A Mate To Three Alpha Heirs-Chapter 74: Eat Now, Think Later

{Elira}

~**^**~

Everyone stilled. Even Tamryn looked back up from her bed.

"What happens," I asked slowly, "if I don’t go?"

The room fell quiet again. They all glanced at one another—those small, unreadable expressions moving across their faces like shadows.

"If I were you," Nari said, folding her arms, "I wouldn’t want to find out."

Then she turned and walked away, tossing herself onto her bed like she was done with the conversation.

Juniper took a step forward. "Is there... a reason you don’t want to go?"

I hesitated for a breath, then sighed. "I might be going home on Sunday. I’m not sure yet."

Cambria’s brows lifted with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"It’s nothing bad," I said, a little too quickly. "Just... I might need to. I don’t have the full details yet."

Juniper shrugged. "If that’s the case, then yeah, makes sense. You will figure it out."

Then she walked away too. Only Cambria stayed.

I turned to her again, needing more clarity—something solid to hold onto. "Cambria... what happens if I don’t answer the Student Council’s invitation?"

She tilted her head slightly, thinking. "I’m not entirely sure. However, if you know you won’t be around, you can visit their office and explain ahead of time. Let them know you won’t be available."

I nodded slowly.

"It’s better to fulfil all righteousness," she continued softly. "Don’t just leave them hanging. They will take it as disrespect. And believe me," she added with a small grimace, "those people are looking for reasons to target anyone they think is weak. Especially someone new."

"Thanks, Cambria," I said, glancing back at the paper in my hands.

The words were printed so neatly, so impersonally. And yet, it felt like some invisible hand had just pulled me one step deeper into something far bigger than I could understand.

---

After freshening up in the bathroom, I stepped back into the room.

I felt tired—mentally, emotionally, physically. I wanted to collapse into my bed and nap until dinner, but something tugged at me—to check my phone.

I didn’t really have anyone who would check up on me. But the brothers, Lennon and Rennon, had the habit of leaving me messages.

So, I picked my phone up from where I’d left it on my desk. But as soon as I unlocked the screen, I froze at the notification blaring at me.

One missed call from Zenon.

I blinked at the screen, completely still. ’No... That couldn’t be right.’

I stared harder, like the longer I looked, the more it would make sense. But there it was—clear as day.

Zenon called me?

I felt the weight of the moment settle in my chest, my breath catching in my throat.

This was the first time Zenon had ever called me. And I missed it.

Why did I have to be in the bathroom at that moment?

I bit my lip, heart thumping against my ribs as a few thoughts scrambled in my head.

What if Zenon never calls again? What if that was my one chance?

I considered waiting... But then, I couldn’t. I had to try. I couldn’t just sit around and not do something.

I looked around the room—Nari was brushing her hair, Juniper was scrolling through her tablet, and Cambria was humming softly while folding a clean set of clothes.

Then I came to a conclusion: I wouldn’t have the privacy here, so I slipped out onto the balcony.

The air was cool, and the sky outside had turned a smoky purple with the approach of dusk.

I inhaled deeply, hit the Call Back button, and raised the phone to my ear. My hand was clammy, and the phone nearly slipped.

The phone rang once, then twice, dragging each second.

Then finally, it connected.

"Good evening, sir—Professor," I said quickly, trying to sound steady. "I’m so sorry I missed your call. I was, um... I was using the bathroom at the time and—"

"Do you plan on describing your entire bathroom experience to me?" he asked with a dry voice, without even a hint of emotion.

I blinked. "What?"

A short silence followed. Then, just as I opened my mouth to apologize again, he continued.

"I’ve arranged an exit for you on Sunday morning. You will leave the school grounds and return Monday morning. It’s been approved."

"O-okay," I said, a little thrown by how quickly he got to the point.

"Be ready by 7:30."

And just like that, he ended the call.

I lowered the phone slowly, my brain trying to catch up.

Zenon didn’t give any reason or details—no mention of who was coming to get me. But deep down, I already knew.

It was going to be him since he made the effort to phone me directly.

And I definitely wouldn’t keep him waiting.

I turned off the silent mode in my phone, unwilling to risk missing any more calls from the brothers.

As I stepped back into the room, I caught Nari watching me. She tilted her head slightly, a smirk playing on her lips like she knew exactly who I’d been talking to.

She said nothing, just looked away, humming to herself.

I didn’t bother asking what that was about. I just moved toward my bed, sat down, and pulled the duvet up over me. I needed sleep before I unravelled.

---

Several minutes later, Cambria shook me gently awake, reminding me it was dinner time.

We all left for the cafeteria together, swiping our meal ticket cards at the entrance. I picked up a stainless tray and added the dipping bowls at the side, then followed the slow line as we moved down the food station.

"Ooooh," Juniper said, peeking at the menu signs above the trays. "Looks like an Asian dinner tonight."

The warm aroma of spices and broth filled the air. Steam danced up from every station. There were so many options I didn’t know where to start.

I picked five shrimp dumplings, golden-brown and perfectly shaped. Then an egg tart, warm and glistening.

A bowl of pho with steaming beef broth, slices of beef, and fresh herbs. A small selection of sushi and gimbap slices.

And because I couldn’t resist, I added a scoop of biryani to the last section of my tray.

Then I grabbed a bottle of water and followed the others as we moved toward the far corner of the cafeteria where an empty table waited.

As we sat and settled down, I took a deep breath. I needed this—food, people, normalcy.

I didn’t want to think about my mother and her connection to ESA, or the Student Council or whatever bombshell this Sunday might bring.

I picked up my chopsticks, said a small ’thank you’ under my breath for the food, and dove in.

The pho warmed me from the inside out. The dumplings were soft and flavorful, the sushi cold and fresh, and the biryani—the perfect spicy finish.

I let the noise of the cafeteria blur into the background and focused on one thing: Eat now, think later.