Into The Pornhwa Verse

[A few hours later]

Travis and Mijoo basked in the warmth of the sun, their naked bodies intertwined, basking in the afterglow of their intimacy. Mijoo's arm wrapped around Travis, her smile radiating contentment.

"Let's start the construction soon. I've already sorted some details out. You guys should move to my apartment," Travis suggested, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Once I'm home, I'll inform Ari and Soohyun. Also, there's a friend of my daughter's who wants to stay at the Lodge for a few days. She'll be here next week. What should we do?" Mijoo inquired.

"Don't worry, we'll finish the construction before she arrives. We're just adding a few rooms, soundproofing, and enhancing the aesthetics subtly," Travis reassured her.

"Okay, I trust you with everything," Mijoo replied, a sense of relief evident in her voice.

After dressing, they returned to the lodge. Mijoo informed Ari about their temporary move, to which Ari responded with her usual indifference, avoiding Travis. Irritated by this, she confronted him.

"Did you enjoy sleeping with my mom?" Ari blurted out.

Travis, unfazed, teased her about spying on them, leaving Ari flustered and embarrassed.

"Keep quiet about this, or I'll expose your secrets," Travis warned, sending a chill down Ari's spine.

Leaving Ari to process his words, Travis headed home, where he took a refreshing shower before making a call to the landlord, only to be met with an unexpected barrage of rudeness.

"Hey, it's Travis. Look, I've got an offer you can't refuse," he began, trying to maintain his cool despite the landlord's gruff demeanor.

The landlord scoffed, "What do you want now? You've been nothing but trouble."

Travis, unfazed by the hostility, retorted with a smirk, "Oh, just your entire apartment building."

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end before the landlord burst out laughing, thinking it was some sort of joke.

"You? Buying my building? Ha! That's the funniest thing I've heard all day," the landlord chuckled, clearly amused by Travis's audacity.

Travis, with a playful twinkle in his eye, replied, "Oh, believe me, I'm dead serious. But hey, if you're not interested in making some serious cash, I'll just take my business elsewhere."

Suddenly, the tone shifted as the landlord realized Travis wasn't kidding. "Wait, wait, wait... you're serious?"

Travis nodded, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his lips, enjoying the sudden shift in the landlord's demeanor. "Dead serious. So, what do you say? Ready to make a deal?"

The landlord hesitated, his eyes darting around as if searching for a way out, but the realization of what Travis was offering finally hit him. He couldn't pass up such a lucrative deal, not when the opportunity was right in front of him. After a moment, he begrudgingly agreed.

As Travis ended the call, a low chuckle rumbled in his chest.

'Man, this fucker was rude. Should I buy his company? Nah, not worth it,' he thought, amused by the whole exchange. The annoyance in the landlord's voice had been almost comical.

Now that the apartment was under his control, Travis quickly gathered all the details of his tenants. There weren't many of them, so the purchase felt almost pointless, but it didn't matter to him.

'I'll make the dude next door move downstairs. Then I'll have the whole upper floor to myself,' he thought, a smirk spreading across his face.

With that matter settled, Travis leaned back and stretched, content. He had a day or so to wait for the new residents. He wasn't in a rush, not with the world at his fingertips.

Lying down on his bed, he chuckled to himself, relishing the moment.

'Man, I love having so much money,' he thought, the satisfaction lingering as he closed his eyes, letting himself drift for a bit.

...

Travis groggily stumbled out of bed, the persistent knocking at his door pulling him from a deep, peaceful sleep. Cursing under his breath, he knew he couldn't ignore it. His eyes half-lidded, he swung open the door to find Ari standing there, her usual frown firmly in place.

Without waiting for a greeting, she breezed past him, her steps deliberate as she walked into the apartment. Travis didn't bother stopping her, reluctantly closing the door behind her with a sigh.

She marched over to the couch, sitting down with an almost commanding presence, as though she owned the place.

"Let's talk," she declared, her tone brooking no argument.

Travis leaned against the kitchen counter, a smirk tugging at his lips. "About what?" he asked casually, reaching for a glass of water.

Ari didn't waste any time getting to the point. "You sleeping with my mom and Bada-Noona. How could you do that? You're giving my mom false hope, and I can't even bring myself to tell her you're cheating on her."

Travis's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her words. He stayed silent for a beat, studying her, before leaning back, his posture relaxed. "So, what's your grand plan, then? What do you want from me?"

Ari's steely gaze softened for a moment, the hard edge in her expression giving way to something more vulnerable. "If you promise to do one thing for me, I'll turn a blind eye to what you're doing," she said, her voice quieter, yet still firm.

Travis raised an eyebrow, the intrigue growing. "And what might that be?" he asked, his curiosity piqued despite himself.

Ari took a deep breath, her gaze unwavering. Then, without hesitation, she dropped the bombshell. "Be my boyfriend as well," she said bluntly, her words hanging in the air, catching Travis completely off guard.

Travis let the words hang in the air for a moment, the silence thick as he processed what Ari had just said. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. "You really are something else, aren't you?" he muttered, a mix of amusement and disbelief in his voice.

Ari's expression remained hard, though a flicker of uncertainty passed through her eyes. She wasn't sure if her bold proposition would get the response she was hoping for, but she stood her ground.

Travis walked over to the couch, sitting down beside her with a nonchalant air. "So, let me get this straight," he said, his tone almost mocking, "You want me to juggle your mom, Bada-Noona, and now you?" He raised an eyebrow, his smirk never fading. "That's your big plan? What's next, a grand announcement to everyone that I'm your personal plaything?"

Ari shifted slightly, her jaw tightening. "You don't get it, do you? I'm not asking for some crazy relationship. I'm just asking you to be with me for a while. Keep my mom and Bada-Noona happy. And I won't tell her what you're really up to," she said, her voice losing some of its earlier strength, but still carrying that underlying firmness.

Travis studied her for a long moment. The mix of vulnerability and challenge in her voice intrigued him. It wasn't just about the game she was trying to play—there was something else there. But what exactly?

"Look, I'm not in the business of playing favorites," Travis said after a pause, his tone more thoughtful now. "And I don't do relationships like that. If you're expecting some fairytale, I think you've got the wrong guy."

Ari's face faltered for a moment, and for the first time, her tough exterior cracked just enough for Travis to see the uncertainty she'd been hiding. But she quickly regained her composure, standing up as if she were ready to leave. "Fine. If that's how you feel, then forget it. I'll find another way to fix this mess."

But Travis wasn't done yet. He leaned back, crossing his arms as he watched her, the wheels turning in his head. "Wait," he called, making Ari pause in her tracks. "We're not done here."

Ari turned slowly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

Travis's lips curled into a small smile, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. And maybe... just maybe, I'll play along for a bit. But I'm not doing this out of some sense of loyalty or affection. This is about control. And I'll make sure you understand what that means if we're going to do things your way."

Ari stared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn't exactly the reassurance she'd hoped for, but it was something. Slowly, she nodded, her eyes still wary, but resigned.

"Fine. But don't think I'm going to make this easy for you," she shot back, her words laced with defiance.

Travis chuckled, the tension between them slowly fading into something more charged. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

---

Later, after Ari had left, Travis sat back in his chair, lost in thought. His mind buzzed with the possibilities. He'd dealt with situations like this before, but something about Ari's proposition felt different—more personal, more tangled. He wasn't sure where this would go, but he wasn't about to back down from the challenge.

'She wants me to be her boyfriend? Ha. I'll play her game... for now,' he thought, leaning back as he stared up at the ceiling. 'This could get interesting.'

As the hours passed, he couldn't shake the thought of Ari and the mess he'd just agreed to wade through. He was never one to back away from an opportunity, but this felt like it could either blow up in his face or open doors he hadn't even considered.

With a deep breath, he stood up and headed to the balcony, letting the cool evening air clear his mind. His phone buzzed with a new message from Mijoo, asking about the construction progress. Travis smiled as he replied, but a part of him couldn't stop thinking about what lay ahead with Ari.

'Let's see how long I can keep this up,' he mused, watching the sunset as he prepared for whatever came next.

TO BE CONTINUED...