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She pulled herself together just as the door opened. Felix stepped inside, his charcoal suit jacket discarded, his tie loosened. He looked worried, his dark eyes searching hers.
"Gabriella? Why did you leave the party so suddenly?" he asked, his voice low and concerned.
"I have a headache," she lied, her voice sounding hollow and metallic.
"A headache?" Felix stepped closer, his face softening. "Do you have a fever? Let me check." He reached out, his hand moving toward her forehead to feel her temperature.
But before his skin could touch hers, Gabriella stepped back sharply, as if his hand were made of fire. "No! I... I already took medicine. I just need to be alone."
Felix froze, his hand hanging empty in the air. A flash of disappointment and hurt crossed his face. He could feel the miles of distance she was putting between them. Before he could say anything to bridge the gap, Gabriella spoke again, her voice cold and determined.
"I'm going to stay at my parents' house today."
Felix blinked, stunned. "Why so sudden? The party isn't even over."
"I miss them, Felix," she said, looking everywhere but at him. "I haven't been away from them for this long before. I just... I need to go home."
Felix slowly nodded, though his jaw was tight. "If that's what you want... I'll have the driver get the car."
"No need.," she said, walking past him without a second glance.
Felix stood in the middle of the quiet room, watching her retreat. Something felt strange—the air was too heavy, and the silence was too loud.
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The Speed of Malice
The night was a blur of neon streaks and engine roars. Raina gripped the steering wheel of her silver sports car so hard her knuckles turned white. She hadn't gone back home after the chaos at the hillside highway. She couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her mother, Bianca, falling to the floor in that blood-stained champagne dress.
Inside the car, the air was thick with the smell of expensive leather and the heat of Raina's fury. She was dressed in her power-red silk suit, but it was wrinkled and dark with grime. She looked like a fallen queen, her eyes burning with a terrifying, red intensity.
She pushed the pedal to the metal, weaving through traffic with a dangerous "rush" that made other drivers honk in fear. But Raina didn't hear them. All she could hear was the name echoing in her head: Gabriella.
"How dare you," Raina whispered, her voice a jagged hiss over the hum of the engine. "How dare you touch my mother."
Raina's mind was spinning, calculating, and weaving a web of pure malice. She knew that simply attacking Gabriella wouldn't be enough. Physical pain was temporary. To truly destroy someone like Gabriella, she had to aim for the heart.
"If I harm you directly, it won't be enough," Raina murmured to the empty car, a dark, twisted smile curling her lips. "The real pain... the kind that breaks a soul... is when I hurt the people you love. I will give you the exact pain I am facing right now, Gabriella. An eye for an eye. A life for a life."
She swerved the car toward the outskirts of the city, away from the luxury hotels and toward the quiet, residential streets where the shadows grew long and cold. She wasn't just driving anymore; she was hunting.
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The Heartbeat in the Closet
The Phoenix Mansion was finally quiet after the birthday chaos, but the air felt heavy and thick with secrets. Felix stepped through the grand front doors, his tailored charcoal suit jacket slung over one arm. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and his forehead was damp with sweat. He looked like he had been running a marathon, his chest heaving as he scanned the empty hall for one person.
The Missing Goodbye
"Where is she?" Felix asked, his voice strained as he saw Nancy standing by the grand staircase.
Nancy sighed, crossing her arms over her midnight-blue evening gown. "She left already, Felix. She went with her parents. Roselette Auntie said Gabriella mentioned it to you before she walked out."
Felix nodded slowly, his mind spinning. She told me she was going, but why didn't she say goodbye? Why didn't she look me in the eye? "Why were you in such a hurry anyway?" Nancy asked, eyeing his disheveled look. "Was there something urgent at the company?"
"No," Felix lied, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Just a file that needed my immediate approval." He gave a small, forced smile and headed up the stairs, his heart pounding for a reason he couldn't quite name.
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The Shattered Realization
Inside his bedroom, the silence was deafening. He felt a deep sense of frustration, pacing the floor like a restless child. "What happened to her?" he whispered to the empty room. "She was fine this morning. She didn't even give me my gift..."
He began searching for his comfortable pajamas, his mind foggy with confusion. "Maybe she put it in her closet," he muttered. He walked over to the large, mirrored walk-in closet and pulled the door open.
The scent of her vanilla perfume hit him, making his heart ache. Then, he saw it. An untied, crumpled gift box lying on the floor.
Felix knelt down and opened it. His breath hitched. Inside was a brand-new, limited-edition smart watch. But the screen was a mess of shattered glass, glinting like tiny diamonds in the dark.
In a sudden, crushing wave of realization, everything clicked. The way she had reached for his wrist. The way he had snapped at her. The way she had flinched when he tried to touch her forehead. She hadn't been sick; she had been heartbroken. She had tried to give him a piece of her heart, and he had thrown it back in her face because of a watch that belonged to a ghost.
"Oh no," Felix groaned, closing his eyes tightly in pure frustration. "What have I done?"
He didn't waste another second. He grabbed his leather wallet and his car keys, his movements frantic. He bolted out of the room, his boots thudding against the marble floor.
"Felix! Where are you going at this hour?" Nancy shouted as he sprinted past her toward the garage.
"To Gabriella's house!" he roared back, not stopping until he reached his black sports car. He gunned the engine, the roar echoing through the mansion grounds like a beast waking up.
Felix drove like a madman, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned. He pulled his phone out and hit redial for the tenth time, but it went straight to voicemail.
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The Shattered Promise
Gabriella Estate was a cozy sanctuary compared to the cold stone of the Phoenix Mansion. The living room was warm, filled with the scent of cinnamon and butter. Gabriella had changed into a soft, oversized cream sweater and silk joggers, looking like a regular girl instead of a revenge-driven queen. She sat on the velvet sofa, munching on snacks and watching a rom-com with her mother, Roselette.
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A Moment of Peace
"Finally, joy has come back to this house since you arrived," Roselette said, her eyes twinkling with happiness.
Gabriella leaned in and hugged her mother tightly, burying her face in Roselette's shoulder. "I missed you so much, Mom." She looked around the quiet house. "Where did Dad go after the party? I haven't seen him."
"I don't know, honey," Roselette replied, smoothing Gabriella's hair. "He rushed out when an emergency call came. But he said he'd be back soon and that we should all have dinner together. He told us to wait for him."
Gabriella smiled warmly. "Of course. We'll wait."
Suddenly, Gabriella's phone buzzed on the coffee table. The caller ID flashed: FELIX. She looked at it and sighed, letting it ring.
"Pick it up, Gabriella," Roselette teased, nudging her.
"Can't he stay one day without me?" Gabriella joked, though her heart felt a small pang of guilt.
Roselette laughed, standing up. "You two... honestly! I'll go bring more snacks from the kitchen. Don't be mean to him!"
As soon as Roselette left the room, Gabriella's smile vanished. She declined Felix's call, her mind still hurt by the memory of the watch. She noticed her phone battery was flashing red—only 2%.
"Mom! Where's my charger?" she called out.
"In your room upstairs!" Roselette shouted back from the kitchen, the sound of humming and clinking plates following her voice.
Gabriella headed upstairs to her bedroom. The room was exactly as she had left it—full of old books and memories. She found her charger and plugged it in. Suddenly, the phone vibrated again. She expected it to be Felix, but her heart stopped when she saw an Unknown Number.
She picked up. "Hello?"
She stayed silent as a cold, mechanical voice spoke on the other end. As the words hit her, her face turned ghostly white. Her grip loosened, and the phone clattered to the floor, the screen turning black as the battery finally died.
Gabriella flew down the stairs, her breath coming in jagged gasps. She reached the living room just as Roselette was walking in with a fresh plate of cookies.
"Gabriella? What's wrong?" Roselette asked, her smile fading as she saw her daughter's face.
Gabriella's eyes were bloodshot, a single, heavy tear rolling down her cheek. "Mom..." she whispered, her voice trembling with pure agony.
Roselette panicked, "What is it? Why are you crying? You're scaring me!"
"It's Dad," Gabriella sobbed, her voice breaking. "His car... there was an accident. A bad one."
CRASH.
The plate of cookies slipped from Roselette's hands, hitting the floor. The fine porcelain shattered into a thousand jagged white pieces, scattering across the rug—just like the peace they had felt only moments ago.
As the sound of the breaking plate echoed through the house.
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To be Continued...
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