Meanwhile, Bonita wasted no time sharing the news of Star's extended stay at their house with Tiffanie. Furious, Tiffanie stormed over to Bonita's place, determined to put an end to whatever was forming between Mandume and Star.
Upon arriving, she headed straight to Mandume's room, but he wasn't there. Confused, she turned to Bonita.
"Where is everyone? Where's Mandume?" Tiffanie demanded.
"He's probably in that witch's room. Where else would he be?" Bonita sneered.
Tiffanie's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! The guest room?"
"Yep," Bonita confirmed.
Without hesitation, Tiffanie marched toward the guest room, Bonita trailing behind. But when they reached it, they found the door closed and the room empty. Frustration bubbled inside Tiffanie.
"My brother isn't here, Star is missing, and the car is gone. That means they went out... for a date, maybe?" Bonita speculated.
Tiffanie's hands clenched into fists. "What?! A DATE? Really? Mandume is cheating on me right under my watch! No, I won't let this happen. Star, you've gone too far! I won't just sit back and let you take what's mine!"
As she turned to leave in a huff, the front door swung open. Mandume and Star entered, laughing and carrying shopping bags.
Bonita and Tiffanie froze in shock, their anger intensifying at the sight of their closeness.
Mandume, oblivious to their fuming expressions, turned to his sister. "Hey, Bonita, give me a hand with these bags. Take them to the kitchen."
Star, balancing multiple shopping bags, smirked as she caught Tiffanie's glare. An idea sparked in her mind. She turned to Mandume with a teasing smile.
"Hey babe, can you help me?" Star said, her voice soft yet confident.
Mandume, startled, looked at her in confusion, but when she winked, he understood. Tiffanie's head snapped toward them, her jealousy flaring as she misinterpreted the exchange.
Mandume played along. When Tiffanie rushed to help, he gently handed her some bags and softened his expression. "Thank you… but why do you look so tense?"
Tiffanie, momentarily thrown off, blinked up at him. "No, babe, I just have a big test tomorrow, and I'm nervous. You know I didn't do well on the last one."
Mandume barely resisted the urge to grimace but forced himself to stay in character. "Don't stress too much. If you panic, you'll fail again. And you know I don't want that. Please pass... for me?" He let go of her hand subtly, but Star cleared her throat, signaling him to keep up the act.
Tiffanie's face softened, her jealousy momentarily forgotten. "Of course, babe. This time I'm ready. I won't fail, okay?"
Star, smirking, interrupted. "Alright, lovebirds, help me unpack my stuff, will you? Then you can continue your romance later. This is my room, after all."