Chaotic Good | the umbrella academy

TWO

CHAPTER TWO
' WHERE'S THE FUN
IN THAT? '

The woman reclined on a sofa with a phone tucked between her ear and shoulder. She held two knitting needles in her hands, and an unravelled wool yarn ran across the floor as she stared at the ceiling.

Eddie rolled her eyes and withheld a sigh, scratching her head with a needle. "I told you we were suspending these meetings and rescheduling them. Funnily enough, I know it is important, but- Do not interrupt me. I cancelled the meetings, Mr Frawly. No, I will not organise a stand-in. Listen to me- Nu-uh, that involves you not talking. These are board meetings, which include senior management, on par with company laws, they cannot take place without the full council." She rose to her feet, beginning to pace across the span of the large living room, annoyance causing her grip on the needles to tighten so her skin became pale. "Mr Frawly, I will not repeat myself.

"Does everyone think the same thing?" She hummed dryly at his reply. "Well, you can announce that I'm reshuffling my senior management. I can, and I will, Mr Frawly. I am the CEO and owner of this company. I will not stand for this. I'll tell you this now, as we will not cross paths again; thank you for your service." She altered her grip on the knitting needles to be able to pull the phone from between her ear and neck and end the call. With a clenched jaw locking in a string of colourful curses, she threw the device onto the sofa forcefully to try and relieve the tension in her body.

A whistle pierced through the living room, and she winced at the shrillness. Instinctively, her eyes flickered to a thick metal band around her wrist before she shifted to see her brother. She immediately broke their eye contact, gaze moving to lock on his chest as she approached him.

"My little sister's grown balls, it seems," he commented.

Eddie didn't move to embrace Diego, and he didn't either, even if he did shift on his feet like he considered it but thought better. "Shut up, we're both the same age." She threw the scarf-in-process around her neck and began to rewind the unravelled yarn around her hand, chasing the string around the living room. Then, she suddenly stopped as if she only then fully processed his words. "What are you talking about? I haven't changed that much."

He raised an eyebrow. "It's a saying, Eddie, I didn't mean you actually grew balls. It means you don't take shit anymore - and regardless, being blatantly sarcastic isn't the same thing."

"Oh. That would make more sense." Her eyes flickered away before she picked up the phone from where she'd thrown it on the sofa and walked past Diego and into the foyer. "Hermes? What do you suggest we do?"

When he replied, she pulled a monocle out of her pocket to inspect, "I recommend revoking the board's access to the buildings and important files, miss."

She hummed in a preoccupied tone while rubbing her thumb over the golden edges, a frown on her face. "I've fired them, haven't I?"

"Essentially, yes. But do not worry, miss. Emotional outbursts are common during the mourning period."

Clearing her throat and letting her eyes flicker away from the spectacle, she replaced it in her pocket. "Do what you must."

"Very good, miss."

Eddie passed a large basin, standing on a pedestal, and she discarded her knitted work into it. Grimacing for a moment, she pushed her ginger curls over her shoulder and began to ascend the stairs, hand going to touch the handrail before she caught herself and tucked it into her pocket. When she reached the landing, she paused in front of her father's bedroom.