Chapter 153
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Eliana listened to Irene’s words and could only smile as she replied, “Alright, my dear. I’ll wait for you at my company’s entrance.”
“Great!” Irene replied cheerfully, clearly pleased that Eliana had agreed.
After hanging up, Eliana quickly got herself ready and headed out.
It was obvious that Irene had already been on her way when she called.
So Eliana didn’t have to wait long before Irene’s car pulled up.
Eliana opened the door and slid into the seat, and Irene immediately started venting, “Seriously, it’s just too much. Eliana, you have no idea how messed up those b*stards really are.”
“Forget about anyone else. Let’s talk about my parents first. From the moment I was born, they didn’t want me just because I was a girl.
“They were ready to throw me away. If it weren’t for my grandma, who brought me here and pleaded with our relatives to take me in, I don’t know where I’d be,” Irene said.
“You can’t even imagine. Just so I could survive and go to school in this city, my grandma actually got down on her knees for them.
“She handed over every penny she’d saved from years of harvesting rice and wheat, begging them with just one request that let me go to school,” Irene continued.
“Back then, they didn’t care about me at all. They didn’t even care whether I lived or died,” Irene added.
“Honestly, after all these years living under their roof, I can’t say I really hated them for how they treated me. At least they kept their promise to my grandma and always let me go to school,” Irene said.
“But you know what really gets me? It’s them. Back then, they couldn’t care less about me, but now that my life is finally looking up, they’re all over me like flies,” Irene complained.
Eliana knew Irene was talking about her real parents.
Eliana thought, ‘If it hadn’t been for her grandma, Irene probably would’ve been abandoned a long time ago.
‘So out of all her relatives, the only one she really considered family was her grandma.
‘Sometimes, people are just weird like that. Irene, who always seemed like a little ray of sunshine, actually had the roughest life out of all of us.
‘But maybe it was those tough times that made her so strong.
‘Even now, as she ranted, Irene was just pissed off. There wasn’t a hint of self–pity in her at all‘
Eliana knew how Irene was, so she didn’t get sucked into any sad vibes. Instead, she grinned and teased. “If they’re flies, then what does that make you?”
“A real favorite,” Irene replied, totally straight–faced.
Eliana looked at her and couldn’t help but laugh. “Yep. Everyone wants a bite of our Irene.
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Chapter 153
“That’s right! So our job today is to get rid of these flies,” Irene said, hands on the wheel.
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“Honestly, I don’t even need to meet the guy they’re trying to set me up with. I can already tell he’s a b*stard,” Irene snorted.
“You probably haven’t seen just how low they can go, but once you see him for yourself, you’ll understand,” Irene went on.
“I haven’t even met him yet, but just hearing their descriptions, I can already tell he’s a total loser,” Irene said.
Irene’s voice grew more serious. “Anyway, we’ll work together. You make me sound as awful as possible, freak him out, and then we’ll bail.”
“Deal! Once we scare him off, dinner’s on you,” Eliana replied, just as seriously.
“Eliana, where did you learn to always score a free meal like this?” Irene teased.
But Irene still agreed without hesitation. “But seriously, if you can get rid of this guy, you can pick any place you want. It’s all
on me.”
“Alright, just watch me work,” Eliana said, her tone playful. But when she glanced at Irene, there was real concern in her eyes.
Eliana thought, ‘That was just Irene. Even when she was feeling totally overwhelmed inside, she’d never bring anyone else down with her.
‘But because I knew her so well, my heart just ached for her.
‘So this time, no matter what kind of creeps or weirdos showed up, I’m dead set on helping Irene chase them off for good.
‘I knew better than anyone just how much Irene had busted her ass to hold her own at that law firm in Ockgend.
‘There was no way I would let anyone ruin everything Irene had worked so hard for.
Lost in thought, they arrived at the mall parking lot.
Irene parked the car, and when she turned around, she caught Eliana giving her this super intense look. Irene instantly freaked out, “Eliana, why are you staring at me like that? You’re kinda scary right now. Don’t tell me you’re crushing on me or something?”
Eliana couldn’t help but crack up at Irene’s reaction.
“Honestly, you’re super cute, and I totally adore you, but I’ve already got Nathan,” Eliana teased.
As soon as Eliana said that, Irene immediately hugged her arms to her chest.
“Ugh… Eliana, when did you get so weird?” Irene teased.
“No way, I’m telling Nathan!” Irene threatened.
“Don’t you dare!” Eliana blurted out, suddenly nervous. “Irene, if you tell him, I’ll…”
“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?” Irene shot back, lifting her chin defiantly.
Eliana hesitated. The words stuck in her throat.
Eliana had once blurted out “let’s cut ties” to Irene in her previous life, and it was one of her biggest regrets.
This time, even as a joke, Eliana couldn’t bring herself to even say it.
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Chapter 153
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Instead, she hugged Irene’s arm tightly and said with all seriousness, “Then I’ll just crash at your place every day, eat your food, and freeload off you.”
Irene could tell Eliana had swallowed those words, so she gave her nose a playful poke. “At least you’ve still got a bit of a conscience, you little troublemaker.”
“If you ever actually said that, you’d seriously drive me crazy,” Irene said, half–joking, half–serious.
Then Irene gave Eliana a pointed look and said, “But for real, are you and Nathan back together? What’s the deal now?”
Eliana met her gaze, cleared her throat, and replied, “I just agreed to let him pursue me.”
“Well, well, well. Look at you now…” Irene teased, her voice full of mock disbelief.
Knowing Irene was about to say something outrageous, Eliana quickly covered her mouth. “Alright, enough. Let’s handle the real stuff first.”
Irene nodded. “Yeah, let’s get down to business first.”
With that, she pulled down the mirror, whipped out her makeup kit, and started giving herself a hilariously awful makeover.
Eliana knew Irene was doing it on purpose to make herself look hideous, but even though she was ready for it, when Irene finally turned to face her, she couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Eliana couldn’t help but laugh.
Eliana was laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach, barely able to breathe. “Irene, you savage! If you show up looking like that, that poor guy’s gonna have nightmares for weeks.”
“That would be even better,” Irene said with a wicked grin.
‘Honestly, I just hope he goes back and makes them pay for it,” she added.
With that, Irene got out of the car, rocking that disaster of a makeup job like it was no big deal.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
