CHAPTER 4

"I'm sorry, sir..." That was all I could manage to say. My heart pounded with fear as I waited for his response. But instead of replying, he remained silent for a few seconds before ending the call. I stared blankly at my phone. The uneasy feeling in my chest only grew stronger. I had a terrible feeling that a huge problem was waiting for us.

I quickly searched for Amarah's name in my contacts and called her. She answered after only a few rings. "Hello?" she greeted me cheerfully. "Amarah!" I nearly shouted. "Did you go to a bar last night?" She fell silent for a moment before answering as if nothing had happened. "Yeah." My eyes widened. "What?!"

"So what?" she asked casually. "Someone saw you!" She immediately fell silent. "What do you mean?"

"Your dad called me this morning. He's furious." No response came from the other end. "Amarah?" I called. "He knows?" she asked quietly. "Yes! And I think he already knows you were with Jay last night." I rubbed my face in frustration as I sat on the edge of my bed. "I told you your plan was risky." She let out a heavy sigh. "We're dead..."

"We're seriously dead!" I complained. "Your dad even questioned me because of this." She let out a soft laugh. "Girl, this isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "Sorry'? That's all you have to say? You're the one who came up with this whole plan!" I pressed a hand against my forehead. While Amarah was trying to figure out how she would face her father, I was worrying about what would happen next. Something told me this wasn't the end of our problems.

"Athena, let's talk at school later." That was all Amarah said before hanging up. I let out another deep sigh and leaned back against my bed. It felt like our situation was only getting worse. A few minutes later, I got up, took a shower, and got ready for school. Even after getting dressed, I still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened that morning. As soon as I arrived at school, I headed straight to our classroom.

I thought Amarah hadn't arrived yet, but I was surprised to find her already sitting in her seat. The moment I sat down, she leaned toward me. "Athena, spend the night at our house tonight, okay?" she whispered, giving me a pleading look. My eyes widened. "Have you lost your mind?" I rubbed my forehead in frustration. "Your dad is furious! And you still dragged me into this!" She pouted.

"Please..."

"No!"

"Come on, Athena."

"I said no!" I almost raised my voice. "Do you even know how terrified I was this morning? Your dad called me, and it felt like he was interrogating me." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry..."

"'Sorry'? That's it?" She nodded repeatedly like a child caught doing something wrong. I sighed. No matter how annoyed I was, it was hard to stay angry whenever she looked at me like that. But one thing was certain. I refused to get involved in any more of her crazy plans—especially when her furious father was involved.

Even so, after classes ended that day, I still found myself going home with Amarah. Throughout the ride, I couldn't calm my nerves. I had a strong feeling that something bad was waiting for us. And I was right. The moment we entered the house, we saw her father sitting on the living room sofa. He leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was stern, and it was obvious he wasn't in a good mood.

"Amarah." His voice was calm but firm. My heart immediately skipped a beat. Even Amarah froze in her tracks. "D-Daddy..." He stood from the sofa. "What did we talk about regarding lying?" Amarah lowered her head. As for me, I remained silently rooted where I stood.

I didn't feel like I had the right to say anything. While he scolded his daughter, I kept my head lowered, resisting the urge to interfere. The tension filling the living room was almost unbearable. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" he said, his voice filled with both anger and concern. "Daddy... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he interrupted. "What if something had happened to you last night? What was I supposed to do then?" Amarah lowered her head even more. I listened quietly. Without realizing it, I glanced in his direction. At that exact moment, he looked at me too. Our eyes met. I froze. I couldn't explain why, but it felt as though I had been caught doing something wrong, even though I hadn't. I quickly looked away and lowered my head again.

The awkwardness became even more unbearable. At that moment, I had only one wish— I hoped the night would end without adding another problem to the one we were already facing. After Amarah finished getting scolded, we went to the kitchen for dinner. Her father had already eaten, so we didn't join him at the table. Their nanny wasn't around either because she had an emergency and wouldn't be back until the following afternoon. We ate quietly. I was still thinking about everything that had happened in the living room when Amarah suddenly spoke.

"Do you know why I asked you to come with me today?" I looked at her. "Why? So I'd have someone to get scolded with?" I asked flatly. She laughed. "No!" She took another bite before continuing. "It's because whenever you're here, Daddy doesn't get as angry."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something I've noticed." She smiled mysteriously after taking another bite. "Ever since you started coming here more often, he's been different whenever you're with me."

"You're imagining things again."

"I'm serious." I rolled my eyes. "Maybe he just doesn't want to embarrass me in front of a guest."

"I don't think that's it." Her words only confused me even more. "Amarah, stop it." Instead of answering, she simply grinned. That grin immediately made me suspicious. Whenever she smiled like that, it always meant she was planning something. I shook my head. "Whatever you're thinking, don't drag me into it." She burst into laughter. "Now it's my fault?"

"Yes," I answered. Despite everything, I couldn't help laughing along with her.