Mommy's Incompetence

In a small dark room without any windows, a woman with half of her face disfigured by acid, huddled in a corner, gasping as she wept. It was difficult to breathe, as the air was heavy and stifling in the enclosed space,

"Heuk!" She cried loudly and warped her heavily bruised arms around her torso, as a boot hit her stomach with great force.

The perpetrator was her former fiance, James Welsh. He looked down at her with so much disgust in his eyes.

"Damn it! I hate being in this disgusting place. You better tell me the formula for that drug quickly if you don't want to die here today!" He stomped on her without mercy, each hit delivered an insurmountable amount of pain.

Scarlett Tates wailed and wriggled about, trying to avoid the hits but it was all for naught. She had no more strength left in her, all her energy had dried up from the non-stop beatings in the last few days.

A high heel suddenly appeared and viciously pressed against the back of her palm on the floor. Scarlett screamed from the stabbing pain.

"You are so fucking pathetic, Scarlett. The way you desperately try to hold on to the formula is disgusting! You are just an abandoned wife and daughter. Who are you to hide the information about Drug F-350 from us? Spit it out, bitch!" Natasha Watson spat venomously.

Scarlett coughed violently. The burning pain in her lungs made it difficult to speak, "T-the F-350 project was shut down b…because of how unpredictable… it was. Apart… from its endless side effects, it's also very addictive. Just kill me already. I would never give you… the formula. It's too dangerous!"

James gritted his teeth, "Excuses! Scarlett, I knew you were deceptive but I never thought it reached this extent. You'd rather fuel your greed than save a life. Thank goodness I got with Natasha instead of you. She is much more humane!"

Natasha leaned on James coquettishly and he held her ass, "Honey, don't bring up the past. She might get jealous and attack me because she thinks I stole you from her."

"Hmph. There is no need to feel guilty. You are too kind Natasha. This fat and ugly bitch never deserved me. If it wasn't because of her shares in the hospital, I would have never considered her as my fiance. You are one hundred times better and more talented than she is!"

Scarlett felt a stabbing pain in her chest at the memory of the ordeal. She had caught Natasha and James in bed with each other and turned to alcohol which got spiked by Natasha's friend. Her life was destroyed from that moment.

She had to give up her shares in her late mother's hospital after being blackmailed by Natasha and her mother. They acquired it and even made her slave away as a researcher for years. She would never forget such humiliation.

Scarlett grunted in a mocking tone, "Since she is so talented, why hasn't she come up with a replica for the F-350?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Natasha pressed with her heels even harder and Scarlett screamed.

Natasha clenched her fists, frustrated by Scarlett's refusal to cooperate. She has spent weeks trying to recreate a similar medicine. She refused to believe her expertise was inferior to a lowly bitch like Scarlett but her lack of results were a huge slap to her face.

As the leader, amongst all the researchers participating in the project, only Scarlett indepthly knew the intricacies of the drug. If she didn't give it up, there was no way to get their hands on it.

Who cares if the drug was dangerous? As long as it worked, nothing mattered. There is a big shot in the hospital in urgent need of treatment. They would lose a lot of money if they don't get the medicine formula soon. How dare Scarlet withhold precious information and stand in their way to success?!

At a thought, a corner of Natasha's lips curls up with an evil smirk.

"You don't seem to have a problem with death. How about your daughter? You don't seem to care about her well-being if you are gone. Oops, I forgot you haven't seen her in five years." 

Scarlett's iris constricted with dread, "Leave Cherry out of this! I've done all you've asked of me. You promised not to lay a hand on her!"

Finally getting the desired reaction, Natasha squatted to Scarlett's level, "You make me sound like the villain. I'm not a difficult person, just tell me what I want to hear."

"Fine! I'll tell you… I'll tell you." Scarlett submitted with tears in her eyes, "Just don't hurt my baby."

"Stop wasting our precious time and speak!" James said impatiently.

"It's…" Scarlett told them all they wanted to know.

Natasha stood upright and smiled, "See? That wasn't so hard was it?"

"You've gotten what you want. Can you let me out now? I want to see my daughter." Scarlett pleaded.

Her pleas only got her a hard kick to the stomach, "You don't tell us what to do, dammed fatty! You better pray you gave us the correct list of materials and methods or I'll see to your death myself!"

"Let's go, honey. Don't waste your time on this bitch. She reeks!" Natasha snaked her arm around James' and they turned to leave.

They locked her in, leaving Scarlett writhing in pain and worry for her dearest daughter.

Scarlett smiled bitterly. She was such a fool to have trusted James and Natasha ten years ago. If she was just a bit wiser, she wouldn't be in this state.

The next day, the door opened and the woman in charge of feeding Scarlett once a week came in mumbling, "Ugh, why do I have to feed that fat bitch every week. I'm sure with how heavy she is, she could survive for a whole year without food. That will surely do her some good."

Morgan tossed what looked like dog food on the ground, "Hey! Come quickly and eat this, I have places to be!" 

She looked to the spot where Scarlett usually sat pathetically but she wasn't there. While she eye-searched the rest of the room, something very heavy smacked her head.

Thud! 

She collapsed in an instant.

Eyewide that it actually worked, Scarlett who stood right behind her lowered her weapon. It was a large food brick wrapped in pieces of clothing.

She staggered backward and dropped it, breathing heavily. Finally, she was free!

Scarlett didn't dawdle and left the room immediately. After a few corners and turns, she escaped the abandoned warehouse.

"Ew, whose daughter is this damned fatty. She stinks!"

"Wait doesn't she look like Scarlett Watson, the daughter of millionaire Edward Watson?"

"No way. Scarlett Watson is graceful and elegant, one of the top ladies in the higher class. How can this be her? Besides, she's been off the public eye for years now."

"Yeah, she bears no resemblance to her. I thought wrong."

On the road, a lot of people threw Scarlett disgusted looks. She was dirty and reeked from not having bathed for weeks and her clothes were torn in every part.

However, Scarlett didn't care about the stares and trudged on. She walked for miles, navigating her way back to the Watson private villa. Even if she didn't have an ounce of strength in her, she didn't stop to rest. The thought of her precious daughter kept her going.

"Cherry, my baby. Don't worry, mommy is coming for you!"

After a few hours, she found herself in front of her childhood home, the one that abandoned her without looking back. Scarlett knew wouldn't be allowed to enter and didn't try ringing up the gate. She navigated her secret doggy hole on the wall from her childhood and crawled through it into the residence.

Scarlette couldn't afford getting caught so she tried her best to avoid any workers in the compound and passed through the routes less concentrated in the day.

Finally reaching the entrance to the mansion, Scarlett could hear two voices coming from the living room. It was Natasha's and her stepmother's, Beatrice.

She quickly hid out of sight and listened in to their conversation.

"You look tired, is work at the hospital so stressful nowadays?" Beatrice Watson asked her daughter dotingly.

"How can I have the chance to rest?" Natasha sighed as she sipped the tea given to her by Beatrice, "James has started getting passive-aggressive with me. The goldmine patient in the hospital is getting worse by the day. Even the formula I got from that bitch didn't work a zilch on him."

Beatrice frowned, "That bastard must have held back on some of the important materials. She tricked you!"

"That sly wench! I'm going to give her the beating of her life tomorrow, next time she would not dare to deceive me!" Natasha gritted her teeth in anger.

Beatrice adjusted her sitting posture, "But is the situation that serious? The news described the illness as a mere seizure, how come it's so dire now?"

Natasha could feel a headache coming on, "Yes it was a serious seizure but what worsened the patient's illness is different. He needs steady blood transfusion too but his blood type isn't available anywhere in the country or out. He has a blood type so rare that it's called golden blood. Only fifty people are known to possess it in the whole world!"

Beatrice's eyes twinkled as a thought came to her, "Golden blood? Are you sure it's that rare?"

"There is no need to rack your brain mom. You would understand can't how dire this medical emergency is."

"I know where to get it," Beatrice said firmly.

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

"I 'accidentally' tripped that little Vixen off the stairs a month ago. She was whining like a baby and bleeding so much so I asked the housekeeper to take her to the hospital."

Scarlett's heart bled from hearing this. How much had her child suffered in her absence? To bully a child. Does this mother-daughter duo not have an ounce of conscience in them?

Beatrice continued with more excitement in her voice, "The doctors claimed that she bled too much and needed a blood transfusion but there wasn't any blood matching her blood type in the system. She had to recuperate without the transfusion. It brought up such a fuss, it would be better if she just died. They later found out she had a rare blood type called Golden blood!"

Wide eyed, Natasha hurriedly put her drink on the table and faced her mother squarely, "Scarlett's daughter has the golden blood type running through her veins! Are you sure?"

"I have the lab results as proof. You can check it out yourself." Beatrice affirmed.

Natasha jumped to her feet, "There's no time for that, I'll have her tested in the hospital. Finally, that snotty brat isn't so useless, get her down here -"

Unable to stop herself, Scarlett ran into the living room and pounced on Natasha, scratching her face ferociously

"Scarlett, how did you get in here?!" Natasha yelled in shock.

"Natasha, what's the limit to your cruelty? You want to turn my child into a private blood bank? I won't allow it!"

"Get off my daughter you pig!" Beatrice tried pushing Scarlett off Natasha but she clung tightly, delivering more damage.

Afraid that Scarlett will completely disfigure her beautiful face, Natasha pretended to plead, "Fatt- I mean Scarlett, you are misunderstanding, I never intended to do such a thing to cherry. Calm down and let's talk this over."

"Talk what over? Do you think I am a fool? I don't care about the consequences anymore. Natasha, today, one of us must go down!"

The housekeeper and other servants were attracted to the commotion.

"You what are you standing there for? Get this wench off my daughter!" Beatrice screamed at the housekeeper.

The housekeeper had easily overpowered Scarlett, easing her off Natasha and bound both of her hands in his, "I'm not done! Let me at her." Scarlett hissed and struggled to be set free.

Natasha stood up, gasping from sudden shock, she adjusted her hair and clothes, "The second lady of the Watsons has gone mad, take her to the asylum."

"Mommy is that you?" A sweet voice came from upstairs.

Scarlett looked up, recognizing the voice in an instant. And behold, it was cherry standing at the top of the stairs wearing clutches. She still looked so cute but was much taller now that she was ten, Scarlett hadn't seen her for five years because of Natasha.

Seeing her daughter already grown so much, Scarlett felt so much regret. She had missed the years of watching her grow, and that, she could never get back.

"Yes, it's mommy, my baby."

Cherry instantly began to cry, "Mommy where have you been all these years? I missed you so much. Grandma Beatrice said you abandoned me because I was too much trouble. Mommy, don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course, I love you, sweetie. Mommy didn't mean to leave, the bad guys took me away." Scarlett cried with her, "I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere, come to mom, let me hold you."

"Mommy!" Cherry cried quickly coming down the stairs.

"Don't let her near that fatty, grab that snotty brat and take her to the car! We are going to the hospital immediately." Natasha barked at a nearby maid.

The maid caught Cherry immediately, dragging her out of the mansion.

"Let me go. I want my mommy!" She kicked and screamed

"Cherry! Cherry!!! Unhand me, I want to hold Cherry!" Scarlett made to go to her daughter but was tightly held back by the housekeeper.

"Scarlett when you escaped you should have been wise enough to stay low instead you came here and made such a huge fuss, do you still think you are a respectable Watson lady?" Beatrice scoffed.

"Maybe you thought Edward would take pity on you and bring you back into the family, but let me tell you now. He isn't your father!" Beatrice leaned back, relishing Scarlett's shocked reaction.

"So what if he cheated behind your stupid mother's back? Do you know how humiliating it was for him to take care of a child that isn't his? Preposterous! Luckily I was there to help him get rid of the leech otherwise he would be stuck in bondable forever."

"Do you mean you killed my mom?!" Scarlett grinded through her teeth.

She always though her mother died because of an illness.

"I and Edward were in love but that cocky bitch took him away from me. I poisoned her and now I'm enjoying her riches, tell me who had the last laugh." Beatrice cackled menacingly.

"Murderer! I'll fucking kill you!" Scarlett lunged at Beatrice but was held back.

"Geez, I forgot I was speaking to a mad dog. Lock her up in a psychiatric hospital immediately!" Beatrice ordered.

Scarlett was being dragged away.

"Mommy don't let them take me away!" Cherry cried from the car that was already moving out of the villa.

"Cherry!" The housekeeper tried stopping Scarlett, however, the strength of a mother worried about her child wasn't to be underestimated.

Scarlett broke free and ran out of the gate in pursuit of the car. In the chaos, she wasn't looking and ran into oncoming traffic.

Screech! Crash!

It all happened so fast. Scarlett's body flew yards away from its original position and she landed, sprawled in a pool of her own blood. The car that hit her, smashed the accelerator and sped away.

On the hot gravel, Scarlett knew she had been hit, every part of her body ached, her ears were ringing and she found it difficult to draw a breath.

They say everything becomes peaceful when someone is about to die but it was the opposite for Scarlett. The only thing she felt was hate and hunger for revenge.

This bitter life, If only she had a chance to do it over again, she wouldn't be so gullible.

In her last breath, Scarlett's jade necklace, the last surviving piece of her late mother glowed white and engulfed her like a cocoon.

'Cherry, mommy is sorry for being so incompetent.' Were Scarlett's last thoughts.

A black luxury car rolled up beside the bloody body. A tall, handsome figure got out of the car, promptly followed by the driver.

"It's your ex-wife, sir." The driver announced. "I think she's dead."

The latter silently walked up to Scarlett's corpse, his actions made the driver quite worried.

"Sir, please we need to get you to the hospital immediately, they've just found a donor that can help cure your illness. You don't have much time yet." Simon pleaded with his master.

Dakota Asgrave however ignored his words and went down on one knee, staring at the dead woman with indifference.

A few seconds passed before he stretched out his fingers and closed her eyes, standing up thereafter.

"Make arrangements for her burial," He spoke coldly.

"Investigate her death and give whoever's responsible for this punishments worse than death. She was once an Asgrave, anyone who touches what was once ours can never go scot-free" He shot a hateful glance at Scarlett, "Even a vile creature like her."

"Yes, master." 

Dakota want back into the car and simon made preparations via phone call while they drove off.