Elizabeth Garret watched as Juliette bolted out of the room so fast, the last thing she saw was her dark hair flying behind her.
Unfortunatley, the oldest lady in the house was having a seizure and Elizabeth could understand how that could be a cue for an emergency.
However, what she couldn’t understand for the life of her was why everyone else seemed to be still sitting there, completely useless and speechless, looking like fools.
It was probably the annoyance that danced on the tip of her nose that she quickly snapped, unable to help herself. “Shouldn’t you be calling a doctor or something?”
The man of the house—the uncle of the girl they were here to see—falters, blinking rapidly. “Yes, yes. That’s exactly what I should be doing.”
Thankfully, he found a little curtsy to grab a phone and call someone, probably for a doctor or ambulance.
Afraid they are ruining their impression in front of the older woman, Isabelle tries to smooth things over. “That doesn’t happen normally. I take very good care of my mother-in-law. She’s just very old, and ever sick.”
“Then why are you still here?” Elizabeth grunted instantly.
Isabella’s eyes widen. She stutters like her husband. “I…actually…this…you…you are right. I…I should be going. You please sit. I’ll go and see.”
After Isabella runs off to God knows where, Elizabeth rolls her eyes, huffing out unhappily. “These people are idiots.”
“It sure looks like, Madam.” The butler standing behind her mumbles just as quietly.
“Maybe we should leave,” the young man sitting on the sofa across from her says casually. He shrugs, his handsome face one for amusement. “This is a waste of time anyway. I don’t know why we are even wasting our time with this family. They stand nowhere near our status.”
“Shut up, Charles.,” Elizabeth glared. “You’re not here to pass judgments. Just do your damn job and look pretty.”
Charles rolled his eyes. “Well, no one’s here to look pretty for. So I guess I’ll be taking a small break. If you don’t mind, Grandmom, of course.”
Elizabeth didn’t have time for his nonsense. “Just leave.”
Charles didn’t need any more encouragement. He stood up, nodded at the older man standing, and left, already whistling his way out.
“I can’t believe I have to choose between him and James.”
The older man finally spoke. “I don’t understand, madam. Why are we still here? The family is facing a family emergency and it seems like it’s going to take time for them to attend to us again.”
“I know, Allistair,” Elizabeth said, as her eyes lingered in the direction Juliette had disappeared into. “I can’t stop thinking about the look on that girl’s face when she heard about her grandma.”
“What did you see, Madam. If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Something that cannot be explained, Allistair.”
Allistair didn’t have any more questions to follow up on. He simply nodded.
Elizabeth knew what she needed to do next. She stood up. “I want to see what’s happening inside.”
Old Allistair was quick to come around and stand next to her. “That might seem impolite, madam. Don’t you think?”
“I know. But I won’t be able to make a good decision until I see this for myself.”
Allistair had no other choice but to agree. He always agreed with the old madam.
Elizabeth left the hall and walked down the hallway, she remembered Juliette and that servant rushing to. She finally came across a door that seemed to wide open and peeked inside.
What she saw, stunned her to the bones.
Juliette seemed to be working on a needle while two of the maids held down the old woman lying on the bed. Her old body seemed to be jerking uncontrollably, her eyes rolled back. It seemed like she was seconds away from parting with her soul and having a meeting with the god.
But that same look on Juliette’s face had sharpened. All doubts, confusion, and unsureness seemed to have vanished from her face, replaced with something that could only be called iron will.
She pricked the syringe and then ran a hand through her grandma’s head.
“It’s okay, Grandma. You’re going to be okay. Just hold on. Just hold on, please.”
Then, she injected the woman’s arm with that needle and pulled out, tossing it into the dustbin.
The sick woman started to calm down, her eyes rolling back to normal. She struggled to breathe, and Juliette didn’t waste time pulling the oxygen mask over her mouth.
“It’s okay, Grandma. Just breathe. Slowly. Yes. Like that. You’re doing so great. So so great.
Elizabeth didn’t know why, but she had a smile on her face. An expression she had long forgotten.
Juliette grabbed the napkin from the table and wiped what looked like vomit from her grandma’s clothes. Then she grabbed some more napkins and wiped the old woman’s face, her mouth, her hands, and even her fingers. Then she tossed everything into the bin and pulled the sheet over her grandma, who seemed more relaxed than before.
When Juliette started to leave, her grandma held her hand, as if urging her to not leave.
Elizabeth watched everything happening without saying a word.
Juliette smiled and sat back on the bed, raking her fingers gently through her grandma.
“Why don’t you just let me go?” The ill woman spoke, after pulling the oxygen mask for a second, smiling gently.
Juliette put the mask back on, kissing the woman’s forehead. “Because it’s not your time yet, Grandma. It’s not your time.”
The next morning, when Juliette woke up, she was met with the angry face of her aunt.Juliette rubbed her eyes, wishing it was nothing more than a stupid dream. There was no way she wanted to deal with her annoying aunt right now. It was too early for that.“What are you looking at, you useless, spineless… blood-sucking creature?” The older woman snarled, hands on her hips as she continued to glare down at Juliette.Somewhere in the room, someone snickered. Juliette didn’t have to scan the room to know who that snicker belonged to. The only person who enjoyed her misery was Aunt Isabella’s dear daughter—and Juliette’s not-so-dear cousin—Sophia.Suppressing a yawn with the back of her hand, Juliette decided to sit up and deal with whatever her aunt and her daughter had in mind. They were clearly up to something. Why else would her aunt begin her greeting by calling her names?“Uh…” Juliette tried to find the right words. “What did I do now? Would someone like to enlighten me?”Her tone
One thing Juliette was absolutely certain of was that her aunt wasn’t threatening her just for the sake of it. That vile woman meant every word she said, and if Juliette didn’t comply with her demands, that mother-daughter duo would undoubtedly make trouble for her grandmother.Frustrated and feeling cornered, Juliette got out of bed, resigned to doing what was asked of her.An hour later, she came downstairs dressed in a simple yellow dress and plain flats. Compared to the elaborate outfits her aunt and cousin had chosen, Juliette’s attire was modest and understated. Yet, despite her simplicity, she stood out in a way that could only be described as effortlessly graceful.But that wasn’t surprising. One of the many reasons her aunt and cousin despised her was because Juliette didn’t need to try hard to outshine them. She had naturally rosy cheeks, slightly red lips, and long, dark, glossy hair—a legacy from her mother, who had been breathtakingly beautiful in her lifetime. Her father
It was terrible to see her aunt, uncle, and cousin being led out of the room, mostly because they all kept giving Juliette the evil eye.As if they almost already assumed her to ruin this, as if they were under the impression that if left alone, Jules was destined to do something stupid and make them look awfully bad.Well, Jules would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted to try. But she couldn’t. Not in her dreams. The life of her grandma was in line. She knew if she did something to offend them again, all their threats would become too real and her grandma would be the one paying a heavy price.Hence, for the sake of the only person who cared about her after her parents died in the horrible car accident, Jules sucked in a deep breath and prepared herself for whatever lay ahead of her.“So, tell me something about yourself,” the deep voice of the older woman pulled Juliette out of her stupor. She sat up a bit straighter, her shoulders knotted like rocks.“Um. What would you like t
Juliette stumbled into a bar after catching her college boyfriend shacking up with her roommate/best friend. Hurt had slashed through her heart, and before she knew it, she was running.Tears came down like storms, and no matter how much she tried, they wouldn’t stop. She got into her car and drove until the sky opened up and cried with her. Now, the city was flooded, and the vehicles were jammed on the roads.That’s when she spotted the local bar on the roadside.Juliette had never been one for alcohol, striving to be the perfect girlfriend for Tanner, her now ex-fucking-boyfriend. He always projected an air of superiority, pretending to be the guy she thought she could fall in love with. But just as she felt their chemistry had peaked and she was ready to commit herself to him, he revealed his true colors.God, she hated him so much. She wanted to punch him and mess up his stupidly handsome face. Why, oh, why did she let herself be fooled by him? She was smarter than that, wasn’t sh
“Does there seem to be any trouble, gentlemen?” came a deep, velvety voice, and for a moment, everything stopped.All the tugging, yanking, and shoving came to a halt. Juliette squinted at the shadowy figure of a man who had apparently decided to join them. But in the darkness, and with her vision pathetically blurred, all she could make out was a vague silhouette.The grip on her arm tightened, making her wince.“Get lost!” barked one of the men beside her. “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”The man—or should she say the shadow of the new man—scoffed and chuckled. “Come on, guys, let her go. It doesn’t have to get messy.”“Oh, please!” the second guy scoffed, and although she could hardly see his face, she could imagine him rolling his eyes. “Just mind your own fucking business or else.”“Or else what?” the new man challenged, and everything once again fell silent.“Or else you’ll regret it, you asshole,” the third man retorted, his voice laced with menace.Juliette sob
Four years. That’s how long it had been since that strange night.And as much as Juliette had tried to forget everything about it, she just couldn’t.Perhaps it was because she lost her V-card that night, or maybe because she couldn’t, for the life of her, remember his face.Why the hell had she been so drunk? And why couldn’t she remember him despite him leaving such a strong impression on her mind?But the time for regrets was long gone—not that she had any in the first place. That night might have started as an ugly beginning to her new life, but the way it ended, in the arms of the handsome stranger, with him claiming her in every way possible, it was—hands down—the best night of her life.“Are you ready?” a familiar voice called.Juliette turned around to face her assistant, a.k.a. best friend, Cheryl Wester.“Yes, absolutely!” She grabbed her laptop bag from the desk and handed it to Cheryl, before reaching for her blazer. “I just hope we sign the deal today. We really need this
Juliette was pretty sure her day had just gotten even worse. As if losing a project she could almost touch with her fingertips wasn’t enough, now her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend were here to make her life miserable.She couldn’t even pretend to smile at their unexpected appearance. “Well, look who decided to finally say hello.”Jolene laughed, that annoying high-pitched voice that almost threatened to make Juliette’s ears bleed. She looped her arm through Tanner’s, as if to silently remind her of the betrayal they both dealt her on the same night she met that handsome stranger who saved her life.“Oh, come on, Jules. We always stop by to say hello. It’s just you who’s never happy to see us.”Well, that wasn’t exactly a lie. Juliette had never been good at hiding her emotions. She was like an open book, and anyone with eyes could read her.But she wasn’t going to get into that. It would be a long conversation. “Oh well, maybe it’s your face. It doesn’t exactly scream happily ever a
Juliette had barely stepped into the big mansion of her family when her aunt appeared in front of her, smiling as if she had swallowed a little sunshine by mistake that morning.Juliette couldn’t help but frown, not used to this weird behavior from the strange woman.“I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?” she couldn’t hold herself back from asking, which kind of brought a strange, dark sheen to her aunt’s eyes. Well, before it disappeared completely, as if it were never there.“Oh, Jules, you’re always so funny. You always crack me up.”Before Juliette could express her concern and ask from which side of the bed this woman really woke up from, Aunt Isabella grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, laughing weirdly.“Did you see? She’s hilarious. Always like this. Our fine young lady—never a dull moment with her.”It was then Juliette noticed something else. Something more. Something that explained her uncle’s threatening call and her aunt’s nauseating display of kindness.T
It was terrible to see her aunt, uncle, and cousin being led out of the room, mostly because they all kept giving Juliette the evil eye.As if they almost already assumed her to ruin this, as if they were under the impression that if left alone, Jules was destined to do something stupid and make them look awfully bad.Well, Jules would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted to try. But she couldn’t. Not in her dreams. The life of her grandma was in line. She knew if she did something to offend them again, all their threats would become too real and her grandma would be the one paying a heavy price.Hence, for the sake of the only person who cared about her after her parents died in the horrible car accident, Jules sucked in a deep breath and prepared herself for whatever lay ahead of her.“So, tell me something about yourself,” the deep voice of the older woman pulled Juliette out of her stupor. She sat up a bit straighter, her shoulders knotted like rocks.“Um. What would you like t
One thing Juliette was absolutely certain of was that her aunt wasn’t threatening her just for the sake of it. That vile woman meant every word she said, and if Juliette didn’t comply with her demands, that mother-daughter duo would undoubtedly make trouble for her grandmother.Frustrated and feeling cornered, Juliette got out of bed, resigned to doing what was asked of her.An hour later, she came downstairs dressed in a simple yellow dress and plain flats. Compared to the elaborate outfits her aunt and cousin had chosen, Juliette’s attire was modest and understated. Yet, despite her simplicity, she stood out in a way that could only be described as effortlessly graceful.But that wasn’t surprising. One of the many reasons her aunt and cousin despised her was because Juliette didn’t need to try hard to outshine them. She had naturally rosy cheeks, slightly red lips, and long, dark, glossy hair—a legacy from her mother, who had been breathtakingly beautiful in her lifetime. Her father
The next morning, when Juliette woke up, she was met with the angry face of her aunt.Juliette rubbed her eyes, wishing it was nothing more than a stupid dream. There was no way she wanted to deal with her annoying aunt right now. It was too early for that.“What are you looking at, you useless, spineless… blood-sucking creature?” The older woman snarled, hands on her hips as she continued to glare down at Juliette.Somewhere in the room, someone snickered. Juliette didn’t have to scan the room to know who that snicker belonged to. The only person who enjoyed her misery was Aunt Isabella’s dear daughter—and Juliette’s not-so-dear cousin—Sophia.Suppressing a yawn with the back of her hand, Juliette decided to sit up and deal with whatever her aunt and her daughter had in mind. They were clearly up to something. Why else would her aunt begin her greeting by calling her names?“Uh…” Juliette tried to find the right words. “What did I do now? Would someone like to enlighten me?”Her tone
Elizabeth Garret watched as Juliette bolted out of the room so fast, the last thing she saw was her dark hair flying behind her.Unfortunatley, the oldest lady in the house was having a seizure and Elizabeth could understand how that could be a cue for an emergency.However, what she couldn’t understand for the life of her was why everyone else seemed to be still sitting there, completely useless and speechless, looking like fools.It was probably the annoyance that danced on the tip of her nose that she quickly snapped, unable to help herself. “Shouldn’t you be calling a doctor or something?”The man of the house—the uncle of the girl they were here to see—falters, blinking rapidly. “Yes, yes. That’s exactly what I should be doing.”Thankfully, he found a little curtsy to grab a phone and call someone, probably for a doctor or ambulance.Afraid they are ruining their impression in front of the older woman, Isabelle tries to smooth things over. “That doesn’t happen normally. I take ve
Juliette had barely stepped into the big mansion of her family when her aunt appeared in front of her, smiling as if she had swallowed a little sunshine by mistake that morning.Juliette couldn’t help but frown, not used to this weird behavior from the strange woman.“I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?” she couldn’t hold herself back from asking, which kind of brought a strange, dark sheen to her aunt’s eyes. Well, before it disappeared completely, as if it were never there.“Oh, Jules, you’re always so funny. You always crack me up.”Before Juliette could express her concern and ask from which side of the bed this woman really woke up from, Aunt Isabella grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, laughing weirdly.“Did you see? She’s hilarious. Always like this. Our fine young lady—never a dull moment with her.”It was then Juliette noticed something else. Something more. Something that explained her uncle’s threatening call and her aunt’s nauseating display of kindness.T
Juliette was pretty sure her day had just gotten even worse. As if losing a project she could almost touch with her fingertips wasn’t enough, now her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend were here to make her life miserable.She couldn’t even pretend to smile at their unexpected appearance. “Well, look who decided to finally say hello.”Jolene laughed, that annoying high-pitched voice that almost threatened to make Juliette’s ears bleed. She looped her arm through Tanner’s, as if to silently remind her of the betrayal they both dealt her on the same night she met that handsome stranger who saved her life.“Oh, come on, Jules. We always stop by to say hello. It’s just you who’s never happy to see us.”Well, that wasn’t exactly a lie. Juliette had never been good at hiding her emotions. She was like an open book, and anyone with eyes could read her.But she wasn’t going to get into that. It would be a long conversation. “Oh well, maybe it’s your face. It doesn’t exactly scream happily ever a
Four years. That’s how long it had been since that strange night.And as much as Juliette had tried to forget everything about it, she just couldn’t.Perhaps it was because she lost her V-card that night, or maybe because she couldn’t, for the life of her, remember his face.Why the hell had she been so drunk? And why couldn’t she remember him despite him leaving such a strong impression on her mind?But the time for regrets was long gone—not that she had any in the first place. That night might have started as an ugly beginning to her new life, but the way it ended, in the arms of the handsome stranger, with him claiming her in every way possible, it was—hands down—the best night of her life.“Are you ready?” a familiar voice called.Juliette turned around to face her assistant, a.k.a. best friend, Cheryl Wester.“Yes, absolutely!” She grabbed her laptop bag from the desk and handed it to Cheryl, before reaching for her blazer. “I just hope we sign the deal today. We really need this
“Does there seem to be any trouble, gentlemen?” came a deep, velvety voice, and for a moment, everything stopped.All the tugging, yanking, and shoving came to a halt. Juliette squinted at the shadowy figure of a man who had apparently decided to join them. But in the darkness, and with her vision pathetically blurred, all she could make out was a vague silhouette.The grip on her arm tightened, making her wince.“Get lost!” barked one of the men beside her. “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”The man—or should she say the shadow of the new man—scoffed and chuckled. “Come on, guys, let her go. It doesn’t have to get messy.”“Oh, please!” the second guy scoffed, and although she could hardly see his face, she could imagine him rolling his eyes. “Just mind your own fucking business or else.”“Or else what?” the new man challenged, and everything once again fell silent.“Or else you’ll regret it, you asshole,” the third man retorted, his voice laced with menace.Juliette sob
Juliette stumbled into a bar after catching her college boyfriend shacking up with her roommate/best friend. Hurt had slashed through her heart, and before she knew it, she was running.Tears came down like storms, and no matter how much she tried, they wouldn’t stop. She got into her car and drove until the sky opened up and cried with her. Now, the city was flooded, and the vehicles were jammed on the roads.That’s when she spotted the local bar on the roadside.Juliette had never been one for alcohol, striving to be the perfect girlfriend for Tanner, her now ex-fucking-boyfriend. He always projected an air of superiority, pretending to be the guy she thought she could fall in love with. But just as she felt their chemistry had peaked and she was ready to commit herself to him, he revealed his true colors.God, she hated him so much. She wanted to punch him and mess up his stupidly handsome face. Why, oh, why did she let herself be fooled by him? She was smarter than that, wasn’t sh