~Ioana~"Your family are full of thieves," Ivy accused. "Honestly, I'm not surprised we managed to trace the jewellery back to your house." She eyed Rose. "It runs in the blood, after all.""Don't you dare bring my family into this!" Rose glared at Ivy, fuming, her figure trembling."Or you'll do what?" Ivy crossed her arms, not taking Rose seriously.Rose squeezed out through gritted teeth, "I'm not surprised at all that you and your thug-like brothers raided my house because of your greed." She pointed at Ivy with her index finger."It seems you don't want your finger anymore," Ivy warned, her voice low.Rose recoiled but pressed forward again. "I understand you're falling— your goods were busted as fakes. I know you need money badly, but that is no reason to stretch your hands to us."She turned to me. "We are migrants, Your Majesty, unlike you," she pointed to Ivy, "whose family is entrenched here. Nobody wants to ever leave their homeland—the place they love—if not for survival.
~Ioana~My foot bounced on the polished white marble, tapping. I couldn't stop it, I couldn't control my foot. Once I halted it, the next second it resumed.Tapping.It echoed, betraying the calmness I desperately wanted to show.My eyes darted from the door to my entwined fingers. 'Why aren't they here yet?' I wondered, impatience gnawing at me.My fingers wormed their way into my braids, scratching—I froze. I'm going to scatter my hairdo.I straightened up, smoothing the nonexistent creases on my dress. I fake- coughed into my fisted hands but recoiled in disgust— they were clammy with sweat.'Why are they here, what if—' spiraled in my head."You!" I barked at the nearest wolf, an official, who flinched at my sudden words. He dropped to one knee, his palm over his heart."Yes, my Queen," his words were loud enough."You don't need to shout, I can hear you clearly." I rolled my eyes internally."Why aren't they here yet?" I asked the question gnawing on my mind.He tilted his head.
~Gabrielle~ My ears rang. I staggered, disoriented, my cheeks stung from the slap. I cradled it, my eyes wide in disbelief as I stared at my father, partly in shock. "Dad… you slapped me?" The end of my words rose, turning it into a question. Dad's eyes flashed with guilt before he suppressed it. "Mind your words, young lady," he said through gritted teeth. He didn’t even offer an apology. Dad has never raised against me, not once. But now he had. It was Mom who reacted. "Herbert!" she screamed, gathering her skirt in her grasp. She ran towards me. "You raised your hand on our daughter!" She pulled me towards her, her face full of concern magnified in my eyes. "How dare you," she questioned Dad, who muttered something I failed to hear. He spun on his heels, storming out of the house. With him out of the picture, it was just both of us. Mom sighed. "Gabby," she called my nickname. "Let me see." I allowed her to remove my palm covering my cheeks, wincing when the breeze brushed
~Gabrielle~The reversal for a lot of people was just too swift.The person you thought you were better than…I remember a long time ago, we were just children. I was 11, and she was much younger, about 6, I think.The memory was fuzzy, but mother and father always had arguments late at night because of her.Father's face was red, veins bulging, while mother ran out with tears streaming down her cheeks.It was always her. She made mom sad. I hated it so much.That's why the first time I watched father beat her after I told him she had stolen my doll (but I never told him I gave her to play with it).I felt joy bubble in my inside as her screams bounced off the wall.I felt like I was paying her back for making mom cry and dad mad.At least this memory was clear.And as time ran faster, she became more miserable, more timid, hunching her back.Flinching like a frightened mouse at the slightest snap of my fingers.But you're saying my foot mat, my stress reliever, was my queen?How? It
~Gabrielle~“Arrgh!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, sweeping everything on the table off it, sending it tumbling to the floor, crashing with a resounding noise.But even as I watched them shatter and break from the impact, the raging flame in my chest didn't decrease. Instead, it went up higher, licking everything until they became ashes.My chest heaved, jaw clenched so hard my teeth would break. The sharpened end of my nails pierced into my palm, blood trickled out. I couldn't feel the pain; I was just too consumed with rage to feel anything else.'Why her?' I howled.'Why did you choose her?' I could feel my mind teetering to the brink of doom, on the verge of madness.I would have been a better option. My fingers twitched, the need to smash something arose in me.I spun, coming face to face with a mirror, and I was taken aback.'Is this… me?' I took a step closer and the woman in the mirror did. Bloodshot blue eyes, morbid pale skin under the tan, black eye bags, and lips set
~Ioana~[⚠️ This chapter contains romantic tension and mild innuendo. Read at risk]I was back at the place I recognised. I knew that immediately I saw the familiar ceiling above.The moment I opened my eyes, light immediately flooded in. For a moment everything was calm. I didn't think.Just me and the ceiling. Light streamed in from the curtain, tranquility set in. It was as if I hadn't woken up yet. I lay on my bed.And then.It slammed into me— the things that happened yesterday.Catching Alessandro.The near kiss with Ramon.The kiss with Alessandro.Alessandro fighting.Ramon accusing me.The kiss— again.And the bite.My fingers curled, weaving into the blankets under me. Thinking about it, red clouds rose up to my cheeks, settling there.It still left me breathless, especially the bite. Pleasure tingled down my spine. I fainted.