Chapter 15

Amaya had enough time to change and sit down for a late-night meal by the time Chiyo got back. Her anger was evident in the way she stormed through the house, her footsteps harsh against the wooden floors. The sounds of doors slamming open and closed got closer and closer to Amaya, who just sat with some cereal. Soon enough, it was her turn for the door to slam open.

Chiyo stood there, makeup running down her cheeks and her beautiful dress stained. She looked furious, her innocent persona long gone.

Before Amaya could say anything, Chiyo rushed in and raised her hand to slap her. Amaya caught her hand. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a growl.

Chiyo's eyes widened in rage and frustration. She tried repeatedly to hit Amaya, but each time, Amaya countered, effortlessly blocking her attempts. Soon, Chiyo crumpled to the floor, a bawling mess, screaming at Amaya and blaming her for everything.

"You set me up!" Chiyo screeched, her voice cracking with emotion. "You ruined everything!"

Amaya feigned confusion, tilting her head slightly as she looked down at her. "What did I do? I literally had one drink and left."

Chiyo's face turned even redder with anger. "You set me up! You made all this happen!"

Amaya's expression remained calm as she slowly crouched down to Chiyo's level. "Did I make you have an affair? Did I ask you to turn a blind eye to your lackey and what he did to me? Did I tell you to send a bunch of rough men after me?" Her voice was steady, each question piercing through Chiyo's hysteria.

Chiyo's sobs grew louder, but she didn't answer.

Amaya reached out and gently played with Chiyo's dishevelled hair, a mocking smile on her lips. "A fake will always be a fake, Chiyo. A fish eye cannot become a pearl."

Chiyo's cries echoed through the room as Amaya stood up, her gaze cold and unyielding. "Remember this moment, Chiyo," she said softly, but with a chilling intensity. "This is the price you pay for trying to be something you're not. You can scheme and manipulate all you want, but in the end, the truth always comes out."

Chiyo looked up at Amaya through her tears, her face twisted with a mix of hatred and despair. "I hate you," she spat, her voice trembling.

Amaya simply shrugged, turning her back on Chiyo. "Hate me all you want. It won't change who you are. Or what you've done." With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Chiyo to wallow in her own misery.

The next week in school, the gossip was scalding hot. Something interesting had happened on the birthday of class 2-A's princess. It turns out, their pure, innocent princess was just a slut having an affair. What's even better was the issue of her birth—she was only born from a random woman. The true Suzuki heiress was her—Amaya Suzuki!

Amaya arrived once more at the gates to the school compound, another latte in hand, once again at the center of attention.

"Shit, is that her?"

"Fuck, I thought you said she was ugly!"

"She's kinda my type."

"Shut up, your type is Chiyo."

"I'm afraid that kind of woman is too much for me."

Amaya paid no heed to the crude comments around her, staring at her phone, her pretty pink charm swinging with every step. Her school top was unbuttoned, showing the pink tank top underneath her uniform. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail, her nails glistening in the sun. She wore sunglasses despite the chill, leg warmers, and brand-new trainers. Clearly, she had no intention of upholding an innocent reputation. Something like that was impossible to keep forever, so why not go all out? She was the daughter of a crime boss; why would she shy away from it?

As she walked into school, a path opened up in the hallway for her, leading up to her class on the second floor.

"Um, excuse me." She was stopped by someone. Pulling down her glasses, she saw Yuto waiting for her. She smiled, remembering he helped her out.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Holy shit, she's smiling?"

"I thought she would give him a good scolding!"

"I thought you said she was mean?"

Yuto couldn't stand the attention, so he spoke quickly. "One of the seniors is waiting for you in 2-A. You should probably not go back," he said. He didn't want her to get ganged up on by them, so he came to warn her.

She smirked. "Don't worry about that. Thank you, Yuto." With that, she left, heading for her class.

"Shit, she's screwed."

"Is Riku waiting for revenge?"

"I heard it's Kenji!"

"The senior in charge of the gangs?"

"She's so screwed!"

"She deserves it, acting so cocky!"

Amaya walked into her class, and as expected, Riku and Kenji were sat on their desks looking as mean as possible, waiting for her. The class snickered, waiting for her to suffer. But to their surprise, Kenji got off his table, the collar around his neck glistening.

"Did you get to school safe, Boss?" he asked, his voice dripping with newfound respect.

"Eh!?" A collective wave of surprise passed through the halls. Students peeked in from the windows, everyone needing to know what would happen.

"You're on my desk," Amaya said coldly.

Kenji scowled but moved to the side, sliding the chair open for her. "Here," he said. She sat down, crossing her legs. She glanced at Riku, who averted his gaze. Overnight, the power structure of Haruki had flipped upside down.

The sound of gossiping was so loud that she raised her hand, and Kenji glared sharply at everyone to shut the fuck up. The room fell into silence. Amaya rested her elbow on the desk, her fingers propping up her head.

"Who was it that fucked with me? I will give you five minutes to show yourself. If you don't, I will find you myself."

Her words brought confusion to the faces of the students. She looked up at Kenji.

"Who bullied the Boss in the past! Come out here for punishment! If she remembers you later and you do not come out today, you will be as good as dead!"

A murmur rippled through the class, but no one moved. The tension was palpable, everyone too scared to step forward.

Amaya's gaze swept the room, landing on familiar faces. Her eyes locked onto Juri, who visibly flinched under her scrutiny.

"Juri," Amaya called out, her voice icy. "Step forward."

Juri's eyes darted around, seeking an escape. "I-I didn't do anything, I swear!"

Amaya stood up, slowly walking towards her. "You think I've forgotten what you did?" She tilted her head, a chilling smile on her lips. "Do you need a reminder?"

Juri's face paled, and she took a step back. "Please, Amaya, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry won't cut it," Amaya said, her voice steady. "You will learn what it means to cross me."

Kenji stepped forward, grabbing Juri by the arm.

"Let go!" She screamed.

Amaya looked out, pointing at a few girls. "You, you," she began, her finger landing on Ichiko, whose face squeezed like she had eaten a lemon. "...and you. Come here."

Everyone knew Ichiko's parents were rich-rich. There was no way Amaya would get away with hurting her, and Ichiko knew that too. She scoffed, tossing her hair. "Who do you think you are to order me? Do you know who I am?"

Amaya simply did not care. "Hm... then who are you, Ichiko?"

Ichiko scoffed once more, "You have no right to know. Even if you are from the Suzuki family, I will not recognize you, street rat."

The crowd's volume raised again, some laughing and others desperately interested to see what would happen next. Amaya remained calm, taking a sip of the latte in her hand.

"Boss..." Riku said, a bit unsure. They didn't mess with people with money.

"Don't worry about it. Bring her here."

The Suzuki family, to these kids, was a common high middle-class family. How would they know their daddies and mummies were under her father's thumb?

Ichiko's face darkened as Riku went to drag her out. She screamed and thrashed but was thrown at the feet of Amaya. She looked up, her hair a mess. Amaya changed her position to sit with her legs spread, her elbows leaning against her thighs.

"You have two options now: slap yourselves, or I slap you." The girls glanced at Amaya's acrylics and gulped. Juri was the first to react, slapping herself fiercely across the face until her skin was red. The other girls looked at her in horror, like she was mad.

Amaya smirked. "What are the rest of you waiting for?"

The hesitation was palpable. Ichiko's eyes darted around, looking for support but finding none. The weight of the situation began to sink in. She realized that, despite her family's wealth, in this room, Amaya held the power.

"You must be joking," Ichiko sneered, attempting to regain some semblance of control. "You can't seriously expect me to—"

"Now," Amaya interrupted, her voice icy. "I'm not in the mood for games. Either you slap yourself, or I'll make sure you regret it."

Ichiko's defiance faltered. She glanced at the other girls, who were already caving in. With a trembling hand, she hesitated, then slowly raised it to her cheek. The slap was half-hearted, barely making a sound.

"Harder," Amaya commanded, her gaze unyielding.

Tears welled up in Ichiko's eyes as she slapped herself harder, the sound echoing in the now-silent room. The humiliation was unbearable, and she could feel the eyes of her classmates burning into her.

Amaya leaned back, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. "Good. Remember this moment, Ichiko. The next time you think about crossing me, think twice."

Ichiko's shoulders shook with suppressed sobs, but she nodded, not daring to meet Amaya's gaze.

Amaya turned her attention to the other girls. "Well? Are you all going to make me wait?"

The remaining girls, their faces pale with fear, quickly followed Juri and Ichiko's example, slapping themselves until their cheeks were red and stinging.

"Do you think I'm cruel?" Amaya asked them.

They did not dare answer, if this was cruel then was what they did to her would it be considered barbaric?

Ichiko looked up at Riku who looked away, Riku and Kenji were the worst offenders but she was letting them off easy.

"Why aren't you punishing them!" Ichiko said in fury pointing at the two men, "they did worst! You're just throwing your weight around because we are weak!"

Amaya glanced up at the two who felt a shiver down their spine. "Who said I won't punish them? Do you want to watch?"

She had no plans of letting them off easy, she had no killing intent, but they desperately needed to be disciplined. Ichiko paused, the glares of the two men were fierce, she did not dare speak anymore.

"Alright, get out of my sight, I have to get ready for first period math."

After all, she still needed to apply to university next year, her scores were appalling so she needed to pass these upcoming midterms perfectly.

The girls nodded and scrambled away, she turned up to the two men who were still frozen and sighed, "get out."

"Yes, Boss!" They said quickly before leaving. She watched them flee and couldn't help but revel a bit in the power she had. The strongest woman in Haruki? It had a good ring to it.