I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOOSE YOU.

After the second lecture has ended, Fortune made up her mind to return all the clothes Vincent bought for her for the music gala which didn't turn out well. It was still remaining the third lecture which will start up in three hours before calling it a day. Vincent wasn't in school and she cared less about it, it's his choice not to come to school. Her thoughts drifted back to yesterday's event, She felt hurt seeing her sister humiliated that way, what's wrong with those people? Can't Chris make his own decisions on who he wants to marry?

She read all the comments and news concerning yesterday's event, her heart broke into tiny pieces on how his fans were making fun of her sister. Who are they to make fun of her sister? She felt this was her fault, if she didn't pressurize her sister to recall the engagement between she and Chris. She won't be going through this trauma.

But she was more upset at what the fans were saying about her sister. Why are they behaving like they've known her sister throughout their life time? Who the fuck do they think they are to criticize her sister? Her sister is better than them at least she has the love of the Rock star they are trying to protect.

What's their business in who he should be getting married to? He's the one getting married to her sister not them. She casts her gaze on the floor, drowning in her thoughts. She has never been so unhappy seeing her sister cry all night even though she tried to console her but she understood what she went through. And thinking of it now breaks her heart the more.

She marched her way to Vincent's lodge to return all the clothes, with her gaze focused on the ground. Suddenly she felt her two pair of hands grabbed her arms from behind, she tried to wriggle herself free from that unknown person grasp but couldn't. She tried to look back and see who those hands belong to when she felt a sack bag bag cover her face, suffocating her. She tried to free herself, fighting with all her energy to wriggle herself free from those tight grip but couldn't. Suddenly she felt herself moving, more like she's been dragged to God knows where, she tried to scream but it was only a whisper. She couldn't even hear her own screams. She wondered if she was still in the vicinity of the school or have she been taken away to where she will be slaughtered.

She cried within her at what was happening, she still has a lot to accomplish. She still have dreams to focus on, her fashion design dreams. She still hasn't accomplished that and her parents and sister, she won't see them again including her friends. Even her enemies she won't see ever again. If this was how God wants her to die, she prayed he would reconsider.

But she kept fighting for her freedom irrespective of those thoughts in her head. She tried but the hands that held her were more stronger. It felt like four pair of hands not two. Even though her face was covered, it seems the hands that held her is a girl's hands. They are so soft against her skin.

"She's so persistent." She heard a female voice. "She won't give up fighting."

"Let's just take her to where we will torture her." Another female voice. "That way she won't dare mess with us."

Hold on a sec…. She recongized those voice. Those voices are of Clara and Amanda, why did they cover her face and where the fuck are they taking her? Her face turned sour at the thought of them dragging her to where she do not know. She wondered what they want from her that they can't let her be. She struggled more and more with all the energy the Almighty has blessed her with but like the saying goes, two heads are better than one. They are more powerful, they continued dragging and her heart kept beating fast at what will be her outcome if they remove this sack bag off her head.

"Quit struggling." Clara said angrily.

"Let me go, you weirdos." She retorted, still struggling.

"Haha, she's calling us weirdos." Clara laughed sarcastically. "She doesn't know she's the one who's a weirdo here, today you will get a taste of your own pills." She threatened.

"Where the hell are you guys taking me to? Let me go.." She screamed but they laughed her scream off. "I swear if I manage to free myself from you guys, you will regret why you are brought to planet earth."

"No, no, no." Amanda shook her head. "If I were you which I'm not, I won't say those words because you're at our mercy."

"What do you want and where are you taking me to?" She asked, feeling the energy in her system draining.

"You will find out soon, darling." Amanda smirked. "Just relax, no need to get excited yet."

Out of anger and frustration, she stomped on one of their feet. She didn't know who's feet was that but she knew she stomped her feet very hard.

"Owwww…. What was that for?" Amanda winced with pain, releasing her grip from her. "Are you insane?"

She freed herself from Clara's grip too, trying to make a run for her life but the sack bag was clouding her vision. She ran, trying to remove the bag from her face when she felt a big punch come in contact with her stomach. She stumbled and fell on the floor, wincing. That punch nearly knocked out the life in her. She winced, clutching her stomach tightly, she lets the pain register in her brain and she lets out a pained scream.

"If you dare to do that again, I swear you will regret knowing me." Amanda said, furiously.

"If you try to run away from us." Clara inserted. "Not only will we punch your stomach again but we will strangle you, you have been a thorng for us in this school and it's high time we taught you a lesson."

She winced the more in pain, she didn't care about their words. The pain she's experiencing now was unbearable coupled with the sack bag over her head. She thinks she might suffocate soon, she let them drag her to where they're want. She felt her butt touch a cold wooden chair.

She also felt her hands being tied to the chair, she panicked when they did that. What are they going to do to her? All the possible negative thoughts ran in her head, she dread for the worst. These girls has no good in them.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked, nervously. "Why are you two dying me up?"

"You will see sweetheart, someone is here to meet you." She heard Cara said, she knew she will be with them. There was no way Clara and Amanda will do all these themselves. She heard hush voices in the background and wondered what they were talking about. She also heard another female voice in the background and wondered who it belonged to.

The question that lingered on her mind was who's that person that wants to see her and what does she or he wants from her. It couldn't possibly be Vincent? As far as she knows, he's the only one who can pull this kind of stunt and he always work with these three girls.

After some minutes, the sack bag was pulled off from her head. Oh shit, she closed her for a brief moment before reopening them. The whole place was dark and it took some moments for her eyes to adjust to the lights of the place they brought to. She looked around and the place seems unfamiliar to her, what is this place and why did they bring her here?

Finally she adjusted her eyes to the the four girls in the room, Cara, Clara, Amanda and some other girl she didn't know. Wow her eyes must have been kept in the sack cloth for a long time that she can see dark shadows on every little movement they make and on their faces too.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, giving them a dirty look. "Why do you have to pests to me?" She saw the other girl she couldn't recongise, going through the bag of clothes she wanted to return to Vincent before they kidnapped her.

"He bought all these clothes for you?" The girl asked. "You must really found favour in his sight."

"Who are you and why are you going through my bag?" She asked with that same dirty look on her face. "Don't you have some respect for people's properties?" She tried to free her hands but it wasn't working.

"Yes I don't." The girl gave her a smug smile. "And have you forgotten me? I'm the same girl you met at the library months or should I say years ago."

"At the library?" Fortune asked, looking confuse. "I don't even know you exist in this school, who are you and what do you want from me?"

"How can you forget me so easily?" The girl asked, picking the backless vintage metallic silver embroided gown Vincent bought for her. "Really you don't remember me?"

"I don't." Fortune blurted out. "What do you want from me and what is this place?"

"I'm Ifeoma, the girl you met at the library some months ago and the one who slapped Vincent for not attending her birthday party and as for this place, it is located faraway from school. If you look around, you will see it looks like a store where unwanted things are kept and that includes you." Ifeoma pointed at her with disgust written over her face.

" Yes and what does it have to do with me?" Fortune asked, not caring about the look on her face and on the three notorious girls of the school. "I don't even know you?"

"Yes you don't have anything to do with me but when it comes to Vincent, you have everything to do with me." Ifeoma inserted, coming close to her with a mean expression on her face. "I heard you are the new girl who caught his attention, I thought he never looked at your direction, I thought he despises you but lately I see the look in his eyes when he stares at you. He had never looked at me that way."

Fortune started laughing hysterically, taking all of them by surprise. They wonder what was so funny, after 1 minute of laughing, she died it down. Looking at them as if they are lunatics. "You know you people make me laugh." She inserted, resuming her laughter. "Seriously what do you think….that I'm V's new girl?."

"Hello?" She said, sarcastically. "What made you think we share a thing? We don't even walk through the same way and when did you start working with these low life girls?" She asked Ifeoma, pointing at the three girls even though her hands were tied.

"Since the day you captured V's heart." Ifeoma said. "I mean I invited him to my birthday party and he blatantly refused saying I'm way too ugly for his liking, I did everything to get him to look at my direction but he never did but recently he started paying you attention to extent of taking you to his brother's music gala."

"Why are you and your sister after the two brothers?" She asked. "I know your sister is the one Chris introduced as his fianceé. She's literally in all the nets and I'm pretty sure his fans are going to bury her alive. Your sister shouldn't have let herself get entangled with Chris, it will only ruin her and another thing she's not of the same league with him and she's also a loser. She shouldn't dream of becoming his wife."

Fortune made a screech sound with the chair she was tied on, trying to free herself. Ifeoma and the three notorious girls placed their hands on the ears until the screeching ended. She growled at them with fury, who are they to make fun of her? They have problem with her not her sister.

"I won't have you insult my sister." She prompted, folded her tied hands into fists. If she's given an opportunity, she will take out all of them for insulting her sister, she won't have any mortal insult her sister talk more of nonentities like them.

"At least, my sister found favour in the eyes of one of the famous Rock stars like Chris." She went on, loving the grimace expression on their face. "Unlike nonentities like you who can't even catch the attention of an ordinary security man."

"How dare you?" Cara slapped her, burning with rage inside of her.

"You know, the reason I let you slap me is because I'm tied on this chair if not you won't have dread to raise your hand on me." She smirked at her. "And as I was saying before I was interrupted by this nobody."

"You know you should thank me because of me you are back in school, you would have been spending a month suspension at home if not for me." She pointed at Cara. "I practically begged the Hod to bring you back but I guess I made the gravest mistake by taking that decision. I should have listened to my friends when they told me not to do so and now I regret that decision I made. You don't deserve to be in this school or any other school."

"Even knowing you put your stuffs in my backpack to make me look like the bad guy, I went out of my way to call off your suspension but you know why? Because I'm not like you, I don't stoop myself that low just to hurt someone."

"Enough of your pep talks." Ifeoma screamed, silencing her. "Tell me what is going on between you two?"

"And like I said earlier, there's nothing going on between us." Fortune replied. "Let me go, you weirdos. I don't even like Vincent talk more of dating him."

"He literally posted you on the net." Ifeoma said, showing her the photos of her and Vincent at the music gala. "There's no way he will post your pics if nothing is going on between the both of you."

"Am I the first girl he ever posted?" She asked, looking at the three of them. "He posts any girl he hooks up with and he might have posted my pics because I was literally at the event. Why am I even explaining myself to bunch of losers like you?"

"You know you are tied on the chair and behind you stands a shelf with old rusty books and huge dusty boxs." Ifeoma pointed behind her, Fortune looks behind her and saw the shelf and the place looks like no one has ever been there. "If you say another word, I promise you, you will be an old chapter."

"Uuuuhhh…..I'm trembling with fear." Fortune mocked. "Someone save me from this she devil." She raised her voice, dramatically.

"No matter how much you struggle or scream, no one will hear you." Amanda said.

"And do you think I was screaming?" Fortune asked and chuckled with sarcasm. "I was just make fun of you guys, you guys are hilarious. You will make good clowns and sincerely speaking I was actually enjoying the show in front of me, please continue, I want to know it ends." She urged and laughed hard.

Ifeoma and the three girls were flaring up with anger at her behaviour, instead of being threatened by them. They are being threatened by her, why is she so bold? She doesn't fear anyone. Where did she get that courage from? With anger flickering in Ifeoma's eyes, she raised her hand to push the shelf down on her when someone's voice stopped her midway.

"Didn't I tell you all that you have no right to bully anyone except me." They turned and saw Vincent glaring at the four of them, they flinched at the effect of his gaze. How did he find out they are here?

"V, what…. are…you…. doing here?" Ifeoma asked with shock. "And how did you find out we are here?"

"I don't have time to answer those silly questions." He answered, taking few steps close to them. "Untie her." He ordered.

"I won't." Ifeoma prompted. "I'm not untying her, because of her. You grew distant from me."

"If I should remember vividly, we never shared a thing." He said, walking up to Fortune. "We never dated and I never liked you. You're way too ugly for my liking."

Ifeoma flared up the more with anger at his words. "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly defending this girl, you hated her remember?" Cara said.

"Hate is a strong word." He inserted, stuffing his hands in his pant's pockets. He came more closer to Fortune, maintaining eye contact with her. Fortune didn't know why but she felt her heart leaped in joy when she saw him.

She couldn't understand the feeling in her when she saw him, the happiness in her but that was only because someone finally came to her aid even if that person is Vincent. She tried to smile, feeling uneasy under his gaze.

"I didn't say I hate her, I just dislike her character." He went on to say. "And I was pretty serious when I said no one has the right to bully anyone except me." He tried to untie her when Ifeoma stopped him.

"I didn't give you permission to release her." She said, giving him a mean look. "If you try to untie her, she's going to be dead."

"What are you going to do?" He asked, staring at her as if she's crazy. "And who are you to order me around?"

"If I can't have you, then no one will." She said, going behind them to where the shelf stood. "And if you try to untie her, she dies."

"You're a lunatic." He pointed at her. "Why do you keep throwing yourself at a man who doesn't want you?"

"And must it be her?" Amanda asked, pointing at Fortune.

"I didn't say I like her to date her, did I?" He asked. "But she's better than you all, at least she doesn't throw herself on me for me to notice her, I guess her behaviour drew me to her."

"V, how did you know I'm here?" Fortune asked, staring into his eyes.

"I saw the two of them dragging someone whose head was covered with a sack bag." He answered, ignoring Ifeoma's threats and untying her. "I knew they were up to something so I followed them here although I lost track of them but I manage to locate you guys here and it turns out you're the someone."

She smiled earning a smile from him too which infuriating Ifeoma the more. She clenched her jaw and her hands into fists. With the rage burning in her, she pushed the old shelf down with all her strength. It came crashing down towards V and Fortune.

"V look out." Fortune screamed with horror written over her face. The three girls stood with the mouth wide open at what Ifeoma did. They never believed she would do something like that, they thought she was only threatening him when she saw those words. Really she's a lunatic, even though they hate Fortune. They never did something like this to hurt her.

Before he could save her from the shelf, the shelf was already down but he shielded her from the books and huge boxes that were about to hit her. He circled his arms around her, protecting her.

"Vincent, what are you doing?" Fortune asked, surprise at what he was doing. Vincent will never do this for her but here he was doing it but she's worried he will damage his body if he continues to shield her with his body but that little gesture of his warmed heart.

"Saving you." He replied, looking up to meet her eyes. His face is right so close to hers, feeling the beating of his his heart and his breath tickled her nose. "I can't afford to loose you."

"𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡?" She widened her eyes with surprise at the words that just came out. Her blood froze at his comment and her heart started thundering furiously too. What's he saying? Have he fallen in love with her? No it can't be, the Vincent she knew won't look at her talk more of falling in love with her but he is protecting her from the shelf and it's books and boxes.

He tapped her nose lightly, smiling at the shrink expression on her face, he knew what was going on in her head, he's just teasing her. She's so adorable to tease.

𝐴𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑉? His inner self asked. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠?

"I mean I'm saving you because I can't afford to loose you." He prompted. "I mean who will I be teasing if you die now, who will I make fun of and besides you're still my servant. I can't let you loose your life, it's the master's duty to protect his servant from any danger."

She smiled at his words but what about his body? Isn't he damaging his body by doing so? "But you what about your body? Aren't you injuring your body by doing so?"

"I don't mind as long as my servant gets to live." He said, finally untying her hands but by then Ifeoma dragged him away from Fortune.

"Are you going to put your life at stake for her?" She asked him. He freed himself from her but due to the effect of the shelf and the books, his whole body aches. Fortune stood up, looking for a nearby weapon. She found a long wooden stick and picked it up.

"If you four dare tske a step close to me or him, you're dead." She threatened.

The three girls moved back away from her, afraid she will hit them with that stick like she said. 'Do you think I'm going to be threatened by that little stick in your hand?" Ifeoma asked, moving close to her and starting dragging the stick with her.

While they were dragging the stick, Vincent pulled them away from each other. Without saying a word to Ifeoma and the three girls. He dragged Fortune out of the place but before he dragged her out, she picked her bag up from the floor.

"She's lucky because Vincent saved her." Ifeoma prompted, burning with anger. "Next time no one will save her from me."

"I think you will be getting yourself in trouble by doing so." Cara said. "Now that V is involved, you can't hurt her that easily."

"But I thought you were only threatening her when you said you will push down the shelf." Clara said.

"I was but Vincent pushed me to do so." Ifeoma answered.

"You almost killed him with that shelf." Amanda pointed out.

"But he didn't." Ifeoma said, unaffected by their words. "He saved her today, he won't save her next time."

"What's up the bag?" Vincent asked, massaging his back that aches so much.

"Forget about the bag." Fortune said. "You need to tend to your body." They marched their way to his lodge.

"That shelf and books are so heavy, I can't believe I risked my beautiful body for your sake." He inserted, hitting his shoulders.

"I didn't ask you to risk your body for me." She said. "You did it out of your own free will."

"For that reason, you going to massage my whole body." He said, unlocking the door of his lodge.

"What?" She looked at him, surprise. "I can't massage you, I won't massage you." She stood on his door step, refusing to come in.

He pulled her inside, sitting her down on the sofa. "Are you refusing your master?" He started unbuttoning his shirt, her blood ran cold when she saw what he was doing, she shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. He laid down with his stomach on a longer sofa, tapping his back for her to get to work.

She gulped down, looking at the fine muscles that made up his back, she can't touch him. She won't.

"I don't know how to massage." She said, composing herself. This guy is a total jerk, why would he remove his shirt in her presence?

"Don't worry, I will teach you if you don't know how to do so." He implied, turning himself to look at her. "And clear all the negative thoughts in your head, I just want a massage nothing else. My whole body aches from the effect of that shelf shelf."

He smirked at her.

"So clear whatever ungodly thoughts you have in your head, I'm not type of guy." He smiled, lying back with his stomach once again and motioning her to get to work.