Chapter 12: the price of pride

The second story of Mike side story enjoy.

The cars drove to a private estate. The vice president was blindfolded throughout the ride, his bruised body beaten. The bodyguard dragged the man to the golf field.

Mike wore brown trousers that hugged his lean but muscular frame, a white long-sleeve shirt underneath a black vest that accentuated his tall build. His calm, bored eyes surveyed the scene with professional detachment, as though the game didn't require any real effort on his part. He played with a precision that only a seasoned pro could manage.

Neo sat on the couch in black, baggy jeans and a white shirt, embodying his playboy style. Jay wore navy blue trousers, a white long-sleeve shirt, and a matching navy blue blazer. His diamond piercing added to his handsomeness as he scrolled through his phone, occasionally glancing up. Mike's assistant, Joshua, stood still, his expression unreadable.

"Hey Mike, what are you going to do with him?" Neo asked, bored.

Mike didn't respond, instead changing his golf club, focusing on his next move. The bodyguard positioned the vice president in the center of the field and then stepped back. Mike started hitting the balls with force, each one striking the man's body. Neo clapped, while Jay put his phone down, sipping water and watching with interest.

"Vice principal, who gave you the guts to try and expel Maria?" Mike's voice was calm but cold. "I left you so she could use you to strengthen herself, and you act like you're in charge, trying to expel her. I'm surprised by your guts. Should I call you brave, or stupid?" He continued to hit the ball, each one causing the man to scream in pain.

"You should run instead of just kneeling," Neo said, giggling.

The vice principal attempted to run, but the balls kept hitting him, some striking his knees, making him fall to the ground, screaming and begging. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have harmed Maria. I'm sorry!" he repeated over and over.

"Why did you even try to remove the girl from the school?" Jay asked, watching the scene unfold.

The vice principal remained silent. Mike paused, placing his golf club aside as the bodyguard took it from him and used it to strike the vice principal.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" the vice principal cried out. "I did it because of revenge. The bribed judge was my brother! That's why I did it."

"I want you to apologize and resign. You'll do that, right?" Mike asked coldly, staring the vice principal down.

The man, trembling, nodded quickly. The bodyguard grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.

"You really think he'll change?" Neo asked, raising a brow.

"Of course not," Mike replied, walking toward the bar counter. "I'm just giving him a rope to hang himself with. This is just a warm-up… I was bored."

"You bought the school?" Jay asked, looking at Mike 

Mike didn't answer.

"Wow," Neo muttered, chuckling. "Maria's lucky. You bought the school so that if any drama happened, she wouldn't get expelled. She can do what she wants now, huh? Tsk. Mike, I didn't know you were such a romantic."

"Are you going to keep acting like a silent knight, helping her from the shadows?" Jay added.

"Of course Mike will," Neo scoffed, walking over. "He's scared of scaring her off. Which is dumb, by the way."

"Who told you I'll stay in the shadows?" Mike cut in, sipping his whiskey. "I'm going to meet her soon. I just need to tie up the last few loose ends. I won't let anything disrupt us or it will be the last they ever thought of."

Neo smirked. "At the end of the day, the most you'll be her —"

He shut up immediately when Mike shot him a sharp look.

"Say 'just friends.' I dare you," Mike said softly, dangerously calm.

Neo chuckled, backing off playfully.

Just then, Joshua approached. "Sir, it seems the vice principal isn't done yet. He's planning to join forces with your uncle."

Mike tilted his head slightly. "Make him regret it."

What followed was merciless.

The vice principal's wife received video proof of his cheating—along with a full report on how he was the reason she lost her job. Divorce papers followed. With Mike's silent backing, she walked away with 89% of his assets.

He was fired. His teaching license revoked. Blacklisted from every school in the country.

Mike's bodyguards showed up at his home. He was thrown out, publicly humiliated, and beaten so badly the hospital refused to treat him—until he finally broke down and called Mike in tears, begging to do whatever he asked.

---

The next day, the vice principal knelt in front of Maria at school, head bowed in shame.

Later, Neo dropped by Mike's office.

"Maria said thanks," he reported casually, then froze when Mike smiled—just slightly.

Quickly, Neo pulled out his phone and snapped a photo.

Mike's smile vanished. "You can frown all you want," Neo teased, waving his phone. "But I already got it. A rare photo of the great Mike smiling."

"You really want to go to the army, huh?" Mike muttered, flipping through documents.

"I don't care," Neo grinned. "Totally worth it. That smile? Priceless."

What Neo didn't know was that the rare smile he captured… would soon become a frequent sight.

But that was a story for later.

"Oh—and by the way," Neo added, biting into an apple. "I heard Ella's father is still trying to mess with Maria."

Mike didn't say a word.

He just frowned—eyes dark and dangerous.

.....

A debate started.

While Maria was taken to the hospital for testing, some called for Maria to be disqualified immediately mostly Tessa fans 

But Maria wasn't done. After no drug was found on her, some people said, "Maria's things should be checked; they'll see something." They checked and took everything they saw, even the bottle of water. Traces of the drug were found.

But none was found in her system, no matter how many times they checked.

The backlash began to shift.

Maria was also a victim.

Suddenly, theories flipped:

Was Maria drugged by Linda?

Was this an attempted sabotage that backfired?

Did Maria plan to drink the water?

Maria's voice is perfect, meaning she didn't drink it, as no results were found. That means she was framed.

So Maria was also a victim. Thank God she didn't drink the water. Whoever did this has no heart.

Tsk, this show is popular, I

know, but it's not popular enough for people to go to these lengths. This looks like a scene out of a soap opera.

Then came the bombshell.

During a full investigation, the empty packet of the banned drug was found in Tessa's private room.

She was immediately detained.

The internet exploded.

Tessa's fans claimed she was sabotaged. Maria did not sit idle—she also paid a paparazzo to make the case more interesting. Headlines like these drove the internet crazy:

Tessa drugged her friend when she noticed that she had some talent.

If Linda was drugged by her friend, and drugged water was found in Maria's room while the packet was in Linda's room, who is the mastermind?

Tessa backstabbed her friend when she saw her plan didn't go as expected.

Just for some trophies in a mid-rank variety show, friends backstab each other and try to destroy people's voices.

But she wasn't behind bars for long.

Tessa was the daughter of one of the show's biggest investors—and more than that, she was the mayor's granddaughter.

She was quickly released. The official statement?

They tried to blame Maria first, claiming that Linda planned to destroy Maria but Maria found out and forced her to take the drug, then blackmailed Tessa. But netizens weren't having any of it, especially after a voice note of Ruth's confession was leaked. However, Ruth's voice was altered so they couldn't determine who actually said it. The leaked video damaged Tessa's reputation, even as they tried to save it, so they changed their statements too.

Linda acted alone. She attempted to sabotage Tessa and Maria, but mistakenly consumed the drug herself. They also claimed the leaked recording was fake.

Most people weren't buying it.

Netizens poked holes in the narrative:

Why would Linda pour the drug into her own mouthwash?

How could one drink an entire bottle of mouthwash by mistake?

Why did Linda put the drug in her own mouthwash, not Tessa's?

How did the drug packet end up in Tessa's room if she was innocent?

Was this another case of rich privilege sweeping dirt under the rug?

But it didn't matter. Linda's reputation was in tatters, and so was Tessa's.

Her silence wasn't just physical—it was permanent.

The show decided to continue, but under strict orders: Maria was placed first, and Tessa was dropped to 49th place—a move meant to pacify angry viewers and create an illusion of fairness.

But it only made things worse.

Tessa's rabid fans went into a frenzy, accusing the show of betrayal, threatening boycotts, and spreading hateful posts against Maria.

But Maria?

She stood at the center of it all—calm, untouchable, and rising like a phoenix.

---------

"Tsk, if this girl weren't the daughter of our investor, I would have kicked her out. She's giving me a headache, especially with her crazy fans," he said aloud to his assistant.

"But this scene has actually gained us attention from other fan groups, and the show's ratings are still stable. They would have increased if not for Tessa's crazy fans," his assistant replied, making the director frown.

"From now on, we need to be extra careful with this constant drama. It's only the second episode, and look at the mess they've caused.

The news exploded online and quickly became the talk of the day. Tessa's fans were in an uproar, passionately defending her after she held a press conference. At the press conference, Tessa appeared with teary eyes, her face pale and trembling as she clutched a white handkerchief. She spoke softly, like a misunderstood angel, claiming she had no idea Linda would get hurt.

"I never wanted to harm anyone," she said, her voice cracking at just the right moments. "Linda must have misunderstood me… I forgive her, truly."

She ended her speech by dabbing at her eyes, looking so pitiful that even some neutral viewers began to waver.

But not everyone was convinced.

Some netizens pointed out that Linda was still unconscious in the hospital and unable to defend herself. They warned others not to blindly believe Tessa's words. Unfortunately, Tessa's fans didn't want to hear any of it. They flooded social media with hate toward Linda, saying things like:

"She should just die already!"

"She deserves everything that happened!"

A few fanatics even went as far as visiting the hospital, shouting threats outside Linda's room. Others sent death threats to Linda's family and threw eggs at her home, terrifying her younger brothers. The online abuse intensified, until even some disturbed netizens began speaking up against it.

Seeing things spiraling, Tessa posted a tearful selfie on social media, begging her fans to stop. "Please… I didn't mean for any of this. Don't hurt anyone for me."

Some netizens sympathized with her again, but others were fed up with her constant victim act. When someone brought up Maria, trying to redirect the blame toward her, the attempt failed. A video of Maria singing onstage and winning the crowd went viral, showcasing her genuine talent and fair win.

Still, Tessa's fans refused to listen, which only fueled more backlash from the general public.

---

The next morning, Maria came downstairs for breakfast.

"Wow, Maria! I watched the show—you've got serious talent!" Oliver beamed, holding her phone. "When I saw netizens trying to attack you, I led your fan club to defend you! Of course—I'm your number one fan!"

Maria blinked in surprise at Oliver's sudden pride. "Fan club?" she echoed, lips twitching into a chuckle.

"What's there to praise?" their mother snapped, frowning. "Do you even realize the backlash this family has gotten because of her?"

Their grandmother scoffed. "A proper lady should stay in her house. Not go dancing and singing on stage like a street performer."

"You always bring bad luck," their mother continued sharply. "You even distracted Oliver. She was so focused on you, she missed her chores. Useless girl."

"Mom!" Oliver protested.

"Oliver, your mom's right," their father cut in. "Stay away from Maria. She's a bad influence. No matter what she does, she'll never have a future."

Maria slowly stood, her expression calm but her eyes sharp. "So according to you, Mom, Grandma… the actresses you watch and praise every day are all useless women?"

Their faces paled.

"Maria! Is that how you talk to your elders?" her father snapped. "Sit down and eat in peace. You can't even take good advice."

Maria picked up her bag. "I've lost my appetite—especially after seeing your faces. Oh, and by the way," she added, pausing at the door, "I heard you spent a lot of money trying to find that so-called 'stock god' to partner with. Let me give you some advice: Don't even think about it. If you go bankrupt, maybe then they'll notice you. Can you really take that risk?"

Her father was left speechless as she walked out.

---

At school, everyone stared at Maria as if she had grown wings. Whispers followed her through the halls. Some classmates approached her for autographs. She eyed them silently, then signed a few papers.

"Tsk. She's acting like a diva now," the class monitor muttered bitterly. She had overheard her crush talking about asking Maria out. Several boys had already sent Maria love letters and gifts—but Maria had thrown them away.

"She's just full of herself now," the class monitor fumed. "And apparently, she doesn't even like Chris anymore. She's just a slut!"

Maria glanced her way. From her memories, the class monitor had always disliked her, but never openly. 'Haters gonna hate,' Maria thought, turning away with a calm smile.

"Just because you're famous now, you think we all worship you?" the class monitor sneered loudly. "For all we know, you gave Linda the drugs. Who knows what else you're hiding?"

Maria turned back with a lazy smile. "Sweetheart, you're like a monkey jumping around for attention. People like us don't chase it. It comes naturally. It's in our DNA—you wouldn't understand. You're just a background character."

Laughter erupted in the room.

"She's right! The class monitor's just jealous," someone said.

"Did you even see Maria throw those gifts away?" another added. "I think someone's just bitter."

"I saw the class monitor near Maria's desk," a guy piped up, making everyone turn to her. The class monitor blushed and fell silent.

Maria watched it all with cool detachment. This time, she didn't need to say much. Others were speaking for her. 'How ironic,' she mused. 'Now they defend me. No wonder Ivy wanted this attention.'

"If I did throw them away, so what?" the class monitor muttered. "It's not like Maria would ever like any of you."

Maria's smile vanished. "What I do is my business. Stay away from my desk—unless you want to regret it."

The class monitor's face twisted in anger. She opened her mouth to retort—but someone else beat her to it.

"Who gave you the guts to act like this? You're the class monitor, not some jealous brat!" John snapped, stepping forward. "Kneel and apologize to Maria, or I won't forgive you."

The class monitor's eyes welled with tears. "You want me to apologize to her? Do you even know why I did all this? It's because I love you!" she screamed. "I told you how I felt, and you said you'd think about it—but then you went and sent a love letter to her! To Maria!"

John's face darkened. He pointed a shaking finger at her, then turned to Maria. "Believe me, Maria, I don't love her. She's lying. The moment she confessed to me, I rejected her. I barely even talk to her."

Then he turned back and snarled, "You lying bitch. How dare you twist the truth?" His hand flew before anyone could stop him, slapping the class monitor across the face.

She staggered back, eyes wide, but didn't cry. She just stared at him, hurt and humiliated. John, noticing her lack of reaction, scoffed internally. She still loves me. That's why she won't fight back.

"John," the class monitor choked out his name.

Maria crossed her arms, her gaze ice cold

. "You slapped her in front of everyone. What, does her liking you give you the right to hit her? Is your fragile male ego that desperate for control?"

The classroom fell silent. No one moved.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you, Maria?" the class monitor screamed. "You're happy I'm being humiliated!"

Maria chuckled darkly. "Happy? Please. You're not even relevant enough to make me feel anything. You think I care enough about you to want you embarrassed?"

"You think you're better than me just because you're prettier? Because you can sing and play the violin?" she snapped. "That's all you are—talent with no brains. A donkey could outthink you! All you know is how to chase boys!"

Maria smirked. "No wonder he doesn't like you. You're a loudmouthed drama queen who thinks the world revolves around her. You act like everyone's trying to steal from you when no one even notices you exist."

Her voice turned sharp, mocking. "You said I'm dumb like a donkey? Alright then—let's prove it."

Gasps erupted around the class.

"Let's take the next school test. If I lose, I'll never sing or perform again. I'll write the word donkey across my forehead and become your slave forever. If I refuse, I'll pay you 50 million."

More gasps. Even John turned to her in shock.

The class monitor froze.

"What? You scared?" Maria taunted. "Afraid a 'donkey brain' like me might beat you?"

"…Fine," the class monitor spat, her voice trembling. "If I lose, I'll leave the school. I'll tattoo the word donkey on my forehead—and I'll never join another school competition again. If I break it, I'll pay you 20 million monthly."

"Good girl," Maria said sweetly. "After class, meet me at the lawyer's office to sign the contract."

"Tsk. Chris was right," someone muttered from the back. "This class is pure drama."

As class ended, Maria and the class monitor—Kira—met with the lawyer, who, thanks to a discreet bribe from Maria, helped finalize the contract without interference.

Later that night, Maria returned home, locked herself in her room, put on her mask, and quietly sewed another breathtaking dress. Once done, she posted a short video online, her masked identity once again dazzling the crowd.

---

The Next Morning

By the time Maria walked into class, the entire school had heard about the contract. The backlash had begun.

"She really does have a donkey brain," some whispered.

"She's going to lose for sure."

Only a few stood by Maria, but their voices were drowned out by mockery.

Meanwhile, Kira made her way to the faculty office to submit some books but stopped when she spotted Chris asleep alone in an empty classroom. She sneered, her mind quickly forming a plan.

Returning to class, she approached Maria. "The teacher wants to see you in the empty room on the third floor."

Maria raised a brow but said nothing, sensing something was off. Still, she went, curious what trick Kira was trying to pull.

When Maria stepped inside, the door clicked shut behind her. Locked.

She turned and tried the knob. It wouldn't budge.

"Seriously?" she muttered, then turned around—and paused.

Chris was lounging at the back, half-asleep at a desk. He stirred at the noise, lifting his head. His two shirt buttons were undone, hair messy in a way that looked effortless. Light from the window kissed his pale skin, illuminating the beauty mark near his lip and the birthmark on his neck, giving him a dangerous, almost ethereal allure.

Chris was a walking portrait—cold, unreadable, and far too beautiful.

Maria's eyes narrowed when he tilted his head, covering his chest with one hand and looking at her like a lazy pervert.

Her lip twitched.

"are you done acting like a damsel in distress and I the dragon you need help from "Maria taunted.

At least you know you are a dragon staring at fresh meat Chris bite back making Maria eyes twitch 

.......

On Wednesday I will post either 3 more chapters or 4 please comment or give review and comment what you think about the character please it will make me feel I'm not writing to myself and anyway thank for readings bye bye