CHAPTER 83

PLOTTING HER REVENGE..

Obetta’s heels clicked angrily against the polished marble floor as she stormed out of the boutique. The glass doors swung shut behind her with a sharp snap, echoing through the quiet mall corridor. For a moment, she just stood there, chest heaving, her hands clenching around the strap of her handbag.

Her pride had never been bruised like this before. Never.

People usually cowered at her presence, bowed to her demands, rushed to clear out at the snap of her fingers. But not today. Not with her. That girl the one with the calm eyes and ordinary dress looked Obetta straight in the face and refused to move.

The memory replayed in her mind like an insult burned into her skin.

"Then do it," Maya had said, her voice calm, steady, daring.

Obetta’s jaw tightened as she recalled it.

“Who does she think she is?” Obetta hissed under her breath, her nails digging into the leather strap. “Nobody talks to me like that. Nobody.”

She walked quickly, her heels clattering, ignoring the stares of people in the hallway. The sound of her breathing was harsh in her ears. The nerve of that girl so plain, so undeserving of the kind of confidence she carried. It made no sense to Obetta. Power came from wealth, from influence, from the ability to control others. Maya had none of that, yet she stood like a fortress no storm could bend.

Obetta reached her car, a sleek black vehicle waiting at the curb. Her driver stepped out immediately to open the door, but she waved him off sharply. “Don’t touch it,” she snapped, yanking the door open herself.

She slid inside, slammed it shut, and sat there in silence. Her reflection in the tinted glass window stared back at her, beautiful but twisted with rage.

“I will not be made a fool,” she muttered. Her fingers curled into fists on her lap. “Not by her. Not by anyone.”

Her mind spun with schemes. She could embarrass Maya publicly. She could dig into her life, drag out every weakness, every flaw, and crush her until she regretted ever standing tall against her. Yes that would restore her pride.

But even as she plotted, something about Maya’s unshaken calm unsettled her. That girl hadn’t been reckless. She hadn’t shouted or made a scene. She had stood quietly, confidently, and that was far more dangerous than arrogance.

Obetta bit her lip. “This isn’t over. She’ll learn who she crossed.”

Meanwhile, Maya walked home with a small bag in her hand. The black gown she had chosen swayed gently with each step inside the boutique’s branded packaging. Unlike Obetta, she wasn’t replaying the confrontation with bitterness.

To Maya, it was already over.

She had acted as she always did true to herself. There was no victory to claim, no war to fight. She had simply refused to be bullied. Still, a small smile touched her lips when she remembered the stunned silence in the room, the way Obetta’s confidence had cracked.

By the time she reached the Vandell estate, the sun was dipping lower, washing the sky in orange. She pushed open the large door and stepped inside, the familiar scent of the house greeting her.

She found Abigail sitting in the living room, curled on one end of the sofa with a book in her lap. Abigail looked up when Maya entered, her eyes lighting up instantly.

“You’re back,” Abigail said warmly. “Did you find anything nice?”

Maya held up the bag with a little grin. “One dress. But the shopping trip was… eventful.”

Abigail tilted her head curiously. “Eventful? What happened?”

Maya placed the bag on the table and sat beside her, crossing her legs. She hesitated for a moment, then chuckled softly. “I met your Obetta.”

Abigail stiffened, her fingers tightening around her book. “Obetta? Where?”

“At a boutique,” Maya said casually. “She came in like she owned the place. Told the manager to clear out all the customers so she could shop in peace.”

Abigail rolled her eyes, a sharp sound of disbelief leaving her throat. “That sounds exactly like her.”

Maya’s lips curved. “I didn’t move.”

The words made Abigail blink. “You… what?”

“I stayed right where I was,” Maya said, her voice calm but steady. She recounted the scene the command, the stunned manager, the staff approaching her, and finally Obetta herself confronting her. Abigail listened with wide eyes, each word drawing her deeper into the story.

When Maya described her reply…“Do it”Abigail let out a soft gasp, covering her mouth.

“You actually said that to her?”

“Yes.”

Abigail stared for a long moment, then burst out laughing. She leaned back into the sofa, laughter spilling freely, her book forgotten on her lap. “Oh my God, Maya. You don’t know what you’ve just done. That woman thrives on fear. And you… you didn’t give her any.”

Maya smiled faintly, shrugging. “I only gave her what she deserved.”

Abigail shifted closer, her laughter fading into something softer, more tender. “You don’t know how much I admire you right now.”

Maya arched a brow playfully. “Admire? That’s a strong word.”

“No, it’s the right word,” Abigail said seriously. “I’ve been around Obetta long enough to know how suffocating she can be. She’ll use her beauty, her money, her pride whatever it takes to make people feel smaller than her. And yet, you…” She trailed off, her gaze warm and steady. “You stood against her without even raising your voice.”

Maya lowered her eyes briefly, a modest smile tugging her lips. “I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I just didn’t want to lose myself by bowing to her.”

“That’s exactly why I admire you,” Abigail whispered.

The silence that followed was full of meaning. Abigail reached out, gently squeezing Maya’s hand. It was a gesture of trust, of gratitude, of the bond growing between them.

But after a moment, Abigail sighed. “Still… you should be careful.”

Maya tilted her head. “Why?”

“Obetta doesn’t take humiliation lightly,” Abigail explained, her voice dropping. “She’ll come after you. She’ll look for ways to hurt you not always directly, but she’ll try.”

Maya squeezed her hand back lightly, her calmness unwavering. “Then let her try. I don’t live in fear of people like her.”

Abigail gazed at her, torn between admiration and worry. Maya’s strength was undeniable, but Abigail knew Obetta too well. This wasn’t a woman who accepted defeat quietly. She would retaliate.

That very night, Obetta sat in her bedroom, the lights dimmed, a glass of red wine in her hand. She had showered, changed into silk nightwear, and yet the fury still burned inside her.

She replayed Maya’s words over and over. “Then do it.” “You can’t buy me.” Each phrase was a thorn in her pride.

She leaned back against the velvet headboard, swirling the wine in her glass. “So you think you’re brave, little girl? You think standing in front of me makes you strong?”

Her lips curled into a cold smile. “We’ll see how strong you really are when I strip away the things you care about.”

Her mind worked quickly, sharp and venomous. She thought about Luke, about Abigail, about the fragile peace inside the Vandell estate. Maya was close to Abigail, perhaps even closer than she realized. If Obetta couldn’t break Maya directly, maybe she could strike at the bond that gave her strength.

Yes. That would be the perfect way to destroy her.

Unaware of Obetta’s late-night scheming, Maya and Abigail sat in the quiet glow of the living room lamp, still talking. Abigail leaned against the cushions, her face relaxed in a way it rarely was when Obetta’s name lingered in her mind.

“You know,” Abigail said softly, “I think Luke would have enjoyed seeing that scene at the boutique.”

Maya chuckled. “Maybe. But I didn’t do it for him.”

“I know,” Abigail said. She hesitated, then added, “That’s what makes it even more powerful. You weren’t standing against her for anyone else you did it for yourself.”

Maya’s smile deepened. “And maybe, in some small way, for you too.”

Abigail’s heart skipped. She looked at Maya, her chest tightening with something she couldn’t name. Gratitude? Affection? A quiet recognition that in Maya, she had found not just a friend, but a kind of shield against the shadows Obetta cast.

And though Obetta plotted her revenge in the silence of her own room, Abigail felt just for that night that she wasn’t afraid. Not anymore maya’s bond strengthening while Luke notices the closeness?