"Ma'am Veron?" I called our teacher's attention as she's in the middle of dismissing our class. I approached her with full confidence. "Suddenly, I remembered the plates you gave to each pair for plating, there is a number written on it, isn't it?"
Because I was so nervous earlier and I was so irritated by what happened to Queenie and I, I didn't realize that the plates that were given to us had a designated number marked on it. Using a marker, the designated number of pairs is written on the plates. And in our case, Queenie and I are pair number 6.
With that being said, I am certain and a hundred percent sure I can prove to our teacher that a cheating accident happened. As long as Ma'am Veron herself would see that the plate that Monica and Jade used rightfully belongs to us.
"I just noticed that the plate that Queenie and I used when we presented to you our dish, that's not our plate," was my initial response and I simply looked at Monica on the other table. And I'm not surprised that she started to get nervous and feel uneasy when I caught her in her position. "Pair number 7 is written on the plate, so eventually... the plate is not ours or Queenie's."
"To you, Monica?" Ma'am Veron walked closer to Monica's place. "You and Jade are pair number 7, right?"
"What are they trying to say, Ma'am-"
"You changed your plate to our plate!" Queenie snorted angrily. "You gave us your sloppy fettuccine pasta and you took our work! Is that right, Monica?!"
And it's happening. Right now, I am close to the climax I would love to watch. Because right in this timing, I can now visualize what would happen next once my only evidence I have against Monica would end up being true.
The whole class started their own business of gossiping and began creating hilarious issues. Well, what Monica did is really embarrassing. My sudden leaving out of the room to breathe some fresh air after the fight I had with Queenie earlier also brought something good because I caught Monica and her friends in the act. Thanks to everything I heard, I found out about Monica and her friends sabotaging me.
"I can't tolerate this disgusting action!" Ma'am Veron pointed to Monica and Jade. "You two… you will be left here! I will talk to you!" And afterwards, she looked at the whole class. "The rest of you can go back to your classroom."
When Queenie and I were leaving the Cookery room, Ma'am Veron called us one more time. "You don't have to worry about your grades, ladies. Whatever grade I gave earlier to Monica and Jade for believing it was their output, that's the grade you two will get."
That's why Queenie and I went out of the Cookery room very happy because of the good news we received. Because the grade that Monica and Jade got earlier was the highest, so that means after revealing the truth... the pair of Queenie and I became the highest!
"I'm really sorry for my behavior earlier, huh?" Queenie responded as we returned to the classroom. "I'm just really frustrated that we did our best to have a good output, so I was also really shocked by Ma'am's ugly feedback to us earlier."
I smiled at her. "That's okay. What's important now... Monica has finally tasted her own medicine."
—
Even Lucas has no idea what the urgent dinner meeting that his father conducted was for. It seems like it's about family matters, so I'm really surprised that Lucas even included me in their dinner meeting. We're not married yet, so eventually... I'm not part of their family yet.
"What makes this dinner meeting urgent when all I can see is a bitch who's coming?"
I followed what Lucas was looking at, and when I saw Monica coming... I was like asking the same question Lucas had in mind. Is Monica too special to Lucas' father to prepare a dinner meeting just to talk to her?
And what's with her clothes? Very short and revealing. She looked like she wouldn't attend a formal dinner meeting. Is she really intending to dress like that to seduce Lucas? How desperate a move she is planning to make, huh?
"I got stuck in traffic, uncle, that's why I arrived here very late. I'm so sorry..." She kissed Tito Alfred's cheek, Lucas' father, and also the same with Tita Helena.
"I really don't know what's going on," I heard Lucas's whisper to me. Under the table, he reached for my hand and held it tightly. "I'll try my best to find information-"
"I won't leave here if that's what you want me to do," I whispered. "I also want to know the answer to my questions by staying here. Like you, I also feel that Monica has some evil plan she prepared, which is why she's here, so I should stay here."
"You might be stressed-"
"You can talk about that later, love birds! You have to spend time with me and welcome me first, Lucas!" Monica came closer to Lucas and hugged him, there was also a kiss on the cheek that she made. "I miss you-"
"Limit your action, Monica. I'm already engaged-"
"Oh?" Monica poked her eyes at me and stared at me badly. "My bad. I'm totally not expecting you to lower your standards, huh? Are you really going to marry a woman who's a rape victim? You will take accountability to her baby who, we all know, that baby's real father is a rapist."
"What?" Lucas's dad reacted... and I think he doesn't know anything about my issue. "You're a rape victim, Chanty? Isn't Lucas the father of your baby? Am I understanding things, right?"
I can't answer suddenly. I get why Lucas and his mom didn't inform Lucas' father about the dark issue I had in my past. Of course, I will not be accepted by a rich CEO if Lucas only marries me to be responsible for the baby that Lucas is not the father of.
But I can't even defend myself to his father. I can't even say a single word just to make myself clear that I'm not using Lucas just to cover me from the issue I'm still suffering from.
"Dad, it doesn't matter-"
"It does matter!" Tito Alfred hit the table hard. "I can't believe you're going to marry someone like her! The baby that woman is carrying isn't yours, so why do you have to be responsible for her, Lucas?!"
"Yeah, right," Monica seconded the motion.
"I will disagree to continue this marriage-"
"And then what?" Lucas stood up from his seat. "Are you going to set me up to marry Monica instead of Chanty? Just because you knew how dark the past that Chanty has suffered into? Are you crazy, Dad?!"
"Why not?" Sir Alfred's eyes were thrown at me, full of disgust. "Compared to that girl, you and our family will be more blessed if you will be engaged with Monica. When our company and theirs merged, we will be the powerful businessmen in the business world."
"Add to that, Tito..." Monica interrupted again. "The reason why I came here is to make an offer. Because my father wants to buy shares in your company. He's interested in being part of your company's housing project and he's started to visualize that buying shares in your company would not be put into waste."
"I love it!" Delighted, Tito Alfred approached Monica and hugged her. "My goodness, I can't wait to have you, wise woman, be part of our family!"
I just kept myself quiet. I can't do anything if Lucas's father has already voted for Monica over me. Especially now that Lucas' father found out that I was a rape victim, I bet... Lucas and I's engagement officially ends here.