Chapter : 339
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Chapter : 339
Ira walked back down the hallway. She walked into the living room. She held the wrapped cake box carefully in her hands. She stopped right in front of the sofa.
Ken blinked his sleepy eyes. He looked up at her. He saw the fancy white box in her hands.
"Hey, Ira," Ken said lazily. He did not sit up. "What is in the box? Is it a bomb? Please tell me it is not a bomb. I am way too tired to dodge an explosion today. My legs are very sore."
Ira did not smile. Her face remained perfectly flat.
"It is not an explosive device," Ira stated in her robotic, deadpan voice. "It is a premium sea-salt chocolate cake. It is my personal property."
Ken sat up slightly. He dropped his hand from the chip bowl. His dark eyes lit up with pure joy. He absolutely loved cake.
"Chocolate?" Ken asked happily. "That sounds totally amazing. Are you eating it out here? Do you need a fork?"
"No," Ira replied flatly. "I am offering to share a portion of this cake with you. I request your presence in my private quarters. I require a private conversation."
The entire living room went completely, undeniably silent.
Laxmi stopped picking up her scattered cards. Naomi stopped chewing her apple slice. Sayma slowly lowered her fiction book.
Everyone stared at Ira. Then they stared at Ken. They were completely stunned.
Ira was fiercely private. She absolutely never let anyone into her bedroom. She locked her door every single night. She firmly rejected Ken's request for chocolate just a few days ago in the candy shop. The elite girls knew Ira guarded her room like a highly secure military fortress.
Naomi opened her mouth. She closed it again. She looked at Ken. She gave him a deeply bewildered look.
Ken was also totally shocked. He scratched the back of his messy black hair. He looked at the cake box. He looked at Ira's blank, emotionless face.
"Wait," Ken said slowly. He pointed a finger at his own chest. "You want me to go into your room? Your top-secret, highly restricted, totally off-limits bedroom? And you want to give me free cake?"
"My cognitive functions are perfectly normal," Ira confirmed. She stared straight into his eyes. "Do you accept the offer?"
Ken did not hesitate for another second. He loved free food. He loved chocolate more than almost anything else. He stood up from the sofa immediately. He brushed a few salty chip crumbs off his pants.
"I absolutely accept your offer," Ken announced cheerfully. He clapped his hands together. "Lead the way, Ira. I am totally ready for cake."
Ira turned around. She walked down the hallway with perfect posture.
Ken shuffled lazily after her. He dragged his cheap shoes against the wooden floorboards. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.
The girls in the living room just watched them leave. They did not say a single word. They were entirely speechless.
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Ira stopped in front of her bedroom door. She turned the brass knob. She pushed the heavy wooden door open. She stepped inside the room. Ken followed right behind her.
Ken stopped in the doorway. He looked around the room. His jaw dropped open just a tiny bit.
The bedroom was absolutely spotless. It was flawlessly organized. There was not a single speck of dust anywhere on the floor. The bed was made with perfect military precision. The blankets were tucked tightly under the mattress. There was not a single wrinkle on the white bedsheets.
A small wooden desk sat near the window. Thick books were lined up neatly on the desk. They were arranged by height. They were arranged perfectly by color. A clean glass cup sat exactly in the dead center of a round coaster. A single black pen rested perfectly parallel to the edge of the desk.
The closet door was closed tightly. The window curtains were tied back with perfectly even knots. The room looked like a pristine museum exhibit. It did not look like a normal person actually lived there.
Ken felt a tiny bit nervous. He was a very messy person. He felt like his untucked shirt was committing a serious crime just by being inside this flawless room.
"Wow," Ken whispered softly. He took a very careful step inside. He kept his hands close to his sides. "Your room is incredibly clean, Ira. I feel like I need to take a shower just to stand here. My room looks like a chaotic tornado hit a laundry basket."
Ira did not respond to the joke. Her face remained a flat, emotionless mask.
She walked over to a small wooden table in the corner of the room. There were two straight-backed wooden chairs next to the table. She set the white cake box down very carefully. She opened the lid.
The rich smell of dark chocolate and sweet sea salt filled the clean air. Ken’s stomach gave a loud, eager rumble. He instantly forgot about the intimidatingly clean room. He focused his entire attention on the cake.
Ira opened a small drawer in her desk. She pulled out two small ceramic plates. She pulled out two clean silver forks. She walked back to the table. She picked up a small knife. She cut the chocolate cake.
She cut it into two perfectly equal slices. The slices were exact down to the absolute millimeter. She placed one slice on the first plate. She slid the plate across the smooth wooden table. She pointed a pale finger to the empty chair.
"Please, sit down," Ira stated flatly.
Ken walked over. He sat down very carefully. He made sure not to scrape the wooden chair legs on the floor. He picked up the silver fork. He stared down at the beautiful dessert.
"Thank you, Ira," Ken said warmly. He gave her a big, goofy smile. "This looks absolutely fantastic. You are a great host."
Ira sat down in the chair across from him. She kept her back perfectly straight. She placed her pale hands neatly on her lap. She did not touch her silver fork. She did not look at her cake. She just stared directly at Ken.
Ken took a large bite of the cake. His dark eyes widened in pure, unfiltered bliss.
The chocolate was incredibly soft. The sea salt added a perfect, sharp flavor. The rich frosting melted instantly in his mouth.
"Oh my goodness," Ken groaned happily. He took another huge bite. "This is an absolute masterpiece. This is the greatest cake in the entire Belmontia Empire. I could easily eat this every single day."
Ira watched him eat. Her pale blue eyes did not blink. Her face was totally blank. But her fingers twitched slightly on her lap. She was trying very hard to find the right words. She was facing a massive internal struggle.
Ken finished his first slice very quickly. He scraped the last bit of frosting off the plate. He set his silver fork down. He looked up at Ira.
He noticed she was not eating. He noticed she was sitting completely stiff in her chair.