Chapter 2

From that day on, Leland asked me out every single day, and I was happy to go along. Every time, he acted super thoughtful.

He would whisper in my ear, promising to take me to see the underwater stars, watch the sunrise from a mountaintop, and visit every romantic spot around-doing all the things we loved.

He even said he wanted me to meet his family.

I would always laugh and say, "Sure, but where I'm from, there's a rule-girls who aren't married yet can't meet the guy's parents first. You gotta bring him back to your family, get their blessing, and only then can you go with him."

At first, Leland looked annoyed by what I said. I knew what he was thinking, so I used that chance to tell him that there were a lot girls in my village, and honestly, I didn't want to bring him back to get my precious boyfriend noticed by anyone. If it weren't for the situation, I wouldn't want to risk it.

After hearing that, he suddenly changed his tune and said, "Meeting your family first makes sense-after all, you're their only daughter."

So, we booked our flight for April 30th.

After that, Leland got even more into me.

Not only did he start introducing me to some of his 'friends, ' but he also proudly announced to them that I was his girlfriend.

His friends were plenty, and almost every one of them was covered in tattoos, looking like serious street types. At first, I pretended to be scared. To ease me, Leland made sure his friends acted super friendly, so I gradually fit in with their crowd.

Once I got to know them, I started coming and going from campus at odd hours. Sometimes, I would crash at Leland's place after we got tired of messing around-no point in going back to the dorm.

He completely dropped his guard around me.

After one of those nights, I overheard him sneaking a phone call in the bathroom.

He said, "That girl told me all the girls in her village are losers who can't get married. I'm gonna scout it out first, and if all goes well, we'll pull a big score."

"No worries, it's a mountain town. No one's gonna notice whatever we do there. But this chick's the real deal-tight little body, and she's good in bed too. Honestly, I'm almost starting to feel bad about this."

"That's not an option. This time, it's three hundred grand per girl! The whole package!"

I didn't want to listen anymore after that.

At first, I had my doubts. This was my first time getting involved in something like this, and after spending so much time with him, I was almost completely caught in his sweet talk. If it weren't for my mom's constant calls, I might've lost myself completely.

But hearing that call? All my worries vanished.

Right then, I sent my mom another message, "Mom, our flight's on the 30th."

On April 30th, we boarded the plane like we promised.

Leland was way more excited than I expected, as if he wasn't going to meet my family, but rather digging for gold.

When we got back to the village, he was obviously shocked. He said he hadn't expected my family to live in such a remote place. But I could tell from his eyes that he was thrilled. He kept pulling out his phone to snap pictures, asking me over and over where all the young girls I mentioned were.

I didn't give him a straight answer. Instead, I playfully acted annoyed and asked if he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Just as I said that, families all over the village started coming out of their houses, especially the young girls, who were about my age.

Because we lived deep in the mountains where it was damp and fresh, every girl looked vibrant and fresh-faced, with skin so soft and pale it seemed like you could squeeze water out of it.

Leland's eyes practically popped out. His excitement was about to burst.

But he kept it cool, and once the girls appeared, he stuck by my side like a loyal dog, clearly afraid I would get jealous. I didn't call him out on it and just took him home.