Chapter 8 Meet The Half-Sister

"What did you just say, Kianna? You're calling me a mad dog?!" Vera's anger was almost palpable, and a few classmates stepped in to restrain her.

"Wow! I didn't expect the 'mad dog' to react so quickly. How amusing!" Kia grinned, her expression as if she had just encountered an adorable kitten.

Clearly irritated, Vera picked up her tumbler as if to throw it at Kia. "You!"

Classmates rushed to her side, trying to prevent her from doing anything rash. "Calm down, Vera! Ma'am Ramos is on her way, and if you do that, you might get into trouble."

Vera reluctantly released her grip on the tumbler and took a deep breath. She sat down in her chair, seething, and muttered, "Fine! Stop touching me! Let's see if the previous professors don't reprimand you for being late..." She said this in a low voice.

"What are you talking about? Don't expect me to be scolded because I talked to our teachers and requested a leave of absence due to my unexpected marriage," Kia explained, defending herself.

Whispers filled the room. "Married?" Miaree exclaimed, surprised. "How did I not know you were married?"

"I'm sorry I didn't inform you. It all happened suddenly, and I didn't have the time to let you know. Anyway, the professors granted me three days of absence, but since I didn't have much to do, I came in today," Kia replied, taking her seat.

Her classmates immediately crowded around her, engaging in more gossip. Vera glared at Kia as her classmates encircled her.

You have no right to steal my spotlight! Kianna, you're the real antagonist in my story... How did she get married while I can't even find a boyfriend? I'm clearly superior to her! Vera thought to herself.

"Is that true, Kia? No kidding, you got married?"

"Why didn't you invite us?"

"Have you gone on your honeymoon yet, Kia?"

"Wow, is he handsome?"

"Did you see his physique? Do you think he has abs?"

"Vincent must be pretty lucky; congratulations, Kia."

As they approached Kia, the gossip grew louder and more intense.

"Thank you," Kia said, "but I didn't marry Vincent."

Everyone was taken aback, and Kia herself was quite puzzled. "But your fiancé is Vincent Rivera, right? Why isn't he the one you married?" inquired their class president.

Their classmates hurried back to their seats after three loud knocks on the door. Ma'am Ramos, their formidable teacher, entered, holding her umbrella, which she never left behind at home, come rain or shine.

"Do you have nothing better to do than gossip? Have you finished your readings? Why are you prioritizing making noise over studying your readings?!" she exclaimed while shuffling her students' index cards on the table. "All right, recitation time," Ma'am Ramos declared, reaching for one of the index cards. The peculiar expressions on everyone's faces betrayed their fear, as if they were facing an unexpected bout of diarrhea.

All the students feared Ma'am Ramos because she was also studying to become a lawyer, and she expected her students to recite as they did in law school. "Gilbuen! Explain everything on page 24," Ma'am Ramos commanded, causing Mr. Gilbuen to tremble in fear.

…

"We were fortunate that our passage was the one Ma'am Ramos called for recitation," Miaree whispered, trying to calm her nerves after her recitation. She had been the last one called.

"Kia got lucky; she was excused because she requested a leave but still came in. You really impressed Ma'am Ramos with your diligence. You might become her favorite student now," Marcy remarked.

"Wait! Who exactly did you marry, and why not Vincent? How did your family approve of it? Weren't you supposed to be engaged for the future partnership of your family companies?" Miaree fired off a barrage of questions.

"I'll fill you guys in later; let's not waste our thirty-minute break," Kia said, eyeing the two as they walked to the canteen together.

...

"What?! You married a stranger?! Aren't you worried he might have some hidden illness or be involved with drugs, or what if he did something to you?" Miaree exclaimed with concern. Kia quickly covered her friend's mouth because she had spoken a bit loudly.

"Kianna Myst! Marriage isn't a trivial matter! Why would you marry someone you barely know?! You can't just throw yourself into something like that! Who is this man?! Where is he now?! We're going to confront him!" Marc shouted angrily as she took a bite of her purchased bread.

"Calm down, guys. Nothing bad happened to us. I think he's a good person. He works for a major corporation, and he's an assistant, a very respectable individual," Kia defended her husband.

"Imperial group? That's a huge company. I've heard they have a rigorous recruitment process, and the people who make it in are top-notch; if he's an assistant, he must be highly intelligent and skilled," Marc's business knowledge was impressive, earning a smile from Kia, who then continued eating.

"I heard my dear sister got married yesterday. Congratulations!" A voice came from behind them; it was Kia's scheming stepsister, Asteria, accompanied by her friend Vera.

"Aster, marriage is a significant event; didn't she inform your family? I bet her husband is a nobody, so she managed to keep it a secret," Vera added, almost chuckling at her own speculation.

"Look who's here, a dog and its owner. Hey, you two, behave yourselves. The stench of your behavior is spreading," Kia retorted calmly.

"What did you just call me?!?" Vera screamed, hurling her can of coke at Kia.

"Watch out, Kia!" Miaree exclaimed with concern.

Kia remained composed, waiting for the can of coke to approach before evading it. Instead, it hit the person standing behind her, one of the members of the feared Redbull Gang at their university.

"B****! I'm going to beat you up!" Vera couldn't contain her anger and approached Kia. However, she was taken aback as the burly man hit by the coke can slowly rose to his feet.

"Fine, give it a try," Kia said with a smile. The man hit by Vera's can stepped forward, clearly annoyed.

Both Vera and Asteria seemed frozen and turned pale as they beheld the size of the man who could easily lift and toss them. "How dare you throw a can at me?! Come over here, and I'll show you how it feels!" The man was furious, and as his voice grew more menacing, the two became even more terrified and fled.

"I'm sorry!! We didn't mean to hit you; it was aimed at Kianna!" Asteria cried out desperately. Suddenly, an adrenaline rush propelled the two of them, and they hastily exited the canteen.

"You're amazing! You're a fantastic best friend!" Miaree exclaimed gleefully as she and Marc couldn't stop giggling at what they had witnessed.

"Did you enjoy the spectacle?" Kia asked with a laugh. "Let's finish eating quickly; it's almost time." They resumed eating.

…

"Ugh! How could he pour coke on my face?! This is so sticky!" Asteria grumbled angrily in the restroom while scrubbing her clothes to remove the mess. Vera had been chased by the burly man, and they had gone their separate ways. Asteria had hurried straight to the bathroom to clean herself up properly.

As soon as she entered the restroom, people there stared at her and began whispering. "Can someone tell me what you're all staring at?! Do you want me to pluck your eyeballs out?! Disgusting people!" Asteria shouted fiercely, causing everyone to quickly leave the restroom, leaving her alone.

"Kianna, you're really getting on my nerves! I'll make sure you pay for this! Even if you have a fiancé, you're such a flirty person who got married in a hurry. Well, you've done me a favor because now I'll have Vincent all to myself..." Asteria muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She immediately dialed Vincent Rivera's number on her phone. When he answered, there was still background noise, so Asteria pulled her phone slightly away from her ear.

"Hi, honey! Where are you right now? Why is there so much noise? Are you outside your office?" Asteria's tone suddenly shifted to that of an innocent five-year-old as she began to speak.

[What's going on, sweetheart? Weren't you satisfied with last night? Do you want to give it another go?] Vincent teased.

"Oh my gosh, stop teasing me! I just miss you. Where are you?" Asteria's cheeks flushed bright red.

[I just left the office for a walk; how about I pick you up right now? I haven't tried the office yet.]

"Sure! I'm here waiting for you, honey."

Get ready, Kianna, you're going to pay for everything! After hanging up the phone, Asteria muttered to herself.