That Chapter 24: Back to the World that Forgot Her
Valerie stepped onto the school grounds with a canvas bag slung over her shoulder, a sun cap tilted low over her eyes, and her usual quiet grace wrapped around her like armor.
Her heart thudded—not in fear, but in acknowledgment.
This was the same place that once celebrated her when she walked beside Sophia Hudson… and the same place that had whispered behind her back once the Hudsons discarded her.
The wind was softer here than in the mountains. The noise louder. The air less kind.
But Valerie didn't come back for anyone's approval. She came for her degree—and her dignity.
As she turned the corner, a familiar voice called out.
"Val!"
She looked up and her lips twitched. Tina—hair dyed a fiery reddish brown now—was running toward her, arms open.
They embraced tightly, and for a second, Valerie allowed herself to breathe.
Tina (grinning):
"You're back! You didn't even tell me you were coming today. I would've come to get you!"
Valerie (smiling faintly):
"I wasn't sure I'd come at all. But here I am."
Tina:
"You look… different. Stronger. And thinner. Are you okay?"
Valerie:
"I'm okay. Been working. Quietly. Just trying to stay away from noise."
Tina looked like she wanted to ask more—but didn't. That's why Valerie trusted her.
---
Scene Shift – The Encounter With Sophia's Clique
Unfortunately, noise had a way of finding Valerie.
Valerie stood by the vending machine, half-listening to Tina's lighthearted chatter, when the air shifted.
The hallway, moments ago just a blur of students and lockers, suddenly felt like a stage—and she was the target.
Sophia Hudson approached with the confidence of someone who had never known powerlessness. Her long raven-black hair swayed behind her like a banner of superiority, her uniform perfectly ironed, her lips curled into a satisfied sneer. She didn't walk alone.
Behind her came Nelson Ayetoro, hands in his pocket, jacket slung over one shoulder. Son of the perfume magnate whose empire supplied over 80% of high-end scents across the Capital. With a smile too sly for his age, he was known for his connections and sharper tongue.
Margaret Adebiyi, tall, elegant, and proud, followed like a queen in her own right. Her family sat among the old-money elites—people even the Hudsons bowed to in private. No scandal dared touch her. She barely looked at Valerie, like acknowledging her would stain her presence.
And then there was Natasha Thales, her honey-brown eyes cool and unreadable. The Thales family had built an empire of tradition—decades-old culinary prestige through luxury restaurants spread from the Capital to beyond. Their food graced royal tables and presidential banquets. Her silence didn't mean innocence—it meant calculation.
Sophia came to a stop just feet away, eyes flickering over Valerie with mockery.
Sophia (silk and venom):
"Well, look who decided to crawl back to school. I almost didn't recognize you without the Hudson name to hide behind."
Tina stiffened beside Valerie, but Valerie remained still.
Nelson (smirking):
"Back from the dead, are we? You vanished like a bad rumor… now you're haunting the halls again."
Margaret (arms folded):
"Do they even allow shadows back into this place? Thought the board made it clear: failures don't deserve a second chance."
Natasha (calm, quiet):
"Maybe she's here to beg. Or to borrow a life."
Valerie raised her head, meeting their stares with silence. Her eyes didn't flicker, even when Sophia took a half step closer.
Sophia:
"I heard King Albanian's looking for someone. Wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
(She laughed cruelly.)
"God forbid. That man only surrounds himself with value."
Nelson:
"Can't imagine he'd even look your way unless you had a mop and a name tag."
Sophia (cutting in):
"But you did get his attention once, didn't you? Stole a little moment and thought you'd made magic. Poor thing. Still clinging to that?"
Valerie (even-toned):
"What do you want, Sophia?"
Sophia gave a dramatic sigh.
Sophia:
"Honestly? Just the truth. I've heard whispers that you've been telling people you made the calming pills. That's… interesting, considering King asked me to reproduce them."
The others murmured with mock scandal.
Margaret:
"So she's not just back—she's delusional."
Nelson:
"She really wants to die on a hill she never built."
Valerie (clear and firm):
"I did make the pills."
The hallway stilled.
Even Natasha blinked, slowly.
Sophia (chuckling in disbelief):
"You don't even know what's in them. Do you think because you touched something once, it's yours forever?"
Valerie:
"I created it. You tasted the result. That doesn't make you the cook."
Margaret:
"Look at this bravery. No house, no family, no support—and you're claiming royalty asked for your work?"
Nelson (teasing):
"Careful, Valerie. Next thing you know, she'll say she taught Ortega Albanian how to read."
The crowd that had started to form laughed. But Valerie didn't waver.
Valerie (to Sophia):
"I don't care what you told him. But if King asked you to replicate something, maybe you should wonder why he hasn't slept properly since."
That line landed like a slap.
Sophia's eyes narrowed. Natasha's head tilted slightly. Even Nelson's smirk twitched.
Tina stepped forward, her voice sharp.
Tina:
"She made them. I saw it. I watched her work for months, while you were too busy ordering people around and stealing her ideas."
Sophia (eyes flashing):
"You want proof? Fine. I'll get it. Let's see how far you crawl when the truth comes out."
Valerie didn't answer. She simply turned away, brushing past Sophia like she was nothing more than a warm breeze.
But even as she walked, the back of her neck burned.
She knew what was coming.