Verity:

"Yes, sir," I replied to Ragnar, completely avoiding looking at Theodor and Jaguar.

While Jaguar and Theodor still had the same expressions as before, there was guilt on their faces, and they looked as if they were trying to be sneaky.

Jaguar had his hands tucked into his pants pockets. He tried to look around casually, but every now and then, his eyes drifted toward me.

I wasn’t looking at him directly, but I could still see it from the corner of my eye.

Then there was Theodor.

He had pulled out his phone and was pretending to be busy with it. But the way he kept glancing around while pouting, it was obvious he was listening to every word.

"What are you doing tonight?" Ragnar asked.

I felt as though a spider had crawled up and down my spine.

Usually, a question like that was followed by a date offer, but knowing Ragnar, that would never happen.

"I’ve planned a meeting with one of the clients, and he’s only available either tonight or on 27 of this month," he explained.

Right. Just as I had expected. There was no way Ragnar would ask me on a date or anything remotely similar.

"Oh," I sighed. "Can we please do it on 27, sir?" I asked, keeping my voice low and respectful. "I’ve already made a commitment for tonight."

The moment I said that, Theodor’s finger stopped scrolling across the screen.

I noticed the sudden stillness in his body, and in that moment, I realized the nonchalance was only an act. He was bothered.

Then there was Jaguar.

He snapped his head toward me and tilted it slightly, almost as if demanding eye contact. It looked like he wanted to call me out for moving on so quickly when only a few hours earlier I had been reminding him how he had double-crossed me.

What else was there? I had scored another small victory.

"Okay, then 27 it is. Don’t forget to prepare the data and your talking points. I’ll email you the details of the meeting," Alpha King Ragnar said, and I nodded.

"Thank you so much, sir. Have a good day," I replied cheerfully before turning to leave.

In the reflection of the glass windows, I noticed Ragnar step aside to make a call, while Jaguar and Theodor continued walking behind me, probably toward the parking lot.

So I knew they were listening.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Mrs. Baker’s number.

"Ah, Verity. It’s a surprise you’re calling me."

Well, one good thing that had come from being seen around with the Alpha Kings was that the neighborhood had become really sweet to me, especially Mrs. Baker, who had once been the biggest bully.

"Mrs. Baker, I didn’t want to bother you, but you know you’re like my aunt, and I respect your opinion so much," I said dramatically, my voice dripping with sweetness. I knew she was probably blushing right now.

"Of course. Tell me, what do you need my opinion on?" she asked, sounding more excited than ever.

At that point, I put the call on mute so she wouldn’t hear me.

"I have a date, and I don’t know what dress to wear. It’s a really important one, and I’m so nervous. I just don’t know what to wear."

The moment I said that, someone rushed past me so quickly that he nearly slammed into my shoulder from behind.

I caught a glimpse of his back.

It was Theodore.

Then I knew Jaguar was still behind me.

"No, no, not like that. I don’t want to look like a teenager. I’m not one. Something elegant. Something that will flatter my figure. I hope you understand. He specifically requested it," I added softly, sounding both naive and excited.

That was when Jaguar did the same.

This time, he rushed past me from the other side and almost brushed against my arm.

However, after moving ahead, he paused briefly and turned to look at me.

There was anger in his eyes.

I stopped too and stared back at him in confusion, my eyebrows drawing together as I tried to understand why the hell he was looking at me like that.

Then he scoffed and continued ahead, stopping beside his car where Theodor was waiting.

Theodor was glaring at me.

Yeah, but it wasn’t my fault.

They were the ones who had planned it.

I was just executing it.

Happily, I continued spouting random nonsense into the phone as I walked past them and headed toward my cab.

When I arrived home, I found Mrs. Baker standing outside my door.

"You called, but I couldn’t get through. I was so worried," she said, approaching me while I flashed her a smile.

"I was actually bringing you some fruit, and I didn’t know which ones you liked."

As I held up a bag full of apples and grapes, I watched her smile widen.

"I like both," she replied, taking the bag from my hand.

My community did not have many privileges, so everything was appreciated, especially food. We never took things for granted.

"Well then, I guess I didn’t need your opinion after all," I teased.

As she walked away, I couldn’t help but feel a little bitter about it.

Then my eyes landed on the other people peeking through their windows. Of course, they were not happy about the interaction. Not because they were jealous, but because they did not want anyone getting along with Mrs. Baker after everything she had put them through.

However, I was in no position to fight side quests when I already had my own war to deal with.

So I went inside and headed straight to my apartment.

Now, I had to prepare for the date.

I had accepted this guy’s invitation because he was handsome.

Then again, everybody was handsome.

Still, I knew there were certain criteria people found attractive, and I was doing this specifically to irritate the Alpha Kings.

However, I had also made sure to pick the most toxic man available.