“I want to go . . . I don’t want to stay here!” Ellie shouted while facing Krizzia and Samar.

            “What’s wrong Ellie?” Samar asked with concern written all over her face.

            “Did something happen? You know, we won’t follow the things you want without valid reason,” Krizzia added.

            “I . . . I don’t want to stay here anymore. I hate this place. . . And I hate all the people here. Is that a good enough reason for you?” Ellie uttered angrily at the two girls standing in front of her.

            “No,” Samar simply replied. She was acting like she was her normal self and wasn’t affected with the things that Ellie was doing.

            “You can’t back out now Ellie. Remember you are already signed up in this project. You can easily be sued if you break your contract with them,” Krizzia tried to remind Ellie of her situation.

            “Fine, then let them sue me. I don’t care. I just want to leave,” Ellie said with a raised voice.

            Samar and Krizzia exchanged glances with each other. They were both confused as to why Ellie was acting irrational again.

            “We can’t leave Ellie. I’m sorry . . . But you will need to finish this project even if you don’t want to . . . because it is your job,” Samar said with authority.

            “No! I don’t want to work here. Just tell them to look for another writer. I can’t stay here,” Ellie repeated again.

            “But Ellie . . . please reconsider,” Samar begged.

            “Look, just tell them that I will return their payment for my story. I would also pay for any damages or inconveniences that are associated with my sudden refusal to do this job,” Ellie uttered. “Tell them I will pay no matter how much they ask. I don’t care. I want then to release me from my contract. I don’t want to do this job,” Ellie uttered with extreme irritation.

            “What is your reason Ellie? Why are you backing out? Is it one of the staff members? Do you have some special requests that we haven’t given? Just tell me what you want . . . and we will see what I can do,” the CEO of Avex tried to reason with Ellie. He was already calculating the big effect of Ellie’s withdrawal from the project. And no matter how he tried to think of it, the end result was always disastrous.

            Ellie stared at the middle-aged man in front of her.

            “Can you really do what I want? Can you really give me what I want?” she asked with doubt.

            “Just tell me your requests and I will do everything in my power to fulfill them,” the CEO of Avex answered.

            “Fine . . . I only want one thing. And that is . . . for you to change some of the people involved in the drama. If you can do that then, I won’t back out anymore,” Ellie replied with arrogance.

            The older man quickly smiled. “Is that all you want? Of course, I will gladly put in a new staff for the drama. Why did one of the staff members offend you in anyway?”

            “I am not talking about your staff . . . I am talking about your actors. I want you to change your lead actors,” Ellie said with a more cold and arrogant tone.

            “What?” the CEO of Avex asked in shock. The smile on his face quickly disappeared. And his face immediately became pale as if blood was drawn from it. “But they are the lead actors . . . They are the reason why this drama was set up in the first place. We can’t possibly replace them,” the old man tried to explain.

            “Then we don’t have anything to talk about. I’m leaving,” Ellie uttered coldly.  She didn’t care about what the others think about her. She didn’t care whether she was causing trouble for everyone. All she cared about was herself. She didn’t want to stay in that place . . . She couldn’t . . .

            The DBSK boys were very near where Ellie and the CEO of Avex were talking. They were able to hear everything loud and clear.

            All of them were confused, shocked and annoyed with what was going on.

            Micky, in particular, was already very irritated with Ellie. He couldn’t understand why she was being so mean and unprofessional. Somehow he couldn’t accept the reason why Ellie was suddenly dumping their project.

            Ellie was already about to leave . . .

            “I’m very sorry . . . but I really can’t do this. I wish I can explain further. . . but I really can’t,” she uttered softly to the old man.

            Ellie had already walked away from the CEO of Avex when Micky suddenly blocked her way.

            “What’s wrong with you? You can’t do this. This is so unprofessional. At least, give us a valid reason why you’re quitting,” Micky uttered as he tried to control his anger.

            Ellie was surprised with Micky’s action. As he stood so close to her, she could smell his heavy breath near her . . . she could smell his cologne that somehow sent her senses into confusion . . . He was only inches away from her. This was the very first time that a man had actually been near her . . . ever since . . .that forgotten day.

            She couldn’t help but stare at him . . . eye to eye. She could easily tell that he was quite different from the other men she had met before. But she still tried to act cold. She wasn’t allowed to get near any man. She was afraid of being close to any man . . . and it was going to stay that way until the day that she died.

            “Please get out of my way,” she said with irritation.

            Micky suddenly gave her a maddening smile. “And what would you do . . . if I don’t?”

            “Are you looking for trouble?” Ellie asked with a raised eyebrow. She was getting annoyed with the way Micky was talking to her.

            “No, but maybe you are,” Micky replied again as if teasing her.

            “Do you know that you are the very first man to actually go against me?” she asked with a raised tone.

            “Honey, there is always a first time,” Micky uttered with the most mischievous and maddening smile that he could put on.

            Ellie couldn’t help but stare at Micky more closely. He was quite attractive with his teasing smile. Somehow she could entertain herself just by looking at him a little bit longer.

            She quickly shook her head as if to wake herself up.

            “I’m leaving . . . and there’s nothing you can do about it. So get out of my face!” Ellie angrily uttered.

            As she walked passed by Micky, he unexpectedly grabbed her by the hand and pulled her close to him. . . straight into his arms.

            Ellie slowly looked at the hand that was holding her. And then her gaze traveled from Micky’s hand to his face.

            And again  . . . as she stared at his handsome face . . . an unknown feeling quickly took over. All her rage and irritation quickly disappeared.

            It was as if the whole world stopped . . . As their hands touched . . . and as their hearts felt each other’s beat. . . a feeling so unfamiliar made Ellie’s mind and heart confused. It was as if her entire world was spinning.

            “God! He touched her . . . Krizzia . . . He touched her,” Samar exclaimed in horror.

            “Please God . . . don’t let her go into shock again,” Krizzia uttered with concern.

            Ellie continued to stare deep into Micky’s eyes. And she stared deeper and deeper . . . her mind and heart were already left wondering as well.

            “Why is it that I feel so safe in your arms? Do you know that you’re the first man who had actually touched me for a very long time now? Even my own father can’t touch me, without me screaming in fright afterwards. Why is it that you can touch me? What is it about you that make you so different from all the other men I have already met? Are you the one they said that would come into my life and actually cure me? Are you the one I am destined to live my life with? Or are you another man who is just here to hurt me? Should I believe in what I am seeing in your eyes? . . .  I see myself in your eyes . . . the real me . . . the one I tried so hard to forget. But I don’t feel scared anymore. Your touch is bringing me such an explainable feeling of comfort. Do you think. . .  I can I stay in your arms forever?”