Chapter 14: Will Never Fall In Love With Him!
Gavriel's words left Iris even more bewildered. Just as she was about to ask further, Gavriel continued speaking.
"Now that you are safe, I will end the call. Goodbye!" The connection abruptly severed, leaving the phone screen blank.
"What the heck! That grumpy Gavriel... How dare he throw such confusing statements and abruptly end the call like that?" Iris huffed in frustration, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
Rumble!
Once again, her stomach let out a growl. Setting aside her curiosity for now, she resolved to ask Gavriel about it later. Right now, she needed to satisfy her hunger and begin adjusting to her new life as Iris Gray in this small town.
There was so much on her to-do list, starting with shopping for new clothes. She preferred dark colors; bright ones made her feel like she stood out too much, drawing unnecessary attention. She disliked being the center of attention.
****
When Iris arrived on the first floor, she headed straight into the dining room, which was connected to a modern French country kitchen offering views of the snow-covered forest in the backyard.
Only now did Iris realize the dining room possessed such a stunning view. Yesterday, while dining there, she had been too exhausted to appreciate her surroundings.
'Heavenly! This is the kind of million-dollar view that city dwellers like me dream of...' Iris stood beside the expansive French window, feasting her eyes on the mesmerizing sight. A surge of excitement coursed through her veins, knowing she would spend the rest of her life in this place.
After a few moments of savoring the scenery, she shifted her gaze toward her grandmother. She could only see her grandmother's back, engrossed in cooking something delightful.
The smell of Grandma's cooking added to Iris' hunger. She approached her grandmother slowly and asked, "Grandma, do you need any help?"
Cassandra was taken aback by Iris's offer to help. This was the first time this girl had offered help like this. She glanced at Iris, her lips curling into a gentle smile.
"There's no need, dear. However, you can set the table and make some coffee. Our breakfast will be ready soon," Cassandra replied, refocusing her attention on preparing mozzarella-smoked beef toast— Iris's favorite. A subtle change in her demeanor brought a smile to Cassandra's lips.
Iris remained silent, knowing full well that she had no culinary skills whatsoever. She had never set foot in the kitchen before, and her only talent lay in making coffee. Living like a princess in this house, where everything was taken care of by her grandmother, was something she despised knowing.
After arranging the cutlery, she patiently waited at the dining table, savoring the view of the forest.
As Iris delved into her youthful memories, she envisioned the breathtaking scenery of this place during summer and autumn. She eagerly anticipated experiencing it for herself and couldn't contain her excitement at the thought of running to the mountain's peak.
Iris couldn't help but chuckle at her foolishness a few days ago when she ventured into the forest during a blizzard. All because she had wanted to visit Xavier Darkwood's house.
'Xavier Darkwood!?'
The name alone made Iris almost choke on her own saliva as his face flashed in her mind. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she realized what had happened the previous day.
'What the hell! Xavier is the pale-faced man who ordered coffee yesterday?' she muttered, burying her face in her palm. 'How can I ignore my crush just like that?' she sighed deeply, ashamed.
"Iris, are you alright?" Cassandra inquired, her pace quickening as she approached Iris while bringing their breakfast. She was taken aback to find Iris covering her face while seemingly engaged in a conversation with herself. "Why does your face look red?"
"Hmm, I'm fine, Grandma," Iris swiftly replied, maintaining her smile. "...I was just remembering about yesterday," she added, her gaze fixed on her grandmother sitting across from her.
"Which part?" Cassandra asked, relaxing as she began to enjoy her toast.
"Xavier Darkwood..." Iris trailed off, taking a bite of her own toast. 'How can this toast taste so delicious?' she marveled in surprise.
Cassandra's expression abruptly tensed upon hearing Iris mention her crush, Xavier Darkwood.
She stared at Iris silently, attempting to discern what was going through her granddaughter's mind. She was worried that Iris would revert to her old self and pursue Xavier once again, causing herself unnecessary embarrassment by chasing someone who held no genuine interest in her.
Cassandra couldn't bear to witness her granddaughter's suffering once more. Determined to prevent repeating past mistakes, Cassandra vowed to protect Iris from further heartache.
"Iris, you have to promise me..." Cassandra's gaze was sharp and severe.
Iris swallowed her food before responding, "Promise? What promise?" A glimmer of concern flickered in her eyes.
Cassandra locked eyes with her granddaughter, "I want you to promise me that you won't pursue Xavier Darkwood anymore..."
Cough! Cough!
Iris began coughing, her face turning red at her grandmother's words.
"Oh, dear... Please drink your coffee slowly!" Cassandra's hand offers a napkin.
After feeling slightly better, Iris looked at her grandmother, a reassuring smile flashing through her eyes.
"Grandma, don't worry! Even though I regained my memories of Xavier, I promised not to chase after him anymore. I'm giving up on him. From now on, I will focus on my studies and pursue my other dreams," she didn't randomly say that.
In her past life, she never harbored feelings for the opposite sex. Since she was trained from a young age to be an assassin and one of the sacrifices she makes is to abandon romantic attachments, she cannot enter into a relationship with anyone because a partner and family is their greatest weakness.
Besides, she didn't find that pale man particularly attractive. Thus, she could assure her grandmother that she wouldn't develop feelings for Xavier Darkwood!
'How could I date him? I would end up being his sugar mommy instead!' Iris shook her head, envisioning a scenario where she was dating Xavier, who was still nineteen years old, while she was already twenty-nine.
'How odd!' she muttered, amused by the thought.
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Chapter 15: Trauma
Cassandra no longer worried that Iris would change, but what troubled her now were the rude words she had spoken to Xavier and his friends yesterday when she asked them to cut ties with Iris.
"Dear, yesterday I said something rude to Xavier and his friends..." Cassandra admitted, feeling guilty.
"Rude? What did you say, Grandma?" Iris was curious to know.
Cassandra quickly recounted what she had told Xavier and the others.
Instantly, Iris felt amused upon hearing that. 'Gosh, Grandma finally couldn't hold back her anger anymore, huh?!' She chuckled inwardly, empathizing with her grandmother's emotions as she remembered how foolish young Iris had been.
Trying to reassure her grandma, Iris smiled and said, "Grandma, I know I should stop chasing Xavier, but I can't cut ties with him and his friends so suddenly, can I?" She paused, waiting for her grandma's response.
"They are my classmates, so I will continue to meet and study with them in the future," Iris explains.
"I know. That's why I feel so guilty right now. I hope they don't remember my rant..." Cassandra sighed deeply.
"No worries, Grandma, I will apologize to them."
"Hmm, thank you dear," Cassandra said.
...
Just then, Kevin and Maya approached to inform Cassandra they were ready to open the cafe.
"Iris, Grandma will help them out! Finish your breakfast, and I'll drive you to your college when you're ready." Cassandra said.
Iris was stunned to hear that.
'It's Monday!? How could I forget...' Iris completely forgot about her college activities. One of the things about her new life that made her unhappy was having to go back to college.
In her previous life, she attended an online college, only going to the campus for enrollment and graduation. The rest of her studies were done online. As a result, she had zero experience with attending college in person, surrounded by dozens of people.
However, now she had no choice but to try it. She wasn't sure how well she would adjust, but she will try.
Iris immediately stopped Cassandra. "Grandma, wait... can I borrow your car? I will drive myself. You don't have to bother driving me."
Cassandra halted in her tracks, turning to look at Scarlett with narrowed eyes. "Did you really get all your memories?" A slight frown creased her forehead as she was confused by Iris's sudden idea to drive herself.
'Hah!? Is there something I'm still forgetting?' Iris tried to figure out why her grandmother had asked that. Before she could say anything, she heard her grandma continue her words.
"Aren't you traumatized from driving a car after the accident?" Cassandra asked with concern.
Iris, "..."
Only now did Iris remember her trauma. She nodded slightly, admitting, "I do have trauma, but, as I said, I want to change and become a better person. Overcoming my fear of driving is one of my goals..."
Calmly voicing her decision, Iris couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to Cassandra. The internal conflict weighed heavily on her mind.
"I see," Cassandra smiled warmly. "Alright, but not today, Iris. Grandma will still drive you to your college until you feel ready..." She paused as if thinking about something. "I'll test your driving skills tomorrow. How about that?"
"Hmm, that's perfect, Grandma!" Iris agreed readily. She had no intention of pushing her grandmother. She was also concerned that her grandma might grow suspicious of her sudden change.
After breakfast, Iris rushed to her room to check her schedule on her cell phone. She needed to organize her entire week, adapting her daily routine to her new role as an assassin.
Upon opening her cell phone, Iris sat on her study table — this was the first time she checked her cell phone.
Iris was surprised to find numerous text messages and missed calls. Most of them were received when she was lying in the hospital after the accident. She only glanced at them but didn't read any in detail, focusing only on what she needed to know.
Once she finished checking her schedule, she turned her attention to her finances. She needed money to buy new weapons and clothes because she didn't suit young Iris' clothes.
Opening her wallet with anticipation.
"Goodness!!"
Iris almost choked in shock to discover that her past self had been living in poverty. She only found $12 in her wallet and $29 in her bank account.
"Jeez, Iris, how could you spend money like your last name was Hilton?" she slapped her forehead slightly.
Iris is even more shocked when she realizes that Cassandra gives her an allowance of $1000 a month. While it should be more than sufficient for a teenager living in a small town, she had already spent most of it, and it was only the middle of the month.
Curiosity led her to scan her bank transaction history on her app, where she was horrified to find that she had spent almost all her money on purchases related to her favorite boy band.
Iris threw her phone on the table and opened her laptop. "At least you have a MacBook Pro, Iris..." She smiled. Before long, her fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard, and her eyes remained focused on the screen as she attempted to access her Swiss Bank account.
This was the only bank account she dared to open since the name associated with it was not her real one. She was too wary about accessing her real bank account, fearing that all her assets would be taken away by...
"Who?"
Suddenly, Iris's fingers stopped.
"Who is he? Why can't I remember that person's name at all?"
She gently massaged her temples, striving to recall the name she wanted to remember. However, her efforts were in vain, as if the name had been buried deep in her mind.
After a few minutes of trying to remember, she finally realized something.
A sour smile appeared on her lips, reminiscent of what Gavriel had mentioned last night, "So... my memory loss related to that person? But who is he?"
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