The girls continued giggling, blissfully unaware of Alice's inner monologue.
The brunette leaned in with a saccharine smile. "Also, it's a shame you turned down Vik. At least he's better looking and from a good family."
Okay... that fully got her attention now.
VIK?
As in, the guy from yesterday whom Hades had stabbed?
Aurora had turned him down?
She pinched the bridge between her nose.
Things were getting more... troubling.
The brunette's demeanor shifted, her voice dropping into a warning tone. "Listen up, Malay." Her lip curled as though the word was venomous. "Don't get any ideas about playing smart around here. Just because you married into Wildfire doesn't mean you're one of us."
The redhead chimed in, "You're still just a pauper who got lucky. And trust me, we wouldn't mind putting you back in your place."
Alice kept her tone calm and measured as she asked, "If you two are so high and mighty, why weren't you at my wedding?" She tilted her head mockingly. "Or the Big 20s party for that matter?" If they hadn't been there, it could only mean they weren't that high in rank, would it not?
Also, Hades had been at the Big 20s party that night. Didn't they see him?
The brunette's face twisted in indignation. "We were at the Big 20s!"
Alice blinked in mock surprise. "Oh? Maybe you were just too insignificant for me to remember then."
Her voice was smooth, but inside, she marveled at her own audacity. In truth, she barely remembered anyone from that chaotic night because of how tense she had been. But they didn't need to know that.
The brunette's face flushed with fury. "Watch your mouth, Malay."
"Malay?" Suze approached from behind Alice. "You mean Wildfire," Suzy corrected pointedly as she draped a casual arm over Alice's shoulder while smiling lazily at the two girls.
The redhead's gaze hardened. "Since when did you grow close to her? Didn't you always hate her?"
Suzy shrugged nonchalantly. "She's a weirdo, sure." She tilted her head at Alice. "But now she's my cousin-in-law. So what's the issue?"
Alice's brows twitched. Weirdo? Her???
Well, maybe that was true. Aurora didn't seem like a normal person.
The brunette scoffed, giving Suzy a scathing look. "No wonder you're a B."
Then, without waiting for a response, the two girls clasped hands and strutted away like they were runway models on a revenge mission.
Alice stepped away from Suzy, her expression confused. "B? What does that mean?" She had heard different kinds of insult in her life but never being called a B.
Suzy waved dismissively. "It's one of the estate's many ridiculous things—Elite rankings. You'll probably get your rank soon."
Alice's curiosity piqued. "Rankings? Like... school grades?"
Suzy rolled her eyes. "Worse. It determines how people treat you here. There's A-plus, A, A-minus, B-plus, B, B-minus, and so on, all the way down to F. The rankings consider a bunch of factors—family reputation, social influence, wealth, and standing within the Elite circle."
Alice blinked, baffled. Things just continued to get even more ridiculous in here with each passing hour.
"Who's at the top?"
"There are only three A-plus ranks: the Wildfire Matriarch, Patriarch, and Dawin." Suzy informed her. "Everyone else falls somewhere below that."
Alice tried to process the madness. "And you? B?"
Suzy shrugged. "Just like you heard, I'm a B." She grinned like it was something to be proud of. "The worst ranked lady in this estate. By the way, my parents are A-minus, and weirdly, my twin brother is an A. Total anomaly."
Suzy was the worst ranked lady here?
Now, Alice was a bit curious about the type of person she was to be considered a B which was apparently very bad.
"What about Van and Hades?" Alice asked curiously since Suzy had not mentioned them among the highest grades.
"Van's a B-plus," Suzy replied. "Which is honestly the lowest rank for someone from his immediate family."
Wow. So, not even the Wildfire name could push him up?
Alice blinked in surprise. "Hades ranks higher than him?"
Suzy frowned thoughtfully. "He doesn't have one yet. We do not get our ranks until we are 20, and since he's only just returned to the estate, they'll be giving him a rank pretty soon."
Alice tried to wrap her head around it but they were all too much for her.
Suzy leaned closer, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. "Whatever you do, make sure you're a B+ at least. If you end up as a B like me, considering your family isn't exactly rich, it's over for you in here."
Alice's lips thinned. It never ceased to amaze her how people here viewed the Malay family—a family among the prestigious Big 20s—as poor. But apparently, wealth was relative in this insane estate.
Suzy flashed a sly smile. "Now, good luck getting the cousin to release the details about the criminal. You're gonna need it."
With that, she sauntered away, leaving Alice alone with the weight of her absurd mission as reality came back to her and she looked at the document in her hand.
About 20 minutes later, Alice stood in front of Hades' residence. The sleek, intimidating building loomed in front of her, draped in an eerie morning quietness. She had paced around the driveway at least five times, too paralyzed to press the intercom button.
It was only a few hours ago that she was out here. She could still remember the direction she had run in.
But now, she was here. With a document to give him. She didn't even know if he was in. And if he were, what would she say to him?
"Good morning, Hades! By the way, the estate thinks you're harboring a thief. Oh wait, I am the thief, hahaha! So attend the summon, but don't tell them it was me."
Yeah, that sounded like a death wish. He might stab her in the mouth.
She bit her lip, pacing backward in agitation. She could not do this. She stepped back and bumped hard into something solid.
Her heart nearly flew out of her chest as she yelped, spinning around with wild eyes.
It wasn't a something—it was a someone.
Dawin.
The A-plus Dawin.