Chapter 2
On the day I left the hospital, I took care of everything myself.
When I got back to that so-called "home," the living room was completely empty.
Alexia told me the Russos had taken Lexie to Pubral for a vacation.
That worked well for me.
I dug out Albert's class schedule and knew he had a sensitive stomach and was super picky about food.
The next day, I got up at five in the morning.
Following an online recipe, I tried for the first time to make a simple bowl of creamy oatmeal.
I added too much water and too few oats, and burned it several times.
The kitchen was a total mess, and I ended up with a bunch of blisters on my hands.
Finally, on my seventh attempt, I managed to cook a pot of oatmeal that actually looked pretty decent.
I poured it carefully into a thermos, then grabbed a cab and headed over to Albert's office.
The receptionist stopped me.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you have an appointment?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Albert Russo. I'm his..." I hesitated, unsure how to finish. What was I to him? Sister? Not really anymore.
So I just said, "Could you let him know Celine Russo is here to see him?"
The receptionist made an internal call, and after a few minutes, she looked at me with obvious disdain.
She said, "Mr. Russo says he doesn't know you and wants you to leave."
My heart sank. I held onto the thermos, refusing to leave the lobby no matter what.
One hour went by, then another.
Employees walked past, pointing at me and whispering, giving me weird looks.
"Isn't that the fake heiress from the Russo family? She actually dares to come see Mr. Russo."
"I heard she pushed the real heiress down the stairs. What a snake."
I just tuned them out, letting their words wash over me, until I spotted Albert stepping out of the elevator.
He was flanked by a few company executives, and as soon as he saw me, his brows furrowed instantly.
I walked up to him and handed him the thermos.
"Hey, Albert, I made you some creamy oatmeal. Your stomach's always acting up, so you should have something warm in the morning," I said.
He didn't even bother to look at me. His eyes were so cold they could freeze the air.
"I told you to get lost. Can't you understand me? Celine, can't you come up with something new? You're just making me sick," he snapped.
With a dismissive wave, he sent the thermos tumbling from my hands.
It crashed to the floor with a loud clang.
The oatmeal splattered across the floor, like a puddle nobody would even bother to step around.
My heart broke right there on the floor with it.
[Ding! Target's disgust point increased by 10. Current affection point: -60.]
Suppressed laughter echoed around me.
I watched Albert walk away without hesitation, not even looking back. Then I crouched down and slowly cleaned up the mess on the floor, bit by bit.
I was a mess, but I refused to give up.
According to the system, if I wanted to stay alive, I had to win over Albert's heart.
I knew Albert hit up the boxing gym every Wednesday night. So, I went and got myself a membership there ahead of time.
When Wednesday rolled around, I slipped into my workout gear and strolled into the gym, acting like it was just a random coincidence.
"Hey, Albert, fancy seeing you here!" I said.
He was sparring with his coach, sweat sliding down his sharp jawline. His whole body was brimming with wild tension and power.
He gave me a brief glance, then completely ignored me and kept throwing punches.
I didn't care. I just started hitting the heavy bag next to him, over and over again.
I had no clue how to box. And after just a few swings, the back of my hand was rubbed raw, stinging like crazy.
During the break, Albert came over and tossed me a bottle of water.
His tone was as cold as ever. "Stop embarrassing yourself here," he said.
I twisted off the cap, took a sip, and smiled at him. "Thanks, Albert."
He didn't reply, just turned and walked off to the lounge.
[Ding! Target's confusion point increased by 2. Current affection point: -58.]
I looked at the water bottle in my hand. It seemed it wasn't that difficult after all.
After that, I made it a routine to hit the gym every Wednesday.
I never went out of my way to talk to him. I just clumsily worked out where he could see me, hoping he'd notice.
Whenever he was throwing punches, I'd be stretching out on a yoga mat right next to him.
When he stepped into the cage, I'd stand by the side, ready with a bottle of water for him.
At first, he totally ignored me, like I didn't even exist. But over time, whenever he took a break, he'd shoot me a quick glance, but enough for me to notice.
One time, a guy came over and tried to hit on me, asking for my contact info.
Before I could even say no, Albert stepped in front of me and pulled me behind him.
He gave the guy a cold glare. He said, "She's mine. Get lost."
The guy was totally intimidated by Albert's presence and hurried off, looking embarrassed.
I watched his back in a daze.
[Ding! Target's possessiveness triggered. Current affection point: -40.]
That night, for the first time, he actually initiated a conversation with me. "From now on, stay away from those shady types," he said coldly.
"Yeah," I replied quietly, keeping my head down.