"What do you want?" Ceres asked, irritation clear in her voice as she yanked the door open, only to find Ciena standing there, knocking incessantly without a shred of patience.
Ciena's eyes were swollen and red, obvious signs that she had been crying. But she didn't care. She had no interest in whatever sob story her half-sister had to tell.
Her irritation deepened when she noticed the way Ciena's cheeks flushed as her gaze flickered behind her. Following her line of sight, Ceres turned her head slightly, just in time to see Zeus sitting on the bed, focused on deleting the video from her phone. The blanket had slipped just enough to expose the curve of his lower back.
She smirked before arching a brow at Ciena.
"Enjoying the view of my fiancé's ass?" she asked dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ciena's face turned an even deeper shade of red, flustered at being caught staring.
Zeus, sensing the shift in Ceres's tone, looked up. When he spotted Ciena at the door, he grabbed his bathrobe and stood up, making his way toward the bathroom without a word.
Ceres turned back to her half-sister, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression unreadable.
And then,
Ciena dropped to her knees.
Ceres's brows shot up, momentarily caught off guard as Ciena burst into tears, looking up at her with desperation etched all over her face.
"You win," Ciena sobbed.
Ceres blinked. Then, recovering from her surprise, she scoffed.
"I didn't realize I had entered a competition," she said coolly. "And did you actually believe you were a competitor to me?"
Ciena's lips trembled. "What do you want me to do?"
Ceres tilted her head, feigning confusion. "And what exactly are you asking me that for?" she asked. "You didn't steal anything from me. Whatever you thought you had, those were just charities from me."
She smirked, looking down at her sister with amused condescension.
"And if there's anything you have that I don't, I'm pretty damn sure I could get something ten times better."
Ciena inhaled sharply, struggling to contain her emotions. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice cracking.
Ceres said nothing. She merely watched as Ciena struggled with her next words.
"I'm sorry for lying to you, to Mommy, to everyone. I'm sorry for seducing Ryzel. I'm sorry for ruining your name in front of him and everyone else. I was jealous. So jealous of you," Ciena admitted, her voice breaking. "You had everything. You grew up with Mom. I only had pictures of her. You were born into a world of luxury, while for us, eating three meals a day was already a victory."
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"You never had to pretend to be someone else just to be liked. People naturally wanted you. And I wanted your life… because I thought I was better than you. That I deserved it more than you did."
Ciena reached for Ceres's hand, grasping it desperately.
"But in the end… everything I thought I took from you is gone. Everything." Her voice wavered. "Even Nissan and Papa won't talk to me anymore."
Ceres's expression didn't soften in the slightest.
"After you lied to them? Told the world that they were dead? Indirectly disowning them? Did you really think they'd understand?" Ceres asked.
Ciena trembled but barely reacted to Ceres's words. Instead, she focused on the one thing she had left.
"Ryzel is the only person I have now," she whispered as if convincing herself. "And now, he's leaving me too. I can't lose him. I love him. I love him so much." She looked up at Ceres, desperation in every fiber of her being. "Please. I'll do anything. Just help me get him back."
Ceres stared at her for a moment before exhaling a quiet laugh, shaking her head.
"He was never yours to begin with, Ciena," Ceres said coldly.
Ciena flinched at her words, but Ceres wasn't finished.
"And even if he was, do you really want to marry a man who doesn't love you? Do you really think that will end well?" Her voice was sharp with mockery. "All you'll do is trap yourself in a living hell."
"I don't care if my life becomes hell," Ciena snapped, her voice shaking. "As long as he's with me, that's all that matters."
She looked up at Ceres. "I will be in your debt forever. Please, just help me."
Ceres raised a brow. "Why do you even need my help?" she asked. "You're pregnant. Even if Ryzel doesn't want to, he'll have no choice but to take responsibility. He was drunk when he said he wanted the baby gone. If there's one decent thing about him, it's that he has a soft spot for children."
Silence.
Ciena didn't respond. She merely stared at the floor, lips pressed together tightly.
Ceres's eyes narrowed as realization dawned on her.
"You bitch," she spat before slapping Ciena so hard that she collapsed onto the floor.
"Love!"
Zeus emerged from the bathroom, his damp hair tousled, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His sharp eyes scanned the room, immediately locking onto Ceres, who was still shaking with fury.
"What's wrong?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.
Ceres ignored him. Her glare was locked onto Ciena, her fists trembling.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" she accused.
She took a step forward, fully intending to slap Ciena again, but before she could, Zeus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.
"Relax, love," he murmured, his deep voice soothing. "You'll wake your parents."
Ceres took a slow breath, forcing herself to calm down, but her eyes never left Ciena.
"Get out of my room," she ordered. "Before I hurt you again."
Ciena remained on the floor, unmoving.
"I can't help you," Ceres continued. "If you ever had a chance to marry Ryzel, it's gone now."
But Ciena wasn't done.
Suddenly, she crawled toward Ceres, her hands grabbing onto Ceres's ankles.
"Please," she sobbed. "Please help me. I won't survive if Ryzel leaves me. I'll die without him. I'm begging you."
She clung to Ceres's legs, as if she were about to kiss her feet, her tears falling freely.
Ceres merely stared down at her, unimpressed.
Ciena looked utterly pathetic.
But for some reason, Ceres couldn't find it in herself to feel pity.
She should feel something, shouldn't she?
After all, they shared blood.
But blood meant nothing to her when it came to Ciena.
Unlike Nissan, who had once irritated her with her territorial nature toward Zeus, she had grown to genuinely like her.
She felt more like Nissan was her real sister than the woman currently sobbing at her feet.
Remembering her silent vow to make Ryzel and Ciena regret ever playing a fool of the Monteverde household, Ceres let her fury settle into something far more dangerous.
Her lips curled into a slow smirk, and her body relaxed slightly. But Zeus, always perceptive, didn't let go of her waist.
"Of course," Ceres began, her voice deceptively sweet, "I can make Ryzel marry you in an instant."
Ciena's tear-filled eyes widened with hope.
"But," Ceres continued, tilting her head mockingly, "why should I do that for you?"
The hope in Ciena's face flickered.
"After everything you've done to me, to Mommy, to Daddy… do you really think an apology erases all of it?" Ceres asked, her smirk widening. "If all sins could be forgiven with a simple 'sorry,' then we wouldn't need police in this world, would we?"
"I'll do anything!" Ciena cried out. "I'll be your servant. Whatever you say, I'll do it. If you want to slap me every day, humiliate me in front of others, I'll take it. I swear."
Silence.
The only sound in the room was the occasional broken sob from Ciena as she knelt there, waiting for Ceres's response.
Ceres tapped her fingers against her arm, pretending to consider it.
"Okay," she said at last.
Ciena sucked in a breath, relief flooding her face.
"Make sure you do as you promised," Ceres added smoothly. "I have a witness, after all."
Her gaze flicked toward Zeus.
Ciena stiffened as if remembering Zeus was still in the room.
"It would be such a waste not to wear the dress I had prepared for your wedding, anyway," Ceres sighed dramatically.
Ciena frowned in confusion.
Ceres rolled her eyes. "Stand up. You look pathetic. Close the door and sit down," she ordered, gesturing toward the empty sofa inside her room.
Ciena swallowed hard but obeyed, quietly shutting the door before settling into the couch.
"Thank you," Ciena murmured.
"Oh, don't thank me sissy," Ceres purred, flashing her a cruel smile.
"You said you'd be fine living in hell as long as you had Ryzel, right?" she reminded her sweetly.
Ciena nodded hesitantly.
"Well, I will be the one making your life a living hell," Ceres whispered darkly. "Consider it payment for everything you've done to us."
Ciena's throat bobbed as she swallowed thickly. But she nodded once more, silently accepting whatever fate Ceres had in store for her.
Satisfied, Ceres turned her attention back to Zeus.
"Let me borrow your phone, love," she requested, walking toward the bed where both of their phones rested.
"Okay," Zeus responded, following her without hesitation as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Before she picked up his phone, Ceres suddenly turned, cupping Zeus's face between her palms.
"And remember," she murmured, her piercing golden eyes locking onto his, "whatever I say over the phone are all lies."
Then, without waiting for a response, she captured his lips in a deep, lingering kiss.