After school, Maria went straight to the shooting range where she had been training. Her instructor didn't just teach her how to handle a gun—he also taught her hand-to-hand combat.
The next day, Maria finally posted a new dance video on her main page. Ever since the school incident, she hadn't uploaded anything, but the internet was still buzzing about her. The moment the video went up, it racked up thousands of views within minutes. People flooded the comment section with praise, admiring her talent and wondering where she had been.
Along with the video, she wrote a caption saying she would be recording her own song in a studio soon and planned to release it publicly.
This simple announcement sparked a huge debate online. Some were excited, claiming her song would be a hit. Others were skeptical, suggesting she should stick to just dancing and singing—not songwriting. Opinions clashed across social media, fueling even more attention around her.
Maria then switched over to her masked girl account. The numbers were insane. Her latest video was nearing ten million views. People were calling her "The Queen"—of music, of dance, of style. Comments poured in praising her talent not just in performance but also in sewing and designing her own clothes.
She noticed multiple companies reaching out, offering to pay her to promote their products. After browsing through the offers, Maria chose two companies that matched her vibe and brand. Satisfied, she closed her laptop, packed up her things, and went to class—calm, collected, and already planning her next move.
--
She entered the class and went to sleep as her body still ached a lot from the training. Ivy didn't come to class — still in the hospital. She was also punished, and her reputation was damaged. But it's Ivy. She'll always find a comeback.
Chole, who was sipping her watermelon juice box, looked at Maria sleeping. Then she raised her hand for the teacher to excuse her. She dragged Maria out.
Maria, who was woken up rudely, glared at her. But Chole ignored her and dragged her to the private lounge. Neo and Jay were not around, so Chole pushed her inside.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Maria asked, annoyed.
Chole ignored her and pressed on her shoulder, making Maria scream.
"Do you think you're made of steel? Don't know how to rest? I will not let my new toy — I mean, new friend — go to waste. And anyway, didn't Jay say we can use the lounge if we like?" Chole said and pushed Maria to the long couch.
As the door opened, the security guard led the massage and spa people in. Then he left.
Maria's lip twitched. This is a school… did she forget? Anyway, not her problem, she thought.
The massage and spa people started working on Maria, while Chole walked around the lounge.
"This is f*cking clean and expensive. Tsk," Chole said and sat down on one of the couches.
—
Two boys — Neo's lackeys — heard someone was in the lounge, and to prove themselves, they went there.
"F*ck, this hallway is already different and we haven't even entered the lounge yet," Lackey One said.
"Of course. The school didn't blink spending money on this place. Even Mike, Jay, and Chris spent money on it. You're already acting like this and we haven't even entered yet? I've entered before — even some of the private places in this school — and I felt poor. Can you imagine? I felt poor," Lackey Two said with a sigh.
He opened the door — then they both paused as their eyes met Chole's.
They stepped back and were about to close the door when they noticed Maria. Then they ran.
"F*ck! Chole is inside the lounge! What can we small fries do?" Lackey Two said.
"Stupid, forget about that! Maria is inside! We need to inform Mike or something," Lackey One said.
Lackey Two just looked at him and nodded. So they escaped from school and went to a private golf course.
It was hard, but they told the guards they were here to meet Neo. After asking Neo, the security guard let them in.
"Are you not overreacting? We could've just called them, you know," Lackey Two said, feeling like slapping Lackey One.
They entered the court... and saw Neo holding a gun, with a group of people squatting for their life.
Neo waved for them to enter. Lackey One and Two entered and bowed their heads.
"Talk. What do you want to say? Do it fast," Neo said as he dropped the gun on the table.
The group of people squatting started begging for their lives. Neo put his index finger to his lips, telling them to hush.
"Why are you guys shouting? Are you fighting over who wants to die next? Tsk. Weren't you so brave just now? 'I'm from this country,' 'I'm from that country,' 'I'm the top agent,' 'I'm the top spy,' 'I'm the top assassin'... Don't you guys want to take company secrets and destroy the deal? Come on, do it," Neo said, tilting his head at them with a smirk.
"You bastard, little devil! Our people have escaped, and they're going to tell the organization what happened here. More will come!" a man shouted.
"No. More will die. As they'll go boom," Neo replied calmly. "I let them escape so they can carry my gift to your people. Don't worry—before they go boom, my men will follow them and take all the documents and property, so your country will have a financial rock to lay on."
Neo smiled at them, making them spit blood in rage.
"F*ck… and here I thought Neo wasn't as dangerous as the rest," Lackey One thought, lowering his gaze.
Lackey Two, who seemed to understand his thoughts, wanted to slap his head. How can he not know that Neo is dangerous? Just because he stays away from businesses doesn't mean he's someone to look down on.
"What do you guys want to tell me? Be fast. I have a girl to give attention to," Neo said, bored.
"Hmm… the lounge was being used and… um… Chole and Maria have taken control of the lounge and made it theirs," Lackey One said, making Lackey Two look at him confused.
Neo blinked, then chuckled and rubbed his forehead.
"Is that all?" Neo asked.
"No… Chole also took all the private spots as hers," Lackey One lied.
Lackey Two tilted his head at him and stepped back. Neo frowned and rubbed his forehead. "Tsk. Drama."
Neo sighed and called the group.
"Wow, the minute I call the group, everybody answers at once," Neo said, chuckling—until one of the group members cut the call.
Neo's lip twitched.
"Jay, don't cut the call. Don't. And also, Brother Mike—it seems Jay's big mouth has put him in trouble. The moment he became nice, see what it caused. Chole has taken control of all the private spots. And you know some spots. Do I have to spell it?" Neo said dramatically.
"Chole did that? Neo, are you smoking? Chole took all the spots and we didn't notice? And you think she'd do that when she's being entertained and hasn't even processed anything about the school?" Jay said softly, making Neo's lip twitch.
"Mmm, she's entertained alright. Maria is keeping her company. I almost thought they were lovers," Neo said and pulled the phone away from his ear.
So did Jay, as they heard a loud sound of something breaking. Then Neo brought the phone back to his ear—just as Mike scraped a knife along the metal door near the phone, making Neo flinch.
Jay laughed and put the phone back to his ear.
"Sir, it seems Maria was tired and wounded, so Lady Chole had people take her for a massage in the room," Lackey Two continued.
Mike frowned at the thought of people touching her. "I will come back soon," Mike said, making Jay chuckle.
"Maria seems to be in the couch meant for Brother Mike. She looks comfortable… she slept off while holding the couch. Maybe she loves your scent," Lackey Two said loudly for Mike to hear.
There was silence before Mike started chuckling.
Mike bit his lip to hide his smile. Neo felt like vomiting as he heard Mike chuckle, while Jay burst into laughter.
"She's probably comfortable because of the massage… but no, she's comfortable because the couch belongs to Brother Mike," Neo said with sarcasm.
"Shut up. There are a lot of couches there, and she chose mine. You won't understand the feeling since the girls you're with only stay for your money," Mike said.
Neo immediately cut the call and threw his phone away. Tsk, he has to mock me like that.
"You guys can go now. Go meet Frank and tell him what you need—especially you," Neo said, pointing at Lackey two.
---
After Maria woke up in the afternoon, she received a message from a brand.
Maria stared at her phone, a small smile playing on her lips. This brand... in my past life, it became one of the top names in the fashion world. Right now, it hadn't reached that level yet, but it was already on the rise.
Without hesitation, Maria accepted the offer for the photoshoot.
"I'll be busy this week or maybe two, so I won't be in school that much," Chole said as she sipped her juice.
Maria glanced at her and nodded. "I'll cook for you then."
Chole tilted her head at her and giggled.
Maria stood up suddenly, threw the snack out of Chole's hand, and grabbed her wrist. "Come."
She dragged her all the way to a small alley at the back of the school where local street food vendors were lined up.
At first, Chole was disgusted—eyes narrowing, nose wrinkling—but very soon, she was the one dragging Maria from one stall to another, pointing at skewers, noodles, dumplings, and grilled corn like a starved heiress on vacation.
---
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