Hating Game

The recognition hit Lola, but the label hit her the hardest. All heads swing in her direction the moment the lecturer spoke about her family history with murder. None of the accusations were true, but no one would believe her words. Her vision blurred with tears. She wished the ground would swallow her whole. This was exactly the reason she remained anonymous over the years. She knew that getting in the public's eye would only rekindle old flames and dig up ghosts she fought so hard to keep down.

"I pray you, miss Fernandez, to tell us what you think. How can we handle the situation?" There was a smirk on the lecturer's face. Lola didn't know what his deal was. It was beyond her he recognized her. She couldn't remember him mingling with her family in the past. The triumphant look on his face suggested she could be wrong. She tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat. Nausea bubbled through her chest and she fought to breathe to keep herself calm.

The entire class had their eyes on her. Lola screwed her eyes shut, hoping they would go away when she opened them, but her lucky stars seemed to have deserted her. They couldn't have chosen a better time.

All she had been thinking about sharing with the rest of the class evaporated from her memory. The one thing she had that wasn't tainted with her past was her present, and suddenly, they were being taken away from her and no one asked her permission. She wondered if she even had a say in her own life. All she ever wanted was to make a better life for herself and she worked towards that. But history never failed to repeat itself. The more she works, the more her empire crumbles. And the empire wasn't even standing yet.

"This would put a damp to the rest of the class. I really expected to hear what you had to say, miss Fernandez." He spun on the balls of his feet and turned to the rest of the class.

"Food for thought, everyone. Find the answer to my question. I want to hear all about it during the next lecture. Once again, I am Mr Darcy. Have a nice day."

Mr Darcy matched to the front of the class and picked up his suitcase, leaving a trail of confused students behind. All the air whooshed out of Lola's lungs and suddenly she felt empty. The name Mr Darcy was unfamiliar. She didn't know him. She didn't know how he knew her family. And judging from what he did today, he must have a personal vendetta against her family if he was willing to breech the confidentiality clause that protected every student.

Lola didn't know what to do, whether to go home, or stay back for the next lecture. She could hear the rest of the class muttering and chattering all around her, and she could only guess that they were talking about her.

The strength to walk down the aisle of the classroom with everyone staring at her evaporated, and she sank into her seat, pulling her hoodie over her head, knowing it did nothing to protect her.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. The two classes she had after Mr Darcy was spent wondering how to find out who the man really was and what his problem with her was. She heard nothing that was said in class. Blood roared in her ears and drummed in her head.

As soon as the day's lectures ended, Lola stashed her books in her bag, but remained in her seat. The rest of the class face her a wide breadth, as they all scrambled to leave the classroom. Lola stayed put until every one of them was out.

With emotions running wild, Lola walked to the bus station. She absentmindedly went through the rituals of getting on and off the bus. Even the walk to the inn seemed like she was transcending, and only until she heard the familiar chiming of her door bell did she recollect herself.

Lola looked around the inn. Everything seemed normal. The customers threw a few smiles at her and she tried her best to return. It was an epic failure. Her smile came out like a grimace. With her head down and her backpack between her arms, she walked up to the counter.

"Everything okay?" Agnes asked, seeing the dead expression on her face. Lola gave a slow nod and turned to head upstairs.

"You can lock up once your shift is over," she said to Agnes while walking up the stairs.

"But," Agnes protested, but Lola didn't give her a chance to complete what she had to say. She had no strength to deal with anyone for the evening. It was best if she got as much sleep as she could. Lucky for her, tomorrow was Sunday, which meant no classes, and the inn would only have to be open during the morning.

Lola slipped into bed, still feeling devastated. She opened the drawer and took out her family portrait. She stared at the faces of her brothers and her sister. Her father's smile was genuine. He was proud of the family he had built. She couldn't say the same about her mother. Her smile looked more like a scene from a horror movie. She had class which was digging into her father's shoulders and that was all she ever did. Gold digging.

The times when they were happy sifted through her memory and she could almost taste those days. She could close her eyes and imagine herself back within those walls when she was a little girl loved by everyone, but she didn't. Instead, she closed her eyes and imagined the day everything fell apart, not forgetting the reason she lost her family.

Lola was ready to begin with her revenge scheme. Her plans were set already. Just one vital part of her plan was missing. Luis Ortega. She had seen on the news that he was returning to Spain. She wondered what still held him back. She needed him to be in Madrid for her revenge to be complete.

Another picture frame lay forgotten in the drawer. Lola pulled it out, remembering the reason she had kept it all these years. The picture had the faces of the vile Ortegas. The face of Irene Ortega stared up at her, her smile hiding a malicious intent. Her eyes deep.like it held a secret which no one else knew about.

Lola's eyes drifted to Eduardo. He was just there. Plain old Eduardo. The ideal big brother and a mama's boy. Next, her eyes trailed to the peaceful face of Rafael Ortega. Her father's one genuine friendship. The days the two families frolicked happily flashed through her memories. The smile she beheld on Rafael's face was genuine. He cared for his family and genuinely loved them. What she couldn't understand was why he would spearhead the downfall of her own family. It hurt her deeply that the people they trusted disguised themselves just to take everything from them. Her eyes watered once more, but she wouldn't let the tears fall.

Lastly, she let her eyes fall on Luis Ortega. She had been avoiding staring into his chiseled face. Even at such a young age, he had all the features befitting a man. The wrinkles around his eyes were evidence of his happiness. Lola's heart swelled. This was the boy she loved. This was the boy she was going to use and get everything back.

The thought made Lola's heart squeeze with guilt. But one more look at Irene Ortega, and her resolve was steeled. She picked up the Nova family crest and squeezed it between her palms.

With the gravity of the responsibility on her shoulders, she determinedly pulled out all the family records she got her hands on when she recovered the deed to the house. There had to be something on Mr Darcy and she would not give until she found something. She needed to find the link between him and her family.

Her search was a difficult one, because she only had one of his names. She didn't give up. She searched every record sheet and every audit, hoping the name Darcy would come up, but there was nothing. Lola was almost about to give up. She took out the news paper from five years ago. The one where her father had been accused of a murder she damn well knew he didn't commit. And that was when she found it.

Guilt swarmed through Lola. How could she have forgotten about all this? She claimed she wanted to fight to regain what she had lost but she couldn't even remember crucial informations such as the one staring right back at her from the newspaper.

Lola broke out in a cold sweat. Her father had been accused of killing one of his business partners. Marcellus Moreno. He had no family except for a nephew, Darcy Moreno. Lola felt like she had taken a punch in the gut. She had been just a kid herself when all this happened. Back then, she didn't understand any of it. She didn't understand why her family fell apart. Most especially, she didn't understand why everyone hated her and blamed her for their downfall.

Her brothers accused her of giving away precious information about Nova construction to the Ortegas because she had been received by their youngest son, Luis. Lola hoped none of it was true. But like the rest of them, Luis had deserted her the moment her family lost everything and she couldn't help but wonder if her brothers had been right. If Luis actually used her. She believed themselves to be in love. Luis Ortega was her first love. Her heart still yearned for him, but she was grown up now and was not about to make the same mistakes again.

Lola knew her life in the academy was about to get miserable at the hands of Mr. Darcy. She needed to do something really fast.

The picture frame of the Ortega family sat on the floor, staring up at her. She knew the rumors and juicy gossip of the mill. Luis Ortega was coming home. Lola had her own plans. She had put them to a halt to focus on herself these past few days. But today was like a revelation. She didn't have the luxury of relaxing, and she needed to be ready for when Luis finally arrived in Madrid.

As for Mr Darcy, Lola had to come up with an immunity against him. She contemplated going to the school authorities and reporting that he breached the student teacher's confidentiality. But that would only make things worse. She would acknowledge that her father was a murderer and she would only give Darcy Moreno leverage against her.

Lola steeled her chin. She was going to fight back. If Darcy Moreno wanted to reveal her true identity to the world, then she would be ready to own up to it. She had nothing to be ashamed of. And most especially, she had nothing to fear.