1 Hana, Her Past Life (1)

"THANK YOU, Mrs. Santos, for letting me sleep over!"

Daisy's mom, as I call her Mrs. Santos, gave me a warm smile and gently patted my shoulder. She always has a warm atmosphere around her, always making me feel accepted and fuzzy inside.

"No problem, Mija. You are always welcomed here." She spoke softly, her tan hand on my shoulder as she did.

Daisy's father, Mr. Santos, smiled at me and patted my head gently as Mrs. Santos did.

"We are happy that you have been with Daisy ever since. This is the least we could do for you."

I smiled back, "Daisy is like a sister to me."

I, Hana, am a 16-year-old girl who became independent recently when the orphanage I used to live in let me go because of my age.

My mother died in a car accident when I was 11 and my father left before I was even born. I have no close relatives to take me in nor do my mom have any friends as she was always closed off from other people.

I don't even know how I survived but now, I am doing fine. I have a part-time job, a scholarship at my school so I don't have to worry about school fees, and thanks to my best friend, I have a house to live in and a bed to sleep in.

Without her, I may be struggling to live on my own.

'Daisy.'

I have met Daisy when she was new to school when we were in middle school. She is originally from the south and she was timid that nobody wants to talk to the new kid.

The other kids didn't take it lightly since we all have known each other ever since we were in kindergarten, but I know what it's like to excluded and they made Daisy feel that way.

So, I cut them off and focused on her.

Of course, she thought this is for the best, not just for me but for our friendship, as we saw their true color.

After that, we stuck to each other, vowing to be in each other's care and the rest is history.

Along the way, Daisy introduced me to her parents and at first, they have their doubts but I showed them that they can trust me.

After all, I am like an open book.

Besides, what else could I hide? They basically know my whole life story!

"And to us, you are like our other daughter."

'That… It is so nice.'

We heard footsteps coming down as we turn our heads towards the stairs and saw Daisy in her school uniform, which is the same as mine.

"Mom, Dad, don't stall us too long! We will be late!"

Mrs. Santos laughed at her daughter's words.

"My, my, Mija. We are not taking Hana away from you."

I laughed at that comment, thinking how Mrs. Santos loves to tease her daughter, as Daisy rolled her eyes but the blush on her cheeks says what her true feeling are.

Like me, Daisy is easy to read.

"I didn't say that."

Mrs. Santos just smiled at her daughter, waving her hand in dismissal.

"Whatever you say, Mija."

I grabbed my bag near the door as Daisy did too. Mrs. Santos stands near us and kissed both our cheeks lovingly.

Mr. Santos received a kiss from Daisy and I nodded at him coolly, to which he responded in the same manner.

"See you later, Mr. and Mrs. Santos!"

"Bye Mom and Dad!"

Mrs. Santos followed us to the door and wave goodbye to us as both Daisy.

"Take care!"

We gave one last wave to her and walked off to the nearest train station since the school we attend is 15 miles away from her home. It is not a hassle for us and I have my own money as I do part-time jobs for a nearby convenience store.

'I got the job all thanks to Mr. Santos.'

"Have you checked the new chapter of Lovers in Bloom?" Daisy suddenly asked, scrolling through her phone.

This novel that she mentioned is no less from a cliché, well, in some parts of its romance aspect but it has a very interactive plot and lots of fun hidden clues within.

The novel was about an orphan commoner girl who was adopted by a Baron after saving him from falling off a cliff and as payment, he took the girl in and adopted her.

He raises her as his child and soon, the commoner girl turned into a lady. As per the story, she enters high society at the age of 16 where she met the future Duke and Crown Prince who all fell for her innocent and calm aura.

Of course, the story will not be complete without a Villainess who has a really sad backstory, depicting her as the victim of her past.

Sometimes, I think the authors make the villainess stories so sad that you have to both root for her and hate her.

I kept my attention on the road and turned to her, shaking my head.

"Nah, I was too busy doing my assignment last night that I forgot."

Besides, I got a shift by 7 pm so I forgot to read the latest chapter.

She turned to me with a huge grin on her face as her eyebrows went up and down.

"Do you want me to tell you?"

'Here she goes again.'

She likes to spoil, A LOT, from the novels but it is not annoying in any sort of way.

More like, she readies my heart for what's to come.

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Duh."

She excitedly turned towards me and linked her arms on mine, walking side by side on the sidewalk.

"So, the chapter continues after Kalisto found out that his shadow knight had let Aurora get kidnapped, right?"

I nodded, urging her to continue.

"She gets rescued by Kalisto but not long after, Hunter enters the scene and told Aurora that Kalisto knew she will be kidnapped, turning the story around Kalisto and making Aurora hate him."

I gasped, "The audacity!"

She nodded in agreement, "Even if he was the reason why she got kidnapped, he tried to blame it on Kalisto. Unfortunately for our duke, Aurora believed Hunter!"

"How stupid!"

"It gets worse!"

We stopped for a moment, getting immersed in the story and by how Daisy is telling me how it goes, it will literally get worse.

"Are you ready?" She asks, her eyes glinting.

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Aurora picked Hunter and goes with him!"

I put both of my hands in front of my mouth and gasped loudly, both eyes widening as my heart raced.

'It can't be!'

Daisy nodded once again, "And that is where the chapter ends."

'WHAT THE F@CK?!'

I pouted at her, leaving me in a cliffhanger, as she laughed at my reactions getting immersed in the story and being affected by the character's choices.

The novel is stimulating every emotion that I have in my body.

"Don't just end it like that, it makes my blood boil!"

She giggled, "Well, that is how the chapter ends."

"Psh, then tomorrow will be the last chapter?"

Daisy looked down on her phone and saw her scrolling down, finally stopping and nodding at me once again.

"Yes, the author confirmed it and many people are tuning in for her update."

"Ugh, please tell me Aurora won't end up with the evil prince."

Daisy giggled again at my comment as she pointed out one conversation in that forum.

"The author said that the story will end in a twist." She read.

I put a finger on my chin and tilted my head at her, "A twist?"

She nodded happily, "Maybe she WILL end up with the duke!"

"I pray on that for dear life!"

Although the story is a bit cliché, like I said earlier, I was pulled in by how the characters are depicted and how the turn of events makes me want to piece them all and come up with theories.

The author has a fun way of hiding subtle hints in the story but as fans, we can only come up with theories.

None of it was affirmed by the author too, although she posted an announcement in which she mentioned how thrilled she was with our theories.

"But what if it doesn't just end here?" Daisy asked, her voice is laced with curiosity.

"What if, she really ends up with the Crown Prince instead of the Duke?"

We looked at each other after I said that and shuddered at the same time.

The crown prince that we are talking about is no other than Hunter Evalios Alynthi.

He is evil as fuck, manipulative and only sees people as toys for his entertainment. Of course, he has a sad backstory too but that just doesn't justify his personality and how he treats the heroine up to the latest chapter.

'So, Daisy and I hate him. No ifs and buts!'

"Oh please, no! Anything but THAT!"

Daisy giggled at this and patted my back, "We'll see it tomorrow."

'Yeah, tomorrow.'

I feel excited just by thinking about it. I can finally know if she will end up with the evil prince who wants her, only her, or the duke who is selfless and admirable.

Who will she pick?