Chapter 4
[Tsk, tsk! No wonder she's such a loyal little lapdog!]
Everyone heard my thoughts clearly.
The look of smug triumph on Nancy's face froze instantly, and the color drained from her face.
'How could she possibly know! It was supposed to be a secret between just me and Yolanda!' she thought in horror.
The tone of the conversation among the students around us shifted instantly.
"What? Nancy cheated on the last exam?" Someone gasped audibly.
"No wonder her grades suddenly improved so much. I thought she'd finally gotten the hang of it," another said accusingly.
"Yolanda took the blame for her? Why would she do that? Are they really that close?" a third asked skeptically.
Amid the crowd's skeptical and contemptuous stares, Nancy squirmed uncomfortably. She wished she could vanish into thin air right now.
Yolanda was stunned too. She never imagined that my counterattack would be so devious and precise.
She hurried toward me, ready to play the good Samaritan, and reached out to help me up.
"Are you okay, Chiara? It's all my fault. I should have warned everyone…"
Before she could finish, my inner thoughts cut her off.
[Here we go again. The classic 'saintly angel' entrance.]
[What's next? Are you going to say, with tears streaming down your face, "It's all my fault. Please don't blame my older sister. She's new here and hasn't adjusted yet?"]
[And then, while you're at it, hint that I'm a hot-tempered, difficult person so everyone will shun me?]
[Little Sis, you've been playing this same script for eighteen years. Aren't you tired of it yet?]
Yolanda's hand froze in midair.
All those lines she had rehearsed so carefully got shut down by me before she could even say them.
Her expression was priceless. She looked as if she had just swallowed a fly.
The classmates around us began to look at her with wry amusement.
A carefully orchestrated attempt to cow me was effortlessly defused by a few "inner thoughts" from me.
I stood up and brushed the dust off my uniform. Without another glance at her, I walked straight into the classroom.
*****
After classes ended, Zeffrey's flashy red Ferrari pulled up right on time at the school gate. He had come to pick up his precious little sister, Yolanda.
As soon as Yolanda saw him, she immediately threw herself at him with a pained look and began to exaggerate her grievances dramatically.
I walked past them with my backpack on my back, looking straight ahead.
Zeffrey's eyes followed me, full of undisguised disgust and warning.
It was as if he were saying, "You'd better behave yourself."
I kept walking but snorted derisively to myself.
[What are you looking at?]
[Look at me like that one more time, and see if I won’t tell your dear old dad about how you were surrounded by women at the "Night Scene" club last month, and racked up thirty thousand in company expenses in a single night?]
[I wonder if you’ve managed to balance the books yet, my dear brother?]
Zeffrey's whole body flinched violently.
The look of disgust on his face instantly turned to terror. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and quickly averted his gaze.
He didn't dare to look at me for even another second.
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk crept across my face.
The inner voice that could be heard was becoming increasingly useful.
It was like a "spokesperson" that said everything I was too afraid or unable to say myself. And it was absolutely devastating.
*****
The Lubitz family was planning a lavish birthday celebration for Grandma's seventieth birthday.
Almost every big shot in Brookshore City showed up. The ballroom was packed with people dressed to the nines, and laughter and clinking glasses filled the air.
This was my first public appearance at such a grand event since returning to the Lubitz family.
Lana had picked out a simple white dress for me, the kind that would blend right into the crowd and go completely unnoticed.
Yolanda, on the other hand, was wearing a custom-made, starry-blue haute couture gown.
Its hem was studded with tiny diamonds that sparkled under the lights, making her the center of attention.
When it was time to present the gifts, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch.
Yolanda stepped up to her grandmother, cradling an elegant box in her hands.
She carefully opened it to reveal an exquisite Fabergé egg.
"Grandma, I had to go to great lengths to track this down. Here's wishing you a birthday filled with happiness, peace, and good health!"
Immediately, a knowledgeable guest exclaimed in amazement.
"That's an Imperial Fabergé egg! Only 50 were produced, of which only 47 survived!"
"Yolanda, you've put so much thought into this!" another guest chimed in.
Praises poured in, and the old lady beamed from ear to ear as she held Yolanda's hand affectionately.
Lana and Garibald's faces were also beaming with pride.
All eyes in the hall were fixed on the famous objet d'art and the radiant Yolanda.
Following this, the host called out my name.
"Next, please welcome Chiara, the eldest daughter of the Lubitz family, who will present her birthday gift to Mrs. Lubitz."
All eyes instantly focused on me. In their gazes, I could discern curiosity, scrutiny, and even undisguised contempt.
Holding an ordinary wooden box, I walked forward calmly.
When I opened it, inside was a hand-carved wooden comfort bird.