3. A perfectly nasty revenge

I was initially disappointed when I saw that the bathroom the maid took me to had three toilet stalls, like a public restroom. But when I knock on the doors and discover that all three are empty, I smile.

Doesn't this mean the Moon Goddess is in support of the particular evil deed I'm about to carry out?

‘Yes, Moon Goddess. I can hear your approval loud and clear. I'm glad you agree with me that being pure and chaste is boring without a little sprinkle of wickedness once in a while.’

I chuckle at my own thought.

"You're crazy, Victoria," I say aloud as I walk toward the first stall.

I flip the occupied sign before stepping inside. After locking the door, I use the toilet seat as a boost to climb into the next stall through the opening at the top. I flip that stall's sign too, lock it from the inside, then climb into the last stall. Once I'm safely inside, I lock the door and sit on the closed toilet seat to wait for Mia.

A smile spreads across my face as I look at the vintage ring on my middle finger. I never would have thought this thing would come in handy one day. Antiques have never been my style, and this particular ring isn't even that attractive. I still don't know what possessed me to buy it at an auction in Athens.

The auctioneer had only said it once belonged to an ancient princess whose name I can't remember now. He certainly hadn't mentioned its more sinister purpose. I discovered that later, after it was delivered and I read the card that came with it.

A deadly little secret disguised as an innocent piece of jewellery. Perfect for someone like Mia. And no one would ever suspect me.

As the daughter of a plantsman, I've learned quite a bit about plants myself. The substance I used on Mia is a potent irritant that will leave her with a very unpleasant stomach problem for a while. Nothing permanently harmful. Just enough to make her desperate.

I glance at my wristwatch. Considering the time I've spent walking here and climbing from stall to stall, Mia should be feeling the effects by now. Her arrival shouldn't be more than a few minutes away.

My only prayer is that nobody enters the bathroom while I'm dealing with her. I don't want a witness. More importantly, I don't want anyone else involved. I want this to be between Mia and me. I want her completely at my mercy.

I bite back a laugh when the bathroom's main door suddenly slams against the wall. A moment later, an explosively loud and thoroughly disgusting sound echoes through the bathroom.

Yep. That's Mia alright. I know it even before I hear her swear under her breath.

She knocks on the first stall.

"Hello! Are you almost done in there?"

Her feet shuffle impatiently outside as she tries to restrain herself from shouting.

When no one answers, she knocks on the second stall.

"Hello!..."

Another loud, wet sound reverberates through the bathroom.

"Oh, God!" she whimpers.

She says it so quietly that I have to strain my ears to hear her.

Bitch has soiled herself.

I would have laughed, but the smell that suddenly fills the bathroom makes me gag instead. And beneath the stink, I smell fear. She has nowhere to hide. She can't exactly walk out of here in her current condition, and she knows she's at the mercy of whoever else is inside these stalls.

I bet she's already imagining all the girls who hate her. Most of them are probably too afraid of her or too afraid of her family's influence to stand up to her. For once, the queen bee is trapped.

"Eww! Who is that?" I call out, wrinkling my nose. "Come on! That stinks so bad!"

I press the flush button.

I have to hurry if I want to humble this girl properly. I want her to grovel. I want her to understand that she can't touch the people I care about and walk away without consequences.

Most of all, I want her to know that I'm not the helpless little blond bimbo she thinks I am.

I push the stall door open.

Mia stands frozen in place. Her face is ashen, sweat glistening on her forehead. The moment she sees me, she looks away and slowly backs toward the wall. But there's no hiding what happened. Not with the smell.

And certainly not with the state of her white denim shorts and crop top.

"Oh, my God, Mia!"

I widen my eyes dramatically.

"What happened to you? Did you... crap yourself?"

"I—I can't..." She swallows hard. "I really—umm... It was an accident. I—I can't explain how it happened."

"Aww... an accident?"

I struggle not to laugh as I listen to her pathetic explanation.

She's still trying to play the victim.

Does she really think I'm stupid enough to fall for it?

I reach into my purse.

Her eyes widen when I pull out my phone.

"W-what are you doing? Who are you calling?"

She lunges for it.

I'm faster.

I step out of her reach and turn on the camera.

"I have a very hot gist for you guys!"

I grin into the camera.

"Guess who just pooped herself right here in the female bathroom?"

"No! Please! Please, I beg you! Don't do this!"

She frantically tries to grab my phone, but I dodge her.

"You won't believe me if I tell you, so see for yourself."

I turn the camera toward her.

She immediately shields her face and turns away.

Unfortunately for her, that only makes the state of her clothes even more obvious.

"It's Mia, guys. Miss High-and-Mighty just crapped herself."

I laugh.

"Can you believe that?"

"Stop!"

She suddenly screams and lunges for the phone again.

I easily sidestep her.

"Stop?"

I laugh in disbelief.

"No way, Mia! Would you have stopped if you caught me in a situation like this?"

"I—I please..." She looks at me desperately. "Don't do this to me. I beg you."

I stare at her.

She doesn't even bother answering.

She doesn't need to.

We both know what she would have done.

"No, you wouldn't."

I lower the phone slightly.

"You and I both know that if our positions were reversed, you would have run straight out of here and told everyone at the party."

My anger begins to replace my amusement.

"I've never met a more horrible person than you, Mia."

She flinches.

"You've moved on with another man, yet you destroyed my relationship because your ex met his current girlfriend through me."

I step closer.

"And what you did to Layla..."

My voice hardens.

"That poor girl. You made everyone think she was a thief simply because she refused to let you control her."

"But she's fine now," Mia hurriedly says. "Her innocence was proven."

"After the damage had already been done!"

I glare at her.

"She was humiliated and had already transferred out of school before her innocence was proven. No one could prove you set her up when she accused you, but I believed her."

"No! I—I..."

"Shut up!"

My voice echoes through the bathroom.

"What kind of person are you? Why do you enjoy hurting people so much?"

"It's not my fault!"

Her voice cracks.

"They—they asked for it. Those people... they asked for it."

I stare at her.

Did she really just say that?

"They asked for it?"

I repeat her words slowly.

"You're a psychopath, Mia. Do you know that?"

"No!"

She immediately shakes her head.

"I mean... I'm sorry."

Her eyes fill with tears, and they quickly spill down her cheeks.

I almost laugh.

There it is.

The tears.

The helpless little victim act.

Mia is incapable of genuine remorse.

At least, that's what I've always believed.

"I'm posting this on every social media platform."

"No! No, please! Don't!"

"Don't?"

I smile coldly.

"But you destroyed my relationship first."

I raise the phone.

"You asked for it."

Her own words hang between us.

Suddenly, she rushes at me, attempting to wrestle the phone from my hand.

I sidestep and shove her away.

She loses her balance and lands sprawled on the floor.

Her eyes widen in surprise.

Apparently, she didn't expect me to be stronger than she was.

"You look surprised."

I chuckle.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to judge a book by its cover?"

Mia immediately gets onto her knees.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, Victoria! Please don't do this to me! I'll do anything you want!"

I smile as I watch her grovel.

"Of course you will."

I lower the phone.

"You'll do anything I want if you don't want the whole world to see this."

"Yes! Yes, I will!"

She nods frantically.

"I promise!"

For a moment, telling her to confess to setting Layla up crosses my mind.

But I push the thought aside.

That wouldn't give me what I really want.

Mia's family is powerful. Even if this scandal became public, her parents could simply send her somewhere far away until everything blew over.

And eventually, people would move on to the next scandal.

No.

I want something that lasts.

I want control.

"Henceforth, leave Camila alone."

I point the phone at her.

"I'll upload this everywhere if you even look at her the wrong way again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. Yes, I won't bother her again. I promise."

"Of course you won't."

I smile.

"Secondly, you're resigning from every position you hold at school. Starting with your position as head captain of the cheerleading team."

"What?"

Her face falls.

"But I can't do that! My parents attended this school too. My dad was captain of the football team, and my mom was head captain of the cheerleaders. What am I going to tell them?"

Her explanation leaves me momentarily dumbfounded.

No wonder she can't let go of Colton.

She's practically following in her parents' footsteps.

I can't believe she expects me to care what her parents think, though.

"It stinks in here. I can't bear it anymore."

I put my phone back into my purse and head for the door.

"Wait! Wait!"

She scrambles toward me and reaches for my leg.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands, pig!"

I jerk away from her.

"You really think you're in a position to bargain with me?"

I glare down at her.

"You think I give a shit about your family's history?"

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

"Of course you will."

I smile.

"You'll announce your resignation tonight."

I pause at the door.

"And lastly, I don't want to see your face at any of the school's social gatherings."

Her eyes widen.

"I don't need to tell you what will happen if I so much as smell your filth at one of them."

I turn toward her.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Her fake tears have long since dried up.

She glares at me hatefully, but eventually nods.

"Atta girl."

I smile and pat her head while she's still kneeling on the floor.

Then I point toward the stall I just vacated.

"I'd suggest you hide in there. I'll send a maid in. You can explain everything to her yourself."

With that, I walk out.

---

The party is over.

I enter my room and flop onto the bed, smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

I'm happy.

The party was much more fun than I expected.

I got Mia exactly where I wanted her.

And as for Jamie...

Umm.

Let's just say I don't hate him as much as I did before.

No, no, no.

We're not back together.

Not yet.

I just can't help loving his tenacity.

I love that he refused to give up on us and wouldn't leave my side, no matter how many times I told him to get lost.

He kept insisting until I finally stopped pushing him away.

He asked me to dance with him, and somehow, we ended up sharing a kiss right there on the dance floor while our friends applauded us.

Before I left the party with Colton and Camila, he apologized again and made me promise to think about getting back together.

And believe me, I gave it serious thought on the way back to the dormitory.

A voice in my head keeps telling me I'll regret it if I take him back.

Daddy would be particularly disappointed if he heard I was considering forgiving Jamie, especially since he's not my mate.

But what can I do when I'm still in love with him?

We're still very much in love with each other.

Even our friends could see it.

I know some couples who aren't mates but have been happily married for years. I wonder if that could be our situation.

Or maybe we'll eventually meet our mates and part ways, just like we initially agreed.

If I had a mate, I wonder where he is right now.

Would he be more handsome than Jamie?

What would his essence smell like?

What kind of person would he be?

And when I met him, would I even be able to stop loving Jamie?

My phone starts ringing.

I smile when I see Mom's name on the screen.

Knowing her, she probably wants to confirm my vacation plans for the hundredth time.

My mom might be a helicopter mom, hovering over her adult daughter and complaining about one thing or another, but I love her anyway.

"Hey, Mom! Isn't it a little late to be checking on me?"

"Victoria!"

Her voice is trembling.

Then I hear her crying.

"Come home."

I sit upright.

"Please, come home!"

🌹🌹🌹🌹

I was initially disappointed because I didn't expect the bathroom the maid took me to to have three toilet stalls, like a public restroom. But when I knock on the doors and see that all three are empty, I smile.

Doesn't this mean the Moon goddess is in support of this particular evil deed that I'm about to carry out?

'Yes, Moon goddess. I can hear your approval loud and clear. I'm glad you agree with me that being pure and chaste is boring without a sprinkle of wickedness once in a while.' I think to myself and chuckle.

"You're crazy, Victoria," I say out loud, laughing as I walk to the first stall.

I turn the occupied sign out before going in. Inside, I lock the door and then use the toilet seat as a boost to climb into the next stall through the opening at the top. I turn out the 'occupied' sign and also lock this stall from the inside, then climb into the last stall. After I lock the door, I sit on the toilet seat with the top down to wait for Mia's arrival.

Smiling, I look at the vintage ring on my middle finger. I never would have thought it would come in handy one day. Antique is not my style, and this particular one is not even that great to look at. I still don't know what attracted me to the thing when I decided to buy it at an auction in Athens.

The auctioneer only said it belonged to some ancient princess (I can't remember her name now) and never mentioned it being a poison ring. I found out about its original use after it was delivered, and I read the card attached to it. A deadly but innocent-looking means of dealing with someone like Mia. Not in a million years would anyone suspect I did anything to her.

As the daughter of a plantsman, I know a lot about plants myself. The substance I injected into her is a painless but powerful toxin that I harvested from a common plant people don't think much of. Although the dose I injected into her is not harmful, it's strong enough to irritate the bowels, thereby causing gas and diarrhea.

I look at my wristwatch to check the time. Considering the time I spent walking to the bathroom and climbing from stall to stall, her stomach should be rumbling and gurgling by now, and her arrival shouldn't take more than three minutes.

My only prayer is that nobody enters the bathroom during the duration it would take for me to humble and have her groveling at my feet. I don't want a witness and I also don't want anyone else in on this but me. I want to own her completely and be able to control her.

I stifle my laughter when the bathroom's main door suddenly hits the wall hard, followed by the explosively disgusting flatulence sound that had obviously been restricted for too long. I know without a doubt it's Mia, even before I hear her swear under her breath as she knocks on a stall.

"Hello! Are you almost done in there?" Her feet shuffle around as she forcefully asks, obviously restraining herself from shouting.

Almost immediately, she knocks on the second stall when no one answers her the first time.

"Hello!..." She's saying when another loud and disgusting wet sound reverberates inside the bathroom.

"Oh, god!" She mewls in a voice so low I strain my human ears to hear it.

Bitch has soiled herself. I would have laughed but the horrible smell that drifts into my nose makes me gag with disgust instead.

I also smell fear. Since she has nowhere to hide and also can't go out in her current condition, she knows she's toast and at the mercy of the people inside the toilet stalls.

I bet she's aware that most girls hate her, especially those on her team, but because they're scared of how mean she is and also don't want to offend her family, they pretend and treat her like the queen bee. Whatever might be going through her mind, I bet wishing she were nicer to people was part of it.

"Eww!... Who is that!?... C'mon! That stinks so bad!..." I say out loud before pressing the flush button." I have to hurry if I want her to be my bitch and answer to me and me alone.

I push the door open and see her where she's standing, rooted in place, her face ashen with sweat. She looks away immediately when she sees me, slowly backing herself toward the wall, but the mess she made is not the kind that can be hidden. Not when she reeks and is also dressed in white denim shorts and a crop top.

"Oh, my god, Mia! What is this!? What happened to you!? Did you crap yourself!?..." I continue to exclaim. Although my voice sounds pitiful, she would be a fool if she didn't realize I was mocking her.

"I–I can't... I– really– umm... It was an accident. I– I can't explain how it happened..."

"Aww– an accident!?..." I exclaim and try not to laugh as I continue to listen to her pitiful explanation.

She's still trying to play me by acting pitiful even when she knows I don't give a shit about her. She can't be thinking I'm that stupid to fall for her stupid charade, or is she?

I reach inside my purse, and her eyes widen when I bring out my phone

"Wh–What d–do you want to do? Who do you want to call?..." She stammers and lunges for the phone, but I'm faster and quickly move out of her reach.

I turn the phone on and go to the camera, immediately turning it to myself and excitedly saying,

"I have a very hot gist for you guys! Guess who just pooped herself right here inside the female bathroom?..."

"No, please! Please, I beg you, don't do this!..." She fervently begs, trying to take the phone from my hand, but I continue to make the video as I avoid her.

"You won't believe it if I tell you, so see for yourself..." I turn the camera to her, and she immediately shields her face from it, walking away in another direction, which only makes the stain on her shorts more visible to the camera.

"It's Mia, guys. Miss high and mighty crap herself. Can you believe that!?..." I say and laugh out loud

"Stop!" She suddenly shouts, looking furious as she lunges for the camera again without success

"Stop!?..." I exclaim, laughing in disbelief. "No way, Mia! Would you have stopped if you caught me in such an embarrassing situation!?"

"I– Please don't do this to me. I beg you." She frantically replies, ignoring my question. It doesn't matter if she answers or not though since we both already know the answer to that question.

"No, you wouldn't! You and I know that if this situation were reversed, you would have quickly run out to get the whole party. God, I have never met a more horrible person in my life than you, Mia!

You've moved on with another man, yet destroyed my relationship just because your ex met his current girlfriend through me. And what you did to Layla– that poor girl. You made everyone think she was a thief because she refused to be controlled by you..."

"Bu–But she's fine now. Her innocence was proven..."

"After the damage has been done, you despicable bitch!" I shout in anger. I can't believe this bitch.

"She was disgraced and had already transferred out of school before her innocence was proven! Although no one could prove you set her up when she accused you, I believed her..."

"No! I– she..."

"Shut up! Just, what kind of person are you!? Why do you enjoy hurting people so much!?..."

"It's not my fault. Th–they... Those people– they asked for it, a–and..."

Oh, god! What did I just hear her say?

"They asked for it!?" I repeat her statement in disbelief. "You're a psychopath, Mia. Do you know that!?"

"No!... I mean, I'm sorry." She stammers. Her eyes automatically fill up with tears that quickly start to run down her face.

I la