Chapter 15 - Trauma

Cassandra no longer worried that Iris would change, but what troubled her now were the rude words she had spoken to Xavier and his friends yesterday when she asked them to cut ties with Iris.

"Dear, yesterday I said something rude to Xavier and his friends..." Cassandra admitted, feeling guilty.

"Rude? What did you say, Grandma?" Iris was curious to know.

Cassandra quickly recounted what she had told Xavier and the others.

Instantly, Iris felt amused upon hearing that. 'Gosh, Grandma finally couldn't hold back her anger anymore, huh?!' She chuckled inwardly, empathizing with her grandmother's emotions as she remembered how foolish young Iris had been.

Trying to reassure her grandma, Iris smiled and said, "Grandma, I know I should stop chasing Xavier, but I can't cut ties with him and his friends so suddenly, can I?" She paused, waiting for her grandma's response.

"They are my classmates, so I will continue to meet and study with them in the future," Iris explains.

"I know. That's why I feel so guilty right now. I hope they don't remember my rant..." Cassandra sighed deeply.

"No worries, Grandma, I will apologize to them."

"Hmm, thank you dear," Cassandra said.

...

Just then, Kevin and Maya approached to inform Cassandra they were ready to open the cafe.

"Iris, Grandma will help them out! Finish your breakfast, and I'll drive you to your college when you're ready." Cassandra said.

Iris was stunned to hear that.

'It's Monday!? How could I forget...' Iris completely forgot about her college activities. One of the things about her new life that made her unhappy was having to go back to college.

In her previous life, she attended an online college, only going to the campus for enrollment and graduation. The rest of her studies were done online. As a result, she had zero experience with attending college in person, surrounded by dozens of people.

However, now she had no choice but to try it. She wasn't sure how well she would adjust, but she will try.

Iris immediately stopped Cassandra. "Grandma, wait... can I borrow your car? I will drive myself. You don't have to bother driving me."

Cassandra halted in her tracks, turning to look at Scarlett with narrowed eyes. "Did you really get all your memories?" A slight frown creased her forehead as she was confused by Iris's sudden idea to drive herself.

'Hah!? Is there something I'm still forgetting?' Iris tried to figure out why her grandmother had asked that. Before she could say anything, she heard her grandma continue her words.

"Aren't you traumatized from driving a car after the accident?" Cassandra asked with concern.

Iris, "..."

Only now did Iris remember her trauma. She nodded slightly, admitting, "I do have trauma, but, as I said, I want to change and become a better person. Overcoming my fear of driving is one of my goals..."

Calmly voicing her decision, Iris couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to Cassandra. The internal conflict weighed heavily on her mind.

"I see," Cassandra smiled warmly. "Alright, but not today, Iris. Grandma will still drive you to your college until you feel ready..." She paused as if thinking about something. "I'll test your driving skills tomorrow. How about that?"

"Hmm, that's perfect, Grandma!" Iris agreed readily. She had no intention of pushing her grandmother. She was also concerned that her grandma might grow suspicious of her sudden change.

After breakfast, Iris rushed to her room to check her schedule on her cell phone. She needed to organize her entire week, adapting her daily routine to her new role as an assassin.

Upon opening her cell phone, Iris sat on her study table — this was the first time she checked her cell phone.

Iris was surprised to find numerous text messages and missed calls. Most of them were received when she was lying in the hospital after the accident. She only glanced at them but didn't read any in detail, focusing only on what she needed to know.

Once she finished checking her schedule, she turned her attention to her finances. She needed money to buy new weapons and clothes because she didn't suit young Iris' clothes.

Opening her wallet with anticipation.

"Goodness!!"

Iris almost choked in shock to discover that her past self had been living in poverty. She only found $12 in her wallet and $29 in her bank account.

"Jeez, Iris, how could you spend money like your last name was Hilton?" she slapped her forehead slightly.

Iris is even more shocked when she realizes that Cassandra gives her an allowance of $1000 a month. While it should be more than sufficient for a teenager living in a small town, she had already spent most of it, and it was only the middle of the month.

Curiosity led her to scan her bank transaction history on her app, where she was horrified to find that she had spent almost all her money on purchases related to her favorite boy band.

Iris threw her phone on the table and opened her laptop. "At least you have a MacBook Pro, Iris..." She smiled. Before long, her fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard, and her eyes remained focused on the screen as she attempted to access her Swiss Bank account.

This was the only bank account she dared to open since the name associated with it was not her real one. She was too wary about accessing her real bank account, fearing that all her assets would be taken away by...

"Who?"

Suddenly, Iris's fingers stopped.

"Who is he? Why can't I remember that person's name at all?"

She gently massaged her temples, striving to recall the name she wanted to remember. However, her efforts were in vain, as if the name had been buried deep in her mind.

After a few minutes of trying to remember, she finally realized something.

A sour smile appeared on her lips, reminiscent of what Gavriel had mentioned last night, "So... my memory loss related to that person? But who is he?"