Chapter 7: Graduation Day

Today was Candy's graduation day. It's a big day for the Ardlay family especially for Candy's closest circle of friends, the Brightons, the Cornwells, and the Leagans. They all came to attend the commencement. Albert who was in Europe didn't come. He called Candy and sent her flowers with a congratulation card. Out of obligation, for the sake of stopping rumors, Eliza went to Neal's house too to go together to attend the commencement.

Eliza went to look for her brother in his home office, but she didn't find him. She entered, then sat next to his desk to wait for him. While waiting, she saw a folder of documents on his desk. Curiously, she snooped around. She picked up the documents and read them. She saw receipts of medical bills and education bills. She found it strange since no one in the family was sick or went to school. She opened the drawers to snoop some more... Lo and behold, she found the deal agreements her brother signed with Candy!

Ah! They made deals!, she thought, gasped in surprise.

Excitedly, she perused them eagerly. Finally, she understood what happened... Now, she knew how his brother managed to make Candy stay with him in his house.

At this moment Eliza heard some footsteps, immediately she went outside to stand at the door. She met Neal and Candy just right in time at the door. Candy proudly wore her academic dress.

"Ah, you're here. We need to go to her graduation ceremony now, we're running late," said Neal to his sister.

Eliza nodded. Neal went to his office briefly to put his paperwork safely in the safe.

Then, they went to the commencement...

ooOOoo

After the commencement, Eliza went to look for Archie. Sullen and quiet, he walked in the back of the group. Throughout the day, Candy and Neal's sign of affection to one another nauseated him greatly. He wanted to leave, but since it could start a bad rumor in the family, he had no other option but to bear with the pathetic couple.

Eliza went home together with Archie in his car. The opportunity finally arrived, time to execute her plan...

"Do you know how Candy got attracted to my brother?" Eliza asked Archie.

"What do you mean?" asked Archie. He raised his eyebrows, felt a bit stunt to hear the unexpected topic being brought up suddenly.

"She hated him in the past, do you know why suddenly she's glued to him?"

He shook his head, looked at her inquisitively.

"Let me tell you why," Eliza said coldly with a cynical smile in her lips. "My brother paid her..."

She told Archie everything about the deals Neal made with Candy.

"It's not love, after all. It's just money," said Eliza trying to aggravate Archie more.

Archie was so enraged. His already jealous heart got ignited immediately. He felt stabbed from behind.

She didn't stay because of love after all, he thought.

Angrily he went to Neal's house to meet Candy.

Candy was in her room to change clothes when she saw the door swung opened and someone enter. It's Archie. She just had enough time to wear her upper shirt.

"You are beautiful," said Archie seeing her half naked.

His eyes sharply examined her from head to toe. Seeing her long legs and curvaceous thighs was all that it took to make his covetous mind run wild imagining the heavenly body curves covered under her shirt. He walked approaching her with devouring eyes.

"Archie... I am changing my clothes," said Candy.

But Archie ignored her.

"I accepted when you passed me for Anthony and Terry, but Neal...?" He sneered cynically. "Candy, are you blind? Is my face transparent that you can't see it?" asked Archie.

With eyes nailed to hers, he advanced closer to her.

"If you can't see my love, then I'll make you feel it," said Archie in a low menacing voice.

"Archie, what do you want?" asked Candy started to be frightened.

"Eliza said he pays you to be here. That means I can use your service too," said Archie savagely.

"What do you mean?" asked Candy, her face turned ashen.

"Tell me that you stay with him because of his money not because you love him. Candy, I can pay for you too." He came closer and closer to her. "I've loved you longer than he has. I was your friend first."

He gripped her tightly, hungrily looking at her face.

"Kiss me, I can quench your desire better than he can," he said in a low husky voice.

"No, Archie, stop it! Stop it!" Candy screamed.

She struggled to release herself but his iron grip was too strong to break.

"Neal..!" she screamed hopelessly out loud. "Neal!"

"Stop calling him, call me instead" shouted Archie.

"No!" wailed Candy in vain.

He held her with one hand and held her cheeks with the other, lowered his head to plant ravenous kiss in her lips. She closed her eyes frightenedly, hopeless tears started to drip from the corner of her eyes.

Neal and Annie, who happened to stand closed to her room heard the scream and rushed to the room. At the moment when Candy thought that his lips would touch hers, she felt a strong arm pulled her separating her away from Archie. She opened her eyes and saw her rescuing knight stand in front of her.

"Stop it," said Neal pushing Archie away from Candy. Exploded with anger, he stood in front of her in a clear display of ownership and said, "Don't touch her!"

"Neal... Oh Neal...," she whispered trying to catch her breath. Sobbing , she clung to his back.

"She stayed here not because she loves you but because of your wallet!" shouted Archie.

"Be quiet!" said Neal equally loudly.

He moved to Archie to drag him outside the room, but Candy pulled him, held him tightly. Her heart crushed to thousand pieces hearing Archie's accusation. She tightened her grip to her man, dig her fingers deeply to his arms. Neal could sense her heartbreak. It froze him, nailed him on spot to hug and comfort her.

From the doorway, Annie had been witnessing what happened. Fuming, she approached Archie and slapped his cheek as hard as she could.

"Shut up! Just when I thought you couldn't go any lower, you proved me that I was wrong," screamed Annie. "Can you tell that she doesn't want your dick?"

"You again," said Archie to Annie. "Always try to prevent me from getting closer to her, don't you?"

Annie and Archie faced one another. Their eyes flashed with unparalleled hatred.

"I have the right to choose to be with her as much as he does," said Archie.

"Except that she doesn't want you! It's a surprise that you never understand this simple fact. Look at her, whom did she run to? You or him?"

"But that's because he pays her. Ugly hag, don't interfere with my business!" said Archie.

Neal could feel Candy's tightening grip on him at "because he pays her". He's so mad hearing that disturbing sentence for the second time.

Trying to swallow his anger, Neal said softly to Candy, "Candy, you leave the room with Annie, I deal with Archie, okay?"

"An...," said Neal calling Annie. But at the same time Annie was shouting to Archie making his own voice disappeared into the background.

Annie slapped Archie one more time on the other cheek. Hearing "because he pays her" fueled her anger, too. She knew how bad that sentence must be to Candy, she must have felt humiliated. Stood firmly in front of Archie, Annie started to yell at him.

"Mark my words, if you ever say that sentence again, then I make sure you turn to a very ugly corpse instantly," screamed Annie. "Look in the mirror, how can she like an asshole like you?"

"Whore! I am here to see her not you! Get out from my sight...," said Archie.

"You imbecile!" yelled Annie at the top of her lung. "You need to show more respect to me!"

"Go away! If not..., just because you are an old hag doesn't mean that I won't hit you," shouted Archie back.

"Then, hit me! Show her that's the only hing you can do to prove that you have balls!" said Annie.

Archie balled his fist, approached Annie with steam came out from his ears.

Neal was nervous if Archie would really hit Annie. Still held tightly by Candy, he looked for a nearby textbook within his reach and threw it at Archie to divert his attention. The book knocked Archie's head who instantly turned around to Neal's direction.

"Archie, we have these two ladies out first then you deal with me, privately," shouted Neal so his voice could be heard amid the constant exchange of yelling between Annie and Archie.

At this time, Stear and Patty entered the room. They had been wondering why it took so long for Candy to change her dress. While they waited outside her door, they heard people yelling and screaming and decided to enter. In alarm, they saw Annie versus Archie, a book flying from Neal, and half dressed Candy holding Neal tightly. Instantly they knew something serious was going on.

"We can give Stear the pleasure to take this scum out!" said Annie, her face was crimson red.

Without asking further questions, Stear hurriedly whisked Archie out of the room.

"She's mine!" shouted Archie. He struggled to release himself but his brother and Patty pulled him regardless. Patty hurriedly closed the door.

Candy was visibly shaken.

"Are you okay?" asked Neal. His heart was pounding with madness but seeing his love shaken, he struggled for a calm tone.

He hugged her. She hugged him back and cried on his shoulder.

"Don't listen to him... Don't put what he said in your heart. I love you," Neal said gently.

Annie hurriedly came to put her skirt on. Hearing the word "love" from Neal, suddenly Candy felt so ashamed to him. She released him and turned around to leave the room with Annie.

Oo00ooO

Candy felt so hurt. Throughout the day she was reflecting of what happened and started to worry what people might think of her. The more she thought about it, the more she started to be angry. Sensing her silence, Neal felt something was wrong. He came to her room and knocked at the door and entered.

"Candy, are you alright?"

"Neal, people will say that I am just a woman who's selling myself to you for the sake of paying bills," she said without daring to look at his eyes.

"Oh darling, you are still troubled by Archie's words, aren't you?" he asked gently. "We can't stop people from talking, we shouldn't be too consumed by what they say."

It's easy for you to say. This rumor has the opposite effect against us, women, thought Candy silently in dissent.

He hugged her very gently and said, "Our love is what important not the past, not what they say behind us. Besides, I am so proud of you and your strength. You did that for a noble cause. Even those who say things to you wouldn't dare to do it like you did."

She looked melancholy and broken, her broken look was breaking him.

He said, "Wait for me, just a second."

He went out and came back with a velvet box of ring in his hand. Today was the last day of their deal, it would expire tonight at midnight.

"I planned to propose to you tomorrow in a more appropriate setting," he said. "But I can do it now to show you how sincere I am. I love you, I don't care what Archie or whoever says."

He knelled down on one knee offering her the engagement ring.

"Candy, you are the most special woman to me. I love you with all my heart. You give me a sense of direction, make my days brighter and full of joy. Please make me the happiest man, marry me," he said.

But she remained silent. His heart almost stopped beating seeing her deep sadness and hesitations.

"Candy, tell me that you love me, please stay with me," said Neal.

His declaration of love touched her. But like a double-edged sword, it reminded her of what Archie said. His words saying "Neal pays her" angered her. Now, even Archie knew. She's sure Eliza would spread the words to the entire Ardlay clan. Soon the news would explode with dreadful exaggeration. Everyone soon thought that she's a gold digger who married him because of money not because of love. She felt angry at the thought. She didn't need anyone's pity. She'd rather not stay with him, if this what it took to stop the rumor and not to compromise her pride and dignity.

"I am sorry, Neal. I need time to think about this," Candy said without looking at him. Coldly she added, "I have to go, don't look for me." She left him abruptly.

He startled on how the situation developed, quickly thought how to react. He understood her well enough to know that her stubbornness would repel him farther if he persuaded her to stay. But he should do something... Just before she disappeared from the door, still kneeling on the floor, he called her one more time.

"Candy, wait," called Neal. He tried to sound as calm as possible. "Candy... You can leave now, but you can't change the past. It won't change how we met."

For once, she stopped walking.

He continued, "I love you. I have nothing but pride for you. Others don't know how hard you work, how hard you struggle and prioritize other people around you. One day, if you decided to come back, just come back, whenever it is, don't let anything hold you back. Just because we're not together doesn't make my love to you will become any lesser. I'll miss you day and night waiting for you to return, to stay with me for me to love you, for us to build our happy future together."

She remained unmoved, stood stoically, with her back facing him.

He looked at her back sadly and said, "Candy, I have no more deals to offer, but I offer you love, the one that's unconditional and everlasting."

Without turning back, Candy merely nodded her head and walked away. He watched her moving father and farther.

"Candy, please don't go, please don't go...," he whispered silently in anguish still holding that box of ring. He hoped, if her ear refused to listen, at least her heart would listen and made her turn around back to his arms for him to put the ring in her finger. But that didn't happen she kept walking and disappeared in the doorway.

No words could express the deep sorrow inside him. Shaken, he sank to the ground, buried his face in his palms eloped by infinite sadness. He felt a sharp pain in his chest like she just stabbed a sword into his heart. His heart broke into two which followed by subsequent cracks into myriad pieces. Each piece contained the memories of her, her smile, her laughter, the smell of her hair, the taste of her kiss... together with his dream, hope, life all were shattered, demolished... piece by piece... It left him in emptiness, numbness. All the feeling was gone together with the heart which now was reduced to a biology object which merely functional.

What seemed to be a miracle turned out not so much of a miracle after all. She still left him as before, rejected him, yet again. What could have gone wrong?

Suddenly, he remembered he met Eliza outside his office this morning. He remembered he felt his documents were misplaced as if touched by someone. He had wanted to put those in a safe place but Candy called him. He thought of Archie's weird behavior to Candy, too. The normal Archie he knew always be gentle and protective to her ever since long ago when she just came from the Pony's home. All of a sudden he got an idea of what happened. Everything made sense...

He sighed. Oh no, Eliza, don't tell me... not again!

Brokenheartedly he went to meet her sister. Seeing his unusually disheveled appearance, she could tell that Candy had left him. She was overjoyed.

He slumped himself to the nearest chair.

"What did you do to Candy?" Neal asked.

"Nothing," Eliza answered.

"Then what did you do to Archie?" continued Neal. "This one, I am sure, has something to do with you."

"Huh!" she huffed but remained silent.

Observing her silence, her brother understood it as a yes.

"I am right, aren't I?" he sighed. "I don't want to know the details, but why?"

"I don't like her," said Eliza bitchily.

"Eliza, you should stop doing this nonsense to her," said Neal to his sister. "I used to tease her too, but I have grown to love her. I can't live without her, that's a fact."

"That Pony's girl bewitched you. I don't know why you can't get over her! I will send her away again if she comes back!" she said.

"She might never come back," said Neal sadly.

"You'd rather see me who's leaving, wouldn't you?" asked Eliza. She madly threw away her face crossing her arms in front of her.

"No, never," he shook his head firmly. "I want you both. When you hurt her, you hurt me, too, double the amount because I love you too, sis."

ooOOoo ooooo0ooooo

He loves me and I hurt him... thought Eliza that night many times to herself. But each time, in contempt, she tried to ignore it.

He'll forget her and move on, she thought, refusing to think much more about Candy.

-To Be Continued-

Next chapter is the last. Hopefully, you all will be here for me to share the ending.

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