Hate Me If You Can

"My child! The letter's here!"

Raven was playing chess with her godfather when she heard Nanny Rong excitedly shout at her from just outside the garden. Looking up, the girl could only blink as the woman handed her the letter. Meanwhile, Senior Choi looked at his little Raven, who seemed to be oblivious to what was just handed to her.

"Come on," Nanny Rong impatiently egged on. "Open it up already."

"Why don't you give it to me and I'll read it for the rest of us?" Senior Choi chuckled as he waved at the nanny. Looking at his goddaughter, he noted that she was still a bit tense. "It looks like our little Raven can't handle the suspense."

At the instruction, Nanny Rong immediately passed the letter on to Senior Choi, while Raven was still a little shocked at what was even happening. As her godfather quietly read the letter, she silently observed her surroundings, still unsure of what to do herself.

"Master, is it good news?" Nanny Rong asked, already getting restless as she looked more and more eager than the other two people present.

An unpleasant expression showed on Senior Choi's face as he let out an exasperated sigh. Seeing the reaction, Nanny Rong's mouth twitched. "Master, is it bad news?" she asked again, holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

Silently, Senior Choi turned his attention back to Raven as he started speaking.

"As I've told you before, little Raven, there are a lot of good schools here in our country. You don't have to study abroad," he reasoned, looking intently at his little girl. "Why bother yourself with the hardships of living alone and choose to leave your old man behind?"

In all honesty, he wanted her to stay with him, in the house where he had brought her up ever since she was a child. Indeed, time flew by so fast. His goddaughter, little Raven, who had miraculously survived a tragic accident when she was three years old, was already seventeen. And it won't be long till she turns eighteen as well!

Looking back, he had lost count of how many times he tried to discourage her to study abroad when she opened up her intentions to him. His Little Raven wanted to pursue her studies at a top-ranked, world-class university, but a part of him really didn't want her to leave. Still, he knew that she wanted to be independent; to learn to live without her father and the comforts she had been living in since childhood. For that reason, she wanted to experience a few years staying in a foreign country, all by herself.

Senior Choi knew all that she had in her mind. He knew that she loved him from the bottom of her heart, yet she still wanted to explore life independently. And despite his own misgivings, even he agreed with the way she thought. He also wanted his little Raven to do what she thought was good for her future. Whatever decision she might take, he would always support her as much as he could.

Meanwhile, after seeing her godfather's grim expressions, as well as hearing his comments, Raven's shoulders dropped in disappointment. She was already assuming that she wasn't accepted at the school she had applied to abroad.

Spotting his goddaughter's downcast expression and Nanny Rong's fading excitement, Senior Choi chuckled. This made both the women snap their heads towards him in surprise, their questioning eyes boring into him as they waited for an answer.

Seeing their probing gaze, Senior Choi suddenly blurted out, "Nanny Rong, did you really think our little Raven couldn't make it? Of course, she passed!" He then raised the letter up in pride. "This letter's the confirmation of her admission to the university."

Nanny Rong gasped in both shock and relief as she shook her head in delight, 'The Old Master's still as naughty as ever...' She looked at Raven, who was now jumping on her feet in excitement as she ran to approach her father.

"Really, Father?! It's not another joke!?" she confirmed, still in disbelief at what she heard. "Let me see!"

Her patience wearing thin, Raven took it upon herself and snatched the letter from his hands. Scanning and confirming the news herself, only then did she hug the man as tightly as she could.

"I passed! I made it! I truly did it!" she cheered aloud, almost choking her father with her hug as she almost took him with her in her jumps.

"Yeah, you did it, little Raven," her father congratulated her before jokingly tapping his hand on her back as he coughed. "B-But please don't kill me until I see you getting married and having kids."

Letting go, Raven was still running high with happiness as her smile refused to go away. It was one of her dreams to get admitted to that one university ever since she got into junior high. And now that dream was a reality. What more could she ask?

"We have to celebrate," Senior Choi chuckled as he regained his composure. "What do you want to do, little Raven?"

"I'll treat you for dinner tonight, Father," Raven quickly answered with a smile. "What would you like to eat?"

At his goddaughter's words, Senior Choi immediately ordered, "Nanny Rong, call Jordan. Tell him to clear his schedule and be present at home for dinner right on time. Our little Raven is going to treat us with dinner tonight."

Hearing her godfather, Raven's eyes went wide at her own carelessness. She had almost forgotten about Jordan. Although, she couldn't help but frown a bit whenever she thought about him.

Jordan Choi; the real son and the only heir to the Choi Empire. Getting close to him enough that she saw him as a brother had been way too difficult for her. She really tried to lessen his hate towards her, but nothing seemed to work as their chilly relationship still remained. In truth, she believed that Jordan disliked her because he thought of her as a competitor, that she would take a share in the company or his father's wealth, which was definitely not the case.

She was already happy that Senior Choi was treating her well as a real daughter. She was more than content that she had someone she could call a 'Father,' and she could not ask for more.

Then again, how did she end up in the Choi Family? It was a tragic story that occurred when she was still young. She was in a car accident along with her parents when she was just three years old. Her parents died instantly, but she miraculously survived the crash. Since then, Senior Choi took her in with her Nanny Rong under his care. As a kid, she recalled how stiff the situation was between her and Jordan. Whenever they would see or run into each other, all that they would do was give out their casual greetings and not say another word.

Slowly, things got more and more awkward between them. Or maybe, it only felt that way since she believed that he had always hated her...

Ah, she could still remember that one scene during the after-night party of his college graduation. She saw Jordan talking to a group near the restroom. With his male friends, to be precise. She was just about to leave to go upstairs at the time to use another restroom when she heard her name being mentioned in their conversation. Being curious, she stood still, hiding in a bush as she eavesdropped.

***

"Hey Jordan, your so-called sister looks really cute today," one of Jordan's classmates in college complimented.

"Yeah, I bet she'll be even more beautiful by the time she's grown up," the other man commented. "Maybe around... five to eight years from now? I heard she's just twelve. Can I court her when the time comes?"

"Oh right, you should agree with your father and adopt her legally so I can also ask my mom to arrange my marriage to her in the future," then added the first man. "You know how strict my mom is when it comes to birthrights and all that."

"Shut up, both of you!" Jordan angrily shouted. "She'll never become my sister, and I will never allow that to happen, you freaks!"

Even during Jordan's outburst, his friends didn't take him seriously as they simply laughed it all off. Raven, on the other hand, got very upset upon hearing her so-called brother's words. Having heard enough, she ran upstairs and locked herself in her room, crying herself a river for the rest of the night.

***

Reliving her memories, Raven's face soured as she quickly shook her head to erase the annoying event out of her thoughts.

As always, Senior Choi chose his favorite spot to dine outside; a well-known restaurant known for its ambiance and cozy atmosphere. As soon as they arrived, he took his favorite seat in the garden, soaking in the open air as they situated themselves into their places.

'Thank goodness I saved a lot from my allowances,' Raven thought as she scanned the prices on the menu.

While Senior Choi had given her a limitless black card, as well as her own savings account for her own use, Raven never really spent much beyond what she really needed. She still kept a low profile, and just bought things that she actually needed, avoiding spending on things that she simply wanted but were unnecessary.

Waiting for their orders to arrive, the food was about to be served when a tall man in a dark blue suit entered the venue. His hair was combed back, and though he was wearing a suit, she could still see how muscular the man truly was. And even from a distance, he had a distinct air of pride around him. In short, he looked striking wherever he went, and could easily make everyone recognize his presence with a mere flick of his wrist.

"Here comes my workaholic son," Senior Choi scoffed.

Raven looked at Jordan as he walked with dignified steps towards them. Immediately, she couldn't help but feel a little mesmerized by his handsome appearance. He had dark brown eyes that blended well with his dark brown hair, and he had this intimidating look from his square jawline which added even more appeal to his already divine-like appearance.

"There you are," Senior Choi waved to him. "Have a seat beside Raven here."

The latter obeyed, and Senior Choi looked at them carefully as a smile of satisfaction showed across his face.

"What's the occasion?" Jordan neutrally asked.

"Raven here is going to treat us," her father replied. "She's been accepted to her chosen college in a university abroad, and that calls for a celebration."

"I see," Jordan nodded. "That's good. Congratulations. When do you plan on leaving?"

Raven blinked at the blunt question Jordan just fielded her.

'What the heck!? Of all the questions, why did he ask me when I'm leaving!?' she inwardly yelled in shock. 'Does he want me to leave that badly? To get me out of his sight sooner?'

Thinking about it, Raven would've bet that Jordan might even celebrate on his own as soon as she left the country.

"I'll be leaving in about one month before the classes start," she coldly replied. "It's so that I can familiarize myself with the place."

She keenly eyed him for some kind of response but he seemed to be content in keeping all of his attention solely on his food as he carefully cut his steak.

With silence as being her only response, Raven looked at Senior Choi and said, "Father, I'll be going on a trip this summer with my close friends to celebrate. It's a four days stay. Would you like to come with me?"

She then added, shifting her gaze to Jordan as she sincerely offered, "It would be great if you can join us as well. Getting stuck inside an office all day isn't good for your health. You should also unwind sometimes."

"Okay, I will try," he immediately replied before suddenly exchanging their plates, giving her his plate of meticulously cut steak without so much as a warning. "Here, take mine. You like it well done, right? I'll take yours. It looks like a medium to me, and I want mine that way."

Senior Choi, who was carefully observing his son, gave a meaningful grin as he cut his own steak... 'This brat! He doesn't even care to bother helping his own old man cut his steak...'

For the rest of their dinner, Jordan kept his silence, no longer commenting as he focused on his food. Every once in a while, he would sneak glances at Raven. She looked so happy, knowing that she passed her exams and was now about to study abroad. He was happy for her, of course, but he also felt sad, knowing that she would be far away from him. After all, he was aware of how Raven was uncomfortable around him for some unknown reason.

It all started when Jordan graduated from college... He didn't know what he did wrong at the time, seeing as she just suddenly became aloof around him for seemingly no reason at all. It honestly felt like every move she made was calculated whenever he was around as if he was some sort of enemy to her even as he remained clueless as to why. He just assumed that Raven was like that because he was being vocal in opposing his father's intent to adopt her legally. He had his own reasons as to why he was against it, but for now, he couldn't just say it to her or his father...