Chapter 106 Mariana

Chapter 106 Mariana
Elsie

I pushed my way through the crowd gathered in the hallway leading into the club, the thick smell of smoke clinging to the air and settling in my lungs. Music thumped loudly from behind the walls, but my mind was louder, my thoughts tumbling over one another in a way I couldn’t control. Would she be happy to see me? Had the years hardened her heart against me? Did she believe I betrayed her and walked away while she suffered? The questions came too fast, each one tightening the knot already sitting in my chest.

I scanned the area, my eyes searching for dressing area for the strippers. After a few seconds, I spotted a narrow door at the far end of the hall, a small sign boldly printed on it; STAFF ONLY. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t hesitate. I ignored the warning completely and pushed the door open.

The room fell quiet the moment I stepped inside.

Half-naked girls stood in front of mirrors lined with bright bulbs, pulling on skimpy costumes, adjusting their makeup, fixing their hair. Some were sitting, others standing, all of them turning to look at me with open curiosity and guarded suspicion. Their eyes moved slowly over my clothes, my hair, my face, clearly wondering what someone like me was doing in their space. I felt exposed under their stares, but I straightened my back and lifted my chin, refusing to let discomfort show.

“I’m looking for someone,” I said calmly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “Her name is Mariana.”

A few of them exchanged looks. One girl laughed softly, shaking her head as she reached for a lipstick on the table.

“There’s no one here by that name,” she said dismissively. “You’re probably in the wrong place.”

“I’m not,” I replied, my eyes scanning the room again. “I was told she works.”

Before I could say anything else, the door behind me opened again. The room shifted instantly, attention moving away from me as a woman walked in, confidence rolling off her like a second skin. She wore a glittering costume that hugged her body perfectly, her hair styled beautifully, her face flawless under heavy makeup. But I knew her the moment I saw her. I felt it in my bones. Even though she now looked different, I knew it was her the moment she walked in.

“Mariana,” I breathed.

She froze mid-step when she saw me. For a split second, something flickered across her face, shock, disbelief, maybe even pain, but it vanished just as quickly. I didn’t give her time to recover. I crossed the room in a few fast steps and wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her into me as tears filled my eyes.

“Oh my God, Mariana,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I thought you were dead. I thought you died. I’ve lived with that guilt for years. Thank God you’re alive.”

She didn’t hug me back.

Her body stayed stiff against mine, her arms hanging at her sides as if she didn’t even feel my touch. Then, without warning, she shoved me hard. I stumbled backward, barely catching my balance as pain flashed through my shoulder.

“Get your hands off me,” she snapped, her voice cold and sharp. “There’s no one called Mariana here.”

I stared at her, stunned. “What are you talking about? It’s me. Elsie.”

She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Elsie?” she repeated mockingly. “Isn’t that funny, coming from someone who now answers to Madeleine or MedLyn or whatever rich name you’re hiding behind these days?”

My heart dropped. “How do you—”

“You think I didn’t know?” she cut in, stepping closer, her eyes burning into mine. “You think I didn’t hear what happened to you? That you suddenly disappeared and came back wrapped in luxury, dripping in wealth, pretending to be someone important?”

The other girls had gone quiet, pretending not to listen while clearly hanging on to every word.

“You might be dressed in expensive clothes now,” Mariana continued, her voice rising, “covered in designer bags and smooth hair and polished shoes, but you will always be what you were. A maid. A nobody. A gutagyo who climbed her way up by stepping on others.”

Her words hit harder than the shove.

“You ruined lives,” she went on, her voice trembling with fury. “You destroyed people. You walked away while we paid the price. And now you show up here acting like you’re one of us again?”

“I didn’t betray you,” I said, my voice shaking. “I tried to come back. I tried to help. I—”

“Save it,” she snapped. “I don’t want your excuses. I don’t want your guilt. And I don’t want to see your face ever again.”

She turned toward the door, then stopped and looked back at me. “Mark my words,” she said slowly. “You will pay for what you did to me and the other girls. Every single one of us.”

Then she walked out.

I stood there, frozen, my chest tight, my ears ringing. The room felt smaller, suffocating. I turned and rushed out of the dressing room, pushing past bodies as I made my way back into the club. The noise swallowed me whole, but I barely heard it. My eyes searched blindly until I saw her again.

Mariana was on the main floor now, dancing around the pool, men surrounding her, spraying money, touching her, laughing loudly. Someone smacked her ass with a dollar bill, and she didn’t even flinch. Then she looked up and saw me.

Our eyes locked.

Her gaze was dangerous and  filled with something dark and unforgiving. It pinned me in place, stealing the air from my lungs. She held my stare for a long moment before turning away as if I didn’t exist.

I forced myself to move. Outside, the night air hit my face as I climbed into the car. “Drive,” I told my driver quietly.

As the city lights blurred past, my mind replayed everything over and over. Why did she hate me so much? Did the others feel the same way? Did they all believe I betrayed them?

I didn’t go home. Instead, I asked the driver to take me back to the office. It was late, the building mostly empty when I arrived. I stepped into the elevator and rode it up in silence.

Sarah Lancaster was waiting for me when I stepped out. “Your condo is ready,” she said gently. “I thought after everything, you might want your own space.”

I hesitated, then shook my head. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to stay at the mansion.”

She studied me for a moment before nodding. “If that’s what you want, then you’ll stay with your family.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t running anymore. I was ready to face them all and make them pay for every tear, every scar, every stolen piece of my life.

And this time, I wasn’t leaving.