The Queen's Back

"Alright, I'm coming!" Mona said.

Seeing the fresh grapes and feeling the warmth of the sun, she suddenly craved their cool sweetness.

In the yard, a chair sat in the shade of a peach tree, where sunlight filtered softly through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Under Danielle's guidance, Mona and Haley took their seats. "Here, try some. I grew these myself. Are they sweet?" Danielle asked, placing a bowl of washed grapes in front of them.

"Well, don't mind if I do!" Mona said, reaching for a grape.

"No need to be shy. Go on, eat! Haley, you too!" Danielle encouraged them warmly.

Her orchard was overflowing with fruit-she could never finish it all on her own, so she loved sharing the harvest with Mona and others.

Mona bit into a grape, savoring its juicy sweetness. It was so refreshing she couldn't stop herself from reaching for more

Haley, who wasn't big on fruits and veggies, hesitated at first but decided to give it a shot.

She popped one in and realized it wasn't bad-actually, it was pretty good. She even grabbed another one.

With Haley around, there was no awkward silence, just easy conversation and laughter. Danielle seemed so happy.

A few minutes later, Jesse and his juniors showed up. Before they even walked in, they could hear everyone laughing inside.

I wondered why it was so lively today. Mona must be here," Jesse said with a grin as he placed a freshly caught fish on the ground.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Yep! Come on over, grab some grapes!" Mona waved them over with a smile.

Everyone knew about Mona's mom, Emily Clem, who had been Danielle's favorite student. They had a close bond with Emily, so seeing Mona here felt like a familiar connection

They gathered around in the courtyard, chatting, laughing, and swapping stories-it was one of those perfect, easy-going afternoons.

Mona felt a deep sense of peace here. The countryside had its own magic-no city noise, just the quiet charm that filled her senses and made her feel right at home.

Just then, an unexpected visitor showed up. Molly knocked on the door, stepping in with an uneasy expression.

But the second she saw Mona, laughing and surrounded by friends, her expression shifted. Her guilt quickly turned to a glare of pure resentment.

Initially, Molly had counted on Danielle's lack of internet access out here. She had figured she could pose as Danielle's last disciple without getting caught-by the time Danielle found out it'd be years down the line. Molly thought she could just apologize then, and if Danielle forgave her, great; if not, no big deal. By now, Mona's career in the design world was already fainted

But her plan backfired, Danielle had posted on Twitter saying she hadn't accepted any new disciples in years, and now people online were calling Molly a fraud, insisting she apologize to Mona.

Refusing to admit defeat, she had come here with Jasper Reed, Danielle's brother, hoping Danielle might still consider taking her on.

17 Thu, Nov/

And yet, the first person she saw was Mona. Bitterness surged within her as she recalled Mona's refusal to accept her past apologies, leaving Molly resentful and cornered as she faced imprisonment. Now, she stood there, torn between entering and turning back. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going in?" Jasper nudged her, impatient.

Jasper had already spotted Mona and knew Molly's chances here were slim. Still, he thought if he introduced Molly and said a few nice things, he would be rewarded. A little cash for a small favor sounded good to him.

Worst case, his sister might yell or throw him out after Molly left, but he was used to that. Easy money was hard to turn down

"Alright, let's go in. Make sure to put in a good word for me, okay? I'll pay you extra for the trouble," Molly said with a wide

smile.

Jasper glanced at her, noticing the way her eyes seemed oddly stretched from the plastic surgery. The look made him a little uneasy, but he quickly nodded. For the right price, he would gladly talk her up.

Once inside, Jasper grabbed a stool and placed it beside Danielle, gesturing for Molly. "Here, have a seat!"

Molly smiled, looking at the chair with slight disdain before sitting close to Jasper.

The moment Mona spotted her, her face dropped. She'd had enough of Molly's accusations and wasn't about to pretend otherwise. If Molly dared to accuse her of plagiarism again this time, Mona felt ready to slap her mouth.

"Mrs. Reed, I'm truly sorry, Molly began, her voice full of forced guilt. "I only pretended to be your last disciple because I admire you so much. Please, forgive me!"

Her gaze was all admiration and caution as she looked at Danielle, waiting for forgiveness.

"Exactly," Jasper chimed in. "This young lady just has so much respect for you. She's here to apologize sincerely, Danielle. Let's not be too harsh on her." Jasper knew he would be paid well, so had no problem throwing out a few compliments. Danielle, however, wasn't swayed. "Molly, this isn't about my forgiveness. Do you even realize the work you showed was plagiarized? An apology is owed here, and you know it."

Molly's expression soured, clearly unwilling to apologize to Mona. Ever since she'd left prison, Mona was her least favorite person on Earth

"Mrs. Reed, I didn't plagiarize. That design is mine, and I even filed a patent," Molly replied stubbornly, hinting that Mona was the real copycat. Mona gripped her glass tightly, watching Molly's brazen denial. Even now, she couldn't believe Molly had the nerve to keep up the lie. "Really? So you're claiming Mona copied you?" Danielle asked, her voice calm but sharp.

Jasper had already warned Molly about Mona being the daughter of Danielle's favorite disciple. He had made it clear that Danielle cared for her a lot, so Molly needed to be cautious. "Mrs. Reed, it could just be a coincidence," Molly replied with a forced smile. "Maybe I came up with a similar design to Ms.

Clem

She wanted to go-further and insist Mona had copied her, but she held back, remembering Jasper's advice. Today was about trying to become Danielle's disciple, not pushing her luck. "Miss Sinner, did you forget you publicly accused me of stealing your design during the Noretin Design Competition Mona said coldly, catching her own expression in her coffee gla 07:17 Thu, Nov 7

Danielle didn't wait. "Molly, I've seen enough in my lifetime to t happening here? Why are you still trying to twist things?"

She pointed to the door. "Look, it's clear we're on different path and see yourself out. Left at the door

This was Molly's last chance to make things right with Mona, and

now, then Danielle had no problem shutting the floor on her.