The Heart System

Chapter 678: Chapter 678

A few seconds later, the door opened, and a woman stepped out with a bright smile on her face. She was holding a beer in one hand and looked like she had clearly already been enjoying herself. Her long blue hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, and she was wearing a skimpy dress that fit her figure a little too well to be called subtle. She had a big chest, a cheerful expression, and the kind of confidence that made it look like she was the undisputed queen of this house.

”Grace!” Ivy said immediately, stepping forward to hug her. ”How are you?”

Grace laughed and hugged her back carefully, keeping her beer from spilling. ”I’m good. And who is he?”

”Evan,” I said with a nod.

Grace turned to me and smiled warmly. ”Grace. Nice to meet you.”

”Likewise.”

”Well, come in!”

She stepped aside and let us through.

The second I entered, the sound of the party shifted around me. It was busier inside, but not in an overwhelming way. People were spread out across the house in small clusters rather than packed shoulder to shoulder. A couple of guys were drinking together near the kitchen island, a pair of girls were sitting on the floor by the coffee table playing some kind of card game, and a few others were gathered around the living room table with a board game laid out in front of them. Someone was laughing in the back room, and a group near the staircase was arguing over music while one of them scrolled through a playlist on their phone.

It felt more like a large house gathering than one of those chaotic movie parties where everybody ended up half-naked by midnight.

”Huh,” I muttered, looking around. ”So not a frat party.”

”You mean brat?” Ivy asked with a chuckle as she shut the door behind us. ”Come on. Let’s adapt.”

We walked through the living room and into the kitchen. As soon as I turned right, I caught a couple pressed against the fridge. The man had the woman pinned there while kissing her deeply, one hand wandering over her chest in a way that made it obvious they were not planning to stop any time soon.

I glanced at Ivy to see how she would react, but she just stood there for a second and watched them without saying anything. Then she shook her head and looked over at me.

”Guess no beers for us.”

”Yep.”

We left the kitchen and went back into the living room, then sat down on one of the double couches, which was surprisingly empty. Honestly, I liked this kind of party more. People were not screaming over each other or jumping off furniture for attention. They were just spread out in corners, hanging out in small groups, drinking, talking, and forgetting how exhausting the day had been.

A moment later, Grace came back with two red plastic cups filled with beer. Holy shit. The same red cups I had only ever seen in movies.

I took mine and had a small sip. Grace sat down on the armrest beside Ivy and rested a hand over her shoulder with a smile. They looked like they had been friends for years.

”So, tell me,” she said. ”I heard your mother’s house got burned.”

Ivy let out a slow breath. ”God, yes. It sucks.”

”How is Mrs. Komb doing?”

”Good... I think.” Ivy gave a small smile, though it looked a little forced. ”Yeah.”

”I also heard...” Grace rubbed the back of her head. ”About you-know-who.”

”Chase Bellings?” Ivy said immediately. ”Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him.”

”Man,” Grace replied with a wince. ”You really do not get a single quiet day, do you?”

”Seems like it,” Ivy said, then took a sip of beer.

Grace’s gaze shifted to me after that. ”What about you? Evan, right?”

I nodded. ”Yep.”

”Where do you work?” she asked, taking a drink from her own cup.

”Unemployed,” I replied with a smile.

”Oh... wow.”

”And he lives in a penthouse,” Ivy added with a smirk. ”He forgets to mention that part sometimes.”

”A penthouse?” Grace repeated, her eyes widening. ”Really?”

”Yeah.” I shrugged. ”I was a secretary at TechForge. I am just on a long break right now.”

Grace nodded slowly, still looking impressed. ”A penthouse, huh? Wow. Wow, wow, wow.”

”Is this your house, by the way?” I asked, glancing around.

”Yep,” she said. ”My parents moved out. Got tired of the city.”

”Can’t blame them,” I replied. ”They left you with a good place, though.”

”For real,” Ivy added. ”I always wanted a house like this. Apartment life sucks.”

Grace laughed. ”Couldn’t be that bad.”

”You have no idea,” Ivy muttered.

Before Grace could answer, the doorbell rang.

She pushed herself off the armrest. ”Excuse me for a second.”

She crossed the living room and opened the door.

A pair of guys stepped in, one of them carrying two mini fridges like they weighed nothing. From the way he held them, I could only assume they were packed with beer.

Grace brightened immediately. ”Oh, Cole. Hey.”

”People!” Cole shouted the second he walked in, loud enough to pull attention from everyone in the room. ”I got the stuff.”

He lifted the mini fridges a little higher like he was showing off a trophy.

”Let’s PARTEEEEY!”

I pressed a hand to my forehead and looked at Ivy.

”Oh, it is a frat party.”

Ivy slumped in her seat and let out a tired breath. ”Yeah. Fuck.”

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

The calm party turned into something that felt more like a metal concert than a house gathering. The music blasting through the speakers had shifted into heavier tracks I did not recognize, and the whole place had turned rowdy in less than an hour. At the dining table, a bunch of guys were playing some stupid slapping game where they took turns smacking each other across the face and the loser had to pay ten bucks. A few girls were standing in one corner drinking like they had no idea what ”slow down” meant. Honestly, everyone in that house was drinking, and everyone had driven there in a car. I still did not understand how any of them planned to get home.

I had already stopped drinking after my third beer. I was not about to let myself get too drunk and end up with a ticket or worse. I wanted to stay clear-headed, and if I kept that up, I would probably be fine again in half an hour. Ivy, on the other hand, was another story entirely.

”Look at them,” Ivy said, pointing at the people dancing in the living room. ”Stoopids.”

”Yeah,” I said with a slow shake of my head. ”Stoopids.”