C10 The storm between friends

Regina jolted awake, heart pounding. The blaring sound from the living room television cut through the night like a siren. She frowned, confused, rubbing her eyes as she turned toward the bedside clock. 11:07 p.m. The house should’ve been silent by now.

Cecilia never liked television this much…especially not at such volume. The shrill, chaotic noise grated Regina’s nerves. She sighed, pulling the blanket closer. “Maybe she just couldn’t sleep,” she murmured to herself. “Poor child’s been stressed lately.”

Regina decided to ignore it, sinking back into her pillow, but her uneasy heart refused to rest. Somewhere deep within her, a sense of dread crept in…an unshakable feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Outside the house, that feeling was coming to life.

A different kind of storm was raging.

Vivian had Cecilia by the hair, dragging her across the compound with unrestrained fury. The gravel scraped Cecilia’s knees, and her cries pierced the quiet night.

“Vivian, stop! You’re hurting me!” Cecilia’s voice trembled with both fear and disbelief. “Please, let me go!”

But Vivian didn’t stop. Her rage only grew louder. Each slap echoed through the compound, sharp and merciless.

“You think you can meddle in my life and get away with it?” Vivian shouted, her eyes wild. “I’m going to kill you tonight, Cecilia! Maybe when you die and come back, you’ll finally learn to mind your own damn business!”

Cecilia’s heart pounded. She flailed helplessly, trying to escape, but Vivian’s grip was iron-tight.

The commotion reached Regina’s ears.

She sat up abruptly. That was no TV. That was screaming.

Throwing the blanket aside, she jumped from bed and dashed toward the living room, her pulse racing. The noise grew clearer…the unmistakable sound of her daughters shouting.

“Dear Lord…” she whispered as she unlocked the front door and burst outside.

The sight before her froze her in place.

Her daughters…her beautiful girls…were locked in a violent struggle. Vivian stood over Cecilia like a wild beast, hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot, and breath ragged. Cecilia lay on the ground, cheeks red from slaps, her clothes stained with dirt and tears.

“Oh my God!” Regina gasped, rushing forward. “Vivian! What on earth is happening? Stop this madness right now!”

Vivian didn’t even look at her. She was beyond reason.

“Vivian, I said stop!” Regina screamed, reaching out to pull her away…but Vivian shoved her so hard that she stumbled backward and fell to the ground with a painful thud.

“Ahh!” Regina cried out, clutching her hip. The sound tore through Cecilia’s heart.

“Don’t you dare touch my mother!” she yelled, summoning every ounce of strength she had left. She stood, shaky but determined, and delivered a sharp slap across Vivian’s cheek.

The slap rang out like a gunshot in the night.

Vivian froze, stunned. Her hand instinctively went to her cheek. For a brief moment, silence blanketed the air. Even the crickets seemed to stop singing.

“Cecilia…” Regina whispered weakly, struggling to her feet. “No… please… you two shouldn’t be fighting. You’re sisters. This isn’t right.”

Vivian turned her head slowly, eyes burning with unholy fury. “Sisters?” she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. “Who told you that? Did you give birth to me?”

“Vivian!” Regina cried. “Don’t say that! You know I love you like my own.”

Vivian scoffed, her lips curling. “Oh, please spare me the drama. You should have told your precious daughter to stay out of my business before pretending to care about me.”

Cecilia stepped forward protectively, shielding Regina. “Don’t talk to my mom like that. You’ve crossed enough lines already.”

Vivian’s laughter was bitter, hollow. “Your Judas of a daughter betrayed me!” she shouted at Regina. “Do you even know what she did? I’ve lost everything…my house, my car, my family! Everything! And it’s all because of her!”

Cecilia blinked in disbelief. “You ruined yourself, Vivian. I tried to help you, but you chose that man over everyone who truly cared about you!”

“Don’t you dare say his name!” Vivian snapped. “You don’t know anything about love!”

Regina stepped closer, tears in her eyes. “Vivian, please listen. Cecilia meant well. That boy, Victor…he’s not good for you. He’s using you, can’t you see that? Don’t throw your life away for him.”

Vivian’s face twisted with rage and pain. “And you think you can advise me?” she sneered. “You? The same woman whose husband ran off with a sixteen-year-old girl? Maybe you should fix your life before trying to fix mine.”

Regina’s lips parted, speechless. The words cut through her like glass.

“Enough!” Cecilia shouted, fists clenched, tears brimming. “Say one more word about my mother and I swear…”

Vivian interrupted with a mocking smirk. “Do your worst, Cecilia. Isn’t that what you said earlier?”

Cecilia lunged, her patience snapping, but Regina caught her by the arm just in time.

“No more,” she said firmly, her voice trembling but resolute. “We’re done here.”

She dragged Cecilia toward the house. “Let her be. She’s chosen her path. Let fate handle her.”

Vivian stood there, panting, shaking, her chest heaving with hatred and heartbreak.

As Regina shut the gate behind them, the metallic clang echoed into the night.

“I’m not done with you, Cecilia!” Vivian screamed at the locked gate. “You’ll pay for this! I swear, you’ll regret ever crossing me!”

But no one answered.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Vivian’s hands trembled. Her hair clung to her face, wet with sweat and tears. She looked around…alone, broken, and with nowhere to go. Her car was gone, her accounts frozen, her phone filled with missed calls and little unpaid bills.

Victor…her supposed savior…wasn’t answering.

She tried calling him again. No response.

The humiliation of dragging her suitcase through the streets made her sick. The bloggers will eat me alive, she thought bitterly. Vivian Dary, the glamorous heiress, reduced to nothing.

She sighed, then opened her Bolt app.

The ride arrived twenty minutes later…a dented old sedan that smelled faintly of sweat and stale food. She forced herself to get in, holding her head high despite the driver’s curious glance.

The seatbelt scratched her arm. The air conditioner barely blew. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling like the car was suffocating her.

Her phone buzzed. She snatched it up instantly…only to see a text from an unknown number:

“ We see you” Oh God who could that be

Her stomach dropped. She wanted to scream, to throw the phone out the window, but all she did was stare at the glowing screen until the words blurred through her tears.

When the car finally stopped, the driver announced gruffly, “We’ve reached.”

Vivian opened the door, stepping out on shaky legs. Victor’s apartment loomed ahead. She could almost feel relief wash over her…finally, safety.

“Madam!” the driver called after her.

She turned, irritated. “What?”

“You forgot to pay your fare.”

Vivian blinked. “Excuse me? I’m Vivian Dary. Heiress of the Dary Empire. Do I look like someone who can’t pay?”

The driver’s patience was thinning. “Madam, I don’t care who you are. Just pay me my money.”

She crossed her arms. “My bank app is having issues. Give me your account number, I’ll send it later.”

The man’s eyes hardened. “Madam, don’t play with me. Give me my money now or I’ll call the police.”

Vivian let out a dry laugh. “A police? For me? You must be joking. This bracelet alone can buy your entire car.”

The driver looked at the bracelet, then back at her. Something in his expression changed…irritation turned to greed.

Before she realized what was happening, he shoved her to the ground and ripped the bracelet from her wrist.

“Hey!” she screamed. “Thief!”

But he was already in his car, speeding away into the night.

Vivian lay there in the dirt, her designer dress torn, hair a mess, mascara running down her cheeks.

Dusty. Broken. Humiliated.

She looked up at Victor’s building, her chest heaving. “At least he’ll take me in,” she whispered shakily. “He loves me.”

But upstairs, Victor was staring out the window.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

Bianca, the woman lying on his couch, sat up in alarm. “What is it?”

“It’s Vivian. She’s here.”

Bianca’s face went pale. “What do we do?”

“Lock the bedroom. Start cleaning up. I’ll put her in the guest room. Once she’s settled, sneak out quietly,” Victor said, already heading toward the door.

Downstairs, Vivian brushed the dust off her knees and adjusted her dress. She fixed her hair in the reflection of her phone screen and wiped her tears, forcing a shaky smile.

When Victor opened the door, she collapsed into his arms.

“Baby…” he said, his voice carefully calm. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“I know,” she said softly, hugging him tighter. “It was a last-minute decision. I tried calling, but you didn’t pick up. What were you doing?”

“Nothing much,” he lied smoothly. “My phone was upstairs. Where’s your car?”

Vivian looked away. “Please… I don’t want to talk about it. I just need to sit. I’m exhausted.”

Victor nodded, hiding the unease flickering in his eyes. “Sure. Come in.”

Vivian walked past him, limping slightly, her pride holding her upright.

The door shut behind her with a soft click.

She had no idea that just beyond that closed door, a pair of frightened eyes were watching from the bedroom.

The storm outside had quieted. but inside that apartment, another one was just beginning to brew.