CHAPTER VI
NEXA' S POINT OF VIEW:
I had finally arrived at my father's massive mansion. As soon as I brought the car to a halt, the girl sitting beside me quickly stepped out without saying a word and began walking toward the entrance. But I knew — if she made it inside, it would be nearly impossible for me to talk to her again. So without wasting a second, I jumped out of the car and ran after her, catching her wrist from behind.
What I didn't expect was her reaction.
The moment I touched her, she spun around with lightning speed and struck out with a knife. I had anticipated that something like this might happen, so I swiftly moved to the side — but not fast enough. Her blade grazed my arm, leaving a shallow cut.
Luckily, it healed within seconds.
Which meant… the knife was ordinary. Not enchanted. Not laced with any power. Just a regular piece of metal.
She was bluffing the whole time.
I grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward me, pressing my palm against her stomach while holding my special knife to her throat. Calmly, I said, "Now tell me — should I slice your neck here and now?"
But instead of fear, she lowered my hand gently, turned to face me with an amused smirk, and laughed.
"That's just a regular knife, sweetheart," she said coolly, "You're the crazy one here, not me."
Her confidence stunned me.
I slipped the knife away discreetly, realizing she wasn't scared — not even a little — and asked, "Do you even know whose birthday party this is that you're crashing?"
Without hesitation, she nodded, "Of course I do."
That answer made me laugh — not because it was funny, but because it was absurd. I turned my face away, trying to hide my grin, but it didn't work. A short burst of laughter escaped me.
Just then, Malti and Jenny arrived.
Malti looked at me and asked, "Nexa, what's going on? Why are you laughing like that?"
Still giggling, I replied, "This girl says she knows whose birthday it is today."
The moment they heard that, both Malti and Jenny rolled their eyes. "We're going inside," Malti said, "You deal with her."
They left me alone with the stranger.
I turned back to her with a smirk, "See? My friends are so boring."
She huffed and said, "Look, my car broke down on the highway. No one was stopping to help. I had no choice but to hijack your ride. Now, just let me go."
I crossed my arms. "Oh really? You think I'm just going to let you walk away after stabbing me and mocking me?" I stepped closer. "Nope. You're going to take me with you… and pretend I'm your girlfriend."
She stared at me like I was insane. "Yuck! You — my girlfriend? Have you seen yourself? You look like some starving lioness!"
I snorted. "And you think you're a fairy princess? You look like a mutated lizard."
We stared each other down for a moment — then I added, "But I'm still going with you. I want to see what a rich girl's party looks like."
She sighed dramatically. "Fine. But you can't go dressed like that."
I looked down at myself, then raised a brow. "What's wrong with my outfit?"
"It screams 'dark alley fight club'," she snapped. "You like dark clothes, right? Fine. I have a black shirt, pants, and a black-red jacket you can wear."
I smirked. "Oh? You're going to dress me yourself?"
Her expression twisted in mock disgust. "Ew, no! I'm not putting clothes on you!"
I teased, "Then what are you going to do?"
She didn't respond — not with words. Her striking eyes shimmered, shifting slightly, catching the light in a way that made them look almost unreal. I found myself frozen, staring into them, unable to look away.
Then she broke the silence.
"Here, this one will look good on you," she said, holding up the outfit.
I wrinkled my nose. "Wow. That's… hideous."
"Too bad," she said with a wink. "If you're coming with me, that's what you're wearing."
I sighed, placed both my hands on her shoulders, and said with a mock-serious tone, "Alright, madam. Your wish is my command."
And just like that, we both stepped into a night neither of us would forget — a party not just for the birthday girl, but for the beginning of something far more dangerous, far more intimate, and far more… inevitable.
As we were just about to enter through the grand main gate of the mansion, one of the attendants caught sight of me. He immediately lowered his head with respect and said,
"Welcome, Your Highness."
I simply nodded, acknowledging him with my eyes, as I always did — a silent gesture of authority I'd grown up with.
But the girl walking beside me suddenly puffed up with pride and turned to me with an exaggerated smirk.
"Did you hear that, Nexa?" she whispered dramatically.
"Even the staff here recognize royalty when they see it. You really underestimated me. I'm not just some random person — I'm important."
I rolled my eyes, half amused, half annoyed.
"Sure," I said sarcastically. "I totally believe that, especially after the way you hijacked my car on the highway."
She giggled and brushed it off, as if it were nothing.
"Look, now that we're here, just say you're my girlfriend. Trust me, everyone will respect you more."
I raised a brow, clearly unimpressed.
"Oh, yes. Absolutely. I completely trust you and your… majestic influence," I replied, voice dripping with irony.
And finally, we stepped inside my father's grand mansion.
The hall was dazzling. Decorated with golden chandeliers, velvet drapes, crystal flower vases, and lights that shimmered like stars — everything screamed wealth and power. Cameras flashed as celebrities posed with my father for photographs. This was the kind of opulence I'd been raised around, though it never really fazed me anymore.
Malti and Jenny, who were supposed to be my friends, immediately abandoned me and ran over to my mother — of course. Mom used to be a famous actress in her time and now offered beauty tips like some kind of fairy godmother. They adored her.
So, I stood beside this stranger, awkwardly adjusting my jacket, when my father spotted me from across the room. He started walking toward us, but — to my surprise — his eyes weren't fixed on me.
They were on her.
And when he reached us, he smiled warmly… at her.
"I hope you didn't face any trouble getting here. Your father told me your car broke down on the highway."
She smiled sweetly and said,
"Oh no, Uncle. No trouble at all. In fact, I ran into Nexa on the way, and she was kind enough to bring me here."
Then came the moment that made my brain freeze.
My father raised a curious brow. "Oh? So you already know Nexa?"
She laughed, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and said:
"Of course! She's my girlfriend."
…
My eyes went wide.
Everything around me felt like it had paused.
Did she really just say that? In front of my father?
I turned to look at him. His eyes met mine, full of surprise at first — and then amusement.
"Well," he said, smirking a little too confidently, "You have quite an excellent taste, Nexa."
She giggled and added dramatically,
"See? Even Uncle agrees. Honestly, some of my friends keep asking me where I found such a crazy-looking monkey, but I tell them she's mine."
I couldn't believe her audacity.
I immediately placed my hand over her mouth and whispered through clenched teeth,
"Will you stop already?"
But she pulled my hand away, ever the mischief-maker, and laughed again.
"Oh baby, there's no need to be shy. My Uncle seems super chill. He's not judging. Relax."
And the worst part?
He really wasn't.
He chuckled under his breath, shook his head, and walked away… leaving me with a smirking girl who'd just crashed my life — and now stood boldly in the middle of it, claiming a piece of it like it was hers.
And somehow…
I didn't hate it.
Not entirely.
To be continue....