The Heiress Club

Chapter 13: Exchange of Questions

CW: mentions of SA

"This is the best," Seung-jun sighs contentedly, sinking lower in the warm water.

I nod, feeling half-asleep. Today, we're at the geothermal spa that Cyra's cousins own. We went hiking both days before, so this is a welcome relief. Es also insisted on taking a walk to see a waterfall this morning. I did something weird to my leg yesterday too and all my muscles are sore, so the spa is incredibly soothing.

The water here is gorgeous, a pale shade of milky teal that resembles the sky. It's warm and so full of minerals that it might as well be cave water. I love it. There's this weird clay that you can smear on your face as a face mask and apparently it's the best thing ever for your skin. I have some smeared on right now.

The spa complex spans several pools, sectioned off for different purposes. There's a public one, a mask bar, a waterfall, a steam cave, an area for specialised float therapy and massages, and an in-water bar. We're in one of the smallest and farthest pools in the spa, completely sectioned off for our privacy and enjoyment.

"Let's take a picture," Cyra suggests, floating lazily over and raising her phone. We pose for a selfie. I brought a crimson halter bikini which makes me look absolutely stunning.

"This reminds me of the baños árabes we have in Spain," Es mumbles, resting her head on a floating board with her eyes closed. "The best ones are historical properties but some guy renovated one and we got to visit ... the water there is nothing compared to this though."

"What's Spain like? I've always wanted to go," Nandika says dreamily.

"I'm a little biased, but I think it's the best country ever. The food there is the best."

"I went there with Teddy and Manon once," Jasper says. He sits on the farthest end of the pool from me—he still hasn't quite forgiven me for tossing him onto the ice. I don't care. It was funny. I never quite realised how strong he was until today, with toned shoulders and ... well, I won't go there. It makes sense—he's a hardcore football player. I'm glad that the warm steam of the pools obscures my flushed cheeks. "He almost got arrested there."

"Really?" Diamond asks, laughing. "What for?"

"Almost punched someone who called Manon a gabacho."

"People like that are nasty," Es says. "I didn't think Teddy got along that well with Manon though?"

"He doesn't," Manon scoffs. "It's more like he got mad because they implied he was one too. He has an inferiority complex about Spain dating back to the eighteenth century."

Interesting. Not unexpected though. A lot of the old money group is European. There's definitely discrimination. It's no wonder Teddy feels like that. It sounds like something I can use against him.

Some more secrets are just casually spilled. Apparently Avril Jewel abruptly dropped out to go to a public school in L.A. "Couldn't handle the heat," Diamond giggles.

"Must've been bad," Cahyono comments. "Nobody just drops out mid-year. At least wait until summer break to disappear."

"Did you see that Mnisi was on the news?" Cyra says.

"No way," Seung-jun says.

"Yes way." Cyra shows us a brief clip of Noelise getting interviewed by a reporter, set against the backdrop of a loud march against climate change. "I got such a jumpscare when I saw it."

Well now I know how Noelise is spending her winter break.

After a little while more, Manon gets out of the water first. The spa provides us with fluffy heated bathrobes that are perfect for the chilly air. "Let's go, we have a dinner reservation."