UNDER HIS RULES

“Ugh!” Hera abruptly pulled her hand away. “How can I be jealous? Who am I to you? Nothing, right? You said it yourself, didn’t you? Forget? Do I need to repeat those words? So you remember?”

Hugo burst into laughter. Once again, he saw Hera’s pouting face, but Hugo knew that Hera was curious about the name he had just mentioned. “Are you really not curious?” he asked while tidying Hera’s messy hair due to the wind.

“No.” Hera squinted for a moment, appearing to be thinking, but then she shook her head, dismissing her thoughts. The question took over-Who is Sharon? It wasn’t usual for Hugo to mention a woman’s name. That girl must have a special place in Hugo’s heart. But who was she? Which one was she? Had Hera ever met her? Should she also ask Beatrice?

“I bet her head is full of questions,” Hugo guessed, smiling. “Do you want to know?” he offered once again.

Hera mumbled softly, feeling somewhat uneasy, torn between her pride and curiosity. “Um… who is she?” she asked. Ugh! If she could criticize every word that had just slipped out of his mouth, she would have done it already. Why was it so easy for her to ask like this? It seemed like she really wanted to know who that girl was!

“But you can’t refuse if we officially start dating today. Well, maybe like Eland and Anne. Their relationship is a step further. But I’m sure you’ll be surprised.”

Hera’s mouth fell open. Her eyes blinked without a pause as she stared at Hugo.

“I’m willing to wait for you to finish college, to work and make your mother and Tony proud. I’ll be proud of your achievements too. After that, we can have a more serious conversation.”

Hera blinked slowly, as if regaining her awareness. “What do you mean?”

“Today,” Hugo smiled faintly. “I want to solidify my feelings for you, Hera. I thought it was just a liking for your endless chatter. But… I’m attracted to you.”

Could Hera scream right now?

“And today, I want us to officially… um, date? Yeah… something like that. It doesn’t matter what we call it. The important thing is that I want you to be more open with me. Rely on me. Pay attention to me. Care about me. And most importantly, trust me. This relationship. Because the same goes from me to you.” The hand that had been released by Hera was once again held by Hugo, this time with a much tighter grip.

“Is you confessing me again?”

“No,” Hugo messed with Hera’s hair playfully. “Inviting you to watch the sunset. It’ll be soon.”

“Oh, Hugo! You’re serious, aren’t you!”

Hugo chose to remain silent while leaning back, letting Hera shake his shoulder occasionally. He listened to every complaint and whimper from the girl. Despite all that, he didn’t let go of their intertwined hands. Occasionally, he gently stroked the back of Hera’s hand, either out of fatigue or boredom from talking continuously. Eventually, Hera leaned on Hugo, probably due to tiredness or the desire for comfort. The man shifted slowly to make Hera more comfortable leaning on him.

“You was really serious just now, right? You weren’t just saying it?”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Hm.” He used his free hand to embrace Hera.

“It’s okay to wait for me, right?”

“Of course.”

Hera’s smile grew wider. “Okay, let’s date.” Her face blushed, making her lower it while shyly smiling. But suddenly, Hera remembered something.

“You haven’t told me who Sharon is. Who is she?”

“There’s a reward if you want to know.”

“Why is that?” Hera stared in disbelief. “You’re cheating.”

“For every piece, there’s an expression of affection.”

“Ugh!” Hera sighed in annoyance.

“Do you want to know?”

“Just expressions of affection, right? I love you, Hugo. Like that, right?”

Hugo chuckled. “Complete with a peck on the cheek.”

“Huh?!” Hera was even more surprised by Hugo’s words. “Why did it turn out like this?”

“Do you want to?”

“Just expressions of affection, right? I love you, Hugo.” She said it along with a light kiss on his cheek. Hera was consumed by her curiosity. Rather than leaving her unsatisfied, it was better to indulge Hugo’s wish. After all, it was just this, right?

“Sharon is a girl from my past,” Hugo replied briefly.

“And then?”

“Well… let’s start from the beginning, the expressions of affection.” Hugo folded his arms across his chest. He smiled satisfactorily, his playful gaze fixed on the bewildered girl before him.

“Why did it turn out like this?!” Hera stared in disbelief. “You tricked me, Big Brother! Ugh!”

One thing Hugo was certain of: Sharon was in a separate box, while Hera was now close to him. Without realizing it, Hera had entered Hugo’s life in an unusual way. But Hugo liked it. It didn’t matter if a long time was wasted, but Hugo made sure of one thing.

They would always be together.