Maria arrived in Bonita's room, her face a mask of approval.
"I like what you did in there…" Maria remarked.
"Mom, I can't pretend," Bonita snapped. "Star needs to know she's not welcome here."
"But it wasn't the right way. Mandume caught you." Maria's voice held a note of warning.
"Whatever. I don't care!" Bonita shot back, her tone defiant.
"We still need to pressure Star to leave this house. Instead of slandering and abusing her, let's make her harm Mandume," Maria suggested coolly.
Bonita raised an eyebrow. "Brother loves that girl. Even if she harms him, he'll think it's 'out of love'."
Maria smirked. "No harm in trying."
Bonita frowned. "I'm giving her a month… 31 days. By then, maybe I'll suffocate from it."
Maria paused, thinking it through. "We'll take it slow. Meanwhile, Kefas is coming tomorrow, and we have work to do. You'll get your dad's share."
"Really, Mom? Thank you!" Bonita's eyes brightened, and she hugged Maria tightly.
"But, Mom…" Bonita began cautiously. "Why do you think Star is a threat to you?"
Maria sighed, her expression darkening. "Like I said, Mandume is in love with her. They're already close, and Star's gotten too involved in his business. I don't trust her. She might find out what we're up to and tell him."
Bonita blinked, still confused. "So, what if she tells him? I mean, this is my right."
Maria fixed her with a hard gaze. "You don't understand. When it comes to property inheritance, you need to relax. Think of a plan. Good night."
Maria left, leaving Bonita in her room with swirling thoughts.
Meanwhile, Star and Mandume finished dinner, cleaned up, and headed outside to Star's favorite spot under the stars. Mandume followed her, eager to keep the conversation going.
"I still need to find a special meaning in this spot," Mandume said, trying to break the silence.
"I come here to watch the stars," Star replied, her gaze softening as she stared into the night sky.
"Mm. Why don't you like watching TV?" Mandume asked, sitting next to her.
"I do. I even want to be an actress one day. But I guess it's not my time yet," Star said, her voice distant.
"My lucky star still watches over me," Star continued, her eyes brightening. "And it doesn't seem to have a message for me today."
Mandume raised an eyebrow. "How do you know when it has a message for you?"
Star smiled faintly. "I just know. Now, I found your mom."
Mandume chuckled, but the light moment didn't last long.
"You said you had a plan to find your dad. Tell me about it," Mandume asked, his curiosity piqued.
Star hesitated. After the way Mandume had reacted when she asked about David earlier, she decided not to share her real plan just yet.
"Well," Star started, "can we maybe look for clues in your father's room?"
Mandume's face darkened. "We don't have a key to it. It's been locked since the day he left."
"But we could break the door," Star suggested matter-of-factly.
"I don't think Mom would like that," Mandume replied.
"Why?" Star asked.
"I… I don't know. But I know whatever the reason, it's in everyone's best interest," Mandume said, clearly conflicted.
Star mulled over this. "So, when the police started their investigation, where did they begin?"
"They started in our house, where Dad lived," Mandume replied.
"And they didn't search his room?" Star asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, the bedroom is a private space, but that's where the truth usually hides, like a diary."
Mandume shrugged. "I wasn't around, but Mom knows all the details of the investigation. Where they searched and so on. And even then, they didn't find anything."
Star thought for a moment. "So, you never thought to check yourself?"
Mandume shook his head. "I tried to break the door once, but Mom caught me. She got really upset, said it was disrespectful to go in a parent's room without their permission, that I was promoting theft... all that stuff. I didn't try again."
Star's eyes gleamed with a spark of inspiration. "So, you aren't sure if the door was broken back then?"
"Yeah, not sure… but if it was, we'd have the key by now," Mandume said, his voice uncertain.
Star nodded thoughtfully. "Which means your father might still be there."
Mandume froze, staring at her. "What? What did you just say?"
"I mean… there might be clues in there, things he left behind. Right?" Star said, her voice quieter now, realizing the weight of her words.
"Oh, yeah… probably. But how will we break the door? We can't just replace it," Mandume said, his brow furrowing.
"Let's tell your mom about our plan and see what she thinks. Maybe she'll let us break the door," Star suggested, trying to keep things calm.
Mandume shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. She's really sensitive about Dad. She was depressed for three years after he left."
Star's eyes narrowed. "Uh oh, then we'll make sure she doesn't find out about our plan. And I know how to remove a door lock without breaking it."
Mandume looked at her in surprise. "Wait, how do you know how to do that?"
Star grinned. "I'm an engineer, remember?"
Mandume's mouth dropped open. "Really?"
Star nodded. "Last year, I took a Workshop Practice Course. It taught all sorts of engineering skills. I can even mix cement, weld, and do electrical work. It's hard for girls, but I can do it all."
Mandume whistled in admiration. "Wow, that's pretty smart."
Star smiled. "So, when do you think we should do it?"
Mandume scratched his chin. "Well, Mom works every day and gets off at 5. My class ends at noon tomorrow. I can skip practicals, and you don't have class, so… let's do it tomorrow at noon. I'll give my sister cab money."
Star grinned. "Bingo!"