Chapter 149: The start of a nightmare

Back in Nina’s room, Nina jumped on the bed in irritation.

"Did they think I’m a fool to think they’re just pretending not to know?" she hissed. "With how big Jessa’s mouth is, I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire neighborhood already knew about it."

She snapped her tongue once again, jumping out of the bed to pace back and forth. She thought of what to do for now, knowing she couldn’t give up just yet. With all the rumors circulating about her and with Patricia now an enemy, Nina had to think of something.

With that thought in mind, Nina went to pick up her bag to get her phone. As she did so, she caught her wallet. Nina had been spending her allowance on her transportation and some fancy foods outside. She didn’t like eating in this household and her taste was too expensive for convenience store foods.

"Huh?" She hummed as soon as she opened her wallet, taking out the few bills that were left in it. "This is all that was left?"

Counting the money in her wallet and then thinking of the date when she would get her allowance, this money wasn’t enough. She frowned.

"Why can’t my parents give me a service?" she hissed in dismay, thinking she wouldn’t have to use her own allowance if the Bennet Couple offered to give her a school service. "What should I do now?"

She wondered, thinking that even if she stopped eating out, her remaining allowance wouldn’t still last. Nina intuitively grabbed her phone and searched for old Mrs. Roswald’s number.

She placed the phone in front of her ear, waiting for it to ring. But alas, the call didn’t even go through.

"Out of service?" she muttered and then tried calling once more. The operator was still the one she heard.

Bitterness spread across her face as she gazed down at her phone. "Is she abandoning me now too? Did Penny already poison her?" She clenched her teeth angrily, assuming Penny was already trying to gain favor from the elders.

Little did Nina know, or rather, what she forgot was that old Mrs. Roswald had a flight today. Her grandmother already told her about it in passing, but Nina was too busy gaining her sympathy, she didn’t quite get it.

"No. I don’t think Penny can do all of these things all at once." Nina shook her head, telling herself not to jump to conclusion yet. "My allowance can still suffice for a few days..."

She trailed off as she slowly lifted her eyes toward the door. Without saying anything, Nina carefully opened the door and gazed at the room across from her. More specifically, Yuri’s bedroom.

"Hah." Nina quickly shut the door in irritation when a wicked thought crossed her mind. "No, I’m not a thief. That girl isn’t even in my league — I don’t need to ask for money. I’m not a beggar like her."

Money was never one of Nina’s worries before. Everything was provided for her and her allowance was mostly to give her the option if she wanted to buy something else. It was merely money to buy herself something nice, but was never a necessity for her.

"Gosh!" she ruffled her hair in irritation, marching back to the bedroom to call her grandmother. The outcome was still the same.

"Ugh!"

Her anger reached its peak. Nina once again vented her anger on the bed, burying her face to scream her lungs out. Even by muffling it, Yuri and Yugi, who had already arrived upstairs, could hear the muffled screams.

"She’s crazy." Yugi shook his head and clicked his tongue. "What a piece of work. A piece of omen did we have in this house."

Yuri sighed. "Just let her be. Mom said she’s going through a lot in her school."

"I hope she’s not affecting Penny."

"Mom would be the first to get angry if she does that," Yuri reassured.

Yugi just glanced at his sister and shook his head. With that, the twins went into their own rooms to wash up and rest. They didn’t bother with Nina anymore to save their sanity.

*

*

*

The next day rolled in and while the Cortez Family were having a peaceful breakfast, they couldn’t help but look at the stair when Nina’s figure was seen. Nina didn’t even bother looking at them as she went straight outside to go to school.

"Does Penny’s parents give her that much allowance?" Yugi blurted out curiously. "That girl never eats breakfast here and only eats here at night. But she always says she already eats outside before coming home."

"Yugi, don’t bother with this anymore," his father waved dismissively. "She already ruins our appetite every dinner. We might as well enjoy breakfast without her."

Jessa arched a brow at her husband. "Husband, now that I think about it, you’ve slimmed down a bit since Nina started joining us for dinner. I think it’s not bad at all. You’ve gained so much weight, and I think it’s about time you think of working out."

"Honey, why are you so cruel to me?"

"Charles Bennet is handsome, darling!" Jessa urged. "We shouldn’t fall back. We’re already falling back in terms of money. We should at least try to look better. Moreover, you were handsome before."

"Mom, Dad is still handsome," Yuri chimed in. "Dad, don’t worry. Even if Penny’s father is handsome, you’re still a better dad."

"Mom, you can’t blame dad. Your cooking is the best," Yugi added, making his father nod.

Like any other normal breakfast, the Cortez Family enjoyed this moment without the omen who ruined every meal time.

It was a sad thing, but Nina was simply pushing everyone away.

****

Meanwhile, Nina still booked a car on her way to school. Even if she was already running out of cash, she still didn’t want to go to school, looking all pathetic. Once she arrived, Nina kept a high chin and ignored the odd looks and hushed whispers around her.

From today onward, Nina had to enter the bottom section of their batch. Even so, she knew she was ten times better than her new classmates. Thus, she didn’t want to get affected by it. If she acted intimidated, people would just think she was guilty. She had to show them there was nothing she was ashamed of.

But when Nina opened the door of her classroom and stepped in, a bucket full of dirty water poured straight down to her.

SPLASH!