Richard sat across from Helen at her house, the weight of unspoken words lingering in the air.
"I'm sorry for not trusting you," he finally confessed, frustration evident in his voice. "I was angry. Selina is a devil."
Helen nodded in agreement, her expression serious.
Before they could delve deeper, Selina entered the room, disguised as a maid, her demeanor deceptively innocuous.
"Hello, sir, hello, ma'am. I am your new maid," she announced, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
"What took you so long?" Helen demanded.
"I'm sorry," Selina replied, feigning humility.
"Clear out the trash, wash all the clothes in the house, cook dinner, and then leave," Helen ordered, her tone leaving no room for debate.
"No problem, ma'am," Selina said with a slight bow.
"Take care of the house. We are going out," Helen instructed.
Richard glanced at Helen, urgency flashing in his eyes. "Let's go, Helen."
As they exited, Selina called out, "Come in."
A second maid stepped through the door. "Yes, ma'am?"
"You heard her," Selina commanded. "Do everything she said except the cooking."
"Okay, ma'am."
Selina's brow furrowed. "Get to work... and stop calling me ma'am."
"Alright," the maid replied, hurrying away.
Once alone, Selina revealed a bottle of pills, her eyes glinting with malice. "All these different types of pills are so dangerous, but they don't kill. These are the same drugs my sweet daddy and his mistress were giving me to drive me insane. I was smart enough to overhear their conversation. Now, it's time for payback. They will go mad and aggressive... and end up in a mental hospital. It's Selina's promise."
Just then, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hello, Jake," she answered.
"You said to meet up," Jake's voice came through the line, laced with concern.
"I am on my way," Selina replied, her tone shifting to one of determination.
She hung up and dialed Officer Robert. "This is Selina speaking. I don't work alone. I'll send you the address."
Inside Selina's mansion, Jake paced nervously, his mind racing with worry. "Where could she be? I know Selina; she might be up to something."
Officer Roberts and several other officers burst into the room, their presence commanding.
"Put your hands where I can see them," Roberts ordered, his voice stern.
"What? What is going on here?" Jake exclaimed, bewildered.
Roberts narrowed his eyes. "You tell us. I presume you are Selina's assistant."
"No, no, no, I am not Selina's assistant. I am not working for her," Jake insisted, panic rising in his chest.
"Then what are you doing here?" Roberts pressed.
"Selina is my friend, and I want the best for her. She asked us to meet up. I'm trying to talk her out of what she's doing," Jake explained, desperation creeping into his voice.
"Likely story. You are under arrest for helping a criminal," Roberts declared, his expression unyielding.
"Listen, officer, I am not with Selina," Jake pleaded.
"You know the law. Anything you say or do will be used against you," Roberts replied, gesturing for the other officers to cuff him.
"Selina set me up," Jake protested as they led him away.
Meanwhile, Taylor and Diego seethed with rage in their living room, the air thick with tension.
"We've lost everything," Taylor exclaimed, her fists clenched.
"Absolutely everything. Who could do this to us? Who ruined our business?" Diego replied, his frustration boiling over.
"Wait, what papers did we sign?" Taylor asked, suddenly apprehensive.
"I don't know. Anne convinced us not to read them. Are you implying that..." Diego's voice trailed off, realization dawning.
"Yes, our daughter has something to do with it," Taylor asserted, determination in her gaze.
"Anne... but why?" Diego questioned, a hint of betrayal in his voice.
"I guess we are going to find out," Taylor replied, her mind racing as they headed out.
Thomas entered his home to find Anne packing her belongings in a frenzy.
"What are you doing, Anne?" he asked, a mix of concern and confusion in his voice.
"Oh, nothing much, just practicing synchronized swimming," she retorted sarcastically.
"Why are you packing?" Thomas pressed, bewildered.
"I want to go to Spain. I love that country so much," Anne replied, her voice strained.
"Is it because of what happened?" Thomas inquired, sensing deeper turmoil.
"Are you serious? What did you expect? Come home to find me making lunch? Wake up, Thomas," she snapped, frustration evident.
Thomas extended Anne's ring toward her, a symbol of their connection. "Here, wear it."
Anne scoffed, "You can give that to Mia."
"Wear it, or else your parents..." he warned, his tone turning serious.
In a moment of raw emotion, Anne slapped Thomas across the face. "Read my lips, Thomas! To hell with the business!"
At that moment, Diego and Taylor burst into the room.
"Is that why you sabotaged it?" Diego demanded, anger simmering beneath his words.
"Yes, to get it out of my life for good," Anne shot back defiantly.
"What are you doing here?" Thomas asked, caught off guard.
"We're sorry, Thomas. We didn't do it. It was all Anne," Diego admitted, regret evident in his eyes.
"It was all you two," Anne countered, her voice rising.
"Why are you packing?" Taylor interjected, desperation in her tone.
"Oh, maybe because my parents sold me out to a cheater. Luckily, I found out about it," Anne spat, her anger palpable.
"Who's with you? Is it Selina?" Diego asked, a mixture of concern and fear crossing his face.
"What if it is Selina? At least she cares about me and never used me as a pawn in her games," Anne retorted, dismissing her parents' concern.
"Anne..." Taylor began, but her daughter cut her off.
"No, do not interrupt me because I'm not done talking, Mom. Goodbye, everyone. Oh, and Thomas, you can engage my mom. I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind," she said bitterly.
"Anne, you're crossing the line," Diego warned, his voice laced with disappointment.
"No, I'm not. The days of you guys controlling my life are over. I'm going to stay with Aunt Frances. She's more of a parent to me than either of you. Don't come looking for me because I don't share any relationship with any of you," she declared fiercely before storming out.
"What just happened?" Taylor whispered, her face pale.
"Damn," Thomas muttered before exiting, frustration boiling over.
"What are we going to do now? We've lost the business and our daughter," Diego lamented, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"She's right. Selina cares about her more than we do. I don't know why it took us this long to realize that," Taylor admitted, regret etching her features.
"I guess you're right. We were only concerned about business and forgot what's more important—our daughter," Diego said, a sense of realization dawning on him.
"We can try to fix it. At least we know where she is," Taylor suggested, her determination rekindled.
Meanwhile, Selina entered Lizzy's house, disguised as a police officer, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Hi," she greeted casually.
Lizzy shrieked, startled. "Oh... I thought it was someone else."
"Selina?" she asked, her voice bold.
"Yes," Lizzy replied, her tone calm.
"Do not worry, ma'am. We are here to protect you from her. Officer Roberts told us to keep you safe."
"Thank you," Lizzy said, visibly relieved.
"Alright, I'll leave now," Selina said, turning to exit.
But just as Lizzy began to relax, Selina re-entered abruptly. "Hydrogen sulfide. You taught us well, Miss Lizzy."
"Why are you doing this?" Lizzy asked, her voice shaking with fear.
"Because people like us have no future, and we can never be successful in life. Does that ring a bell?" Selina replied, her tone icy.
"I am sorry," Lizzy stammered, guilt washing over her.
"See? Everyone is sorry all of a sudden because I've become a monster. But when I was nice, you all weren't sorry. I am sorry too, Miss Lizzy. Say hi to the nuns for me. You all will probably meet in hell. Bye," Selina said, a cruel smile on her lips as she exited, leaving Lizzy in shock and regret.
In Frances' house, Anne hugged her aunt tightly, gratitude shining in her eyes.
"Thank you, Aunt," she whispered.
"It's nothing, so stop thanking me," Frances replied, her warmth evident.
Suddenly, Anne's phone rang, breaking the moment.
"Hello? Yes, I knew her. What? No, no!" Anne gasped, dropping her phone in horror. "No!"
"What happened?" Frances asked, alarmed.
Anne collapsed into tears, her fears realized. "She got to Mia and Miss Lizzy. I know she betrayed me, but she was my friend," Anne said, her voice breaking as she spoke.
Frances wrapped her arms around Anne, offering solace. "It's okay, darling," she murmured gently.
"When is Selina going to stop? She can't keep doing this!" Anne exclaimed, frustration and fear mingling in her voice.
"Shh, don't cry. Everything is going to be alright," Frances reassured her, trying to soothe the turmoil within.
Despite Frances's comforting words, Anne continued to weep, overwhelmed by the weight of recent events.