chapter 25:the script of thorns

Test Day – Hallway

Every time Maria finished writing her papers, she'd sleep right there in the exam hall. Head down, hands folded — like she had poured everything into the test and was now completely drained. To the others, it looked like she had given up. They whispered she was writing nonsense. That she was exhausted. That she finally broke.

"Tsk." Kira's voice cut through the murmurs like a blade. She stepped in front of Maria, blocking her path.

"Maria, don't think I've forgotten about the bet," Kira said, eyes sharp. "And don't think being Chloe's little pet is gonna save you from it."

Maria didn't even blink. "Who said I forgot? I'd never forget something that'll be so satisfying to win. Get ready to lose." She brushed past, leaving Kira, Mira, and the others staring after her.

"She really loves to brag," a girl muttered.

"Maybe she can back it up," a boy replied. "You gotta know something to have a mouth like that."

"Shut up!" Kira suddenly screamed. "Maria's a dull, stupid bitch! Don't forget that!"

A chilling silence fell.

"Who are you calling a dull, stupid bitch?" a calm voice asked.

Neo.

He walked toward her like a shadow, slow, steady, quiet. The crowd parted around him like the Red Sea.

Kira flinched. "I... I was talking about Maria, Brother Neo," she said, lowering her gaze.

Neo chuckled — soft, cold.

He leaned in, voice like a razor hidden in velvet. "Then let today be the last time you talk about her like that. Or I'll cut your tongue out myself... so you stop spitting filth."

Kira's fists trembled. "But I'm telling the truth!" she snapped. "Maria is a bitch! And a seductress too! She seduces men left and right like some cheap slut—"

She paused, chest heaving.

No. She didn't want to think anymore.

She was the scholarship student. She earned her place with blood and sweat. Yet her crush... her crush loved Maria — Maria, who used to be ugly, stupid, and silent.

But she changed. She got pretty. Popular. Talented. A singer. A dancer. A musician.

And suddenly, everyone loved Maria.

But Kira? Kira was still the smart one, the hardworking one — and now she was nothing. A broken name on a broken desk. The one who got framed by Tessa. The one who got jumped by bullies. The one whose nudes were shared all over school.

And still... people supported Maria.

Where was her support?

Kira's fists clenched so tightly her nails pierced her skin. Tears threatened, but they didn't fall.

Neo chuckled again, gently grabbed her chin, and tilted her face up.

"So... you want to keep the bet? You're trying to prove you're better? You think being smart will save you? Or is it just your ego crying out for attention?"

He let go and stepped back.

"Let's say you win the test... then what?" he whispered, voice almost kind. "You think Chloe will forgive you? You think Maria will pity you? You think Mike — the guy who protects her like a dragon hoards treasure — will spare you?"

Neo leaned close, lips near her ear. "If Mike doesn't kill you... he'll make sure your whole family suffers. You want that?"

Kira stood still. Then slowly — very slowly — she crouched and sat on the ground. Her eyes were glassy. Her voice? Calm. Empty.

"Do you think I care?"

Neo began to turn away.

"Do you think I care?" she said again, louder.

He kept walking.

"My family took the money. That rich bastard's family gave them hush money — twenty thousand. That's all it took. And they were happy. Grinning like idiots."

Neo didn't turn around.

"My parents are planning to send me to the village. They say no one will marry me. They call me dirty... useless. Because of those pictures."

Her voice cracked — but her tone didn't rise.

"My brother... he wants to sell me. To some old man. For money. Thugs harass me every week. They laugh. And I just stand there."

Her hands trembled now, but her face was still. Cold.

"So no... I don't care anymore."

Then her voice dropped to a bitter, hateful growl.

"I'll drag everyone to hell with me."

She stood, slow and dangerous like a storm rising.

"I'll start with Maria. And that bitch Tessa — the one who threw herself on Chris in the hallway because she saw Maria and got jealous. But Maria had already walked away, didn't she?"

The crowd stiffened. They remembered that day.

"And Chris?" Kira hissed. "He pushed Ivy away. He was disgusted. I saw it. But Ivy saw me watching. So what did she do?"

Kira's eyes burned with tears and fire.

"She acted like I pushed her down the stairs. Me! And these dumbass classmates of ours didn't even ask what happened. They just sang her praises. They bullied me. They spat on me. Like they were gods."

She started laughing — low and broken.

"You people... You think you're clean? Righteous? Perfect? No... you're just good at hiding your filth. It's only when someone's secret spills that you pounce like rats."

She faced them all.

"The bullies... the fake friends... the pretty liars... this school... every last one of you. You drove me insane."

She wiped her tears and smiled. The kind of smile you see before everything burns.

"Let's all die together."

Silence.

Then slowly, Kira turned and walked back to class.

And no one dared speak.

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✦ Scene Start: The Drama Script – Unfiltered and Fully Revealed

After Maria left the building, she headed straight to the studio. Today, her long-awaited song would be released. Before anything else, she uploaded a teaser online, leaving a sly caption:

> "Do you think this song will chart? Let's make a bet."

Fans and casual passersby immediately flooded the comments, making playful and competitive bets on whether her debut would trend. But Maria didn't stay to watch — she had somewhere else to be.

She was headed to the audition for a role in a highly anticipated web drama — as the second female lead.

The drama's script was already making waves online.

It told the story of a cold, calculating woman, the CEO of an entertainment company, who discovers a talented but illegitimate son struggling to enter the industry. The second FL — the role Maria aimed for — didn't believe in love. She helped the ML only to use his talent for her company's benefit. But the ML eventually fell for her.

Then came the FL — a woman seeking revenge against the second FL's powerful family.

Just when the ML was about to be sold to a powerful sponsor by his corrupt manager, the FL appeared and saved him. Believing it was the second FL who had betrayed him, the ML turned cold. He began building his own company and power, while the FL kept her distance, focused on revenge.

The second FL, sensing the ML's rising value, engaged him — but it was just another strategic move.

In truth, the ML used her fame to rise, but his heart was still in chaos. When he finally reunited with the FL, she was on the verge of being crushed by the second FL's family. He stepped in to protect her.

The second FL confronted him.

He confessed — it was the FL who had saved him, not her. The second FL only smiled and asked, "Do you have proof?" Then, calmly, she vowed to kill the FL and take back everything.

That marked the beginning of a dark, twisted love-hate triangle.

The ML told the second FL he only treated the FL as a "pet," someone to toy with. He denied helping her seriously. That infuriated the second FL. She broke off the engagement and cut all ties.

When she got engaged to a more powerful family, the ML mocked her, saying she was just a fame-hungry clown. In a fit of rage, he returned to help the FL, eventually destroying the second FL's family — only to find out that the second FL was never the one who betrayed him.

In fact, she was the one who'd protected him all along.

When he finally went to her, she was on the edge of suicide. He begged her to stop. Promised he'd take care of her. But she only looked at him with dead eyes and said:

> "You're ungrateful. You'll go back to her anyway. So why should I live?"

She took her life.

Just like she predicted, the ML returned to the FL — but only to torment her. He realized the FL had planned everything from the start. She wanted to destroy the second FL and used him as a weapon.

He made her suffer. No matter how she escaped, he always found her. When she tried to end her life too, he remembered the second FL's words — and began treating the FL kindly.

In the end, they married.

But the audience would always remember the second FL — the woman who built everything and lost everything.

And this… this was the role Maria wanted.

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✦ Scene: Maria's Audition – A Room Gone Still

People sat in rows outside the audition hall, their scripts clutched tightly, nerves buzzing under the surface. Conversations ran in low murmurs. Tension filled the air, interrupted only when the main door opened again.

Click. Click.

The sound of heels against the marble floor turned heads.

Maria walked in.

Slim frame, sharp eyes, and not a single strand of hair out of place. She wore a long black trench coat, plain yet commanding. Her face was bare—no makeup, no smile.

The whispers started immediately.

> "Wait... is that Maria?"

"The one from that variety show? The masked dancer? She's popular online, isn't she?"

"What's she doing here? This isn't a fan meet."

"Does she even act? This isn't some viral challenge."

Someone even chuckled. "She probably thinks this is another stage. She's a singer, right? Not an actress."

Maria didn't flinch.

She walked past them all without sparing a glance. Cold. Focused.

When her number was called, she stepped inside.

The audition room was large and dimly lit. Three judges sat behind a long desk, their expressions guarded. A camera was pointed at the center.

The lead judge adjusted her glasses. "Name?"

"Maria Skye," she answered, voice calm.

The judge raised a brow. "You're here for the role of the second female lead?"

"Yes."

"Have you read the scene? It's the part after the male lead reveals she didn't save him. She laughs, and... breaks. Emotionally. If you're ready, begin."

Maria closed her eyes.

And when she opened them, she wasn't Maria anymore.

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✦ The Scene Begins: The Second Female Lead

She stood center stage, eyes fixed on something invisible in front of her — the imaginary male lead.

Then, softly... she laughed.

But it wasn't joy.

It was hollow. Broken. Sharp.

> "You say she saved you?"

"You think I was the one who sold you out?"

She tilted her head slightly, her voice silk wrapped around barbed wire.

> "Poor thing. You always were so desperate to be someone's hero. So easy to fool. So easy to use."

Maria's eyes glistened, but no tears fell.

> "You looked at me like I was the devil, didn't you? All those years... all those things I did for you... every deal I ruined to keep your name clean... every person I silenced..."

"And now you come to me with that pathetic look — as if you're the victim."

She smiled.

> "Kill her? You think I care enough to kill her? If I wanted her gone, she'd be ashes."

Her voice cracked — but not weakly. It shattered with restrained fury.

> "You want proof? You don't need it. You've already made your choice. So go. Crawl to your little angel."

She took a step forward — closer to the judges.

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

> "But remember this—when she leaves you like everyone else… when she uses you like you used me… I won't laugh next time."

She looked up, dead in the eyes of the lead judge.

> "I'll be gone. And all that'll be left... is regret."

Silence.

No music. No effects. No crying.

Just Maria. Standing there. Breathing.

Heavy. Real.

The judges didn't speak.

One of them coughed, as if trying to snap out of a trance.

The lead judge leaned back in her seat and whispered under her breath, "...Damn."

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