Diego's house was filled with tension as he, Taylor, and Anne sat around the dining table. Anne leaned forward, her brows furrowed in concern.
"What about the business?" she asked.
Diego sighed deeply. "I'm not trying to exaggerate, dear, but the business is going down.
Anne hesitated, her mind racing. "Should I speak to Thomas, or do you have any other ideas?"
"Your choice, honey," Taylor said.
Anne looked troubled, lost in thought, when Diego's cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then stood up to take the call.
"Hello?" Diego said into the phone. "Yes, I remember. Okay, I'll be right there in ten minutes. Thank you very much, sir."
He ended the call and turned back to his family, his confidence restored. "We have to be in a meeting, honey."
"We'll talk when we get back," Taylor replied. "There's enough time for you to resolve the issue. Goodbye, honey."
Diego and Taylor left, closing the door behind them. Anne was left alone, her thoughts swirling, when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Mia standing there, a surprised look on her face.
"Mia? Oh my God, heavens sent you to me," Anne exclaimed. "I was actually looking for a shoulder to lean on."
"Are you going to leave me out here chatting with you?" Mia teased.
Anne quickly stepped aside. "Oh, I am so sorry for my manners. Please, come in."
Mia entered, and Anne led her to the living room where they both sat down.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Mia asked.
"I thought it was my parents. They left for a meeting a few minutes ago," Anne explained.
Mia could see the stress etched on Anne's face. "Having troubles with the business, huh? Take a break from work, Anne."
Anne shook her head. "I wish I could, Barbie doll, but I can't. Mom and Dad put their trust in me. Do you know how it feels? I'm scared of breaking their trust."
"You know what?" Mia said, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we get your mind off things? Let's make some hot cocoa."
Anne looked at Mia incredulously. "Are you pulling my leg or what? I'm at the end of a tiny rope... no distractions, or else I'll run out of time. I'm sorry, Mia, but I can't right now."
"But if you're swamped with work and don't take a break," Mia argued, "then there'll be a bigger distraction, and you'll eventually run out of time sooner than later. What's it going to be?"
Anne hesitated, then exhaled deeply. "Alright, fine, we have five minutes."
Mia grinned. "Ten minutes."
Anne raised an eyebrow. "Seven minutes."
"Fifteen," Mia countered.
Anne gasped. "Oh my God, is that how you negotiate, Barbie doll? I thought negotiation typically involves times going down, not up."
Mia laughed. "My negotiation is different."
The two friends burst into laughter, easing the tension.
"Alright, ten minutes," Anne agreed.
Mia playfully groaned. "Gosh, you are such a buzzkill. So, how is Thomas?"
"Well," Anne said, "if he isn't working, he's having meetings. He barely has time for himself."
"That's tough," Mia sympathized.
"Tell me about it," Anne replied.
Mia's gaze shifted to the kitchen. "Okay, let's pause for a while and talk about the ingredients. Do you have cocoa powder, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, whipped cream, and marshmallows?"
Anne shook her head. "I have none of those. My kitchen is not like your Barbie doll kitchen, Mia. My kitchen is a company, and my ingredients are documents."
Mia laughed. What do you want us to do, Anne? I wanted to take your mind off things, but it isn't working as planned."
Anne thought for a moment. "We could order pizza; it's pretty much the only food we eat around here."
Mia's eyes widened. "This explains why you're getting thinner by the day. You look like a toothbrush, Anne. You know what? Let's eat pizza and watch TV."
Anne shook her head. "We can't do that in ten minutes, Barbie doll. Okay, let's go out and eat."
Mia grinned. "This is the fourth reason I love you."
Anne raised an eyebrow. "Um... sorry for being nosy, but I wanna know. What are the first three reasons you love me?"
Mia shrugged. "How would I know?"
Anne burst into laughter, and Mia smiled at her.
"I wanted to put a smile on your face but it seems I put a laugh on your face," Mia said. "I'm glad you're happy now. Shall we?"
"Thanks for the good company, Barbie doll," Anne said, smiling warmly. "It's been months since I laughed this hard. Alright, let's go."
The friends laughed and chatted as they made their way out.
The psychiatric hospital was eerily quiet, a silence only broken by the occasional distant clatter of metal instruments or the muffled sobs of the patients within. Selina Richard sat in her cold, sterile room, lost in thoughts that swirled like a dark vortex, each one pulling her further away from the person she once was. The door creaked open, and Laura, a stern-faced doctor with an air of authority, approached her with a frown.
"You have a visitor, Miss Richard," Laura stated, her voice devoid of warmth.
Selina barely registered Laura's words as she was led to the visiting room. There, her mother, Frances, was waiting, her eyes already brimming with tears as she saw the state of her daughter. Selina's once vibrant spirit seemed to have been extinguished, leaving behind only a shadow of the girl Frances knew.
"My love," Frances began, her voice quivering as she reached out to hold her daughter's hands, "I have missed you so much. Please forgive me, but I can't get you out of here." Frances sobbed softly, the weight of her failure evident in her every word. "I tried my best to hire a good lawyer, but the judge said it's not safe to have a mentally unstable person amongst people. But I know you, Selina. I know you're not crazy. Don't worry, I'll get you out of here one way or another."
Selina lifted her head slowly, a grin forming on her lips as she spoke in a low, chilling tone, "Don't bother."
Frances stared at her daughter in shock. "Huh?" she gasped, hoping she had misheard.
"You heard me, Mom. Don't bother," Selina repeated, her voice carrying an unsettling calm.
"Love," Frances said, her concern deepening, "you've been here for years. Do you like it here? Don't you want a good job, to get married, have kids? You have a bright future ahead."
Selina's eyes darkened as she responded, her tone as cold as the room they were in, "I don't like repeating myself, Mother. I said, do not bother!"
Frances was growing increasingly alarmed. "Okay, you're starting to scare me now, love. Please, talk to me! Are you okay? Are they hurting you?"
Before Selina could answer, Laura re-entered the room, her presence cutting the moment short. "Sorry to interrupt, but time's up. Visiting hours are over."
"Please, give us a minute," Frances pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice. "I need to talk to my daughter properly."
"Ma'am, you have to cooperate with us. She is dangerous," Laura insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Frances rose to her feet, her fury barely contained. "News flash, lady. She is my daughter."
"I am sorry, ma'am, but I can't do anything for you now," Laura said nonchalantly, as though she had heard it all before.
Turning to Selina, Laura said, "Walk to your room, Miss Richard."
Selina stood up without a word, walking towards the exit. Just as she reached the door, she paused, turning back to her mother with a sinister grin that made Frances's blood run cold. Selina then exited, leaving Frances reeling in confusion.
"Wait," Frances whispered to herself, "I saw something… Did Selina grin at me? She…" Her thoughts trailed off as Laura's voice brought her back to the present.
"You have to leave now, ma'am. We want to lock the building for safety," Laura instructed.
"She never grins," Frances muttered, almost to herself. "I know my daughter, I promise. Something is going on, something is definitely wrong with my love."
Laura's patience was wearing thin. "Ma'am…"
"What are you guys doing to my daughter?" Frances demanded, her voice rising in anger. "Are you hurting her? Tell me something! Speak!"
"Ma'am, do not trigger the call of security," Laura warned, her tone icy.
"Call them for all I care!" Frances yelled, her frustration boiling over. "I am coming back for my daughter, and that's a promise from a mother to her daughter." With that, Frances stormed out of the hospital, her heart heavy with worry.
Back in her room, Selina sat mumbling to herself, her mind a storm of dark thoughts. Laura barged in, her anger barely contained as she approached Selina.
"What did you tell your mother, wench?" Laura spat, her voice laced with venom. "I hope you didn't open your stupid mouth. I am asking a question."
Selina looked up at Laura, her expression devoid of any fear. "I told her I loved her," she replied nonchalantly.
The response only fueled Laura's rage. Without thinking, she slapped Selina hard across the face. "Who are you trying to fool?" she snarled. "You can fool your mother, not me. Now, for the last time, what did you tell your foolish mother?"
"Mom isn't foolish; you are," Selina shot back, her words dripping with contempt.
Shocked by Selina's audacity, Laura grabbed her arm forcefully. "What did you say? You'll be punished for that," she threatened, dragging Selina out of the room.
Laura hauled Selina into the psychiatric laboratory, the sterile room filled with ominous-looking equipment. "I guess you need another electroconvulsive therapy session," Laura sneered.
Panic flickered in Selina's eyes. "I am sorry, I was out of line. Please forgive me. I don't need that again," she begged, her voice trembling.
"Too late," Laura responded, her tone final.
Selina's demeanor changed in an instant. "Indeed," she said, her voice now steady, almost cold.
"What?" Laura barely had time to register the shift in Selina's tone before she was struck hard in the stomach. She gasped, doubling over in pain.
"You… ungrateful bitch," Laura hissed through gritted teeth.
"Ouch, that's harsh," Selina mocked, her voice now filled with dark amusement. "I thought you warned us against harsh language." She laughed, a cold, malevolent sound. "Rot in hell, Laura."
Laura collapsed to the floor, struggling to breathe. "You… are… s-s-sick," she choked out, her words barely audible as the life drained from her.
Selina checked Laura's pulse, confirming that she was dead. She stood up, her expression unreadable as she surveyed the room. A grin spread across her face.
Without hesitation, Selina turned on the fire alarm, screaming for help.
Her cries brought the other doctors rushing into the room, concern etched on their faces. The first doctor to reach her, asked what happened?
"I don't know," Selina stammered, her voice filled with feigned panic. "She… she was about to punish me when she started acting off. I think she was possessed. She stabbed herself."
Doctor 3 looked at the scene in disbelief.
Selina continued to play the part of the frightened victim. "I… I… I don't know. I am scared, I don't want to end up like her. Please, I can't stay here anymore, I hate blood. I… this can't happen to me."
Doctor 4, who had been quietly observing the situation, asked, "Where did she get the knife from?"
"Please," Selina begged, her voice trembling, "don't ask me anything, I am anxious right now. Can I… can I be alone with the female doctor for some minutes?"
Doctor 4 nodded to the others. "Take the corpse out, guys. I'll speak with Miss Richard."
As the doctors carried Laura's lifeless body out of the room, the female doctor, Doctor 4, approached Selina, who was still sobbing, though her tears were as fake as the story she had just told.
"It's alright, Miss Richard, you can talk to me," Doctor 4 said, her voice soothing.
Selina's expression changed in an instant. "Don't make it hard for yourself, or else you'll end up like Laura. Just do what I say..."
Doctor 4 froze, stunned by the sudden shift in Selina's tone. "What?" she whispered, fear creeping into her voice.
"I want to escape, and I need your help," Selina said, her voice cold and calculating. "You have to give me your uniform."
Doctor 4 took a step back, her mind racing. "You… you murdered Doctor Laura? Who are you?"
Selina's eyes narrowed. "I am the crazy girl everyone turned me into. I am not crazy, but everyone believed I was, even Doctor Laura. She treated me like trash, like I was some orphan begging for a penny. When I get out of here, I'll make sure everyone who played a part in my torture gets a chilling served dish. Unfortunately, you aren't on my list. Lucky you, huh?"
Doctor 4's fear was palpable. "What do you want?"
"It's simple," Selina said, her tone eerily calm.
She explained her plan to the female doctor, who, terrified for her life, agreed to help Selina. Selina knew she was close to achieving her freedom, and nothing, not even the blood on her hands, would stop her from getting what she wanted. The taste of freedom was within reach, and she was willing to do whatever it took to grasp it, leaving behind a trail of fear and bodies in her wake.