Athena didn't want to go with Mikhail, because she was afraid of how would people perceive them together. A charismatic man and a potato, that's how she viewed herself with Mikhail. Having no prior experience in dating, she was unsure of how to handle men, not to mention, a dashing man like Mikhail. She even prayed to God for a change in his schedule. But unfortunately, he cancelled all his plans for her.

Mikhail wore a black leather jacket, completed his look with a black T-shirt and midnight black jeans. Black leather gloves added a hint of incomprehensible aura to his ethereal appearance. His dazzling, blonde hair slicked back, revealing his intense azure eyes. A sharp jawline that could cut women's hearts within seconds added to his charisma, made him look like a bad boy  that girls would usually love.

Athena wore a black hoodie paired with charcoal black jeans and complimented her outfit with white sneakers. She tied her hair in a ponytail. Her long, black mane was smooth and soft. Pimple marks were scattered on her face along with tiny bumps. Her eyes, which were perfectly lined with black eye-liner and her heart-shaped, enviable lips enhanced her innocent beauty to its peak.

 She always thought of herself as a plain, average girl; little did she know that her average-considered features were all exquisite features to Mikhail. But her self-doubting nature made her afraid of making a move and it resulted in her being more unapproachable.

Mikhail, looked at Athena in an awe, his eyes beaming. He even forgot to smirk at her, as if he saw something celestial that left a deep impression in his soul. It was a genuine, inner emotion. The more he observed her, the more he knew that, for the first time in his life, he had fallen in love. 

When she walked around in her  pajamas, with no make up on, messy bed hair, and her tensed face, his heart raced, his face flushed, he lost control over his own emotions many times. Yet, he still denied the fact that he was in love with a girl like Athena, who didn't even possess a formal degree. But Mikhail realized, love cared nothing about degrees and titles. And so, deep inside his heart, he whispered her name —a secret he even kept from himself.

Athena was standing in front of him looking nervously at him as if she didn't know how to break the ice. He gestured to his jet-black Ducati,

"Hop on, babe." He said, his eyes winking. But, Athena hesitated, eyeing the bike's seat and handle bars, "I don't know, I've never ridden a bike before." Athena admitted looking so embarrassed hoping to get laughed by Mikhail, "I don't know how to climb upon to it!"

Mikhail, his eyes, glinting with enjoyment, and offered her a hand, " I'll help you up." Her face flushed due to the embarrassment, "I won't, I will take a taxi." His eyes dimmed, he lost his 'play-cool' face, he wanted to accompany her, as her husband, but now, she was telling him that she wanted to go alone. He even went so far as to of imitate her favorite character's style in the novel she was always reading — 'a bad boy with a gentle heart'. He had asked Clara to spy on her to learn what kind of books she liked, so he could know her likes and dislikes.

Mikhail had wanted Athena to hug him tightly while riding the bike, but now it seemed all in vain. Knowing Athena, he agreed to her request on a condition and that was to ride with him in his car, occupying the passenger seat. Athena nodded having no other choice.

As they arrived at the shopping mall, Athena's eyes widened in amazement. The building complex was majestic. While the exterior gleamed with glass, the interior looked grand with marble floors, expensive chandeliers, and more. Mikhail told Athena to get inside the complex while he had to park his car. It was her first time entering in such a grand shopping complex. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by beautiful ladies who were in charge of welcoming the customers. Athena didn't know where to look, everything was blindingly beautiful. 

The visual display of luxury brands of watches, cosmetics and shoes were just a few of them. The stylish mannequins showcasing the fashion trend was what attracted Athena the most, especially, the mannequin with the pink, text-printed hoodie paired with black jeans. Athena approached the mannequin with her eyes wide open, running her hand over the delicate fabric and admiring how the top complemented the jeans.

Just as Athena's fingers made contact with the fabric, a sales associate, suddenly appeared beside her, the beautiful lady grasped Athena's wrist firmly, preventing her from touching the mannequin further. " I don't want you to touch the fabric carelessly. You're not going to purchase it, so, why soil it?"

Athena wondered why the lady said so, that's when she noticed that she didn't have anything on her, not even her phone and Athena's outfit indicated that it was of low-quality material, so the lady assumed that she was there for sightseeing and told Athena to back off from the mannequin.

Athena looked around to realize that Mikhail was nowhere to seen, so she had no other way than to handle this matter on her own. By this time, people were already starting to look at hem, but none of them stopped the sales associate knowing what was happening.

"Apologize." The crimson-lipped beauty voiced. Athena remembered a similar situation that had happened to her at the charity party day and gasped. She couldn't move or talk just like back then. Her whole body shivered as she stood there. She knew, she wasn't in the wrong, but people's stares could be deadly sometimes, her head, dizzy and she felt nauseous.

"Do you dare to repeat it?"

A voice echoed throughout the crowd. Athena stood there, petrified, without knowing what to do. Tears welled up in her eyes, she blamed herself, thinking it was her unluckiness that led her to this situation. A tear streamed down as a way to relieve her heart from the burden.