His Heartthrob

Chapter Ten

Bentley’s Mansion***

Tiffany woke up to an unfamiliar sight. The maids were gone, and she made her way to the dining to have her breakfast.

Immediately she put the food in her mouth; she spat it out.

“Geez! Can't this person cook!” She groaned annoyed. She got up and made her way to the kitchen.

She stormed into the kitchen, her anger boiling over. "What’s going on? Where are the maids? And who made this terrible breakfast?" she demanded.

Her mother sat at the table, sipping her coffee without looking up.

"The maids, I asked them to go. We can’t afford them anymore. And I made breakfast.”

Kent walked into the kitchen, too, His face was twisted in frustration. “That terrible food!” He muttered.

"This breakfast is terrible!" Tiffany said, echoing Evans's thoughts.

Their mother finally looked up, her expression cold.

" Seems I have been lenient enough with you spoilt brat that makes you think you can talk to me anyhow you like.

It's terrible, right? Then don't eat it, you can go hungry.”

“ You can't even boil water and you are rating your mother's food as being terrible!

You both will have to get used to it.”

Tiffany and Kent exchanged a disbelieving look. Tiffany turned and walked out, grabbed her bag and headed out the door to catch her ride to school.

Actually, today, they would be resuming school as scholarship students at Montana College.

But as she stepped outside, she realized something was off. Her car was gone.

"Mom? Where’s my car?" she asked, her voice rising in panic as she rushed back inside.

Her mother looked up from her phone, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Your car now belongs to another owner because I sold it."

Tiffany and Kent both screamed in outrage. "What!” Tiffany shouted.

"Tell me you didn’t touch mine!" Kent demanded.

Their mother shrugged. "The only car left outside is mine now. You guys can trek to school or use public transport. And if you can’t find your expensive accessories, I sold them too."

Tiffany felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She couldn’t believe her mother would stoop so low. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she realized the full extent of her new reality.

"Mom, you’ve messed up my life!" Tiffany broke down, her voice cracking as she sobbed.

Her mother’s expression turned ugly, and she slapped Tiffany hard across the face. "Mess? Goodness, you ungrateful i***t! You should be grateful I’m still providing for you."

“But this …This isn’t fair."

Their mother turned on him, her voice venomous.

"You and your sister should better disappear from my sight! Both of you are ungrateful brats!”

Tiffany and Kent exchanged a look, both of them stunned and hurt. Without a word, they turned and walked away.

Tiffany wiped her tears.

Turned to her brother and stared at him

“Well, if you see me in School, You don't know me, and I don't know you!”

She said before walking off again

Kent stared at Tiffany.

“Hey! What is it you are planning?” He yelled but she was already gone.

“Gosh!” He rubbed his neck in frustration.

***At school ***

Diva's words hung in the air.

"…And you, River, seem to be doing just that!"

River, met Diva's gaze head-on. The pain in her knee made her angry.

With a steady voice, River replied,

"You know, Diva, the only reason I'm 'in your way' is because you seem to think the rules don't apply to you. Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to run over people and bully everyone, you wouldn't have so many 'obstacles' in your path." She paused, letting her words sink in, then added with a touch of ice, "It's a shame your daddy's money can't buy you some basic human decency."

The colour drained from Diva's face. The carefully constructed mask of composure crumbled completely. Her eyes flashed with a fury that bordered on incandescent. She took a step forward, her hand clenching into a fist.

Then, with a swift, brutal movement, she brought her hand up and delivered a stinging slap across River's face.

Diva, her chest heaving, her eyes blazing, stood over River, her face contorted with rage.

"You little…!" she spat, her voice barely a whisper.

Without warning, Diva lunged. She shoved River, her hands connecting with River’s shoulders. The force of the push, coupled with River’s already precarious balance on the edge of the ditch, sent her stumbling backward.

River gasped, her arms flailing wildly as she fought to regain her footing. The world tilted. She was going to fall.

Just as she was about to plunge down, a strong arm shot out, wrapping around her waist. She was yanked back, her body colliding with a solid wall of muscle.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

“ Axel.?”

Axel, the enigmatic bad boy of Montana. The one who usually kept to himself? The one who moved through the halls with an air of cool detachment, the one who was rumoured to have a heart of ice.

He was known for his sharp wit, his piercing gaze, and his complete disinterest in the petty dramas of the student body. He was also known for not getting involved. Especially not in Diva's little power plays.

But here he was, holding River steady, his dark eyes blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

River's eyes widened as she stared at him

A chorus of shrieks and gasps erupted from the female contingent of the crowd.

Some girls, overcome by the sheer unexpectedness of the situation and the proximity to Axel's undeniable attractiveness, actually fainted.

"Oh, my baby Axel!" one girl wailed, her voice thick with a mixture of adoration and disbelief.

Others began to have stupid fantasies in their head.

“I wish it was me he held that way.” A girl muttered jealously.

“He’s the one! Maybe he’ll finally notice me!

Meanwhile, the male population clenched their fist and tightened their jaws.

"Why is it that he keeps taking our crushes from us?" one guy muttered, his voice laced with bitterness.

"All they see is Axel or his friends!" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Diva, momentarily stunned by Axel’s intervention, stood frozen, shock was written on her face.

The carefully constructed facade of control had completely crumbled. She opened her mouth, then closed it, her jaw working silently. She looked like a statue.

Finally, she found her voice, her words a sharp, incredulous outburst. "You… you would have just let her fall! When did you start getting involved?"

Axel didn’t answer immediately. He kept his arm around River, his gaze fixed on Diva. His expression was unreadable, which concealed whatever thoughts were swirling behind those intense, dark eyes.

It was a gaze that could curdle milk. A look that made Diva, the social media queen bee, the daughter of a senator, the girl who controlled everything, actually gulp.

Mason, Noah and Carl stopped, shocked when they saw the scene.

Mason rolled his eyes and walked off into the school building.

Carl's mouth dropped

“When did Axel start getting involved with Diva's bullying?” He whispered to Noah.

Noah shrugged.

“Actually because River is involved!”

He replied, still staring at the scene.

“I Will give you just one warning, Don't you dare touch her again!" Axel said still staring at Diva coldly.

The girl that was slapped earlier ran to River and took her hand "Let's go to the infirmary!"

Carl and Mason stared at the girl,

Carl couldn't see her face well, but she looked new in Montana College and also looked familiar.

However, he decided to forget. Axel walked in with his friends ignoring Diva.

"Gosh! He's looking more hotter!

"I wish he could be mine!"

"I thought Axel and Diva were close and had a thing! Why is he looking at her like they are total strangers!"

"Didn't you hear that Axel broke up with her? At least his now free for other girls and not Diva!"

A girl snapped. Diva's anger boiled turned to the direction where the last comment was made

" Who said that?" She yelled Angrily. A student among the crowd raised her hand; other students shifted out of the way, creating a space where only the girl stood alone.

"come forward!"

Others held the girl and pushed her forward to Diva.

"You low life, you think you can utter my name in that filthy mouth of yours!

Gosh! What's really wrong with poor scholarship students and knowing their place in this college”

Diva shrieked and kicked her brutally mouth with her booted heels.

“The girl's lip split.

"I'm sorry Diva!"

The girl trembled as tears spilled from her eyes. As blood began to flow from her wounded lips.

"Too bad, This Diva doesn't forgive". Diva said.

The girl knelt down and begged.

"Take off her!" Diva said to Agatha and Christie before walking into the building.