DEAN STARED AT ME WITH HIS EYES STILL WIDENED. "You can't meet the guests then. You will fall I love with them. Both the CEO and all of his people are European-Korean."
I rolled my eyes, "I have no interest in those people. But back to Rhys Choi, he was my ice-skating partner. We only had math, physics, chemistry, and ice-skating together. He was the only one whom I could compete with, and it was so exciting. And when we were ice-skating, I used to feel a connection, the chemistry between us was excruciating and I caught myself constantly thinking of him."
"Oh my God. I'm just shocked. He was so… weird. Weirdly introverted and smart. I agree that your chemistry was big when ice-skating. But I thought you hated him, since you used to discuss with him in class all the time according to Marie-Estella. I know you guys don't go well with each other, but she told me that you and your ice-skating partner almost fought physically when discussing in class."
I felt my face burn, "I liked that. I loved the fact that he was able to go toe-to-toe with me in class, using his brains in a way no one else in class did. Discussing was exciting. And I think it made our chemistry in ice-skating stronger."
"So, you are the enemies-to-lovers type."
"We weren't necessarily enemies. More like rivals in the classes we had. But to ice-skate with a partner, you have to be connected, and until today, I think he was the only person I was ever able to connect to like that. Maybe it's because I was in love with him, or maybe because of what ice-skating with a partner makes you feel. The closeness, the touch, the stares… it's just different."
He scoffed, "Then tell me. Why didn't you try dating him? It could have worked if you guys had such a chemistry."
I gulped, "Our teacher, Mrs. Stephanie, called me in private. She strictly advised me not to nurture anything romantically for Rhys Choi, because the probability of not working out and messing our partnership while ice-skating was huge. The teacher said that she was trusting me with that since for her, even though I was her youngest student, I was the most responsible. So, I got kind of paranoid and tried to avoid my feeling, but they stayed there. Then I just… shut it down and bottled it up, deciding not to talk about it."
"What a bitch. That teacher was always annoying."
Sigh, "She had a point though. Besides, Rhys seemed to loathe me when we were ice-skating. And every time I tried to talk to him when we weren't in practice, he avoided me as if I was the devil incarnated. It was sad."
To that he burst out laughing, "Sorry."
"Asshole."
"Maybe he was just shy."
"Shy wasn't the word, Dean. Rhys Choi was two years older than me, and he always flinched when I got closer to him when we were in class or practicing it. It made me feel awkward. I actually cared about what he thought of me, which I never do. So, I just realized that he was disgusted by my existence and was an amazing actor faking it when we ice-skated together. It was one-sided," I cleaned my hands. "Tragic."
"Tragic is the fact that you still seem to feel something for the kid. That's tragic. He probably got back to Korea after ending his high school here," he was an exchange student after all.
I passed my hand through my hair, "I don't know. After I went to MIT, I wasn't able to get my hands on anything about him. Rhys was his international name, to find him I needed his real one. But it doesn't matter, it's childish. I'll just meet someone who will make me forget him. While that doesn't happen," I grinned, "I'll stay only with my flings."
"Helpless," he got up and kissed my forehead. "I'll keep your secret. And I'm sorry about your first one-sided love. You will get over it, as long as you try to find someone."
I cringed, "Not interested. And I don't want to talk about this anymore. Thank you for the birthday present, I loved it."
"Thank you for all you are doing for me, Tony, Ben, and Cindy. It means a lot to me, Lizzy. Really."
He smiled when I winked, "I'm just doing my all to stay as the best and favorite auntie. Now, leave me to work. Go back and entertain the guests with your dumbness."
"You are such an ass. Try coming for dinner. The CEO wants to meet the entire family. And he's very cool, although kind of introverted. His presence is dominating and he's very handsome."
I glared at him, "I have no interest in becoming acquainted to an old man. Thank you. Now, shoo. I need to work."
"You are such a bitch."
"That's what he said," I mocked.
He slapped his forehead, "I'll pretend you didn't just make that sixth-grade joke. Oh my God. Bye, Lizzy. And try coming for dinner."
"Leave already!"
When he did, I put his present aside, and asked Dove to play Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga. Then I finally got back to my work in peace.
Let's try finishing this one until Friday.
𖣔 𖣔 𖣔
No. I didn't go to the main mansion to have dinner with them. Instead I used that time to work, again, overnight. I was so oblivious by anything else, hyper focused on what I should do to fix the damage of the power generator I was working on, that the kids came to me around 5 am. They always wake up before anyone else in the house.
"Auntie, why are you working so much?" Bruno, who's 3 years old, asked surprising me, so I stopped the song that was playing. Bruno, Alicia, Amelie, Brandon, and Clarice, the 3-year-old squad came to my aid.
"Oh, baby, auntie has to fix all of the… cubes of energies in the villa. You know what gives you light, internet, and allow you to be warm in this cold winter?" They all nodded. "That's a huge energy cube that auntie build for the family. There are around seven, and the storm last week destroyed them. That's why auntie is here."
Clarice gave me a smile that showed the cute windows in her teeth, "So, you are the heroine that will save us, so we don't lose that, auntie?"
I nodded excitedly, "Yes. And I have an important mission to fix all of them in 5 to 6 weeks, which is very very hard. Even for a heroine such as auntie."
They all gasped, understanding what I meant in their own way. "But you still have to eat, auntie!" Alicia exclaimed with her hands on her hips, reminding me too much of Aaron. She really took his genes.
"Yes." Amelie backed her.
Brandon nodded, "Uncle Dean and auntie Kate told us that we have to keep an eye on you because you tend to starve yourself because of work. They say that you get so weirdly excited to work that even forgets to drink water!"
"That is true," Dove spoke, catching their attention. "Freya always forgets and I have to keep reminding her. Freya, darling, you have to eat. Freya, drink water. Freya, my dear, stop depriving yourself from sleep. She's very stubborn for a human."
"Oh my gosh," Amelie yelled. "Auntie what is that?"