Chapter 16: Sudden Change
Iris tried to remember, but not a single memory of that person emerged. Deciding to put her thoughts aside, she started withdrawing her money.
Upon checking her balance, Iris's face beamed with joy, seeing that her pension fund remained intact.
"You're rich enough to enjoy your life, girl!" She whispered with a smile playing on her lips. She withdraws the money she needs at the moment.
Iris entered $100,000 as the transfer amount and inputted a series of codes before finally hitting enter.
Her cell phone vibrated almost instantly, signaling that the money had been deposited into her account, which relieved her because she could access her bank account and withdraw money.
Iris didn't close her laptop right away; instead, she browsed for a few minutes to find information about Silenthill. She needed to locate a place to buy a gun or any other weapon necessary to carry out her mission.
After a brief search, she closed her laptop, turning her attention to her next headache, adapting to her classmates, especially Xavier and the others. She felt the urge to run away from him, too embarrassed to face him after her shameless behavior towards him in the past few months.
"Jeez!! You shameless girl, Iris!!" She shook her head, mentally scolding herself as she readied herself to head to campus.
...
Before long, Iris sat beside her grandma, who was driving an old Hyundai Elantra.
As they drove along, her grandma spoke about their plan for the following morning—to learn how to drive again. This conversation sparked an idea in Iris' mind, and she looked at her grandmother curiously before asking, "Grandma, I want to buy a car..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the screeching sound of tires abruptly stopping filled the air as Cassandra hit the brakes upon hearing Iris' words.
In reflex, Iris gripped her seatbelt tightly, fearing she might get hurt. "Grandma, be careful!" she shouted, reaching out to hold her grandmother with her other hand in an attempt to protect her.
Everything happened so fast, leaving Iris anxious that they might hit something, which was why her grandmother had stopped so suddenly.
However, after a few seconds of peering outside, Iris realized nothing had happened. Feeling confused, she turned her gaze back to her grandmother and asked, "What happened, Grandma? Why did you stop the car?"
"Ugh, sorry dear..." Cassandra immediately stepped on the gas again, continuing at a moderate speed. "Nothing happened. I was just slightly surprised to hear you wanted to buy a car."
Feeling relieved, Iris settled back into her seat and stared at the empty road ahead. "Yes, I think I need a car, so you don't have to drive me everywhere," she said.
Iris needed a car because no public transportation passed in front of her house, and this city did not have adequate public transportation. Taxis are rare, and most residents have their own vehicles.
A few moments passed, and there was silence in the car. Casandra didn't answer immediately; her mind was preoccupied with calculating the money she could allocate to help Iris buy a car.
"Iris, I want to buy you a car, but..." Cassandra's voice trailed off as she remembered her limited finances. She didn't have much money in her bank account because she had just paid the hospital bill for Iris, as their insurance only covered some of Iris's hospital expenses, not all.
Sensing her grandmother's concern, Iris quickly continued, "...granny, I just need to buy a used car. And you don't need to pay for me."
Cassandra glanced at Iris briefly, curious to know if she had heard correctly. It was unusual for Iris not to be pushy about something. "You have money?"
"Yes, Grandma. Actually, I have enough money," Iris replied with a weak smile, resorting to lying to Cassandra once more. She felt sorry, but she couldn't reveal the substantial amount of money she had in her bank account, could she?
"How so? I thought you spent all the money I gave you?"
"Grandma, I've been selling a few things online, and I just checked the items I placed on the online market—they were sold. The money from those transactions is enough to buy a used car..."
"Really?" Cassandra was shocked. It was the first time she had heard of her granddaughter having money in her account. Until now, Iris would run out of money every week.
Iris could only nod in response to Cassandra's question. Her hands tightly gripped the bag that was in her lap, feeling guilty for lying to this kind lady.
"That's good to hear, dear. You can buy any car you want, but tomorrow, I still need to check your driving skills. I don't want you to have an incident while driving!" Cassandra's tone had a tinge of sadness as she continued, "You are my only family, and I don't want to lose you either!"
Iris shifted her gaze to her grandmother, even though she couldn't see through her eyes as Cassandra's face was fixed on the road. Nonetheless, she could sense the sorrow in her expression.
"Grandma, I promise you, I will not hurt myself, and I will protect you forever," Iris said earnestly, making a heartfelt vow to her grandmother.
Soon, their car came to a stop not far from the main gate of Silenthill University. No students were walking in front of the campus; almost all of them used private vehicles or were dropped off by their parents.
Usually, Cassandra would also drop Iris off inside, but this time, things were different—she had asked her grandmother to drop her at the gate.
"Are you sure, dear? Your faculty is quite far, and you will be exhausted to walk there," Cassandra expressed her concern, her voice fading as she noticed Iris' outfit.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she saw her granddaughter's style. It's completely different from her usual feminine appearance.
Iris wore black leggings with an oversized red hoodie and white sneakers this time. She wore a long gray coat that covered her tiny body, completing her style. Her hair, usually styled with care, was now simply tied in a ponytail, and she wore a red baseball cap.
"Yes, Grandma, it's fine. I still have plenty of time, so there's no need to rush!" Iris casually replied as she got out of the car. Waving her hand at Cassandra, she swiftly walked into the campus area without looking back.
Cassandra didn't start the car immediately. Her eyes fixed on Iris until she disappeared.
"Is this also the change that she promised this morning?" Cassandra pondered aloud, gripping the steering wheel tightly. She couldn't help but feel suspicious about her granddaughter's sudden transformation. While she was happy to see Iris gradually changing for the better, this shift seemed too absurd, too unusual for her to believe.
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Chapter 17: Talk With Xavier Darkwood
Iris strolled deeper into her campus, determined to familiarize herself with the distance she needed to cover and the time it would take to walk from her faculty to the main gate.
She felt the need to be aware of her surroundings and have an escape plan in case of any future emergencies.
This was crucial to her since she would study here for two years until graduation. She briskly walked, trying to imprint the layout of her faculty's location in her memory — even though she had the memories of the young Iris. However, this girl had never surveyed her surroundings.
After a few minutes of walking, she noticed she was the sole person traversing the wide pedestrian area. Several cars passed her by, and she could sense the people inside staring at her oddly. Some classmates even pulled over and offered her a ride. She rejected their kindness.
'Damn it, why do I still attract people's attention even when I dress like this?' she muttered, hastening her pace while pulling her hat deeper to conceal her face. Hoping no one asked her again.
However, she felt the universe was against her plan; suddenly, another car pulled up beside her, and she could hear a man screaming her name loudly.
'That voice!!' Iris's heart pounded as she recognized the familiar voice. She cursed inwardly before adjusting her expression and turning around to face the car.
"Hey, Justin!" She forced a cold smile as she met Justin Darkwood's glittering gaze.
"Wow!! Finally, you remember me, huh!! I thought you'd forget about us after the accident and cut ties immediately..." Justin smiled broadly and asked Niles, driving the car, to stop.
She silently gulped, remembering what her grandmother had said this morning. Justin's sentence clearly wants to remind her of their encounter yesterday, right? She felt so embarrassed!
"Iris, come with us..." Justin continued his words, gesturing for her to join him in the back row. "Why are you walking in this freezing temperature?? Where is Granny Gray? Why didn't she drive you?" he asked.
Iris no longer heard Justin's words; her gaze fell on the window in the backseat. It was so dark from the outside that she couldn't see through it, yet she was certain Xavier Darkwood was there, staring at her.
Somehow, she wasn't ready to meet him at that moment. She still needed to find the right place and time to talk to him and express how she felt now.
"No need..." she said and walked away. However, after only a few steps, she heard another voice calling her name, a deep and commanding voice. Her mind began to muddle at how alluring that voice was.
"Iris, get in the car," Xavier said.
She stopped in her tracks again and turned to look at the car. To her surprise, the back window was now rolled down, and she could see Xavier's shining golden-yellow eyes gazing back at her. She felt fascinated for a moment but quickly shook her head and refused to get in the car.
"Xavier, I need to talk to you." When she saw Xavier frown, she immediately continued, "Let's walk and talk!" she proposed. She wanted to talk to him alone, to straighten out what had happened over the past few months between them.
Not waiting for Xavier to answer, she immediately turned around and continued on her way, ignoring Justin's calls for her to stop.
Her mind was now occupied with forming lines to talk to Xavier and make it clear about her attitude toward him; she would not bother him anymore—she wasn't the young Iris who had a crush on him.
After a few steps, she didn't hear any sound from him, which made her feel sour.
'Xavier Darkwood, what icy attitude do you have?' She silently scolded him, shaking her head in disappointment. 'Iris, oh... Iris, how could you fall in love with him?'
She couldn't help but smile bitterly, knowing that men wouldn't respond as he used to in the past, ignoring her with his expressionless face.
Feeling disappointed, she turned off the sidewalk onto the main road, finding a small path through the now snow-covered park. The stone path was still visible enough for her to walk with ease.
While thinking that Xavier and the others must now be driving toward their faculty, she heard footsteps not far behind. Feeling curious, she turned around and was surprised to see Xavier walking towards her with his calm pace.
Amazed by his domineering figure, she could only stare at him without saying anything. Lost in her own thoughts, she mumbled to herself, 'If only this guy were older, he would be the perfect partner for me, right?'
"What do you want to say?" His cold voice snapped Iris back to reality, and her trembling eyes met his sharp gaze.
Iris immediately turned her gaze elsewhere. "Let's talk while walking!" She didn't want to face his domineering gaze, so she continued walking.
As he walked beside her, she said, "Xavier, I'm sorry for what my grandma said yesterday. I know she was very rude to you and the others. She did that to protect my feelings, so I hope you don't mind what she said..."
They continued to walk without saying a word, but Iris' mind remained confused. This man was very reserved in speaking. Why was his cold demeanor so similar to hers? She, too, wasn't someone who was easy to get along with and didn't engage in much conversation with others. She preferred to be alone.
Just as she was about to continue her words, she heard Xavier speak.
"I don't mind. I can understand your grandmother!" he said with an expressionless face.
"Thank you! Xavier, you don't have to worry because I won't bother you anymore. You can continue to ignore me because I will do the same too!" Iris said firmly.
If this man hated her, the best course of action was to avoid him. After all, she didn't have any particular feelings for him anyway.
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