After Dominic left, Axel texted Chloe telling her he has something to take care of. He got into his car and zoomed out of the school building. He reached his mansion and saw his father just pulling up.

Dominic got out and so did Axel. "Gave up this early?" Dominic asked

"No, I came here to get my stuff" Axel responded and walked into the mansion.

Dominic strode behind him, fuming. "Your stuff? You mean the stuff I bought for you?"

"No, I mean the stuff mom got for me. I don't need a cent from you!"

"Well, that car outside is mine!"

"And you can keep it!"

Axel strode to his room and started to pack his stuff. He didn't want to pack much, just a few clothes and some essentials. His mother came running into his room. "What am I hearing, Axel?"

"Mum, he is a fucking dictator. I don't think I can live under this roof anymore! He is suffocating me."

"What happened? Will you tell me?" Vanessa asked.

"Remember the girl I told you about? Well, dad wants me to break it off!" He snapped

She sighed. "Well, I really don't agree with you dad about most of the things but Axel, sweetie, your father may be right about this one..."

"Seriously, mom?!"

"Look, sweetie, girls like her trap guys like you for money... Your father ran a background check on her---"

"WHAT THE FUCK?! A FUCKING BACKGROUND CHECK ON A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL?!" Axel shouted hysterically.

Vanessa held his hands in hers. "Sweetie, the Jones are... Well, they are involved with some very bad people!"

"Mom, what the fuck?! Chloe is anything but bad... She is---"

Vanessa cut him off. "That's what she wants you to believe! You've never had this kind of addiction with any girl before! Can't you see? She is manipulating you!"

"I'm not addicted. I love her!"

"You don't know what love is. You are seventeen!"

"Like I need you and dad to tell me what love is!"

Vanessa pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes! We know what love is because we love you! We don't even care about ourselves that's how much we love you and your sister!"

"Yeah, well, I care about myself and I care about Chloe" saying that, he picked up a bag full of clothes and other things he needed and walked out of the room.

He got to the foyer as Dominic's thunderous voice stopped him. "Axel, I'm warning you! You step out of this door and consider them closed for you for the rest of your life."

"I don't care, dad!"

"Axel, I'm not playing with you! I will disown you... You take another step and you are done. I won't ever consider you a King ever again!"

"Wouldn't that be my lucky day..." He taunted

Dominic stepped forward thunderously. "From the day you opened your eyes, you've lived a sheltered life with all the luxuries in this world. Let's see how you'll survive without me"

Axel clenched his jaw and walked out of the house. He called Chris and told him to come to pick him up. Chris came within a few minutes. He lived nearby.

"What happened?" He asked, pissed off.

"I left my house and I think my family" he answered nonchalantly.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah"

"Wanna crash at my place. We have a guest house in the back"

"That'd be great, man but I like to meet Chloe first," Axel said and texted her to come out of the school building.

"What Ella did was really fucked up, man! Zoe keep crying for the last two hours and I don't know how to make her stop"

"I don't wanna hear her name right now. She is fucking dead to me. She is a fucking bully!" Axel snapped

Chris dropped him back to school and he saw Chloe waiting for him, standing in the corner alone, leaning on the wall behind her.

"Hey" he approached her.

"Hey" her eyes lit up and then she frowned. "What's with the bag?"

"I left home" he answered nonchalantly

"What?! Why?" She almost shrieked.

He sighed. "Dad asked me to choose between you and him. I made my choice!" He shrugged

"Axel, no! You shouldn't have done that for me! This is wrong!"

"I didn't do it for you. I did this for myself, my happiness, which is with you!"

"Where are you going to live? What are you going to do, Axel?" She asked

"That's why I am here..." He stepped closer and cupped her face. "Run away with me, Chloe. Let leave this shitty town and our shitty families" he whispered

Chloe gasped. "Axel, no... We--- I can't---"

"You can't or you won't?" He asked, deeply frowning.

"This will ruin our future, Axel. I can't drop out of school. It's the only hope for my better future."

"We'll make our own future... Together"

"It's easier said than done! You don't know what it's like to survive..." Her eyes teared up.

"I left everything... For you... For us... And you are not even considering this?"

Chloe blinked as tears dropped down. "You are not thinking clearly... Why don't you calm down and think about it first... We can break up for now and then after graduating high school, we'll go to college together... Away from here"

Axel stepped back sternly. "Break up?! Break up?! Fuck you, Chloe. I won't let you break up with me!" He snapped with tears in his eyes.

Chloe cupped his face and wiped his tears. "Axel, love, it'll be alright... Go home and apologize to your dad. Everything---"

"No! Fuck no!" He stepped back. "I won't! I'm leaving and I'm taking you with me whether you like it or not!"

"You can't force me, Axel" she whispered

"Watch me!" He threatened

"Axel! Go home! Cool down! And think about this rationally!" She bellowed angrily.

Axel looked her straight in the eyes. He looked crazy and that scared Chloe. "Call me when you change your mind because I won't. We are leaving, Chloe and that's it" saying that, he turned and walked the other way leaving her stunned and scared.

She wiped her tears and decided to go home. She was too shaken up to stay in school or to go to work. She kept thinking about what Axel said. She got home and mindlessly walked straight to her room.

Her phone pinged and she saw a text from Axel.

⊱⋅ ⋅⊰

I love you so much and it's driving me crazy! I'm sorry if I hurt you but I won't change my mind. I'll wait for you even if it means you staying here till graduation.

⊱⋅ ⋅⊰

She sighed and slumped on her bed. She loved him, she never loved any other person in her life like she loved Axel. Why can't things be easier for her once? She remembered the way his father cringed when he saw Chloe. His harsh words kept ringing in her mind like a siren on loop.

With her thoughts running wild, she looked around her room and saw a ziplock bag laying on the floor. She frowned and walked closer to it. She picked it up and her eyes widened. She immediately checked her secret floorboard spot and found it empty.

"No! No! No! No! NO!" she screamed, "This can't happen!" She cried. "Please, No!" She looked around her room frantically searching for the money she saved for college. She turned the whole room upside down and still found nothing.

Dejectedly, she slumped down on the floor and cried miserably. She heard the front door opening and closing. She knew who could've done that. She just knew. She out of her room and faced her father.

She threw the ziplock bag on the floor. "Where is it? Where's my money?!" She asked

Hugh sighed. "I paid it off as the first installment of the debt"

The floor slipped from under Chloe's feet, her mind stopped working for a second. She couldn't understand how the man before her claimed to be her father.

She remembered all the late-night shifts, overtimes, and running errands for other people to save that money. All the hard work was gone within a second.

"Tell me, you didn't, dad. Please, tell me you didn't" she cried miserably.

"I'm sorry, Chloe but you made me. Your boyfriend gave you that money, didn't he?" He asked ignorantly.

Chloe shook her head furiously. "No! It was my own! I saved it for myself! I worked hard for it! I needed that money for college so I could get away from you!" She shrieked

Hugh shook his head. "How selfish..."

He acted so indifferent and apathetic that it made Chloe even madder.

She pointed a finger towards her chest. "I'm selfish? I'm selfish? I'm practically raising you like my child?!"

"It's done, Chloe. It doesn't matter anymore. The good news is they extended our deadline" he grinned

Chloe has had enough of his bullshit. She strode to her room and started to pack her bags. Hugh came behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving!" She deadpanned

Hugh stood in the door, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Louie, you can't be that mad" he mumbled

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not mad, dad. I'm done... I'm done with your bullshit!"

She picked up everything she needed and it wasn't much. She slung the bag over her shoulder and pushed past her dad to walk out.

"Louie, I'm sorry" he apologized, running behind her but Chloe didn't listen to him. "I'll die without you..." Hugh whispered. He knew the only reason he was alive was Chloe. He had no one except for her.

"I don't care!" She mumbled and walked out of the house. She pulled out her cellphone and called him. He picked up on the first ring.

"Chloe?" He said with uncertainty.

"Let's do it!"