۞ XIII ۞

I GASPED, "DON'T DO THAT. I'M NOT THE QUEEN." Rolling my eyes, feeling annoyed, I entered the house when she sang 'they are burning all the witches even if you aren't one,' and everyone's gaze turned to me, making me feel awkwardly shy in the same second, but I swallowed and pretended to be fine. "Sorry, it was quite distant from the lake house to come on feet. Am I late?"

"Half an hour," Dean exclaimed and came closer to me. "You are outstandingly beautiful. And what is that?" He stared at the box in my hands, "Looks expensive and technological."

I scoffed, "Only the box is technological, I made it to be the best thermal box possible and it worked. Now what's inside isn't technological, and neither is for you. So, take your paws off."

He sulked, "Can you not be so mean?"

"No," I grinned and turned to everyone else, but my eyes went straight to Choi Jung-won, who was staring at me with his cold eyes, clearly annoyed. Annoyed am I. Weird bipolar hot dude, I don't have time for him. My eyes scanned the room for my grandparents, "Now, don't manipulate me using your emotions again, okay? I'm here."

Grandma Alice grinned, "If you didn't wanted us to use that card against you, my love, you should have just come and have at least one meal with your family. Instead of overworking yourself in those power generators and avoid us as if we were death itself."

I rolled my eyes, but I smirked, "I didn't avoid you. Well, at least not the four of you, or the kids. And Dean. But I did avoid the rest," then I turned to the groups of guests and bowed. "I'm sorry if that bothered you, I'm Elizabeth-Freya Arceneaux Van den Hoek, the youngest daughter of the hosts." It's respectful in Korea to bow 90°, so I did without a second thought, but when I got up again, everyone was blushing.

Everyone. Even my grandmothers.

"What?" I asked confused, and when I turned do Choi Jung-won, even his ears and neck was red and he was avoiding me. "Is there something wrong with me? I thought I was the one who was supposed to act weird."

"Your breasts are huge, auntie," Bruno exclaimed innocently. "Mom and my other aunties constantly talk about you breasts, but they are right. They are really big!" I gasped.

Everyone did with the honesty of the child.

"Your breasts look amazing darling," grandma Alice exclaimed with a mischievous grin. "That tattoo look especially attractive," when I realized when they were saying my eyes widened and I covered my cleavage with the box embarrassed.

"When did you get that tattoo? And is it longer than that?" Mom exclaimed surprised.

"A year ago. Yes, it does go further than that, but let's not talk about it, please."

"What about the dragon?" Clarisse asked behind me and I gasped. "Show them, auntie. It's so beautiful. I'm sorry mommy, but oh my God, auntie, you are probably the most beautiful in the family. Those drawings in your skin make you even more beautiful."

"Oh my God," I mumbled.

"What dragon, Elizabeth-Freya?" Dad exclaimed.

"You have another tattoo?" Mom asked.

"She has four," grandma Alice said with a mischievous grin, throwing wood in the fire. "But she can't show-"

I clenched my teeth, "Grandma, come on."

"Sorry, dear. I got excited."

I gave her a look, "Really?" Sighing, I turned around, showing my back to them. "Dean, can you take my hair of the way for a second?" Mumbling in agreement, he came closer and put my hair aside, showing them my back tattoo. "Okay, now that's enough."

Taking a deep breath, I turned around, determined to end the subject of my tattoos. I'm done with that. It's getting embarrassed.

Smiling, I asked, "So, who's the CEO?" Then I turned to the group of old guys on the left side of the room. "Which of you is it?"

Dean faked a cough and I turned to him. "None of them, Lizzy. He isn't old like you thought. It's, well, him," he signed to the guy in the middle.

I chuckled softly, not believing that, "I can't see anyone but Choi Jung-won." All of their eyes widened in chock and I raised my eyebrows. "So, where's the guy? I don't work with you, so I don't know. I can't guess it like that."

Rolling his eyes, still with his ears red, Choi Jung-won came three steps closer to me. "It's me."

Giggling I gave him a look, "Are you serious? You are the CEO? Aren't you too young for that?"

He scoffed bitterly, "Weren't you too young to go to the MIT at 15-years-old?" Is he still angry for nothing?

"Is it really you?"

"Of course," he said coldly.

Inhaling deeply and step forward and he gulped, then I handed him the box in my hand. "Then, this is for you. I bought the best I could find as a present before I came to London. We don't seem to be in good terms, but it's an honest present. If you don't want you can throw it away, it was very expensive, but I don't have problem with money."

He towered over me and I had to fight not to stare at his lips. "I don't need anything from you, Freya."

Clenching my teeth, I scoffed, "Oh, no? Then okay, Choi." I took the box before he could get it, turned to Dean and gave it to him, profoundly annoyed by his refusal. "Here. The bipolar asshole doesn't want it, so you can have it. It's the best and most expensive whisky in Europe. Three bottles of it. You can also keep the box, it's a prototype I haven't released yet."

"I'm not fucking bipolar."

I chuckled, "And I'm dumb."

"Freya," he called my name like a curse.

"Choi," I called his the same way, staring at his eyes and myself in my toes. And the tension in the entire room got extremely heavy.

"Why are you so insufferable?"

I arched my eyebrows, "Why are you so volatile?"

Growling, he turned to Dean and took the box from his hands. "Those are mine. Take your hands off of it."

To annoy him, I turned to Dean, "I'll give it you another day. Both the bottles and the box."

"You little-"

With a vicious grin, I stepped even closer, "I dare you to finish what you were going to say. Finish it on my face. Finish it, Choi!"

After a long and excruciating silence, staring at each other's eyes, Brandon came closer, "Are you going to kiss or what?"

Gasping in shock I took seven steps back, "That's disgusting, Brandon. And this bipolar jerk is absolutely not my type," I said impulsively, feeling my heart race for some reason.

"Liar," Dean mumbled near me and I gave him a death gaze.

"You better stay shut!" Taking a deep breath, I blinked many times and left for the inner garden, feeling suffocated inside there.

𖣔 𖣔 𖣔

I was sitting in the kids table with a glass of vodka in hands, when Dean came to me after almost an hour. The alcohol helped me calm down all of my nerves, so I wasn't about to explode anymore. He let out a deep breath and sat down on my side, while the kids were all running around.

"You look better now, so tell me, what was that?"

Sighing, I moved my glass and watched as the liquid moved itself around, "What part confused you?"

He gave a look, "Did you two know each other?" Dean passed his fingers through his hair, "Tell me he isn't a fling you used and discarded. That will be quite troublesome to deal with. So, sister, be honest."

"Not a fling. Wasn't discarded. Don't think so badly of me, Dean. I may be mean some times but I don't go around playing with people's feelings, alright?!" I rolled my eyes annoyed and took a sip of my drink, grateful for the burning sensation. "We met in the day after the day I told you about Rhys Choi. I went ice-skating on the lake, and I ended up kind of crying."

Dean gasped, "Because of RC? Are you still so into it?"