Chapter 28 A Stand–In
19 min left..
Kenneth instinctively stepped in front of Marianne, shielding her as if the two women before them were some sort of looming threat.
Still seething, Victoria fixed her burning gaze on the pair. “Kenneth, is this seriously how you’re going to act right now?”
“And who even are you?” Marianne shot back, her voice cold. “What gives you the right to show up and start screaming like a lunatic?”
“This has nothing to do with you!” Victoria snapped, her fury spilling over.
Marianne let out a dry laugh, clearly done with the theatrics. She gave Kenneth’s hand a tug. “Come on. Let’s just go.”
The last thing she wanted was for him to get worked up.
“Yeah,” Kenneth murmured, already half–turned to leave.
But Victoria, seeing herself brushed aside like she didn’t exist, completely lost it. Any trace of reason she might have clung to was gone in an instant.
Her eyes reddened and she lunged at them, looking like she might actually try to tear them apart.
1/8
Marianna didn’t
13:29
Chapter 28 A Stand–in
Worried Kenneth might get caught up in the chaos, she stepped forward and grabbed Victoria in one swift, fluid motion, twisting her arm behind her back in a clean, practiced hold.
“Let go of me!” Victoria cried, pain flashing across her face as she struggled wildly.
But her flailing was utterly useless against Marianne’s strength.
No matter how she fought, she couldn’t break free. The only result was that she remained trapped in an increasingly humiliating position.
She screamed, her voice shrill, her eyes fixed on Kenneth with bitter accusation, “You’re just going to stand there and watch her treat me like this? Kenneth, do you even have a heart?!”
Kenneth let out a breath, clearly fed up. “Unbelievable,” he
muttered. “Weren’t you the one who came at me first?”
“She’s just upset,” Eleanor said, finally stepping forward, unable to stay silent any longer.
She moved to Marianne’s side, her expression full of disapproval. “You didn’t have to go that far, did you?”
Marianne looked at her for a long moment, speechless, less from guilt than from sheer disbelief. For the first time, she realized just how shameless some people could be.
2/8
oria
As Victoria began to twist and strain in preparation to lash out
13:29
Chapter 28 A Stand In
Thrown off balance, Victoria staggered backward and landed hard on the ground with a loud, graceless thud.
She looked utterly wrecked.
“Victoria!” Eleanor gasped, dropping to her knees to help her up. “Are you okay?”
Every inch of her body ached. Victoria glared up at Marianne with undisguised hatred, as if she were staring down a mortal enemy. “You’re insane! I swear I’ll…..”
S
“Enough!” Kenneth’s voice cracked like thunder through the air. “Have you two lost your minds?!”
His roar stopped all chatter cold. The murmuring from the audience fell away in an instant.
They were still standing on the steps leading to the stage, clearly visible to everyone gathered below. A sea of eyes was now trained
on them.
Kenneth’s chest heaved as he tried to rein in his fury, but the strain.
in his voice was impossible to hide.
“Do you even realize what you’re doing right now?
“This is a school’s opening ceremony, not some stage for you to throw your tantrums!”
3/8
13:29
Chapter 28 A Stand–In
19 min left
Every word was spat through gritted teeth, heavy with anger and disappointment.
Marianne, deeply worried he was pushing himself too hard, reached out gently to steady him, rubbing his back in slow, soothing circles to help him calm down.
Only then did Eleanor and Victoria seem to realize how many people were watching. The embarrassment caught up with them
all at once. This wasn’t just some private confrontation anymore.
They had stormed in to confront Kenneth, but in the end, it was themselves who had turned into a spectacle.
Finally grasping just how far they’d gone, Victoria backed off, head bowed low. She clung to Eleanor’s arm, silently trailing after
Kenneth like a guilty shadow.
Kenneth knew these two all too well. Unless he laid everything
bare, he’d never truly be rid of them.
Kenneth led the group toward the small auditorium.
He had meant to find somewhere quiet, somewhere they could
talk without interruption.
But it was already too late for that. Too many eyes had been drawn to the earlier commotion, and more than a few people
had begun following behind, keeping their distance while eavesdropping with thinly veiled curiosity.
13:29
Chapter 28 A Stand–In
19 min left
The tension building in his temples finally pushed him to speak. Pressing his fingers to his forehead, he asked, exasperated, “What exactly are you trying to do?”
“If we hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have seen who you really are,” Victoria shot back, her words sharp with resentment that had clearly been simmering for some time.
Kenneth looked at her twisted expression, his patience rapidly fraying. “If that’s all you came to say, then there’s really nothing worth discussing.”
“You owe us an explanation,” Eleanor cut in before Victoria could lash out again.
She faced Kenneth directly. “You disappeared without a word, and now you’re slandering Lucas? You don’t think you owe anyone an apology for that?”
“This is unbelievable,” Marianne said, unable to hold back. “Your
friend walks away without a word, and instead of asking why, you come storming in like he betrayed you.
“Anyone who didn’t know better would think he committed some
terrible crime.
“Since when does he need your permission to leave the country?”
The jab landed. Eleanor and Victoria both stiffened, their faces clouding over.
13:29
Chapter 28 A Stand–In
19 min left
They hadn’t liked Marianne from the moment they saw her, and what made it worse was the way Kenneth so openly, even
unconsciously, looked out for her. It only fueled their hostility.
“This is between us,” Eleanor said coldly, turning to Marianne. “Would you mind not inserting yourself?”
“Watch your tone,” Kenneth said, his voice steely. “She’s my girlfriend. Of course she’s involved.”
That one sentence seemed to catch even Marianne off guard, but
she recovered quickly.
“I’m just standing up for my boyfriend,” she said firmly, meeting Eleanor’s stare without flinching. “I’m not gonna sit here and let anyone come at him like that.”
For once, Eleanor and Victoria found themselves on the losing end of an argument in front of Kenneth, and it clearly didn’t sit
well.
Kenneth, however, was done entertaining them. “Whether I leave the country or not is my decision. It’s not something you get a say
- in.
“As for Lucas, believe whatever story he’s spinning this time. I’m
done explaining.”
He could easily imagine the kind of narrative Lucas was spreading
now, something outrageous, no doubt, designed to paint himself 6/8
as the victim.
13:29
19 min left
Chapter 28 A Stand–In
smooth things over.
But now, he was done caring.
His indifference stung. Eleanor and Victoria were both visibly
rattled.
And just like that, Victoria’s frustration found a new target. In her mind, everything that had changed about Kenneth, his coldness and distance, was because of Marianne.
She turned toward her with a sneer, eyes full of undisguised contempt. “Head to toe in cheap knockoffs. Let me guess. You’re only with him for the money?”
“Victoria!” Kenneth barked, fury flaring.
He never thought she would stoop that low. In that moment, something shifted. He began to question whether he had ever really known either of them at all.
The faces in front of him were familiar, but the people behind them
had become complete strangers.
“Oh? Struck a nerve?” Victoria smirked, sweeping her gaze over
Marianne. “You’re not even in the same league. What, you his
caregiver or something?”
Marianne hadn’t expected her to guess that much.
7/8
13:29
But she didn’t back down. Chin lifted, eyes steady, she met the
Chapter 28 A Stand–In
personal attacks, then I guess I’ve already won.”
19
19 min left
Victoria faltered, her smug expression cracking. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms.
“We haven’t formally introduced ourselves, have we?” Eleanor stepped in again, her voice smooth, her smile paper–thin. “Before you showed up, we were the ones looking after Kenneth. Not because we were paid to, but because we were his friends.”
“She’s just a stand–in he paid,” Victoria added, the smugness returning to her voice.
Seeing Kenneth’s darkening expression only fueled her sense of triumph. “You really think someone like her can get under our skin? Please. What a joke.”
