Curiosity Kills The Cat

Iris woke up feeling refreshed. Something that hadn't happened for a while now. In the last few weeks, she would always wake up with the feeling of being chased out of her sleep. And every time that it happened, she would suffer from a headache for the rest of the day. She could not focus on the research that she was doing, and the material that she had already collected was left in a folder on her computer, untouched.

She prioritized the task that she got online because she was still hustling for money just like always. The only thing that changed in her schedule since that road trip that she took with Calixto and Monette was every day, for an hour, she was being taught how to drive by Elmer under Calixto's watchful eyes.

Monette watched in the distance with a perpetual scowl on her face. She made sure to let her hear her complaints every time she was within earshot. Iris was torn between laughing or pitying the other girl. She used to envy her for being so mature and sophisticated but now that she was forced to spend time with her, she realized that all the things that she used to envy about Monette were nothing but a facade. She's superficial and immature.

And Monette must have felt that she no longer admired her, and now the situation was different. It was her who kept on following her, saying useless things just to catch her attention like what she was doing right now.

"If you have something to say, why don't you say it directly to my face," she said, controlling herself to say that Monette should complain to Calixto because if she did, she would just be angrier.

Monette curved the corner of her lips into an insulting smirk. "What? I wasn't saying anything. Are you guilty or what?"

Iris exhaled a frustrated sigh. She didn't really have the time to listen to her whine. She had a lot of things to do.

She wiped her sweat with the pink towel that she was holding and smiled at Monette. "If you aren't saying anything, then I'll go now," she said, turning around her heels.

She watched Monette's jaw slack in surprise. She still didn't get it. She just didn't care about the things that she worried about. She worries about not being Calixto's favorite, about not being popular around her peer groups. She counted every like and follows she got on her social media account. She worries about not having the latest gadgets and fashion, but Iris didn't care for any of those things.

She only cared about surviving. About watching and observing Calixto's reaction, making sure that he still needed her because, unlike Monette, she knew that Calixto would throw her once she no longer served her purpose.

Monette on the other hand still considered Calixto as their rich sponsor. One that made the whole family known in the who's who in high society. She was living in a bubble despite knowing that Calixto was the one rich, not her or her family. Monette was a perfect example of a human leech but she could not blame her because it was what she saw from her parents.

After their road trip, Calixto removed Theo and Minerva under hypnosis and ordered them to return to the main house again, but not after he asked them to pledge their loyalty to him one last time with the clear warning that their failure to honor their promise, the payment would be their life.

During the talk, they were all sitting in the living room, together with Elmer's family because they also had to swear to Calixto once again. Monette raised her hand as she pledged her loyalty and service to Calixto and yet, she was doing nonsensical things that brought nothing to Calixto and his household.

She was also asked to pledge to Calixto just like everyone else. She's Calixto's meal supply and had accepted her fate wholeheartedly. She had no problem taking an oath to Calixto. It would not change much in her life. The only way for her to live a different life was to leave the mansion and she could not do that if Monette would continue following her around like an annoying puppy.

"Are you going back to the basement? Why do you like going there since its renovation?" She asked, following her.

Iris didn't reply. Monette could not go down to know what were the changes in the basement because she was ordered by Calixto not to set foot in there even before its renovation.

She swallowed a smirk and continued walking, not minding Monette who was walking closely behind.

"Iris, I just want you to know that you're insufferable!" She snapped at Iris, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her to make her stop walking and faced her.

"What?!" She growled at Monette who paled.

"Uh,.." Monette blinked her eyes in shock. Did Iris just make a sound like an angry wild animal? "I was just curious. Can you at least take a photo of it and show me?"

Iris stared at Monette like she had lost her mind. "Why do you want me to take pictures of the basement? If you're that curious why don't you ask for Calix," she smirked when she said the name that Monette was calling Calixto behind his back, "for permission to go down the basement or you could ask Elmer."

"None of them are plausible. Elmer would not do anything unless it was Calixto who ordered it. He was more loyal than a dog," she spat her words. "Calix will not take his word back and I don't want to go down the basement without his permission."

"Well, if that's what you had decided, then, I don't have any use for you," she said, removing her hand that was still holding her blouse. "Goodbye," she said, taunting Monette with a small cute wave as she walked down the stairs. Monette was left standing at the top of the stairs, glaring at her in sheer anger.