𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

BEING THE FIFTH Shelby sibling, was a struggle for Evelyn.

Her brothers cherished her from the moment she entered the world, their mother holding the small, screaming girl in her arms as they all crowded around her. Their aunt Polly who had birthed her, affectionately nicknaming the tiny girl "wailing banshee."

Ada was the most excited to have a little sister that she could dress up and play with, immediately attempting to crochet the new bundle of joy a hat. The boys however, immediately made a silent vow to protect her the moment she opened her eyes and held Tommy's pinky with her tiny fist.

Growing up, she had procured the title of the "Shelby's princess." From the moment she could walk, Evelyn was up and helping to look after her older siblings, cooking and cleaning the house with her mother and it wasn't until she was in primary school that her mother fell pregnant with the sixth child of the Shelby family; Finn.

After the death of their mother and absence of their father, Evelyn took it into her own hands to help raise the baby of the family. She took two years off school to help her aunt Pol and look after the house; she didn't return until Finn was a mere five-years-old and started school.

By the time Finn had turned six, her older brothers were drafted off to war – leaving a gaping hole in her family. Ada had started to rebel against Polly's requests, sneaking out at night – forcing Evelyn to keep her secret every time the girl saw her climb out of her window. So Evelyn took it upon herself to mature a lot faster.

By the time that Arthur, Tommy and John had returned from war, Evelyn had just passed her twentieth birthday. She had taught herself the ins and out of running Shelby Company Limited, took shooting lessons from Polly and had taken her first life. 

The innocent girl who they had left when they went to fight in France was now gone; a full grown woman in her place. Yet none of them seemed to understand that the reason their business was still up and running was due to their sister – that it had taken the last of her purity. They refused to break the vow they made when she was born.

It wasn't until Tommy attempted to kick Evelyn out during a meeting that they finally began to understand just how much she needed to be involved. 

"You guys are fuckin' assholes!" She screamed, slamming her palms on the table – it shaking at her force. Everyone in the room sat in shock at the girl yelling and cursing at them - never hearing her raise her voice before. 

"Eve," Tommy began, pointedly looking down at the girl as if she was still five-years-old and he was scolding her. "Sit down and tell us what has you cracking a fucking tantrum."

"No, Tom! You don't get to tell me what to fucking do anymore," the girls Brummie accent thick as she clenched her jaw. "Not after everything I've been through to keep this company on its fucking feet."

John attempted to pull the girl into her seat, but she was quick to pull out of his grip – fury burning behind her eyes, a hiss of "don't fucking touch me,' causing him to hold his hands up in surrender.

"Do you have any idea about the kind of men who have tried to hurt me while you were gone, Tommy?" She questioned, her words as sharp as daggers. "Do you know what I had to do because they thought they could take over the business by getting into my fucking pants?"

A haunting silence cloaked the betting shop, everyone tensing at Evelyns words. Polly reached over to her niece, taking the girls hand into hers – a comforting gesture to show her support. She was there when it had happened for the first time, reaching the man before he could even touch Evelyn who was only eighteen at the time.