Chapter 7 The Past

"I was going to say that I am willing to marry you." Malcolm finished his words after a moment.

"What? You must be crazy! Do you even know me? Do you know what family background I come from? Do you know what I do? How can you agree to marry me so easily?" Lucia burst into laughter.

Since she was drunk, she was not in her right mind.

However, the man in front of her had not drunk at all, he was sober. He did not smell of alcohol or cigarettes that men often consumed. He just smelled like a fresh wave of sea water. It was obvious that he was sober and clear-headed. 'Why is he messing with me?'

"You don't have to go through all that. But if you are interested to know, then I can tell you about my life. However, it will be just as disgusting as one of the TV soaps." Lucia stopped laughing. "Well, do you have any water here? I had too much to drink, and now, I am thirsty." She then raised her head and looked into Malcolm's eyes.

All of a sudden, he picked her up and carried her in his arms, causing Lucia to scream. Gently, he put her down on the sofa in the living room as though she was fragile and would break easily.

While Lucia was still stunned, he bent down and kissed her forehead before he walked to the fridge. He then took out a bottle of cold water, opened the cap, and handed it to her. Sitting with her on the couch, he pulled her into his arms.

And Lucia could not resist him at all. Malcolm's embrace felt warm. It made her feel secure and peaceful. She had been looking for someone who would make her feel like she belonged with him for a long time, and now, she finally felt like she found that person.

"I'm not that interesting, you know? When I was five years old, my parents abandoned me outside an orphanage. And the director of the orphanage took me in. By the time I was in college, I was independent and I was making my own money. During the time I was in the orphanage, a lot of people wanted to adopt me, but my mischief scared them away. Since I was already abandoned my parents, I was afraid of being left alone once again. So I told myself that I would rather be alone than to be adopted." Although Lucia was talking about her past, she was very calm as though it was not her life that she was talking about.

Malcolm did not interrupt her, and listened quietly. After all, he knew all those things from the document that Bob had given him just that afternoon. He held her tightly, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Well, now comes the disgusting part of the story..." Lucia said with a smile that seemed as though she was mocking herself.

"After I got admitted at a university, I moved out of the orphanage, got a part-time job, rented an apartment, and started a new life. Usually, college students are very eager and expectant about their futures. They have dreams and goals. When I was in my junior year of college, I wanted to apply for an exchange program at a college in a different country. However, things did not go as I expected."

She paused for a moment, wondering how to continue.

"During the second semester of my first year, I met Jonah at a community event. He is the man you met at the bar today. It was not that big of a deal to me at first. We spent a lot of time together because of the community activities. He only has his mom with him, he doesn't have a dad. Perhaps, it was our similar life that drew us together. At the end of the freshman year, there was a ball. That's when he confessed his love for me and we started dating. Our love was very romantic. He would often surprise me with the smallest of things, and we shared a lot of good times together. I can't deny the fact that we were very happy and so in love during the first two years of our relationship."

Lucia was thinking about her past, lost in thought. During the cold winter days, Jonah had prepared her warm brown sugar water to ease her menstrual cramps. On her birthday, he had made her happy by telling her how much he loved her under the night sky that was lit with fireworks. Every day after her class, he would make delicious food for her, and they would enjoy it together in the small patch of woods behind the school. She had many such fond memories with him.

"What's the matter?" Malcolm asked plainly when he noticed that she was in a daze. He gently lifted his hand and caressed her cheek.

"Oh, nothing. I was probably thinking too much about the past... Well, let me continue the story." Lucia finally came back to reality and continued, "Those days of sweet love lasted two whole years. And then came the senior year of college. I was preparing for the graduation ceremony, I worked in an internship program, and I wrote my thesis. I had high hopes for the future. I had big dreams, and I was ambitious. It was because of Jonah that I gave up on my dream to pursue my career abroad. At first, we would call each other many times a day. After a while, we would only call each other once a day, then once every alternate day, and slowly, that changed to once a week. Sometimes, we would not even talk until I realized that we had not spoken in a very long time. During our calls, we would just talk about normal stuff. And after speaking only a few words, we would hang up. Our conversations were very basic, there was no romance in them."

After saying that, Lucia picked up the bottle and took a sip of water.

"I finally got a good job when I was in my second semester of my senior year in college. It was a job in Domain Media, the company I currently work for. Although Domain Media was a start-up back then, I like the working environment and the culture over there. I took the job even though it was not an easy one. Well, my boss was the one who inspired me to do it. He told me that I could do anything as long as I really wanted to."

Suddenly, Lucia fell silent. She did not know how to continue the story because what came after that was the last thing that she wanted to think about. Jonah's betrayal had caused a scar in her heart that could never be erased. That pain had left her numb for so long.

"It was because I was busy with my work that...I guess you probably would not know the feeling of having to wake up every morning, and taking the subway to work during rush hour. It would be so crowded that you could easily get crushed by those people. Since I was new to the work, I had to learn a lot, and I almost had no time left for myself. One day, I realized that I had no time to meet the man I loved. We would only meet each other once a month, and sometimes, it would be once in two months. And we rarely ever talked over the phone. Perhaps, I had been heartless and insensitive. By the time I realized that something was off, it was already too late."

Lucia smiled again, mocking herself.

"Two years had passed since I joined work, and it was during Christmas. I just finished working on a project when I remembered that I hadn't spent time with him or celebrated a festival with him in a long time, so I went to the store, bought a cake, and a new set of lingerie."

As soon as she said those words, Lucia noticed that there was a hint of anger in Malcolm's eyes, but it vanished quickly.

"I had the key to his apartment, so I just opened the door and walked in. It was like in a TV show. There was underwear on the floor, a very sexy one made of lace. I don't know if I was walking without a sound, or if they were too absorbed in the moment, but when I walked into the bedroom, they were still making love. I pushed the door open. They both stared at me in shock. I was the one who had every right to be mad, right? But it was Mina, who lost her temper, while Jonah stood aside, watching silently."

That day had been the most cruel and painful day in Lucia's life. Mina had gotten out of the bed, wrapped the blanket over her naked body, and cursed. Only then had Lucia learned that Mina and Jonah had been together for almost two years. She had been in the dark for two years. She had felt like she was the other woman. While Mina had cursed her and shouted hysterically, Jonah had pretended like he did not know her at all.

Lucia then realized Mina was the daughter of the CEO of Gomez Properties, the company that Jonah had gone to work for after their graduation. He had met Mina at the orientation event. Their busy final year of college had already made him a bit indifferent towards Lucia. And Mina's appearance had put an end to his seemingly never-ending vanity. Jonah was a poor man who had nothing, but he had managed to attract a rich lady.

He had concealed the truth from Mina that he had a girlfriend, and he had also felt guilty for cheating on Lucia, but that guilt had soon disappeared before his lust for money, power, and status. Jonah had become so cold towards her and had forgotten that he already had a girlfriend who loved him. Soon, he had begun to go out with Mina publicly.

Only when Lucia had walked into his apartment on Christmas had she found out the truth.

While Mina had been hysterical about it, Lucia had just stood there in shock. Jonah had taken Mina's side at that time. He had even told Lucia that he had lost his feelings for her, and that he had not loved her in a long time. Since they had not contacted each other in a long time, it had been an obvious sign that they had broken up. He had even asked Lucia why she pretended like she was reluctant to let go of him.

That was why Mina had always believed that Lucia was the one who had been hung up on Jonah. Since she came from a reputed family, she was very confident that no man would leave a rich lady like her for the sake of an orphan like Lucia.

Mina was extremely spoiled due to her status. Ever since then, she had been satirizing Lucia every time she saw her. Jonah's silence and Lucia's indifference only made her more contemptuous.

Lucia's relationship with Jonah had lasted for so many years before it came to an end like this. However, Lucia had not allowed herself to shed any tears over her broken relationship and left his apartment without a goodbye.

And ever since then, their relationship had come to an end.

"Now that my long, disgusting soap of a life is over, what does my audience think?" Lucia felt much more relaxed and was even in the mood to tease Malcolm after she told him her story.

A sudden trace of coldness flashed through his eyes. He grabbed her waist with one hand while supporting her head with his other hand as he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.

Lucia's eyes were wide open, and she was obviously confused. Taking advantage of the moment, Malcolm used his tongue to find hers. Lucia struggled for a while before she gave up. After all, there was nothing in her body that could make her resist him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back fiercely.

"I want you," Malcolm whispered in her ear when his lips finally left hers.

He was a little surprised that a woman, whom he had just had sex once, could make him want her this badly. He was just like a teenage boy with her, so impulsive and full of lust. Malcolm wished to rub himself against her skin and make love to her right that instant.

"How about I take the initiative?" Lucia asked with a seductive smile.

While Malcolm was still contemplating what she had just told him, she pressed him onto the couch and sat on top of him with her hands caressing every inch of his skin. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out of his pants. She then moved her hands to his belt, unbuckled it, and freed his already erect penis. She gently held it with one hand while she kissed his forehead, his eyebrows, his eyes and slowly his lips, without stopping even for a moment.

Malcolm wanted to take charge, but he could not as Lucia was pressing him down on the couch. He was so aroused that he felt like his boiling blood was about to make his erection explode. With a low growl, he pulled her up with his strong arms. He then quickly slipped away from under her and got on top of her. Lucia was so wet by then, and he did not waste a single moment before he inserted his hard-on into her vagina.

Lucia indulged herself in his rough and passionate movements. She was completely lost in his body. She moaned and groaned seductively, asking for more. It was as though the heat that was coming from their bodies was going to burn everything around them.

She was so eager to be filled up as she reached the peak of her climax. Soon after Malcolm was done, she started to seduce him again, and did not rest until her body went completely sore. She had never dared to think that she could be so horny. It was as though she was releasing all the desire that she had suppressed for so many years.