"Marina hated this world almost as much, if not more than me. She was looking for attention. She wanted to rebel."
Alba didn't remember the last time she and her brother had quarreled. Having had a particular childhood they had never really had the opportunity to meet disagreement. They were really close. Not a single day went without them being able to hug each other. They supported each other in the good and the bad. And when the sky fell on their heads they got up together. No matter the situation they were there for each other.
With the war between their parents and their mother's behavior, they didn't really have enough strength and energy to fight each other.
Thus they had promised to ally themselves against adversity. Forever.
---------------------------
Unfortunately even in her worst nightmares Alba could never have imagined the situation in which she was now with Niccolò. Even worse, she was convinced that it didn't stop with a simple story of addiction.
After the last dinner it was obvious that their mother was related to Niccolò's problems and knowing her Alba feared the worst for her twin.
So she was determined to find out what was going on with him. Even with a severe addiction he couldn't empty his account. It meant that there was a bigger picture to exploit.
Hence the reason she was currently on the lookout. She was busy applying a light pink powder on her cheeks while listening to movements from her brother's room. She rested her brush as she could still hear the pop music emanating from his room before taking a light brown lipstick. She leaned over her vanity, leaning on her elbow before applying her lipstick along her heart-shaped lips. She struggled to follow the line without dropping before retreating slightly, pinching her lips to evenly distribute the color.
Once satisfied with her reflection, she put the tube down with her other lipsticks before tackling her hair. She contented herself with applying her usual fifty strokes of brushes along her smooth strands before suddenly stretching to the agreement of silence.
She immediately put her brush back on her vanity in haste before jumping up to her door. She opened it leaning down the hall just to straighten up as her brother made his exit. The latter readjusted the collar of his black and red Las Encinas blazer before pausing as he realized that Alba was there. They held each other's gaze for a moment in a gloomy silence before Niccolò rolled his eyes with a light scoff.
He hurried past her with indifference, leaving Alba looking sadly after him. She looked down at her shoes as she swallowed before suddenly staring at the closed door of her brother's room.
She wrinkled her lips in hesitation before glancing discreetly at the entrance to the hallway.
Once certain that her brother was already far away, she rushed off in the direction of her brother's room. She gave a little breath of relief as she realized he hadn't locked it before making her way inside. She took care to close behind her before taking a step into her brother's room with curiosity.
She knew that she was probably breaking all the boundaries with her intrusion but she couldn't continue to close her eyes. Her brother was in a bad position and she preferred to fall before him rather than see him destroy himself.
So with a last, cautious look over her shoulder Alba began to search every corner of his room.
Starting with his nightstands.
She remained cautious throughout the process as she kept peeking at the closed door in case he came back. She even went to her knees on the floor so she could lift the bed cover to look underneath. A fact she realized too late that she could have avoided as she found a ton of handkerchief used under his bed. She grimaced at the idea of their uses before getting up almost immediately.
In addition to her instant disgust she was starting to become more and more frustrated. Her brother wasn't really the most subtle in his hiding places. There must have been something in this room incriminating him.
Taking an extra breath in determination Alba went to his dresser in a last attempt. She first went through his drawer of socks before moving on to shirts and sweat. She then opened one of his boxers before taking a break.
"Yeah I can't do that." She shook her head as she closed the drawer in resolution before turning to the rest of the room.
She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around before stopping to look at her brother's dressing room. It was the only place she hadn't searched yet. Her last hope.
She immediately went to the latter before starting to pass through each closet, each hangers and each box contained inside.
It was until she found a foreign box. She had never seen it before. She took another look at the entrance to the dressing room before grabbing the box to observe it. She ran her finger over the opening before holding her breath as she pushed the lid with her thumbs.
A deep frown, however, soon twisted her features as she found several sachets of white powders and various paper documents. She hurriedly unfolded these simply to amplify her frown as she realized that they were papers from their father's company. More specifically, company accounts.
She felt her heart stop as she spotted an irregularity in the accounts. Indeed there had been a hole of more than ten billion euros in crates.
Curious, she passed to the next document simply to find a power of attorney in the name of their mother. A power of attorney written by the hand of her mother and not her father. She knew her father's handwriting by heart to try to imitate it herself to avoid going on several excursions with her peers. Alba knew full well that it wasn't her father's.
The more she flipped through the different documents, the more she began to understand. Or at least she thought she understood.
However, that didn't fit with the fact that her brother had been involved. What did he have to do with all this?
She couldn't keep this for herself. She had to talk to someone far enough away from this to understand better. So she take her phone almost immediately before placing the documents flat on the ground to take pictures. She hurried to save them on her phone before storing the documents in the trunk again.
She made sure to put it back in exactly the same place and in the same way she had found it before getting up and leaning on her thighs.
She made sure to take a last look at the whole room of her brother to make sure she had everything back in place before making her exit discreetly. She glanced discreetly around her as she softly closed the door to avoid alerting anyone before quickly making her way back to her room.
After this morning's discoveries as much as saying that Alba was completely obsessed with her brother's secrets.
The missing money in the account corresponded to the missing money on the account of her twin. That meant he probably had paid back the money that their mother had stolen from their father. But for what purpose? And especially why would he do that?
She really needed an outside point of view.
Hence the reason she was quite agitated this morning as she ran almost through the corridors of Las Encinas in search of the only person she could trust.
She wasn't long in finding her in the central corridor with Samuel and Marina and... Lucrecia?
She immediately took a deep breath before seeing Nadia quickly remove her hijab in the realization.
A fact that Lucrecia hastened to comment as Alba heard her condescendingly reassure Nadia."I ended up getting used to these folk customs."
"Go to hell, Lucrecia." Alba suddenly intervened as she joined the assembled group arousing a whole new interest in Lu as she gave her a fake smile all the teeth outside.
"Oh don't ride on your high horses, Alba. It was a joke." Lucrecia replied at once, shaking her head before giving her a new look that was falsely sympathetic."Listen, I'd like us to be friends again. After all, you seem to be close to everyone as in the good old days."
Alba raised her eyebrows in disbelief before giving Marina a discreet glance at the red-haired, tawdry reflection. Obviously not everyone if she believed her reaction.
"And then you seem to have made new friends. I'm sure Nadia and I have a lot to learn from each other. We should all chat together one of these days." Announced Lucrecia in an act of hypocrisy repeated to perfection before she pretended to go away simply to turn back to Alba with attitude."What if we did that on Guzman's birthday?"
Alba held a curse as she narrowed her lips by adjusting the strap of her purse on her shoulder before lowering her eyes to the ground to restrain herself from tearing her beautiful hair one by one from her pretty little head.
"Aww ... they're not invited."
"Lu." Marina warned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh sorry. But they became so close. I thought they were." Lucrecia apologized falsely before turning to Marina with false sympathy. "We must believe that he only invited his close friends then. Buen dia."
Alba immediately let out a laugh that was supposed to imitate Lu before losing her composure as she tried to run after the brunette in anger."Ha, ha buen dia ! No but I'm going to rip her out-"
The key word was to try since Samuel and Nadia hastened to hold her by simple reflection.
Alba let out a slight frustrated growl before raising her hands in surrender."Okay, okay, I'm calm. You can let me go."
The duo released her with slight reluctance while Marina turned to Alba slightly surprised."I didn't know you would like to be invited."
"It has nothing to do with it. This bitch just exasperated me." Alba whispered trying to defend her obvious boredom before moving away from the group in frustration.
Only it was before Nadia hastened to follow her, catching her forearm in worry."Hey, wait for me! What's happening to you this morning?"
Alba let out a sigh as she paused in the middle of the hallway before suddenly grabbing Nadia's wrist and pulling her with her in a more discreet place. She turned to the braid brunette before casting cautious glances around her as she revealed what she had done early in the morning.
"You search his room?"
"Nadia did you listen to me? He paid back the money that-"She paused again in mistrust before approaching her friend to whisper. "He covered our mother's theft."
Nadia immediately shook her head in confusion and curiosity. " It's not logical. Why would he do that? I thought he hated her as much as you."
"Mhm." Hummed Alba in the objection "I think he always secretly hoped that there was something good about her." She shook her head wearily before running her hand down her face in exhaustion."God, I can't believe it happens to me and Nicco, Nadia."
The latter showed an expression of sympathy at the sight of Alba's overwhelmed expression before putting her hand on her shoulder to get her attention."Do you want me to talk to him? Maybe he will be less defensive with me."
"You would do that?" Exclaimed Alba in surprise.
"Well I never had anything against him." Nadia nodded, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly."And then he's your brother. I don't want to see him lose himself."
Alba nodded her head a little relieved at the thought of having Nadia keep in touch with her brother before tensing as she saw their subject of conversation entering the hallway.
Her distracted attention came over Nadia as she turned her head to look at Niccolò with some interest. An interest that Alba seemed to completely ignore as she was more concerned about her brother's well-being.
The latter raised his head just as he approached them before trying to keep his eyes straight in front of him as he passed without even addressing them a single glance. That was enough to stab Alba a little more in the heart as she looked down at Nadia.
"I'm going to talk to him." Assured Nadia by putting a gentle squeeze on Alba's forearm before turning on the heels of her sneakers to catch Niccolò.
Alba watched her running back running away to catch her brother before letting out a deep sigh as she rushed in turn in the opposite direction of the duo.
However, it was before she passed the high school cafeteria. She paused in memory of the day before reacting on impulse as she walked to the coffee stand. She ordered two cups including one in particular from memory before paying, thanking the cashier as she took the cups.
Her hands now laden with sweet hand-brewed aromas, she took a sip of her own cup before displaying a slight smile as she glimpsed the owner of the second cup.
She quickened her pace before handing him the second cup as she came to his side."Happy Birthday."
"For me ?" Exclaimed Guzman with a wide smile surprised before taking the cup as Alba gave him a sympathetic nod." Thanks, that's nice."
"It's nothing really. I already know that this poor coffee is completely shabby compared to the tons of expensive gifts that await you." Alba replied with slight sarcasm while knowingly shrugging her shoulders.
Guzman rolled his eyes at the sarcastic tone of the brunette before stopping forcing Alba to turn to get to his height."Do you really remember all that?"
"Well Lu has so kindly reminded me of it."
Guzman let out a bitter breath of laughter before squinting his lips in a tense smile." I see. She invited herself."
"Shocking." Alba commented, widening her eyes in exaggeration.
"Do you want us both to celebrate?" Guzman suddenly suggested with a broad smile at the sight of Alba's flabbergasted expression."I can make sure that the home is only for both of us."
"Aw and deprive you of a superb party?" Alba replied, pouting on the blond before displaying a sly smile feeling strangely better after talking with the blond."Nah. I would be a horrible person if I did that."
She raised her eyebrows on the blond to support her point before going around to leave leaving the blond call after her."You could at least think about it."
"In your dreams, Guzman." Alba replied, waving her hand over her head.