Queen of Hearts

Chapter 2: The Gamer

Next Day

12:00 PM

The Lowens’ Mansion.

Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City. Sandra's Family residence.

The Lowens' family could be seen gathered around the grand dining table, enjoying a delicious lunch while engaging in light conversations that filled the mansion with warmth.

The mansion belonged to Mr. Lowen, Jenny's father, who lived there with his second wife, Mrs. Catherine Lowen, and their daughter, Pink Lowen. Meanwhile, Jenny's mother, Mrs. Adriana Lowen, lived separately with her daughter, Jennifer "Jenny" Lowen, but popularly known as Sandra.

Months ago, the two wives had lived under the same roof. However, their relationship was like that of a cat and a rat, constantly arguing and creating chaos in the house. Unable to endure the endless tension, Jenny convinced her mother to move out, and they have lived peacefully on their own ever since then.

The Lowen family consists of:

Mr. Lowen (Jenny's Father)

Mrs. Adriana Lowen (Jenny's Mother)

Mrs. Catherine Lowen (Mr. Lowen's Second Wife)

Pink Lowen (Jenny's Stepsister)

Jennifer "Jenny" Lowen

"Hmm..." Mr. Lowen sighed as he looked at his daughter.

"Jenny, when are you going to get married?” He asked

You're not getting any younger. In just two months, you'll turn twenty-five. Can't you stop this playgirl attitude and settle down? Out of the many men chasing after you, can't you choose one and get married?

"Look at your younger sister; she's getting engaged next week”. Don't you think it's time to start thinking about your future? Can't you be more like her for once?" Mr. Lowen asked, his voice filled with disappointment.

"Dad, first of all, stop comparing me to this fool sitting opposite me and also don't tell me what to do because I am not a baby. So chill," Jenny replied calmly.

Pink gasped, stood up and roared in anger.

"How dare you call me a fool? How dare you? You, this witch!" Pink shouted, her face burning with anger.

"You know what, Pit, you disgust me so much, I can't stand the sight of you", Jenny replied, her voice dripping with disgust

"How dare you call my Princess Pit, you this b***h! Who the f**k do you think you are?" Madam Caterine cut into the conversation.

"Mrs. Crayfish, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to baby crayfish," Jenny chuckled.

"How dare you..."

"It's okay, Jenny, baby. Leave the mother and daughter crayfish alone. You know they are dumb, mannerless and shameless. They are lucky that I don't feel like insulting them; else they would have seen hell. Gosh!! Mother gorilla and baby gorilla."

"Phew," Mrs Adriana said in disgust and walked out of the mansion, and Mrs Catherine stood there looking shocked.

"Honey, did your wife just insult me?" Catherine asked in disbelief.

He scoffed. "What kind of question is that, Catherine? You were standing right here when she insulted you. Why are you asking me?”

"But what's really happening? This isn't the sixteen-year-old Jenny that I know." He muttered to himself as he slowly climbed the stairs with a troubled expression.

MM Hotel & Suite

[Jenny's Office, 2 p.m.]

"What's my schedule this afternoon?" Jenny asked as she arranged her file.

"A lunch with that lady?" Anita replied.

"Which lady?" Jenny asked, knowing

whom she was talking about.

"Come on, Jenny. You know whom I'm talking about; I'm talking about your friend Lily Thorn," Anita pouted, folding her arms.

"Oh, you mean Lily Flower," Jenny said with a smile.

"Gawd, you're frustrating me” Anita said jokingly.

“That makes me cuter?"Jenny muttered.

"Cute girl, you are having lunch with Lily at 3:30 p.m.", Anita said.

"Okay, we are having lunch together, and make sure you complete your chores before then. You can go and round up before then, Annie Goddess,” Jenny said as she dismissed her.

"Okay, ma’am,” Anita replied. “Ma’am?” Jenny asked, knowing that after telling her not to call her “ma'am”, especially when they are alone.

“ We are at work, remember,” Anita said

Then she bowed respectfully before exiting the office.

Lowen's Mansion

Pink sat comfortably on the sofa, absentmindedly munching on a bowl of popcorn while the maid busied herself polishing her fingernails. The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

She picked it up and glanced at the screen.

Jen witch

"What does she want now? Why's this witch calling me?. She has never called me," Pink muttered under her breath before reluctantly swiping the green answer button.

"Hey, Pit," Jenny greeted warmly from the other end.

Pink rolled her eyes.

"Why are you calling me?" she asked coldly, getting straight to the point.

"I heard from Dad that you'll be getting engaged next week," Jenny said calmly.

A smug smile spread across Pink's face.

"Yeah. Are you jealous that I'll be getting married before you? And not just to anyone, but to one of the wealthiest and most influential businessmen in New York?" she said proudly.

While Jenny smiled faintly.

"I only called to congratulate you in advance, baby sis."

Pink's confident smile disappeared.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, a flicker of uneasiness crossing her face.

Jenny's voice remained calm.

"I mean exactly what I said. Happy married life in advance, baby sis."

Without waiting for another response, Jenny ended the call.

Pink stared at the phone for a few seconds before lowering it. Her brows knitted together as an uneasy feeling settled deep within her.

"What is she up to this time?" she murmured to herself.

Some minutes after

Pink was still checking herself in the mirror when a call came in. It was Lewis, her boyfriend on the caller's ID, and she immediately pressed the green icon.

"Hey," Lewis muttered slowly.

" Hi baby, you sound weak. What's the problem?" Pink asked, feeling concerned.

"Let's break up," Lewis cut in sharply.

"What!" Pink exclaimed.

"I'm sure it's a joke; our engagement is next week. What the f**k are you telling me?" Pink said further.

"I mean it. I'm tired of you," Lewis voiced out.

"I'm sure you found another girl, right? Is it ?" she asked, amidst tears.

"Yeah," Lewis replied.

"Who is it this time?" Pink asked.

"Someone you wouldn't want to know. Someone you did not dream of," Lewis replied.

"I wanna know the motherfucker," Pink said.

"It's the new love of my life, Jennifer Sandra," Lewis said, feeling excited.

"What the f**k!!" Pink exclaimed.

"Yeah. She is the love of my life. She is beautiful, endowed, and charming. She is the total example of a perfect lady. So goodbye, ex-girlfriend, and I hope we meet no more," Lewis said, and ended the call sharply.

"JENNIFER!" Pink screamed through her tears.

3:00 P.M.

Golden Treasure International Limited

A lot of gifts were displayed on Manuel's table as he entered his office. Some were from his fans, while others were from his employees.

"Welcome back, boss," the head of staff greeted, bowing respectfully as Manuel stepped into his office.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

His gaze landed on the gifts arranged neatly on his table.

"What are these?" he asked, pointing at them.

"They're welcome-back gifts from the staff, and some of your fans", Jaxon, his personal assistant, replied with a smile.

"Trash them," Manuel said coldly.

"Sir?" Jaxon asked, wondering if he had heard correctly.

A single icy glare from Manuel sent a shiver down his spine. Without another word, the guards immediately packed all the gifts out of the office and dumped them into the trash bin.

"He hasn't changed a bit. Still cold and dark-hearted," the managing director whispered under his breath.

Manuel took his seat and swept his eyes across the conference room.

"Now, I want each of you to start sharing your accomplishments and contributions toward the growth of this company," Manuel said, and they stole a glance at each other and started talking, listing out their achievements.

3:30 p.m.

[Linen's Restaurant]

"What!" Lily exclaimed as Jenny shared her experience with Lewis' pink fiancée.

"Can you believe that fool agreed to break up with Pink if I can date him for just one week?" Jenny said.

"Why is he so dumb?" Lily asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, an agreement is an agreement. I'm gonna date him for one week and dump him anyway, and the reason for dating him is just to teach that i***t called Pit a lesson, nothing else," Jenny said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, she deserves it, and I love the fact that you aren't the little duckling any longer. I love you, baby."

Anita cut into the conversation, and Jenny sighed sadly.

"You don't have to think about it any longer. Everything is in the past," Anita said further.

"Continue breaking their hearts till there is no more to break," Lily said loudly, teasing her.

"You are a mini devil," Anita said, glaring at her.

"Well, mine is still better than yours. A devil is always more powerful than a witch. Everyone, this foolish girl sitting beside me is a witch, so be extremely careful around her," Lily said loudly, bringing everyone's attention towards them.

"You are crazy," Lily thorns? Anita muttered, not knowing what to say any longer.

"Can you guys just stop fighting?" Jenny yelled at them.

"You were the one who insisted on having lunch with this fool," Anita said.

"And also, you were the one who insisted on bringing this witch to our lunch," Lily replied.

"Jenny is my best friend, so get that into your damn skull and stay the f**k away from her," Anita said.

"Look at who is talking. So rotten tomatoes can talk? Wooow!" Lily shot back.

The heated argument was still going on when a message popped into Jenny's phone.

"What the f**k is going on?" Jenny screamed.

"What's the matter?" Anita asked, feeling concerned.

"Can you believe that the $30 billion Global Entertainment Expansion Project that I have been pursuing for over a month has now been awarded to the Golden Treasure,” Jenny said in disbelief.

Lily's smug expression faded.

"The project wasn't just another contract," Jenny continued. "The winning company would have the exclusive rights to build and manage a chain of luxury entertainment complexes across several major cities in the United States.

It included world-class cinemas, concert arenas, recording studios, talent development centers, and digital streaming facilities. The company would also receive a long-term partnership with the federal government and several international investors. I worked hard before continuing.

"I’ve attended every negotiation, prepared every proposal, and convinced the investors that MM Hotel and Suites was the best choice. We passed every stage of the evaluation. We were supposed to win."

She looked at the email again, anger flashing in her eyes.

"But this afternoon, they announced that Golden Treasure had secured the contract instead." Jenny let out a weary sigh. "Months of hard work... gone with a single email.”

"That's impossible! MM Hotel & Suites has a stronger financial record and a far more successful portfolio than Golden Treasure. How did they beat us?" Anita asked in disbelief.

Jenny clenched her jaw.

"I don't know... but I intend to find out about that Golden Treasure," Jenny said, fuming with anger.

"That's the Hospitality company owned by Johnson Manuel," Anita said.

"It's also one of the leading names in the hospitality industry in the country, just like yours," Lily explained further.

"Who is this Johnson Manuel? Is he a god or is he a Demon ?" Jenny asked, frowning.

Immediately, a smile crept onto Anita's face, and she blushed hard.

"Don't tell me you're crushing on this guy," Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Crush is an understatement," Anita replied with a dreamy smile. "I'm in love with him.”

"Wow! So our little witch here can actually have a crush on someone?" Lily teased.

"Handsome doesn't even begin to describe him. He's strikingly good-looking, effortlessly charming, and irresistibly captivating. The moment you see him, I promise you'll fall for him too. He's the kind of man who leaves people speechless," Anita said dreamily, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Can I see his picture?" Jenny asked.

"He doesn't take pictures. His photos are private. Even reporters and the press are not allowed to have his pictures, and anyone who dares to post his picture will be sued," Anita said with a smile.

"That guy is just like you. I don't know why you don't like posting your pictures, and anyone who dares to post your pictures is done for. You're an outgoing person, but I still don't know why you prefer to keep your life private,” Lily said. “You said he doesn't post his pictures. So how did you see him?” Jenny asked.

“I met him at the airport the day he arrived in the country. I only caught a glimpse of his face, but he looked so cold and mysterious,” Anita replied.

“Wow! I love cold guys. They always have big d***s, which will fit me properly when we are having a hot session and usually have this irresistibly aura that drives women crazy.I think I want him,” Jenny said dreamily.

Anita's face immediately darkened.

“Girl, you've completely lost it,” Lily said, bursting into laughter.

“I was just joking, girl,” Jenny replied with a grin.

“Says the person who once used a d**k as her profile picture on her Instagram.” Lily teased.

“Any guy who ends up marrying you will need plenty of patience. Otherwise, that marriage won't even last four days,” Anita added.

“Who told you I'm getting married?” Jenny scoffed. “Marriage isn't for me. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with just one person. Life is too short to settle down so early, and I can't stand the vow of being faithful and loyal to your partner. And as a young lady, you need to taste different d***s to know the sweetest”

“See? I'm telling you again, you're hopeless and gone,” Lily said, laughing even harder.

“Fool,” Anita muttered, shooting Lily a glare.

I think I have to go now. I am having a meeting with the board members," Lily said, pulling Jenny into a hug.

"Bye," Lily said, blowing her a kiss, and Anita glared at her.

"You're jealous, right? Quit glaring at her," Jenny teased.

"I'm not jealous. I just don't like her," Anita muttered.

"Trust me, she's really a nice person," Jenny said, and Anita sighed sadly, watching her friend disappear down the hallway. The moment Jenny was out of sight, Anita's gaze hardened.

Anita stood still for a moment before walking away.

She had no idea that a pair of unseen eyes had been watching every second of their conversation.

The mysterious figure slowly turned and disappeared into the darkness.

"The game has only just begun.”