Rebirth of the Deadly Beauty



Blake threw away the pill and stared at his reflection in the mirror for a while. He tried to hide the bruise on his forehead with his bangs. Then, he put bandages on the areas he couldn't cover.

He had a social gathering that night. When he arrived at the restaurant and someone asked about the injuries on his face, he came up with an excuse and hastily changed the subject.

Before long, everyone was chatting and clinking glasses. "Blake, you don't look so good today," someone said.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Another person chimed in, "Yeah, you've been attending a lot of social gatherings lately. Maybe you should see a doctor soon."

"I'm perfectly fine! It's probably because I haven't been sleeping well the last few days. It's no big deal!" Blake insisted, pouring himself another glass of wine. However, as he lifted his glass, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Everyone around him noticed something was amiss and asked with concern, "Are you alright, Blake?"

"I'm..." Blake couldn't articulate further. In the blink of an eye, everything went black, and he passed out.

When Yolanda walked into the Henderson residence, Harold, Diana, and Yvonne were having dinner in the dining room.

Harold's brows furrowed as soon as he saw her. "School's about to start, and yet you're still not hitting the books. You're out all the time, and you're only home for dinner. Do you think our house is just a hotel for you?"

Harold had been in a bad mood all day after losing the Doxcon Group project, and everything was getting on his nerves. So, when he saw Yolanda, he took it out on her.

"Come, join us for dinner." Surprisingly, Diana had the housekeeper set out utensils for Yolanda without making a fuss.

Yvonne noticed the shift in Diana's attitude and discreetly pursed her lips. "Dad, Yolanda must've had something important to take care of. Please don't hold it against her she said sweetly, serving some dishes to Harold and Diana like the perfect daughter she was.

Yolanda watched Yvonne's inept performance with a cold gaze. Without saying a thing, she pulled out a chair and sat next to her. Rather than easing the tension, Yvonne's words only made things worse.

Harold's expression hardened. "What could she possibly be up to that's so important? She's always goofing around, all she cares about is having fun!

"Why can't you be more like Yvonne? After learning that our company lost a big project, she stayed up all night to draft a proposal for me! Meanwhile, all you do is add to my problems. What good could you do?"

Yvonne's proposal, though rough around the edges, showed she genuinely wanted to help.

Yolanda, on the other hand, acted as if it was none of her business. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he was with Yolanda. "I'm not getting any younger, and the company is going to be yours and your sister's one day. With your attitude, how can I trust you to work there?"

"Dad, Yolanda's still young. It's only natural for her to want to have fun," Yvonne interjected. "I'll work hard and strive to help manage the company as soon as possible!"

"Oh, Yvonne, you're just too thoughtful! If only Yolanda could be more like you, I'd be grinning in my sleep!"

Without uttering a word, Yolanda pulled out the contract she had brought from Doxcon Group and placed it on the table. She then lifted her gaze and said apathetically, "Here, take a look at this."

"What's this?" Harold asked with a frown, perusing the contract. Soon, his expression changed drastically. "Where'd you get this from?"

"I'm sure you can see the seal on the contract, no?" Yolanda responded indifferently. "Doxcon Group has given the project to us."

"That's impossible!" Harold

exclaimed. Having negotiated with

Blake, he was well aware of how

firm his stance was. Plus, he

couldn't even change his mind with

Simon's paintings. So, it was obvious there was no room for

negotiation.