Chapter 317 - Three Hundred And Seventeen: Her Karma
The third point of view:
Anger like no other filled Reina. It was as if at that moment, all the memories of the abuse and tortures she had encountered all those years saturated her senses.
"You!" She roared, pointing at them with extreme anger, "How dare you set your foot in here?"
Then she turned those furious eyes onto her father, pain rippling across her features, "How could you do this?"
"Maya?" interfered Angela, having a pitiful look on her face.
"Don't you dare call me that?" she whipped around to Angela, eyes red and blazing, "That name disgusts me, no, the sound of that name coming from your lips nauseate me,"
Angela was the one who gave her that name from birth and though Reina hates it, she'd made pretty good memories with it too. She couldn't exactly loathe, "Maya,"
"It's Reina now and I don't even want to hear you call me that," she told Angela, eyes looking contemptibly at Kim standing by her side.
Then, what should she address her? Reina knew she sounded ridiculous but she was too angry to care at the instant.
"I... eh think we should give them some privacy," Emily suggested, trying to usher the bridesmaid out. The tension in here was awkward and suffocating.
"Leave and go where? Listen up, today's my wedding and I won't have any unnecessary disturbances, You people are not leaving this room, save these two parasites hanging around," she didn't even acknowledge their presence.
"Reina," Sakuzi pleaded on their behalf, "Please give them a listening ear,"
But Reina faced him, "I trusted you father. It would have been better if they had lived the rest of the miserable life thinking I was dead!"
"You know that's impossible," He told her and she understood why. Once they saw her on television or with him or even with Niklaus, they'd put two and two together unlike the dumb public claiming she was Maya's doppelganger.
Since Maya falling off the bridge had been sensational news, the reporters had been busy since the last month after the news of her getting married to Niklaus was released officially.
Niklaus was a high-profile individual hence there was no way on earth his wedding would be low-key. So when the netizens saw the news there was an instant uproar on the internet.
How could two people - Maya and Reina be so identical. Though it has been years and there were some noticeable changes with her appearance, it still didn't deviate that much from her past self, Maya.
Though some netizens doubted her death and raised the issue of her death being a hoax because there were still some fans in prison suffering for the crime of attempted murder - they pushed her down the bridge.
But then the video of her stumbling down the bridge from years ago was dug up and some experts discussed the possibility of her surviving that fall and could only come up with a 1/100 possibility.
The morgue attendant in charge of her body then was contacted and he testified to the body found earlier being Maya's. Normally, issues like this wouldn't even be worth the president's attention but the citizens were so invested in it hence the investigation.
However, Reina was not disturbed by the development since her father had tied every loose end. Moreover, those so-called political leaders had affluence with the Sakuzi gang so you could figure out the rest.
In a few days, a result came out to the public stating that Reina and Maya were two different people after going through her background and found nothing to incriminate her. Though both shared the same age, they were two distinct beings and one was dead while the other was very much alive - the moegoe citizens believed her fabricated bio.
But then humans would always be humans. After that episode, they cleared the confusion and she was famed as Maya's doppelganger, they came up with another gossip when her pre-wedding pictures were posted.
The keyboard warriors all claimed Niklaus was marrying her because she looked like Maya - she was just a replacement. The issue was so hot that even a love group was opened specifically for her on Facebook with millions of people advising her to back out of the marriage before it was too late.
But did Reina care? Of course, why would she when she was Maya herself! So she just ignored the gossip and the reporters stirring up gossip with every given opportunity.
The next gossip that made the tabloids and blew up the internet was the news that Niklaus and Reina had met seven years ago, right after Maya's death when he had left the country and the woman became his baby mama - explaining the birth of Ailee and Allen. Could this be a coincidence? The netizens wondered but there was no evidence to prove otherwise.
To alleviate matters a bit, the fans in prison were released on parole for good behavior hence stopping some busy body citizens from digging further into the case.
Reina was not stupid, any flaw and her lies could come crumbling down so they had to appease the citizens. While Niklaus with his influence created a celebrity scandal that took the scrutiny off them. Attention was good but too much of it could destroy things.
"Please sister, just give us a listening ear even for a moment," Kim said, drawing a burst of hysterical laughter from her lips.
"Sister?" Reina sneered, "Am I your sister? Do you have a sister?..." she then appeared to have a thoughtful look on her face, "Oh you mean, Maya? I thought Maya was your maid? Was she your sister? How surprising!" she mocked them openly. Throwing the maltreatment they gave to her at their face that was already red with embarrassment.
Reina took a good look at Kim, noticing her arrogant and bombastic aura was gone, replaced by a somewhat modest and matured aura.
Her skin was tanned compared to her previous silky milky ones that she maintained regularly - Sakuzi must have sent her to a place with hot sun. In general, Kim didn't look that bad but someone who knew her from the past would have to turn a second time to confirm she was the one.
Nonetheless, Reina was determined not to fall into their trick a second time. Was her father crazy? Oh right, she forgot the man had undying feelings for Angela - the woman must have gotten to him with her great acting. She wished her father happiness and didn't care what he did with his love life but wanting her to accept them? That was a pipe dream!
"Oh let me guess why you're here?" Reina continued with her mockery, "You need me for an investment? Do you need Niklaus' signature too?"
"Reina, stop it !"Angela yelled at her, unable to take her incitement any longer.
"No, you don't get to yell at me! You have no right at all!" She didn't back down.
"I'm truly sorry for what I did to you over the years. I was over-ambitious to realize what I was doing to you and myself! I was anxious that Alfred would find out the truth about you. Looking at you reminded me of how messed up my life was so I took out that anger on you," Angela confessed with tears in her eyes, "Please forgive me, daughter, I'm so sorry, "
Reina laughed again, "So I forgive you, and now what? We become one large family that lived happily ever after, huh? Is that it?" she shrugged, "F.Y.I. we are never getting back together neither does your sorry take away the memories of the abuse I suffered in you and your precious daughter's hands,"
"I'm truly sorry sister," Kim began to shed tears that made Reina's head throb.
"Do you think I've forgotten how much of a great actress you are? What's your motive in coming on this special day? Perhaps, you want to seduce Niklaus with your great body?" she scoffed," In case you don't know, I'm the one on top of the food chain now. The money? Fame? Look? I have it all "
Kim was stunned by that statement, this was no longer the Maya she knew; this woman was confident and resolute
"I came with good intentions, sister," she said.
"Oh please, spare me the bullshit," Reina fought against the tears that stung her eyes, "You made my life a living hell, what kind of sister does that?"
"I know that which is why I'm so sorry. I realized my mistake over the years, I was just jealous of you and insecure that one day, you, the illegitimate one might do better than me and take my place. Then, I was just plain stupid,"
"Then continue being stupid," Reina told them with a cold tone and indifferent look, "Because if any of you dare set your foot in my wedding today, you would lose it," was her threat and they knew she wasn't joking.
"Reina, please give me a chance to atone for my sins - let me be the mother I failed to be before it's too late,"
"I'm sorry but it's late already. I'm ashamed to tell my kids you were my mom. Goodbye," with that said, Reina turned her back to them.
"Reina, please," they begged but the girl hardened her heart. She didn't even spare them a look.
Emily got that gesture as a cue and persuaded both to leave in her best-mannered tone - the nerve of them!
Angela wanted to say more but hesitated against it, the girl was too angry to listen to her anyway. Anything she said right now would seem like a lie, so she left.
Immediately the door closed, Reina turned to yell her father's head off but instead of words coming out of her mouth, tears fell instead. Those bottled emotions from over the years were released and she gushed out her eyes on her father's shoulder.
Why now? Why do they have to return now? She was better off without them, yet, why does her heart still hurt?
Meanwhile, unknown to her, Angela and Kim walked out with a solemn look. If one took a closer look at Angela, they would notice how pale and sickly she looked right now - she just covered it up with makeup.
"Why didn't you tell her you would die soon?" Kim asked, supporting her mother as they walked.
Angela smiled sadly, "Because this is my karma,"