Maria checked into the hotel, collapsing onto the bed in silence. She let herself breathe.
Her phone buzzed. A notification blinked on the screen—"Your bank account has been frozen."
Maria let out a soft laugh, as if the world itself had tried to pull a joke.
"So they've finally cut me off," she whispered, unfazed. "Good thing I opened a new account weeks ago."
She set the phone aside, but another news alert lit up her screen—and this time, it caught her attention.
> BREAKING: Competition finalist Ruth hospitalized after accident. Face disfigured. Quits show permanently.
> *Police confirm it was a freak accident… Ruth reportedly suffered a breakdown following the incident…
Maria's brows furrowed. "No way that's just an accident," she muttered.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, then she turned the phone off and lay back.
Something didn't feel right.
---
The next morning, Maria walked down to the cafe for breakfast. She ordered light, sat near the window, and enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
But outside, eyes were watching.
As she stepped out of the cafe, a strong grip snatched her from behind. She didn't even have time to scream. The van door slammed shut. A sharp sting to her neck.
Darkness.
---
Somewhere far away…
"She's awake," the butler said, bowing respectfully.
Chloe stepped down the marble staircase, dressed in a white t-shirt, a black biker skirt, and fluffy bunny slippers. A ridiculous outfit on anyone else—but on her, it looked like royalty dressed as rebellion.
She was effortless beauty.
At the dining table, a woman in a silk white gown smiled. Hair tied in an elegant bun, graceful like a flower in bloom.
"You're up early, Chloe," the woman said.
Chloe didn't respond. She strolled past them and sat at the head of the table—the position of the Hade family's ruler.
The smile on the woman's face faded slightly.
A woman in a green dress whispered, "Tsk. Doesn't even greet her elders. Will she not get married and move out?"
Chloe sipped her tea. "I will get married. And I'll still be the head of the Hade family. Don't worry, auntie."
She set her cup down. Her gaze locked onto the woman in green.
"You spent twenty million from the family's funds last month. Care to explain why?"
The aunt scoffed. "It's my allowance. I can spend it however I like. And don't forget, once you're married, all this goes to your brother—as tradition states."
"If your husband gave you that money, I wouldn't care," Chloe replied flatly. "But you dipped into the family's treasury. Do I look like I'm running a charity?"
The aunt's smile wavered.
"And your 'precious' husband?" Chloe's voice turned sharp. "He stole over 200 million from company accounts. He gambles. He sleeps around like he's sowing seeds on every patch of dirt he walks on."
Several servants flinched.
"The company your branch oversees? Full of scandals. Lawsuits. Failed mergers. And your son? All he's done is leave corpses in his wake."
Chloe nodded at the butler. Documents were placed in front of the woman—hard evidence.
"You wanted to play sides? Fine. You chose my stepmother over me? That's your mistake. But next time, at least have the brains to choose someone who can protect you."
She stood up, slow and calm.
"The police have already taken your husband and son in. Your branch is no longer part of the Hade family. Your privileges, your access—revoked."
"You… you can't—!"
"I just did."
Two bodyguards dragged the woman away, along with her terrified family.
Chloe turned to the stunned dinner guests.
"Let this be a reminder: I don't care about loyalty bought by fear. I only respect control and results."
She looked at her stepmother, step-siblings, and the rest of the silent family.
"Stepmother, you should learn to discipline your side. They ruin my appetite."
She picked up her teacup again. "And one more thing—he is not my brother. He's my step-brother. There's a difference. Don't forget it."
The room remained silent.
Only the sound of Chloe sipping her tea remained.
Got it! Thanks for clarifying. Here's the revised and corrected version of your scene, with the original structure and meaning kept, but polished for grammar, clarity, and dramatic flow:
---
After dinner, in Sophia's room.
"Mom, can you imagine that bitch?! Who does she think she is—Aria?! Your daughter and Chloe's stepsister!" Aria yelled, fuming, as her brother Leo calmly sipped his whiskey.
Sophia continued playing with her prayer beads, expression unreadable, when her assistant entered the room, pale and anxious. She bowed respectfully and handed over a document.
Sophia opened it, her frown deepening with every word she read. Her expression turned icy, and she slammed the paper onto the table.
Leo grabbed the document and scanned it quickly.
The assistant, still kneeling, spoke carefully. "Miss Chloe said I should give you this and tell you that if you know what's good for you, stop acting smart. Because no matter what you do, you'll still have the brain of a donkey."
Leo's grip tightened around the document, and in a flash of anger, he hurled his whiskey glass against the wall, shattering it.
"Why are you guys angry?" Aria asked, confused.
Leo sat down slowly, his tone serious. "The Hade family has up to 80 branches. Each has its own members, and some branches manage others. They're spread across different countries. From all of them, only 22 are worth making friends with."
"I know," Aria nodded. "Out of the 22 that aren't, two are the elders branches, three are judge, five are the Executioners, ten are Seers, and the last twelve are the Body branches. They all have a say in the family matters. Even Chloe had to listen to them. And I also know Mom made connections with the Body branch. That's impressive."
"They're gone," Sophia said, her face pale. "Chloe destroyed them. She removed their power, took their shares in the Hade Empire, and even claimed parts of their personal family businesses."
"What?!" Aria stood in shock. "What are the Elders saying? What about the other branches?"
"They can't say anything," Leo replied, his voice weak. "Maria holds shares in their private companies—and ours. She knows about all the secret companies we've tried to hide. She told us to keep dancing like animals in a circus."
He handed Aria the letters.
Sophia took a deep breath, then calmly sipped her tea, her mood back to normal. "Something's not right. She doesn't act this fast unless she's furious. Someone must've really made her angry."
"Even if Chloe is a tyrant, enough is enough. I'm going to act. The kidnappers will take care of her today," Leo said coldly and walked out, followed by Aria.
Sophia waved her hand at the assistant.
"My foolish children have taken Chloe's bait," she murmured.
"Why didn't you stop them, Ma?" the assistant asked softly.
"Why should I?" Sophia replied. "If they don't suffer setbacks, they'll remain idiots. Good thing I've made preparations—we won't be too affected. Follow them. For every plan they make, find a scapegoat."
"I already know who to use," the assistant whispered, leaning close to Sophia's ear.
---
Scene: Maria's Captivity
Cold water splashed across her face.
Maria gasped awake, coughing through the dirty cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her vision was hazy at first, but as it cleared, she realized she was tied to a chair—arms bound tightly, her legs numb from the pressure. Ten thugs surrounded her, their faces cold and emotionless.
She tried to scream, but the cloth muffled her voice.
Then she heard it—the sharp click-clack of high heels.
Her eyes snapped toward the doorway, where a shadowed figure was approaching. At first, she thought it was Ivy. But as the figure stepped into the light, Maria's eyes narrowed.
It was Tessa.
"Well, well, well," Tessa drawled, tilting her head with a smirk. "Not so talkative now, are you?"
She circled Maria slowly, her heels echoing with each step. "I warned you, Maria. I told you to walk away when I was being nice. But no—you refused."
She stopped in front of Maria and slapped her. Hard. Then again. And again.
Finally, she yanked the cloth out of Maria's mouth.
"I'll let you go," Tessa said sweetly, crouching to meet her eyes, "if you quit the show. Say you drugged Linda. Take the blame. That's all. Simple, right?"
Maria stared at her, then without a word—spat on her face.
The room went still.
Tessa's expression darkened. She wiped the spit off slowly… and slapped Maria even harder.
"You're a dog," Tessa hissed. "A stupid, rabid dog. Do you really think I'd give you a choice?"
Maria let out a shaky breath and lifted her chin. "Let me guess. You're the reason Linda ended up like that. You're also the reason she lost her voice, aren't you?"
Tessa let out a low chuckle and stood.
"You know why villains always fail?" she said. "Because they start monologuing. They confess their crimes like idiots, giving the hero all the tools to stop them. But me? I don't take that kind of risk."
She walked over to one of the thugs and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you won't take the blame willingly," she said, her voice ice-cold, "then we'll force you."
"I did some digging, Maria. Your family? Trash. They don't give a damn about you—except maybe Oliver. But I don't care who she is, or how famous, or how smart. Compared to real power, she's nothing."
She turned back toward Maria with a cruel smile. "These men? They'll do the work. They'll break your limbs, force a confession, cut out your tongue, scar that little face of yours—then sell you off to a brothel."
Tessa leaned closer, whispering, "And don't worry. Your parents won't even blink. The story will be that you ran away with a boyfriend. Everyone will move on."
Maria tilted her head, eyes blazing despite the pain. "All this… over a stupid variety show? You're out of your mind."
Tessa smiled coldly, slid her eyeglasses on, and turned to the thugs.
"If anything goes wrong, kill her," she ordered calmly. "And kill Lady Chloe too."
With that, she walked out—heels clicking like a countdown to hell.
---