Chapter 329: Chapter 329 F4ngs Alexa’s fake smile faltered again, but she held it, barely.
Meanwhile, Zeke’s gaze slid toward the last person sitting quietly—Freya.
The moment his eyes landed on her, she flinched. Her small hands fidgeted in her lap, and her head ducked instantly, as if she were trying to make herself invisible.
Zeke raised an eyebrow. "And you?" he asked, his tone calm but his stare sharp enough to slice through her nerves. "Do you also crash gatherings, or did someone drag you here?"
Freya’s voice trembled softly. "M-Miss Alexa brought me, sir... I-I didn’t mean to intrude."
The change in his tone was subtle but real. His voice softened, losing its edge. "Hm." He studied her for a second longer, then gave a small nod. "You didn’t. Relax."
Freya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected kindness, and she quickly nodded.
Zeke leaned back, still holding his drink lazily. His gaze flicked back to Scarlett. "Scarlett, you owe me an apology," he said dryly. "If I’d known you were letting randoms in, I would’ve brought a fly swatter."
Scarlett snorted, raising her glass. "Apology denied. But the fly swatter idea is tempting."
Bella burst into quiet laughter beside her, trying to hide it behind her hand, while Alexa’s nails dug deeper into her palm until her knuckles turned white.
Scarlett leaned back, still scrolling through her messages. "Where are the other two? Jace said he’d come if he had time," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "That guy’s busier than all of us combined these days."
Zeke chuckled under his breath. "I can’t even blame you. He didn’t pick up my call either." His voice was smooth and playful, but his smile softened when his gaze shifted to Bella. For a second, he forgot how to breathe.
He couldn’t believe he was seeing Bellatrix—the Bellatrix_019—sitting right in front of him. In the hacker world, she was half legend, half mystery. They’d teased her online, calling her Cutie or CutieVirus, never imagining she’d actually be this breathtaking in real life.
Her soft brown eyes lifted to his face, puzzled. "Zeke?" she said, tilting her head slightly.
He blinked, his composure breaking for a heartbeat before he leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper that only she could hear. "F4ngs," he murmured.
Bella’s eyes widened, and a delighted smile bloomed on her face. "Nice to meet you, F4," she said, her voice bubbling with genuine warmth.
Zeke felt his ears go red. Damn, she’s even cuter than I imagined.
Alan, sitting a few seats away, tightened his fist around his glass. The soft clink of ice was the only sound he made, but his jaw ticked with irritation.
Meanwhile, Alexa’s smile had turned brittle. Her anger simmered as she watched Zeke lean just a bit too close to Bella, their voices low and familiar.
Zeke noticed her glare but didn’t care; in fact, his smirk deepened. He had expected her to storm out after the earlier humiliation, but no—there she was, still sitting prettily with that fake smile plastered on her face like bad wallpaper.
He exhaled through his nose, voice turning colder. "Persistent one, huh..." he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Scarlett to hear.
Scarlett choked back a laugh and raised her glass. "Cheers to her survival instincts."
Alexa’s face twitched again, but Zeke was already turning back toward Bella, his tone lightening, that faint teasing warmth back in his eyes.
"So, Bellatrix," he said softly so only Bella and Scarlett could hear, his dimple appearing again, "you really exist. The hacker who once crashed three military firewalls just because she was bored."
Bella flushed, her lips parting. "That was many years ago! And that wasn’t supposed to leak!"
Scarlett nearly fell off her chair laughing. "Oh my god, Bella Bell, you did that? I can’t imagine!"
Bella covered her face, groaning. "Don’t say it like that! It sounds evil!"
Zeke grinned, resting his chin on his palm as he watched her. "It was evil. But beautifully done."
They kept talking and laughing with each other.
Zeke blinked, his expression perfectly blank as he turned toward Alexa. "Oh," he said flatly, "you’re still here?"
The casual cruelty in his tone made Scarlett nearly choke on her drink again.
Alexa gave a forced, nervous laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Umm... yeah, me and Bella are friends," she said sweetly, leaning slightly toward Bella as if proximity might make her lie believable.
Bella froze for a moment, her eyes wide. Then she turned her head, looked at Alexa’s fake smile, and said in her soft, honest voice, "No, we’re not."
The air went silent.
. Scarlett spat out the drink she’d been holding. Zeke blinked once—then leaned back slowly, a grin pulling at his lips.
"Oh," he said, his tone dripping with fake sympathy. "Awkward."
Alexa’s smile faltered completely, the corners of her mouth twitching as her face went pale.
Zeke folded his arms, pretending to think deeply. "Hmm, I can see how you’d get confused though. You know, some people mistake acquaintances for friends all the time. Like how I once thought my printer cared about me because it said ’thank you’ when I fixed it."
Scarlett burst into uncontrollable laughter, practically doubling over, while Bella blinked in embarrassment, mumbling, "Zeke..."
Zeke smirked at her. "What? I’m just saying. She’s... polite."
Alexa’s jaw tightened, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached for her drink again. "You people are unbelievable," she muttered.
Scarlett straightened, wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh, trust me, sweetheart," she said sweetly, "we’ve been called worse."
Zeke gave a lazy half-smile. "Don’t take it personally. Some rooms just have too much class for everyone to fit comfortably."
Bella looked between them, torn between wanting to scold them and wanting to laugh, while Alexa forced another stiff smile that looked more painful than sincere.
"Excuse me," Alexa muttered, standing abruptly.
Zeke raised his glass slightly. "Finally, peace is restored," he said softly.
Scarlett leaned toward Bella and whispered, "You realize your friend group is the best free entertainment on Earth, right?"
Bella sighed, hiding her smile. "Scar..."
Zeke chuckled lowly beside her, that teasing warmth returning to his voice. "She’s not wrong, Bella. Not wrong at all."