Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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“Why do you look like that? Are you not enjoying the park?” Izzy asked before she took a large bite of her burger. For dinner, everyone except Pamella voted to cat at a well–known fast–food joint inside the park. “I mean you rode that carousel. right?”
Pamella’s face looked like she had just swallowed an entire lemon. Her jaw tightened as she stared at Izzy, who seemed oblivious to the tension. Izzy took another huge bite of her burger, chewing happily before looking at Calen with a bright
smile.
“You should stick by your girlfriend’s side,” Izzy said, her tone light as she gestured toward Pamella. “She doesn’t look very comfortable.”
Pamella’s grip on her burger tightened, her knuckles whitening. Before she could say anything, Calen waved a dismissive hand. “She’s fine,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “Just a little dizzy from the carousel.”
Under the table, Pamella’s heel slammed into Calen’s shin. His posture stiffened slightly, but he didn’t make a sound, only giving her a sideways glance. She bit into her burger sharply, barely tasting it as she seethed inwardly
The entire day had been a nightmare. Izzy and Liam had spent hours dragging them from one extreme ride to another, acting as if the two of them weren’t even there. Pamella’s feet throbbed more with every step, and her patience had run out before noon. Every time she tried to suggest something calmer, something less… dizzying, Izzy conveniently ignored her and ran off with Liam.
Calen wasn’t much better. Instead of taking charge or putting a stop to Izzy’s antics, he had stuck close to Pamella, pretending like he actually cared. But she could see through his act. He was just as irritated, only he didn’t dare say anything to ruin his precious “plan.”
Pamella silently cursed him. If it weren’t for his insistence that they follow Izzy and Liam like some pathetic chaperones, she wouldn’t be stuck here now, eating a cold burger in a fast–food joint, with blisters forming on her feet. She wanted to yell at him, blame him for this disaster, but she couldn’t even do that without giving away their fake relationship.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Liam suddenly stood up. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it casually over Izzy’s shoulders.
Izzy’s eyes lit up before she beamed at him. “Thanks,” she said simply, pulling the jacket closer.
To Pamella, though, the gesture felt unbearably smug. She stabbed a fry into her ketchup, glaring at Izzy’s “sweet” little smile. Pretentious, she thought bitterly.
Pamella wiped her hands on a napkin, leaning forward slightly as she fixed her gaze on Izzy. “So, you two have been friends since you were kids, right?” she asked..
Izzy blinked, slightly caught off guard by the question. “Yeah, we have.”
Pamella tilted her head, her lips curving into a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It must be nice,” she said, letting her gaze flick briefly to Liam before returning to Izzy. “To finally be with someone you’ve had your eye on for so long. Childhood friends turned… something more?”
The table grew still for a moment. Calen glanced at Pamella sharply, his eyes narrowing. Liam, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable as he watched Pamella carefully.
Izzy set her burger down, wiping her hands before meeting Pamella’s gaze head–on. “I guess you could say that,” she said calmly. “But things happen when they’re supposed to, don’t they?”
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Chapter 97
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Pamella’s jaw tightened slightly at the subtle remark. She opence her mouth to respond, but Lim cut in before she could speak.
“You’re right,” he said, leaning forward slightly. His eyes locked with Pamella’s for a brief second before he turned to Izzy. “Things work out the way they’re meant to and yes. It is indeed nice to be with someone you had been eyeing for so long.” This time, he stared at Izzy. In response, Izzy smirked at him.
How pretentious! Pamella thought.
Pamella’s fists clenched under the table, but she forced her expression to stay neutral. She picked up her drink and took a long sip. She wanted to keep herself from saying something that would cause her more problems.
She glanced at Calen, who was looking anywhere but at her, his jaw set. Pathetic, she thought, her irritation doubling. She was stuck playing along, pretending to be part of this charade, while Izzy and Liam played out their little romance in front of her.
Forcing a smile, Pamella leaned back in her chair. “How… sweet, she said, her voice dripping with feigned politeness. “It must be like something out of a storybook.”
“It’s been an adventure, that’s for sure,” Izzy said.
Pamella stopped the urge to roll her eyes. Calen was certain that Izzy was merely pretending to have moved on. Does Izzy think she can fool them with this fake relationship?
To try and diffuse the current atmosphere, Calen cleared his throat, glancing around the table before looking back at Liam and Izzy. “So, what do you want to do next? The park closes at seven. Are you planning to go back to Macau?”
Before anyone could answer, Pamella’s hand shot out under the table. She pinched Calen’s thigh hard enough to make him flinch. His face twisted for a moment, but he quickly masked it, leaning back in his chair with a strained expression.
Liam stood and stretched. “Actually, I’m taking Izzy somewhere fun,” he said casually, glancing at her with a slight nod.
Izzy raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest, already wiping her hands on a napkin and pushing her chair back. “That sounds great,” she said, grabbing her drink to take one last sip.
Seeing this, Pamella let out a light chuckle as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Good to know,” she said. Clearly, their idea of fun is so different from hers. Then, as if the thought had just occurred to her, she added, “Sadly, Calen and I have prior reservations back in Macau. We’ll be heading out after this.”
Calen turned his head sharply toward Pamella, his expression somewhere between confusion and annoyance. But he didn’t say a word, letting her continue.
“Oh no, that’s too bad,” Izzy said. She pressed herself together as if she was truly disappointed to hear that. “I was really starting to enjoy your company. It’s been so fun having you around today. We should do this again. You know? Visit another theme park? Perhaps do some bungee jumping or skydiving?”
Pamella’s jaw tightened as she caught the sarcasm laced in Izzy’s words. Her forced smile didn’t falter, but her fingers clenched tightly around her napkin. “Of course. After all, today has been… very memorable” she forced the words out of her mouth. Inside, Pamella was just about to erupt from too much irritation. This woman was mocking her, and she knew it!
To add to her irritation, Liam suddenly placed a hand lightly on Izzy’s shoulder. “We should get going,” he said simply, steering her toward the exit.
Izzy didn’t look back as she stood, her smile lingering for just a second longer before she followed Liam out of the fast–food joint.
11:17 Sun, Jan 26 GOR
Chapter 97
Pamella watched them leave, her hands gripping the edge of the table. She exhaled sharply thraigh her nose and turned to Calen, who was already standing and adjusting his jacket.
“Reservations in Macau?” he asked under his breath, his brow furrowed.
Pamella gave him a tight smile. “What? I had to get us out of here somehow,” she muttered, standing and grabbing her purse. Then she held her hand toward him.
“What?” he asked, staring at her hand, then back at her as if she was an idiot.
“I need help, Calen.”
4
“It’s just all pretend, remember?” Calen said. “What made you think I would treat you like you’re special when they’re gone?”
“Well… my feet fucking hurts. I need you to take me to the nearest hospital!”
Calen rolled his eyes but didn’t argue as he took her hand. Then a bitter thought crossed his mind. Izzy had never been dramatic. She had always been level–headed, easygoing, and effortlessly cool about everything.
How the hell, he wondered, had he ended up surrounded by women like Pamella and Monica–so far removed from Izzy in every way?
Sun, Jan 26
Chapter 98