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In Raina's Grand House
The Grand House was a monument to old money and perfect order. On the day the election results were announced, a silence deeper than usual hung over the vast marble halls.
Raina rushed through the house, her expensive leather boots echoing on the polished floor. She had changed out of her school uniform and now wore a simple, dark silk dress—a sharp contrast to her usual tailored look. Despite her casual clothing, her movements were still bold and deliberate, yet a certain stiffness betrayed her exhaustion.
Her fight wounds were visible. A nasty scrape marked the high curve of her cheekbone, a bruise darkened her knuckles, and a tear in her dress hem revealed a graze on her leg.
She reached her bedroom door and reached for the knob, but froze. Standing directly in front of her, framed by the doorway, was her mother.
Bianca, immaculate and intimidating, was wearing a perfectly tailored navy suit that looked utterly unwrinkled and severe. Her posture was straight, her expression unreadable, but her eyes were sharp.
"What happened to you, Raina?" Bianca asked, her voice low and even, a dangerous sign.
Raina quickly pulled the door open, trying to dismiss the encounter. "Nothing. Just a long day."
Before Raina could slip inside, Bianca moved with surprising speed, grabbing her daughter's arm. Bianca's grip was instant and hard, a clear sign of her short temper bubbling beneath the surface.
"Don't try to hide anything from me. Tell me, Raina," Bianca commanded, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I feel something bad happened to you."
Raina paused, a cold smirk touching her bruised lips. "It's not what you're imagining, Mother. It was just a fight."
Bianca's eyes widened, her controlled fury boiling over. "What? A fight? Who fought with you? How dare they touch you! I will not leave this. Let me call the Principal immediately."
Raina placed a hand on her mother's phone arm, her touch surprisingly cold. "No." She looked her mother directly in the eye. "Do you remember what you usually say to me?"
Bianca listened, her own anger suspended by curiosity.
Raina's voice was utterly flat. "Don't depend on anyone. You have to solve your problems yourself. That's the quality of a queen."
Raina turned away, stepped into her room, and firmly closed the door.
Bianca stared at the closed mahogany door for a long moment. Then, a slow, predatory smirk spread across her face. My girl. "Still the strangest one," she murmured. "I underestimate her."
She immediately pulled out her phone and called her assistant. "I need an immediate enquiry about what exactly happened to my daughter in her school today," she said, her voice turning cold and sharp. "I want to know every detail."
In Brighton Wisdom (Saturday)
The canteen at Brighton Wisdom was a loud, chaotic sea of high school students on Saturday afternoon. The smell of fried food and cheap soda hung in the air.
Erica, Anitta, and Harry were gathered at a corner table, their mood a mix of anger and defeat. Anitta and Harry were picking at their trays, while Erica was too agitated to eat. A large, ugly, bandaged wound covered a significant portion of Erica's cheek.
"Why didn't you come yesterday?" Anitta asked, pushing a potato chip around her plate.
Erica growled, touching the edge of her wound lightly. "I had an appointment with the doctors to check this. It's all because of that Andria!"
"Something huge happened yesterday," Anitta insisted, lowering her voice. "You truly can't imagine what happened after the election result."
Erica narrowed her eyes, instantly alert. "What? Harry, tell me! It's about Andria, right?"
Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What's the point? We can't even do anything against her now."
"Tell me!" Erica hissed.
Anitta explained everything: the chaos, the defeat, and how the whole school had gone against Silverstorm.
Erica's eyes widened in disbelief, then she burst out laughing, a short, sharp sound devoid of humor. "How can Raina allow that Andria to do that to her? Unbelievable!"
Anitta and Harry exchanged worried glances. "Are you forgetting what she did to us?" Anitta whispered.
"Don't underestimate her, Erica," Harry added quickly.
The two friends went back to focusing on their meals, desperate to ignore the bad feelings. Erica, however, was deep in thought.
"Don't underestimate Raina, either," Erica whispered, almost to herself. "I know her well. And she won't leave that Andria alive." She slapped the table with a loud crack.
Anitta, Harry, and every student nearby stared at her.
Harry quickly changed the subject. "Actually, Raina and her friends didn't even show up in school today."
Anitta sighed dramatically. "I think she's also afraid, like us."
"Not me," Erica muttered under her breath. She gave a disgusted look at her two companions. I can't believe these two losers anymore. I have to plan myself against her.
Sunday Night: The Hunter's Trap
Morning
Gabriella woke up slowly in her immense bedroom. The room was huge, decorated in clean, minimalist whites and silvers, with sunlight streaming through panoramic windows. She rubbed her head, smiling slightly. "Today feels so warm. After a long time, I love it."
Her phone rang. It was Dona.
"Gabby, do you know that Selina is holding a party at a nightclub tonight?" Dona's voice was panicked. "I can't believe they'd forget so easily what we did to them. I think they are moving on."
Gabriella smirked. "They won't. She's setting a trap for me."
"What?" Dona gasped. "Then don't go there!"
"I can't," Gabriella said, her voice taking on a cold, playful quality.
"Why?"
"Because I like to play the dare game. Let's play with them. Are you coming?"
Dona groaned. "Oh, you didn't leave me any other options. I have to come for you. Oh, yes."
Gabriella smiled, a genuine, rare smile. "Bye. Let's go see our enemies' party."
Dona sighed heavily into the phone. "Mmm."
Night Club
The nightclub was a vibrant, dark cave dazzling with light, cycling through aggressive pulses of blue and red. The air thrummed with loud, pounding music.
Near the bar, Raina and Selina were talking quietly.
"Are you sure she will come here?" Raina asked, sipping a clear drink.
Selina offered a smug, tight smile. "Of course."
"Where is your fiancé?" Raina asked.
Selina winked. "He doesn't even know we are holding a party here. I didn't tell him. I know if he knew, our plan wouldn't go as we planned."
Raina smirked faintly.
Gabriella and Dona entered the party area. Gabriella was instantly unique, wearing a daring, dazzling silver party dress that made her look like cold, sculpted ice. Dona wore a similar, though less attention-grabbing, black sequined dress.
Raina caught Gabriella's spot right away. From far away, Raina whispered to Selina, "She came. Proceed with your plan as you like it."
Gabriella saw them too. Dona, holding tightly to her small clutch bag, shivered. "I can feel a hunter's eagerness to hunt us."
Gabriella took a step forward, her expression turning icily cold. "Not you, only for me."
"Seriously, Gabby?" Dona asked, fear evident in her eyes.
Gabriella moved toward their rivals, finally stopping near Raina and Selina.
Raina coolly ignored Gabriella. Selina offered a sickeningly fake smile.
"Are you ignoring me, Raina? Still angry with me?" Gabriella teased.
Raina's eyes flashed with pure hatred. "How dare you tease! Do you think you can so easily go back after humiliating me in front of the whole school? You can't."
Gabriella merely smirked.
Selina smoothly reached for a glass of an exotic purple drink on the table and offered it toward Gabriella. Gabriella did not take the offered drink; instead, she reached across and took the glass Selina had been drinking from.
Selina's jaw tightened, but she didn't show her anger. Gabriella began to drink Selina's remaining drink. "I don't believe you," Gabriella said. "What if you mixed something in my drink?"
Raina's lip curled in a smirk. Selina bit her inner lip, managing to hold her temper.
Dona, who had been drinking from a glass given by the staff, instantly put her drink down on the table. The two girls moved away to the other side of the club.
"Why didn't you say earlier not to drink?" Dona hissed, clutching her bag. "What if I drank something they mixed?"
Gabriella smiled faintly. "Don't panic. They won't do it. I already told you, I am their target."
On the other side, Selina was fuming. "I knew it! She didn't take the one I offered."
Raina raised an eyebrow. "What? So you failed your mission? I already told you not to do this."
Selina smiled, a chilling light in her eyes. "I applied the chemical on my own glass. If her hand goes near her nose to scratch or wipe her mouth, she will instantly faint after ten seconds." Selina turned, staring at Gabriella across the room. "I am waiting."
Raina smirked.
Across the room, Gabriella suddenly placed her hand on her mouth, then scratched her nose.
Selina began silently counting: Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one…
On the other side, Gabriella swayed slightly. Dona looked terrified. "What is it?"
Gabriella clutched her head. "I don't know. I suddenly feel dizzy."
Dona's eyes widened. Nightclub staff quickly arrived to help escort Gabriella to a private room. Dona followed, still clutching her bags, whispering, "What should I do?"
The staff helped put the now completely unconscious Gabriella on a plush bed. As Dona stood by the door, trying to compose herself, one of the staff members swiftly pulled out a canister and sprayed a fine mist into Dona's face.
Dona instantly fainted, collapsing to the floor. Her last word was a whisper: "No… don't…"
The staff boys exchanged a high-five and one boy called someone. "We have done it."
and another boy escorts Dona to another room....
From the bar, Selina smiled, satisfied. "Then, proceed with the next step."
Five Minutes Later...
A fully drunk man stumbled into the private room. He was loud and smelled strongly of alcohol. Gabriella was lying limply on the bed.
The man grinned grotesquely when he saw Gabriella. "I didn't expect they would arrange such a beautiful girl for me…"
He approached the bed, leaning close to her.
Suddenly, Gabriella's hand moved, a small, polished silver knife glinting in her grip. She was ready to strike.
But before she could move, a figure burst into the room, kicking the drunken man hard in the chest. He flew backward and crashed to the floor, stunned.
The man looked up, bewildered. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The figure was wearing heavy black boots, black trousers, and a black t-shirt. A silver chain glinted on his neck. His face was contorted in an expression of sheer, deadly anger. He stared at the drunken man on the floor.
Gabriella opened her eyes just a fraction, peeking through her lashes. She saw him and froze. She could not believe it—it was Jake. She remained still, feigning unconsciousness.
Jake spoke, his voice dangerously low. "I know who arranged you. Go tell them. Don't play dirty tricks anymore." He looked down at Gabriella's motionless form and then back at the drunk man, who was still staring at the supposedly fainted girl.
Jake's face got even more pissed. "Where are you looking at?"
Jake grabbed the drunken man's shirt, pulling him up for a fight.
Outside the Room
Raina and Selina were heading toward the private room.
"It's already going as I planned, why do you want to stop it now?" Selina argued, frantic.
Raina was cold. "I don't want to do this part."
"Raina," Selina hissed, "we can only win if we go beyond ethics!"
Raina stared hard at Selina.
Suddenly, the door of the private room burst outward, splintered wood flying, and the drunken man was violently thrown out, landing heavily on the floor near them.
Selina and Raina stopped, shocked.
They watched as Jake slowly emerged from the broken doorway. He was incredibly angry, his focus still locked on the reeling drunk man.
"How did he get in here?" Raina whispered, completely stunned.
Selina paled, her eyes wide with panic. "If he finds out…"
Jake, ignoring the two girls, focused solely on the man who dared to attack Gabriella.
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