"Nice picture. Who's your photographer?" Diana teased, raising a perfectly arched brow as she spotted the wallpaper on Ceres' phone the moment she set it down on the table.
They were currently seated at Pâtisserie de Luxe, enjoying their coffee and pastries.
Ceres smirked, tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the screen. "I wonder. I bet whoever took this photo is rich by now. Imagine selling this for a million dollars."
Diana laughed, stirring her coffee lazily. "Correction, I didn't sell your pictures, okay? It was Caspian. Zeus wouldn't stop pestering him to send all the shots I took that night. So Caspian decided to charge him, just in case I ever emptied his bank account with my shopping. He figured he'd have a backup source of income."
Ceres let out a short laugh. "You're insane."
"We're both insane. That's why we're friends," Diana grinned.
And that was the truth.
Diana was one of the few people who never kissed Ceres' ass. She always told her exactly what she needed to hear, whether she liked it or not.
"So… how did Zeus convince you to make that your wallpaper?" Diana leaned in, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Caspian said Zeus has the exact same wallpaper and he's been proudly showing it off to everyone."
Ceres sighed, shaking her head. "He put a spell on me."
She traced the rim of her coffee cup absentmindedly, recalling the exact moment she changed her wallpaper.
They were having lunch together when Zeus had forwarded her the photos.
He waited until she checked them, then casually asked, "Should we both make it our wallpaper?"
At first, Ceres had blinked, slightly taken aback.
Zeus was not the kind of man who did cringeworthy teenage things like this. Before this, his phone wallpaper was nothing but a solid black screen. No pictures. No words. Just plain.
Her own wallpaper, however, had never changed for years.
It was a simple but deeply personal image.
A flower arrangement she and her mother had worked on together, placed beside a pocket watch, the one she had designed herself as a gift for her father's birthday. And right next to them, a delicate diamond tiara she had worn on her fifteenth birthday.
To anyone else, it looked like an ordinary photo of a vase, a watch, and a tiara.
But to Ceres, it was everything.
It was a silent representation of her family.
She had changed phones multiple times over the years, but her wallpaper had always stayed the same.
And then came Zeus.
As he sat across from her, waiting for her response, she looked at him.
She silently questioned him with her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
He didn't say anything.
He just smiled.
And just like that, she did it.
That was the difference between Zeus and Ryzel.
Zeus always asked.
He always made sure that the things he wanted from her weren't something that would force her to compromise her preferences.
Ryzel, on the other hand?
He never asked.
He would just do things as if his choices were more important than hers.
Like when he had changed her phone wallpaper without her permission.
As if the picture she had carefully chosen and kept for years meant nothing.
He should have noticed by then.
He should have known how much that picture meant to her.
But he never did.
That was what truly made Ceres angry.
More than the act itself, it was the realization that Ryzel had never paid attention to what was important to her.
That was the day she saw him clearly.
Ryzel never truly wanted her for who she was.
He wanted her as a trophy.
As someone who would boost his ego the moment she officially became his.
And so, she rebelled.
She showed Ryzel exactly who she was.
She refused to be someone he could conquer.
If he wanted her in his life, he had to step up his game.
But instead of stepping up, he cowered.
He constantly tried to test her feelings, always making it a game of who had the upper hand.
He would flaunt other women in front of her, as if trying to make her jealous.
So, Ceres did the same.
But she did it better.
The women Ryzel paraded in front of her?
They were nobodies without him.
The men Ceres allowed to pursue her, despite being engaged to Ryzel?
They were above him.
And when Zeus pursued her, it became even clearer just how insignificant Ryzel had always treated her.
Ryzel would cancel their dates just to go drinking with his friends.
Zeus, on the other hand?
He had canceled a billion-dollar contract meeting simply because she said she wanted coffee.
And Ceres couldn't even imagine how Ryzel would have treated her if she had given herself to him, every time he insisted on his 'fiancé rights.'
He would have trampled all over her.
He would have treated her just like he treated all women, beneath him.
Well, it was a good thing she had the perfect role model for how a man should treat a woman.
Her father, Romos Monteverde.
Romos never treated Cielo as anything less than his equal.
He didn't care about her background.
Or the fact that she didn't even have one.
It didn't matter where she came from, he loved her.
Romos was a provider, a protector, and a partner to her mother.
And Ceres grew up watching that kind of love.
That became her standard.
And because of that, she would never settle for anything less.
So yes, sabotaging Ryzel and Ciena's wedding was just her being petty.
Because he was the one so lacking.
And yet, he had the audacity to break up with her.
And lie to her face about falling in love with Ciena.
As if she was stupid enough to believe it.
As if he thought she wouldn't see right through him.
And what made it worse?
Ciena had the nerve to act smug when Ryzel proposed to her just a few months after their breakup.
As if she had actually stolen something important from Ceres.
As if Ryzel was the greatest loss of her life.
As if he was even worth fighting for.
"Earth to Ceres."
Diana snapped her fingers in front of Ceres, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Where did your mind go just now?"
Ceres blinked, momentarily disoriented, before flashing a knowing smile.
"Somewhere," she answered nonchalantly.
"Somewhere? Or someone?" Diana smirked. "Someone named Zeus, perhaps?"
Ceres rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. Instead, she just smiled, which only made Diana's smirk widen.
"So, when did it start?" Diana asked, curiosity dancing in her tone.
Ceres frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Your feelings for Zeus." Diana leaned forward, studying her friend's expression. "You like him. Like, really like him. Or dare I assume, love?"
Ceres' eyes widened in shock.
"What?! How could you even say that?"
Diana smirked knowingly, sipping her coffee before answering.
"Because he makes you smile. A genuine smile. The kind that reaches your eyes and makes them sparkle."
Ceres faltered. "You think?"
Diana nodded. "Oh, I know. And more than that, you're no longer using him to make a point."
She took another sip of coffee before adding, "And to be honest, I never thought anyone could make you smile like that. Not even Ryzel."
Ceres stiffened slightly.
She thought about it.
Since when did she stop using Zeus?
He knew, from the very beginning, that she was using him. And yet, he never cared.
He let her.
He indulged her.
And at some point, somewhere along the way, he became more than a tool for her.
Ceres was lost in thought again, but Diana chuckled, shaking her head.
"Don't overthink it, girlfriend."
She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table. "As your 'only' friend, let me give you some advice, just let it be. Enjoy the feeling. You don't have to overanalyze when or how it started. One day, you'll realize it. And when that day comes, I know for sure, you won't doubt your feelings."
Ceres stared at Diana for a moment before finally cracking a smile.
"Thank you very much for the advice, Ms. Romance Guru."
Diana raised her cup in a mock toast. "You're welcome, Ms. Hard to Get."
And just like that, they both burst into laughter, filling the café with the sound of genuine friendship.