In Reunion: The Confrontation
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the opulent interior of "The Golden Spoon" restaurant. A buzz of lingering conversations and the clinking of cutlery from the school reunion luncheon slowly faded.
Fiona stood out, a figure of polished, intimidating grace. She was dressed like a boss—a commanding presence in a black slit gown that hugged her figure and fell to the floor, revealing a flash of leg with every confident stride. Her makeup was sharp: a bold, ruby-red lipstick the color of power, a stark contrast to her porcelain skin. Towering black patent leather high heels clicked rhythmically on the marble floor.
She was on her way to the restroom before making her final exit. As she neared the corridor, she slowed. A cluster of three former female classmates stood tucked near a decorative potted palm, their heads close, their voices hushed but carrying in the quiet space.
"It's so unbelievable," a girl named Mia whispered, her voice laced with disbelief and a hint of something sour. "Why hasn't Fiona married yet?"
"Maybe she's uninterested," another girl, Sarah, responded dismissively.
The third, Chloe, leaned in conspiratorially. "I think... she's in a relationship with someone, but maybe she keeps it secret."
Fiona stopped dead, her hand hovering near the restroom door handle. She bit down on her red-lacquered lower lip, a muscle twitching in her jaw as she strained to listen.
"Maybe," Mia agreed, nodding slowly. "Otherwise, she would marry. Her character isn't good, I think."
"Yes," Chloe chimed in with venomous finality. "She's so dominative. Who could handle her?"
Fiona's eyes narrowed to slits. She felt a cold, familiar rage rise, but she plastered a dangerously sweet smile on her face and pushed the restroom door open, stepping inside. The three women were gathered by the vanity, their backs to her. She let the door swing shut with a soft click, announcing her presence.
They spun around, their faces morphing into matching masks of sheer panic.
Fiona walked slowly toward the sinks, her high heels clicking the ominous rhythm of a ticking clock. The smile suddenly vanished, leaving her expression utterly blank and chilling.
Mia, the bravest or perhaps the most foolish of the trio, stammered, "Fiona! We... we were just talking about you, weren't we?" She appealed to Sarah and Chloe, who could only manage shaky nods, their eyes wide with fear. Mia continued, "You came... then we're going."
Fiona stopped directly in front of them. The air grew heavy, thick with unspoken hostility.
"No," Fiona stated, her voice low and dangerously even. "If you really have the guts, then talk to me face to face."
She took a deliberate step forward and pressed her slender hand against Mia's shoulder, giving a small, firm push. Mia stumbled back a slight step, gasping, hitting the marble vanity. Sarah and Chloe gasped in unison.
"Don't talk behind my back," Fiona finished, her eyes fixed on Mia.
Mia stared at her, her jaw slack in shock.
"Why are you jealous of me?" Fiona asked, tilting her head, a smirk playing on her lips.
"What?" Mia croaked.
"Yes. You're jealous of me because I am enjoying my life as single," Fiona articulated clearly. "That's why you're talking bad about me behind my back. You're jealous."
"No," Mia insisted, but the denial was hesitant, weak. "No."
"You are," Fiona countered, leaning in close, her eyes glacial. "Your actions prove that you are. I can understand you don't like your married life." Her voice dropped even lower, becoming cold as ice. "Then... divorce."
"Fiona!" Mia shouted, her cheeks flushing crimson with fury.
Fiona remained unphased. "Don't be jealous of me. I have the best advice for you," she said, turning away, her back a wall of black silk. "Don't gossip about others. Focus on you instead. If you continue that bad behavior, you will lose what you have."
She walked out of the restroom without looking back. Mia, shaking with frustrated rage, slammed her hand down hard on the washbasin slab, the loud thwack echoing in the suddenly silent room.
A few minutes later, Fiona had reached the restaurant's grand entrance, a massive mahogany door with polished brass fittings. Her phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered, her voice immediately switching to a cool, professional tone.
"Fiona, it's Roselette," the voice on the other end said. "Can you pick up Gabriella? The car she usually comes in is gone to the mechanical shop for service. Can you?"
"Of course," Fiona replied, her mind already shifting gears from corporate boss to protective Auntie. The coldness in her eyes softened just a fraction.
In Brighton Wisdom: The Challenger
The Brighton Wisdom Grand Auditorium was a riot of color and sound. The vast, semicircular hall, with its tiered seating and high, arched ceiling, was packed. Hundreds of students, dressed in school uniforms, buzzed with excitement. Today was the day: the Student Representative Election results.
In the very last row, near the exit, sat the core of the Silverstorm students council: Raina, Selina, Han, and Ronnie.
The auditorium doors swung open, and Gabriella entered. She was dressed neatly in her school uniform, but a sleek charcoal gray skirt suit that made her appear both young and mature, serious and capable.
Raina spotted her and immediately stood up.
"Where are you going?" Selina hissed, tugging on her sleeve. "The result will be announced now!"
"I'm curious," Raina sneered, her eyes fixed on Gabriella. "How can she come here, even though she knows I'm going to win?"
Gabriella was already looking at them, staring directly at Raina.
Raina moved through the crowd, her classmates parting for her, until she stood a few feet from Gabriella.
"How are you going to face the loss?" Raina asked, a predatory smile stretching across her face. "Do you have any experience?"
Gabriella simply smiled, a cool, faint curve of her lips. "Yes, of course, I have experience in losing." The smile vanished, replaced by an expression of sharp focus.
Raina's smirk widened. "Then you came here to lose. You accepted yourself..."
Gabriella's bright smile suddenly returned. "It doesn't mean that I only answered your question, that's it." Her eyes narrowed, staring at Raina with an intensity that seemed capable of tearing her into pieces. Gabriella's voice was a cold, sharp whisper. "I am here to give you the experience of loss."
Gabriella laughed—a short, biting sound.
Raina's face went dark with anger. "Then let's see who wins." She spun around and marched back to her seat, taking the opposite side of the aisle from her friends.
"Gabriella!" a cheerful voice called. Lara waved her hand from a few rows down.
Gabriella walked over. Lara, a girl with bright eyes and a loyal heart, had secured a seat.
"What were you talking to Raina about?" Lara asked, her eyes wide as Gabriella sat down.
Gabriella smiled, a genuine one this time. "A challenge."
"What?" Lara whispered.
Gabriella narrowed her eyes, studying Lara. "Why aren't you with Raina's side? You're Ronnie's girlfriend, right? I thought you would be with Raina's side."
Lara's face softened into a look of disappointment. "He is my boyfriend, but... still. I want to stand for your side, as always. I won't leave my friend for anyone, including Ronnie."
For a fleeting second, Gabriella felt a warm rush of emotion—the comfort of loyal friendship. She turned her attention to the front.
"Results are going to announce!" Lara said excitedly, pointing to the stage.
Just then, Gabriella's phone vibrated. "I have a call," she said. "I'll come back after I talk."
"Take the call later! The results are announcing now!" Lara pleaded.
Gabriella didn't hear. She was already headed out of the auditorium.
On the opposite side, Ronnie leaned over to his friends. "I think Gabriella feared! Look, she already left."
Han, Selina, and Raina all turned, seeing Gabriella's retreating back. Raina smirked triumphantly.
"Wait," Selina asked, looking around the stage. "Where is Jake?"
"He won't," Ronnie said with a shrug, then glanced meaningfully at Han. "I don't think he came."
The tension in the group was clear: the falling out between Han and Jake had consequences.
On the stage, the principal walked toward the podium to begin the final inauguration speech. All attention was now drawn to the center stage.
Outside Auditorium: Mission Failed
Gabriella stood just outside the massive wooden doors, the muffled roar of the crowd behind her.
"Hello? Can you hear me now?" she spoke into the phone.
"Yes, Gabriella. I have to tell you an important piece of news," the voice of Dona responded, strained.
"What?"
Dona hesitated. "That... Gabby... I'm really sorry..."
Gabriella's heart began to pound. "What? Tell me!"
"Mission failed," Dona confessed.
"Fake votes... how?" Gabriella whispered, panic rising.
"Sorry, my friends told me there was strong security in the voting area, so they couldn't," Dona explained quickly. "But they didn't stop there. They even tried to sneak into Principal John's office to break the voting box and add fake votes. They added some votes, but there are three boxes there, so they could replace the fake by original vote of Raina..."
"Don't hide!" Gabriella cut her off, her voice sharp with fear. "Tell me, Dona!"
"Suddenly, security came there. They had to escape from there in the middle of the process. They couldn't complete it."
"They escaped, right?" Gabriella pressed.
"Yes, security didn't find that someone sneaked there," Dona assured her. "But they can't complete the mission. What are we going to do next?"
"It's okay," Gabriella said, her voice dropping, the panic replaced by a chilling resignation.
"Aren't you angry with me? Sorry, sorry, Gabby!" Dona wailed.
"No. It's already happened. We can't change anything," Gabriella said, staring blankly at the wall. "If you said this earlier, I would have tried to do anything. Now... I can't. It's already about to announce the result now."
Dona sounded worried. "Gabby..."
"Now I can feel I am going to lose," Gabriella admitted quietly.
"Don't say like that! It's all my fault," Dona pleaded.
"It's... I have to face it anyway. I'm heading to the auditorium." Gabriella cut the call. She took a deep, shaky breath, her face regaining its icy composure. She pushed the doors open.
Inside Grand Auditorium: The Queen
Gabriella entered the auditorium.
On the stage, the Professor was finishing his introduction. "Now... Principal John is going to announce the winner."
Principal John, a portly man in a tweed jacket, strode to the microphone.
Gabriella stood in the middle of the auditorium aisle, unmoving, cold as ice.
From the back row, Raina stared at Gabriella, a look of triumphant anticipation on her face.
Principal John adjusted the mic. "The winner... and next School Representative is..."
The crowd began a massive countdown. "Three! Two!"
Gabriella tightly closed her eyes.
"One!" the crowd roared.
Principal John's voice boomed over the speakers. "Gabriella!"
The audience erupted in a deafening cheer. Lara screamed with excitement, clapping frantically.
In the back row, the Silverstorm members froze. Ronnie and Selina immediately stood up, their faces etched with shock. Han remained seated, his expression unreadable, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Raina, too, was sitting, her eyes wide, her face a mask of furious disbelief.
Gabriella stood in the middle of the auditorium, eyes still closed, still as a statue. Am I hearing my name? she thought.
"Please come up, Ms. Gabriella," Principal John invited warmly.
Gabriella opened her eyes in a profound state of shock. She slowly began to walk toward the stage. She reached the stage, and Principal John congratulated her. She smiled, a small, genuine smile this time.
John handed her the School Rep badge, a silver emblem of authority. Gabriella took it and carefully placed it on the lapel of her coat. She walked to the microphone stand, a wireless mic waiting for her, and began her speech.
"Thanks for everyone who voted for me and believed in me," she said, her voice clear and carrying. "I won't break your trust. I am a representative for each one of you. You can freely talk to me about anything."
She spoke with genuine honesty, her words straight from the heart. Then, she stared directly at Raina, who was watching her with uncontrolled rage.
The school's ending bell suddenly rang, a loud, metallic chime.
"Then, see you tomorrow," Principal John announced, turning to leave.
"Wait, here," Gabriella said into the mic.
Everybody turned back, confused.
She spoke to the Principal. "Mr. John, I want to give a thank-you gift to everyone, and a party, too. Can I get your permission?"
A huge cheer went up from the students.
John smiled. "Then enjoy! I have to go." Principal John and the staff left the auditorium.
Gabriella took the wireless microphone off the stand and walked down toward the students. "Then... let's party!"
The students roared, ready to celebrate.
Raina, Selina, Ronnie, and Han stood up, confusion and anger radiating from them.
"Wait, Raina," Gabriella called out. They stopped.
"This party is for you," Gabriella said with a playfully mocking smile. Then, she continued, "Our former Class Representative, Raina."
Raina smirked, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Selina, Ronnie, and Han were completely confused about what Gabriella was doing.
In the dimly lit backstage area, a solitary figure wearing a black hoodie was sneaking around. The person was watching the stage through a small gap in the curtain.
"As a School Representative," Gabriella's cold voice cut through the air, "I took a decision. Do you want to know?"
The students looked at each other, confused.
Gabriella paused, a mocking expression on her face. "From now on... there is no Silverstorm Students Council in Brighton Wisdom School!"
A wave of disbelief rippled through the hall. Students gasped.
Raina's eyes turned red with fury. So this is your plan, she thought, her hands clenched into fists. Han, Selina, and Ronnie were utterly shocked.
"Is she... mad?" Selina whispered to Ronnie. "Why is she doing against us?"
Han suddenly turned sharply toward Selina, his expression giving her pause.
Gabriella continued, her voice radiating absolute power. "I don't want any assistance. A Queen is only enough for a kingdom. Am I right, Raina?"
Raina stared back, her chest heaving. Han, Selina, and Ronnie looked from Gabriella to Raina.
Gabriella laughed, then her face went instantly cold. "I forgot one thing. I know you guys are listening to me, what I say. Am I right?"
The students nodded slowly.
"But I don't want you to only listen. I want you all to do what I say!"
She focused her stare entirely on Raina, then finished her speech with a final, cutting intensity. The two young women—one standing alone, the other backed by her shocked friends—stared across the auditorium at each other, a strong feminine energy clashing in the vast hall.
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