Chapter 8 Masks beneath Masks

Amara finally lifted her gaze. Her amber eyes, cold and mocking, locked onto Gregory the moment the word "surprise" left his lips.

For just a second, the man faltered-stunned by the frigid, piercing look that didn't belong to a fragile girl, but to someone who could see right through him.

Amara's gaze shifted to Clarissa and Melissa. Their false concern, their mocking smiles-it was all written across their faces, as if they had already scripted the downfall they planned for her.

Her lips curved into a faint, ridiculing smile. "Alright, I'll go," she said casually. Then she paused, her voice cutting sharper than a blade. "But..."

Clarissa's smile froze, her nails digging into her palm beneath the table. This insolent brat! What does she want now?!

Amara leaned back in her chair, her amber eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "Until the dinner party celebration, I want you all to stay out of my life. Don't interfere with anything I do."

The words landed like a slap across Clarissa's face.

She forced a laugh, her lips trembling as she spoke through gritted teeth. "Amara, how can you say such a thing? We care so much about you. Besides, you don't need to make... requests just to attend our family's progress, do you?"

Melissa seized the chance, her eyes gleaming with malice. She smirked sweetly, her voice dripping with false affection. "Yes, sister. We even planned a surprise for you. You'll love it."

Kael's expression darkened with disgust. He sneered at her, his voice sharp. "You really don't know what's good for you."

Amara ignored their words entirely. Instead, she fixed her sharp gaze on Gregory, cutting straight through the noise. "Do you agree?"

The silence pressed heavily across the table.

Gregory closed his eyes, rubbing his temples in frustration. This niece of his-always so unyielding, so insolent. "Fine," he ground out coldly. "Do whatever you want. But don't bring shame to this family."

His tone was laced with contempt, as though she were a wayward woman whose actions could only taint their name.

Kael's lips curled into a smirk. As expected... She's only meant to be played with. Soon enough, I'll take my turn, he thought, his gaze lingering on her with a perverse hunger.

Amara felt it instantly. That revolting stare crawling along her skin. Her stomach turned, bile rising to her throat. She pushed back her chair and stood, her amber eyes icy.

"Good. Then it's settled. I'll come." Her lips curved into a slow, sinister smile, one they failed to notice as she turned away. "I'd like to see the surprise you've prepared... and perhaps I'll prepare one of my own."

Her voice lingered like a curse in the air as she walked upstairs, her figure regal and untouchable.

Melissa's expression twisted the moment Amara's back disappeared. Rage bubbled in her chest, but she quickly plastered on a coquettish smile. She leaned into Kael, brushing her hand against his arm, flaunting her stolen prize.

"Brother Kael," she said sweetly, loud enough for Clarissa to hear, "I'm so glad you chose me. Some people may look like angels, but inside... they're rotten, aren't they?" She giggled, her eyes flickering with glee as if she had won some great battle.

But Kael's gaze wasn't on Melissa. His eyes lingered on the stairs Amara had just ascended, his expression complicated-disgust warring with the faintest trace of regret.

Melissa caught it instantly. Her triumphant smile faltered. A wave of fury crashed over her.

Clown. She's making me look like a clown!

Meanwhile, Amara walked away without sparing them a single glance. To her, they were nothing more than jesters-dancing desperately in a circus of their own making.

After returning to her room, Amara took a long shower, letting the hot water wash away the residue of false smiles and poisonous words. Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep, her body sinking into the mattress as if the world outside no longer existed.

When she finally stirred, sunlight was already spilling harshly through her curtains. A glance at the clock told her it was half past twelve.

She didn't linger. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Amara made her way downstairs.

Halfway across the hall, she crossed paths with Cassandra. Her cousin was surrounded by a cluster of well-dressed girls, no doubt her schoolmates. Cassandra's eyes flickered over Amara silently, no words, no greetings. Just a quiet scrutiny.

Amara didn't spare her a second glance.

But the girls with Cassandra noticed. Their whispers drifted through the air like gnats.

"Who's that?" one murmured curiously.

"She's so pretty, but... why is she dressed so simply?" another added.

"Is she a servant?" a third girl asked with a laugh.

Amara's lips twitched faintly as she walked past, her expression betraying neither anger nor shame. She didn't wait to hear Cassandra's reply. She didn't care.

Still, in her mind, she made a note.

This cousin of mine... she's the quietest of them all. Timid, reserved, always hiding in the background. But that's her greatest strength, isn't it? Melissa shows her claws too easily. Cassandra? She wears her mask so well you'd never know how calculating she really is.

Amara yawned lazily, as though the world itself bored her, and stepped out through the gates of the Hayes estate.

The sunlight hit her face as she raised her hand to hail a taxi. "Downtown," she said simply as the car pulled up.

The door shut behind her with a quiet thud, the Hayes estate shrinking in the distance.

The taxi came to a slow halt at the bustling city center. Amara pushed the door open and stepped out, her figure blending effortlessly into the crowd. Lifting her gaze, her eyes settled on a tall building ahead.

It wasn't extravagant like the flashy skyscrapers surrounding it, yet its design carried a quiet elegance-minimalist, refined, and impossible to overlook. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she took in the beautifully crafted studio entrance.

Pulling the brim of her cap lower to shield her face, she adjusted her backpack and walked forward, her steps steady, unhurried. Without hesitation, Amara pushed open the glass doors and disappeared inside.