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The hum of the grand room at the back of Raina's sprawling mansion was interrupted only by the rhythmic tapping of keys. Bianca, Raina's mother, was a vision of effortless control, even in her casual outfit of tailored black leggings and an oversized cream cashmere sweater. Her office, usually reserved for complex business deals, felt more like a command center tonight. She leaned back in her plush leather chair, eyes fixed on the laptop screen that illuminated her sharp features.
A sharp, low knock sounded on the heavy mahogany door.
"Come in," Bianca's voice was cool, a polished edge to the word.
A tall figure entered. He was all angles and shadows, clad in a crisp black suit and impenetrable dark glasses—a true ghost in a grand house. He stopped a respectful distance away, his posture rigid.
"Ma'am, you don't have to worry," the man's voice was a low rumble. "Everything is in favour of Ms. Raina."
A slow, satisfied smile curved Bianca's lips, a thin line of triumph. "So. My daughter has started to attack her rival." She paused, the smile turning into a subtle, almost predatory smirk. "Then let it be. She will take care of it. You don't have to follow her now onwards."
The man gave a quick, silent nod and retreated. Bianca leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. She whispered the words, almost to herself, "Of course she is my daughter. She will do." The corner of her smile subtly, dangerously, curved to the side. The game was on, and Bianca trusted her bloodline to win.
🖤 The Marks of Battle
Across town, at Gabriella's sleek, modern mansion, the atmosphere was anything but triumphant. Gabriella slipped into the luxurious hall, the vast space swallowing the sound of her footsteps. The hall was all clean lines, expensive art, and cold marble—a picture of wealth, but not necessarily warmth. She was still in her school uniform, and a faint, acrid smell clung to her.
She quickly rubbed a smudge of black burn ash from the sleeve of her uniform and tried to wipe a matching streak from her face. More carefully, she hid her injured, slightly singed hand behind her back, taking a deep, shaky breath. She forced her lips into a tentative, normal-looking smile.
"What are you hiding?"
The voice, low and laced with suspicion, shot through the silence. Gabriella flinched, her forced smile vanishing. Her eyes darted around until they landed on the deep, charcoal sofa. Fiona, her Aunt, was there, leaning back casually, engrossed in her phone. Fiona straightened, her eyes, sharp and assessing, now fixed on Gabriella. Gabriella, her face now a blank mask, simply tried to walk past.
Fiona rose fluidly and closed the distance, her hand shooting out to grab Gabriella's arm, forcing her to halt. "What happened to you?" she asked, her tone dangerously even.
"Nothing," Gabriella replied, her voice flat, her eyes defiant.
In a lightning-fast move, Fiona grabbed the injured hand from behind Gabriella's back. Gabriella couldn't help it—a raw, sharp cry of pain escaped her lips. "Ah!"
"What is it?" Fiona asked, her voice turning cold.
Gabriella didn't answer.
"I know what they did to you," Fiona stated.
Gabriella shoved her aunt's hand away. "I'm saying, it's not what you think!"
Suddenly, Roselette, Gabriella's mother, appeared from the kitchen, her expression concerned. "Why did you shout, Gabriella?"
Gabriella's panic spiked. She forced a strained, overly bright smile. "Nothing, Mom! I just saw a… a cockroach!" Her voice was too loud, too high-pitched, and then she dropped it to a barely audible whisper, "So that's why I shouted."
Roselette simply nodded. "Oh. Well, then, ready quickly. We have to go to the mall."
"No, Mom," Gabriella started to deny.
Fiona smiled—a knowing, chilling expression. "She will."
Gabriella glared at her aunt. Fiona smirked, then leaned in close and whispered in Gabriella's ear, "You have to. Otherwise, I will tell your mother." The smirk vanished, leaving a look of ice-cold resolve.
"Mmm," Gabriella mumbled in surrender.
Fiona, for emphasis, suddenly grabbed Gabriella's injured hand again. "Ah!" Gabriella shouted in pain.
Roselette finally noticed the strange exchange. She panicked. "What happened to your hand, Gabriella?"
Gabriella was stunned.
"Nothing," Fiona lied smoothly, staring directly at Gabriella. "While playing basketball, she fell down."
Gabriella managed a small, forced smile, confirming the lie. Roselette's worry deepened. "You have to be careful."
"Yes," Gabriella rushed out. "Then, I am going to get ready!" She bolted for the stairs, needing to escape the suffocating tension. Roselette started to call her name, but Gabriella was already gone.
The Shopping Mall
The air in The Galleria felt thick with expensive perfume and the drone of pop music. It was a massive, glittering maze of designer stores, but to Eighteen-year-Gabriella, it felt more like a marathon finish line.
Their arms were screaming.
Gabriella, dragging her feet, wore a comfy, yet defiant outfit: faded denim jeans and a bright crimson crop top. The colour was bold, but her posture was tired, communicating utter exhaustion. Beside her, Roselette was slightly more composed, wearing a structured emerald-green shift dress. She was also tired, but she held her composure, a faint look of weary resignation clouding her eyes.
Leading the charge ten feet ahead was Fiona.
Fiona wasn't walking; she was gliding, a blur of flawless style and sheer, unrelenting energy. She wore an outfit that screamed "I'm here for business, even if the business is buying shoes": a crisp, snow-white silk blouse tucked into perfectly tailored camel-brown trousers. The ensemble was formal, sharp, and entirely too put-together for a Saturday afternoon of hauling bags. She carried her own collection of expensive carriers with effortless smugness.
Fiona suddenly spun around, her dark ponytail whipping behind her, and let out a bright, piercing laugh that echoed off the marble floor.
"Why are you guys so slow?" she teased, her voice ringing with carefree amusement.
Roselette managed a small, pained sigh. "Aren't you tired? We've hit every store on the third floor."
Fiona just smirked, running a hand through her glossy hair. "No. I feel amazing. This is my happy place."
Gabriella frowned, adjusting a pile of bags that threatened to slide off her elbow. "You are shopping too much, Fi. Seriously, these bags aren't even light, and you keep adding to them." She looked genuinely skeptical and overwhelmed.
Fiona winked, a cold glint in her eyes. "Not only for me, sweethearts. These are for both of you, too. My gift."
"But it's too much," Gabriella insisted, looking nervous at the sheer volume of high-end loot.
Fiona dismissed her with a wave. "Keep it. It's a gift. Anyway," she changed the subject, the laughter dropping a touch, becoming slightly softer and more manipulative, "I have to go abroad in two weeks. So let's just enjoy the time we have together, okay?"
A Past Resurfaces
Hours later, at an upscale coffee shop in the mall, Gabriella and Roselette sat at a table, surrounded by shopping bags, both looking exhausted. Fiona was at the counter, giving her order.
"...and I want Bo—"
"Boba tea," a voice finished for her, directly behind the waitress.
Gabriella, Roselette, and Fiona widened their eyes in collective shock.
Standing there was Xander, a tall, handsome man in a crisp black suit. He was a blast from Fiona's past. She stood up instantly.
The waitress, holding her notepad, looked expectantly at Fiona. "Yes. Boba tea. That's it," Fiona managed to say, her voice barely a breath. The waitress hurried away.
Fiona offered a hesitant smile. "Hi. Why are you here?"
Xander returned a casual, confident smile. "Hlo. Long time no see." He stared intently at Fiona. "I'm here because of a client meeting."
Roselette and Gabriella were watching the entire exchange, fascinated.
"And they are..." Fiona pointed to Roselette. "My brother's wife." Then to Gabriella. "My niece, Gabriella."
Xander's eyes widened slightly. "Wait. Gabriella? You are Jake's friend, right?"
Gabriella's eyes were wide.
Roselette whispered, "Jake... I heard that name before... wait..." Then she remembered. "Jake! The boy who brought you to our house last time when you were drunk, right? Who is Jake to you?"
"He is my brother's son," Xander said, a slight pride in his voice.
Roselette was impressed. "Oh. Actually, he is a nice boy."
Gabriella turned to her mother and whispered fiercely, "No!"
Fiona, mocking, asked Xander, "What did he say about our Gabriella?"
"She is a good friend," Xander replied, a small smirk forming, "and a bold one."
"What? He said that? Impossible," Gabriella whispered to herself, confused and disbelieving.
Roselette nodded in agreement. "Sometimes it's trouble."
Gabriella glared at her mother. Xander gave a small chuckle.
Roselette offered, "Have some coffee with us." Xander agreed.
As the drinks arrived, Fiona ordered one more coffee for Xander. They chatted, the old flames carefully skirting the edges of their history.
When they finished, Roselette stood abruptly. "You guys talk. I have to buy a dress for Gabriella for her school event."
Fiona looked confused. "We already have—"
"Actually, we forgot," Roselette cut in, eyes flashing a secret message. "So, we need to buy. We are going. Let's meet at the parking area." Roselette dragged a bewildered Gabriella toward the entrance.
Fiona watched them leave, then turned her gaze to Xander. "She is lying," she whispered. Then, forcing a smile, she asked the question that had burned in her mind. "How is your wife?"
Xander looked genuinely shocked. "What?"
Fiona's face was straight, unwavering. "Your wife."
"I'm still single," Xander said simply.
Fiona's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"
Outside of Coffe Shop
Outside the coffee shop, hidden behind a decorative planter, Gabriella and Roselette were watching Fiona and Xander.
"What are you doing, Mom?" Gabriella hissed, finding none of this interesting.
Roselette smiled cryptically. "Wait. Do you want your Auntie to marry someone?"
"What? She can't marry anyone, or a random guy! She has to marry the person she likes!"
Roselette turned to her daughter, her expression serious. "She likes him."
"What? But… he has to love her too!"
"He loves her too," Roselette confirmed.
Understanding dawned on Gabriella's face. "Wait… are they…"
"They loved each other," Roselette said softly.
"Really?"
"But I think she doesn't love him now. Let's bring her back," Gabriella insisted, concerned for her aunt.
Roselette stopped her. "You don't know anything about love." Gabriella froze at the severity in her mother's voice. "Don't you understand why Fiona doesn't want to marry anyone else? Because she still loves him."
Gabriella didn't reply. Roselette took her hand, and they hurried away from the coffee shop.
Back inside, Xander confessed, "So, I didn't marry her."
Fiona's eyes softened, a deep, hidden vulnerability showing through. "Do you still have feelings for me?"
"You are right," Xander admitted, his gaze intense. "I can't forget you that easily." Fiona seemed to melt, unable to speak. Xander continued, "But I know you broke up with me." He paused. "I won't force you. It's completely up to you. But I won't marry another girl."
Fiona quickly turned her eyes away. The moment was broken by a sudden call on her phone. "I have to go," she said, and rushed out, leaving Xander watching her retreat.
Gabriella's House
Later that evening, Gabriella, Roselette, and Fiona entered their grand mansion. Gabriella mumbled that she was full and tired and rushed upstairs. Seconds later, she reached her room and collapsed onto her bed.
She noticed her wardrobe was slightly ajar. She sat up. Her dressing table items were messed up. Her eyes widened in genuine fear.
"Oh no," she whispered, scrambling off the bed and rushing downstairs.
Halfway down the staircase, she froze. In the grand hall, there were three figures. They were dressed in full black clothes, their faces concealed by black helmets. They were thieves.
On the other side, Fiona and Roselette stood like statues, paralyzed with fear.
"Who are you?" Gabriella screamed, her fear turning instantly to rage.
Everyone in the hall turned toward the staircase.
"Gabriella! Don't come here!" Roselette screamed.
A man suddenly grabbed Roselette's hand and, with terrifying speed, placed a sharp knife to her throat.
"No!" Gabriella roared, a sound of pure terror and panic.
Fiona reacted immediately, kicking out at the third man who tried to grab her. She lunged toward Roselette, but stopped short when the knife at her sister's throat tightened.
Gabriella reached the hall floor, her body trembling with fear. "Leave my mother!" she demanded.
Her phone rang. She fumbled, picking it up. A familiar voice answered with a mocking, cruel laugh.
"Who the hell are you?" Gabriella shouted into the phone.
"It's me," the voice purred. "Raina."
Gabriella eyes widened....
"It's your plan, right?" Gabriella spat out, her eyes turning red with fury and unshed tears.
"Oh, you found out." Raina's laugh vanished instantly. "Yes. Me. How is it? Do you feel afraid? That's exactly what I want." Raina's voice was cold, flat, and menacing. "I want to see your afraid face right now."
Gabriella said nothing, her throat tight.
"Leave my mother!" she choked out.
"Yes," Raina said.
Suddenly, one of the masked thieves received a message on his wrist, and he signaled his companions. As a silent command, the one holding Roselette slightly sliced her neck before letting her go. Blood immediately bloomed and dripped from the cut. Roselette cried out in pain. Fiona and Gabriella screamed, terrified.
The three thieves vanished into the night as quickly as they came. Fiona and Gabriella rushed to hold the bleeding Roselette, their hands shaking.
Raina's words echoed in Gabriella's ears, a cold, taunting whisper in the sudden, sickening silence of the grand hall:
Afraid… Afraid… Do you feel afraid?
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Will Gabriella let Raina win this round, or has Raina just unleashed a new, far more dangerous kind of fury?