Chapter 2 What the...

"Serena my dear, I didn't do anything. Everything was your doing. I am so proud of you," Ms. Howell said while beaming.

"Don't say that," Serena chided her with mock anger as she walked towards her, Becky and Claire behind her.

"If you didn't give me the script, how could I have known it existed? Don't sell yourself short, Ms. Howell," Serena said as she held Ms. Howell's hands.

"Okay... okay... I'll heed what you say then," Ms. Howell conceded.

Then Ms. Howell said to Claire, "We should drive Serena home-it's already 12 a.m., and we need our rest too."

Claire was instantly energized; she didn't want her idol to have a short rest.

Becky was Serena's main assistant and makeup artist, while Claire was the driver and Becky's assistant.

Together with Ms. Howell, they were Serena's little family.

Serena was an orphan-she got this far from scratch.

Ms. Howell got into the passenger seat of the van while Serena and Becky got into the back.

Driver Claire told everyone to put on their seatbelts, a customary ritual they always did-after all, safety was the main priority.

Claire drove the van to a high-end residential complex with tight security called Tranquil Heights.

One could not get past the gate without a verification card.

Serena was dropped off and she bade the trio goodbye.

She didn't have any engagement the next day, so she was quite happy-she'd get to sleep in after finishing the last three chapters of the novel she was reading.

She hummed as she pressed the open button for the elevator.

When she got to her floor and into her room, she heaved a sigh of relief.

She dumped her shoes in the living room and raced to the bathroom, stripping along the way.

Her home reflected her personality.

A big television... a large picture of herself on the wall... a chandelier...

Very minimalistic but cool.

She liked darker colors, so the living room was painted navy blue.

Weird, I know.

Anyway, she needed a cool bath... and a bowl of cereal overflowing with milk.

She smiled as soon as the water touched her skin.

Home sweet home, she mused.

After the bath, she changed into a cute pair of pajamas and made her cereal, overflowing with milk just how she liked it, right there at the kitchen counter.

The kitchen had every utensil you could think of.

Why?

Because cooking was one of her hobbies.

She admired her kitchen for a moment, then went to her bedroom to finish the novel.

Her bedroom had a king-sized bed and some abstract decorations.

She made herself comfortable and took the novel from her nightstand to finish it.

As she got to the last chapter, she mused at the villain in the novel bearing the same name as her.

"She could have lived a peaceful life without provoking Bianca Snowe. Poor girl," she tutted, shaking her head in disapproval.

She placed the plate and the novel on the nightstand and retired for the night, her mind swirling with the events of the evening and the novel.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

On the nightstand, the novel suddenly glowed...

The figure on the princess bed stirred awake with a smile.

She sat up and yawned, still smiling with her eyes closed.

When she opened her eyes, she was shocked.

What the...

Where was she?

Yes, this she is Serena.

She looked around at her surroundings.

It was so foreign.

As she tried to make sense of what was happening, a sharp pain surged through her head, making her wince.

As she felt the pain, foreign memories forced their way into her mind.

She held her head from the pain.

Just as the pain subsided, her door was banged on.

She ignored the banging and tried to sort out what the heck was going on.

According to the memories she received, she was currently inside the novel she had just finished last night-as Serena.

Yes, the villainess Serena that she scolded before sleeping.

She was so annoyed.

She had just won the Best Actress award, and it seemed like the award was down the drain.

She was angry and needed somewhere to vent, and the person banging on the door seemed like the perfect outlet.

She stood up and walked toward the door.

On the path to the door was a standing mirror, and as Serena passed it, she glanced at her reflection-only to be stunned.

This Serena had the same face as hers.

Only younger.

Oh... and also with very smooth skin.

This was unbelievable.

As she continued processing the information, the door banged again-this time with a voice.

The voice sounded vicious.

"This brat and her tantrums. Why isn't she opening the door? Is she dead?"

The speaker was Martha, the staff head of the Vale family.

She had hated Serena for as long as Serena could remember.

She'd been sent by the angry Nathan Vale to fetch Serena, which she did with glee-only to be stuck knocking at the door.

Serena herself didn't know what caused Martha's constant hate.

Serena shook her head and continued toward the door.

She opened it just as Martha's hand was raised to bang again.

Hmph. This hateful girl, Martha thought, glaring at Serena.

Serena saw the glare and simply smiled at her, saying, "Martha, good morning to you too. Seems like you lack basic manners. Why are you banging on my door like that? Planning on making me go deaf?"

Martha, who was about to deliver her message, was overtaken by Serena-and her words weren't nice at all.

© 2025 Rosemary Chibunna Chinaza. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce without permission.