

Jonea gasped out of her reverie. 'Does that mean Aland is jealous?'

There was a feeling of happiness sneaking up in Jonea's chest. 'Does that mean Aland also has feelings for me?'

But it's too early for Jonea to celebrate the thought. Even Jonea didn't dare to ask Aland directly.

"Are you starting to love him now? Has Hunter stolen your heart, Jonea?"

Jonea's sunken eyes were still glued to Aland's red lips. The girl shook. Aland uttered his anger in such a way that Jonea was shot.

Jonea couldn't focus. She should have concentrated on the question Aland asked.

Bang!

Aland punched the metal door beside Jonea's head until a fist-sized depression formed.

"Answer me!" Aland shouted loudly.

Jonea jumped in surprise and closed her eyes in fear. She reflexively protected her body with her arms crossed.

Aland relaxed his muscles and looked apologetic for scaring Jonea. The young man cleared his throat and said more calmly.

"Tell me, Jonea. Why did you choose Hunter to be your lover among the many men in your life?"

"I don't love him!" Jonea answered in a trembling voice.

Aland pouted in disappointment. "Isn't that more terrible? You don't love him, but are you dating him? What is your real goal? Do you just want to take advantage of it? You sound even crueler than I imagined. You have ruined our friendship. I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were different and special. Apparently, you're barely any different from the other girls chasing after us."

"Aland… I….” Jonea was very nervous. "It is not like that!"

Jonea tried to explain, but Aland had closed himself off and backed off, leaving Jonea alone.

'I won't be able to compete with my best friend if you decide, Jonea. I thought I could defend and fight for you, but you chose Hunter yourself. Nothing I can do!'

"Aland, you misunderstood!" Jonea said desperately, but Aland didn't even want to hear it. "He didn't even give me a chance to speak and explain. Why is he so reactive?"

Jonea looked so bad in Aland's eyes right now. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, Jonea had subconsciously gone to the art club room. The room was still the same, still unlocked. Only the light went out.

Jonea turned on the light and saw several of her paintings piled in the corner of the room. A thin layer of dust started to cover it.

Jonea approached the pile of paintings. One of the paintings is still wrapped in white cloth.

Jonea was surprised because Axel didn't even touch her at all. "He really knows how to respect other people's privacy."

Slowly, Jonea opened her cloth cover and stretched her fingers to feel the rough surface of the painting. She painted Aland's face there with the shadow of a gray wolf behind him.

However, the painting still needs to be finished. Jonea plans to give the picture as a thank you to Aland.

"You're here?"

Jonea jumped in surprise. She quickly closed the painting again and wiped away the tears. Jonea turned.

Axel was standing in the doorway with a pile of new canvases.

"Sorry, I was presumptuous to enter without your permission," said Jonea. "I will go. I just stopped by and didn't want to disturb your painting activities."

"Wait, Jofa!" retorted Axel.

Jonea felt goosebumps. Of the many students at Abraham High School, only Axel calls her Jofa. That too at Jonea's request. However, Jonea felt a little uneasy.

"Why don't you just stay here? You want to try painting?"

Jonea looked gloomy. She turned down Axel's offer. "I'm not very good at painting. I just came to check out Miller's paintings. It looks like everything is intact and well preserved."

Axel nodded and smiled. "If you don't want to paint, you can sit here. You look so messed up. There's a tissue over there."

Jonea was embarrassed. She was caught crying on the first day of school.

She wanted to share with someone, but Marlyn was away. Jonea thought Axel was reliable and trustworthy. Spontaneously, all the stories slipped from Jonea's lips.

"I thought you two were really dating?" Axel said with a surprised smile. "But even if you two were dating, it would be a complete shock. Hunter has changed and is no longer as arrogant as he used to be."

"You know Hunter? Have you ever been close?"

Axel immediately corrected his words. "No! He never even looked at me. But who doesn't know Hunter Abraham, right? He and the three members of B4 are always surrounded by the best and most beautiful girls in this school. It's a bit of a surprise that he made a dating announcement with…."

Axel still needs to finish his words.

Jonea continued the words. "With a poor and ugly girl like me? That's okay. I won't be offended because it's the truth that I am."

"Sorry, Jofa. I didn't mean to offend you. But, it was indeed a little strange. And when you say it's all a lie, I'm not surprised. Hunter can do whatever he wants without thinking about other people's feelings."

Jonea nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah. You don't live in a hostel, do you? Why don't you stop by the art gallery tonight?"

"Are you having an exhibition?"

Axel shook his head. "No. I only work part-time there. Coincidentally, the art gallery needs new employees. Perhaps you are interested?"

Jonea's eyes immediately lit up. "Is it true? I will come there. Give me the address."

***

After attending school that day, Jonea did not immediately return home. She holds a business card from a well-known art gallery in the area. Jonea drove the bus and went to that address.

She arrived at a building that was designed so uniquely and artistically. The outside of the building is decorated with three-dimensional abstract sculptures. And there is a signboard that reads the "Moonwalk" gallery.

"Axel said; the owner of this gallery is a very kind-hearted Luna. She is willing to accept and employ human employees regardless of caste. Is it true what Axel said?"

Jonea entered through a glass door with "OPEN" written on it. As soon as she stepped into the art gallery, Jonea felt like she had entered an antique shop.

"Hey," Axel greeted cheerfully. The young man was wearing a very formal black suit.

Jonea was a little surprised because Axel didn't look like a part-time employee at an art gallery. Instead, he is like a young executive who seems so charming. Axel wasn't even wearing his glasses. He actually looked very different from how he looked at school.

"Why are you so surprised?" asked Axel.

"I thought you were someone else."

"Yes, when I work, I wear contact lenses. And I must dress up a bit to respect the visitors and act professionally. This black suit is just a uniform. You will also be given a special uniform when you work here."

"It doesn't look like many visitors, huh?" she asked.

"Yes, today we will close early. Because every Thursday, we have to change the objects that will be displayed."

"So you guys are closing already? Too bad. I wanted to see more, though."

Axel walked towards the door and turned the sign that said OPEN to CLOSE.

"Does not matter. You can enjoy your time as much as possible. Because I'll still be here for the next hour or two. I'm waiting for the courier to send new art items for us to display."

"You alone here? Where are the other employees?" she asked.

"I'm alone tonight. My colleague was unable to attend. As you said, the gallery is looking for a new part-time employee."

Jonea pursed her lips, and she started walking around the art gallery. She was amazed to see the paintings and art items displayed and exhibited there.

Axel came back with a can of warm milk. Jonea accepted it and rubbed her cold palm against the surface of the can of warm milk.

"Sorry, this is all we have."

"It's okay, Axel. This was enough. And I knew I shouldn't bring food and drink to a place like this."

"Well, let me get to the best part. It's on the second floor. You can eat and drink there."

After enjoying all the art displays on the ground floor, Jonea and Axel sat in a particular room for staff on the second floor. The girl finished her drink and snacked on some of the cookies offered by Axel.

"You can leave your proposal here. Tomorrow the gallery owner can check it out," said Axel.

"No, I haven't prepared an application for this job yet. I just stopped by because I wanted to look at this gallery's contents. It really turned out to be amazing."

After finishing her milk, Jonea got up and wanted to go home. But her eyes suddenly blurred. The girl felt dizzy, and her body seemed to float. While walking, Jonea almost bumped into a table.

Axel got up. With attitude and support, Jonea. "You are okay?"

"No!" Jonea said while holding her head and blinking repeatedly. "I feel so dizzy."

"Sit down for a moment. You probably need more time. Do you still need to eat? Let me order ready-to-go food."

"No, Axel! I have to go home," Jonea said.

She still forced herself to stand and walked towards the door. Her body seemed to float and did not touch the floor. The faster Jonea walked, she suddenly fell to the floor and was unconscious.

Axel stood up and approached the girl. He smiled and knelt beside Jonea. Axel moved Jonea's head, and the girl didn't react.

Axel even slapped Jonea on the cheek. The girl still didn't show any pain or movement at all.

"Stupid girl!" Axel cursed.

Axel dragged Jonea's unconscious body and took her to a particular room on the third floor. There is a private room in the form of a pretty luxurious space.

"We're going to have fun tonight, Jonea!" grinned Axel cheerfully.

Axel lifted Jonea's body and threw her onto the soft bed. The girl really didn't move at all. She had been drugged by the drink Axel gave her.

"Where do we start, shall we?"

Axel began to take off his tie and shirt that he was wearing. Now, he is bare-chested and wearing only trousers.

Axel moved closer to Jonea, lying on the bed like a dead person. The young man removed Jonea's shoes and began to strip her clothes individually.

"Oh, wait!" Axel exclaimed with a face full of hatred.

The young man went to prepare all his camera equipment. Axel even put three cameras at different angles using a tripod. He is ready to record from the best point of view.

When the camera was on, Axel started acting on the bed beside Jonea, who was still asleep.

Jonea's cell phone in her bag rings. Axel stopped recording and checked the girl's cellphone.

"Hunter? You're worried about this girl, aren't you?" muttered Axel.

He kept staring at Hunter's name and contact number, who kept calling Jonea's cell phone.

"We'll see; what will happen after you receive the gift I sent?"