The Strange Groom's Cursed Bride-Chapter 72: Tomorrow is the big day!

Alice didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her lungs screamed for air. She let it out shakily, her back pressed to the cold door, her hands clenched at her sides. The walls of the room loomed around her, too narrow, too bright, too much.

Her cheek still throbbed from the slap. Her pride stung more. And worse than either was the hollow weight in her chest.

She had no power. No agency. Not with Pricillia. Not with Aurora. Not even with herself.

And Hades? Hades was... another problem entirely.

Her heart was still racing from that confrontation. The way he said it: "As long as you live in my space, I will kill anyone who dares hurt you."

The sheer, chilling possessiveness of it made her skin crawl, even as a tiny, traitorous part of her felt a jolt of something she refused to name.

What the hell kind of house was this? What the hell kind of life was this?

She didn’t need any kind of distractions.

She paced her room, agitated, muttering to herself like a woman teetering on the edge.

"Paula is with her. Aurora vanished. Pricillia is on a rampage. Hardy wants answers. Caroline somehow is with Paula’s painting. I have no update yet about Vivian and her treatment." She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the roots. "Now, I have to stay here. Shit!"

She grabbed the pillow off her bed, burying her face into it and letting out a muffled, frustrated scream that vibrated through the fabric.

Just as she threw it across the room, sending it bouncing off the wall, her phone buzzed.

Alice groaned. "What now..." Her voice was a dry, utterly defeated rasp.

She snatched it from the nightstand, checking the caller ID. It was Suzy.

"Yes?" she deadpanned, ready to face the next catastrophe.

Suzy’s voice chirped brightly through the speaker, oblivious to the emotional wreckage on the other end. "Oh my God, girl. If you’re still alive, why didn’t you go?"

Alice blinked, dragging herself back to semi-coherence. "Go where?"

Suzy sighed dramatically, like a disappointed mother scolding a forgetful child. "You forgot you had a meeting today?"

"...What meeting?" Alice asked warily, a growing sense of dread pooling in her stomach.

"The notice was sent to the apartment. Oh. Wait—shoot. You moved apartments without registering the new unit. So maybe it didn’t get delivered officially. Or your best friend Betty, didn’t send it to you. My bad."

Alice squinted, her headache intensifying. "Suzy. What meeting?! Do we still have the legal meeting?" She hoped not. She hated that stuff.

"Your environmental team meeting!"

Alice sat on the edge of her bed, completely blank. "Environmental team?"

"Did you forget your duty, Captain Air-Freshener? Today’s the last planning meeting for tomorrow!" Suzy’s voice was filled with exasperation.

Alice was already shaking her head, the absurdity of it all hitting her full force. "Planning what?"

"The Exercise Day, dummy!" Suzy’s voice hit a new pitch of disbelief.

Silence. Heavy, stunned silence.

Then Alice said flatly, the word devoid of all emotion, "What."

"You really want to fall from a solid D grade down to a flaming F-minus, huh?" Suzy said, exasperated. "Tomorrow’s the big day. The community-wide sports and wellness bonding event! God, do you even read anything Betty hands you? And I specifically told you the last time that it was this week!"

Alice’s mind jumped to the ugly folder Betty had given her which highlighted her duties in the estate. After Suzy helped her with a summary of it that day, she hadn’t bothered to look deeply into it to get all the dates.

This was... frustrating.

"I swear, Suzy," Alice whispered in disbelief, dragging a hand down her face, feeling the faint, lingering sting of Pricillia’s slap. "I am about to burst into flames."

"You’re late," Suzy added helpfully, her voice unsympathetic. "They already started at the community center. But I told them you were on the way."

"What?! Why?!" Alice shrieked, jumping off the bed.

Can she not go?

"Because it’s your job, Aurora! Get your stuff and move, your D is already slipping into the danger zone."

Alice ended the call with a guttural groan and flopped back onto the bed, eyes staring at the ceiling like it had personally betrayed her.

She had just survived being slapped by her fake mother, threatened her not-so-fake husband, and now she had to plan environmental things for a sports event?

What the hell was that even?

Hell.

This was hell.

And somehow, she was the one who signed the lease.

She didn’t even get a chance to breathe, let alone shower. She did brush her teeth at least.

She’d changed in under three minutes. Rummaging through the clothes Suzy had previously brought her, she yanked on the first vaguely "eco" thing she could find.

Environmental team. Sports event. She needed something... appropriate. Her fingers closed around a soft, breathable free tee-shirt – an expensive-looking heather gray, of course – and a pair of loose, charcoal-colored pants that draped effortlessly. She paired them with crisp white sneakers, which, even in their simplicity, practically hummed with designer craftsmanship. Everything in this world, even the most basic item, screamed silent wealth.

Her face took five minutes. She made sure the concealer concealed. The lip balm balmed and the eye shadow, shadowed.

She hadn’t eaten anything. Not even a cup of water. Her stomach growled in protest, but she ignored it.

It was just 8 a.m.

Milo had offered to drive her there, apologizing for not being up to date with her events. In fact, he had insisted on driving her there. And also didn’t let her sit on the passenger side but the back seat, treating her with an almost irritating formality.

It was only a few minutes past 8 when they left.

Hades was nowhere to be found.

The drive was smooth and quiet, the other blocks gradually waking up around them.

The silence stretched, punctuated only by the hum of the engine and the distant sounds of traffic. Alice, despite her resolve to retreat into herself, felt an undeniable urge to break it. "So," she began, her voice a little rough, "how long have you been working for... Hades?"

Milo’s hands remained steady on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road. A small, enigmatic smile played on his lips. "Information concerning the Boss, Miss Aurora, are all confidential. Even up to the people he works with and how long it’s been."

Alice raised a brow, a flicker of irritation sparking. He deflected with practiced ease.

She observed him, from his perfectly styled hair to the subtle bulge under his suit jacket that hinted at more than just a well-built physique. His composure was too perfect, his evasiveness too practiced for a mere driver. The only thing odd about him was how colorful his suits were. Almost blinding. But she knew what she knew. And what she knew was that this guy, as well as all the others who worked for Hades, would not be simple. "You’re not just a driver, are you?" she stated, not asked.

He didn’t flinch. No smirk. No denial. No confirmation. Just the same unreadable face. He simply kept driving.

She had expected deflection or silence so she was not surprised. But now she was curious —

No. She shook her head.

She already had a lot troubling her. She didn’t want to care about what kind of person Hades was and the things he was up to. It was none of her business.

She turned her gaze to the window. She felt a brief, almost imperceptible shift beside her. Milo, in a quick, furtive movement, stole a glance at her, his expression unreadable before he returned his attention to the road.

The drive seemed to stretch on, taking them further deep into the estate where the buildings rose higher.

Eventually, the car slowed.

Alice blinked up at the building that loomed ahead. Her brows drew together.

They were at a full-blown sporting complex.

The gates bore a massive banner:

"WELLNESS WEEK: United For a Greener Tomorrow!"

With way too many pastel greens and earth tones.

And there were already cars parked along the drive. Fancy ones. People streaming in. Greetings. Smiles.

Suits.

She looked down at her own attire: the simple gray tee, the loose pants, the sneakers. Her stomach clenched.

Of course.

Only she was dressed casually.

Was it too late to run away?

Of course, it was.

She stepped out.

"You’re very early," a voice purred, dripping with sarcasm.

Alice flinched, turning sharply to find the source. A woman. Beautiful. Elegant in a vibrant pink suit, both free-flowing and stylish. Short, sleek hair, bright red lipstick, and sharp, honey-colored eyes. She radiated an aura of confident, almost predatory grace.

"Linda!" Someone called from the other end of the sprawling plaza, and the lady turned her head, a faint, condescending smile playing on her lips.

Linda... that name sounded familiar.

"The witch from the Crest’s ball who threw her drunk on you in public," Suzy’s words echoed in her mind, a vivid memory of the chaotic summary of Aurora’s social life. "You’ll be working with her."

Well, well.

This was the witch. And the witch certainly knew Aurora.

Linda turned back to face her, her honey eyes raking over Alice’s casual attire, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her face.

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