“C-Cheap? Huh?! Are you insane? I’m the Queen Bee here! And a Queen must be beautiful; that’s why I’m beautiful!” Cheska screamed furiously at Jeremiah, but he only closed his eyes calmly.
I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle at her dramatic outburst. Upon noticing her sharp gaze directed toward me, I straightened my posture.
“Stop it, Cheska. It’s my subject, and it’s my rules that you need to follow,” Miss Monteclaro interjected seriously.
“Aargghhh!” Cheska huffed in frustration, crossing her arms defiantly as she slumped into her seat.
“So, as I was saying, you’ll be representing our section in that pageant. Tomorrow, you’ll be excused for rehearsal. See you in the gym,” Miss Monteclaro announced. We all nodded in agreement before she left the room.
Once school was over, Joy immediately dragged me toward the restroom.
“What’s going on?” I voiced irritably, feeling unusually angry for no reason.
“Y-Your D-dad…” Joy stammered, and it felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over me.
“W-What happened? Is there any news?” 
We still hadn’t heard anything about my Dad. It felt like my knees were about to buckle under the weight of helplessness since I hadn’t been able to do anything when he was in trouble. What good was it to be a part of the Nefarious and Tonacci lineage? Where did I inherit this curse?
“I-I don’t know if I have the right to tell you this, but your dad… Y-Your dad is… D-Dead,” Joy said, tears brimming in her eyes.
“What?! That’s IMPOSSIBLE! Where is he?!” I shouted, my voice cracking as I desperately tried to dial Hobey’s number.
“W-Where are you?” I asked, trying to stifle my sobs.
“Mission,” came the cold reply before the call abruptly ended.
With barely a word, Joy and I ran toward the parking lot. She drove us on her motorcycle to the secret dorm, her expression a mix of urgency and tension.
In my frenzy, I threw my helmet aside and raced toward the door, only to halt in shock as I saw Former Empress Yanxi sitting in a rocking chair, bloodied and weak.
“W-What’s t-the meaning of this?” I shouted, fear gripping me as Joy and I found ourselves surrounded by men in black suits.
“WHO DID THIS TO HER?!” I yelled frantically, anger rising within me.
“Secret,” a lanky bald man smirked.
“Plan A, Rhaj,” Joy whispered urgently as we faced each other, instinctively preparing for a fight.
“Then who are you?” I retorted, attempting to compose myself amidst the chaos.
“You’ll turn to ash if I tell you,” he replied, his voice icy.
My patience was wearing thin! They would regret messing with me; they would know hell before the day was done.
I discreetly unbuttoned my belt from the back so Joy could grip it without drawing too much attention. Without a moment’s hesitation, I tossed my daggers at the first three opponents in sight, making a run for it as I unleashed my concealed headband, which contained a poisoned blade.
Three minutes later, the room was filled with silence—their lives extinguished. I wiped the blood from my arms and strode toward the exit as if nothing had happened.
Scanning the area, I realized we were alone. But I sensed more trouble ahead.
“Rhaj,” Joy called, her piercing stare raising alarms in my mind.
What was she plotting? Suddenly, she threw a small chair in my direction, forcing me to dart toward the kitchen to grab a knife since I had run out of daggers.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!” I shouted, frustration boiling over.
“Huh?! So you didn’t know? Rhajie Chian Nefarious-Tonacci, daughter of Rhanzie Ellipsis Nefarious Tonacci and Hajie Chion Tonacci—don’t you think you should have sharper instincts? Trusting too much can lead to your downfall,” she replied with a sinister smile, her casual tone sending chills down my spine.
“Y-You… You betrayed me! What the hell! That’s bullsh*t!” I screamed in disbelief.
I was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions—anger, sadness, betrayal. I had thought Joy was a true friend, like a sister. To think she would plunge a knife in my back like this was excruciatingly painful!
“Rhaj! HEY! RHAJ!” Joy’s laughter jolted me back to reality.
“You’ve been sleeping for a while now; you were groaning like crazy! Were you making love to Venn in your dreams?” Joy teased as she doubled over with laughter.
Looking around, I realized that it was just the two of us in the room.
“A-What happened? I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep,” I stammered, a mix of confusion and embarrassment swirling within me.
“Hmmm, right after Miss Monteclaro left, I saw you dozing off. Thankfully, we didn’t have our last subject, or else your groans would have embarrassed you in front of the whole class!” I sighed deeply, grateful that no one else had witnessed my moment of weakness.
*Ringggg!*
I quickly answered the call, despite not knowing who it was.
“Chian,” a soft, familiar female voice floated through the receiver, sending shivers down my spine as tears began to well up in my eyes.
“Shhhhhh, baby, don’t cry. Don’t tell anyone, but let’s meet in your house’s backyard (Venn’s home) at exactly 11 PM.” Then the call ended, reality hitting me like a ton of bricks; it was my mother’s voice, and there was no way I could be mistaken.
“Why, Bessy? Who was that?! Why are you crying?” Joy asked, concern etched across her face.
“Hmmm. N-Nothing, let’s go home. I want to rest,” I managed to say amidst my sniffles.
What a nightmare!
---
“Good thing you came home!” Venn greeted me, casually seated on the sofa.
“Is it forbidden? Fine, I’ll just leave,” I replied, attempting to turn away, but he caught my wrist and pulled me back to sit down.
“I’m your husband, so you’re staying here. I’ll cook dinner for us, so go and change your clothes,” he said coolly, heading straight to the kitchen.
What was his deal? I chuckled inwardly; at least he was being insistent.
I went upstairs and placed my things on the bed, still baffled by what to do next. Mom… She’s alive! I couldn’t contain my gratitude, feeling hopeful about finally bringing Dad back to us.
A quiet dinner passed between Venn and me, weighed down by an atmosphere of unspoken thoughts. He seemed tense around me, and I focused on my meal before retreating to my room. I made sure to lock the door so Venn wouldn’t catch me unprepared.
The clock struck 11:00 PM.
I carefully opened the sliding door to the terrace, sneaking outside as silently as possible. My heart raced as I approached the backyard, the sheer anticipation making me lightheaded. Suddenly, the sight of my mother standing there confirmed my deepest hopes, and I lost all composure. 
“Mommy!” I cried, rushing into her arms, relief and joy flooding through me.
“Anak,” she sobbed, holding me tightly as if we meant to never let go again. 
In that instant, everything else faded away; we were just mother and daughter, reunited after what felt like eternity.