Sara sat in the school library during break, surrounded by notes and a half-open textbook. She wasn't actually reading — her mind kept pulling her elsewhere.
Images of her mother flickered in and out of memory: laughter in the garden, warm hands braiding her hair, the soft lullaby she never forgot. Then the memories darkened — the funeral, the silence, Laura's arrival.
She didn't realize someone was watching her until a shadow fell across the table.
Ryo placed a bottle of water down beside her. "You spaced out."
Sara blinked. "I'm fine."
"You're thinking too loudly to be fine," he said plainly, taking the seat across from her.
Sara stared at him. "Do you always just appear out of nowhere?"
"Only when necessary," he replied. Then, after a pause: "You don't have to bury your past to survive your present."
She looked at him, surprised by the depth in his voice. "That's easier for some people than others."
Ryo leaned back in his chair. "I didn't say it was easy. I said it was possible."
Before she could answer, Lina appeared with a stack of books. "Am I interrupting something deep and philosophical?"
Ryo stood. "I'll be outside."
As he walked off, Lina stared after him, then dropped into his seat. "Why does he talk like a monk who's seen all the heartbreak in the world?"
Sara almost smiled. "Maybe he has."
Lina nudged her shoulder. "You good?"
"I'm getting there," Sara said quietly.
---
Across the campus courtyard, Daniel and Leo stood near the railing overlooking the garden.
"So Laura's trying to file something through her lawyer?" Leo asked.
"Yes," Daniel replied. "Property clauses. Household authority. Maybe guardianship revisions."
Leo let out a low whistle. "She's really trying to erase Sara legally."
"She won't succeed," Daniel said calmly.
"And if she tries something extreme?"
"We cut it off before it starts."
Leo grinned. "I love when you talk like that."
Ryan approached them then. "Grace and Emily are meeting Laura after school. Private driver is picking them up."
Daniel's jaw tensed. "Let them go. We need to know exactly what Laura is planning before we strike."
Ryan nodded. "And Sara?"
"She knows they're moving," Daniel said. "She just doesn't know how far they're willing to go."
---
Meanwhile, in the stairwell near the east wing, Hannah met Lina and Sara.
"I overheard something," Hannah whispered. "Emily mentioned documents and signatures. Something about 'proof' and 'removal.'"
Sara's brows knitted. "Removal of what?"
Hannah hesitated. "I don't know… but she said Laura promised it would be 'done quietly' before Sara could object."
Lina's anger flared. "That witch is out of her mind."
Sara took a breath. "No… she's confident. Which means she thinks she has leverage."
Hannah looked unsure. "What if she already has something?"
"Then we take it back before she uses it," Sara said, calmer than she felt.
Her voice was no longer afraid. It was controlled — and that made Lina and Hannah exchange a look of quiet pride.
---
That afternoon, as students left for the day, Sara walked toward the gates with Lina and Hannah beside her.
Just ahead, Emily and Grace stepped into a sleek black car.
Emily glanced back through the window — their eyes locking for a brief second.
There was no smirk. No taunt.
Just a silent promise of collision.
Daniel watched from the side, arms crossed.
"Stay close," he said to Sara.
She didn't argue.
Because she already could sense it — something was coming.
And this time, she intended to meet it head-on.