Chapter 24

"Okay, Muncher."

I sighed helplessly, "That's just gonna stick now, isn't it?"

She beamed at me, a smile so wide and full of joy, that it closed her eyes. "My Muncher."

With a quickly beating heart, my fingers played with her hand. "Your Muncher," I muttered, tracing her hand lines with my thumb.

"By the way—" I looked up at her speaking, who now had a frightening expression. "What was Martha doing with you?"

I shook my head and laughed. "She saw me sitting by myself and told me to go with her to get to know her and her friends and family."

"What? Why the hell…"

I shrugged. 

Another question popped into my head. "By the way, can I know what she was trying to do to you?"

She shook her head, "Filmed an inappropriate video of someone that looks like me. She threatened to use that as blackmail."

Widening my eyes, I tightened my hold on her hand. "What the hell does she need with something like that?"

"Wants to show it to my grandpa. We're cousins and we never got along too well…" I frowned. "Apparently, she just wants to shame me or something and ruin my reputation."

"Okay… but what the hell..?" I laughed, "Isn't this just… too dramatic?"

"I know right?! Like—, this isn't a movie… What are you even doing?" Her inflection and tone shifted.

I snorted.

"?"

"Did you just… You sounded so preppy," I began laughing.

"Ah," red filled her face. "I'm… uh— I'm sorry?"

"No, no no," I shook my head, "That was completely cute. You should keep talking like that."

She looked away. "I… uh. I don't… Okay."

I brought her hand higher and directed it to my face. I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her hand. 

Looking up into her eyes, she stared back intensely. 

"So what will we be doing about Martha?"

She grinned. "I recorded her acting totally crazy." I snorted. 

"...totally crazy," I muttered with a smirk.

Pouting, she whined: "You told me to start talking more like that…" 

"Please keep talking like that. I just think it's very cute."

She scrunched her eyebrows. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not, I promise…" I smirked at her.

"Well, I have footage that'll deny anything she does to me. I'll just let her dig a grave for herself and show the video."

"What's the video though?"

"Just her admitting to doing bad things."

I nodded with a frown. "She didn't look the part. I guess looks can be deceiving."

"Definitely. Also, stay away from her," she gripped my hand with both of her hands.

"Oh, someone's jealous?" 

She grinned, "You belong to me."

"Oh, noooo… Red flags. This is the start of a toxic relationship. Oh nooo whatever will I do?"

She nodded eagerly like a chicken, "Mhm, yep. Yeah, so be good or I'll be super controlling and super evil and bad."

"I'd like that."

"Hmm?"

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me."

"Ivan… Is this your fetish?" she teased.

Unaffected by her tease, "It'd be better if you talked to me like this but wearing professional clothes."

Flabbergasted, she looked wide-eyed at me.

And then she slapped my arm. "Ivan! You dirty pervert!"

I cackled as she struck my arm.

…

…

…

By the time we were out, many people had already arrived. 

I noticed Ivan shift uncomfortably as we greeted others. 

"Ivan… Just act as if this is just another business banquet…"

"Huh," he nodded.

His eyes brightened. His atmosphere adjusted a little and now he seemed sharp and handsome. 

"Thank you," he said and I grinned at him.

He didn't stick to my side anymore and with a new purpose began speaking more confidently to the people there.

I guess he was here with the purpose of showing a good impression to seem worthy of me… and that overthinking made him complicate things.

Now though, he's in a situation familiar to himself.

 I watched him waddle in the social circles like fish in the water as I greeted guests who congratulated me on my Grandfather's birthday.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned my head around slowly and saw a terrible figure.

"Martha," I nodded at her. 

"How are you doing, my dear cousin?" She hugged me.

Hands off, wench.

"Good. It is grandfather's birthday."

She grinned. "A special occasion~" 

Before she could exchange any more words with me, I left her side and greeted more people with a smile.

Unfortunately, this was paused yet again a few minutes later. 

"Alice!" I heard a person call out my name.

I turned around and almost puked.

"Good evening," I nodded and turned away.

Well, I wasn't really going to puke but either way, I don't want to see this person at all.

"Haha, hey!" Andrew patted my shoulder.

…Don't touch me.

"Andrew. How do you do?"

"Haha, good thanks," he smiled. "What're you doing all alone here?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "I am greeting all of the guests here. I am glad you could make it."

"Oh, yeah. How's that been?"

"Good. I am happy to see familiar faces again."

"Haha," he rubbed his nose. Before he could speak again, I opened my mouth. "I will greet the others, then." 

"Huh? Oh, okay! See you, then…"

…

"I'd like to thank you all for attending tonight. It truly is an honor for me to see so many faces meeting together in celebration for today…" 

I zoned out and heard the rest as 'blah, blah, blah.'

My grandfather speaking on the podium reminded me of the school principal, speaking useless but event obligatory speech. 

Everyone's eyes were incredibly attentive to my grandfather's figure. He was a man who commanded such respect, especially because of his successful business ventures and powerful influence. 

I covered my yawn with my mouth. 

Martha walked towards the podium carrying flowers and waved at everyone with a bright smile. 

My grandfather finished talking and she handed him the flowers with a hug. 

"Grandpa, this is for you," she said with the tone of a spoiled child.

With a grandfatherly chuckle, he smiled at her proudly. "My granddaughter is very cute."

She turned towards me and smiled. 

I looked at her disinterestedly and turned to look at my surroundings. 

"Son, she's lovely and has a good personality. You have to get close to her," A man winced at his mother's words.

"She's like an angel," surrounding people gave their opinions.

"Doesn't she have like an older sister or something? Why isn't she there?"

"Noo, that's her cousin. Alice, right?"

"I heard she used to have a terrible personality."

"Really? Why?"

"Shhhh. She's right there, she can hear you."

I felt the stares becoming pointer and more bothersome.

"She never went to these events for her grandfather and I even heard she was once forced to come and yelled at everyone so badly she was locked in a room."

??? The fuck?

"Yeah, I heard she once cussed out a girl, and even when she was crying she'd say she was useless."

"Notice how she's sitting with no one else. She probably scared everyone away."

"Wow, that's not proper of her."

I felt my irritation spike. 

"It's weird how they're from the same family but have such different personalities."

Ahh. Of course. That fucking bitch.

Martha's words from back then resounded in my head: 'I'll ruin your life, Alice.' 

So her way to repay our confrontation from back then was to have her goons spread rumors about me on purpose while grandfather was here. I couldn't say I didn't expect it, but I had been caught unaware.

I felt the urge to laugh.

She's young and already acts like such a snake. I wonder how much worse she'll be in the future.

"Oh shoot, has it already started?" Ivan whispered from my side.

I turned to him and the surrounding voices vanished. "Yes. But it's meaningless chatter… Nothing important."

He scratched his head, "Hopefully it wasn't too disrespectful for me to miss his speech."

"What disrespectful? It's not, don't worry. Who cares, anyway?"

He shrugged.

"What had you stuck though?" I questioned.

He considered my question with a serious face. "The bathroom door would not open." 

I laughed and slapped his shoulder. 

"No, really. I'm serious."

Hmm. Weird.