Author's P.O.V:
A woman is comfortably seated in her room, her maids dutifully massaging her feet, when a loud cry interrupts the tranquil scene. She turns to see her daughter Clara, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her heart sinks at the sight.
"Mom! Mom, come help me! That wretch slapped me," Clara wails, her beautiful face marred by the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Mrs. Everhart springs to her feet, her heart aching as she gently touches Clara's face, frowning at the distinct handprints on her cheeks. "Who dared to lay a hand on my precious girl?"
"Mom, that lowlife slapped me with her filthy hands! I want you to make her pay today!"
"Who was audacious enough to do this to you?" Mrs. Everhart seethes, her fury barely contained.
"Mom, that witch Amara slapped me in front of our classmates. She ruined the class reunion for me. I want you to punish her until she regrets ever crossing me."
"Amara slapped you? But..."
"But what? Don't you believe me?"
"No, it's not that. It's just hard to believe that timid girl could muster the courage to slap you," Mrs. Everhart replies, her disbelief evident. She had always ensured that Amara was afraid of her and respected Clara as if she were her elder. Yet, despite knowing how precious Clara was to her, Amara had dared to slap her, not once but twice. The clear handprints on Clara's face were proof enough, and Mrs. Everhart's disbelief quickly morphed into rage. "I'll deal with that wretch today. Go to your room and put some ice on your face. I'll take care of the rest when that little brat returns."
Earlier...
Amara Everhart arrives at Savory Haven, a serene, third-tier restaurant known for its exquisite and tantalizing dishes. A single bottle of water here costs a staggering $300. As Amara steps into the restaurant, a smile spreads across her face. This is her first time in such a place since her parents' tragic car accident seventeen years ago. "If they were still alive today, things would be so different," she muses, lost in thought. So engrossed in her reverie that she doesn't notice the figure standing before her until alcohol is poured over her, soaking her silky blue hair and cascading down to her pale caramel collarbone.
Amara's P.O.V:
I look down to see the blonde girl standing in front of me. I'm not surprised by her actions; after all, she's one of my cousin's friends. Clara Everhart frequently brings them home to mock and torment me, sometimes even encouraging them to physically assault me. They even went as far as inviting their male friends to harass me last night, though I doubt they don't know where they are now. The thought brings a smile to my face.
"Oh, someone's happy because I doused her in expensive beer. How pitiful," Penelope Highmore says sarcastically, pretending to wipe away tears.
Just seeing her makes my brow furrow even more. I've just arrived, and they've already started their drama. I sigh heavily and head towards the bathroom, ignoring her. But before I can get far, she steps in front of me, blocking my path. I give her a cold stare, causing her to shiver, though she quickly recovers.
"Hey, who do you think you are, leaving without my permission?"
"And who are you?" I retort, looking at her as if she's insignificant.
"Me?" Penelope asks, confusion spreading across her face as she waits for my response. I remain silent, merely staring at her as if she's a mere insect. The entire hall falls silent, as everyone is used to me ignoring them but not today. Her face turns sour, and I can see her anger mounting. But do I care?
"I'm Penelope Highmore, the only daughter of the Highmore family!" she proclaims proudly, holding her head high as if preparing for battle."Hey, could you stop barking ? You're going to burst my eardrums!"
"How dare you call me a dog!"
"I didn't call you a dog," I respond calmly, looking at her twisted face.
"If you didn't call me a dog, then what else barks?"
"You."
"Who's the animal here, you wretch? How dare you call me an animal, you lowly jinx with a whore dead mothe-..."
Before she can finish her sentence, I slap her hard across the face.
"Never disrespect my mom with your foul mouth, or else...I will hand you your tongue as a gift."
"How..."
"Dare I, right? If you're running out of words, feel free to borrow some from me."
I interrupt her again before she can finish. I may be timid and let them off when they insult me, but I won't allow them to disrespect my parents, especially my mom, I won't let them off so easily.
"Did you just slap..."
"Yes, I slapped you. What are you going to do about it?"
"I..."
"What's going on here?"
Here comes my nemesis's niece, the melodramatic queen herself.
"What is happening here?" she asks again, louder this time when no one responds, which angers her because she dislikes being ignored. One of her minions, who was present when everything happened, approaches her and whispers something in her ear. Judging by the ugly look on her face, she must have told her everything. I smirk and watch as she strides towards me with determined steps, as if she's about to scold her child.
"Amara, kneel down here and apologize to Penelope," Clara commands when she reaches me.
I mentally scoff at her calm demand for an apology, thinking she has me under her control. That's what I've always done - whenever something happens at school involving me and her friends, she tells me to apologize, and I do it just to avoid punishment from my aunt, Scarlett, when we get home. But she doesn't realize that I've had enough of both of them. I won't let them treat me like garbage any longer because they're living off the wealth and glory that should be mine. My parents left all their property to my uncle Daniel, trusting him to take care of me. Uncle Daniel treats me better than his own daughter because he loved my mom, his younger sister. I recovered from my parents' death, but he still mourns the loss of his sister. Sometimes, he wants to blame me for their deaths because they died in an accident on the way to celebrate my birthday at the beach. But he can't hate me, even if he wanted to, because I resemble my mom so much. His affection for me is the reason why Aunt Scarlett and Clara despise me so much.