The gang of thugs started to obey the orders Brian gave. Those who had fallen to the ground crawled closer to Bella, clasping their hands and begging for forgiveness for their mistakes, as that was the only way Brian would let them go.
"Thank you!" Bella said to Brian. Hearing the small utterance from behind his back, Brian offered a brief smile.
"Seeing the way you fight, it seems like you're no ordinary person, you look trained!" Bella probed.
"Why, does that matter? I should go, I still have a lot of business elsewhere!" Brian told Bella. Brian began to walk away.
"I'm Bella, thank thank you for your help, for the umpteenth time!" Bella said, genuinely grateful to Brian.
Bella's thanks made Brian's steps halt, and he turned to look at her. Brian observed the girl closely, and soon, he offered a cynical smile.
"Haven't I told you that you're not that interesting to follow? Did you think I'd be interested just because you introduced your name to me?" Brian asked curtly to Bella.
"I had no such thought in my mind, I just wanted to socialize with you!" Bella told him. Bella smiled faintly.
"Illusions are unreal; every single thing I encounter in my life, I consider an illusion! Every second, every minute I've lived through so far, will never be stored in my brain's memory. It is enough for me to live alone, close my eyes, and see amidst the darkness!" Brian told Bella. Brian tried to explain his life principles to Bella. Bella discovered one thing in that explanation.
"You've been living alone all this time, haven't you? Without friends, siblings, or family! Right?" Bella asked Brian.
"What's the benefit if I tell you and talk about my life story?" Brian asked her.
"Not everyone you meet in your life is a villain! The best advice is the one conveyed by your conscience, because at that very moment, God is guiding you to walk in the right direction!" Bella said to him. Bella tried to explain to Brian and change what she thought was his wrong way of thinking.
"You can keep preaching to those who want to hear it, but I'm sorry, I have to go!" Brian said, annoyed.
Without further argument, Brian turned around and began to walk away from Bella. Right then, Bella, also frustrated with him, spoke up,
"I challenge you!" Bella said firmly to him.
The steps that were walking away from Bella slowly stopped. Hearing the single, firm word from Bella made Brian turn back to look at her. Brian tried to give Bella time to continue her words.
"I believe one thing, you are a good person and you still have a heart! You said you prefer to live alone and see amidst the darkness! Fine, if I can pull you out of the darkness and help you escape the world's illusions and karma. Bring you back to the world and see its beauty. Then you will fulfill my wish!" Bella said to Brian.
Brian was startled to hear that; a girl challenging him was new. Brian let out an evil laugh upon hearing the challenge Bella gave him.
"A woman? Daring to challenge me?" Brian asked Bella there. Brian underestimated her.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Bella asked him with a smile.
"Alright, go ahead and do whatever you want," Brian told her.
"Allow me to live with you, and I will make sure that you change within one month!" Bella said to him. At that moment, their eyes met with serious intensity.
"The condition is only one month; after that, you have to leave my house!" Brian stated firmly, then immediately left Bella's presence.
0
The morning sun began to show itself proudly in the sky, its rays illuminating every corner of the earth.
Today, at Brian's house, Bella was cooking something in the kitchen. Her hands were busy mixing several spices and transforming them into a delicious meal, unlike Brian, who was still sound asleep on the long sofa in the living room.
Bella cooked some quite delicious Japanese-style food. After placing several plates on the dining table, Bella took off her apron and put it in its place. Soon, her feet moved towards the living room, approaching Brian, who was still asleep.
"Hey, wake up!" Bella murmured when she was right in front of Brian, gently nudging Brian's body.
Bella kept trying to wake Brian up, but the one being woken didn't open his eyes at all.
For some reason, Bella's hand, which was trying to wake Brian, was quickly pulled by the still-sleeping Brian, causing Bella to fall right on top of his body. Startled, Bella was utterly shocked. In this position, Brian had a huge advantage.
Because his arms were freely able to hug Bella, reflexively, Bella lightly hit Brian with her hand. Not only that, she also screamed.
Hearing Bella's loud scream, as well as the hand hitting his body, Brian was disturbed. He started to open his eyes and released the hug.
"What do you think you're doing?" Bella asked furiously. Brian looked at Bella, who was now standing in front of him, confused.
"Me? Isn't it rude to disturb the host who is sleeping?" Brian retorted, not accepting the blame. Bella was silenced by this.
"Alright, I'm sorry!" Bella replied with a regretful tone. Brian got up from his seat, stood up, and walked past Bella without paying attention to her apology.
"Hey, Tall Guy!" Bella said, annoyed. Brian stopped upon hearing that. He let out a rough sigh and turned around.
"Don't cause a scene; it's still morning!" Brian told her.
"Listen to me, food is ready on the dining table, hurry up and eat!" Bella told him, her tone softening slightly.
Brian felt something in his heart when the girl's words softened; he felt this was the first time someone had truly cared about him.
Preparing breakfast for him and paying attention to him. Brian stepped forward, approaching Bella. Just as they were close, Brian's gaze became sad.
"What exactly do you want, that you're doing all this for me?" Brian asked Bella at that moment. Bella smiled briefly upon hearing that.
"A storm. I want the storm to find its true light toward real truth! There is always a rainbow after the rain, so surely after the storm, the bright light will come! But stopping the storm is not easy, so the light must bravely enter the storm little by little!" Bella explained to him.
"You won't be able to!" Brian said. Brian's expression suddenly turned cold, and so did his tone.
"If you keep being someone else in your life, you will gain satisfaction! But not happiness, and certainly not peace. If your path keeps deviating and moving away from the truth, you will be destroyed! So stop the storm in your heart to find real happiness!" Bella explained again to him.
Bella began to leave Brian, who was still processing Bella's words. After only five steps away from Brian, a hand quickly pulled her arm.
Bella instinctively turned around and bumped into Brian's body. For the first time, Brian gave her a hug; his heart warmed when he embraced Bella.
"Do whatever you want!" Brian said coldly. Then Brian released the hug and walked away, leaving Bella.
Bella briefly caught something falling from Brian's eyelids; she wasn't sure. There were many questions in her mind right now.
"Was that a tear? But why did that ice man have to shed a tear when a girl was in his embrace?" Bella thought to herself.
From that, Bella began to conclude something: her conviction grew stronger that something had happened in Brian's past life that changed him into who he was now.
But Bella had promised to help him get out of the dark storm and help him find a glimmer of light.
"He came into life suddenly. He is a real figure who came from somewhere else. A person you've never met, but destiny led him to you! Rejection won't change everything; if a piece of your heart belongs to him... then a small rejection from you will slowly be transformed into love."