"Evil Boys"

Elva shared this news with Rene at night when she returned from her work. She got a job at her first attempt and also a position of the secretary of the CEO. Surely her salary won't be low.

"Woah! Congratulations!!" Rene jumped in happiness.

Elva nodded, gladly accepting her wishes.

"So when are you joining?"

"I will from day after tomorrow."

Rene smiled mysteriously, "So how is he?"

"Who?" Asked Elva without even lifting her head from the cookies before her.

Rene frowned and snatched the cookies. She appeared a bit angry and asked, "I'm talking about the CEO! How is he?"

Elva paused. She remember Raphael's look and replied to Rene, "His appearance is superb and as for his personality for now I can't tell."

Rene watched Elva, noticing how distant she seemed. She wanted to say something, anything that might reach her, but in the end, she stayed silent. After all, Elva never gave her trust to anyone, no matter the circumstances. It was heartbreaking to realize that this young, bright woman might never truly feel love.

Rene let out a quiet sigh and shifted the conversation. “So… you won’t be staying here anymore?”

Elva, thinking Rene sounded a little sad, gave a small smile and teased, “Ah, I’ll crash here whenever I feel like it.”

Rene rolled her eyes. “As if you ever would.”

Elva was painfully shy and reserved. She would never step into someone’s home uninvited. Even at company banquets, she always looked slightly out of place, as if she didn’t belong. Rene knew this well. Elva carried herself with quiet pride and a strong sense of self-respect. Such traits that kept her distant from others, no matter how much they cared.

Rene joked around a bit more and left to sleep early. Elva looked out of the window. It is full moon today. She closed her eyes and felt content. The night wind gently brushing her cheeks.

The next day, Rene took a day off and went shopping with Elva.

They spent hours picking things out and having them sent to the house, and by the end of the day they were both wiped.

“I’m dead,” Rene groaned.

“Same here, lady. Same here,” Elva sighed.

Each clutching a cup of coffee, they headed out again and this time to a bookstore.

Rene wandered between the shelves until a set of books caught her eye. The dark, dramatic covers looked deliciously vampire-like. She grabbed a few and hurried back to Elva.

“Look at this one! Isn’t the cover awesome?” she said, eyes bright.

Elva glanced at the title and smirked.

A chill ran down Rene’s spine. “W–why are you smiling like that?!” she blurted.

Without a word, Elva took the book, flipped it open, and held out the first page.

Rene froze. Her eyes went wide, and she stared at the page like she was trying to solve the hardest math problem in the world, a deep frown forming on her face.

Elva could barely keep a straight face. Rene was always so proper and innocent, she clearly had no idea she’d just picked up a very steamy novel. Watching her reaction was almost too funny.

Elva took a deep breath and hurriedly grabbed all the books she wanted, carrying them to the counter in three trips.

She looked over the pile, satisfied. “I’ll take these, please,” she said.

Behind the counter stood an elderly lady, probably in her eighties. She didn’t seem to notice Elva’s hurried actions. Slowly, she pushed her spectacles up and looked at the mountain of books stacked in front of her.

A warm smile spread across her face. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen a young lady buy this many books at once,” she said.

Elva returned the smile, a little shy.

The old lady continued, "These books are life. People don't understand this. The Beauty of heart, of people, of nature, and even the science, everything is inside the books. But they don't read them anymore."

“It’s rare to meet a young lady like you,” the old woman said, smiling warmly. “I’m so happy today, I want to add five more books from my own collection. These were my favorites… please, read them.”

Elva froze. “I… I can’t just take them. Please, put a price on them. I’ll pay.”

The woman shook her head gently and placed the five books on the counter. “These are my well-wishes. How could I let it become a trade?”

Elva’s throat tightened. She felt a mix of shame and awe, as if she’d accidentally taken something precious from a kind soul. She didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Rene wandered over and, without a word, had already left a single book on the counter: Evil Boys. Elva let out a small, incredulous laugh through her emotion, shaking her head at Rene’s oblivious mischief.

Elva turned to the old lady. “Thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it.”

The granny practically lit up, talking animatedly about her favorite books. Rene, who was quietly listening, couldn’t resist a question.

“Ahem… Grandma?”

“Yes, child?” the old lady replied.

“Did you… read the book called Evil Boys too?” Rene’s face immediately turned bright red, and she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

The granny chuckled, clearly enjoying the show. “Ah, this lady doesn’t read much, does she?” she said knowingly, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Rene felt like a tiny, awkward dot between Elva and the granny. She stammered, “I… I do read! It’s just… I…” Her words trailed off as she tried, and failed to hide her embarrassment.

Elva glanced at her flushed friend and softened. “She’s never seen these kinds of books before. And her schedule is insane.”

The granny nodded sagely. “Ah, yes… young people are always running out of time these days.”

But that twinkle in her eye said it all, she knew exactly how scandalous Rene was feeling and found it utterly delightful.

Rene groaned internally. Between Elva’s knowing smile and the granny’s teasing, she felt completely outnumbered.

Once they stepped outside the store, Rene threw her hands up and shouted, “Elva! You bullied me!!”

Elva blinked, utterly confused for a moment, then realized what Rene meant and burst out laughing.

Rene buried her face in her hands, wishing she could disappear. She felt so awkward.

Elva wrapped her arms around her in a slow, comforting hug. “Ah, my adorable Rene is shy. Granny was just teasing and so was I,” she said softly.

Rene pouted but eventually let out a tiny sigh and accepted the hug, her embarrassment slowly melting away.

The day was memorable.

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