Maya was searching through Raya's room when she found a drawer that wouldn't open. Her eyebrows shot up. Of all the drawers, this was the only one that was locked. Maya thought something important to Raya might be hidden inside.
Maya really didn't mean to be disrespectful by touching something that wasn't hers. But for the sake of her mission to reunite with her mother and younger sibling, Maya had no other choice.
She had to find out what had really happened—and that started with uncovering who Raya truly was and why her soul was trapped inside the body of a fifteen-year-old girl. To avoid arousing anyone's suspicion, Maya also had to pretend to be Raya. She had no idea whom she could trust in this house.
The girl continued searching for the key. But even after half an hour, Maya still hadn't found what she was looking for. After pacing around aimlessly, Maya felt her body grow weak again. After all, Raya's body hadn't fully recovered yet.
Maya let out a long sigh. Where on earth did Raya keep the key to that drawer? Maya felt as though she had searched every corner of Raya's room, but there was nothing that could serve as a clue.
It even felt like ... Raya didn't really live in this room. Maya couldn't even find a phone.
Maya roughly rubbed her face, unsure what else to do. Just then, her gaze accidentally landed on a book.
The book had a different cover from all the others. Maya's spirits rose again. She thought it might be Raya's diary.
But it turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary textbook. Maya sighed and flipped through the pages without any enthusiasm. What she didn't realize was that the name on the book wasn't Raya Adiwangsa's, but someone else's.
"Miss, Mr. Adiwangsa is asking you to come downstairs for lunch," said a servant who suddenly opened the door.
Maya jumped in surprise, then nodded. She really felt like she had no privacy at all. People could enter this room without permission, but she couldn't leave it. The good news was that she could leave the room now.
"Mr. Adiwangsa is ... Raya's father?" Maya asked as she followed the servant like a kitten.
"Your father, Miss Raya," the female servant corrected her with pointed emphasis.
Maya simply nodded, unwilling to argue and waste her voice. She followed the servant with slightly unsteady steps. Her eyes went wide when she saw all the luxurious things she had once only been able to see on television.
'Raya's father is really rich,' Maya thought.
When she reached the dining table, Garry was already there. Not just Garry—Axel and Lexa were also sitting quietly in their chairs. Maya didn't dare look at Garry or Axel. She only looked toward Lexa, whom she regarded as her savior, and gave her a small smile.
Lexa frowned slightly but decided not to say anything when Maya chose to sit beside her. Axel, however, seemed to have a different reaction.
"Just because Lexa defended you once, you're clinging to her like a leech?" Axel sneered. His sharp glare made Maya shrink back.
"Th-that's not it," Maya said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She lowered her head and stared at her still-empty plate.
"Then what is it?!" Axel shouted, frightening Maya even more. How had Raya managed to live in a family like this? To be honest, Maya couldn't handle it.
"Axel!" Garry fixed his sharp glare on him.
The teenage boy glared back, clearly indignant. "Now you're defending this bitch too, Dad?!"
Garry let out a long sigh. Dealing with his short-tempered son had never been easy. Especially since Raya used to argue right back whenever she clashed with Axel. Fortunately, 'the girl' seemed calmer now.
Still, Garry couldn't yet determine whether Raya had truly lost her memory or whether this was just another one of her stupid acts. Whatever the truth was, it would come to light at the right time.
"Damn it!" Axel stood up so roughly that he knocked his chair onto the floor. The teenager then stormed off somewhere.
At last, only Garry, Lexa, and Maya remained at the table. Maya bit the inside of her cheek, confused.
"Can I ... have this?" Maya asked nervously. She pointed at a bowl of vegetable soup, not daring to take it herself because she felt awkward. After all, she was still an 'outsider' in this family.
Garry raised an eyebrow and looked at Maya skeptically. "Oh? Now you want to pretend you like vegetables?"
Maya immediately fumbled for an answer. She drew her hand back to her lap and whispered softly to herself, "Raya doesn't like vegetables, does she?"
Lexa, who heard the whisper, immediately turned toward Maya. The teenage girl said nothing, simply watching Maya, who didn't notice her stare because her head was lowered.
"Th-then I'll have this instead." Maya reached out to take a spoonful of sweet-and-sour-spicy cooked clams. But before she could, Lexa stopped her hand.
"You're allergic."
Maya froze, then pulled her hand back into her lap again. "Oh, right. I forgot."
This was a complete disaster. Maya had no idea how to act like Raya, and Garry and Lexa might already suspect her. Lying wasn't her strong suit either. Garry's sharply furrowed brows proved it.
'Acting looks so easy in movies, but it's actually this hard.' Maya complained inwardly, cursing herself.
After that awkward lunch, Maya was locked back in her room. She didn't even have time to ask anything because the door was already locked.
Meanwhile, Garry contacted his assistant to get information about Raya's condition after waking up. At the time, he had been too angry about the mess Raya had caused and genuinely hadn't wanted to hear any explanations.
"According to the doctor treating Miss Raya, she is suspected of suffering from delusions triggered by psychological trauma. Rather than losing her memory, Miss Raya has instead 'created' false memories that make it difficult for her to distinguish reality from fantasy," his assistant explained over the phone.
His voice still sounded sleepy. After all, it was a day off. Couldn't he get a little rest?
"Is it possible that girl bribed the doctor?" Garry couldn't help but be suspicious. In his eyes, Raya was a teenager with a terrible personality. Not a day went by without her causing trouble.
"It doesn't seem so, sir. There's no record of any money being withdrawn from Miss Raya's card this past week," the assistant replied.
Garry was silent for a moment before asking, "Can her memory come back?"
There was a pause of several seconds on the other end of the phone. "That possibility always exists, sir. Would you like me to find a psy—"
"No need," Garry cut in firmly.
"But sir, Miss Raya's memories may become even more distorted if she isn't treated soon. I have a few recommendations if you would—"
"I said no, Rendi!"
The next second, Garry ended the call without waiting for a response. Wasn't this better than getting his uncontrollable daughter back?
Raya seemed calmer, more obedient, and less troublesome. But the question remained: could delusions really change someone's personality?