Chapter 23

“I didn’t know there were so many of you,” I said as we walked into the kitchen together. I was expecting them to simply go to four or five, but they were almost ten or eleven.

“That’s why I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. I can’t feed them all if I only cook a little bit.” She placed the food into the bowl. I was not sure what else she did before she put it on the food warmer.

“Are you sure I’m not interrupting your meeting? It’s possible that Pierre is already waiting for you there; you should return. I’ll be able to handle this.” I took a closer look at the food warmer, which was beginning to turn red in the center. I meant, it was going to come to a rolling boil.

That quick? Did Iris set a timer?

“Why is the screen going red, and it appears that it’s about to finish?” As I turned to look at Iris, I pointed to the food heater on the counter.

“The’s exactly what I meant when I said you didn’t know how to reheat that dish properly. The temperature of that dish is affected by the cold. Because the soup didn’t thicken, we’ll only heat it for seconds. It’s not recommended to overheat it because the taste might change.” I opened my lips, but I didn’t say anything. How many times did the thought cross my mind that it was not impossible to have someone like Iris, who was too fastidious and sophisticated but also talented in the kitchen, come into my life? Women like her were shown as doing nothing but shopping and wasting money in the movies I watched before.

Although Iris enjoyed shopping, she was also a competent cook, in contrast to the women I’d observed who were incapable of simply mopping the floor.

“One of the members of the student council has a thing for you.” I snapped back to reality when I heard what Iris said. What?

“Huh? Who?” Curiosity was increasingly engulfing me as I asked.

“It’s a secret. You were in your room when he told us this. I never imagined he’d be interested in you because he’s such a playboy, Aurie. Or maybe he doesn’t really like you? I’m aware of the rumors circulating around school. You’re still a virgin, aren’t you? Perhaps that’s all he’s looking for. But you’re also attractive, so it’s no surprise that he’ll like you. If I were a boy, I would most likely start dating you the day we first met,” she said with a grin on her face. My brows raised, I was so pale, how could I possibly be beautiful?

Well, I’d acknowledge that I was attractive, but I was not overly attractive to be liked by everyone.

I felt that the man she was referring to simply liked me because I was a virgin, and that was the end of it. I honestly didn’t expect what Iris said; it was too unbelievable to accept, especially considering how hated I was among the students at EastWood. If somebody had feelings for me, I believed that he was only in love with the idea that he had feelings for me.

In a nutshell, it was phony love.

“Oh, it’s done.” Iris snatched up a potholder and walked over to the food warmer. She carefully opened it and took the bowl inside. I approached her and inhaled the aroma.

“It smells freshly prepared,” I commented.

“Have you eaten?” I asked.

“Nope. All members are expected to eat at the same time. We are currently working on the initial plan. Now that it’s finished, I think I should go back.” She left the kitchen without waiting for my response. As I was left alone, I began eating.

The dish was excellent, as expected. This was the first time I’d tried it, and I was in awe. I was curious as to who taught Iris to cook. She stated that her mother died when she was born. Her father didn’t even spend time with her.

After lunch, I washed the plates I used. I was actually stuffed. I ate so much and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to snack.

However, I felt energized.

I walked out of the kitchen without saying a word. I was going to proceed to the bedroom when I encountered one of Iris’ guests.

“There she is!” she said as she pointed to me. My brow furrowed in unison with the way the other members looked at me.

“Why?” Although I was unfamiliar with her face, I could attest that she was rather lovely. She was comparable to Iris in terms of attractiveness, yet she appeared to be more gentle. Iris, on the other hand, was not.

“Iris called you; let’s go.” She took my arm and drew me closer to the living room, where they were having a meeting.

“She’s here, Ris!” The woman released her grip on me and sat next to Pierre. I was left alone standing.

“Why? Are you in need of anything?” I asked, confused. I stared at them one by one; everyone but Pierre and Iris were strange faces to me. When I saw what they were wearing, I felt instantly embarrassed.

It’s as if they were attending a fashion show due to their clothes. Even Iris, who was currently at home, was dressed in a Chanel tweed suit.

“Stay here and don’t lock yourself in your room. Expose your skin with some light, Aurie. We’ve concluded our meeting, and you’re welcome to join us now.” Iris took a step back and tapped the chair next to her, as if to signal me to take a seat. My brows raised; except from Pierre and her, I didn’t know any of them.

“What am I gonna do here?” She rolled her eyes and drew my arm closer to her. As I sank into the chair, I heard a few laughter.

Just looking at their attire; I could easily say that I was out of place.

“Who’s that woman?” I murmured to Iris, my gaze fixed on the girl who had called me earlier. She was giggling as she spoke to Pierre, and Pierre was listening to her intently. I had no idea what they were talking about; they seemed to exist in their own world.

“Who?”

“The one with whom Pierre is conversing. I’m not familiar with all of them, but she is the only one who has captured my interest. She looks like an angel; are you friends with her?” Iris simply looked at the woman I was referring.

“She’s Alyssa, our vice president. To be honest, I know her but not very close to her. We’re merely discussing student council projects. She is nice, and the majority of the boys gravitate toward her if they aren’t interested in me.” I cast another peek at Alyssa. She was still smiling, and from the way she grinned, it appeared as though she was having an intriguing conversation with Pierre.

“She’s close to Pierre, huh?”

“We are all aware that she has a soft spot for Pierre. However, no one knows whether Pierre likes her. I don’t believe it’s impossible because she’s so nice; Piere’s types are unmistakably kind like her. She is the embodiment of every good man’s fantasies.”

I kept a close eye on Alyssa from head to toe. Iris was right, that was not impossible. Her long flowing hair, rounded eyes, and sharp nose screamed angel’s beauty. Even if she was sitting, her height and curvy body were still visible.

Oh, how to be her?

“Truth or dare!” I blinked numerous times when I heard the other members’ voices. They had been conversing for some time, but I was not paying attention. My entire self was consumed by the relationship between Pierre and Alyssa.

“C’mon, Aurora!” I raised my eyes to the man who mentioned my name. He had black hair and wore spectacles. He resembled a Korean guy.

“I have no idea what’s truth or dare.” I saw his mild surprise as he heard what I said.

“Eh? You haven’t gotten around to playing that yet?” I responded with two nods. I’d never participated in a party game before, so this was all new to me. However, I had heard about it a dozen times.

“We’re going to use this bottle and spin it. Whoever the bottle targets will be asked truth or dare. If she chooses truth, we’re going to ask her a question and she’s going to answer truthfully. If she chooses dare, we’re going to make her do something. She can refuse, but in exchange, she’ll drink alcohol. If she doesn’t answer truthfully, she’ll drink alcohol also.” My eyes widened slightly. I’d never had alcohol before, and if I joined, this would most likely be the first time.

“All well, then,” I heard Iris whistle to the side. I shifted my gaze to her and grimaced.

“Good luck,” she murmured before she winked at me. I gave her a grin before I returned my gaze to the table. They were removing the papers that had been placed there and substituting alcohol. They brought goodies from the pantry, as well.

“Let’s goo!” exclaimed an unknown woman.

“What’s your name?” I asked the man next to me, the one who appeared to be Korean.

“Call me Kai,” he replied with a smile. He looked nice, and among these people except Iris and Pierre, he was the only person whom I could communicate with.

When we began, he was the one who rolled the bottle. When the bottle came to a halt, it was aimed towards the man sitting near Iris.

“Jaden, truth or dare?”

“Dare.” When Jaden snatched it up, the entire house erupted in screams. I had no idea who he was m, but he was giving me a badboy feelings.

“Kiss someone you’d like to fuck in this room.” All of them shouted once again.

Due to my intense anxiousness, my lip nearly had a cut because of my biting. I was aware that he wouldn’t kiss me, yet my heart was racing. I had no idea that the dare in this game was this extreme.

Of course, I was already familiar with the definition of the term “fuck.” That was one of the topics I explored on Google when my teacher instructed me to learn about sex.

Jaden rose to his feet and looked around the entire living area. As he passed my gaze, I exhaled a sigh of relief. I assumed he was going to approach one of the women around, but I was nearly out of breath when he approached me.

“Greetings, Ms. Jenkins,” I remained silent and simply stared at his face. He possessed the looks, to be sure. With the exception of Pierre and Kai, he was the most gorgeous man in the house. He smirked childishly before he stooped down and moved his face closer to mine.

I couldn’t breathe properly due to my anxiousness. Could I push him? What if they punished me?

Iris came dangerously close to passing out as Jaden lifted my face with his fingertips.

“Jaden.”

He suddenly stopped when we heard a baritone voice called his name from across the room. Almost everyone in the room turned to look at Pierre’s seat. His two arms were crossed in front of his chest as he stared intently at Jaden.

Oh, he was wearing his glasses again. His glasses looked actually like that when I was in his condo.

“Why?” Jaden asked.

“Stop right there,” Pierre said and gestured to Jayden’s seat as if he were urging him to take his seat again. Jayden shook his head and straightened his posture.

“Pierre, we’re in the middle of a game—”

I looked at Pierre, who rolled his eyes and shifted his glance to me. “Just do as I told you. Just drink that alcohol, it’s only one round.” In light of what he’s done, I was not sure whether I’d be glad or worried.

What was he thinking when he did that? He looks annoyed or...I had no idea. He was difficult to read, and I was perplexed by the range of emotions he displayed. I raised an eyebrow at him in an attempt to mask my uneasiness. Similarly to how he rolled his eyes at Jaden, he did the same thing to me.

There was nothing Jaden could have done but return to his seat. He drank the alcohol right away while he looked at me. He even winked, which I found amusing.

The fact that he didn’t appear to be disturbed by Pierre’s intervention implied that he was merely planning to kiss me for fun.

I took a deep breath. He didn’t want to fuck me, so I shouldnt freak out.

The bottle spun once more, and to my amazement, the mouth pointed directly at me.

“Aurora, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

Honestly, there was no way in hell that I’d pick dare over anything else. Perhaps, it would be similar to what Kai instructed Jayden to do.

“Does anyone want to ask?” Alyssa swiftly raised her hand to indicate interest.

“Ask away.” She looked at me in the eyes and smiled pleasantly. I was not sure if I should be nervous of her smile, but she appeared to be friendly, so she could go ahead and ask me question; I’d respond.

“Since you came to EastWood, no one knew what your family background was. We’ve been wondering for weeks because girl, you’re the only person who met Iris Marguerite Lopez’s standards. So, here’s the question. What’s your family background?” I was taken aback by her question. That was too personal, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to answer that.

Oh my goodness, why didn’t I think that they might ask this kind of question? They had absolutely no idea who I was or where I was from. I appeared out of nowhere in EastWood, accompanied by the famous Iris Marguerite.

However, why were they asking? Would it benefit them if I told them who I was? I didn’t belive so.

I merely gazed at Iris, who was observing me intently. She repeatedly shook her head, as if telling me not to answer Alyssa’s question.

I exhaled heavily before I poured alcohol into the plastic cup. When I drank it immediately, I could feel the irritation of the individuals in the house. I closed my eyes when the alcohol passed down my throat.

“Why don’t you wanna answer it?” Alyssa asked, as if she were about to die if she didn’t know who I was. I mustered a smile and repeatedly shook my head.

“I can’t. Too private.” I wouldn’t answer, regardless of how much alcohol they wanted me to drink.

“Oh, now I’m even more intrigued!” I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. Why did they want to know? There was nothing so interesting about my life.

Psh, stay curious, girl.

Because I was the last to be asked, I flipped the bottle over. We watched it spin until it came to a halt and pointed at Pierre.

Almost every woman in the house screamed in unison because Pierre was the one who should be questioned.

That was expected, as Pierre Cardinal was a chick magnet.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“I don’t have anything to ask. Ladies, feel free to inquire,” I excused. I was at loss for a question. Even if I had, I still didn’t wanna ask it infront of everyone.

“When and where was the last time you kissed someone, President Pierre Cardinal?” Even the men yelled in response to the question. My chest trembled at the thought. I hoped I was not his last kiss. It was not impossible that he kissed another woman, given his popularity in EastWood. Indeed, whenever he wanted to kiss someone, he might just drag a girl from the hallway.

“It was in the supermarket a few weeks ago.” He gave me a glance after he said that. I suddenly wanna punch him straight on his face. What if they saw that? Bullying, I was sure, would be my new breakfast in case the EastWood students knew that I kissed him at the grocery.