Rebirth of a Gossip Queen

The day was as mundane as ever.

People went about their lives, trapped in the same cycle as every other day. Some were in survival mode, struggling to make ends meet, while others simply enjoyed life, having more money than they knew what to do with. Some lived comfortably; others survived from paycheck to paycheck.

Amidst the crowd, a woman wearing a white-and-pink striped three-quarter-sleeve shirt stood noticeably still. She studied the faces around her, observing their posture, clothing, and expressions. From these observations, she formed her own conclusions about who they were and what they might be thinking.

“Boring,” she muttered to herself, kicking a pebble near her feet.

She had been idling at the playground beneath her apartment complex. It was something she had done since childhood, watching people and analyzing them. She trusted her own understanding of others, even when it had been proven wrong.

“Isn’t there someone interesting worth feasting on?”

She looked up at the sky and whistled.

By now, she had probably ruined countless lives. Of course, she loved the attention. Whenever she concocted an analysis of someone, she spread it far and wide without hesitation. She never stopped until she was satisfied with the outcome.

She especially loved it when her victims pleaded with her.

Sometimes her analyses turned out to be correct, but more often than not, they were completely wrong.

Did that bother her?

Of course not.

There was a time when she had been proven wrong. Faced with undeniable evidence, she simply shrugged and moved on to her next target. No apology. No remorse. No guilt.

After all, what was one ruined life compared to the thrill of being the center of attention?

“KAI!”

A high-pitched voice echoed from a distance.

Dressed in a flowing white dress adorned with blue floral patterns along the hem, the girl looked almost ethereal. Her fair skin and long blonde hair, which cascaded all the way to her waist, only added to her angelic appearance. If there were ever a casting call for an angel, she would be the perfect candidate.

“You’re here! I’ve been looking all over for you. Auntie said I’d find you here, and she was right!”

The angelic looking girl was Lily, her childhood best friend.

“You say that as if I have somewhere else to go” Kai replied, rolling her eyes.

“Uuk! I forgot” She let out an awkward snicker.

Kai shrugged, as if the situation didn’t bother her one bit.

She had been grounded for almost a week, and today her parents had finally let her out for some fresh air. Even then, her freedom came with limits. She was only allowed to stay somewhere nearby. The farthest she could go was the playground.

“By the way, aren’t you going to go back to school tomorrow?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Tilting her head as she answered.

The truth was, Kai had been suspended from school.

One of her classmates had reported her for bullying.

It all started when Kai concluded that one of her classmates came from a poor family and worked part-time to make ends meet. After all, he arrived late almost every day. Confident in her deduction, she spread the rumor throughout the school.

Unfortunately for her, she was completely wrong.

The boy wasn’t working a part-time job at all. He was simply lazy and had a habit of oversleeping.

As soon as the rumor spread, he quickly denied it and provided proof that his family was well-off. Most people would have backed down after being exposed.

Kai wasn’t most people.

Instead of admitting her mistake, she doubled down.

She began spreading another rumor, that the boy was so poor he had only managed to enroll in their prestigious school through a scholarship. When that failed to stick, she escalated things even further.

According to Kai, the boy had received “special treatment” from the principal in exchange for his admission.

The rumor was ridiculous.

That didn’t stop people from talking about it.

It got so severe that the rumor eventually reached the principal’s ears.

Angry was an understatement. She almost expelled Kai, but knowing her background, it was hard even for the principal to do so.

Kai Dunn wasn’t just the gossip queen.

She was the youngest daughter of Erica and Carl Dunn, the most influential people in the area.

Erica Dunn owned one of the nation’s Big Three law firms, while Carl Dunn was a renowned politician. His face could be seen on posters, billboards, and tabloids across the country. Schools, gymnasiums, and public buildings bore his name, a testament to his influence and popularity.

“YIPEEEE! I missed you terribly!” Lily exclaimed, wrapping herself around Kai’s arm.

“I had no one to talk to while you were gone”

Kai snorted. “Yeah, right. Everyone likes you. They probably threw a party when I got suspended because they finally had a chance to talk to you”

Lily stopped walking and looked up at her.

“What?”

“Kai” she said slowly, as if explaining something obvious to a child, “you do realize you’re the only person I actually go looking for, right?”

Kai snorted. “And that’s exactly why everyone hates me, for hogging you all to myself!”

Before Lily could protest, Kai lunged forward and pulled her into a tight bear hug.

“Ugh! k-kai! I can’t breathe!” Lily wheezed, half-laughing, half-struggling.

The two of them tumbled into playful wrestling, laughing until the energy finally drained out of them.

After a moment, Lily lay back, catching her breath.

“Kai?”

“Mm?” Kai hummed.

“Benjamin’s back at school, you know”

Kai made a dismissive sound. “Pfft. That loser”

Lily turned her head, her expression softening into something more serious. “I think you should be careful”

Kai blinked. “Careful?”

“We don’t really know what he’s planning after what happened,” Lily said quietly. “I just… want you to be careful, okay?”

Kai stared at the ceiling for a second, then smirked again, brushing it off.

“Relax,” she said lightly. “Like that guy could actually do anything”

Lily sighed, but this time there was a small, worried smile on her face as she shook her head.

“Yeah, you’re probably right”

“Hey! What’s with that look?”

Lily quickly masked her expression. “What look?”

Kai narrowed her eyes. “Did you forget who your best friend is?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Kai puffed out her chest proudly. “No one can touch me. Not even a single strand of my hair”

“Pfft—”

Lily’s lips trembled before she burst out laughing.

“Hahaha!”

She doubled over, clutching her stomach.

“You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?” Kai crossed her arms and frowned.

Lily quickly covered her mouth, but it was hopeless. The laughter kept slipping through.

“S-Sorry” she managed between giggles. “It’s just, you sounded so serious when you said that”

Kai clicked her tongue. “You’ll regret laughing when I become a legendary hero”

That only made Lily laugh harder.

Lily wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing. “How can a gossip queen become a hero?”

Kai gasped dramatically like she had been personally insulted. “Excuse you?”

She placed a hand over her chest. “Information gathering is a critical skill in any heroic organization!”

Lily blinked. “You mean gossip”

“I mean intelligence network” Kai corrected immediately.

That sent Lily into another fit of laughter, and Kai just huffed, turning her face away, but the corner of her mouth kept twitching like she was trying not to smile too.

“Thanks for coming”

That stopped Lily in her tracks, as if she had just heard her best friend say something foreign. Kai caught the reaction immediately and her ears turned noticeably red too.

“I was feeling down, alright?” Kai snapped quickly, like she regretted saying it. “Is it so surprising for the great Kai to be in a bad mood? This situation just showed me who the real ones are”

Lily tilted her head slightly. The usual teasing wasn’t there this time.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing, actually. That was just a moment of weakness” Kai said, standing up and brushing dust off her jeans. “See you tomorrow, Lils. Don’t worry about Benjamin. We settled everything. I got suspended, remember?”

“I—”

Before Lily could finish, Kai had already started walking away, waving with her back still turned toward her.

“Let’s meet up tomorrow on lunch break!” Lily half-shouted, hoping her retreating friend heard her.

“Tsk” Lily clicked her tongue.

“That idiot, really”

*

At the same time, a tall figure stood by a classroom window, leaning casually against the wall. Dressed in the school’s uniform, he had lightly tanned skin, a sharp jawline, and a pair of glasses resting neatly on his face.

He was striking, to say the least.

After all, he was Benjamin. The same guy Kai had recently ruined by spreading rumors that he was receiving special treatment. He had been out of school for two weeks under the guise of “mental health leave” but in reality, it was to avoid any unnecessary attention.

His family had placed him here for a reason: to conceal his true identity.

And then Kai happened.

Now, what was he supposed to do when the school’s queen bee had gotten on his nerves? His pride had taken a hit, and Benjamin hated losing more than anything.

Yet there was no emotion in his expression. Only his clenched fist betrayed the calm facade he was trying so hard to maintain.

He let out a sigh.

“Kai Dunn... what should I do with you?”

A smirk slowly escaped his lips.

“You shouldn’t do anything that will draw too much attention to us.”

Benjamin’s head whipped around so fast it looked like his neck would break.

“What are YOU doing here?” he snarled, looking at the figure he knew so well. He could probably count every strand of hair on this man’s head.

“Benjamin”

A low voice came from the man, laced with a commanding tone.

At once, Benjamin tensed up. He was pissed at himself for slipping up and forgetting just how dangerous the person in front of him was.

“I’m sorry, Axel” Benjamin said, lowering his head.

“I understand what you’re feeling. It must be hard, but trust our family. We will do something about this matter. Remember, I was the one who got her suspended.”

Benjamin’s clenched hands loosened a bit.

“She won’t back down. You know that”

“Yes” Axel replied immediately.

“I won’t let her do anything more. Besides, I have a very trusted source helping us.”

And with that, a slight smile appeared on the man’s pristine face.