“Ray! Raya! Oh, God...” Radit pinched the bridge of his nose and wearily stared at Raya, who was cursing out her family while hugging a bottle of alcohol. The only reason they had been able to get into the nightclub despite being underage was their families’ connections.
“Just die already! You annoying cockroaches!” Raya grumbled, nearly biting the table if Radit hadn’t pulled the girl’s head away.
“Raya, stop!” Radit’s eyes went wide when he saw Sky nearly being carried off by an old man. “Oh, God, Siti!”
Frustrated, Radit yanked Sky away from the lecher. Naturally, the man didn’t take kindly to having his prey stolen. An argument broke out, keeping him from noticing that Raya had now walked out of the club, curses still pouring from her lips.
“My keys—damn it... They’re nowhere.” She felt around the pockets of her shorts, which were barely worthy of being called pants, but her keys weren’t there.
With almost no awareness left, Raya staggered along without caring about the street or the vehicles speeding down the road.
The next second, a deafening crash rang out.
The driver who had just hit Raya shouted a curse. “Bastard! Stupid drunk!”
Raya’s condition was truly terrible. Her body lay at the side of the road, her head having struck the curb. Blood poured heavily from the wound. As darkness nearly claimed her, Raya saw Radit rushing toward her in a panic, with the still-drunk Sky beside him.
“So... I got into an accident because I was drunk?” Maya couldn’t hide her shocked expression. What kind of life had Raya been living? Besides her messed-up family, Raya’s life clearly couldn’t be called fine.
Sky nodded, her lips forming a pout. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. If you hadn’t woken up that day, I might have chosen to die the same way.”
The ease with which Sky said something so horrifying sent a shiver through Maya. “Don’t say things like that, Sky...”
“But that was your idea, Ray. We promised to die together. Ah, I forgot you don’t remember. Well... at least not for now. You’ll remember later. Right, Raya?” A crooked grin spread across Sky’s lips, making Maya instinctively look away.
“I’m kidding! Oh, my God, look at that terrified face. My Raya is so adorable!” Sky pulled Maya into her arms.
That evening, after dinner, Garry called Lexa to his study. The short-haired girl sat across from her father. Her expression was blank, her eyes as cold as ice.
A single glance was enough for anyone to know that Garry and Lexa shared the same blood.
“What made your attitude toward Raya change, along with Axel’s?” Garry asked without beating around the bush.
“Why do you care, Dad?” Lexa asked in return. Father and daughter stared at each other. There was no warmth between them, as if that feeling had never existed in the Adiwangsa family.
“Just answer me, Lexa.” Garry took off his reading glasses and set them on top of the documents.
“Raya is dead.”
That brief answer did nothing to satisfy Garry’s curiosity. If anything, it only made him more curious.
“What do you mean, Raya is dead? That girl even had dinner with us,” Garry objected, his brow furrowing.
Lexa let out a quiet chuckle. Her smirk made Garry feel as though he were looking at himself whenever he became obsessed with something.
“She isn’t Raya. She’s Maya.” Lexa folded her arms across her chest. “Do you believe in soul transfer?”
“Don’t joke around, Lexa. Nothing like that has ever existed. The doctor already has a scientific diagnosis.” Garry looked at his daughter wearily. What was this supposed to mean? Was this some teenage joke?
“But the thing you think is impossible really did happen,” Lexa quickly countered.
“Prove it.”
The command made Lexa’s jaw tighten. “Of course, Dad.”
Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Maya was walking toward the kitchen to refill her water pitcher. Thanks to Lexa, Maya could now move freely around the house.
She no longer had to be bored in her room. Still, leaving the house was forbidden.
“Who knows what kind of drama that bastard brat is pulling now. She thinks acting sweet like that will make the Adiwangsa family love her. But in reality, Miss Lexa and Young Master Axel are only playing with her.” A servant grumbled as she cleaned the stove.
Another servant nodded in agreement. “Just wait and see. Before long, that girl will definitely be thrown out onto the streets—the same place where the Grand Master picked up her mother.”
Maya stopped in her tracks. Her chest felt tight just hearing the servants gossip about Raya. If Maya felt this hurt, then what about Raya? Just how strong was that girl, really?
Crash!
Someone suddenly appeared and swept all the plates off the table with his bare hand. The servants gasped in shock. Their eyes widened when they saw the fury on the face of the Adiwangsa family’s second young master.
“Damn it, who do you think you are, talking about the Adiwangsa family behind our backs?! You’re nothing but lowly servants!” Axel kicked the table hard, injuring several servants in the process.
“S-sorry, Young Master, we didn’t mea—”
“What were you about to say, huh?! That you didn’t mean to bite the hand that feeds you?!” Axel shouted, slapping the servant who had tried to make excuses.
Axel shook his hand in the air in disgust. His eyes glittered with fury as he glared at each servant present. Some were crying in fear, while others were too terrified even to open their eyes.
“Today is your last day working here. Pack your things now before I order the guards to throw you into the street.” Those were Axel’s final words before he walked out of the kitchen.
He glanced at Maya, who was leaning against the wall with a stunned look on her face, then grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her away. Maya swallowed with difficulty and could only obey as Axel led her off.
“Next time someone says something bad to you, report it to me immediately,” Axel said heatedly.
“Those words weren’t meant for me. They were meant for Raya...” Maya lowered her gaze. If she had been the real Raya, would Axel still have defended her? Or would he instead... join the servants in mocking Raya?
Because Maya knew that Axel hated Raya deeply.
“Even so! That lowly servant said we were only playing with you, when that isn’t true at all! And we won’t let Dad throw you into the street, either.” Axel stopped walking, then turned around and lowered his head to look at Maya.
“Why?” Maya asked softly. Her hands, still red from Axel’s overly tight grip that morning, clenched into fists.
“Because you’re the little sister we wanted.” Axel’s short answer made Maya feel sick.
“Raya is your real little sis—”
“No! That bastard brat isn’t my sister. She’s not our sister or part of the Adiwangsa family. So stop bringing up that damn girl’s name and be the sweet little sister we’ve always wanted. Understand, Maya?”