I am the Queen

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Inside Eric's apartment, the air was tense as the silence was brutal.

Eric rubbed the back of his head as he watched the three women in his small dining area.

Evangeline's expression was pinched. Her eyes were narrowed, lips pressing into white slash, arms crossing, and feet tapping. Her features were tightening by the minute.

While their unexpected guest, Satele Risova, was feigning fake interest at her surroundings. And the one who brought her along was just sitting there, munching lunch without a care in the world.

Eric's forehead throbbed as he felt a headache coming. He didn't even know how Lilybella and Satele knew each other, and he didn't have the time to ask when Satele stood to her feet.

"I better go," she said.

Lilybella grabbed her hand and protested, "But you just got here, and you hadn't even touch your food."

Satele swatted her arm away. "I know when I'm not welcome."

Evangeline raised an eyebrow and looked at Satele with a glazy stare. "I'm glad that you're not oblivious like someone else here."

"Eh. But teacher, Satele needs friends so she wouldn't be bitter," Lilybella interjected.

"Who told you that I need friends?" Satele said and glared at Evangeline. "I don't want one, especially not a spoiled, self-centered, Princess."

Eric's gaze flinched upward. Oh, dear . . .

Evangeline propped her head with her fist, and a smile slipped her lips. "Are you talking about me, Miss Risova?"

"Why? Where you hit?"

"Not really. It's the truth anyway. I'm spoiled. I'm self-centered, and I'm a Princess. A Queen even. Still, everybody is vying for my attention. But what about you?"

Evangeline poked her tongue in her inner cheek and looked at Satele up and down. "You're depressing, bitter, annoying little girl who nobody wants. Not even your fa––"

"Eve," Eric interjected and held Evangeline's hand as he looked at Satele, "you can stay for lunch."

Eric!" Evangeline's eyes bulged. "Are you really okay that they're ruining our lunch together? It's supposed to be our alone time together."

Eric rubbed Evangeline's hand, soothing her as he leaned and whispered, "It's just lunch, and I promise I'll make it up to you tonight, alright?"

All protest was shut inside Evangeline's flat lips as she nodded tight, holding back from speaking an insult. She then forced a smile so fake at Satele before she ignored her altogether.

Eric shook his head a little before he invited Satele once more, "Eat first before you go."

". . ." Satele couldn't react for a moment. She wanted to oblige Eric's request, but she couldn't stomach being together with Evangeline. At first, she was just annoyed at her. But recently, she found the woman irritating and an eyesore. Her mood was plummeting every second she saw her. There can never be peace between them.

"Sorry. It's best that I go," Satele said and went for the exit.

Satele hadn't gone far when a massive physique blocked her way out of the dining area. She looked up, and her heart nearly flew out of her mouth at the sight of Asher.

Both of them were surprised and couldn't react for a while until Satele's eyes found the pack lunches in Asher's hands. Without knowing it, her eyes shot to Evangeline, who just raised an eyebrow at her.

Satele's vision dimmed before she broke her gaze and rested her eyes on the ground. Breathing became unbearable all of a sudden.

Satele hurried out without a word and slammed the door shut with a loud bang!

. . .

. . .

It took a moment for Asher to react before he cursed under his breath, "Fuck."

He didn't have the time to think what Satele was doing inside Eric's apartment nor the idea of ruining Eric and Evangeline's lunch nor the foreign girl chomping food without a care, as he sprinted to go after Satele.

Not long after, another SLAM echoed in the room.

. . .

. . .

Eric blinked, didn't know what happened while Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least she had her use in chasing Asher away," Evangeline said and beamed at Eric. "Let's just ignore them and have our lunch. The food is getting cold."

Evangeline grabbed her fork and brought it down on an empty plate with a loud CLANG. She blinked several times before she digested that all the plates were spotless clean. Frowning, she looked at Lilybella, who was sipping tea.

"Where are all the food?" she asked.

Lilybella grinned and patted her bulging belly. "It's all in Lilybella's stomach."

----

Satele stomped her shoes on the sidewalk, kicking dust in her path. Five days had passed since that incident in the park, but her anger didn't lessen, it only multiplies.

"Hey!"

She ignored Asher's call and only widened her steps. But then the man caught her and blocked her way.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Asher said.

Satele was appalled by the genuine confusion on Asher's face.

"You're really asking me that?" she spat and tried to circle her way around with no success.

Asher grabbed Satele's shoulders to steady her and looked into her eyes.

"I'm asking you because I really don't know," he said.

Satele snorted and swatted Asher's hand. Her anger was boiling, and she could barely hold it in. She wanted to slap him for forgetting what he did and slap him twice over for making her confused and angry.

"The fact that you don't remember what you did only made me loathe you more," she hissed and bumped passed him. But she hadn't taken two steps when Asher grabbed her hand.

"Is this about what happened in the park? You were the one who slapped me without reason, which I'll make you pay for that. But right now, what I wanted to know is why are you so angry at me?"

Satele shook, eyes brimming with tears. She didn't know she could cry from anger.

"You jerk!" she screamed, "You said that you like me and all that, but the truth is, I'm just a replacement because you can't have her! The one you like is Evangeline, right? How dare you use me! Is it because you think I'm easy? Huh? You think I'm just a nobody and easily discarded?"

". . ." Asher was stunned shut before a smile he couldn't repress stretched his lips.

"You think, I'll just say yes and be your rebound girl? You think I'll just let you use me because I'm a nobody? Do you really think that I'm a pushover or I don't deserve re––"

"You're jealous."

". . ." Satele caught her tongue, and it took her a long moment to react, which made Asher's smile turned into a full-blown grin.

"You're jealous," Asher repeated, "you think that Evangeline and I are . . ."

Asher released Satele's hand and covered his silly smile with the back of his fist.

Satele crossed her arms, for she was this close in slapping the man left and right.

"I'm not jealous," she said with an edge, but her tone was shaky. "I just don't want to be used."

She was about to turn her back, but the next thing she knew, Asher's lips slammed on hers, and it nearly knocked her off her feet if not for his arms wrapped around her waist. She hardly had the time to think when his tongue pushed open her mouth and delved inside.

She pulled away and arched up from his chest.

"Y-you . . ." Satele didn't know what to say as her mind was blank.

"That's for slapping me," Asher grinned, and Satele's face blossomed red.

Satele didn't just want to slap him anymore, she wanted to punch that silly grin from his annoying face. But her hands were in the confines of his embrace at the moment. So she just wiggled like a worm, hoping to escape free from his hold.

"Let me go! You jerk! You pervert!" she screamed. It was a good thing that few people were passing by, and most just stared at them with dead jealous eyes.

"Evangeline and I aren't what you think we are," Asher said.

Satele stopped squirming. She looked into his eyes and her frown lessened at the seriousness of his face.

"I won't tell you yet. But I promised you there was never a romance involved between the two of us."

Satele wanted to say, 'liar,' but his sincerity was too much for her to handle, and she looked away, whispering, "I don't believe you."

Asher just tilted his head with a cocky smile on his face. "That's alright. I never once considered your feelings on the matter, anyway."

He then captured Satele's lips in a passionate kiss.