My Harem Will Help Me Get My Revenge-Chapter 32: Fire and Iris?

Chapter - 32

Meanwhile, still back at home, Cassey was packing her suitcase in a hurry. Clothes were tossed in, along with shoes, makeup, and perfume.

She didn’t really care about the mess. Her mind was made up... She was going to follow Iris and Lucius to India.

She stood in front of the mirror, admiring herself as she adjusted her outfit. She wore a short black miniskirt that barely covered her nice ass and a red, sleeveless crop top with a low neckline, showing off just enough to turn heads and wake up some dragons.

Her long blonde hair was open and flowing, and her lips had a fresh coat of glossy red. A pair of silver hoop earrings and ankle boots finished the look. She checked herself once, smiled, and turned back to her suitcase.

Lucius was going to jump on her for sure. freeweɓnøvel.com

Just as she zipped it up, the door burst open and her mother, Vivian stood there with a surprised look on her face.

"Where the hell do you think you are going... Dressed like that?" she demanded.

But Cassey didn’t even raise her head to look at her, "I am going on a trip. I will be gone for about a week."

Vivian stepped inside, eyes narrowing, "With who? You didn’t tell me anything!"

"I don’t need your permission," Cassey said, giving herself one last look in the mirror.

Vivian snapped and her voice became louder, "As long as you live in this house, you follow my rules!"

"And I say, you are not going anywhere, especially not dressed like some..." Vivian looked at her daughter from top to bottom, but couldn’t say it.

"Dressed like what?" Cassey turned around sharply, "Why can’t you say it?"

"Cassey..." Vivian looked shocked, "Is this about that boy? That homeless Lucius?"

Cassey glared at her, "Even if it is. What does it have anything to do with you?"

"You stupid girl," Vivian’s body trembled in anger, "Here I want you to stand up against Iris, throw her out of the family, take her place. And you act like a stupid bitch in heat? No... Not going to happen."

"That’s it, If you are going to act like that," Vivian pointed at the suitcase, "You are not going. And that’s final."

Cassey grabbed the suitcase handle and challenged her mother, "Watch me."

"Cassey!" her mother shouted.

But Cassey was already walking out of the room.

"Cassey! Come back here! Cassey!" Vivian screamed from the hallway, her voice shaking with anger.

But Cassey didn’t give her two hoots. She dragged her suitcase down the stairs, out the front door and straight towards the waiting car.

She got in the car and slammed the door, and threw her bag into the back seat, "Take me to the airport."

The driver nodded and started the engine.

As the car pulled away, she looked out the window with a smirk, "Wait for me, Iris. One by one, I will take everything away from you," she muttered.

Behind her, inside the house, Vivian stood frozen in the hallway, trembling with anger. Her daughter had just walked out on her. She dares to be defiant? She has given her long enough rope. Not anymore.

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It was almost midnight. The roads were mostly empty and most shops had their shutters down. The city lights outside were still glowing, casting soft colors through the car windows as it moved forward.

Inside the car, Iris was leaning against her seat and had her eyes closed. She wore a black coat over the dress Lucius had selected for her.

Her head rested lightly against the window. The soft hum of the car and the silence around her made it easy to drift off. It might be a few tiresome days in the part of the world she has never been to.

Lucius sat beside her, scrolling through his phone. He wanted to make sure he was ready when they landed in India. Every now and then, he looked out the window, watching the empty roads pass by.

Suddenly, the car slowed down until it finally stopped.

Lucius glanced up from his phone and asked the driver, "Why are we stopping?"

The driver looked ahead, frowning, "There’s a crowd on the road, sir. Looks like something happened."

The conversation between them woke up Iris. She stirred in her seat, blinking slowly as she opened her eyes.

"What’s going on?" she asked with a bit of confusion.

"Not sure," Lucius leaned forward, "Why don’t you go check it out?"

The driver nodded as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

Outside, the sound of distant shouting could be heard. Lucius noticed that the cars ahead weren’t moving at all, and a thick grey smoke was rising in the distance.

The driver returned a minute later, his face serious. He shut the door and spoke.

"There was an accident up ahead. Many cars have crashed and have caught fire. The road is fully blocked. No one’s moving forward."

Lucius sat up straight, "It looks massive."

The driver nodded, "Yes, sir. Flames and smoke everywhere. People are standing around trying to help, but it’s a mess. There is a chance there might be a few casualties as well."

Lucius looked out the window. Through the gap in the crowd, he could now see orange flames burning high, and black smoke rising into the night sky. The fire crackled and hissed, bright against the dark street.

"Should we wait..." Lucius turned towards Iris but he stopped when he saw her.

She wasn’t moving.

Her eyes grew wide open as she stared at the fire in the distance. Her skin had gone pale, and her lips were slightly open. Her whole body looked frozen. Then her hands slowly moved to grip the edge of her seat.

"Iris?" Lucius called softly.

She didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed on the flames, but her mind seemed far away. Her breathing changed. It became shallow and quick, like she was gasping for air. Her hands were shaking now.

Lucius looked at her, confused, "Hey... Hey... What’s wrong with you?"

But Iris continued to stay silent. Her body was tense. Something in that fire had hit her deeply.

The crackling sound of the fire, the rising smoke, and the smell of something burning... It all felt too familiar to her. Too close. Too real.

Her chest tightened. And a memory flashed in front of her eyes... It was too fast to understand, but too strong to ignore. She remembered the heat, smoke, screaming... and then there was nothing.

She squeezed her eyes shut and it went all black.

Lucius leaned closer, "Iris... Hey... Talk to me."

Finally she spoke and her voice came out low and shaky, "Tell him to drive."

"Huhh???"

"Get me out of here. Now," Iris commanded them, her voice anxious.

Lucius didn’t waste a second, "Take some different road," he told the driver quickly.

"Yes, sir."

The driver started the car again and quickly turned it around before more cars could stack up behind them. They drove away from the smoke and fire, taking a side road through a quieter neighbourhood.

Iris let out a long breath, like she had been holding it the entire time. Her hands were still trembling.

Lucius grabbed a water bottle from the holder and handed it to her, "Here. Drink this."

She hesitated, then took the bottle and drank slowly. Her fingers still shook as she held it.

Lucius watched her carefully, "You okay now?"

She nodded once but didn’t speak.

"You sure?" he asked again.

She finally replied, her voice calm but distant, "I am okay."

"You want to go back home?" Lucius suggested, "If you want we..."

"No," Iris said quietly, "Just keep going."

Lucius wanted to ask what happened to her, but Iris just turned her face away.

He looked at her one last time, then leaned back in his seat.

Iris, on the other hand, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Looking out of the window, she closed her eyes again, but this time she wasn’t resting. She was trying to hold herself together.

Lucius didn’t ask anything more. The rest of the drive was quiet.

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Meanwhile...

Cassey was following impatiently behind Iris and Lucius without them knowing. Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but in front of her eyes, the car stopped.

A big crowd was gathered in front of them. The road was full of honking cars and flashing lights.

She groaned and looked at her driver, "What the hell is going on now?"

"I will check, ma’am," the driver said and stepped out of the car.

"Do it fast you moron," Cassey leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed and her fingers tapping quickly on her leg.

She kept checking her phone and her watch again and again. Time was running out.

The driver finally came back after a while.

"There has been a big accident ahead," he said, "The road is blocked. Some cars caught fire. Now nobody can move forward."

Cassey threw her arms in anger, "Seriously? Fucking perfect," she snapped.

She threw her head back, rolling her eyes hard, "What are you waiting for? Take another fucking route. We don’t have all day."

"Yes, ma’am," the driver said and hastily turned the car around.

But the moment they turned onto a different street, they ran into another problem. This road was also jammed. Cars were lined up, barely moving.

Cassey punched the back of the front seat with her hand, "Oh for fuck’s sake! Is every idiot in this city taking the same damn road?"

She gritted her teeth, staring out the window. Her nails dug into her palm as she held her phone tightly.

"I swear, if I miss this flight because of this bullshit..." Her voice trailed off, but her face said everything... Red with anger, eyes burning with rage.

She kicked the floor of the car and muttered, "Fucking traffic, fucking timing, fucking Iris."

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