Raised From The Wild-Chapter 156: Confrontation

Amaya, together with Julienne proceeded to the swimming pool for the championship tournament. She went to to the dressing room to change into a swimsuit. She wore a conservative black one piece swimsuit and a black swimming cap, her goggles dangled on her neck. She went back to the swimming pool to wait for her event to start.

A tall woman with toned muscles stood beside her. She was smiling to her but her words were vicious when she said, "It is because you are the First Princess that nobody dared to talk honestly to you. But I am different. I will say what is in my heart regardless of who you are."

The lady’s tone was cruel. Amaya looked at her with confusion.

"What do you mean? I don’t know you and I don’t understand."

The tall woman in purple swimsuit sneered. "Of course you will not understand. How can you understand? You grew up grew up in the the Jungle!"

Amaya just listened to her. She let her grumble. She was used to hearing such snide remarks but every time the words still pierced her heart.

"Are you so proud that you won a lot of medals? It is because you are thick-skinned! You are already 18, so old and yet you fight against 16 and younger. Naturally, they will be at a disadvantage because they are younger than you." She looked at Amaya with mockery in her eyes.

Amaya’s expression turned ugly. Julienne who was sitting at the bleacher frowned. She could see that something was wrong with Amaya. She wanted to approach them and protect Amaya. That was one of her purpose in entering the school but the swimming pool area was off-limits for spectators.

Amaya breathed heavily. Her tears threatened to fall but then when she thought about it, she was a princess after all. Clarissa often told her that she should always remember her identity. How can an ordinary person mocked her just like that?

She straightened her back and her face contorted into anger. She gave the woman a cold glare.

The woman in the purple swimsuit felt the temperature dropped. When she looked at the princess she shivered. She had a terrifying look and wore the aura of a queen.

"You know that I am a princess and yet you dare talk to me like that?" Amaya’s voice sounded domineering. Even she was surprised that she could talk in such manner, like her Daddy Ibarra.

The woman in purple swimsuit stiffened. Why did she suddenly change? Her aura became oppressive. She was a scared. She lowered her head to apologize.

"I am sorry, Princess. I am wrong." The woman bowed politely. She will let her cousin pay for telling her that the first princess was ignorant and could easily be bullied.

"How old are you?" The princess asked coldly. She imitated how the king in a movie she previously watched interrogated his subject.

The woman did not want to answer but when she saw how coldly the princess looked at her she stammered. "I am seventeen... yes seventeen."

Amaya chuckled. "So, I am a year older than you. What is the difference of a seventeen year old competing against a fifteen year old and that of an eighteen year old, competing against a sixteen your old?"

The woman opposite Amaya trembled. "Please forgive my rudeness earlier princess. I know I am wrong. I am just threatened by you. I have been the champion for the past two years and I saw you in the elimination round and you were so outstanding." The woman told her honestly.

Amaya’s expression softened. She was about to say something when the school official who was in charge of the swimming event called all the athletes to proceed to the pool. Amaya and the woman in purple swimsuit went into the pool one after the other. Amaya put on her goggles.

The event was a 100 meter butterfly. When the official gave the go signal to start, the woman in the purple swimsuit had a head start. She thought that Amaya would beat her that’s why she attacked her psychologically. Who would have thought that the princess who looked so timid was very fierce?

Amaya moved faster. Her hands swept down and out to form a Y shape in front of her body. She turned and swept her hands back in towards each other keeping her elbows high. Then she turned and swept parallel to the side of the body. Her movement was neat and clean.

She remembered the times that she would race with her Daddy Ibrahim in the sea of Miraga. The waves crashing over her body made it difficult to swim but it made her stronger. Swimming in a calm pool was a breeze. She overtook the woman in the last few minutes.

Amaya won the gold medal for the women’s 100 meter butterfly. When they were out of the pool, the woman in the purple swimsuit bowed to her.

"I apologize again for the harsh words I said to you earlier, Princess. It is my honor to compete with you. Congratulations!" She said politely and turned to leave.

Amaya thought for a while. She recognized the woman and she was also participating in the 100 meter freestyle . Amaya left the pool area and headed to the dressing room. She felt a strong presence behind her but before she could turn around, a jacket was draped over her shoulders. The jacket has a lingering smell of sandalwood, cedar, musk and patchouli.

"Marx, you are here!" Amaya greeted him with enthusiasm. Marx matched her pace and and walked side by side with her.

"Are you changing? Don’t you have another event?"

"I will forfeit. I feel that it is unfair for me to continue participating. I have a lot of training which made my opponents at a disadvantage."

Marx looked at her thoughtfully but did not say anything.

"Besides, I already have a lot of gold medals." She beamed at Marx and he could not help but pinch her cheeks.

A paparazzi who was disguised as a student and was hiding behind a pillar captured such an intimate moment. He smiled broadly as if he hit a jackpot.

"I will wait for you near the exit"

Amaya nodded and returned the jacket to Marx before she entered the dressing room.

Marx with hands in his pocket casually walked to the direction of the exit when he bumped into Stephane.

"I didn’t know that you like watching a swimming competition." Marx was the first to break the ice between them.

Stephane snorted. "I am here to provide moral support to my student in her competition."

A glint crossed Marx’s blue eyes. But it was gone in an instant and was replaced by an amused look.

"If you are referring to Amaya then you are a bit late. She just finished her event."

Stephane looked surprised. He checked earlier and Amaya was participating in the 100 meter freestyle for women. He did not say anything but walked past Marx.

"Stephane," Marx called out in a serious tone. Stephane paused but did not turn around to face him.

"Are you still blaming me for what happened in the past? Do you still think that I was at fault?" Marx sounded sad and weary.

Stephane just stood there, his eyes were filled with complicated emotions. He was angry, frustrated and sad at the same time.

"You had all the evidence in your hands. Why do you continue to put the blame on me? It was an accident and we were both victims."

Stephane clenched his fists. He turned around and faced Marx with a cold expression.

"If you hadn’t prevented me from sending her home, would that happened?"

Marx chuckled. "You were so drunk and in no condition to drive. Until now, you still put the blame on me?" Marx said sadly.

"Yes. Because if you did not insist in driving us home at that time and if you followed the route I asked you, then we would not have encountered that accident and she should not have died." Stephane shouted at him. His loud voice attracted the attention of the students who were not far away.

Stephane noticed that his outburst has attracted attention. He lowered his voice when he uttered his next words. "I will never forgive you Marx. You took the life of the woman that I love." His words were laced with so much hatred.

Marx clenched his fists.

"My conscience is clear Stephane. Do not accuse me of a crime that I did not do. If you want to play the finger pointing game, then shouldn’t you be the one to be the most guilty? If you haven’t gotten yourself drunk, then you should have been the one driving. If did not insist in inviting her in that stupid party which her parents did not approve of, then it should not have happened." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"The police has established that the other driver was at fault and I am a victim. So do not make me your scapegoat because I am not."