Ivan opened his eyes groggily and grunted, feeling disoriented and weak. He squinted his eyes when he was greeted with sudden brightness, unable to adjust to it. Squinting made him realize how heavy his eyelids were.The initial whirlwind of confusion subsided quite quickly, but the grogginess remained for some time. His senses were messed up, and his perception, balance, and reaction were extremely sluggish. He felt extremely befuddled and couldn't recuperate quickly.He could see the to and fro movement of some people, but he couldn't make out their faces.Then his senses started coming back to him one at a time, as if his brain was going through some kind of reset. First, his hearing came back "online," and the buzz of the group started to register in his brain.After that, his mindfulness started to kick in as he began to piece together what happened. Then a numbing sensation surged, and he heard a slight ringing in his ears. He looked beside him and saw the blurry silhouette of a

After trying to open the door and finding it wouldn't budge, Ivan started knocking. Suddenly, the door was opened."What are you doing here?" Ivan asked furiously.To his surprise, it was Jasmine who opened the door.Ivan was bewildered, and when he remembered what Jasmine had done the other day, he scowled in fury. He had tried to explain that day, but nobody believed him.He knew that Lucy, at least, knew he would never do something like that. But because she was looking for ways to humiliate him, she didn't allow him to explain.He felt indignant, but he didn't plan to explain himself anymore. When he saw Jasmine again, his anger was justified and understandable.Jasmine was unbothered by his anger and stood still with her arms folded. She saw Ivan as nothing more than a pawn and a stepping stone. If she could continue to use him, she believed her time as a maid would soon be over.She also knew that Ivan wouldn't be able to do anything to her, so she was unbothered by his threats

"Ivan, it's me. Long time no see."The voice at the other end was sing-song-like, caressing the earlobes like a rose petal, soothing and gentle like a breeze. The voice had a magnetic quality that drew people in, carrying warmth and positivity. Smooth and rich like a symphony, it was as hypnotic as velvet.Just by listening to the voice, one could imagine how beautiful its owner must be. Any other man would have had a nosebleed just from hearing it, but Ivan? Let's not go there.Ivan smiled when he heard the voice; he already knew who the woman was. She was his only female friend with such a lovely voice, capable of leaving a lasting impression on anyone.Their class monitor, Evelyn."Eve? How are you doing?""Don't fucking ask me how I'm doing. You didn't even ask about me, and you call yourself my friend? Who does that? You never cared about me, and you still have the audacity to ask how I'm doing?" She yelled, and Ivan had to hold the phone away from his ear with a helpless smile.

"Will you let me talk?" Ivan asked angrily, and Lucy remained silent, realizing that she seemed to have misunderstood him. However, she was not remorseful; she simply wanted to hear what Ivan had to say.Ivan clenched his teeth to control his anger. He couldn't lose his temper because he needed Lucy to agree with his request first."Just so you know, you're wrong. I didn't stop you to ask for a ride at all, so don't be delusional. Since we'll be attending the class gathering together, I just want to tell you to behave yourself. Let's pretend we don't know each other, as if it's been so long since we've seen each other, as if we're not leaving together in the first place.""Just ignore me and do your own thing. I'll do the same. Unless you have to talk to me because you're told to, don't talk to me at all. We'll go there separately, so no one will find anything suspicious or know that we're related or were once in a relationship or anything like that.""So, let's maintain that. Don't t

With how mysteriously Evelyn was behaving, Ivan had already guessed who she was talking about, but he pretended as if he did not know anything."Who are we waiting for? Who could make our class monitor wait like this? I can't remember someone like that," Ivan said, and Evelyn smiled."It's someone that you know very well, and I'm sure you'll be very surprised when you see the person," Evelyn said before playfully sticking out her lips like a naughty kid, making Ivan shake his head in helplessness and amusement.Ivan smiled calmly and stood behind Evelyn so that they could wait together."You are still as beautiful as ever," Ivan suddenly complimented her. He wasn't being sarcastic, nor was he saying it for any particular reason. He just felt that he should compliment her because he hadn't done so earlier.Evelyn was startled and couldn't react in time. But when she realized what he had just said, she quickly averted her gaze from him, and her cheek turned crimson like an overcooked sh