"Tricia, I told you to go to your room. Why didn't you?" Ricco snapped, his voice like thunder.
"I had to clear my suspicion. And who's she? Your mistress, huh?" Tricia shot back, arms crossed.
"Oh, Tricia dear…" Mrs. Cristin whispered as she rushed forward, tears spilling. She cupped Tricia's face with trembling hands.
"Yuck! What the heck are you doing? Don't touch my precious face!" Tricia barked, slapping her hands away.
"You look so much like your sister," Cristin said, half-crying, half-smiling. "Just… the difference is your hair. Blonde."
Tricia frowned. "Who are you?"
"She's nobody. Tricia, get back to your room," Ricco ordered.
"I'm your mother. I'm your mother, dear," Cristin blurted, clutching Tricia's hands.
"Elena!!" Ricco roared, and both of them flinched.
Tricia turned sharply to her father. "Dad… is it true? Is she really my mum? You've never said anything about my mother before."
"As I said—she's nobody. Just get out, back to your room, before I lose it. You're disobeying me now, huh?" Ricco's eyes burned.
Tricia hesitated, then huffed. "Alright, fine. I'm leaving." She turned toward the door.
But before she could step out, Mrs. Cristin reached for her. "Tricia, wait—"
Ricco slammed the door shut and locked it.
"What do you think you're doing, Ricco?" Cristin spat. "You know she's my daughter. Just tell her the damn truth and stop keeping the poor girl in the dark!"
"Nah," Ricco sneered. "You want her to hate me? You think I'll ruin my bond with her because of what I did in the past? Not happening."
"Ohhh, that's your plan? You don't want Tricia to know I'm her mother—because then she'll start demanding answers. You haven't changed, Ricco. You're still the devil I knew back then."
Ricco's smirk widened. "Maybe I should throw you out. The rain isn't falling anymore. Find your way home. I can't risk you ruining things for me."
"Why are you this heartless? Huh? Why?" Cristin screamed, beating her fists against his chest—but he didn't even flinch.
"Guards!" Ricco called.
Two men stormed in instantly.
"Throw her out."
They grabbed Cristin by the arms.
"Ricco! I hate you so much! You're a devil!!" she shrieked as she was dragged away, her cries echoing down the hall.
Ricco smirked, stepped out, and locked the door behind him. His eyes flicked to Tricia's room across the hall. The door was closed.
Good.
He straightened his jacket and walked off.
__________
"That's Hardin's car," Jordan said, halting his own at the back. Both he and Mulan stepped out.
"There—maybe they're inside that cabin. The lights are on," Mulan pointed. Together, they hurried toward it.
INSIDE THE CABIN★
"I thought I told you to stop using those flirting words on me. I swear I'll cut off this mouth of yours," Tessa said. She wasn't sitting beside Hardin anymore, instead keeping her distance at the far end of the bench.
"I'm quiet, baby," Hardin said with a wink.
"Yuck! Baby? Ew." Tessa rolled her eyes.
"Ahem." Jordan made a fake cough, and both of them turned, startled—Jordan and Mulan were standing at the door.
"Mulan?" Tessa said, surprised.
"What the fûck are you doing here, Tessa?" Mulan marched over, eyes wide.
"Story for another day. How did you even know I was here?" Tessa asked.
"Story for another day too," Mulan shot back.
"Ohhh, aura for aura." Tessa smirked, and the two girls laughed briefly.
"Yo, man, what happened?" Jordan asked, looking at Hardin. "She said you were unconscious."
"Tessa. That's her name," Hardin cut in.
"Fine—Tessa. Should we still take him to the hospital?" Jordan asked.
"Nah, I'm fine," Hardin muttered.
Just then, Tessa's phone rang. Her face lit up.
"It's Mum!" she said quickly, picking up.
"Hello, Mum? Where in God's name did you head to? You had me worried! You weren't even answering your calls."
"I'm sorry, dear. I'll be back soon. You should sleep—you don't have to stay up this late," Mrs. Cristin's voice came through.
"Mum, your voice… did something happen?" Tessa frowned.
"What happened to my voice?" Mrs. Cristin quickly cleared her throat, trying to hide the fact she had been crying.
"It's cracked. But I'm just glad you called—I was really worried," Tessa sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry for that, sweetheart. I'll be home soon. I'm in the cab right now," Mrs. Cristin said.
"What cab?" Tessa said, shocked.
"Yes? Anything wrong?" her mother asked.
"Oh, no, no… just get back safe, okay?"
"Alright. And make sure you cover the windows—it's cold. And please don't create a scene with Hardin, I know how much you love fighting with him. Goodbye." Click.
The line went dead.
"Huh?" Mulan looked confused.
"We live together," Tessa explained.
"Really?" Jordan and Mulan said at the same time.
"It's a story for another day. My mum will be at the mansion soon. Let's get going." Tessa stood.
As they walked out, Hardin leaned close. "See? You heard her—your mum already knows you love fighting with me unnecessarily."
"Shut up, dumbass," Tessa hissed.
Hardin only smiled as they all headed to Jordan's car.
RICCO MANSION – TRICIA'S ROOM ★
"Is Dad really hiding something from me? That woman seemed so convinced, calling me her daughter… and she said I looked just like her other child. What sister? I don't even have any siblings," Tricia muttered to herself.
"Could she really be my mom? Nah, that's impossible. Dad has never mentioned anything about Mom before. He always made it seem like she was dead," she whispered, pacing restlessly.
"I think I should go speak with that lady," Tricia decided as she quietly sneaked out of her room, making sure Ricco wasn't anywhere around. She tiptoed to the room where the Mrs Cristin had been kept and tried the knob. It was locked from the outside.
"What?!" Tricia muttered in frustration, bending the knob harder, but it wouldn't budge.
"Dad must have locked the door… and now no more muffled sounds. Has she already left?" she wondered, glancing around nervously. With a huff, she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her room.
"Strange," she muttered under her breath. Just then, her foot brushed against something on the floor. She bent down and picked it up.
It was a pendant.
NEXT DAY – CRESTVIEW COLLEGE ★
The morning at Crestview College was anything but ordinary.
Engines roared as a line of sleek, black cars snaked their way through the campus gates, their polished surfaces gleaming beneath the sunlight. Students froze mid-conversation, their chatter dissolving into confused murmurs as the convoy rolled onto the grounds like a wave of authority and power.
Phones whipped out instantly, screens glowing as dozens of cameras began to record.
"What the hell… who's that?" one student muttered, squinting at the lead car.
The first car door clicked open. Tricia stepped out, her heels striking the pavement like a gavel announcing judgment. She stood tall, cold eyes sweeping the sea of onlookers as though they were beneath her notice.
Then another door opened, and the air itself seemed to shift. Don Ricco emerged. His presence was overwhelming—sharp suit, dark glasses, and an aura so commanding that students instinctively drew back. Whispers turned into gasps, then into silence as his shadow stretched across the pavement.
"Wait—no way… isn't that Don Ricco? From Italy?" another whispered, his voice trembling with awe and fear.
"Fûck, what's he doing here of all places?" The murmurs rose, a storm of disbelief swelling across the crowd.
From across the courtyard, Nikolai had just arrived, wandering in from God-knows-where. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he laid eyes on Tricia. His brows furrowed, lips parting.
"Wait… isn't that… Tessa?" he muttered, disbelief coloring his voice.
But before he could step closer, Tricia's voice cut through the campus like a blade.
"Cathryn Fowler!" she shouted, her tone echoing. "Your attention is needed out here, so you better fûcking come out from wherever you're hiding!"
The crowd erupted with murmurs again, louder this time.
"Quiet."
It was just one word, but spoken by Ricco, it carried weight like thunder. The entire place fell silent at once—so quiet it felt like a graveyard.
Nikolai clenched his fists. "No… I'm not sure that's actually Tessa. No… it can't be her," he whispered, eyes locked on the girl beside Ricco.
Then, from another direction, three more cars pulled up. Music blared briefly before cutting off as the doors swung open. The infamous Rock Girls stepped out, drawing attention immediately. Their dramatic arrival only thickened the tension in the air.
Inside one of the cars, Cathryn sat stiffly, confusion painting her face. "What's going on?" she muttered nervously, but the answer came the moment she stepped out.
Her eyes widened—Tricia. Ricco. A wall of men in black already surrounding her. The color drained from her face. Fear seized her body so fiercely that her legs wobbled.
"I… I…" she stammered, her voice trembling. She felt a warm trickle down her thigh before the shame of realization hit her—she had peed herself from fear.
Caroline, standing nearby, leaned toward Sabrina. "Cathryn is in big trouble now."
Sabrina shifted, inching toward the car as if planning to escape, but Caroline yanked her wrist back. "Where do you think you're going? You better stay here."
Slowly, Ricco and Tricia approached Cathryn. Their footsteps were unhurried but deliberate, each one a promise of dread. The crowd's eyes followed, wide with anticipation. Phones captured every second—nobody dared to miss this spectacle.
"Cathryn Fowler," Ricco began, his deep voice cutting through the air like a verdict. "So you're the one who ordered people to abduct my daughter."
Cathryn's heart nearly burst from her chest. Daughter? Her mouth quivered. "D-daughter??" she stuttered, her voice shaking.
The gasps from the students grew louder. The revelation had cracked the tension into pure chaos.
"N-no, I never meant to! I didn't—" Cathryn stammered.
"Oh really?" Ricco's lips curled into a cold smirk.
"You're crying already?" Tricia's voice snapped, sharp and venomous. "I haven't even started yet."
"I-I'm sorry!" Cathryn whimpered.
"Sorry, huh?" Tricia's hand shot out before anyone could stop her. SLAP! The sound echoed like a gunshot across the silent courtyard. Cathryn stumbled, clutching her burning cheek, as a chorus of shocked voices rose from the crowd.
"Woahhh!" the students exclaimed in unison.
Tricia didn't stop there. Her hand dove into her bag, pulling out a small glass bottle. The clear liquid inside shimmered ominously under the light. She held it high for everyone to see.
"You know what this is?" Tricia hissed, her eyes blazing. "Acid. And you know exactly what will happen if I pour it on you."
Cathryn's knees buckled. She dropped to the ground, hands clasped together as tears poured down her face. "No, please! I know I was wrong! Please, forgive me—please, beg your daughter to forgive me!"
Just then, another car rolled in. Its doors swung open and Tessa stepped out with Hardin at her side. Her jaw nearly dropped at the sight before her.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded. Her eyes widened as she recognized the trembling figure. "Isn't that… Cathryn?"
But before anyone could answer, Tricia's wrist snapped. The bottle tipped.
In slow motion, the acid arced through the air, glittering wickedly as it fell toward Cathryn. Gasps tore through the crowd.
"No!"
Time seemed to slow as Tessa sprinted forward, adrenaline flooding her veins. She shoved Cathryn hard out of the way—just in time for the acid to land across her ( Tessa) own face.
A horrifying sizzle filled the air.
"TESSA!!!" Hardin and Nikolai screamed at the same time, their voices breaking.
The world around them erupted into chaos.