Throne or love?

The encounter

"Bello and Mishell had a good time playing Roblox. It was a privilege for Bello as it helped him ease his mental stress before he dozed off in Bello's room. They both slept together on Mishell's elegant bed. The bedroom exuded tranquility, bringing a sense of peace into Bello's mind, filling him with temporary peace within. He cuddled the pillow as if he were embracing his real parents, which made Mishell chuckle at the way Bello folded himself before falling asleep.

"Good morning, Mum," Emily greeted her mother, Sele, as she stepped out of her room dressed in her pink blouse, closed-toe black shoes, and her purple laptop bag slung over her back.

Her mother, Sele, who was already heading to the bank where she worked as the manager, stood still, staring at Emily with dejection.

"Emily," Sele called out to her daughter. Emily, who had already approached the top of the staircase, ready to go down, ignored her mother's disdainful smirk, as it was usual for her. She had a butterfly fluttering in her stomach as her name echoed in her ear, reminding her of when her mother said she was going to call their department chair.

"Yes," Emily answered, bowing her head down sadly with a low tone.

"I called your school yesterday to ask why you closed late, but your manager said you closed at the usual time," Sele said, lowering her tone and narrowing her gaze as she walked closer to Emily.

Emily shivered furiously upon seeing her mother walk towards her. She wanted to say, "I'm sorry, Mum," but remembered that each time she apologized for her mistakes, it only made her mother pour out more wrath on her. She held back her words, standing while waiting for her fate.

Her mum walked closer to her, closing the gap between them. "Do you know why I haven't laid my hands on you for a while now?" She gestured her hands to Emily's chin, raising it up for her to look into her eyes. "I consider you to be advanced since you are 18. I don't want to be beating an 18-year-old child. I gave birth to you; you came from my womb and suckled at my breast. I fed you since you were a baby until you grew to become this beautiful woman you are now."

Emily was shocked to hear her mother call her beautiful. It was like the first time in her life she was hearing such words from her mother.

"I am smarter than you," Sele proceeded. "If you have decided to start being a spoilt brat, I won't hold you back. But one thing: I won't sit back and watch you disgrace my family. I'd rather disown you and adopt a male child. Your father has already talked about us adopting a child in replacement of you, but I've never agreed to it. Don't make me regret it."

Tears ran down Emily's eyes upon hearing this from someone considered to be her mother. No matter how well Emily did academically, her parents never comprehended it. The only thing they saw and thought of her was that she was a disgrace and misfortune to the family. Countless times Emily had sat down wondering why her parents still sheltered her if they despised her this much, but nothing surfaced in her memory.

Sele slowly removed her hands from Emily's chin, leaving her with flowing tears as she pivoted to start coming down from the stairs.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Emily uttered with a sharp voice, her heart burdened with grief.

Sele was puzzled; the words pierced through her heart, leaving her with a wave of remorse. It was the first time in Emily's life she dared to talk back at her mother.

Sele stood at the newel in bewilderment, musing about what to say next. "Hmmm, I see you've grown some wings indeed," she smirked at Emily, who was standing at the top of the stairs, soaked in tears. "You have nothing to fear, my little pumpkin. It was just a warning," she muttered as she continued walking majestically downstairs.

Emily wanted to say, "Disown me today," but the words refused to come out of her mouth as a wave of rejection washed over her, making her heart congested with bitterness.

"It's okay, Emily," one of the maids hugged her tightly in an effort to console her.

A few minutes later, she gently unwrapped Emily from her embrace. "Let's go downstairs together," she said, carrying her laptop bag and holding her hand as they both walked downstairs, and Emily went to her car to drive off to school.

"Thanks, Lisa," Emily said to the maid with a kind gesture for her hospitality before she drove off.

Bello and his peers engaged in casual conversation, relishing the relaxed atmosphere of the tournament space. They cracked jokes and giggled at each other's banter in the recreational area.

Meanwhile, Emily sat in the lecture room, still overwhelmed by the conversation she had with her mom earlier that morning. A wave of dizziness blurred her vision, like a sudden nap she couldn't resist. In her vision, she saw Bello lying dead in the middle of a highway, with people gathering to mourn his passing. A tall, light-skinned man stood before the corpse, mocking the poor boy with disdain. "I warned you, but you didn't listen," he uttered, carrying the corpse away. According to the vision, the man had sent people to kill Bello because he refused to use his supernatural powers for nefarious purposes, which was what he trained him for. The man's wrath led to Bello's dismiss.

Hours after Bello's death, chaos engulfed the city of Lagos. People suffered from hunger and lack of governance, some were enslaved, while others lost their properties to strangers.

"Bello," Emily whispered, opening her eyes and returning to reality, terrified by her vision. She had vowed not to care about Bello's well-being anymore, but the dream shook her to the core. The thought of the numerous deaths following Bello's demise haunted her. Could Bello possess supernatural powers? If so, many lives would be at risk.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Emily understood why the vision kept haunting her. It wasn't just about Bello—it was about the lives that would be lost alongside him. She knew she had to act, using whatever power she had to prevent a catastrophe.

Navigating how to approach Bello without explicitly revealing her vision, she decided to incite his anger, hoping to increase her chances of encountering him frequently and gradually disclosing her insights, even though the likelihood of him believing her was only 5 out of 100.

With a flicker of courage, she rose from her seat, determined to search for Bello across the campus.

"Oh no, where should I start?" she muttered, stepping out of her classroom into the scorching heat.

"Hey, Emy, why are you standing there like a statue? Looking for your crush?" mocked one of the less intelligent guys from her department, referencing yesterday's incident.

"Yes, actually," Emily replied desperately, causing the guy to laugh loudly. "Will you show me where he is or just stand there laughing like you're missing a knot in your brain?"

"Sure, I'll show you, so I can laugh even more when he punches you in the face. But if you'll take my advice, I'd suggest you save some dignity and stop chasing after him. Bello isn't your type," the guy continued to ridicule.

Feeling a surge of embarrassment, Emily hesitated, questioning if she was truly prepared for this endeavor. But a wave of resilience washed over her, dispelling her doubts. "He's just a temptation, a vessel for the devil trying to deter me from helping people. But I'll overcome him," she resolved silently.

"Are you taking me to him or not?" she demanded, her voice dripping with authority.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" the boy relented, leading her to where Bello could be found. Emily was certain he knew Bello's whereabouts, given his association with Bello's bullying clique.

Upon seeing Bello, Emily felt a mix of embarrassment and determination. Ignoring her feelings, she strode towards him as if he had taken something from her that needed reclaiming.

Bello blinked in surprise as Emily approached, feeling a twinge of embarrassment amid his anger, while his friends chuckled. "Bello, your crush is here," one of them teased, eliciting laughter from the group.

"I don't see anything wrong with her," one of Bello's friends remarked sincerely. "She's the smartest in our department, and she's uniquely beautiful. Besides, I've had a crush on her since our first year..."

Cutting off his friend's words, Emily approached them confidently, prompting Bello to sit quietly, his anger simmering.

Summoning all her courage, Emily reached out and took Bello's hand, compelling him to stand up. Her bold action shocked everyone, leaving Bello bewildered.

As his friends urged him to hear her out, Bello finally relented, signaling a moment of potential understanding between them, give Emily sigh of relief.