After her last conversation with Jessica, Irene didn't bother to reach out to her anymore because she sensed that Jessica wasn't on her side.
She could not understand why her best friend seemed to be in support of her mother and not her. Irene realized that she needed to keep away from Jessica for the time being; otherwise, she might end up telling Jessica more of her secrets, especially now that she was suspicious of her being her mother's spy.
With the wind fluttering her cotton curtains, the late winter breeze blew on her face from her window. Irene got up from her bed and quickly did her necessary morning routine before walking to the dining room.
At the dining room, she sat at the big, wide table all by herself, with only six servants standing around, observing if she liked the meal or not. It was just awkward eating with so many servants standing there watching her. While she was used to eating with her family, not having them present still felt strange to her.
Almost as if reading Irene's thoughts, a servant soon walked beside her and asked, "Miss Irene, how is the meal today? Did you enjoy it? Is there anything missing that you would like us to add?"
Yes, there was something missing—maybe her family, Irene thought. She wished she could say that to their faces, but she couldn't. She just gave a quick smile to the servant and muttered in her usual sweet and nice voice, "Yes, the food is perfect. I love it so much. Every day, I get to experience great tastes and different flavors because of you guys."
Irene felt slightly annoyed with herself for always trying to keep up this perfect appearance, talking nicely to everyone and not being able to say anything bad.
Although she didn't like the way she made herself appear, the smiling faces of the servants when she told them she enjoyed their food made her day.
She sighed. Only if her mother could smile like that with her. Her mother was always stern, rarely showing the beautiful set of white teeth she had. That was just her mother's type.
Her mother was not the type with whom one could smile and share secrets like mother and daughter.
"Miss, have a nice day," the maid waved to Irene as she exited the house for school.
"Yeah, you too," Irene replied faintly, walking to the car without turning to recognize the servant's face. Her day was already depressing enough, and she didn't have the energy to be turning back and forth.
As she sat in the car, her mind couldn't help but drift to her mother. Her mother hadn't called her since then, after telling her to make the right decision to marry the person she had chosen for her. Even her mother's sweet scent hadn't lingered in the house since then; it was as if she hardly ever visited.
Could she have gone to stay in one of the villas? Irene wasn't sure. It had always been like this: her mother didn't think of her daughter left at home before deciding to do what she liked.
Irene had decided not to get married, which was her final decision. But she didn't know how her mother would take it. She had always been an obedient child, but not this time.
The car moved toward college with only Irene's firm gaze, which promised rebellion, directed at the moving streets.
---
Inside the classroom, Irene moved towards the teacher's desk to submit her homework. Sadly for her, it was Miss Gloria seated there, giving her a dead glare.
Miss Gloria had been on Irene's case, always looking at her as if she could see through her and knew that she was not what she appeared to be. The woman thought there was no way anyone could be this perfect.
Irene noticed the way the teacher always looked at her, but she didn't care. For now, it was just the woman's thinking. Let her think that way, and Irene wouldn't let her find out the secret of her not being the perfect student and daughter she appeared to be.
Irene's lips curved. No one could truly know her real character—not even her mother could see through her facade, let alone a teacher.
"You better watch out, Miss Perfect. Someday I'll expose your secret," Miss Gloria said to Irene bitterly, her face flattened with a frown as she rudely took Irene's assignment, marking it with her pen in a way that made it seem like she wanted to rip her book apart.
Irene secretly rolled her eyes before answering the teacher, "What have you got on me to expose?" With that, the frown that couldn't be wiped away was plastered on the teacher's face.
Irene returned to her seat, feeling a little satisfaction at upsetting the teacher who always looked for ways to create problems for her.
Returning to her seat, Irene found Lynn waiting. Her second-best friend flashed her a bright smile as she settled into her seat.
Lynn was different from Jessica in many ways. She was simple and humble, unlike Jessica, who always whispered and gossiped. And being a werewolf made everything more interesting about her.
Lynn noticed Irene's mood almost immediately. She set down her book, reaching out to gently rub Irene's shoulder.
"Hey," Lynn said softly. "Rough day?"
Irene let out a sigh, her gaze drifting over the classroom. "You could say that. I'm not really in the mood to be here."
Lynn's grin widened. "Well, we could always ditch class and go on a little shopping spree. There's nothing like spending our parents' money to brighten the day, right?"
The thought brought a genuine smile to Irene's face. Lynn always knew how to make her laugh, and today she needed it. But even with Lynn's playful way of bringing comfort, Irene still felt sad, and it bubbled up in her chest. She couldn't help it; before she knew it, she leaned into Lynn's arms, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.
Without tears, she began to speak, her voice just a little shaky. "It's my mom... she wants me to get married," she complained to Lynn, her tone sounding almost like that of a spoiled child. "And guess who it is?"
Lynn's eyebrows shot up. "No way, who?"
"It's Simeon, the Alpha himself," Irene muttered, bitterness evident in her tone.
After she spoke, Lynn's shock quickly morphed into enthusiasm. "Are you serious, and you're upset? Irene, he's Simeon Kings! Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position?"
Irene didn't answer right away. She hadn't expected Lynn to know Simeon Kings too. Simeon Kings was worshipped by many, known by all of them but not her. Did that make him the perfect partner for her? Wasn't he just a hot hunk? Could she see herself giving up her freedom-loving life for someone like him?
Lynn went as far as bringing out her phone, going to "Simeon Kings' page" and showing Irene posts, photos, edits of him, and lots of girls adoring him. As the phone was pointed in her face, Irene rolled her eyes—she had already seen all of that.
"Simeon Kings is just a fantasy for other girls, not me," she said to Lynn, who playfully hit her shoulder at her words.
"Simeon Kings is the best Alpha you can get. I bet you, as a werewolf myself, that a lot of werewolf girls are in love with him—even human girls too!"
She ruffled Irene's hair, thinking her friend was being stubborn for not liking Simeon Kings.
Irene snapped Lynn's hand off her head and said grumpily, "Yes, all those girls can have him, but not me... I still don't want to marry him!" She pointed a finger at Lynn.
Lynn bent the finger Irene was pointing at her and replied, "Yes, I know you don't want to marry Alpha Simeon Kings, so why are you spending so much time thinking about him? I know you, Irene—you can escape from this marriage without all this drama."
Irene rolled her eyes toward Lynn and muttered under her breath, "You wouldn't understand my plans, Lynn."
"Okay, girl, whatever you say." Lynn raised her hands in playful surrender before taking her book to focus on it.
There was a brief silence.
"Are we still going on a shopping spree?" Irene broke the moment of silence between them.
"Yes," Lynn answered with a smirk, pretending to hide her excitement.