THE RUTHLESS MONSTER

Note: The following four chapters are flashbacks of what really happened several years ago.

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AMBER'S POINT OF VIEW

"You're disgusting, Atticus! What you did is extremely scandalous!"

My mother's furious voice is what welcomed me as soon as I step inside our house.

"Lower your voice, Ambridge!"

"What? You're ashamed that others might hear us? But you are not embarrassed when you cheated on me?!"

My forehead puckered. Cheating? What the hell is happening? I decided to show myself.

"Mom? Dad? Why are you shouting at each other?"

Their eyes widened. The way my father's face turned pale did not escape my sight.

My mother wipes the tears brimming her eyes. "Ask your father," she said before turning her back.

I turned my attention to him. "Dad?"

He looks at me for a moment, but ignored my questions as well. I frowned.

I choose to follow my mother towards her room. I knock on the door.

"Mom?" No one answers. I heave a deep sigh before slowly twisting the knob. The familiar lavender scent of my mother pervades my nostrils when I enter her room. Though I couldn't see her face, the quivering of her shoulders is enough for me to guess that she's crying.

I slowly walk towards the bed hug her. She returned my embrace, and I just let her cry on my shoulder while I'm caressing her back. Hearing my mother's painful cries break my heart.

"Mom? What happened?" I asked softly after she calmed down.

She looks at me sadly. "Amber, your father cheated on me. I caught him and his mistress red handed. I couldn't believe it. All this time, I thought he's faithful to me. He promised me the day that we got married that I will be the only woman he's going to love. But he cheated, Amber." Once again, her eyes glistened with tears.

I pursed my lips. "Who's his m-mistress, Mom?"

My mother looks at me and shakes her head as if she's having a hard time telling me the truth. "Esthrella. Your Uncle Homer's wife is your father's mistress."

Anger immediately crept into my system.

•••••

We're currently sitting on the table inside the noisy cafeteria when I caught glimpse of someone. She's  roaming her eyes around, looking for a seat. The anger that I felt last night comes back.

"Amber, are you alright? You're spilling your drink."

I look at Airen before transferring my gaze to the water bottle I'm holding. The others also stop eating and throw me a glance. I sighed. I didn't even notice that I'm squeezing the bottle too hard.

I nod my head. "I'm fine, don't mind me."

They bought my excuse and continue their businesses. They are talking about something but my mind is too pre-occupied with the wrath making my hackle rises.

"Why are you looking at Astreia?"

My eyes widened with Summer's sudden question. I shook my head and feigned a smile. She just shrugged her shoulders.

I returned my attention to Astreia, she's walking towards the table near us. The corner of my lips turned up. When she's in front of me already, I extended my legs and tripped her, causing her and the foods to fall on the ground.

I saw how her eyes widened in shock. The loud clank coming from the tray silenced the entire cafeteria. Not so long after, they all burst into laughter while staring at the piteous state of Astreia. She was kneeling on the ground, the soup was dripping on her hair, her drink dampen her uniform. She looks at me with tears glinting her eyes.

My smile faltered a bit. But when I remember what her mother did, all the raving emotions returned once again.

"What the hell was that, Amber?!"

Pierce's annoyed voice snapped me back to my senses. He crouched down to help Astreia. My other friends are looking at me with a furrowed forehead too.

I glared at him. "Stop helping that bitch, Pierce." They are all shock with the furious tone of my voice. "You have no idea what she did to me and to my family."

I approached her and look directly on her eyes. "That's just the beginning of your terrible life in my hands, Astreia. What I did was just a tiny fragment of the mess that your family have brought in our lives," I uttered while holding her jaw tightly.

To my surprise, Lorelei emerged from behind and scooched beside Astreia. She wipes the stain on her clothes and the dirt on her face and clothes using a towel.

My face screwed up. "Don't make me repeat what I told Pierce, Lei. Stay away from that bitch."

"Amber! Can you please stop? If you have a problem with her, you could've fix it in a more peaceful way," she reprimanded me.

"W-What did I even do to you?" Astreia chimes in.

We're starting to get attentions from other students, but I don't care. Airen and Ashley are trying to pull me away from her, but I shunned their hands.

My face darkened. "Stop playing dumb, that you don't know anything." My hands are shaking because of anger. "My family took this bitch and her mother in our house as a sign of gratitude. But guess what they did in return?" I look at all the people watching us. My voice is loud enough for everyone to hear me. "Her mother seduced my father for the sake of our money! See? That's how much of a gold-digging bitch and a sick parasite her mother is!" I exclaimed while pointing a finger to Astreia.

All of them gasped. They look at the woman behind me with disgust.

Her eyes widened. "N-No, that's not true! You're lying! My mother would never do that!" she snapped back while trying to stand up, but one of the student pushed her back to the floor. She tried to defend herself, but another one pulled her hair.

Clamor ensued. Other students also joined the turmoil and hurled derisive remarks towards Astreia.

A smirk formed in my lips. That's right. You need to suffer, Astreia. I will make sure that you will regret coming to our lives.

•••••

"Amber."

I averted my gaze from the phone and looked at the phone standing timidly in front of me- it's Astreia.

I arched a brow. "What do you need, bitch?"

She breathed deep. "P-Please listen to me. My mother and your father are not-"

"Stop right there." I cut her off. "Stop explaining because I will never buy whatever excuse that you have. It was your mother's fault why my family is in the verge of falling apart-

Pain crosses her eyes. "W-What do I need to do for you to believe me?"

There's a strong resolve in her voice.

The corner of my lips rise up. I stand up from my seat. "Do you really want to redeem yourself to me?"

She nods her head fervently. "I-I will do everything."

Pathetic. She's really pathetic.

"Then be our slave." She looks at me with wide-eyes. "You will follow whatever we command you- without any questions and hesitations. Can you do that, Astreia?"

She pursed her lips for a moment. My grin widened when she slowly nods her head.

I pat her shoulders. "Good."

•••••

"Astreia, can you carry my bag, pretty please?" Ashley asked.

"Me too, please? You know that I'm not used to carrying heavy things, but you, I'm pretty sure you can handle it."

"I know right. I mean, we should not be surprise. I mean-" Aerin looked at her from head to toe. "just look at yourself."

Insulting laughter rose between the three of us. I smiled seeing tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

We are currently inside the noisy cafeteria, with Astreia still accompanying us.

"Astreia, get us our order." Aerin feigned a smile at her.

She sighed before trying to sneak on the swarm of people in front of the counter to take our orders.

"What the? This isn't what I ordered. I said white pasta, not this. I will not eat this crap," Aerin scolded Astreia when the orders arrived, obviously trying to annoy her.

"Same with me. I said lemon pie, not a burger. You're really an idiot." Ashley added.

"But, you said-"

Aerin cut her off. "Stop making excuses, will you? Just hurry up and change our orders!"

They smiled triumphantly as Astreia followed them with a heavy sigh. She came back after a while, placing the tray of food on our table.

"Here are your orders," she said wearily.

Aerin looked at us with a sneer before smiling sweetly at her. "No, I already changed my mind, I'm suddenly craving for a red spaghetti. Sorry, Astreia. I hope you won't mind returning this."

Beads of sweat are already forming on her forehead, but she still manage to smile.

Somehow, I felt sorry for her, which I should not feel!

I was about to stop her when someone already intervened.

"No, stay here Astreia, you've been going back and forth to the counter, I know you're tired already, let me help you," Pierce chimes in.

"No," the woman cut him off. "Let me handle this, I'll be really quick."

My brows furrowed, this guy is acting weird lately. I know he is naturally kind and sympathetic, but when it comes to that woman, it's different. I need to talk to him about this matter and clear things out.

"Guys here are your orders-"

The sound of the clattering tray resurfaced around the busy room.

My attention was still focus on Pierce when I felt a stickiness in my body. I closed my eyes in annoyance and immediately stood up, my eyes rested upon this stupid creature who was stumbled on the floor.

She looks at me with tears brimming your eyes. The spaghetti sauce was still dripping from my face, my fingers were twitching to pull her hair.

"Are you really that stupid?! Look what you have done. Do you have any idea how expensive this dress is? Your useless life won't even be enough to pay for this!" I shouted that immediately silenced the whole cafeteria.

No one dared to stop me because they know what will happen if they tried to.

"Amber that's enough! You're causing a commotion!"

I shoo daggers at him. "No Pierce! This girl needs to learn." I crouched and cupped her cheeks forcefully. My eyes burn in fury as I stared at her. She looks so helpless and pitiful.

"I-I didn't mean it, Amber. I was in a hurry, then I suddenly stumbled. I'm s-sorry," she explained while trembling in fear.

I shake my head. "No, you're just plainly stupid. You know what? You're already a burden at home, and you still bring your ignorance and stupidity here. You and your whore of a mother are really the same."

The students inside the cafeteria burst into laughter, she just bow her head in embarrassment.

I hold her face with a tremendous force and look directly at her eyes. "You destroyed my life, now I'm going to destroy yours. I loathed you, Astreia, you should've just kill yourself." I spit those words like a venom.

She shoved my hands away before running away, tears are continuously falling from her eyes, but I didn’t even feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her.

I know what I said is really cruel and harsh, but again, who cares? I'm the Queen, I have the full control of everything.

•••••

It was one of those usual weekends, all of us are in Ashley's house, lounging. The boys are inside her brother's room, playing video games. Summer did not come with us because she and her family are on a vacation. Lorelei and Pierce, on the other hand, told us that they need to run some errands.

"What the fuck?!"

Airen and I look at Ashley with a furrowed eyebrows.

"What?" I asked.

She looks at us with widened eyes. "You guys will not believe this," she responded and shows us her cellphone.

"Oh my God!

"That's freaking disgusting!"

Airen and I exclaimed in chorus. You can't blame our reactions though. What she showed us is really mortifying- a picture of Astreia having sex with several men.

"Her photo is literally spreading on the internet. I bet our other classmates already saw it."

I grimaced. "Who posted it though?"

Airen shrugged. "I don't know either, the one who posted it was anonymous. Nevertheless, she's absolutely disgusting."

"Good luck to the shame that she will receive."

I sneered. You're making my work easier, Astreia. You're destroying yourself on your own.

Just like what we expected, Astreia's already horrible life in school became worse. The day after her scandalous photo was leaked, she literally became the dartboard of ridicules of everyone in the University.

"You're obnoxious, Astreia!"

"I know right! What a whore!"

"You still dared to show up your face after your disgusting scandal?!"

"The audacity!"

I smirk while watching other students mocking her. She just bow her head down while walking silently on the hallway. She didn't even dare to avoid the pile of trash being thrown at her and just continue walking.

Suddenly, our eyes meet. Her blood-shot eyes was pinned at me for a moment. I matched the intensity of her gaze, and of course, she looks away first. That made me laugh. Pitiful and weak.

•••••

The sound of my alarm clock wakes me up from my slumber. I stretched my body and did my morning rituals.

I was scratching my half-closed yes while walking towards the kitchen to eat my breakfast when I noticed the anxious face of my father. My forehead creased. I walk towards my mother who's sitting behind him.

"Mom? Dad? Are you alright?"

The former looked at me before heaving out a sigh. "Esthrella and her daughter was gone."

I arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

"They left the mansion already without any words. We don't have any idea why."

I squinted my eyes on my father who suddenly stands up on the couch. "Let's not talk about them anymore. Amber, hurry up, you still have a class. I'll be going now," he said in a nonchalant voice, but the sadness in his eyes can't hide his real emotion.

I balled my fist. He's obviously feeling something for that whore. I want to get mad at him, but I just choose to shut up.

My mother taps my shoulder. "Eat your breakfast already, sweetie. Take care," she said and followed my father outside.

I stared at the ajar door for a quite while. My lips eventually curled into a smile.

They are out of our lives already. The menace are now gone.

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