CHAPTER 204: YOU’RE DATING A MAN WHO CAN BUY A SMALL COUNTRY

By the time the bell rang, I was already mentally checked out. My head was still spinning from Harris and the whole near-interrogation thing, but I tried to play it cool when Dom caught me by the lockers.

"Hey," he said, brushing his hair out of his eyes, looking unfairly calm for someone who the cops almost interrogated today. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I lied, shoving my books into my bag. "Just...uh, can you please pick up Alia from school today? June and I are going to check on Marcus."

He smirked like I’d just handed him a mission. "Anything for you, captain. Order me around, I live to serve."

I snorted. "You just love acting dramatic."

"Please," he said, hand on his chest, "picking up Alia is an honor. She’s the only person in this city who actually likes me."

June, who’d just walked up, blinked. "Wait....he loves picking up Alia? Marcus and I literally draw straws to see who has to deal with her energy."

I laughed. "That’s because Alia adores him. She treats him like her personal superhero."

June rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I kinda figured. That day at the station, she didn’t let go. I thought she was gonna handcuff herself to him."

Dom grinned smugly. "What can I say? The kid’s got taste."

I shoved his shoulder. "Go before you make that ego any bigger."

June and I exchanged looks. "He’s dangerously obsessed with you, you know."

We both burst out laughing as he disappeared down the hall.

We started walking down the street toward Marcus’s neighborhood, the sky was cloudy like it was too lazy to rain.

"So," I said, nudging her. "You promised details."

June blinked innocently. "Details about what?"

"Don’t play dumb. Ian. You stayed at his place overnight. Spill."

Her blush was instant. "Oh my God, Ash..."

"Oh my God, June," I mimicked. "Spit it out."

She groaned, hiding her face. "Okay, fine, but you’re not allowed to judge."

"Oh, I’m judging so hard," I said, grinning.

She groaned. "So, when he begged me to stay over, he took me shopping. I swear this man has a black card."

"Excuse me?" I nearly tripped. "Ian Han has a black card? Of course he does. You’re dating a man who can buy a small country and you didn’t tell me sooner?"

"He’s not my boyfriend!"

"Does he have a butler too?" I stared at her.

"You’re not going to believe it when I say it...." she held my hands tight. "...he does."

I gasped.

"Anyway, we’re at this fancy mall, and I had to go into the lingerie section..."

"Already spicy," I interrupted.

She shot me a glare. "Let me finish! I was in the lingerie section, holding up this pink lace set..."

"Oh my God."

"..and guess who walked in?"

"Don’t. You. Dare."

She looked me dead in the eye. "Ren."

I screamed. "Ren? As in Ren, your forever love Ren?"

She nodded, covering her face, laughing through it. "Yup. Him."

"Oh my God. Oh my God." I grabbed her arm like I needed support. "You were holding lingerie. In front of your ex crush. June, this is trauma."

"It gets worse," she said, widening her eyes. "Because Ian walked up behind me, saw Ren, and literally said ’Oh, that’ll look perfect on you, babe.’"

"No he didn’t not," I yelled so loud. "In front of Ren?"

"In front of him. And Ren just stood there. Looking like he wanted to strangle Ian with the bra strap."

I was doubled over, laughing. "This is...this is so messed up. You’re telling me Ian Han basically flirted with you in front of Ren in the lingerie aisle?"

"Exactly that," she said proudly.

"What did you do?"

"I told Ian to shut up, and Ren just walked away.."

"June, you’re living in a rom-com directed by chaos."

"Oh, it gets worse."

"Impossible."

"When we got back to his place, he brought me dinner, and then.....we kissed."

I gasped. "You what?"

She nodded. "And then... we kinda... did stuff."

"Stuff?!" I demanded. "What level of stuff are we talking here, base two or three?"

"I don’t know!" she laughed. "Two and a half maybe?

I gasped dramatically. "June. Did you....did you give your virginity to Ian?"

She shoved me. "No! Not sex

! But like...it was close. Very close. And, oh my God, his hands, his lips..."

"Stop it." I screamed, covering my ears. "You slut. You enjoyed every second of it!"

"Of course I did," she said, giggling so hard she almost tripped on the curb.

"June, you absolute cunt," I said, laughing so hard. "I cannot believe this. Your first love walked in on your new man flirting with you in a lingerie store. You’re living a Wattpad plot!"

We couldn’t stop laughing. People stared. Didn’t care. It was that dumb contagious laughter that made my stomach hurt.

By the time we reached Marcus’s street, we’d barely caught our breath. She was still smiling, but then her face sobered a little.

"There’s one more thing though," she said quietly. "About Ian."

I gave her a look. "What now? Don’t tell me he has a secret girlfriend too or something."

"No," she said, chewing her lip. "It’s his sister. She told me to stay away from him."

"What?"

"She literally said, ’Stay away from my stupid brother before you end up like the others.’"

I stopped walking. "Wait. Nari said that?"

June shook her head. "No, not Nari. His other sister. She moved in recently. Her name’s Yuri."

I blinked. "Hold on Yuri? As in, the girl Jae was making out with at the party? That Yuri?"

"Probably."

"She told you that?" I asked, my voice pitched up.

June nodded. "Yup. Straight to my face."

"Oh my God," I said, running a hand through my hair. "This is next-level chaos. Ren’s jealous, Ian’s seductive, Yuri’s warning you....what’s next, an exorcism?"

She groaned. "Maybe. It’d explain the way I can’t stop thinking about him."

I snorted. "You’re insane. I love it."

We both looked up at the same time....Marcus’s house just ahead. The lights were off, curtains drawn. Everything felt heavier suddenly.

June looked at me. "Ready?"

"No," I said honestly. "But let’s go anyway."

She nodded, lifted her hand, and knocked.