They found Maria in the middle of wiping off her makeup.
"Oh, girls. What can I offer you?" Maria asked with a forced cheerfulness.
Bonita, ever direct, cut to the chase. "Mom, as you already know, Tiffanie is Mandume's girlfriend, and she's willing to fight for him. She agreed to our mission."
Maria's expression froze, her mind racing with thoughts. Had Bonita told Tiffanie about her father's involvement in their plans? Panic surged through her. Without a word, she rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She screamed, her voice high-pitched, and then called for Bonita.
"Au, Boni, come in quickly... Gosh, what's this?!" Maria cried out.
"Mom? In the bathroom?" Bonita asked, bewildered.
"Yes, come! Hurry up!!!" Maria's voice quivered.
Bonita stepped inside, only to be pulled into the bathroom and the door slammed shut. Maria's anger surged, her voice low but venomous.
"You stupid girl, how could you stoop this low? Why did you tell Tiffanie about our mission?" Maria demanded, panic lacing her words.
"Mom, calm down! I didn't tell her everything. I only mentioned that we need to eliminate Star, and that's it," Bonita replied, trying to steady the situation.
Maria's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Mom. I'm not reckless," Bonita responded with a sigh of frustration.
Maria exhaled sharply, still uneasy. "Okay, I thought you exposed everything already."
They stepped out of the bathroom, still keeping up the act.
"Ha-ha, Mom was just scared of a cockroach! Can you believe that?" Bonita said, trying to brush off the tension.
Tiffanie, leaning casually against the wall, chimed in with a teasing tone. "Uh, big aunty!"
They all laughed, but Maria's face remained hard, focusing back on their plan.
"Okay, back to business, girls," Maria said, the tension in her voice momentarily dissipating.
"Mom, before dinner, I told you my idea. So, what do you think?" Bonita asked, her voice more serious now.
Maria pursed her lips, nodding slowly. "It's a good idea, but we need to be careful. We don't know Star yet, and we don't know what she's capable of. So, let's be cautious."
Tiffanie, speaking up with concern, added, "Yeah, did you see the look she gave you when you asked her about her family? It was like a 'don't underestimate me' kind of look."
Bonita grinned, a slight edge to her voice. "Yeah, she was ready to murder me."
Maria, ever the strategist, crossed her arms. "But I'm still going to play the motherly role with Mandume so he doesn't suspect anything. You two—be on good terms with Star, make her trust us, while we work toward executing the plan."
Bonita raised an eyebrow. "I still don't know what your plan is, though. Boni only told me we're supposed to eliminate Star, but how?"
Maria's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint in her gaze. "By killing her."
Tiffanie's jaw dropped. "What?! Killing a human?"
Bonita gave a cold smile. "That's the only way Mandume won't go running back to her. He won't have a choice but to marry you."
Tiffanie stepped back, shaking her head, horror flooding her face. "No, no! I can't win his love this way! I'm not part of your evil deeds."
Maria's voice hardened, a mix of impatience and disdain. "What did you expect, then? Do you have another plan?"
Tiffanie's eyes burned with anger as she stormed toward the door, but Bonita was quicker, blocking her path.
"Okay, go ahead. Leave. Watch your only love marry another girl. Watch Star insult you and you can't do anything about it. Watch her steal the future you could have had. Go on, I'm just here to open the door for you," Bonita said with venom in her voice.
Tiffanie, shaking with anger and fear, fled the room, slamming the door behind her.
In the hallway, she muttered to herself, "I may want to protect Mandume from cheating on me, but not at the cost of someone's life."
She stormed straight into Bonita's room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Outside, Star couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. As she and Mandume walked, she hesitated before asking, "Hey Mendu, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Yeah, go ahead..." Mandume replied, his voice soft but distant.
"Where is your father?" Star asked, her tone light but probing.
Mandume's face tightened, and for a brief moment, the air between them grew thick with tension. He went silent, his thoughts visibly racing. Star could see it—the unease, the sorrow buried deep within him.
"I don't know," Mandume replied, his voice tight, before turning away.
"Meaning?" Star prodded.
"Meaning I don't know where he is," Mandume repeated, standing up quickly as if the topic were too much to bear.
Star, not willing to let him off so easily, reached for his hand, her grip firm. "Sit."
"I don't want to talk about my father, okay?" Mandume said, his voice raw with emotion.
Star stood up, pacing as she spoke. "When do you want to talk about him? Or maybe you never want to? Because from what I see, his soul is still following you, seeking help."
Mandume shot her a confused glance. "What are you talking about?"
"Whenever you try to ignore a problem, it doesn't go away. It won't fix itself," Star continued.
"I don't understand," Mandume said, his brow furrowed.
"Let's sit down. Talk about your father. I'm here, okay?" Star said, gently pulling him back down.
Mandume hesitated but then spoke, his voice strained. "Dad left when I was sixteen. The day before my birthday, he promised me a big surprise. He said it would change my life, that I would live a life of worth and loyalty. I didn't understand at the time, but I was excited. That evening, he gave me a car and said it was just the beginning. He handed me papers, told me to keep them safe, not to show anyone—not even Mom. He said everything would be revealed the next morning."
Mandume's voice faltered as tears began to build in his eyes. "But the next morning... there was no surprise. No birthday preparations. I went to his room—his door was closed. Mom said she hadn't seen him. I waited... but he was gone."
Tears welled in his eyes as he continued. "His phone's been unreachable ever since. I don't know if he's alive. I'm fatherless, Star. Mom's all I have now. But I'm not strong like you. When I think about it, I feel weak. Dad was everything to me."
Star's heart broke as she wrapped him in a tight hug. He let go of his restraint, allowing himself to cry. She wiped his tears, her voice soft and comforting.
"Shhh. Just breathe. When you're ready, we can talk more, okay?" Star whispered.
Mandume sniffed, then nodded. "I think I can talk about it now."
Later that night, Star's mind raced as she lay in bed. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was meant to do something more. After everything that had happened, she had a new mission—find Mandume's father.
But as she sat there, her thoughts were interrupted by an eerie sight—a bright moving star, streaking across the sky. As she watched, the star seemed to collide with a figure, a boy whose features were blurry, glowing with an almost otherworldly light. The moment Star tried to focus on him, he vanished.
Behind her, a voice echoed. "You see that boy? He's my son, and you're just the right person for him."
A man stood there, his smile wide and knowing. As he spoke, Star felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine. The man's voice was both comforting and unsettling, as though he knew something she didn't.
He placed her hand on his chest. "I need you to bring light into my family."
Star froze, staring at him in shock. As she turned back to the boy, he was gone, leaving her trembling and confused.
She ran back inside the house, slamming the door behind her. She sat on her bed, closing her eyes, and whispered, "Mom... this house... I don't know anymore. I've got so much to do, and usually, you'd be here to help me. But now... where are you?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away, feeling a profound sense of loneliness and fear. Then, as sleep took over, she whispered one final plea, "Please, Mom. Tell me you're safe."