This only deepened their frustration. Though they refrained from arguing or pointing fingers at each other, the heavy silence between them was filled with resentment—resentment aimed solely at Hera.
In Hera’s private room, as soon as the manager excused himself to personally oversee the preparation of their meal, Zen shot to his feet,ughing boisterously.
"Holy cow! Ha ha ha! I’ve never seen such a satisfying face p in my life! You’re such a badass, little sister!" He ruffled Hera’s hair with amused admiration, though there was also a clear hint of brotherly affection in his gaze.
"They had iting," Athena scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who told them to run their mouths and dig their own social graves?" She huffed in satisfaction, thoroughly enjoying how effortlessly Alice and Emily had been put in their ce. The entire situation had left her in a great mood.
As if realizing something, Zen nced between Athena and Hera before raising an eyebrow.
"By the way, little sister, who’s this? A friend of yours?"
Hera shed a sweet smile. "Yeah, she’s my childhood best friend." Then, with a yful glint in her eyes, she added, "Are you interested? She’s single."
The mischief in her tone was so obvious that Zen immediately leaned back as if dodging an iing attack.
"Whoa, lil’ sis, slow down. I still have no intention of throwing myself into thatplicated thing called ’rtionships.’ I was just asking!" He let out a heavy sigh, plopping into the chair beside Hera, looking as if he had just narrowly escaped a trap.
"I know, right?! What’s wrong with being single? It’s actually great! I don’t have to worry about anyone else, no one can tell me what to do, and I haveplete freedom over my time. I can sleep when I want, wake up when I need to, and I don’t have to check in with anyone."
"People say being single is lonely, but honestly? Only those afraid of being alone feel that way. They constantly need someone around to validate their feelings, to remind themselves they’re wanted. But me? I’m self-assured. I don’t need external validation—I know my worth."
"I don’t need someone to remind me to eat; I’ll eat when I’m hungry. I don’t need a partner to do fun things with when I can always drag my best friend along—because that’s what friends are for!"
"So tell me, what’s so bad about being single? I have money, I can buy myself whatever I want, and I don’t have topromise on anything. Sounds like a win to me!"
"Wait! Why are you exining so much? Are you getting defensive because you’re embarrassed about being single?" Zen interrupted Athena mid-rant, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
Although he agreed with most of what she was saying—her points actually lined up with his own thoughts—it all sounded a little <i>too</i> passionate.
It was funny, really, watching her go off like that, but he decided to stop her before things escted into a full-on emotional outburst.
After all, he’d heard that once women got emotional, it was nearly impossible to stop the waterworks.
"I am <i>not</i> being emotional—I was <i>triggered</i>!" Athena huffed, crossing her arms.
"It’s like an everyday interrogation from the elders, especially my mom! She tries to set me up on blind dates almost every single day, as if she’s terrified I’ll grow old alone. Like, do they think I’m racing against a calendar?"
"That a woman <i>must</i> get a boyfriend by a certain age, then get married, then have kids? <i>Whoa, hold on!</i> I want to enjoy being single first! Travel, chase my dreams, spend time with my family and friends, be independent, focus on my career... I mean, I’m still so young!"
She spoke animatedly, her emotions clear on her face, looking every bit as fired up as she imed. Hera and Zen couldn’t help but chuckle as they listened, thoroughly entertained.
It really seemed like Athena was stressed out by her mom’s relentless nagging about blind dates. If she could, her mother might even go as far as <i>tricking</i> Athena into marriage without her realizing it.
What truly worried Sasha, though, wasn’t just Athena’sck of interest in dating—it was <i>why</i>. A tiny, nagging fear crept into her mind: <i>What if Athena likes girls instead?</i> Not that she wouldn’t support her, but what if her daughter was hiding it out of fear of parental disapproval?
That thought alone made Sasha push even harder. After all, Hera had already dated, and other girls younger than Athena had shown interest in romance. But Athena? She had <i>zero</i> reaction to the opposite sex, and to Sasha, that was unsettling.
What Sasha didn’t know was that Athena had already experienced young love before—she had been through the highs and lows of a rtionship and had even done what lovers do.
With her mental age feeling far beyond her actual 19 years, dating someone her own age didn’t appeal to her anymore. She didn’t have the patience to deal with boys who were still figuring themselves out.
Athena wanted a mature man—someone who knew what he wanted, just as she did. She wasn’t looking for financial stability from a partner; after all, she believed men should naturally be providers. What she valued was emotional support—a partner who could create a strong home with her while still giving her the freedom to pursue her passions.
Nowadays, many young men advocate for a 50/50 rtionship, which Athena foundughably ironic.
If they truly wanted everything to be equal, then why didn’t they also share the pain of childbirth?
Let them experience the agony of their bodies being torn apart to bring a life into the world, endure the stitches and the healing process, and battle postpartum depression while watching their once-toned bodies change beyond recognition.
And after all that, despite their best efforts to recover, imagine hearing a man say, <i>"You’ve let yourself go"</i> or <i>"You don’t smell good"</i>. The sheer hypocrisy of it all made Athena roll her eyes in exasperation.