Iril watched her cousin's movements carefully.
Even though Ren seemed like his usual self, Iril was sure that he was happy.
"Did you make a lot of money?"
Iril finally asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
Ren raised an eyebrow with a puzzled expression, not understanding Iril's question.
"You look so happy. So I thought you must have made a lot of money,"
Iril explained his reasoning.
Ren sat down across from Iril, bringing his cup of coffee with him.
"Is money the only thing that can make someone happy?"
Ren responded.
"Hmmm… yeah, you right ! Only Serena would definitely be overjoyed if she got a lot of money,"
Iril muttered in agreement, nodding his head.
Then, Ren suddenly recalled what had happened earlier that afternoon—when Serena had looked at him enviously because he had a lot of money.
He chuckled at the memory.
Iril's eyes widened in disbelief.
His usually cold and indifferent cousin was actually laughing?
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Iril was truly shocked.
"What?!"
Ren asked, confused by his cousin's reaction.
"You can laugh too, huh?"
Iril replied briefly, still looking at him in disbelief.
Ren just glanced at Iril before picking up the TV remote from the table and turning on the news.
"Ren, why did you laugh just now?"
Iril asked again, too curious to let it go.
Ren remained silent, ignoring her completely.
Seeing that his cousin wasn't responding, Iril started thinking back—what were they talking about before Ren suddenly laughed?
As Iril retraced the conversation, a realization struck her like a lightning bolt.
"You… you… you…"
Iril stammered, utterly shocked by the conclusion she had reached.
Ren continued to ignore her , his eyes fixed on the news.
"Don't tell me… you like Serena?!"
Iril finally blurted out.
Ren turned to look at her , slightly surprised that Iril had guessed so accurately.
"So?"
Ren responded nonchalantly, without denying it.
"OH MY GOD!!!"
Iril screamed in disbelief when Ren didn't refute her accusation.
SHe didn't know how to react.
One was her cousin, the other her best friend.
To Iril, Serena was too beautiful and kind for Ren, a man who spent his days buried in work and, in Iril's opinion, lacked any understanding of human emotions.
"Why are you reacting like that? Do you think I'm not good enough for Serena?"
"Yup, exactly,"
Iril answered without hesitation.
"..."
Ren was speechless.
Deciding that the opinion of a kid wasn't worth acknowledging, he went back to ignoring his cousin.
(Author's note: He doesn't realize that Serena and Iril are the same age. 😅)
____________________
Meanwhile…
Frau couldn't believe what he was reading in the report he staff had compiled.
A report about who Tom Hard was and where he got the funds to manipulate the West family into obeying his orders.
He never expected that Ren's temporary assistant was actually the granddaughter of one of the wealthiest men in City A.
A sly smirk spread across Frau's face.
He couldn't wait to see Ren's reaction when he found out.
With a smile on his lips, he eagerly anticipated tomorrow.
_____________________
Elsewhere, in a place untouched by light…
A man lay battered and bruised on the cold floor.
Judging by the wounds on his body and face, he had been beaten so badly that even speaking was impossible.
David never imagined that life in prison would turn into hell after tonight.
_________________
That Night…
Since Elena and Darian had gone out on a date, Serena chose to watch a horror movie alone in the living room.
Even though her eyes were on the TV, her mind was elsewhere.
She couldn't stop thinking about what she had accidentally witnessed that afternoon—her mother and Darian making out.
Serena desperately wished she could scrub her eyes clean and erase that memory from her mind.
If it had just been a light kiss, she wouldn't have cared.
But what she saw earlier? It was as if Darian was devouring Elena.
"Ugh…"
She groaned, wishing she could erase the image from her mind.
Serena was certain that if she hadn't come home and had gone back to her dorm instead, Darian would have completely devoured Elena clean.
However, what surprised Serena even more was how her already beautiful mother somehow looked even more stunning afterward.
She had never imagined that Elena could have such an alluring gaze.
"Ughhh… I must have been single for too long if I have time to think about Mom and Darian's love life,"
Serena muttered to herself.
Now that she thought about it, she had never been in a relationship before.
"Should I start looking for a boyfriend?"
She wondered aloud.
But as soon as she remembered that her current problems were far from over, she quickly shook her head.
"Focus, S! Focus! There are still things you don't know. Mom isn't completely safe yet."
Pushing aside all distractions, Serena forced herself to concentrate on the one thing that mattered most.
_________________
Morning...
The sound of a phone ringing made Elena frown in annoyance, disturbing her sleep.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.
Noticing that she was alone in the hotel room, Elena was momentarily confused.
Then, hearing sounds coming from the bathroom, she remembered—she and Darian had spent the night at a hotel instead of going home.
The memory of their wild night made her face flush red.
But the phone rang again, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Irritated, she picked up the call.
However, when she saw that it was an unknown number, she froze.
Even though Elena was a veterinarian, she only gave out her work number to clients.
Her personal number was reserved for close friends and family.
So why was a stranger calling her?
Curious, she answered.
"Hello?"
Elena greeted.
"Elena, it's me, Lydia."
Hearing that name made Elena's expression instantly turn cold .
_____________