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Ka stood there, her expression unreadable. ‘Great, just my luck. I run into a mad dog today,‘
she thought.
“Who do you think you are, yelling like that? You’re nothing but trash!” Lizbeth Prescott was the first to snap back, standing with her hands on her hips, full of attitude as she red at Joyce.
In the Prescotts‘ eyes, Joyce, once the pride of the Lambert family, had fallen off her pedestal and was now no better than a girl hustling for scraps on the street.
Joyce ignored Lizbethpletely and stormed straight up to Ka. “It was you! You’re the one who spread that video and made me aughingstock!”
“Ka, how could you be so vicious? You’ve already stolen Tuff from me. What, now you want to ruin me for good?” Joyce yelled, her voice shaking with rage.
Joyce demanded, her anger boiling over.
Ka, the queen bee of Lunova, was always the center of attention wherever she went. And this scene was no exception, especially in a scene like this.
A crowd quickly gathered, forming a tight circle around them, with some people even whipping out their phones to record the drama.
People have always loved to watch the drama unfold.
Ka let out a weary sigh. ‘Figures. The mad dog’s at it again, pinning everything on me,‘ she thought.
“Why so quiet, Ka? What, feeling guilty now? I knew it was you! You just want to destroy me and leave me with nothing!” Joyce screamed, her voice shaking with fury.
“What video?” Ka drawled, her tone slow and almost mocking.
Joyce totally lost her cool and blurted out, “It’s the video of me and Quentin sleeping…”
The crowd fell silent for a split second before bursting intoughter.
“She just admitted it herself!” someone shouted.
“So she really is the girl in that video,” another person said.
“She was crying like a kitten in that video, but now she’s acting all fierce!” someone else chimed in.
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‘Damn it! I fell right into Ka’s trap again!‘ she thought, her heart sinking. The video was already all over the ce, and now she’d just confirmed it in front of everyone. There was no way she could spin this.
“Oh, harder, please…” Lizbeth mocked in a fake, whiny voice, mimicking Joyce’s lines from the video. The crowd burst outughing all over again.
Joyce wished the ground would swallow her whole. She shoved her way through the crowd and bolted, her face ming with humiliation.
Ka shook her head, feeling a mix of exasperation and disbelief. ‘Seriously, Joyce is just hopeless. She walks right into every trap Iy out for her. Maybe I’m being a bit too harsh?‘ Ka thought.
“Don’t let her get to you, Ka. Let’s go get our nails done!” Lizbeth said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Sounds good!” Ka replied.
Joyce’s little stunt didn’t even count as a blip on Ka’s radar. It was so insignificant that it didn’t affect her in the slightest.
“Ka, you never seem to lose your cool! How do you stay so chill?” Lizbeth asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Ka swiped her card for them and shrugged, “Honestly, I never waste energy stressing out- except for that time I got hurt and found out I couldn’t get pregnant. That was the only time I really let it get to me.”
“You only ever get worked up because you love Tuff so much!” Lizbeth teased, shing a mischievous grin.
“Exactly,” Ka nodded. “All that overthinking just messes with your head and your heart- doesn’t help at all.”
Pan chimed in, “Honestly, instead of overthinking, you might as well just let loose.”
“Just don’t go off the rails like Joyce did,” Lizbethughed.
Ka thought to herself, ‘Joyce isn’t crazy. She’s just asking for trouble. If she keeps this up, she’ll end up sending herself straight to hell.‘
Funny thing was that Ka had all the videos in her possession and was certain none of them had ever leaked. So she didn’t know where that sex tape floating around out there even came from.
*****
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On New Year’s Eve, Maggie went all out and put together a proper reunion feast for the whole family.
It was Ka’s first New Year’s after marrying in, so Maggie was determined to make a great impression.
She even added some Norava specialties to the menu and gave a gift <i>to </i>Landen. While they were eating, Maggie turned to Ka with a smile. “How about inviting your mom over for dinner on the second day of the new year? She can stay a few days and have some fun in Lunova.”
“Sounds great!” Tuff jumped in, answering for Ka.
Gloria hadn’t even been to the Prescott family yet. Tuff called her right away, and Gloria was thrilled. “Oh, really? That’s wonderful! Actually, I was just about to invite you all to Norava for the New Year myself…”
“Why don’t youe to Lunova this year? Next year, we’ll all head to Norava for the holidays. Okay? Great, Ka and I will pick you up at the airport…” Tuff said, grinning from ear to ear.
Maggie felt a mix of emotions swirling inside
Her son always put on his best behavior for everyone else, but when it came to her, he just gave her attitude.
“Raising sons really can’tpare to raising daughters,” she grumbled to herself.
Seeing Maggie looking so down, Betty couldn’t help but say, “This is all on you for not getting your act together sooner. At least you finally saw the light.”
Maggie gave an awkward smile.
“Cheer up, now. Ka’s just like another daughter to us. If I’m still able to get around next year, I’ll go with you all to Norava,” Betty said.
“You’re right. I’ll do as you say,” Maggie replied, her smile finally rxing.
Honestly, Maggie had it pretty good. She might not have always been the sharpest, but her husband had doted on her all her life, helped her hold her own against the other wives, and made sure she stayed in charge of the household.
“So, Ka, Tuff isn’t evening home for New Year’s?” Lily asked, sounding a little disappointed.
Maggie’s smile faltered, and she gave an awkward reply, “It’s the busiest time of year. He’s justpletely worn out.”
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That was Tuff’s father, Raymond Prescott, the current patriarch of the Prescott family.
He’d only shown up briefly at Tuff’s wedding and hadn’t been seen since. Ka couldn’t even recall his face.
When Ka heard that Raymondwas sick, she put down her fork and was about to offer some words of concern, but Betty was already freaking out. “What? He’s sick during the holidays? And he’s all the way abroad with no one to take care of him. What are we going to do?”
“Mom, don’t worry. His secretary, Ms. Leah Sharp, is taking care of him,” Maggie said, trying to sound reassuring.
“Isn’t his secretary a woman? I remember Ms. Sharp is pretty…” Lily said, her voice full of implication.
Maggie’s face fell even further.
Ka kept her cool and said, “She’s still not as pretty as your secretary, Terrell.”
“Hey now, Ka, don’t start making things up. It’s totally innocent between me and my secretary…” Terrell blurted out, trying to clear his name.
Ka grinned, “Why so jumpy, Terrell? I never said you two had anything going on.”
Terrell just stared, lost for words.
“Right, Auntie?” Ka’s eyes drifted over to Lily.
“Lots of people hire female secretaries–they’re just more attentive. And with the Prescott family being so prominent, having a pretty secretary makes us look good in public,” Lily added quickly, shing an awkward smile.
“Exactly!” Terrell chimed in.
The party picked up again, but Maggie was still sulking.
Tuff might usuallye off as a bit rough, but when he got serious, he was scary good at picking up on things.
He instantly sensed his parents were hiding something, so he shot his dad a message: [Hey Dad, you’re really noting home for New Year’s? It’s Ka’s first time spending the holiday with us, and her mom’sing over too!]
Raymondreplied: [Not feeling well…]
Tuff texted back: [No big deal. Juste back to Lunova and let Dr. Mitchell work his magic. You’ll be back on your feet in no time. If you can’t get a flight, I’ll send the jet for you.]
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There was a long pause before Raymondfinally replied: [Alright, I’lle back first thing in the morning.]
Ka watched Tuff sneakily texting and thought to herself, ‘Are my inws just pretending to be a couple while living totally separate lives? Is Mr. Prescott seeing someone else behind Maggie’s back?‘
“Grandma, let me toast to you!” Landen, ever the little charmer, raised his ss. “Here’s to you staying young and happy every day!”
Maggie’s heart, which had been feeling so heavy, suddenly lightened, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, my sweet boy!”
“Maggie, let me toast to you too! Thanks for raising Tuff so well. I’m the lucky one here,” Ka said, raising her ss.
Maggie was moved to tears, overwhelmed by emotion.
Honestly, raising such an outstanding son was the greatest achievement of her life.
As long as Tuff was by her side, no matter what Raymondgot up to on the side, her ce in the family was rock solid.
As the party wound down, the fireworks started lighting up the sky.
But just then, someone started pounding on the door. “Joyce tried to kill herself! Please, help her!”
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