Dahlia's P.O.V.
My brother had been entirely unyielding about treating me to dinner tonight, which was exactly how I ended up here. I was sitting directly across from him at a beautifully set table, staring him down with a relentless death glare.
To my surprise, he had gone all out and booked a reservation at an incredibly exclusive five-star restaurant located just a few blocks away from Matrix Co. LTD.
"What brings you back here so suddenly?" I demanded, aggressively chomping down on a forkful of Caesar salad to emphasize my
irritation.
He gave me a look of pure, feigned confusion while holding his elegant wine glass by the stem. He gently swirled the deep red liquid in
circles, letting the aroma breathe, before leaning down to smell the vintage and take a slow, deliberate sip.
"I haven't seen you in almost a week, Dally," he noted smoothly, setting the wine glass back down on the pristine white
tablecloth.
He leaned forward, flashing me a charming smile.
"Of course I want to spend some quality time with my little sister."
Here we go again. He was intentionally calling me 'Dally,' fully aware that I absolutely loathed that ridiculous childhood nickname.
"I told you a thousand times to stop calling me Dally! It's incredibly annoying!" I snapped, immediately crossing my arms tightly
over my chest. I jerked my head to look away from him for a brief second, trying my absolute best to maintain a cold, angry facade to show him I wasn't amused.
I turned my gaze back on him, my fake anger completely melting away as I started laughing along with him.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
We were completely used to this kind of playful interaction. Despite our constant bickering over childhood nicknames, we were actually an incredibly close pair of siblings.
"As you know, Sasha and I will be getting married soon," Zendrick announced smoothly, setting his glass down with an easy smile.
"I want you to be her bridesmaid."
The moment the words left his lips, my cheerful expression became entirely serious. My hands froze, and I stopped cutting into my steak mid-slice.
"Pardon?!" I demanded, the ambient chatter of the five-star dining room fading into the background.
The absolute number-one thing I hated most in this world was his ex-turned-fiancée. I genuinely loathed that woman from head to toe. She was an absolute master at acting like a sweet, innocent angel whenever my brother was around, but I knew her true colors.
"You will be Sasha's bridesmaid," Zendrick repeated, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"…"
I stayed completely silent, my jaw tightening. I didn't even need to ask to know that this was entirely the work of that manipulative brat, Sasha. I aggressively sliced off a piece of my steak and shoved it directly into my mouth, chewing thoroughly without saying a single word.
What on earth was that woman planning this time? Did she honestly think that forcing me into her bridal party would somehow make me give her my blessing?
"I'll take that silence as a yes," my brother commanded, his authoritative tone cutting through the quiet space between us.
"And don't even think about not showing up."
"…"
I suddenly had absolutely no urge to speak to him at all. Reaching out, I grabbed my wine glass and drank the entire contents in one single shot, letting the alcohol burn a path down my throat. I picked up my cloth napkin and wiped my mouth sharply, tossing it back onto the table.
Zendrick didn't say anything else either. He went completely quiet because, by this point, he knew me well enough to recognize that I was absolutely boiling with anger. He was well aware that I couldn't stand her. Yes, I had eventually tolerated her as his girlfriend for the sake of peace, but forcing me to be her bridesmaid was completely crossing the line.
Pollen's P.O.V.
It was a beautiful morning. I woke up right at 6:00 AM, stretched, and headed straight to the bathroom to wash my face and refresh myself for the day ahead.
By 7:00 AM, my phone vibrated. Cleo called me to politely inform me that breakfast was fully prepared and waiting for me on the veranda. As I stepped out into the private dining area, I thought I would be eating completely alone again under the morning sun. But then I remembered that Kim was staying on this floor too.
"Good morning, Kim!" I said brightly, trying my best to sound as cheerful as possible to keep the mood light and welcoming.
The breakfast layout spread across the table looked incredible: crispy bacon, perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs, fluffy scrambled eggs, savory sausages, and a basket of freshly baked bread.
Even though I couldn't read his mind to see his thoughts, I could read his facial expressions well enough, and his actions felt a bit weird today. The moment I had caught his eye and glanced at him earlier, he had looked away from me immediately, redirecting his gaze to the horizon.
I sat down across from him, genuinely wondering why he was acting so strange. Did I accidentally do something wrong yesterday before we parted ways? We had just said our goodnights peacefully, and I had fallen asleep feeling genuinely happy that I was finally able to make a true friend here on the island.
"Good morning, Pollen," he finally replied, his deep voice slicing through the morning air as he picked up a slice of apple from his plate and took a slow, deliberate bite.
"Do you want to walk on the beach after breakfast?" I asked, looking across the table at him.
I was inviting him out for a morning walk on the shore. It was just a normal thing to invite your friend to do, right? But the moment the words left my lips, his expression didn't change at all, and he didn't seem interested in the slightest. The quiet between us stretched out, making the veranda feel incredibly small.
"Oh, sorry for the sudden invitation," I offered quickly, feeling a sudden wave of self-consciousness wash over me.
"It's completely okay if you don't want to go."
I looked down at my plate, trying to ignore the heavy disappointment settling in my chest, and started eating quietly. I could feel my posture sinking, and I probably looked incredibly gloomy as I listlessly pushed a piece of toast around my plate.
"Let's go together," Kim said.
I snapped my head up to look at him. His expression remained entirely blank and unreadable, but I could tell he was trying his absolute best to sound cheerful and welcoming for my sake.
Hearing those words, an automatic smile broke across my face, entirely erasing my previous gloom.
"Thank you, Mr. Kim," I replied happily, before lowering my head to focus back on chewing my food.