Messed up

"Guess I thought too highly of this woman," Irvyn muttered to himself. Never in his darkest nightmare, did he imagine a day like this, when someone would talk back to him no matter how cold he tries to sound. Just then, something clicked to him, and he immediately put his utensils away only to turn his eyes back on her again.

"Why are you still here, by the way?"

"What do you mean, why? Weren't you the one who brought me here, Mr. Collins?" Yvette's hands stopped doing her work, and with a perplexed look, she glanced at Irvyn. "Don't tell me you forgot the fact that you tricked a young girl into a forceful marriage."

"I didn't mean that, Mrs. Collins," Irvyn felt a vein popping on his forehead. He never thought dealing with a person was this hard. "I was trying to say, why are you still at home instead of attending your classes? I don't think the fashion designing department has become this lax to third year students these days."

Her knife dropped off her hands, and she dumbfoundedly stared at him at his words. "Y-you mean, am I allowed to continue my studies?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" confused, Irvyn looked at her with questions in his eyes.

"Huh?" Yvette couldn't figure out what she should say or how she should respond. "I mean… you did marry me, and got me here leaving my family behind…"

"That doesn't mean you have to stop studying. And that certainly doesn't mean I have any right to bring a halt in someone's dreams and desires." Irvyn put the utensils in his hands away, wiping off his mouth as he was done with his breakfast. And when he walked from there, he deliberately stopped just before her. "Start going to college starting tomorrow. You shouldn't mess up with your attendance. It's important."

"Y-yes, thank you," Yvette lowered her head a bit while responding to him. She won't lie, his words really moved her. She was sure that with this, she needs to forsake her dreams of joining the 'Midnight Glam' as a fashion designer, and keep being the doll-like wife of the Great Irvyn Collins.

He glanced back at her reply, and it was obvious to him that she was being grateful from her heart. "No need to be that grateful. I certainly wouldn't prefer to have a trophy wife by my side, who would have a thick head filled with air and nothing else. If my company is what you are targeting, better prove your worth as an individual, Mrs. Collins." He spoke all those in a breath, watching how her expression changed from the previous grateful one to shock, and then annoyance, as her eyebrows slowly frowned. For some reason, the gradual change in her face looked really funny to him, but he suppressed the laughter for now. "Ahem, and also," he took a pause before proceeding ahead. "You better not reveal the fact that you are married to me in your university. I don't want you to be treated differently just because you are now related to one of the alumni and trustees. That would be unfair to others, right Mrs. Collins?"

That arrogant old man! Yvette sheathed in rage, as she felt her blood boiling at his words. Does he think she is someone who would act like a leech just to climb up the oh-so-filthy social ladder?

"In your dreams!" She roared, without even realizing she was supposed to keep that part to her mind as well. But not that she regretted anyway. "Just watch me fighting fair and square. And this is Miss Juan for you!"

"Sure, suit yourself, Miss Juan," with a cunning smirk, he left the house, leaving behind a fuming girl.

Yvette immediately gulped down all the food that was on her plate, and without wasting a second more on the breakfast table, she stomped her way back towards the stairs. "Aunt Suzy! I'll be up in my room studying! Call me only when lunchtime is here!"

"S-sure, honey," she felt a bit scared of her rage footings. Thank goodness the entire house wasn't made of wooden flooring, otherwise, it would've been crumbled down by the force Yvette was applying. And soon, that intensified by the loud thud of the door slamming shut.

"Ah goodness, why does Irvyn tease this girl this much? Not that he hates her, that's totally not how this looks like," aunt Suzy let out a sigh, while picking up all the dishes on the table.

– – – – – –

"So, you mean to say, you just told her to stay hungry because you felt like she was being naggy?"

Sitting in front of Irvyn, Josh had his eyes glued to the man ahead. And Irvyn could detect a strange look on him, even though he doesn't know what his look implied.

"Isn't that obvious?" Irvyn asked back, flipping through the pages of a file in his hands. It was the reports on the interview conducted a few days ago for the summer edition of Midnight Glam clothing line.

"Pardon my rudeness, sir. But this is outright bullshit and stupid!" Josh slammed his hands on the table, bursting out. He was confused, rather he should feel sorry for the young girl, angry at his boss sitting there, or just feel bad for himself for having to tolerate this nonsense.

"You are not excused, Mr. Nelson. What kind of behavior is this, you think?" Irvyn replied, with his usual monotone in his voice.

"And what kind of behavior do you think you showed, snapping out on someone who is just a young girl?" Josh counter asked Irvyn, instead of getting flustered by his cold response. It seems like Josh was totally out of his corporate life character, and got into his age-old protective mother nature, scolding Irvyn for his foolishness.

"What's stupid in this? She is old enough to understand she needs to eat properly instead of nagging," Irvyn remarked on his defense.

"But not old enough to process all those changes and suddenly getting an 8 year old man as her husband within a few hours. Dude, aren't you old enough to understand this much? What is wrong with you?"

Oh, Irvyn didn't think of it that way. Now that Josh pointed it out, he gets this.

He messed up indeed.