I celebrated like there's no tomorrow.
Just by myself, of course.
I cranked up the music in my study room—full blast.
Threw on my comfiest, most ridiculous pajamas.
Grabbed a huge tub of ice cream from the giant fridge.
And just—
partied.
Dancing terribly, singing loudly off-key, flailing around like a wild creature with absolutely zero shame.
Because today?
Today, I deserved it.
I even did the victory dance I swore I'd never let anyone see.
(It was awful. Spectacularly awful. But that wasn't the point.)
I spun around with a spoon in my hand like it was a microphone, yelling lyrics that made absolutely no sense, the ice cream half-melting all over my face.
Freedom.
Victory.
Sweet, sweet academic revenge.
At some point, I dramatically collapsed on the fluffy carpet, laughing breathlessly to myself.
I survived college midterms.
I survived being engaged to the biggest, most annoying heir in the world.
I survived the chaos that was my life.
Nothing could touch me right now.
I sprawled there for a while, grinning like an idiot, not even caring about the mess I made.
Until—
I realized something.
It was... a little too quiet.
Too still.
Slowly, I sat up.
And spotted Aurelius leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in pure amusement.
Oh no.
He saw everything.
"I thought you said you were celebrating by yourself," he said, smirking.
I turned about five shades of red.
"I—I am!" I protested, wiping ice cream off my chin with the sleeve of my hoodie. "You're the one who invaded!"
He chuckled, sauntering into the room like he owned it.
(Technically, he did pay for the mansion, so maybe he had a point.)
"I was just checking if you needed backup," he said smoothly, taking the half-eaten ice cream from my hand and stealing a bite without permission. "Clearly, you're handling it well."
I glared at him half-heartedly but couldn't even stay mad.
Because somehow, even stealing my ice cream, even teasing me, even smirking like a devil—
He still made my heart do stupid things.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," I muttered, snatching the ice cream back.
He laughed and sank down beside me on the carpet, ruffling my hair again like I was some proud little kitten.
"You deserve more than just ice cream," he said, voice a little softer now.
I blinked up at him suspiciously.
"What are you planning?"
Instead of answering, he pulled out his phone and tapped something quickly.
Five minutes later—
the doorbell rang.
I frowned.
Aurelius just gave me a secretive smile and stood up.
"Come on. It's time you celebrate properly."
Confused but curious, I followed him to the front door.
When we opened it—
I gaped.
There, standing proudly on the porch, was a mountain of neatly wrapped gift boxes, balloons floating everywhere, and—
"SURPRISE!"
Phelia, Xavier, Simon, Aurora, and Lucien popped out from behind the pile, grinning from ear to ear.
I just stood there, stunned.
"You guys...!!" I gasped.
"You thought you could party without us?" Phelia cackled, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.
"Congrats, Callista!" Xavier grinned, slapping my back hard enough to nearly knock the ice cream out of my hands.
"Top 1%!" Simon whooped. "That's our girl!"
Aurora and Lucien ran up, hugging my legs like two adorable little koalas.
Aurelius watched quietly, a warm, rare smile on his face.
And just like that—
My lonely little victory party exploded into the most chaotic, wonderful celebration ever.
Laughing, shouting, chasing each other around the mansion, blasting music louder than ever—
We celebrated like the world was ending.
And honestly?
For the first time in a long, long time—
I felt truly, genuinely happy.
After the chaos calmed down a little, and after I made sure none of the balloons had exploded yet, I turned to my friends, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
"Wait a second," I said, pointing my spoon at them like it was a sword.
"You three are also majoring in Computer Science! What about your exam results?"
Phelia, Xavier, and Simon exchanged a look.
That guilty, mischievous, oh-we're-about-to-get-caught look.
I crossed my arms.
"I'm waiting."
Simon scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
Phelia looked away, pretending to examine a random painting on the wall.
Xavier just chuckled nervously.
"Spill," I demanded.
Finally, Xavier raised his hand dramatically, like a soldier admitting defeat.
"We... uh..."
He coughed.
"We passed?"
"Yeah! Passed!" Phelia said quickly, nodding way too fast. "Totally passed! No issues whatsoever!"
Simon muttered under his breath, "Barely..."
I caught that.
I definitely caught that.
"You guys barely passed?!" I said, half horrified, half trying not to laugh.
"Hey, passing is passing!" Xavier protested, throwing his arms up. "No one asked how we crossed the finish line. Just that we did."
"And besides," Phelia said, puffing her chest dramatically, "we're survivors! Warriors! We fought against the evil forces of deadlines, sleepless nights, and brutal professors!"
Simon added with a serious nod, "I only cried three times during that exam."
"...Only three?" I blinked.
"That's an improvement from last semester," he said proudly.
I couldn't help it.
I burst out laughing.
I laughed so hard I almost dropped my ice cream again.
These guys.
Absolute disasters.
But somehow, still brilliant.
"I'm proud of you," I said honestly, grinning at them.
They looked surprised for a moment, then smiled back.
"Group of geniuses," Phelia said smugly, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Even if we are barely functioning half the time."
"Cheers to us," Xavier said, raising an invisible glass.
"To surviving Computer Science!" Simon added.
"To chaos, sleepless nights, and somehow still kicking butt!" I declared, laughing.
We all "clinked" our invisible glasses together with ridiculous solemnity.
Meanwhile, Aurelius watched from the background, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
It was messy.
It was chaotic.
It was ridiculous.
And it was perfect.
It was already 1:34 a.m. by the time the night finally wound down.
I was way too sleepy to even stand properly.
We made sure Aurora and Lucien were safely sent back to the Valemont Estate where they belonged, escorted by both LUMENN's men and Aurelius's loyal bodyguards.
(Trust me, with that many guards around, even a mosquito couldn't get near them.)
My friends—Phelia, Xavier, and Simon—headed back to Cute Kitten's Café, their second home and the secret front for LUMENN's base.
Phelia even dragged Xavier and Simon out by the ears because they refused to leave without another round of hot chocolate.
Finally, it was just me, in the huge mansion that somehow felt too big and too quiet after all that chaos.
I collapsed onto the giant, fluffy couch, exhausted beyond belief.
Barely moving.
Barely breathing.
A few seconds later, the multi-purpose bodyguards swooped in like a silent, professional army.
Someone draped a thick, warm blanket over me.
Another gently handed me a cup of hot tea.
Someone else adjusted the lights to a soft, cozy glow.
I think another even tucked a pillow under my head.
They pampered me like I was made of glass.
And you know what?
For once—
I didn't even mind.
I was too tired to fight it.
I just closed my eyes, sipping the tea slowly, feeling my body finally relax for the first time in what felt like forever.
Maybe...maybe being spoiled isn't so bad once in a while...
I thought I heard a low chuckle nearby.
Cracking one eye open, I saw Aurelius standing by the window, arms crossed, watching everything unfold with an amused expression.
"You look like a kitten being tucked into bed," he said teasingly.
I was too sleepy to come up with a snarky comeback.
Instead, I mumbled into the blanket, "Your fault... for sending an army of bodyguards."
He just smirked and walked over, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.
"Sleep, Callista," he said softly. "You've earned it."
And for once, without arguing, without overthinking, without fighting the stubbornness in me—
I closed my eyes and drifted off, surrounded by warmth, safety, and the strange but oddly comforting chaos of my ridiculous, wonderful life.
By the time I finally cracked open my eyes, the sun was already pouring through the tall windows like golden syrup.
I blinked at the clock across the room.
11:03 a.m.
I froze.
"WHAT?!" I screeched, jolting upright so fast the blanket flew off me.
I never sleep this late.
Like, ever.
Even after pulling all-nighters, I usually woke up by 9 a.m. at the latest.
Panicking a little, I scrambled off the couch—only to find a small table next to me with a silver tray on top:
freshly baked croissants, fruit, and a glass of orange juice.
There was also a tiny, handwritten note placed neatly beside it.
'Rest well, future Mrs. Valemont. You deserve it. —A'
I crumpled the note in my hand, blushing furiously.
"Not Mrs. Valemont yet!!" I growled to no one in particular.
Then I noticed it—
The mansion.
It was even cleaner than last night.
Everywhere gleamed like a five-star hotel.
There were fresh flowers in the vases.
Soft instrumental music played quietly from the speakers.
And the multi-purpose bodyguards?
They were moving around silently like trained professionals—some dusting, some polishing, some even tending to the garden through the massive glass doors.
One of them noticed I was awake and immediately bowed.
"Good morning, Ms. Moreau. Would you like breakfast in the garden?"
I stared at him, feeling completely overwhelmed.
Pampered.
Spoiled.
Treated like royalty.
"...Sure," I mumbled, still in a daze.
I wasn't used to this.
At all.
Still barefoot and with messy bed hair, I shuffled behind him toward the garden, where a beautiful breakfast table was already set up under a huge white parasol.
Aurelius was already there, sitting casually, sipping his coffee like he ruled the entire world.
(Which, honestly, he kind of did.)
He looked up when he saw me and grinned.
"You're late."
I scowled and sat down heavily in the chair across from him.
"Whose fault do you think that is, pampering me like a literal princess?"
He just shrugged, unbothered.
"I don't see a problem."
I sighed dramatically, picked up a croissant, and stuffed my mouth with it, glaring at him the whole time.
This man.
This ridiculous, smug man.
And yet—
Maybe…
Just maybe.
Being treated like this wasn't so bad.
Maybe it was even...
nice.
It was the weekend, and I could finally afford to oversleep without any consequences.
I stretched lazily, the warmth of the sun on my skin making it hard to even want to get up. But as I sat there, my mind wandered back to Aurelius—the 27-year-old who had been teasing me relentlessly.
A part of me still couldn't believe I was engaged to someone so much older than me. Yet, the more he teased me, the more I found myself wanting to turn the tables.
I glanced over at him, sitting casually on the opposite side of the garden, his eyes focused on his coffee.
Hmm, I thought to myself, a mischievous grin slowly creeping across my face.
It was time to take revenge. Real, sweet, well-deserved revenge.
I stood up slowly, letting my steps be deliberate.
Not a normal walk.
But something far more... seductive.
My hips swayed with every step, and I could feel his gaze following me—intense, curious, and just a little confused.
But I wasn't going to let that stop me.
Reaching him, I didn't pause.
Instead, I climbed onto his lap, straddling him.
I faced him, letting the tension between us build with every second.
Aurelius's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't move.
His breath hitched slightly, but he kept that smug smirk on his face—though I could see the flicker of realization in his eyes.
I reached up and gently lifted his chin, forcing him to look directly at me.
"You've been teasing me a lot," I murmured, my voice low, laced with the promise of something new.
His lips twitched, clearly enjoying the shift in dynamic.
"Revenge, huh?" he said, voice amused but still heavy with something more. "Is this how you plan on getting back at me?"
I didn't answer him directly.
Instead, I leaned in closer, our faces mere inches apart, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch.
I could feel his breath mingling with mine, the space between us growing tighter.
And just when I thought he might lean in, pull me closer, or say something to throw me off course…
I smirked and gently whispered, "This is just the beginning."
Then, without another word, I climbed off his lap and stood in front of him, eyes still locked onto his, watching for his reaction.
Aurelius blinked, momentarily stunned. His face was a mixture of surprise and something else—desire, amusement, and maybe even a little admiration. He leaned back slightly, giving me that rare, intrigued smile.
"You are full of surprises, Callista," he murmured, his voice still low.
"Next time," I said with a playful grin, "Don't mess with me so much."
And then, before he could say anything else, I sauntered away, leaving him slightly dazed and definitely speechless.
For once, I had the upper hand.
As I walked a few steps away, feeling very pleased with myself, I decided to push my luck even further.
I turned back to face him, crossing my arms and cocking my head slightly.
"Aurelius," I called out sweetly, "I have a very important question for you."
He raised a brow, still sitting there on the chair like a king who just got publicly dethroned by his cheeky queen.
(Which, to be honest, felt amazing.)
"And what might that be, little dove?" he said, his voice dripping with amusement.
I smirked.
"Are you a green flag..." —I paused dramatically, watching his lips curve in anticipation—
"...or a red flag?"
For a moment, there was silence.
The sunlight glinted off his silver hair, his golden eyes watching me, calculating.
Then—
He chuckled lowly.
Deep, rich, and absolutely shameless.
"A red flag," he answered without hesitation, his voice dropping an octave lower. "Always have been, always will be."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze locking onto mine like a predator sizing up his prey.
"But," he added, tilting his head slightly, "I'm your red flag now."
I felt my cheeks flush instantly.
WHAT?!
I opened my mouth to retort but nothing came out except a frustrated squeak.
He smirked even wider, clearly savoring every second of my flustered reaction.
"Regret asking yet?" he teased, tapping two fingers lightly against his chin as if mocking me.
I gritted my teeth, trying to act composed even though I wanted to throw a pillow at his ridiculously handsome face.
"You," I said, pointing at him accusingly, "are unbelievable."
"And you," he said smoothly, "are mine."
I almost exploded right then and there.
Instead, I spun around on my heel and stomped back toward the house, shouting behind me:
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, RED FLAG!"
His laughter followed me all the way inside.
End of Chapter 24.