Chapter 10: Sat For Drama

Lana’s POV

I knew something was going on between Alex and that girl, I didn’t care what anyone said, I didn’t care how normal they tried to make it look. There was something there. I saw it. I felt it. And after what happened in the lecture hall, the way he looked at her, the way everything shifted… my instincts wouldn’t let it go.

They kept screaming at me.

So I stayed.

I lingered near the school gate longer than I should have, pretending to scroll through my phone, pretending I had somewhere to be. But my attention never left the path leading out of the building.

I was waiting for her to step out of the school hall.

My curiosity had already crossed the line into something else, something that made it impossible to just walk away and forget it.

I leaned slightly against the flower bed near the gate, my fingers brushing against the petals absentmindedly, my eyes fixed ahead.

Then Sloane walked out sluggishly, her bag hung on her shoulder like she hadn’t just collapsed in front of everyone. Like she wasn’t the centre of every whispered conversation.

My jaw tightened.

She paused near the bus stop.

Waiting for the school bus to come pick her up because her parents couldn't afford a chauffeur.

I watched her for a few seconds, my nails digging lightly into the stem of the flower beneath my hand.

Thena black SUV pulled up.

My breath caught.

The glass slid down just enough.

“This car…” I muttered under my breath, my fingers tightening around the flower until the stem bent under the pressure. “It looks exactly like Alex’s.”

My heart started beating faster. I straightened slightly, my eyes narrowing as I watched.

She hesitated for half a second… then walked toward it, I watched her keenly as she opened the door, as she belonged there.

Like it was normal.

Like she had done it before.

And then she got in.

The door shut, and then the car drove off.

My lips parted, but no words came out. It felt like something had lodged itself in my throat, blocking my breath.

I just stood there.

Frozen.

My chest rose and fell too quickly, tension coiling tightly inside me, sharp and unbearable. My grip loosened from the flower, the crushed petals falling from my hand as the reality settled in.

She got into his car?

She got into Alex’s car? I can't even believe my eyes.

Tears blurred my vision before I could stop them.

I blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall.

Not here, please.

Suddenly, a hand touched my shoulder.

“Are you okay, Lana?”

The voice was soft. Careful.

I didn’t turn immediately. I couldn’t. I needed a second, just one second to pull myself together, to push the emotion back down where it belonged.

“Lana?”

She called again.

Stephanie.

Of course, it was her.

I swallowed hard, forcing the tightness in my chest to settle before I turned around, lifting my chin slightly, arranging my face into something controlled.

Something unaffected.

“What’s your problem, Stephanie?” I snapped, my tone sharper than necessary.

She blinked, clearly caught off guard. “I just— I saw you standing here and you looked—”

“Don’t you think you’re bugging me?” I cut in, my brows drawing together. “Or is that just your natural personality?”

Her expression faltered, but she didn’t back away. She never did.

“I was just trying to help,” she said, softer this time.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Help?” I repeated. “You think I need your help?”

“That’s not what I meant….”

“Then what did you mean?”

She hesitated.

That was enough.

I waved a hand dismissively. “Just stop, Stephanie. Stop making things difficult. Not today.”

Her lips parted slightly. “Difficult? I’m not…, aren't we friends anymore?”

“I have a lot to deal with right now,” I said, my voice dropping colder this time. “And you hovering around me like this? It’s not helping.”

Silence stretched between us.

For a moment, she just stood there, looking at me like she didn’t recognise who I was.

Good.

Maybe now she’d finally understand.

I turned away from her without another word and pulled out my phone, dialling my driver’s number quickly.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Get the car ready,” I said, my voice steady now, controlled. “I’m leaving.”

“Yes, miss.”

The call ended.

I didn’t look back at Stephanie. I didn’t need to. I could feel her standing there, still watching me, still trying to figure me out.

A few minutes later, the car pulled up right on time.

I stepped forward without hesitation, already reaching for the door and then I heard footsteps behind me.

“Lana, wait….”

I turned just as Stephanie tried to follow.

Something in me snapped.

“Don’t.”

The word came out sharp, final.

She didn’t stop, I don't know if she practices witchcraft because her stubbornness was getting too much, reached for the car door and before she could touch it, I shoved her hard.

She stumbled back with a small cry, losing her balance completely and falling to the ground.

Gasps rose immediately from the students nearby.

I didn’t care.

“Stay away from me,” I said, my voice cold enough to cut. “I don’t have time for your desperate attempts at friendship.”

Stephanie stared up at me, shock written all over her face, embarrassment creeping in as the attention shifted fully onto her.

I didn’t wait for her to respond.

I got into the car.

“Drive,” I said.

The door shut.

“Where to, miss?” my driver asked.

I leaned back slightly, my fingers tightening against my armrest.

There was only one place.

“Alex’s mansion.”

He hesitated for half a second.

Then nodded. “Yes, miss.”

The drive felt longer than it should have.

Every second stretched, my thoughts looping back to the same image over and over again.

My jaw clenched.

By the time we reached the area near his property, I was already leaning forward slightly, my eyes fixed ahead.

“Stop here,” I said.

The car slowed to a halt at a distance from the gates.

I stepped out quietly, glancing around before moving toward the edge of the property, keeping close to the trees.

My heart pounded as I pulled out my phone.

Perfect.

She was inside, and I lifted my phone, capturing different angles.

My breathing steadied with each shot, something dark and satisfying settling into place inside me.

Let her try to deny it.

Let her pretend she wasn’t here.

I had everything I needed.

After a few more shots, I lowered the phone, glancing around quickly to make sure no one had seen me.

Satisfied, I turned and walked back to the car.

“Let’s go.”

By the time I got home, the tension hadn’t left me.

I walked straight to my room without speaking to anyone, shutting the door behind me before dropping my bag onto the floor.

I moved to my bed and sat down, pulling out my phone again.

The pictures stared back at me.

Clear.

Undeniable.

A slow smile formed on my lips.

This was perfect.

I opened the class group chat, and my fingers hovered over the screen for a second.

Then I started typing.

“Guess some people don’t waste time, huh?”

I attached the first picture.

Then another.

And another.

The messages started coming in almost immediately.

“What is this?”

“Wait… is that—”

“Isn’t that Alex’s house???”

I smiled wider.

Then I typed again.

“Didn’t know Sloane was that kind of girl.” “A cheap whore” I tapped and sent and allowed the drama to unfold.

“Going to his house right after collapsing in class? That’s crazy.” I tapped send, this particular message was going to bring in paparazzi.

More messages flooded in.

I'm sat for it.