The winter break was over, and Amanah was feeling amazing. She smiled happily as she reminisced about the beating she and her father had given her sister. The sight of Serenah's blood flowing freely like a river had been intoxicating. She couldn't wait to have the chance to do it again. Her sister's pained cries were sweet music to her ears.
She had not had much fun of that sort since they had arrived in this new world. Amanah was a sadist and proud of it. Other people's misery gave her a high like no other. It was similar to the one she got on the battlefield when she struck down her enemies.
Checking her appearance one last time, she snagged her backpack and went to her car. With only one semester to go, her senior year would soon come to an end. At the end of this school year was her sought-after prize. Romeo would be hers, and Serenah would be married off to Duke Noward. The Grand Duke planned to lock her twin away in his castle on his lands.
She laughed at the thought. Her twin believed life was miserable now. Wait until she was married. A gleeful snort of amusement escaped Amanah's lips. She turned on her favorite song and sang along. Soon she arrived at school, parked, and strutted inside. Her usual minions rushed to her side, peppering her with stories about their break.
Amanah didn't give a damn. She plastered a fake smile on her face and pretended to listen attentively to each person's story. She caught a glimpse of Romeo with Serenah and frowned. Quickly, she smoothed out her expression when Romeo happened to glance her way. She ignored his scowl. He would soon be smiling at her. She was going to tame him.
Let him resist. She enjoyed the process of breaking a man. They always felt they were superior and stronger. Those types of men were the most fun to toy with. Leaving them shattered at the end of her pursuit, once she finished with them, was the ultimate win for her. She had plans to make Romeo her Royal Consort after graduation. Once he was collared and brought to heel, she planned to depose her father. It was her time to rule; old relics needed to get the hell out of her way.
All too soon, class started, and Amanah was forced to go through the motions of giving a damn about the humans' educational system. Why they felt commoners should be as knowledgeable as those in power, she'd never understand. Still, she had to work with what she was given, and she was nothing if not adaptable.
The day dragged on until the final bell rang. Amanah joined the crowd of students spilling out into the parking lot. She gave a perfunctory wave bye to her flunkies before sliding into her car. She checked the time and sped toward the law firm. She needed to be on time to make a good impression on Mr. Lancaster, Romeo's father. So far, her twin occupied her spot in Mr. Lancaster's affections.
She had to topple Serenah from that spot sooner, rather than later. Seeing her twin filled her with disgust. Why couldn't Serenah just die already? Amanah didn't understand why her father didn't kill her twin. She tried asking him once, but he swiftly changed the topic. She didn't ask again. She figured one day the truth would be revealed.
At the dinner in two weeks, she had to seize the upcoming opportunity to shake Serenah's spot in Romeo's affections. She plotted how best to get Romeo's attention. She did admit that the way she handled him last school year was poorly thought out. In her defense, they were still new to this realm at the start of her pursuit of the handsome human.
Until Romeo, Amanah had never failed to capture what she pursued. Initially, angered by his rejection, she'd planned to kill him. Later, she changed her mind, forgetting about him to work on consolidating her power base at school. Her interest further waned when he became friends with Liz, Penelope, and the rest of that crew.
Her renewed interest happened because of Serenah. Amanah made it a point since childhood to steal anything and everything that her twin desired. The only exceptions were Lael and Alastar. She had no use for those two fiercely loyal servants. She didn't want to waste time taming them. It was easier to ignore them, and, where possible, run interference when they tried to help Serenah.
Their mistress was weak, powerless, and pathetic. Being forced to serve Serenah was more damaging to the pair than anything Amanah could throw their way except for death. She shook her head, turning her thoughts to the present.
She growled in annoyance upon spotting Alastar's car. Dammit! Serenah beat her to the law firm. She slid a glance at the time. She was still early, but not enough to snag Mr. Lancaster's and Romeo's attention. Irritated, she got out of her car and went inside.
Amanah caught a glimpse of Serenah running into Romeo's arms. Her anger rose. She had to get her future consort away from her twin. Romeo deserved the best, not some second-rate, useless princess, only good as a breeder and nothing else.
She forced her expression to relax to one of indifference before going to the conference room. She almost lost control of her face during Mr. Lancaster's welcome back speech because of Romeo and Serenah's closeness. She scowled at the pair, making sure to glare intensely at her sister until Serenah glanced away from her.
She did note that Alastar appeared to be upset with Serenah. What was that all about? Was there a way to exploit the gap in Alastar's usual ironclad behavior toward her sibling? That was something to keep in mind. She returned her focus to Mr. Lancaster as he outlined what he expected from them before dismissing them to go to work.
Amanah frowned at Mr. Lancaster as he stopped her sister and said something to her that she couldn't hear. She watched the pair, along with Romeo, head in a different direction. Where were they going? She might be able to use this to force them to let her work in the same conference room with Romeo and Serenah. Happy at the thought, she plotted what to do on her way to her assigned department.