Chapter 451: Dumped

Third-person POV

After making up her mind that she was going to meet Hunter, Electra pushed herself up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the bed, her movements calm, like she had already settled everything in her head and there was no room left for second thoughts.

The shift in her posture alone was enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room, and for a moment, no one spoke, as if they were all waiting to see what she would do next. Instead of continuing the conversation about Hunter, Electra turned her head slightly and fixed her gaze directly on Roxana, her eyes narrowing just enough to show that this wasn't a random glance but something intentional.

The sudden focus made Roxana frown almost immediately, her brows pulling together as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight, clearly not liking the way Electra was staring at her like she was being studied.

"What?" Roxana asked, her tone already edged with irritation as she met Electra's gaze head-on. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Electra didn't look away. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful in a way that didn't quite match the usual stern expression she carried. "I still find it strange," she said after a moment, her voice even but honest, "that you're here."

Roxana's frown deepened, but she didn't interrupt.

Electra continued, her gaze steady. "You've made it pretty clear in the last few days with you ignoring me and even barging into my room that you're not exactly a fan of me right now." There was no accusation in her tone, just a simple statement of fact, which somehow made it hit even more directly. "So I'm trying to understand why you're here."

The question hung in the air, and for a brief moment, Roxana didn't respond. Instead, she stared at Electra like she was trying to decide whether to take the question seriously or dismiss it entirely. Then, with a scoff, she turned her head slightly and looked over at Irina, her expression unimpressed.

"This is your fault," Roxana said flatly.

Irina blinked once, then let out a small, guilty laugh, rubbing the back of her neck as if she weren't even going to try to deny it. "Okay, maybe a little," she admitted, her tone light despite the tension in the room. "But come on, just tell her. It's not that deep."

Roxana shot her a look that clearly said she disagreed.

Irina, however, didn't back down. "You're going to have to get used to her like this anyway," she added, nodding slightly toward Electra. "And honestly, once you do, she's not that bad."

Electra raised a brow slightly at that, her lips pressing together before she spoke again. "I'm standing right here, you know," she pointed out, her tone dry.

Irina rolled her eyes without even looking at her. "Yes, we're aware," she replied casually before shifting her attention back to Roxana. "Look, she's asking you directly. Just answer her."

Electra crossed her arms lightly, her gaze still on Roxana. "For the record," she added, her voice calm but firm, "it sounds like you're making it seem like I'm the one who has a problem with her. I don't."

That made Roxana glance back at her.

"I don't have an issue with you," Electra continued, her tone straightforward. "The only thing I've noticed is that you don't seem to like me very much."

There was a brief pause.

Roxana let out a slow breath, her shoulders relaxing just slightly as if she had already decided how she was going to respond. "I just don't like this version of you," she said bluntly, not bothering to soften her words. "The one without your memories. You're rash and selfish, and that's not the version of Electra that we as a group need right now."

Penelope shifted slightly at the directness of that, but Electra didn't react the way anyone might have expected. She didn't get defensive and didn't snap back at the fact that she had been called rash.

She just listened.

"But," Roxana added after a moment, her tone less sharp now, though still firm, "like Irina said, I'll just have to get used to it. I don't really have a choice."

Electra nodded once, as if accepting that answer on the surface, but her gaze didn't move away. "That still doesn't explain everything," she said quietly. "You've been… more than just annoyed, and I'm pretty sure it's not just because I lost my memories."

Roxana froze for a second. It was subtle, but it was there.

Electra's eyes narrowed slightly, picking up on it immediately. "So what is it?" she pressed, her tone still calm but more focused now. "What's really going on with you?"

Roxana's expression shifted, something like discomfort flickering across her face before she quickly tried to cover it up. She looked away for a moment, clearly not expecting to be put on the spot like this.

Irina, on the other hand, looked like she was enjoying this far more than she should have. A small smirk formed on her lips, and she let out a chuckle under her breath, which immediately earned her a sharp glare from Roxana.

"Don't you dare," Roxana warned, her tone low.

Irina raised her hands slightly in mock surrender, though the amusement didn't leave her face. "What?" she said innocently. "She asked."

"That doesn't mean you get to answer for me," Roxana snapped back.

Electra's gaze flickered between them, clearly aware now that there was something more going on than Roxana had initially admitted. "So there is something," she said, her tone almost satisfied, like she had just confirmed a suspicion.

Roxana opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Irina spoke.

"She got dumped," Irina said bluntly.

The words landed in the room with a kind of casual mockery that made Penelope immediately press her lips together to keep from reacting, while Roxana turned to Irina with a look that could have burned a hole through her.

"Are you serious right now?" Roxana demanded, her voice tight with both embarrassment and anger.

Irina shrugged lightly, completely unbothered. "What? It's not like it's a secret," she said. "That's why you've been in such a mood lately. It's okay to admit that you were dumped, Roxie. There's always a first time for everything."

Electra blinked once, clearly processing what had just been said, her expression shifting into something more openly confused. "Dumped?" she repeated, the word sounding unfamiliar in her mouth as she looked between them. "What does that mean?"

There was a brief silence.

Then Penelope let out a small, almost helpless laugh, shaking her head slightly as she tried to compose herself. "It means," she said, her voice still carrying a hint of amusement, "that Roxana let someone break up with her."

Roxana groaned quietly, dragging a hand down her face.

"Specifically," Penelope added, glancing at Roxana with a teasing smile she couldn't quite hide, "a man. Hell, a boy who is barely even a man."

Electra tilted her head slightly, still looking confused, as if she were trying to understand why that mattered so much. "And that's… bad?" she asked.

Penelope pressed her lips together again, trying not to laugh outright this time. "It's not just bad," she said, her tone light. "It's tragic, very tragic."

Roxana shot her a glare. "Shut up," she hissed, but Penelope ignored her.

Electra stood there for a moment, her confusion slowly giving way to something else, something closer to understanding, even if it wasn't entirely it. She looked at Roxana again, this time with a slightly different expression, less questioning and more… pitiful.

"Oh," she said after a moment. "Sorry for your loss, I guess."