It wasn't as nice as Giovanni imagined it to be like. Jana could practically see that thought running inside the guy's head. If it happens that his worries would turn into smoke and start blowing out of his ears, Jana thought, 'I wouldn't be surprised.'
The shop felt homey, much to her dismay. Jana liked the design even more the first time she stepped inside. Her resolve to show contempt and disgust was completely blown away by the wind. 'It's hard to hate someone who didn't really do anything wrong.'
"I'm...really glad to see you again, cous." Nissa smiled bashfully, taking a quick look in Giovanni's direction before saying, "You even brought your assistant here. Please order everything you like, Gio. It's my treat today."
'I brought him?' Jana threw a questioning glance towards Giovanni. 'Wasn't it you who brought me here?'
The guy avoided her glare with great stealth. Jana's mouth twitched. She can't wait to be home and finally knock the insides of this man's head! 'Did he invite Nissa under my name? That's a shameful thing to do!'
Nissa opened her bag and took a large pack of wipes inside. It was new. Jana knew that because the price and the barcode was still attached on the bottom part of the pack. As though Nissa specifically bought the thing solely for the purpose of crying today. "I didn't think you'll personally ask me to meet after what had happened to you...you practically shunned everybody out—"
Jana held her palms up. "—I, Queenie Servantes, personally asked you out?"
"Yes?" Nissa lowered her lashes. Jana could visibly notice how Giovanni stiffened under her query. "You sent me a message! How could you forget?"
'Oh, Jesus.'
"Ma'am Queen, take a bite of this one." Giovanni held the fork on Jana's plate. Cutting a piece of the chocolate cake he ordered in advance yesterday, Gio consoled Jana. "It's time to reunite with old friends and rekindle the strained relationship between you. Ms. Queenie, please forgive me."
'The guy is a walking Buddha. Must be.' Jana sighed before opening her mouth. Sweet exploded on her tongue. Moist, extremely soft and mouth watering sweetness. Jana's mind short-circuited, exclaiming two or four praises for the female lead's skill in making sweets.
A timid smile blossomed on her face. Unconscious to her shy appearances, Jana even commended Gio with a small, "Good job."
Nissa didn't really want to come. Queenie's invite made her feel both grateful and scared. Nissa knew of Queenie's short term memory loss. The woman didn't know anything about what had happened before the accident. Nissa longed to talk to her cousin alone but in the presence of Queenie's bodyguard, Gio, she could only feign sorrow and sympathy.
'The man didn't know anything.' She huffed in secret. 'The worst he can do is to tell the old man, Theron.'
Nissa took a discreet glance at Giovanni. Her eyes widened in surprise then turned to her cousin, Queenie. The tenderness she saw on the man's eyes can't be simple attentiveness. This Giovanni must have felt interest in Queenie. 'It can't be helped.' She tilted her head on the right and continued to stare at Queenie. 'They've been together for months.'
Nissa waited until Gio faced her side. She winked and nodded in understanding. 'I know,' she mouthed, 'I just know.'
After the mess inside their family is taken care of and she finally gets her brand of innocence back in Queenie's eyes, Nissa will personally push everything for Gio and Queenie to happen.
'Just wait 'til I caught the stupid driver who broke several of your bones, sis.' Nissa leaned back on her chair. 'I'll make them pay.'
Giovanni was frightened but at the same time he felt delighted. Queenie had praised him twice that day, and he even managed to handle her temper. Queenie didn't shout at him for being nosy. She did consider him as her friend. Gio can't be more at ease than now.
"You two should talk, alright?" Excusing himself, he stood up. He settled everything on Queenie's side. Upon glancing once more on her face, he lifted his hand. "You got chocolate here."
Jana stood still and let Gio clean the corner of her lips. She nodded lightly. "Okay."
Giovanni was ecstatic. He went to the counter chuckling.
“Host, your total points of 10 v+ has been deducted. Player Jana, you now only have 5 villainess points remaining. May the great host be reminded that the OOC feature could only turn itself off after gathering 50 v+ points.”
Jana stiffened. Her grin faded into scorn. After glaring at the little screen in front of her flashing number five in red light, she felt indignant. "What?!" she gasped. "How? When?"
"Sis..." Nissa's lashes fluttered. "D'you remember everything now? I haven't told you anything yet. That means..."
"Huh?" Jana lifted her brows. "It's nothing. Pay it no mind."
Jana's mood went complicated. Nissa's pristine model face is tight with concern and weary. 'It's something to be concerned about, alright! That's 10 points off my piggy bank!'
"Is it PTSD? No, I've read your psychology reports. It's not that bad." Nissa shrugged before blurting, "Do you remember anything before the car accident?"
Jana's face was utterly devoid of emotion. She felt broken after that penalty. She felt as though it was not justified!
She eyed the interior design of the shop. It's sweet and very child friendly. Hailey is nowhere to be found. Jana was dreading the woman's presence but the female protagonist showed her leniency. Hailey was absent from their supposed first meeting. Jana's curiosity of the woman skyrocketed. She'd been imagining Hailey's appearance since day one.
'She could be a unicorn with two horns and I'd be really happy.'
"Queenie, are you listening?" Nissa choked. "Is it because you became stupid?"
Jana's head snapped towards her. "It's you that's stupid. Your ancestors were all stupid!"
Nissa gave her an awkward smile. "We're cousins."
'You're gorgeous, Nissa.' Jana reigned her temper in. 'It's just that you're too fake. If Queenie do trust you, why did she change her will at the very last minute? It's surely because she found out about your true color!'
"Queenie, the one who tried to kill you won't stop."
'She's outright threatening me.' Jana sinks on the chair. Looking from left to right, she gripped her purse when there's no Giovanni in sight.
Nissa said grimly, "Now that your assets were finally left in her name, she could order a hit on your head anytime."
Jana opened her lips only to leave it hanging. 'That's right.' Nothing was changed in her will because the Servantes wanted her to focus solely on her recuperation. Silvia was too good to her too, so any complaints, especially if it's voiced by Nissa, will be completely dismissed by the whole clan.
"Silvia wanted to kill me?" Jana shook her head. She sniggered loudly before rolling her eyes. "Aren't you a bit promiscuous? Wasn't it you who ordered the hit on me?"
Nissa was aghast at the very least. The first thing that registered her brain was the blatant accusation of Queenie. It hurt. She had expected this reaction from her beloved cousin since the surgery but she underestimated Queenie's outright raging. Queenie had changed, and it scared her somehow. On Jana's defense, she's very annoyed with the points she lost. If she could swallow Nissa alive for 50 v+, she won't think twice and just dive to it! Jana was conscious that some parts of Queenie's awareness were gone. Some memories are colluded with blacks and grey. Even Vivien, the Ai, instructed her to rely on the pitiful recounts she could think. Now that Nissa had mentioned the threat of an another assassination, Jana took a relaxed pose on the chair and start thinking steps thoroughly. No one harmed Queenie since Jana took over her body. In the original plot of the story, Queenie never encountered any dangerous situation. Her death was her own decision too. 'So, Nissa must be l
Jana sat with her facial expression stern and unfriendly. One glance in her direction will scare people away. Although inside she's screaming like a crazy fan girl. Hailey Greystone is a warrior princess! Moves like one and does look like it. The female protagonist presented herself tall and gorgeous in all leather glory. Jana now had a full description of her in person. She's a fierce woman who loves bright colors with unnerving passion. Hailey had both arched brow, deep set, jet black eyes and a proud nose. All accentuated by her full, red as a cherry bow-shaped lips. Jana can now understand that Queenie's “cold monarch” temperament is no match to Hailey's “aggressive and straightforward” bearing. Giovanni's humble and bright personality suits Hailey's complicated, strict self. If their happy ending doesn't mean her unfortunate demise, Jana would congratulate them right on the spot. She would even host the wedding for them. Jana will spend Queenie's money with relish. 'I'd ev
'Bringing another person in this dilemma is not foul, right?' Jana looked from left to right before sighing faintly. 'I would really like to pace back and forth right now.' "So, you want me to…just 'talk' to him, right?" Denise, the woman whom Jana met in the internet, said as she flip the magazine in her hand. "I mean, yeah, I could do that. Why not, right?" "What?" Jana opened her mouth only to close it again. This woman reminds her so much of her goofy classmates. Denise even wore a cap backwards. When Jana saw her the first time, she really wanted to befriend her. Now that they have been talking for an hour, she regretted it. "Yes, just talk to him. I'll send you a signal once you need to be close to Gio." Jana needs a perfect timing. Denise can't be all around Gio's personal space every time. It doesn't need to be like that. A simple distraction is all it would take so the two protagonist won't have the time to talk and water their budding love. This is not a villain's beh
Jana envied those person who managed to look beautiful without so much effort. Queenie Servantes is one of those she's jealous the most. Jana is familiar with wearing dresses. It's because she often visited the church with her Aunt Sera. Oftentimes, she found these dainty clothes annoying. Especially when she's not accustomed to feel airy down there whenever she opens her leg a little. Jana preferred jumpers. Those with straps and steel clips that stops men from peeing anywhere because of its not-so-handy design. She haven't pictured herself wearing a gown though. The reason is, Jana couldn't afford it. Jana was known to wear cheap dresses during promenade. And although it didn't hurt her pride when she loses reputation (she hates most people), the incredulous look of her own classmates do stung a little. She had hoped they would understand her and her short financial capabilities. Jana remembered running all over the places just to avoid his crush’s eyes those handful of times.
Jana couldn't escape the way she wanted to. It was as though the people surrounding her suddenly became her long-lost friends. She tried to excuse herself from them after shaking hands with a few handful of person but to no avail, Queenie's family kept sending men in her way. Jana doesn't know how to decline that. Facing a sweat-inducing situation like this cogs her introverted side. She had never met this many people at St. Clemente nor did her school miraculously had been this crowded. She was instantly nerve-wracked. Different perfumes filled her nostrils. Some even forgot to brush their mouth— or that they went to the appetizers first before greeting her, explaining the assaulting smell of garlic and peppers. Jana found both nauseating. She couldn't almost believe it. Girls in the movies always looked flattered and pretty whenever they were being fawned at! She even heard dumb questions trying to sound polite. “Uh, how does it feel to lose it both? I mean, which one hur
Jana didn't get the chance to know what Gio's reaction would be like once those words entered his ears. The simple sentence didn't reach the man, courtesy of her trusted companion in this crime, Denise. It was one of those days she decided to be smart and do it her own way. Denise became deaf to her every orders and chose to act according to whim. At first, Jana almost went nuts in worry. One awful mistake and it will crush Gio's fragile opinion of her and their thin thread of friendship will go flushed down the pipes. The stakes were high and she can't afford to lose. Before she could track down the woman and personally drag her out of the hall, Denise halted all of her complaints with just two words. "Howdy, Gio!" Denise shamelessly took the seat beside Giovanni. Jana can see the man's expression through the spy cam. "I see you're enjoying your time here. Oh, you look more handsome than before. Can I hold your cheeks for a moment? You nailed that look! So adorbs." It's clea
Jana woke up with an intense pain in her stomach. The residual ache on her guts made her squirm while whimpering on the side. It was cold. When the temperature registered her mind, it sent an awkward tingle on her spine. Jana struggled to push down the need to vomit. Right now she needed the presence of her Auntie Sera. “Host, there's a pill than can help you stabilize in no time. I can find the most affordable tablet in the system. Would you like one?” 'How much? Bring me one.' Jana gritted her teeth. She can't even sit because of her legs. She could only roll on the smelly asphalt. "Vivien… please." “Host, it's 150 per tablet.” Jana made a brief calculation in her mind before sputtering, 'You think I can afford that? I can't have zero points again! Your game will delete me! Vivien, just choke on your spit!' Her system became quiet. Jana reckoned she might be sulking right now. 'I don't care. She can't even help me? What AI!' "Queenie, are you awake now? Tsk. Stop rolling.
If Jana could have a chance to extend one hour of Queenie's life, she would do something she never thought to do before. It is to flip Queenie's childhood photos one by one and see what kind of person she is. The woman is full of contradictions. She did everything to make a person detest her so they won't ask for a chance to get closer. To get to know her. Because even the 'old' Queenie didn't know the distinctions between the foods she likes and what she don't want. The lines distinguishing both of them has long been burned that when she decided to turn back and live her life the way she wanted it, it was long gone. "I tried to tell you before not to open yourself to wrong people but then look, Queenie! You still did!" Silvia was hysterical while laughing. Jana was motionless as she tightens the grip on her head. Silvia decided that she's not close enough. The woman held her head and bashed it on the floor once. Jana was still at the confused state because of the pain. For the f