"What happened?" Stacey asked the moment Perseus escorted me back to our table.
The hall was now teeming with guests, most of whom clearly belonged to the upper crust of society. One look at the exquisite tailoring of their clothes was enough to confirm their status. I scanned the room, searching for the person my friends claimed was my ex-boyfriend, but I hadn't caught a glimpse of him since we arrived. There wasn't even anyone stationed at the door to greet the newcomers.
"Hey!" Stacey hissed, giving my arm a sharp shake when she realized I hadn't heard her. I blinked rapidly, trying to shield my expression from their predatory, searching stares.
"Aha! The way you're avoiding us tells me everything. Something definitely happened!" Felisse chirped, clapping her hands in triumph. Stacey joined her in a fit of giggles, while Penelope, sitting beside me, merely offered a knowing smile. Around us, the rest of the elite crowd remained absorbed in their own worlds, their laughter and refined chatter filling the air.
I shook my head and looked away, my cheeks beginning to burn. Nothing had really happened, but the mere memory of his gratitude made my face flush with heat. I felt a desperate urge to stand up and bolt outside just to catch a breath of cool air.
"Don't pressure her," Penelope intervened gently. "She'll tell us when she's ready."
But they wouldn't stop. They teased me relentlessly, throwing my own words back at me—how I supposedly didn't care for the man anymore, yet my current flustered state suggested otherwise.
"Nothing happened, I swear," I protested, but my denial only fueled their laughter. I took a slow sip of my water and stared off into the distance, letting their teasing wash over me. If that was what they wanted to believe, there was nothing I could do.
I was just starting to relax when Stacey suddenly squealed.
"Good Lord! If only I could get a feel of those abs! Did you see his IG story the other day? The definition is insane!" She shook my arm again. "So don't you dare tell me there wasn't anything sweet going on!" She squealed again, her eyes fixed on something behind me.
The grin on my face died the moment the smiles vanished from my friends' lips. One look at their stunned expressions told me that the person behind me was definitely not Perseus.
"And what exactly do you mean by that, Stephen?" a voice asked from directly behind me. A hand settled on my shoulder, fingers beginning a slow, rhythmic massage.
Who is this?
I pulled away and turned to face him. The man was of average height, with a deep bronze complexion that seemed to glow under the ballroom chandeliers. His lips were thin, framed by dark, wavy hair that brushed against his neck.
This must be Raven, I thought. The mayor's son. The "ex" of the real Ensley.
I looked at him closely. At first glance, his wealth was loud; he was the type of man who clearly commanded the attention of every woman in the room. Why would the original Ensley have broken up with him? He seemed to have everything. Then I remembered—he was a player.
"Are you just going to stare at me? No hug?" He smirked, opening his arms wide as if waiting for me to fall into them.
I arched an eyebrow, my gaze drifting past him. In the distance, I saw Perseus talking to three other men. He was looking straight at me before shifting his gaze to the man currently speaking. It was Kiefer, accompanied by two other men I didn't recognize.
Raven laughed before suddenly pulling me into a tight embrace. My cheek crashed against his chest, and I froze, my eyes wide. I could feel the radiating heat of his body against my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my friends bristling, looking ready to pull Raven off me.
"Hey, what are—" I started, but I was cut off by a cold voice from behind him.
"Raven, your father is looking for you."
Raven slowly released me and turned toward the speaker. I immediately looked away the moment our eyes met.
"Where is he?" Raven asked, though he kept his body angled toward me, only turning his head.
"He's at the buffet, talking to some businessmen," the man replied, his eyes remaining fixed on me. I could feel his gaze like a physical weight. My friends, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered.
What did I do? Why is he looking at me like that?
"By the way, Ensley, have you met Attorney Villamor?" Raven asked with a smirk, pulling me to his side. "He's our new family lawyer."
"Uh, yeah. We actually live in the same building," I said, offering a tight smile. Perseus nodded curtly. The two exchanged a few more words before Raven excused himself to find his father.
I had never met the mayor. I wondered what he was like.
Perseus gave me one last, unreadable look before turning away with his companions, Kiefer included. Kiefer waved and gave me a bold wink before they disappeared into the crowd.
"Such a flirt," Felisse muttered, taking a sip of her drink.
I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding and rubbed my temples.
"The Attorney's gaze was intense," Stacey whispered, fanning herself. "It looked like he wanted to smack your ex for being so touchy. And he actually called me by my name! My real name! Gosh, Stephen is ancient history!"
So Stephen is his real name?
I stood up and gathered my things. I had made up my mind; I couldn't stay in this place a second longer. I didn't want to come back. I was terrified because I didn't know the rules of this world or how this story was supposed to end.
But what if the flow is the same? I need to do some research once I get home.
"Where are you going? You just got here, Ensley," Felisse said, remaining calmly seated.
I blinked and took a deep breath. "I've suddenly started feeling unwell. I need to go home." I turned and left before they could argue.
With every step toward the exit, my heart hammered against my ribs. I felt a strange sense of paranoia, as if someone were chasing me. When I reached the road, I looked left and right, but the street was deserted. No taxis, no shuttles.
Now what?
I shielded my eyes as a pair of headlights cut through the dark. A familiar car pulled up to the curb.
"Guess you need a ride again, Ms. Dela Merced?"
I recognized that voice instantly. As my eyes adjusted, I saw the familiar car and the man inside. He was adjusting his glasses before looking back at the road. Hadn't he left the venue ages ago?
"Oh, yes. I was just waiting for a taxi," I said, looking away.
I heard him sigh. He cleared his throat and looked at me. "Let's go. Get in."
I hesitated. Did he really want to drive me again? "It's fine! I can wait for a cab."
"I'm not letting you commute dressed like that, especially when you're alone. You attract attention far too easily," Perseus said, his voice dropping an octave as he stared out into the dark.
"So you're saying I attract you easily?" I challenged, arching an eyebrow.
"I said boys, Ms. Dela Merced. Not men." He smirked, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
The arrogance of his reply left me speechless. Flustered and embarrassed, I decided to stop arguing. "Fine." I walked around the car and climbed into the passenger seat.
The ride home was draped in a heavy silence. Neither of us spoke, much like the ride to the party. I preferred the quiet; it seemed that whenever we spoke, we ended up at odds.
When we reached the basement of the condo, I muttered a quick thanks and bolted toward the elevator. I slowed down when I ran into the three men Perseus had been talking to earlier. Aside from Kiefer, I didn't know the other two.
"Attorney! No wonder you took so long!" Kiefer shouted with a grin, his eyes darting between me and Perseus, who was now walking up behind me.
One man with styled hair leaned lazily against the elevator wall, while the other was busy inspecting his manicured nails.
"Long time no see, Ms. Dela Merced!" Kiefer opened his arms wide as if expecting a hug. I simply took his hand and gave it a polite shake, then stood quietly to the side to wait for the lift.
"We see her every day, Kiefer," a cold voice said.
Every day? I've only just met them.
We entered the elevator, which was filled only with the sound of Kiefer's voice. He seemed incapable of silence.
"You're so noisy, Kiefer," the quiet man behind him muttered. "We're going to the 40th floor. My ears will bleed if you don't stop."
"Oh, Axel, he never stops when there's a girl around," the man with the manicured nails added in a high, dramatic tone.
"You two always ruin the mood! Especially you, Rafa!" Kiefer snapped back.
Perseus, standing next to me, lowered his head and rubbed his temples, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"I am going to give all of you exactly one minute to shut the fuck up," he said, his jaw tight as he stared at his reflection in the elevator door.
"Especially this one," Kiefer whispered, and I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. I immediately covered my mouth when they all turned to look at me.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
We reached our floor in silence. They clearly weren't just ordinary people; there was something powerful about them.
"Bye, miss! Until next time!" Kiefer shouted as they turned the corner.
Once I was inside and ready for bed, I collapsed onto my mattress. I needed to go back. Was it really this simple? Just falling asleep to jump between worlds?
I closed my eyes and waited. When I opened them again, the sounds of my original world greeted me. I heard my parents' voices—low, calm, yet serious. I got up and found them in the kitchen, hunched over coffee with worried expressions. They stopped talking the moment they saw me.
"Aren't you going to work? You have a shift today," my mother said, her eyebrows raised.
"Later. After lunch," I replied, avoiding her gaze. "I'm going to a computer shop first to do some research."
It was Saturday, and my only obligation was my shift at the milk tea shop.
"Here, child," my father said, handing me three hundred pesos. "For the computer, and for your snack at work."
"Dad, where did this come from?"
"The cockfights. I got lucky today," he said with a smile. He kissed my forehead and went into his room.
My mother's gaze turned sharp. She held out her hand, the other resting on her hip. "Give me the three hundred."
My grip on the money tightened. A surge of anger toward her behavior—toward her greed—washed over me. "But Dad gave this to me."
"I don't care. Don't make a scene or tell your father. Just give it over." She grabbed my arm and forcibly took the money. "Now go."
I watched her pocket the cash. Sometimes I wondered if she was really my mother. She treated me like a stranger.
I was wiping away tears as I stared at the monitor in the computer shop. I came straight here after getting ready.
"Extend PC number 5!" a boy shouted to my right.
I tried to focus on my search. I had been looking for minutes, trying to find anything that explained what was happening to me, but there was nothing. No stories, no forums, nothing even remotely similar to my situation. I ruffled my hair in frustration. Even the plot of Underground Associates seemed to have vanished from the internet. It was as if someone was intentionally hiding the truth from me.
I looked around for help and turned to the boy who had just asked for more time.
"Hey, kid, could you—"
"You're so stupid, Christian!" he suddenly screamed, slamming his hands on the keyboard and laughing.
"You're just bragging because you have the most kills!" the other kid snapped.
They were far too absorbed in their game to help me.
"Miss! The one on PC number 6!"
I turned. I was the only one on number six. The person calling me signaled for me to come over. I hesitated but eventually walked over, thinking it might be about the computer. He was scrolling through his Facebook feed.
"You look like you need help. What is it?" he asked without looking up.
"I'm trying to find some research. I can't find anything."
"Is that so?"
"It's just a summary of a story called Underground Associates. I need it for a project," I said, clasping my hands behind my back.
The man cleared his throat and finally looked at me. He nearly fell out of his chair. He blinked several times, his eyes locked on mine. He swallowed hard and sat up straight, his gaze darting between me and his monitor. He typed quickly, but even he found nothing.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. His face was flushed. "Sorry. I can't find anything either. It's strange, that story used to be so popular."
I sighed. It seemed I really wouldn't find any clues about the original plot. I thanked him and left, heading toward my job. It was close, but I'd still be late if I walked.
Kulas met me at the shop, handing me my apron and hairnet. The shop was getting crowded, so I jumped straight into work. We spent hours on our feet, catering to a stream of demanding customers. One woman even made a scene over a misspelled name.
"It's Cherryl, miss, not Sheryl! C-H-E-R-R-Y-L! I order here all the time and you still can't get it right? My gosh, I was going to post this on my story!" she complained loudly, shoving the cup back at us.
"With the number of customers we see every day, do you really expect me to memorize your name?" I asked politely but firmly.
Kulas stepped up behind me, resting a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. The woman looked shocked, her anger flaring even more.
"We'll just change the cup. Our apologies," Kulas said, pulling me toward the kitchen. He immediately gave me a glass of water and a small slice of cake.
"Where did the cake come from?" I asked, looking at the dessert and then at Kulas, who was blushing while writing the woman's name on a new cup.
"It's his birthday," Ira said from across the kitchen while she prepped a pizza.
My eyes widened and I gave Kulas a quick hug. He stiffened, and Ira laughed at his reaction.
"Happy Birthday!" I said. He gave me a shy pat on the back, and I let go.
"Unfair! You only gave him a hug, not me," Ira grumbled.
"My mom told me to be nice!" Kulas shouted as he rushed out of the kitchen to deliver the order.
"Right! As if I didn't know you had a crush on Ley," Ira teased.
I frowned and looked at Kulas as he walked back in. "Huh? No way. That's impossible."
I had always seen Kulas as a friend. Surely he felt the same way.
"Ouch! Got friend-zoned immediately!" Ira said, dramatically clutching her chest.
"Shut up!" Kulas barked, throwing a rag at her.
No, it was impossible. But even if it were true, I knew I would have to turn him down.