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The air inside Gabriella's massive bedroom felt suffocating, despite the high ceilings and the minimalist, cold luxury of the décor. She sat at her mahogany desk, the blue light of her laptop screen reflecting in her wide, panicked eyes.
"No..." she breathed. The word felt like lead.
She was still in her school uniform—a crisp white shirt and a pleated dark green skirt—looking every bit the prestigious student, but her soul was fractured. Slowly, her shock morphed into something sharper. Her eyes, usually bright, turned to shards of ice. She exhaled a long, heavy breath that rattled in her chest.
Chime.
Her phone lit up on the desk. The wallpaper was a selfie of her and Jake from the bus trip—both smiling, leaning into each other, looking like the perfect couple. Seeing it now made her stomach churn. With a sudden, violent movement, she snatched the phone and rushed out of the room, her footsteps echoing against the marble floors. She dialed a number, her voice dropping to a freezing, lethal register.
"I want to meet you. Now."
The Secret Mission
Across town at the Dona Mansion, the atmosphere was different—quieter, but thick with tension. Dona walked out to the wrought-iron gates wearing a simple, flowy dress, her heart racing.
Ajax was waiting there, leaning against his matte-black motorcycle. He flipped his dark hair out of his eyes, looking restless.
"Isn't Gabriella here?" Ajax asked, his tone low. Something was off. He wasn't meeting her eyes.
"Gabriella? No," Dona replied, confused. "Why are you asking? What happened?"
"Nothing," Ajax said quickly, though his jaw was tight. "But she usually visits you this hour, right?"
"Yes... I was wondering why she didn't come today. Maybe she's just tired."
Ajax looked away. "Right. Are you free? Now?"
Dona hesitated. "Actually—"
Before she could finish, Ajax stepped forward and slid a spare helmet over her head, his eyes intense. "Then come with me."
Minutes later, the bike roared to a halt near the outskirts of a VIP residential area. In front of them sat a Grand Mansion, a fortress of glass and gold.
"Why are we here?" Dona whispered, her voice trembling.
"Just walk," Ajax commanded. He climbed off the bike and suddenly grabbed her hand, his grip firm.
"Ajax, what now?"
"We're here to steal," he said with a straight face.
Dona's breath hitched. "What?!"
He dragged her toward the back of the property. They reached the rear perimeter, and Dona grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Why are you doing this? What if you get caught?"
Ajax leaned in, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips. "You're coming with me, Dona. Don't wait too long. Someone will get suspicious."
With a shaky sigh, Dona followed him. They jumped the fence and slipped through the back door like shadows. As they crept through the opulent hallways, Dona's eyes widened. "This is Raina's house... OMG."
Ajax nodded, moving with the silent precision of a spy. Suddenly, a voice drifted from the hallway—Raina's mother, Bianca, talking loudly on the phone. They dove behind a velvet sofa, hearts hammering against their ribs until the footsteps faded.
"There are too many rooms," Ajax whispered. "Where is Raina's?"
"I know the way," Dona murmured, taking the lead. They slipped into Raina's room.
"Wait," Ajax panicked slightly. "What if she's inside the bathroom?"
Dona flashed her phone screen. "Look at her social media update. she's at a pub. We're safe."
Dona asked, " Tell me now...why are we here ? ".
Ajax began tearing through drawers. "The pendrive. Raina snatched it from Gabriella. I need it."
Dona watched him, her heart heavy. "Did Gabriella tell you the truth?"
Ajax turned, his gaze softening for a split second. "Yes. I know you've been hiding the truth about the pendrive for your best friend."
As Dona backed away, she tripped over a rug. Ajax's hand shot out, catching her by the waist. His face was inches from hers, his breath warm against her skin. "But this time," he whispered, "you have to hide that you came here with me. If Gabriella knows I brought you into this danger, she'll be pissed."
"You brought me because I know the layout of this house, didn't you?" Dona asked, her face flushing with a mix of anger and something else.
Ajax gave a small, clever smile. "You aren't as dumb as I thought. I couldn't do this alone."
He turned back to the search, finally ripping open a backpack. There it was. He held up the small black drive, his eyes narrowed.
"Give it to me," Dona reached out. "I'll give it to Gabby."
Ajax's face turned stone-cold. "No. It's safer with me. And don't tell her we found it."
"But why? Are you planning something behind her back?"
Ajax didn't answer. He just smirked and pulled her toward the exit. "Let's go."
The Confrontation
By 8:00 PM, Central Park was a graveyard of shadows. Gabriella stood near the old fountain, her green shirt wrinkled and her blazer gone. Her face was fierce, her eyes rimmed with red.
A tall figure emerged from the darkness. Jake.
He stood perfectly straight, his expression a mask of indifference. Gabriella rushed him, grabbing the collar of his T-shirt.
"Didn't you?" she choked out. "You're playing me, aren't you? Just like the others!"
Jake didn't move. He looked down at her, then clapped slowly, mockingly. "You're so good at hiding, Gabriella. Or should I say... Andria?"
Gabriella recoiled as if slapped.
"I found out yesterday," Jake said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "After the selfie. You didn't just come here to study. You came for revenge, revenge me and my friends. You acted like you loved me, but it was all a game."
"Me?!" Gabriella laughed, a sound full of deep pain. A single tear escaped, rolling down her cheek before her face hardened again. "You have no right! You acted first! You're protecting a murderer, Jake!"
"You don't know anything," he countered.
"The video on that pendrive shows it! Raina killed Kevin! My friend!" she screamed, her voice breaking the silence of the park.
Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a shining object—the half-moon bracelet Gabriella had found. It was the last piece of physical evidence she had.
Gabriella checked her pocket then she outraged.
"Give it back!" she lunged for it.
Jake chuckled, holding it out of reach. "I won't. What will you do now, Gabriella? You have no evidence. No pendrive. No bracelet."
Gabriella pulled him close one last time, her eyes burning with a terrifying light. "If you go this far for a killer... I will do ten times more for Kevin. I won't leave her alone. And I won't forget this."
She let go of his shirt and walked into the darkness without looking back.
The Vow
The rain began as a drizzle and turned into a downpour at the cemetery. Gabriella knelt in the mud before Kevin's tombstone, her body shaking with sobs.
"I won't leave the person who killed you, Kevin," she whispered to the cold stone. "Every piece of evidence points to Raina... but why did you want to protect her? How could she kill her own lover?"
She looked at his photo on the grave, a small, broken smile touching her lips. "You were the only one genuine to me. Everyone else... Anitta, Lara, Ajax... and now Jake...,the person who I loved, they were all acting. They all betrayed me."
She collapsed into a fresh wave of sobbing, the rain washing away her tears.
Suddenly, the rain stopped hitting her shoulders. A shadow fell over her. Gabriella looked up to see a black umbrella shielding her from the storm.
Standing there, his face etched with deep concern, was Felix.
Their eyes locked in the dim light, the silence between them heavy with secrets yet to be told.
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To be Continued...
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