Episode 5

A bright and sunny morning contrasted the gloom that had seized Renata's mood. The recent commotion at the restaurant had seriously irked her.

Besides, her earlier words were the truth. The real Angel was gone, either dead or vanished without a trace. Now, inhabiting Angel's body was Renata—or rather, someone else. From this moment forward, she wouldn't stand idly by if anyone dared insult her.

"Pssh, liar."

Renata diverted her attention to the source of the remark: Alvaro. Unbeknownst to her, the young man had positioned himself by her side. They were now in the Tan residence's parking area.

"So, there are people like you who'd say anything just to get noticed by everyone around," he scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Renata furrowed her brows in confusion.

“I know your act earlier was just that—a performance. I'm well aware of how rotten you truly are, Angel—or should I say, Renata."

Alvaro's gaze upon Renata was belittling, accompanied by a mocking smile.

"No longer concerned about my relationship with Sanaya, huh? So what now? Did you wait for me on purpose just to coerce me into traveling together? A homewrecker's heart can't change just because of a car accident."

Renata looked back at Alvaro, her expression void of any discernable meaning. His arrogance was off the charts, she thought. Who was waiting for Alvaro? Renata was waiting for Zayn, who had offered her a ride.

"I will never return to you, not in this lifetime. Consider our past liaison my blindness for having been involved with someone like you. The four years you pride yourself on? To me, that's nothing but a galling mistake I deeply regret," he added bitterly.

Without warning, a single tear rolled down Renata's cheek. Surprisingly, her heart ached at Alvaro's hateful words, hinting that some remnants of Angel's love for him lingered within.

'Why didn't Angel take this cursed feeling with her, the one that's making me cry?' In truth, Renata couldn't care less about the four-year relationship Alvaro prided himself on.

Alvaro, taken aback by the tear from his ex-lover—someone he assumed had never before shed tears in his presence, given her always strong facade—began to wonder if she ever truly had feelings.

Rapidly wiping away her unexpected tear, Renata tried to restrain the sudden swell of emotions. She couldn't afford to get swept away by the original owner of this body's residual sentiments.

"Have you had enough?"

The odd sensation stirring in Alvaro was quickly replaced with irritation as Renata's quivering lip disturbed his thoughts.

"Have you insulted me enough?" she challenged.

"Of course not, insulting someone like you could never suffice," Alvaro replied with biting sarcasm.

"Am I that terrible in your eyes, Alvaro? Just so you know, you hurt someone who was ready to do anything for you, someone who loved you more than themselves, and someone to whom you once promised a forever that turned out to be nothing," Renata managed to utter Angel's true sentiments.

Alvaro momentarily fell silent, unsettled by an uneasy feeling within.

"Don't worry, I truly don't care about you anymore. Now I see, it's best not to hold out hope for someone who isn't mine. Chasing you would only cover me in shame and bring upon more humiliations."

Then Renata stretched her fingers—a gesture she didn't particularly wish to make, but the young man needed to be taught not to be so presumptuously confident.

*Thud*

Renata's fist landed squarely on Alvaro's nose with precision.

"Argh!" Alvaro grunted, clutching his nose, the metallic scent of blood filling his senses. "Damn you, you dared to hit me?" he barked in shock.

"That's a warning not to belittle me again."

Renata was more than capable in self-defense; daughter of a military commander and wife to a spy, she had skills that belied her delicate exterior.

So it was best not to trouble her.

"What's going on here?" Zayn's arrival came with a puzzled expression at the scene unfolding before him.

"Your sister, she just hit──"

"She merely slipped," Renata interjected innocently.

Bristling at her unperturbed façade, Alvaro clenched his teeth. Where had she learned to punch, and how could she dare strike him? Was this woman truly Angel?

"Alvaro, are you okay?" Sanaya's arrival drew his attention.

"I'm fine," Alvaro responded, still fixated on Renata.

"Look after your husband\, Sanaya. It's rather embarrassing for the *Tj Corp* Head Manager to be so clumsy\, isn't it?" Zayn commented coldly.

"Ye-yes, Brother Zayn," Sanaya answered timidly.

"Let's go, Renata," Zayn directed.

The two then entered a sleek black car and drove away.

Alvaro watched as the car disappeared, his face hardening, his hands clenched in anger.

'Why is it that you're the one who feels hurt? Weren't you the one who betrayed me first, Angel?'

"Oh, my God, your nose is bleeding," Sanaya's voice broke his reverie.

Alvaro hastily wiped away the blood.

His stern expression softened into a gentle smile, "Don't worry, let's go. I'll take you to campus."

**

In the car with Renata and Zayn.

"Are you okay, Renata?" Zayn, having been glancing her way, finally asked.

Renata shifted her gaze from the window to face him, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she retorted with a question of her own.

"About the dining room incident. I hope you're not dwelling on it. You still have me, don't mind Father or the others."

"I'm not," Renata assured him.

"Do you really intend to move out?" Zayn asked after a moment's pause.

"Yes, Brother. I want to live independently. Besides, it seems my presence at home is unwanted."

Zayn's expression clouded, "You still have me. Don't think like that. Please stay home."

Truth be told, Zayn strived hard to become the Tan family's heir because he wanted to protect his sister from their father's whims. He knew the fragility of the girl who cried in silence in her room, succumbing to her father's injustices. Though he appeared indifferent, Zayn held deep affection for his little sister.

So how could Zayn let Renata leave?

"Mother asked me to look after you. It wasn't your fault she died. It's only natural for parents to shield their child from danger. You need not heed Father's words that blame you for Mother's death. That was fate."

"Yes, Brother."

Renata's smile crept up, recognizing Angel's fortune in having such a caring brother.

Despite having Zayn by her side, why did Angel choose to end her life? Had she considered how her brother would feel, crushed by her suicide?

To Be Continued

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