Jessey stood there, her chest still heaving with the intensity of her outburst. Her eyes burned with anger and humiliation, but beneath that, there was a flicker of something else—desperation. She looked like a cornered animal, ready to lash out but unsure of where to strike. "Are you serious?" Jessey said, confused.
"I am," Silvia replied confidently.
"I don't get it," Jessey stammered, still struggling to make sense of what was happening. "Why would you want to break up with him? I thought you were together."
"To be honest, Waksi and I weren't right for each other. If it wasn't for my father's arranged marriage, I wouldn't have gone out with him." Silvia said in a low tone, as if resigned to her fate.
Her pulse quickened as she took a step back, her mind working fast. Her words had landed, and she could see it in Jessey's eyes: confusion mixed with a growing curiosity, as if the offer she had just made was more than she could fully comprehend.
Jessey's expression twisted with a mix of anger and longing, and Silvia saw her eyes dart to the floor, her mind clearly grappling with the offer. Silvia could almost hear the cogs turning. It was clear that Jessey's desire for status, for control, for that hat, was winning out. In a way, Silvia almost felt sorry for her—almost. But this was a game, and Jessey had walked right into it.
"How do I know that you're not fooling me?" She said.
"Don't worry, you can trust me. How about this, if you can make me break up with Waksi, I'll give you ten thousand dollars as a reward. Think of it as a thank you from me. That way you can buy a new hat."
Jessey blinked, her expression flickering between disbelief and suspicion. "Ten thousand dollars?" she repeated slowly, as if the numbers themselves didn't make sense in her head.
Silvia nodded, watching Jessey's reaction with cold satisfaction. "Yes. Ten thousand. All you have to do is help me break up with Waksi. It's simple. You can take my place as his girlfriend, and I'll make sure you get the money. But here's the deal, Waksi should be the one to break us up, and not me."
"Why?" Said Jessey in confusion.
"It's complicated to explain. What's clear is that now you just need to get Waksi to break up with me, then I can give you money and my position as his girlfriend to you."
Jessey's eyes widened, her hands trembling slightly as she processed the offer. The shock on her face was almost comical, but Silvia didn't let it show. She had expected this—after all, Jessey's obsession with her image, her appearance, was something Silvia had always known. The loss of that precious hat, the very thing that made Jessey feel like she stood above the rest, had to have stung. Now, Silvia was offering a chance to repair that, to get everything she wanted—but at a cost.
With her genius brain, Silvia was able to make very risky decisions in a matter of seconds without putting her in a corner. This is one of the advantages of her brainpower. And not just that. This was also part of Silvia's plan to get revenge for the incident.
Jessey took a step forward, still clearly conflicted, but the allure of the money was undeniable. "Do you really think Waksi will just let it happen? What if he fights back?"
Silvia chuckled darkly, her eyes narrowing. "Waksi won't fight for me. He never has. He's too busy trying to please his father to care about anything else. But that's not your problem. You just have to make him hate me enough to break up with me. And once that's done, you'll be free to take my place."
For a long, pregnant moment, Jessey stared at her, her jaw clenched. Then, slowly, a wicked smile spread across her face. The greed in her eyes was unmistakable now, her decision made. "Fine. I'll do it. But don't think for one second that this means I'm doing you a favor. I still haven't forgiven you, my precious hat is still damaged from yesterday."
Silvia's smile was small, but it carried a weight of victory. She had just manipulated Jessey into doing exactly what she wanted, and the fact that Jessey was eager to play along made it all the sweeter. She leaned in, her voice a whisper. "I know how much you need a new hat, Jessey. You were crying about that one you lost yesterday. But if I may know, why is that hat so precious to you?"
"Of course it is. It's a hat given to me by my aunt that she bought overseas. It was very expensive and very precious to me. Moreover, today there will be people from the famous clothing industry called Tunic Proud who will be looking for models for their fashion show. I'm planning on going to the audition today. Without my hat, there's no way I can get the audition."
"Really? Where will the audition take place?" Said Silvia, clueless.
"Are you stupid or what? The audition will be here after the class ends today."
"Is that so?" Silvia was still confused. Although her brain was smart and genius, she often missed important information that happened around her. Like now. But that's not a problem. What mattered now was how to make Jessey become her pawn. Silvia said, "Don't worry, Jessey. All you need to do is make sure Waksi and I break up, and you'll have enough money to buy a new one."
Jessey's eyes glittered, a sharp, calculating look replacing the raw emotion from moments ago. She nodded curtly. "I understand."
Silvia gave her a final, calculating glance before turning away. "Good. We'll see how long Waksi can stand the heat."
Silvia's mind swirled with the possibilities. Jessey would never see this coming. The game was on, and Jessey had just walked right into her trap. Silvia knew that Waksi, no matter how aloof, would never willingly let go of her. His pride, his father's expectations—it would all clash, and she'd be there to watch it unravel. The humiliation of Jessey was still coming and more brutal after this.
Soon a young man with blonde hair came from the side, "Are you bothering Silvia again, Jessey?" Dhean's gleamed in the hallway as he stepped up, looking at Jessey with a mix of annoyance and concern.
Jessey shot him an unfriendly glare. "Stay out of it, Dhean. It's just girls' business. You have nothing to do with it."
"Maybe not, but class is about to start. If you don't hurry, you'll be the one in trouble." Dhean's tone was firm but not unkind.
Jessey and her two friends exchanged a few more terse words before walking off, leaving Silvia alone with Dhean. He looked at her, his usual smirk softened by a hint of genuine concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me." Silvia gave him a brief smile, then turned to face him fully. "Can I ask you something, Dhean?"
"Sure, what is it?"
Silvia hesitated for a moment, her curiosity about the audition still lingering. "Jessey mentioned a modeling audition happening here today. Do you know anything about it?"
Dhean's expression softened with a knowing look. "Yeah, there's an audition after class. Jessey's been really eager about it, but after that incident yesterday, her chances aren't looking great. Honestly, with everything that's happened, I think you have a much better shot at it."
Silvia blinked, taken aback by his praise. "You really think so?"
Dhean grinned, his eyes softening. "Of course. You've got the looks, and compared to Jessey, you've got a better personality. Why not give it a shot? You might just surprise everyone."
Silvia looked away for a moment, her heart racing. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, but the thought of impressing Dhean—and maybe even using the audition to her advantage—began to intrigue her. She could feel her mind shifting gears, the pieces of her plan falling into place.
But deep down, Silvia knew this could be another opportunity to get Dhean's further attention.