2

Nicole woke up gasping for breath, startled from her deep sleep. Not only was she utterly shocked, but she also felt like she was drowning—no wonder, as a whole bucket of water had just been poured directly onto her face. And it wasn’t just any water—it was ice-cold.

She bolted upright, shivering, not only because of the freezing temperature but also due to the sharp pain from the hard objects that had hit her face. No wonder—it was large ice cubes.

“Well, well, isn’t life so good for you, our dear princess?”

The loud voice came from her cousin, Luciferia. Judging by the look on her face, Nicole knew she was the one who had thrown the cold water. Not only was her mean cousin standing right in front of her, but she was also holding a blue plastic dipper.

“I-I’m sorry, Ate Lucy. I woke up late. I was up all night because of our graduation party,” Nicole apologized, quickly getting up to fix her soaked pillow and blanket.

Her cousin’s real name was Lucy, but Nicole had taken to calling her Luciferia because of her terrible attitude—she might as well be Satan’s sister.

Luciferia was four years older than her and the youngest daughter of Aunt Norma, who took Nicole in when she was eight years old after her parents died in an accident. Aunt Norma had told her back then that she had no other close relatives left to take her in, and since she was her mother's cousin, she had no choice but to take responsibility.

“Graduation party ‘ours’? Ha! You really are delusional, poor girl. Don’t think that just because you wore a fancy gown last night, you suddenly have the right to be lazy. Listen here—you may have graduated from that expensive university, but you’re still our servant in this house. Don’t forget that!”

Luciferia’s voice remained harsh, making Nicole bow her head before speaking.

“I-I know that, Ate. I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Nicole apologized even though she didn’t quite understand why she needed to.

“What’s going on here? Why are you two yelling so early in the morning?”

A moment later, another one of her cousins, Luciferia’s older sister, Lizabelle, entered the room.

If Luciferia was the youngest, Lizabelle was the second and middle child. Just like her sister, she was equally mean. It was a good thing their eldest sibling wasn’t home yet—if all three of them ganged up on her, Nicole’s life would truly be a living hell.

Nicole sighed and chose to ignore the two, knowing they wouldn’t let the day pass without making her their morning entertainment. Instead, she hurriedly cleaned up her sleeping area.

She glanced at the old wall clock hanging near the cracked mirror and saw that it was almost seven in the morning.

No wonder Luciferia was fuming again—Nicole was indeed late. She was supposed to be up by four in the morning, and by now, she should have already finished ironing clothes, cleaning the bathrooms, and most importantly, cooking breakfast for her demon-like cousins.

Despite being old enough to do those chores themselves, they still dumped everything on her.

Nicole couldn’t help but wonder—if she weren’t around, would they even know how to feed themselves?

“Well, well, our little princess is finally awake. I saw your rich friend’s social media post last night—you looked like you were having fun.”

Lizabelle’s voice dripped with mockery. She tugged harshly at a few strands of Nicole’s hair, making her bow her head slightly.

“You think wearing a fancy gown and graduating changes anything? You’re still poor. You’re still our servant. And most importantly, you’re still an orphan.”

Nicole winced at her words but kept her composure.

“Ate, I never thought graduating meant forgetting any of that. Leah and her friends just invited me last night. I didn’t even insist on wearing the same kind of gown as them. I was just about to start mov—”

“Just admit it—you’re an ambitious social climber. You keep hanging out with rich people because you want to feel like you belong.”

Lizabelle cut her off, raising a hand as if to slap her. Nicole instinctively flinched, expecting the blow.

This was how her family always saw her friendship with Leah. They had always believed she was trying to climb her way into wealth, which wasn’t true. Nicole didn’t understand why they thought that way—their minds were too narrow.

“What are you standing there for? We’re hungry! Get moving!”

Nicole flinched in surprise when Luciferia suddenly yelled again. The sheer volume of her voice made Nicole cover her ears with both hands.

“I-I’m going now.. You don’t have to yell…”

Since talking was second nature to her, Nicole couldn’t help but answer back to her cousin. She immediately wanted to slap herself for it. Her lack of a filter often got her into trouble—not just with her cousins but especially with Aunt Norma.

“Well, look at you! Talking back now, huh?”

Luciferia sneered, raising the dipper she had just used to pour freezing water on Nicole’s face, ready to strike her with it.

Nicole’s hands instinctively flew up to shield herself. The dipper might be small, but she knew it would hurt if it hit her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact—only to be stopped by the voice of the last person she wanted to see.

Aunt Norma.

“What’s going on here now?”

Her aunt’s loud voice echoed throughout the room. Nicole swallowed hard. Of course, Aunt Norma was glaring at her and only at her. As always, even though she had done nothing wrong—even though it was her cousins who had barged in and started this mess—she would still be the one blamed in the end.

“This adopted brat of yours, Ma! Just because she graduated from college, she thinks she’s better than us!” Lizabelle complained, sounding like a child tattling to her mother.

"Psh, no wonder she never learns," Nicole muttered to herself.

She wanted to say it out loud but held back. She would only get in more trouble if she did. But it was infuriating. She had been quietly minding her own business, and yet, her cousins had chosen to start a fight. And now, as always, their mean-spirited mother would side with them.

Instead of speaking, Nicole let out a deep sigh. What else was new? It was always like this. The only peace she ever got was when her cousins were away at their factory jobs in Cavite.

“Lucy, Liza, go back to the house. I need to talk to Nicole.”

Aunt Norma’s voice was cold and serious.

Her two cousins shot her one last glare before begrudgingly leaving.

Once they were gone, Nicole was left alone with her aunt, who remained standing in front of her, staring her down.

Nicole gulped as Aunt Norma slowly took a step toward her.

“Where is your college diploma, Nicole?”

Her aunt’s voice was sharp, her gaze even sharper—like she was watching a criminal.

“I-I left it with Leah, Auntie. I was afraid it might get wet or damaged here…” Nicole stammered.

It was the truth. She didn’t trust keeping her diploma here. Knowing her cousins’ cruelty, they might even destroy it on purpose.

“I told you from the beginning not to go to college. I knew you’d become too arrogant, especially knowing that none of my children even stepped foot in a university.”

Her aunt’s sharp glare didn’t waver. Nicole furrowed her brows slightly, trying to process her words.

It was true that when she finished high school, Aunt Norma had laughed in her face when she said she wanted to find a way to go to college. She had been willing to take any course, willing to work hard to support herself.

Nicole had lost count of how many times she had been hurt while begging for her aunt’s permission to study. Eventually, she had started to believe that maybe her aunt was right—that maybe dreaming big was just an illusion, something beyond her reach.

That’s why, when she received a letter from a prestigious company offering her a scholarship under a study-now-pay-later program at their university, she had been overjoyed.

She had gotten into a good school. She had studied aeronautical engineering—her dream course.

No matter how hard it was, she had endured it all just to finish her studies.

She only wished she could make the family that raised her understand that everything she went through was also for them.

That one day, she would help them, too.

Nicole lowered her head, feeling defeated. She had no energy left to defend herself.

“So, what were you again? Summa cum laude?” her aunt scoffed. “I suppose that just makes you even more full of yourself now.”

Nicole merely shook her head.

“Remember this, girl. You owe us for taking you in. Whether you graduated or not, whether you’re a summa cum laude or not, you will never leave this house. You will serve us for the rest of your life. You will repay me for every single thing I did for you. Do you understand?”

Her aunt’s voice was filled with anger.

Nicole held back tears and nodded.

Only when Aunt Norma finally turned and walked out of the room did Nicole feel like she could breathe again.