Emily slammed the door to her bedroom so hard the framed photographs rattled on the wall. Her entourage had scattered hours ago, unable to withstand the storm brewing in her eyes. Alone, she tore off her designer jacket, flinging it across the room.
Sara. That pathetic, trembling little girl. How dare she humiliate me in front of everyone?
Emily's reflection glared back from the vanity mirror, her usually flawless composure cracked. She pressed her palms against the surface, breathing heavily.
"They think she's brave," she whispered bitterly. "They think she's strong. But I'll remind them who really controls this place."
Her phone buzzed on the desk. One glance at the caller ID sent a chill down her spine. Grace.
Emily composed herself quickly, smoothing her hair, forcing her voice steady as she answered. "Grace."
"Emily," Grace's voice was low, smooth, and dangerous. "I heard about your little performance at school today. Care to explain why Sara is walking away with applause while you sulked off like a child?"
Emily flinched. "It wasn't my fault. Hannah betrayed me. She told Lina everything. And Sara—she used it to turn the school against me."
Silence. Then, a cold laugh. "So, a single weakling ruined your carefully crafted image? You disappoint me, Emily. I thought you were sharper than that."
Emily's nails dug into her palm. "It won't happen again. I'll crush her. I'll crush all of them."
"Not with empty promises," Grace snapped. "Listen carefully. Your tantrums make you sloppy. If you want Sara destroyed, you must be precise. Ruthless. Do not fight her in the open. Break her quietly. Make her father doubt her. Make her friends doubt her. Strip her of everything until she begs for mercy."
Emily swallowed hard. "And if her father refuses?"
Grace's voice softened, but the sweetness was laced with poison. "Leave him to me. Men are simple creatures. A whisper here, a caress there… he already trusts me more than his own daughter."
Emily clenched her jaw. She hated the way Grace spoke, as though Sara's father were a pawn on her chessboard. But she couldn't deny Grace's influence.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Emily asked, her tone tighter now, controlled.
Grace's answer came swiftly. "Isolate Hannah. She's your biggest liability. Make her so afraid she crawls back to you. Or silence her completely. If Sara tries to protect her again, she'll expose her own weakness. Exploit that."
Emily's lips curved into a cold smile. "I can do that."
"Good." Grace's tone lightened, but the edge remained. "And Emily… don't forget who put you where you are. Fail me again, and I'll find someone else to do what you couldn't."
The line went dead.
Emily dropped the phone onto her bed, her chest rising and falling. Her humiliation burned hotter now, tempered with something sharper: determination.
She would not lose again.
The next day at school, Emily arrived with her mask firmly back in place. Makeup flawless, uniform crisp, smile radiant. She laughed easily, joked lightly, and pretended yesterday had never happened.
But when her eyes landed on Sara walking beside Daniel and Lina, her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag until her knuckles turned white.
Across the courtyard, Hannah sat alone beneath a tree, clutching her books. Sara noticed her immediately and started toward her, but Daniel caught her arm.
"Careful," he warned softly. "Emily's watching. She'll use Hannah against you."
Sara hesitated, her gaze flickering between Hannah's trembling figure and Emily's sharp smile.
"Then let her," Sara said finally, pulling her arm free. "I won't abandon her."
Daniel exhaled, half frustrated, half admiring. "You really don't make things easy, do you?"
Sara's lips curved faintly. "Not when it comes to the people I care about."
Unseen by them, Emily's smile deepened. The cracks in her mask were gone — hidden behind a flawless facade. But beneath it, her mind sharpened with new schemes.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.