Chapter 011

“I have to unpack! Bye!” I cried, running upstairs to avoid whatever she was going to say. She had nothing against Jacob, but there was a possibility of her asking questions I didn't want to answer.

A big smile was on my face when I looked into the huge mirror that had been in my room since I was nine. Just as I'd left it, photos of my high school moments were pasted all around the border, and there were sticky notes that my younger self had written, detailing my growth over the years.

My hand itched to add another note, but I restrained myself. I'd gone through a lot of shit in those years, which was why I'd distracted myself with the cute notes. However, I was older now - little rubbish like that couldn't solve real-world problems.

The smile I'd had before due to Jacob's actions dimmed, and I looked away from the mirror.

“Life is just amazing,” I sarcastically said to myself. Then I picked up my bag to actually unpack, not because I'd told Diane that, but because I was going to do that soon, one way or another.

I was debating whether pink and green would go together when I heard Diane yelling my name.

She was seated on a couch when I arrived at the sitting room, her hands flying over her phone keyboard, though she stopped when she sensed my presence.

“There you are.”

That meant I was in trouble. But what for?

“What's going on?”

She shut her laptop and indicated that I sat opposite her, which I immediately obeyed in spite of my thoughts. One thing I knew about her was that it was good to promptly act according to her wishes.

“You and Jacob,” she began.

I could almost hear my brain cells screaming in pain as they struggled to work properly.

“What about us?” I asked.

“You two look awfully close,” she replied, raising a brow. “And to think you're just returning…you two weren't in cahoots about your situation for the past three years, were you?”

“What? No! No, why would you think that?”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she looked just like she had when he'd kissed my forehead.

When he'd kissed my forehead.

Of course. The reason why Jacob stopped his forehead kisses way before I even ran away was because I rejected him when he asked me out after high school. Apparently he’d liked me for some time, and as much as it pained me, I told him point blank that I didn’t see him that way.

He'd understood, but had been so hurt, he asked for some time away. When he finally called me up, he sounded jovial, but it'd taken a while to get back to his old self. Diane found out when she snuck a peek into my diary, and though she'd been quiet about it, I saw her watch us like a hawk whenever he came by.

Him giving me a forehead kiss was like him saying that he liked or loved me, but that wouldn't make any sense since he hadn't seen me for three years. That explained her suspicion.

Her narrowed look relaxed into one of blankness. “I was merely speculating.”

“Don't worry,” I said. “I'd leave soon and be out of your hair.”

Hearing that, she chuckled. “You think I'm threatened by your relationship with Jacob? Not at all, darling. The Alpha's the real deal, and my baby girl is getting married to him. You can get pregnant outside wedlock for all I care - just don't ask me for child support.”

I blinked, feeling like I'd just been hit by a truck. Her tone now was starkly different from the one she'd used to lure me back home. It was proud, just as I remembered. But her words…

“Oh, and another thing.” She smiled at me, but it wasn't a genuine one. It was fake and full of evil. “I did a bit of snooping around, and guess what I stumbled upon.”

“...what?”

She opened her laptop, tapped a few buttons, and faced the screen to me.

I felt my stomach lurch.

“Now, why would you hide such important letters from me, darling?” she said. “Getting kicked out of your apartment is no small matter. And getting sacked, too? I've always known you were a brat, but you still messing up in adulthood is surprising.”

I couldn't speak.

“I know everything, Audrey. How exactly did you think you'd be able to hide it with those huge bags you carried? You're not as smart as you think, darling - honestly, I don't think you're smart at all.” She chuckled lightly and shut her laptop.

I finally found my voice. “I…well.”

Okay, maybe I hadn't exactly found my voice.

She smirked. “You'll do well to respect yourself here, yes? Tanya insisted on having you around for the wedding, and I suspect it's because she sees you as a good help. So you'd get your head into the game, and you'd help her whenever she requested it, no questions asked.”

I nodded mutely, and she smiled satisfactorily. “Good. And one more thing. You'd stay away from her fiancé.”

“...what?”

“You'd stay away from her fiancé.” Her eyes were dark. “So you don't steal him away with your feminine wiles, just like your ‘soft-hearted’ mother did.”

I blinked. “I…I don't understand.”

I'd heard rumors, but I'd never believed them. Apparently, Diane was my father's love, but he wedded my mother last minute and had still been cheating with Diane in the marriage. Hearing my stepmother say such a thing, I wondered if this was the reason why she hated me so much.

“Since you want to still have worth in your step-sister's eyes,” she said, pulling me out of my reverie, “Then you should be willing to follow these simple rules.”

As I returned to my room, I felt fatigue seeping into my bones with every step. I almost couldn't believe it. She'd found everything out, and I hadn't even been around for up to a week.