Chapter 73

Chapter 73:

A peculiar, slightly pungent scent drifted into Fernanda’s senses, sharp enough to make her pause.

Her alert black eyes scanned the room before slowly lifting toward the door.

There it was—a bucket, precariously balanced on the doorframe.

Disappointment washed over her.

She had considered the possibility that Kevin didn’t like her—perhaps he might even try to make her life difficult. But this? And on the very day of his return?

It was painfully childish.

She sighed, her lips tightening as she approached.

With deliberate care, Fernanda nudged the door open just a sliver. The bucket trembled but didn’t fall.

Pulling a chair closer, she stepped onto it and leaned in, inspecting the prank from above.

Inside the bucket: thick, glossy black paint.

A flicker of amusement danced in her eyes.

Gently, she eased the door back shut, leaving it just barely ajar.

Then, with an exaggerated gasp, she cried out,

“Ah!”

Her voice echoed through the hallway, just loud enough to reach any eavesdropper nearby.

Sure enough, hurried footsteps approached.

Kevin and Erika came rushing in, trying—and failing—to stifle their giggles.

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“What an idiot,” Kevin muttered with a smirk.

“Erika, I told you she’d fall for it.”

Erika bit her lower lip to hold back a laugh, already picturing Fernanda—humiliated and dripping in paint.

When Kevin first shared his plan, Erika had scoffed at its childishness, dismissing it outright. But Kevin had insisted: the simpler the trick, the more effective the surprise.

And it seemed he had been right.

Erika felt a thrill of anticipation and excitement. She longed to see Fernanda fall for it. Just once, she wanted to see her brought low. It would be a small but satisfying payback for every time Fernanda had humiliated her.

Unable to hold back any longer, Erika rushed ahead of Kevin and flung the door open.

But the scene that greeted her wasn’t chaos.

The room was spotless. Untouched. Not a single drop of paint anywhere.

Kevin appeared beside her, equally stunned, his face mirroring her disbelief.

Something wasn’t right.

Before either of them could react, the bucket above the door tilted suddenly.

A torrent of black paint came crashing down, coating them in a thick, sticky mess.

Erika gasped as her vision blurred. The acrid stench of paint invaded her nose, and her eyes stung. She coughed and clawed at her face, trying to wipe it away.

Kevin groaned, instinctively covering his nose with one hand—only to smear more paint across his cheeks.

Their cries of horror echoed through the hallway.

From behind the door, a laugh rang out—sharp, mocking, and unmistakably Fernanda’s.

Through the haze of black, Erika could barely make out her silhouette, standing just out of reach.

Why was she there? And why was she laughing?

Before Erika could speak, Fernanda asked with feigned innocence,

“Oh, what brings you two here? And why do you look like that?”

“You’ve got some nerve!” Erika shrieked. “Fernanda, what the hell did you do?”

Fernanda’s eyes widened slightly.

“When I walked in, I noticed something odd on the door. Naturally, I climbed up to take a look. I didn’t dare touch it, not knowing what it was, of course. Who could’ve predicted you two would charge in and shove the door so hard? I never thought it would fall on you!”

Erika, seething with rage, jabbed a trembling finger at Fernanda, her lips parting as she prepared to unleash a tirade.

But as she opened her mouth, thick black paint slid from her forehead down into her lips. She gagged, coughing violently.

“I was just wondering who would put something like that on my door,” Fernanda said softly, stepping down from the chair. “It couldn’t have been me, right? What do you think?”

Her gaze turned to Kevin, who remained silent. His entire body was drenched in black paint, obscuring everything from his clothes to the color of his hair.

“You’re Kevin, aren’t you?” Fernanda’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “I always thought you were rather handsome. But seeing you like this—well, I can’t even see your face.”

The sarcasm in her tone cut deep. Kevin clenched his fists, fully aware he was being mocked.

He wanted to lash out, to say something—anything—but each attempt to speak triggered another fit of coughing.

His hand rose shakily, pointing at Fernanda, his eyes burning with fury.

Yet Fernanda only smiled, her expression growing brighter the more enraged he became.

In the end, neither Kevin nor Erika managed a coherent word. Their shoulders heaved as they coughed into their hands, retreating from Fernanda’s room in embarrassed silence to clean themselves up.

Fernanda’s eyes followed their retreating figures, and a derisive laugh escaped her lips.

Was that all they had? It had been a piece of cake for her to turn the tables and make them taste their own medicine.

She then summoned a servant to clean up the paint and strolled into the hallway, leaning casually against the wall as she waited.

Ector appeared moments later, his brows furrowed in surprise.

“Fernanda, what are you doing out here?”

She tilted her chin toward her room.

When Ector stepped inside and spotted the black splatters on the floor, his frown deepened. Realization dawned quickly. It had to be Kevin’s doing. He had only just returned from abroad, and now Fernanda’s room was already the target.

“Don’t worry, Fernanda,” Ector said, his tone firm with reassurance. “I’ll deal with them later.”

“It’s fine.” Fernanda’s voice was light, almost dismissive. “I’ve already taught them a hard lesson.”

She found their failure amusing; they had only succeeded in making fools of themselves.

“This isn’t just a silly prank. It’s a matter of respect,” Ector said, his voice turning cold. “You’re Kevin’s sister, and yet he dared to pull something like this? It’s disgraceful.”

Ector’s eyes drifted toward Kevin’s door, his jaw tightening as he drew in a slow, measured breath.

Why did it seem like no one else in this family, besides him, could ever treat Fernanda with the respect she deserved?

Later, after Kevin finished his shower, Ector marched straight into his room and shut the door firmly behind him.

What they discussed, Fernanda neither knew nor cared to find out.

She understood that Ector had her best interests at heart, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this incident would only deepen Kevin’s resentment toward her.

By dinnertime, her suspicions were confirmed. Kevin’s face was dark with simmering rage, like the prelude to a storm.

Erika fared no better, her lips trembling as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t comprehend why Fernanda always seemed to come out on top. The bitterness swirled inside her as she picked at her food, her eyes glistening as she struggled to hold back tears.

Oblivious to the tension thickening around the table, Robert beamed with pride, caught up in the joy of Fernanda’s college acceptance and Kevin’s return.

After dinner, Fernanda went upstairs. She had just stepped out of the shower when a sharp knock rattled her door.

Opening it, she found Kevin standing there.

His expression was a storm of gloom, his eyes brimming with a fury far beyond his years.

“I’ll never forget what happened today,” he spat, his voice venomous.

“I’ll see to it that you’re thrown out of this house.”

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