Vengeance | ✓

03 | metamorphosis

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

a year ago

"Don't worry, Lucy. She'll be fine with me."

"Do take care of her, Amanda," my aunt reminded Amanda, my parents' lawyer who was paying her annual visit to me on my birthday. "I planned something for her in the evening, but it's okay. I'll get more chances to celebrate with her. You won't," Lucy said, faking a smile. She has never liked Amanda.

"I'll be fine, Lucy," I smiled at her, hastily grabbing a sling and stashing my phone and some cash in it. To be honest, I can't wait to escape, even though it's only for a few hours.

"Take care, Scarlet," I turned around to see Adrian leaning against the main doorframe. I hesitated in walking beside him as we left the house. 

"Y-yes," I mumbled in response as I followed Amanda. Amanda is - was - my parents' lawyer when they were alive, so after they died, she assisted Lucy and me in handling their finances, especially my trust fund. 

"Come on," Amanda said with a little smile as I sighed upon leaving the house. I jumped inside her black convertible, and soon we were speeding towards the nearest coffee shop. 

I knew Amanda wouldn't do this until it was something really, really important. For years, I had seen her as someone who didn't bother with the niceties, who didn't care about emotions or feelings and kept her head down until the job was done. Lucy and I had been immaterial to her. What mattered was her working to protect me and ensure my parents' money remained protected until I turned eighteen. So, when she arrived from New York unannounced, persistent to 'take me out', Lucy and I were both suspicious of her intentions. 

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" I asked her. 

"Oh yes!" She said. "I had to inform you that we'll be increasing the donations your fund makes to the child rights charities. You can regulate this money once you turn eighteen, but I need you to go through the documents before we confirm the donations," she added, keeping it straight to the point. 

My face scrunched up in confusion. "But you've told me about the donations already. Didn't we talk about it last -"

"This is what you'll tell Lucy if she asks you. We had this conversation on the phone without Lucy, so I hope you haven't told her yet," I could sense a small smirk playing on her lips as my confusion only increased. 

"Uh, no, I haven't had the time to mention it to her," I confirmed, not recalling any instance of us discussing the donations. 

"I want to talk to you about something you'll never discuss with anyone. Not even your best friend, Scarlet. We will have this conversation, and as soon as you're back, you'll forget about it until the necessity arises."

"I don't think I have reliable friends, but okay," I snorted. I didn't have any friends at all; being reliable was a big stretch. 

"I don't care. It is essential that no one ever knows about this. And if you find no use for this conversation before you turn eighteen, you have to promise me to forget about it," she said, any evidence of a smirk long gone. Her pitch-black eyes commanded me sternly to obey, and I nodded in response. 

"Okay," I muttered as we arrived at a local coffee shop. She parked the car while I ordered a standard coffee for each of us. She and I both knew this wasn't about a coffee date anymore and when she joined me in the booth with a big black binder filled to the brim with pages, I gulped at what was to come.