Chapter 12

[ ARIA’S POV ]

The smell of food from the kitchen drifted through the whole house, pulling everyone toward the dining room. I stood quietly next to the maid, setting down the last plate. My forehead was still damp with sweat from standing over the hot stove all morning.

The cook gave me a proud smile.

"You did amazing, ma'am. The boss is going to love it."

Before I could say thank you, the sharp click of heels on the marble floor cut through the room.

Elara.

She strolled in, looking effortless and carrying a smug smile. Her eyes swept over the spread on the table.

"Oh, perfect," Elara said loudly, making sure her voice carried. "Everything is set before Luca gets downstairs."

I frowned, confused by how she was acting.

Right on cue, Luca walked into the dining room, rolling up his shirt sleeves. His sharp eyes immediately landed on the feast.

"You made all this looking at the cook surprised?" he asked.

Before I could even part my lips, Elara stepped right in front of me.

"Yes, Luca," Elara said, her voice dropping into a sweet tone. "I spent hours in the kitchen today. I really wanted to make you something special."

The maids looked at each other, totally shocked. I froze on the spot. Elara glanced back at me, her eyes darting a sharp, warning look that silently dared me to say a word.

Luca looked genuinely impressed for a second. He pulled out his chair and sat down while Elara eagerly started serving him.

"You’ve never cooked for me before," Luca noted.

Elara let out a soft giggle. "Well… there’s a first time for everything."

I squeezed my hands into tight fists against my dress. Anger burned hot in my chest, but I forced myself to stay quiet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went back to my room quietly, shutting the door behind me. Sitting down at my desk, I got right back to work on the portfolio, careful with every single stroke. Every line, every layout, every tiny detail had to be perfect. This was my one shot to prove I wasn’t the useless failure Elara always made me feel like.

I was just organizing the final sketches when the door burst open. No knock, nothing.

Elara strolled in, her arms crossed and a smug, satisfied smile plastered on her face.

"Well, look at you, working so hard," she sneered, walking right up to my desk. "Tell me, how did it feel taking all the credit today?"

I didn't say a word. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

She let out a soft laugh, picked up one of my pages, and tossed it back down like it was trash.

"You really think all this extra effort is going to make you win?" her voice went sharp. "Don't waste your time. You're never going to beat me."

My fingers tightened around my pencil until my knuckles turned white. I just stared at her.

Elara leaned in close, her voice dropping to a confident whisper.

"As long as I'm around, you're always going to be beneath me."

“Are you done?” I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on my work. My voice was dead cold.

Elara opened her mouth to snap back, but nothing came out. She just stood there, completely thrown off by my sudden confidence.

I finally looked up and met her gaze.

“If you’re finished,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “or if you don’t have anything useful to say, get out. I’m busy.”

For a second, the room went dead silent.

Elara scoffed loudly, clearly pissed off that her little mind games weren't working this time. She pointed a finger at me, her face twisting into a bitter smirk.

“Just watch me,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “Watch me win and take everything away from you.”

She spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door hard behind her.

The moment she left, I released a deep breath and looked back at my designs.

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, I woke up feeling strangely good.

For the first time in weeks, I’d actually slept through the night.

I woke up, saw it and I smiled.

“I did it…” I whispered to myself.

I stretched and reached for my phone to check the time. The moment I saw the screen, my stomach dropped. I only had one hour left to hand the portfolio over to Luca. Panic set in instantly.

I scrambled out of bed and rushed toward the desk where I’d left everything the night before.

But when I looked down…

I stopped breathing.

The portfolio was gone. I froze, completely paralyzed. “No…” I breathed.

I threw myself at the desk, tearing through everything frantically. No papers. No sketches. Nothing. My hands started shaking violently, and a cold wave of fear washed over me.

“No, no, no… where is it?” I muttered, ripping open drawers and tossing things around the room.

Then, like a slap in the face, Elara’s words from last night echoed in my head:

“Watch me win and take everything away from you.”

Tears burned the edges of my eyes, but I forced them back.

Not now.

I looked at the clock again. One hour. That was all the time I had left. My chest felt so tight it hurt. With shaking hands, I grabbed a stack of fresh paper and slammed myself into the chair.

“If she thinks this stops me, she’s wrong,” I muttered.

I started drawing like crazy. My fingers flew across the pages, my mind racing to hold onto the ideas. Every single second felt like a tick of a bomb. The pressure was suffocating.

My pencil snapped halfway through, but I didn't even blink. I just grabbed another one and kept going. My hands were covered in graphite, my hair was a complete mess, and sweat was dripping down my neck.

The clock kept moving, completely heartless. By the time I threw the pencil down, I was practically hyperventilating.

I quickly threw the new pages together into a folder and sprinted downstairs before the last few minutes slipped away.

I burst through the door of Luca’s office, gasping for air.

Then, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Elara was already sitting there, looking perfectly relaxed right next to Luca. She was smiling.

And right there in her hands…

It was my stolen portfolio. My jaw dropped.

“That’s…” I choked out.

Elara slowly raised the file a little higher, her eyes locking onto mine with a smug, victorious look.

Luca learned back in his chair, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.

But Elara just kept staring right at me, her smile widening like she’d already won the whole game.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at the folder in Elara’s hands.

I knew every single detail inside that file. Every sketch, every color choice, every late-night correction. It was mine.

Elara crossed her legs calmly and slid the portfolio onto Luca’s desk like it was nothing.

“I finished early,” she said, sounding incredibly proud of herself. “I wanted to get it in before anyone tried to copy my ideas.”

She shot a pointed look right at me.

The dig stung, but I didn't let myself snap.

Luca shifted his gaze over to me, a slight frown forming. “Aria?”

I gripped my new portfolio tightly, keeping my mouth shut and my eyes locked on Elara. She stood there with this smug, proud smile like she’d already won the whole game.

Luca took the folders from both of us. The room went dead silent. My heart was hammering against my ribs not because I was scared, but because I knew exactly what was about to happen.

Luca opened Elara’s file first.

At first, she crossed her arms, just waiting for him to shower her with praise.

But then, Luca’s face changed.

His eyebrows pulled together. He flipped to the next page. Then another.

The silence in the room grew heavy and suffocating.

"Elara," Luca said, his voice dropping to ice.

She forced a quick smile. "Yes?"

"What kind of garbage is this?"

Her smile vanished.

"What do you mean?" she stammered, stepping forward. "I did everything right. The drawings are perfect."

Luca slammed the portfolio down on the desk. "You call this garbage perfect?"

Elara snatched up the folder, frantically flipping through the pages. Her face completely went blank with confusion.

Then, she froze.

The measurements were completely off. The structural lines didn't line up at all. The signature style was totally botched. And right there on the final page was a hidden design watermark she hadn't even noticed.

A massive mistake.

Because the portfolio she had stolen from me wasn't the finished version. It was a rough draft.

I slowly looked up and met her eyes. And for the very first time since I'd set foot in that mansion, Elara looked absolutely terrified.