SPLIT TO MEET

　　"But Lisa, you don't have to leave the house." Camilla has grown tired of trying to convince Lisa to stay. Lisa refuses to listen, she already has her mind made up. But Camilla keeps saying it anyway as Lisa packs her bags.

　　"I came here on holiday, not to stay forever Camilla, don't be silly!" Lisa hisses as she throws her belongings into the small bag she had brought into the house. "And I have overstayed my welcome..." She adds under her breath.

　　"Lisa, you haven't overstayed... I want you here, I want you to stay with me. Please just think about this, the bullies we will fight them! Jessie and Sandra can't do anything. Did you not see the way Ethan put them in their places? Come on Lisa!" Camilla cries out. Convincing Lisa to stay is like asking an angry wife that caught her husband cheating to remain faithful.

　　Lisa stops what she is doing and turns around to face Camilla.

　　"You are getting too attached to this place and I don't think it is emotionally safe for your health. What if you are sent out?"

　　Camilla wants to defend herself. She opens her mouth to talk but Lisa doesn't give her the chance to.

　　"Don't tell me he won't send you out. He is a man and we all change." She picks up her bag and headed to the door. "Just be careful, Camilla, " she says before walking out of the room.

　　Camilla remains in her position. She doesn't know if she should go after her or remain in the room. She tries to think of what to do but her brain refuses to function. Why can't she and her friend just be happy?

　　She throws herself on the bed and closes her eyes. Maybe when she wakes up, she will feel better and Lisa will have a change of heart.

　　Lisa moves rapidly through the estate not wanting Peter or anyone else to see her. Camilla had already drained her she won't want someone else to try and convince her to stay.

　　The guards at the gate are too ashamed to stare Lisa in the face. They looked down on their shoes as she passed. They wished to apologize to her for the way they had blindly supported Sandra during the council investigation even after they knew Simeon's organs will rejuvenate. Now that the truth was out and it was found that she didn't actually do it, they couldn't face her.

　　Lisa isn't also in the mood to face them either. She continues her walk with her shoulders high and held up straight, she is at least happy she is leaving with some of her self-esteem even if her heart is crushed behind. She doesn't even want to start thinking of Peter and how he will react to her leaving the house.

　　She is about to cross the street when a car stops right in front of her. She tries to move out of the way but the car drives backward, blocking her path again.

　　"What the hell!" She exclaims in anger but the window slides down and she finds Peter staring back at her.

　　Her cheeks heat up —He came after her!

　　"Get into the car Lisa," Peter says, pushing the door open for her.

　　"I am fine. I can manage on my own..." Lisa says, tapping her feet impatiently.

　　"But I don't want you to say no, please Lisa, come in!" Peter insists.

　　Lisa hisses but she finds herself unable to walk away from him. She dumps her bag into the back seat and enters the car.

　　"I want to go home!" She says with a frown as she settles in the car.

　　"I know you want to go home Lisa, but I don't want you to go. I really care about you and I don't think I can be away from you like that..."

　　His words send her into a shock. He is admitting to liking her.

　　"I don't know when it happened but, I have grown to like you very much Lisa... Please stay with me..." Peter pleads to hold unto her fingers.

　　Lisa feels butterflies start to crawl deep into her stomach and she finds it hard to breathe. This isn't the first time someone is telling her things like this, but this is the first time she wants it to. Yet she can't have it.

　　"Peter, I am sorry but I can't stay at your house. I can't go back to that estate. What if something terrible happens? What if Sandra cooks up something worst? what would I do then?" She asks him because she can't be blindly in love. She can't follow her heart wherever it leads her. She has to be careful. She has a life to live and she can't just let it slide because her heart was craving for someone.

　　"Lisa, I am sorry Sandra framed you up but I promise you that it won't happen again. I will not let it happen again, no matter what!" Peter claims, hitting his hand on the steering wheel.

　　"That is easy for you to say, Peter. It wasn't you being questioned for murder back there! I can be everything terrible, but I am not a killer Peter. And I will never be!" Lisa feels her throat getting tightened with building up tears and she pulls her lower lip into her mouth.

　　Peter draws closer to her and pulls her fingers to his lips. "I know I couldn't defend you enough but please Lisa, don't allow this to be the end of us, please. We have something good going here..."

　　Lisa looks up at him and smiled. "What do we have going, Peter? As far as I am concerned, we are just friends... Aren't we?" As she asked the question, she holds her breath waiting for his response.

　　Peter smiles too and their eyes are locked together in a tense stare. "Can we change it to the next level then?"

　　"What next level?" Lisa asks, feigning ignorance. She knows what he wants but she wants him to say it out, so she doesn't go on thinking a different thing from what he has in mind.

　　"I want you to be my girlfriend, Lisa!" Peter whispers and Lisa feels like her heart will spill out from excitement.

　　"I- I- I don't know what to say, " she whispers back as she drops her head low to hide her blush.

　　Peter raises her head with two of his fingers on her jaw. Their eyes lock and Peter feels his wolf turn around within him. It was getting so excited, Peter couldn't help the smile that spread on his face

　　"You don't have to say anything... Just let your mind process it. I don't want you to rush and give me an answer..." Peter tells her.

　　The sincerity in his voice is what kills her conviction. "What about Sandra?" She asks. Sandra is supposed to be his girlfriend. That is the reason she had been extremely cruel to Lisa because she thought Peter was with Lisa.

　　"We broke up a long time ago, she just doesn't want to let go. But I have nothing to do with her..." Peter assures her.

　　Lisa heaves a sigh of relief but stays quiet. There were multiple things that can happen at this point but Lisa didn't want to think about them. She needs to go home first —staying in the estate with him will make her seem like a gold digger and that is something she never wished to be called by anyone.

　　"What will happen now?" Peter asks, noticing her silence.

　　Lisa shrugs not knowing what to do. "I have to go home..."

　　Peter wants to ask her why she is insisting on going when she can stay with them and it won't change a thing. But he decides to give her the space she seems to need so badly.

　　"Okay, I'll drive you..." He says and in his mind, he decides he will even move in with her if she wants. Wherever she finds comfort is where he will be.

　　"Thank you, " she whispers and Peter starts the car, zooming into the distance.

　　As the vehicle moves, Lisa is lost in her own little world as she stares at Peter. The way his muscles flex as he controls the wheels sends her on another level.

　　He is so focused on what he is doing that it sends even more butterflies down her belly. To this point, she starts wondering if she really deserves to be with someone like him. He was way above her league, yet it was her he wanted.

　　She remembers the time they spent in the kitchen making silly meals, disturbing Mary. Peter is a very sweet guy. She will be the luckiest girl if she can make it work but will it work?

　　That was the million dollars question.

　　The same thing Camilla worried about is what she has found herself in. What if he found out about what she did and refused her? She couldn't live him back for the fear that it might turn around and hunt her.

　　Then again, there is Sandra. She will not let Peter go just like that. He assured her that he had nothing to do with Sandra and that she was the one running after him, but that on its own is a problem. Because Sandra won't stop hurting Lisa as long as she saw her as a threat.

　　"What's wrong?" Peter suddenly asks, making Lisa jump from her thoughts.

　　"Huh?" She looks at him with a quizzical expression.

　　"You were frowning just now. What's wrong?" He repeats.

　　"Oh, it's nothing. Just wild thoughts..." Lisa says with a tight-lipped smile.

　　Peter turns back his focus to the road but smirks. "How wild?"

　　Lisa laughs out loud. "It's not what you are thinking, you naughty man!" She says between laughs.

　　Peter joins in her laughter and they drive on talking about their funny experiences. Their relationship doesn't promise to be filled with roses but they both at least enjoy each other's company.