Bad Influence - Episode 29&30

 

 BAD INFLUENCE

Bad Influence - Episode 29&30

(•Tainting Her Innocence•)

GENRE: College romance 

By, Mide L.

    ✧༺✰༻✧    ✧༺✰༻✧    ✧༺✰༻✧

              ✮{...TRUE IDENTITY...}✮

NEXT DAY,  THE KNIGHT'S RESIDENCE*

Mrs. Knight walked down the stairs with a practiced elegance and a phone pressed to her ear, her heels clicking sharply against the marble tiles as she spoke to her assistant. 

"I don’t care about excuses, Bianca. I said I want the contracts finalized by tonight. No delays" she snapped, barely paying attention to the butlers who bowed slightly as she passed. 

"If they don’t meet the deadline, we’ll move forward without them. I don’t have time for incompetence"

Across the room, Vanessa stood with her arms folded, watching her mother with an expression of pure boredom. She had been waiting for the woman to get off the phone for the past five minutes, but, as always, business came first. 

Finally, when Mrs. Knight ended the call, Vanessa exhaled sharply and spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"I know you don’t care and probably won’t even care after I say this, but today’s my birthday. I turned 20 today"

She tilted her head slightly, watching for any reaction. Any at all.

Mrs. Knight barely spared her daughter a glance as she adjusted the cuffs of her silk blouse.

"And?" she replied flatly.

Vanessa scoffed, already expecting the indifference but still feeling the sting of it.

"Wow" she muttered under her breath. "Not even a fake ‘happy birthday’?"

Mrs. Knight finally looked at her. "Vanessa, I don’t have time for theatrics this morning. If you want something, tell the staff. If you’re fishing for attention, find something more productive to do"

Vanessa clenched her jaw, her nails digging into her palms. She let out a bitter chuckle, shaking her head. 

"Of course, wouldn’t want to waste your precious time"

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off, her heart heavy despite the fact that she had expected nothing more.

Mrs. Knight sighed, tapping her perfectly manicured nails against the polished surface of the grand piano in the big living room as she considered calling Xavier. She had done so last night, he didn't pick up as usual. 

He’s as stubborn as ever, she thought, dropping her phone back to the table. 

'Let him be'

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the butler stepping inside. He bowed slightly before speaking.

"Madam, Miss Liana and her daughter, Ariella, are here"

Mrs. Knight’s lips pressed into a thin line. 

Of course, they are. 

She wasn’t particularly fond of Liana, but the woman had served her purpose years ago. Xavier had been young, reckless, and easy to manipulate with the right circumstances. Liana had done exactly what was needed, even if it was through deceit.

Smoothing out her dress, she straightened her posture. 

"Let them in" she said coolly, preparing herself for yet another exhausting interaction.

Liana had been here before... more times than Mrs. Knight cared to count. And each time, it was the same. Xavier refused to acknowledge the child.

Ariella, however, was too young to understand the coldness that surrounded her. With innocent eyes filled with hope, she let go of her mother’s hand and took a step forward, arms outstretched.

"Grandma!" she chirped, moving in for a hug.

Mrs. Knight’s eyes widened slightly, and in one swift motion, she stepped aside, avoiding the child’s touch as if it were something distasteful. Ariella stumbled slightly, blinking in confusion.

With a sigh of irritation, Mrs. Knight smoothed down the front of her dress. 

"This is an original, custom-made piece, imported from Milan. Do you know how much it costs?"She turned her sharp gaze on Liana.

"Teach her to respect boundaries. A child should know better than to touch things she can’t afford"

Ariella’s arms slowly dropped to her sides, her small frame stiffening. Liana’s smile faltered, but she quickly masked it, her hand resting reassuringly on her daughter’s shoulder.

Mrs. Knight exhaled, dismissing the moment entirely. 

"Now, tell me, Liana, why are you really here?"

Liana let out a small sigh, her fingers tightening slightly on Ariella’s shoulder. 

"Mrs. Knight, you know Xavier still hasn’t accepted her, I thought maybe—”

“And why exactly would he? Because you keep showing up uninvited, hoping he’ll suddenly wake up one day and decide to play daddy?” She crossed her arms. 

Ariella flinched at the harsh tone, pressing herself closer to Liana, who inhaled deeply, clearly trying to stay composed. 

"He’s her father, whether he likes it or not" Liana said.

Mrs. Knight scoffed, eyeing the little girl with mild disinterest. 

"Oh, please. If you had any dignity left, you’d stop parading her around like a lost puppy, begging for scraps of attention. It’s pathetic”

Liana swallowed hard, forcing a smile as she stroked her daughter's hair. 

"I just thought…" she started but trailed off, shaking her head.

"Well, that was your first mistake...thinking"

Liana’s composure snapped, not controlling her anger anymore.

"You were the one who told me to drug him and sleep with him that night! Why are you turning your back on me now?” she demanded, 

Mrs. Knight remained unfazed, a slow, cold smile curling her lips. 

"Because you’re foolish" she said smoothly then continued.

"And stop acting like a victim. You had it in mind to do that from the very beginning and that’s why you agreed so easily when I told you”

"You wanted a grandchild, and now you pretend she doesn’t exist?" she shot back, gesturing toward Ariella, who clung tightly to her dress.

Mrs. Knight waved a dismissive hand. 

"I wanted a grandchild, not a problem. And certainly not a child Xavier despises" She glanced at Ariella for a brief moment before turning her attention back to Liana. 

"But that’s your mess to deal with now"

"She’s your granddaughter, you can’t just pretend she doesn’t exist"

Mrs. Knight scoffed, stepping past them toward the grand mirror by the hallway. She adjusted her earrings, her expression indifferent. 

"I can do whatever I please, darling. Xavier hasn’t accepted the child, and frankly, you showing up here uninvited won’t change that"

Ariella reached out her little arms toward Mrs. Knight again. 

"Grandma—"

Mrs. Knight stepped back immediately, her nose wrinkling in distaste. 

"Not on my dress little girl" she snapped, smoothing the expensive fabric as if Ariella’s mere presence had tainted it. 

"This is custom-made. Do you have any idea how much it costs? Ofcourse you don't"

Ariella’s face fell, her little hands lowering as she stepped back beside her mother. Liana’s jaw tightened as she watched the way her daughter’s hopeful expression crumbled into disappointment.

"You are cruel, she’s just a child!"

"She’s your child. Don’t expect me to clean up your mistakes" She gave one last glance at them before turning on her heel. 

"Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than entertain your little fantasies of family bonding"

"This isn’t over" Liana muttered under her breath.

Mrs. Knight didn’t even turn around as she waved a hand dismissively. 

"Oh, but it is"

From where she stood, Vanessa shook her head, arms still folded as she watched the scene unfold.

Typical.

Her mother was as heartless as ever, and Liana... well, she was just as much to blame.

Vanessa exhaled, her gaze lingering on the little girl, Ariella, who was still looking up at Mrs. Knight with wide, confused eyes. The kid didn’t deserve this. None of it.

But this was the Knight family—where no one cares.

•••

CORY KING HIGH SCHOOL*

The moment Lucy stepped through the school gates, the energy in the air shifted. Conversations paused, heads turned, and a chorus of male voices erupted in greeting.

"Yo, Queen Lucy!"

"Looking fine as always!"

"Damn, Lucy, drop something for us!"

She smirked, strutting forward with confidence, her backpack slung lazily over one shoulder. She wasn’t rich. She wasn’t born into luxury like the girls who sneered at her behind fake smiles. But she had something better and she earned it all by herself.

She got to the hallway, and the hailing continued.

"Lucy, what’s up?"

"Check your messages, babe. Sent a request last night"

"Gotta say, you’re a legend"

By the time she reached her class, a few girls were whispering among themselves. Lucy ignored them. They weren’t paying her bills.

Sliding into her seat, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the new requests waiting for her response.

Someone suddenly sat down beside her.

Cory King.

The usual murmurs in the class quieted just a bit, curiosity buzzing among the students.

Cory never sat with anyone. Never spoke unless necessary. He was the untouchable heir to the King fortune, son of the man who owned not just the school but half the businesses in town. Cold, unreadable, and completely indifferent to the chaos that surrounded him.

But here he was, right beside her.

Lucy tilted her head, studying him. As always, he didn’t say a word. Didn’t acknowledge her presence. Just sat there like it was any other seat in the room.

She smirked, leaning in slightly. 

"Are you shy to make a request like the other guys?"

Finally, he turned his head and looked at her. Not in amusement. Not in embarrassment. Just… looked. Like she had lost her mind.

She held his stare, waiting.

Seconds stretched. Then, without a word, he turned back to his notebook, flipping it open as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

Lucy blinked, then let out a small laugh. 

So, that’s how it was? Interesting.

"I don’t pay for things that come for free" he whispered the words to her and that kinda stung.

"And I hate that everyone has seen everything about the one person I actually like, It’s frustrating… and painful"

Cory pushed back his chair and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. Without another word, he walked out of the classroom, leaving Lucy sitting there, stunned, her heart pounding for reasons she didn’t want to admit.

Her mind replaying Cory’s words like a broken record. 

'The one person I actually like'

Her fingers curled into a fist on her lap as she tried to steady her breathing.

“Yo, Lucy!” someone called, snapping her out of her daze.

She turned to see one of the guys from the basketball team grinning at her. 

"Got a new offer for you" he smirked, flashing his phone screen in her direction.

Normally, she would have leaned in, played along, maybe even teased him a little before naming her price. But this time, she barely spared the screen a glance.

"Not now" she muttered, standing up abruptly.

She ignored the confused looks thrown her way as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the classroom, her feet moving on their own. 

Cory King likes me?

She kept thinking as she walked down the hallway.

•••

HAILEY'S DORM ROOM*

The shrill sound of Hailey’s phone vibrating against the nightstand jolted her awake. She groaned, burying her face deeper into her pillow, but the ringing persisted.

"This is the tenth time it's ringing" Nia mumbled groggily from her bed.

Hailey peeked one eye open, reaching blindly for her phone. The bright screen nearly blinded her, and she winced as she checked the caller ID. Jessa. 

"Why is she calling this early?" she muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Nia sighed, rolling to her side. 

"I don’t know, but if you don’t pick up, I swear I’ll throw that phone out the window. The ringing woke me up"

In the background, the sound of running water from the bathroom signaled that Riley was already up and getting ready. Ava, on the other hand, was still buried under her blankets, oblivious to the noise.

Hailey hesitated before finally swiping to answer. 

"Hello?" she croaked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"Finally you picked up! I want to watch a movie at the cinema today and I want us to watch it tonight"

Hailey frowned. She glanced at the time on her phone, 6:42 AM.

"A movie?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Jessa, it’s so early. Why are you even awake?"

Jessa chuckled on the other end. "Because I couldn’t sleep. Come on, Hails. It'll be fun. Just us, popcorn, and a good movie"

"What movie?"

"It’s a surprise, but I promise you’ll like it. Say yes"

Before Hailey could respond, Nia groaned loudly from her bed. 

"For the love of everything, just say yes so I can sleep!"

Hailey let out a small laugh. "Fine, fine. I’ll go"

"Yes! I’ll text you the details later. And wear something cute"

Hailey’s brows knitted. "Huh? Why does it matter what I wear?"

"No reason" 

"Okay… well, I’m going back to sleep" Hailey said, already lying back down.

Jessa hummed. "Sweet dreams, Hails"

Hailey hung up and placed her phone on her nightstand, her eyes already closing.

Nia snorted. "She sounded way too excited about that movie"

"You can say that again" Hailey muttered sleepily, already drifting off again.

But Nia merely hummed, a knowing look in her eyes.

Ava sat up, stretching her arms before glancing at the time on her phone. 

A moment later, the bathroom door clicked open, and Riley stepped out. She had a towel wrapped around her body, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders. Catching sight of Ava sitting up, Riley gave a small nod.

"All yours" she said before heading toward her closet.

Ava didn’t respond. She simply stood, grabbing her toiletries before slipping into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

She exhaled slowly, her back resting against the door for a brief moment before she turned to face the mirror. The reflection staring back at her wasn’t entirely her own.

Ava carefully peeled away the layers of her mask, revealing the real face beneath. 

Ava’s real face was nothing like the one she showed the world. Without the mask, she was ugly.  Sunken cheeks, a crooked nose, and a deep scar running down the side of her face. Her skin was rough and uneven, far from the flawless look people admired.

Her cold eyes stared back at her, filled with something dark. The mask made her feel powerful, beautiful. But this? This was the truth she hid.

She touched the scar, her lips twisting into a bitter smirk.

"Pathetic" she muttered.

Ava tilted her head slightly, running a finger along her exposed cheekbone.

She smirked.

No one at Hillsworth knew the real Ava. And she planned to keep it that way.

She's the Layla who disappeared but came back taking a new identity, Ava. 

___

💕TBC💕

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