As we arrived at Hajie's car, I noticed that the air conditioner was only slightly warm. It seemed that his heart was warm as well, perhaps our initial impression of each other was wrong. I couldn't help but smile at his explanation.
"What are you smiling about? I don't like you!" he exclaimed.
"No way! I just feel sorry for you because you're cold," I chuckled.
He frowned and asked, "W-what? You won't even be grateful?" I replied, "Edi, thank you!" He didn't respond, just continued driving.
I hung up the phone and turned back to the road, feeling Hajie's gaze on me while the stop signal was still on.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked me unexpectedly.
"Why? Are you going to apply? I'm sorry, my heart is not for hiring, eh," I laughed, trying to deflect his question.
"Tsk! I have a fiancée, right?"
*beep!*
He immediately honked the horn, clearly frustrated by my response. When we arrived at the office, I quickly packed my things to head home.
"Thanks for the suit, I hope you're always kind," I said with a smile.
"Be careful when you get home," he replied, nodding before I left.
Harmie and I met downstairs and headed to the secret dorm, as Kuya Zach had instructed us to do. "Good you're all here," Kuya said, and we sat down on the sofa.
"Why did you send us here?" I asked him. "Because I found out that the heir of Derovloux was adopted.
But I didn't find out what his full name was, just the couple who worked at Derovloux," he explained. Harmie and I nodded in understanding.
"Is there a sign? Where is the couple from?" Irish asked curiously.
"The baby has a little skin on the back, but maybe she's 20+ now." Kuya's eyes narrowed in thought.
"How can we find that? Besides, don't they have a recognized heir? Her name is Denver Shanelle," they turned to him.
"H-How did you know?" The Empress asked me. I showed them the text from my spy in Derovloux, and they were surprised by my revelation. "W-how?....who?" Irish asked.
"Joy, my youngest sister," I replied. "WHAT?! Why is she there? She's only 13 years old for god's sake!" Brother Zach's shock was palpable.
"I don't know either, when I woke up last 4 years ago she was there," I explained, referring to the explosion on the yacht.
When we got home, Mom opened the door for me. "Did you eat already?" she asked. "Yes, I'm going to rest because I've done so much today it's so tiring," I replied. She nodded and kissed me goodbye before I headed upstairs.
The next morning, Joy woke me up with a loud shout. "SISTER! WAKE UP YOU'RE ALREADY LATE!" I groggily opened my eyes to find Joy standing in front of my room.
"YES I WAS WAKE UP A LITTLE WHILE, IT'S LIKE YOUR VOICE WAS SWALLOWED BY A MEGA PHONE!" I yelled back.
After getting dressed, I headed to the office where Chanter greeted me warmly. The photographers, makeup artists, and event organizers were all smiling and chatting with her.
"What's up?" I asked her in confusion.
"She fits perfect Hyarrie, you have a good taste!" The makeup artist responded happily, holding a makeup kit in his hand. "Sister....b-because no one will model the clothes, it's needed on Saturday, it's Friday now," Chanter explained.
I walked to Hajie's office, feeling a bit uneasy about the situation. "Oh, does it seem like you ran away from something?" he asked me innocently. "No, do you want coffee?" I asked him instead.
As we chatted over coffee, Shanelle Marveloux burst into the office with a mischievous grin on her face. "Where's Sister Renlyn?" she asked innocently.
It was clear that she was trying to stir up trouble between Hajie and me. "What's your problem?" Hajie asked her sternly.
"Your impetuous fiancée fought with me yesterday," she said with a sly smile. "Should you tell me that you have no taste and that she is more suitable to be a model than sissy Renlyn?" Chanter scowled at her comment.
"Look, I'm really better now," Shanelle purred flirtatiously before turning to Hajie. "Will you shut up girls?" *sigh*
I felt a mix of emotions as they continued to argue and flirt with each other in front of me. It was clear that their relationship was complicated and troubled.
As we left the office later that day, Hajie announced that Shanelle would be taking over as our new model for the upcoming fashion show. The makeup artists and event organizers entered the room with a mixture of surprise and curiosity on their faces.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as they began to discuss Shanelle's role in the show. It was clear that Hajie had no intention of changing his plans or considering my feelings in this matter.
As we parted ways for the day, I couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead for me in this complicated web of relationships and conflicting emotions.