Chapter 4The Guardian's Trap: Claiming His Little Ward

"Are you cursed or something?"

Vaughn grumpily grabbed my ankle and ran it under cold water in the sink.

To escape his annoying family drama, he had specifically chosen this remote, secluded town. Figuring there were plenty of women around, he hadn't brought anyone with him.

But he had been here for almost a week and hadn't found anyone to his liking. He had just bumped into one, and I ruined it.

"I'm sorry..." I kept my head down, my eyes burning red.

"Just my bad luck."

Seeing that I was on the verge of crying, Vaughn quickly changed his tune, his voice softening considerably: "Alright, I don't blame you."

Only then did I break into a teary smile.

I don't know if the morning's incident ruined his mood, but surprisingly, Vaughn didn't go out.

After treating my burn, he stayed downstairs the whole time. He either teased the stray dog in the yard or tossed me pieces of candy, hovering around me.

"You look like a good student, but you're doing terrible on these practice problems."

His gaze fell on my workbook.

My face flushed red, and I used my body to block his view: "I... I missed a lot of classes..."

"So there are a lot of things I haven't learned."

"Why?" Vaughn paused, tapping his cigarette ash into an ashtray.

"My dad doesn't want me to go to school." Just mentioning that man made my back and cheeks sting with phantom pain. "He makes me work... if I don't finish, I can't go out."

Hearing my words, the man didn't say anything.

He pulled up a chair and sat right next to me, his long legs almost brushing against mine.

"Give me the book."