Incident

The next day, Georgina woke up because of the noises she heard outside. She thought Henrick's parents were back from their business trip, but as she walked down the stair, his friends were gathering in the living room. They stopped talking when their gazes met. Not until Henrick came from behind.

Georgina tightened the grip on the handrails as Henrick walked down without looking or talking to her. She hissed before continue walking towards the dining area but stopped when she heard Henrick talk.

"We're celebrating Christmas here with Kiela. You wouldn't mind this bastard inviting his bastard's friends, right?" He said.

"You don't need to say it to me. It's your house and not mine. Do as you wish." Georgina chuckled and walked away without looking at them.

As she came to the dining hall, she saw the maids and cooks preparing something to eat, probably not for her. It's tons of variety of foods.

"M-Ma'am, we didn't prepare your breakfast yet,"

"It's fine. Take care of your young master visitors, don't mind me."

"I-I'm sorry, after this, we're going to prepare your foo—"

"Don't bother. I'm not hungry. Thanks for the concern." She smiled at them before leaving the dining room.

Instead of going to her room and seeing those people again, she heads straight to the garden pavilion.

It's her comfort place inside the huge mansion. Besides the birds chirping and rustling of the leaves, it has a deafening silence, beautiful scenery with those colorful flowers, and the vibes as if you were living alone in an isolated place. It's a perfect place to think about things.

Georgina heaves a deep sigh as she looks at the clear azure sky. Amidst it, she remembered the conversation she had with Jaceriel last night.

"Gina, if you're having trouble moving forward. If you don't know where to walk anymore, try to remember for who and why you started to take this path?"

"Do you remember what I told you before? You and Giovanni built up an iron wall where only the two of you could enter. Why did you build it up? Is it to protect him or to protect yourself? Who do you want to protect?"

'He's right.' She thought upon remembering his words—it was because of her unstable emotion Georgina lost track of what she needed to do, for who, and why she chose a difficult path.

Before, Giovanni questioned her about her true feelings. If the things she felt were love towards him or a mere responsibility that she burdened alone. On the other hand, Jaceriel asked her if she wanted to protect Giovanni or if she was doing it for herself.

She massages the bridge of her nose and stares at nowhere.

"Gina, clear your mind. Don't overthink things a lot. Instead, broaden your thoughts without pressuring yourself."

Georgina closed both eyes, and feel the cold breeze of wind touching her body, and listened to the sound around.

"The two of you should lower the iron walls and let other people help you. It's good that you want to protect each other in your way, but too much of it will only hurt you. You'll keep pressuring each other inside it."

She clenched both fists when she also remembered those words.

She knows it more than anyone.

Even without words, just through their action, she knows it. They love each other too much that it becomes the source of their pain. Jaceriel is right. They don't want other people to interfere with their so-called love. Even though that love suffocates them inside because of the intense pressure they put on each other.

She knows it.

No. Giovanni must realize it earlier than her.

She and Giovanni are already over. There's no other way or possibility which helps them salvage the genuine feelings they once felt for each other. They couldn't accept the truth or have the guts to end it.

"If I were him, I must realize it too. For who and why did I start to take this path? I don't know why you're doing all of this, but if it's too hard, you must show that you can live apart from each other without forcing yourselves." He said. "Besides, the greatest revenge you can give to someone isn't winning by proving them how strong you are but rather winning by proving them they're wrong to use your weakness."

"You shouldn't be afraid to take a step forward. There's someone out there who'll watch you."

"Someone?" She mumbled and looked at the sky again as the bird flew.

A chuckle escaped her lips when Henrick's face showed inside her mind.

"You're wrong, Jaceriel. There's none. No one will watch me succeed. I have a bad feeling that everything I did and endured would turn in vain. I will lose this battle in no time." She said. "I'm not strong or have the guts to use my weakness for my own sake. Don't think highly of me because I'm reaching my limit."

Silence engulfs the area again.

"This place didn't change. Even the flowers I like are still here." Georgina jolted out when someone talked from behind. "Don't you think Henrick loves me so much?"

"Did you come here to piss me off, b*tch?" She asked.

"Calm down, Gina. The Jung Family built this garden pavilion because I told Henrick I wanted to rest in a place seeing lots of my favorite flowers. It's not a place for someone as trash as you." She gave her an angelic, mocking smile.

"What do you think you're doing?" Georgina asked before standing up. "Do you think I won't notice that you're only using Henrick's feelings for you to get back to us?"

"Oh, so what? Henrick's the one who insisted. It's not my fault that he loves me so much to sacrifice even the trust of his soon-to-be wife."

"Y-you..."

"What? Do you want to hurt me? Do it, slut." She chuckled and walked towards her without hesitation. "Do it. Here, slap me. Push me, and pull my hair, do it if you have guts. Van's proud of trash like you, so do it."

Kiela hastily grabbed her hand and forced Georgina to hit her, but she yanked it away while giving a death glare.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Are you afraid? Where's the foul-mouthed woman who keeps talking back at me? What's this? You're good at words but no action? Van and you. Both of you annoy me." Kiela grabbed her shirt's collar and pulled her closer with those raging eyes. "I hate the looks of those eyes. You have the same look as Giovanni. Do you feel pity for me?"

"Let go of me, b*tch." She tried to remove her hands, but they tightened before Kiela let go of them and slapped her face hard.

Georgina's eyes widened as she stepped back and held the left side of her face. It stung as if a rock had hit her face. She gritted her teeth and glared back at her.

"What? It isn't the first time you got slapped, right? I heard you've been having a hard time fighting your mother. She's a tough one to make Georgina Alvarez kneel many times. I saw the video way back at Henrick's birthday party. You're a laughing stock that time and..." She couldn't finish her words when Georgina's right hand landed on her pretty face. "Argh! You really..."

Georgina slapped her over again until she fell to the ground because of the impact, but her situation didn't make Georgina stop. Instead, she grabbed her hair up.

Kiela winced while groaning—trying to remove her hand. But as she looked at her, those calm eyes turned to a raging one. It's as if she's facing her enemy. The intimidation of those glares made her shudder in fear.

"Argh! It hurts." She yelled at the top of her lungs, but Georgina grabbed her jaw tight and stared intensely.

"What did you f*cking say? Take back what you said, b*tch." Georgina said with a stern-looking face, but Kiela didn't say anything and kept pulling her hands down that holding her jaw. "I don't kneel to become a laughingstock of someone like you. You don't know a single thing happening in my life. How dare you laugh at me? How dare you praise that useless evil witch? You know nothing, you b*tch."

Georgina's stern, raging voice reverberated in the pavilion. With her shuddering hands, she slapped Kiela twice as hard as before, which made her head hit the corner of the pavilion. A loud thud could hear in the area as Kiela lay down on the ground, passed out with blood flowing on her head.

"What's going on here? I heard shouting, and Kiela?!" Luna runs towards the woman with those frightened eyes, but Georgina remains standing, frozen.

"Luna, what's going on?"

"C-Call an ambulance, Kiela... Kiela's bleeding."

"What?"

"Hans, call an ambulance. Kiela's in a bad state."

"O-okay."

"Hey, what did you f*cking do to her? You did this, am I right? What did you do?" Luna asked while glaring at her.

"Guys, what's this fussed about?" Henrick asked with a smile, but as soon as she saw Kiela lying down while bleeding, his face changed before looking towards Georgina. "What did you do?"

"T-this... I..."

"What did you f*cking do? Are you trying to kill her? You, piece of sh*t. Even if you're mad at Kiela, you don't have the right to hurt her."

"I-it's..." Georgina steps back—shrugging while her hand trembles. "I... I didn't do it."

"Who else will do it? You're f*cking crazy."

"Guys, the ambulance is here."

As the medics came to take first aid, Henrick couldn't stop glaring at Georgina with disappointment and anger before following them outside and leaving her alone in distress.