It Was Her
It Was Her
Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Alvara
I didn’t realize when the tears slipped out.
But the moment I did…
I wiped them away.
Immediately.
This was what they wanted.
And I wasn’t going to give them that.
“Who could do something like this?” Isabella’s voice broke through, filled with anger. “This is wickedness.”
But I already knew.
There was only one person bold enough.
Leonora.
Or one of her shadows.
Her words from the day we were selected still echoed in my head.
Watch your back.
I turned without another word and walked out.
Fast.
I was heading straight for her studio when a voice stopped me.
“Alvara.”
Mrs. Alexia.
Turned.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took in my face.
“What is it? Why do you look like that?”
I steadied my breathing.
“Someone…” my voice came out tight, controlled, “someone destroyed my design.”
Her expression changed instantly.
“What?”
“Leonora,” I said, my jaw tightening. “It was perfect when I left last night. I came in this morning and it was cut into pieces. Completely destroyed.”
The anger sat heavy in my chest
Burning.
“Okay,” Mrs. Alexia said calmly, though her tone had hardened. “I understand you’re upset. But how are you certain it was Leonora?”
“She threatened her ” Isabella cut in before I could speak. “Told her to watch her back.”
Mrs. Alexia didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, she studied me for a moment.
“Show me.”
We walked back to my studio.
The moment she stepped in and saw the fabric scattered across the floor…
Her expression darkened.
Completely.
“Come with me,” she said.
No questions.
She turned and walked out.
We followed.
By the time we reached her office, she had already sent for Leonora, Helena, and Ally.
We sat in silence.
Waiting.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
Then the door opened.
They walked in.
Leonora first.
Calm.
Composed.
Like nothing had happened.
Helena and Ally followed behind her.
Mrs. Alexia gestured toward the seats.
“Sit.”
They did.
She went straight to the point.
“Leonora,” she said, her voice cold, “did you destroy Alvara’s design?”
Leonora blinked.
“What?” she said, a hint of disbelief in her tone. “I… I did no such thing.”
Her expression shifted into something that looked almost like shock.
Almost.
But I watched her closely.
Too closely.
“Liar!” I snapped, the word tearing out of me before I could stop it.
Anger burned through my chest…hot, uncontrollable.
For a second, I really wanted to drag her out of that chair myself.
Mrs. Alexia’s gaze shifted to me.
Sharp.
A warning.
I exhaled slowly.
I forced myself to calm down.
“You didn’t do it?” she asked Leonora again, her voice calm.
“No,” Leonora replied, shaking her head. “I didn’t. I would never do something like that.”
My fists clenched at my sides.
Oh God…
If Mrs. Alexia wasn’t here…
“I heard you threatened her,” Mrs. Alexia continued. “Why?”
Leonora hesitated.
“That’s… I…I didn’t mean it like that,” she said quickly. “I was just upset. She keeps winning everything.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t destroy her work?” Mrs. Alexia asked again.
“Yes,” Leonora said firmly. “I didn’t do it.”
Mrs. Alexia’s gaze shifted.
“Helena?”
Helena sat up straighter.
“No. I didn’t do anything.”
“Ally?”
Ally shook her head immediately.
“I didn’t.”
Silence settled over the room.
Thick.
Uncomfortable.
“You all understand the punishment for this,” Mrs. Alexia said, her tone turning cold. “Expulsion.”
No one moved.
“I advise you to speak now,” she added. “Because if I find out myself… I won’t be lenient.”
Nothing.
Not a word.
Not even a flinch.
“Alright,” she said finally.
Her attention turned to me.
“Alvara… did you lose your key yesterday?”
I frowned slightly.
“No. I didn’t. I’ve never lost my key.”
She nodded slowly.
“Because only your key card can access your studio,” she said. “No one else’s key will work.”
She paused briefly, her gaze sweeping across the room.
“All studio access is logged,” she added. “Nothing goes unrecorded here.”
“And yes… There are cameras. Not all of them are visible.”
A quiet realization began to settle in the room.
Then..
She reached for her phone.
Dialed a number.
And asked for the CCTV footage from the hallway in front of my room and also my studio.
My heart steadied.
So there was a camera.
Good.
Now…
There was no way out.
Minutes passed.
Too slow.
Too quiet.
Then the door opened.
A man stepped in and handed a USB to Mrs. Alexia.
She took it.
Plugged it into her laptop.
The screen lit up.
Everyone leaned forward slightly.
Watching.
Waiting.
At first…
Nothing.
Just the empty hallway.
Then…
Movement.
My breath hitched.
Someone stepped into frame.
And for a second…
My mind refused to process it.
No.
No…
Isabella’s chair scraped loudly against the floor as she shot to her feet.
“You bitch…”
Her voice shook with fury.
“It’s been you all along?!”
Mila scoffed.
Not scared.
Not nervous. Not defensive. Just… amused.
The sound alone made something icy settle in my chest.
Isabella froze, like she’d walked into a room she didn’t recognize.
“What?” Mila tilted her head slightly, eyes glinting. “You’re shocked?”
Her voice…
Not the soft, careful tone I knew.
Her voice was sharp and cold.
“You really thought I was harmless?” she added, slow .
The room went dead silent.
I rose to my feet, my gaze locked on her.
“Why?” I asked, barely a whisper.
That was all I could manage.
Mila’s amusement vanished. For the first time, there was nothing human in her eyes.
“I never liked you,” she said simply.
The words landed like a fist.
Isabella laughed…disbelief, sharp and incredulous.
“Stop joking,” she snapped. “This isn’t funny, Mila.”
“I’m not joking.” Mila’s eyes flicked to me, cold as ice.
“You waltz in here, lost and broken… and suddenly, everything revolves around you.”
My fingers curled at my sides.
“What are you talking about?” Isabella’s anger flared.
“She earned everything she has…”
“Oh please,” Mila cut her off, rolling her eyes. “Don’t frame it like a fairy tale. It’s pathetic.”
Isabella stepped forward, but I raised a hand. Mila noticed.
“That right there,” she said, nodding toward me, “that’s exactly what I mean. Calm. Controlled. Acting untouchable.”
I said nothing.
I wanted her to keep talking.
“And then Mrs. Hawthorne,” Mila continued, a smirk tugging at her lips, “of all people… she notices you. Supports you. Hands you opportunities people like me have been dying for.”
Her voice hardened.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been wanting this opportunity “?
I didn’t answer.
“I’ve worked. Waited. Played by the rules. We came at the same time, but then …and suddenly, you’re special?”
Isabella scoffed, venom in her tone.
“So you decided to destroy her work? That’s your brilliant plan? That’s childish, Mila.”
Mila’s smile widened.
“That wasn’t even the beginning.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice tight.
Her eyes flickered with something darker.
“The leak,” she said casually.
“That was me too.”
The words hit like a hammer.
Isabella blinked.
“…What?”
Mila shrugged.
“I found your little secrets, Alvara. The maid who tried to trap a rich man ”
She let out a soft, sinister laugh.
“You really should be more careful.”
My chest tightened.
“How…?” Isabella asked
“Your phone,” she cut in, smooth, precise.
Everything inside me stilled.
“No…” Isabella whispered, shaking her head.
“That doesn’t even make sense. How…”
Mila reached into her pocket, producing something small. Tiny.
“A bug,” she said lightly.
“I attached it to your phone, Isabella.”
Her face drained.
“You talk too much,” Mila added. “It made things… very easy.”
Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.
“I heard everything,” Mila continued, voice cold, almost pleased.
“Your plans. Your fears. That night… when Alvara thought she was finally safe.”
My stomach turned.
“All of it,” she said.
“And I used it.”
“You’re insane,” Isabella whispered, voice trembling.
Mila laughed. Soft.
“No. I’m just done being overlooked.”
She turned back to me, eyes sharp.
“And you… you were the perfect opportunity.”
I stepped closer.
“Why leak it? Why go that far?”
Her smile widened.
“Because I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see you fall.”
My chest tightened.
“But you didn’t,” she added, thoughtful, almost calculating.
“And somehow… everything still worked in your favor.”
Her expression darkened.
“That annoyed me.”
Of course it did.
“Then why come back?” I asked.
“Because I wasn’t done,” she said simply.
Isabella let out a harsh laugh, disbelief shaking her.
“You actually thought you’d get away with this?”
Mila shrugged, unfazed.
“I almost did.”
Her eyes flickered briefly toward Mrs. Alexia.
“But I guess not.”
No fear. No regret.
I stared at her.
The girl who had always sat in my room, laughed with us, listened, pretended.
She hadn’t been quiet because she was shy.
She’d been quiet because she was watching.
Learning. Waiting. Calculating.
And now…
Everything made sense.