Some time later, Raquelle comes to the house where Amelia Sanchez, whom Alicia told her about, is supposedly living. The driver of the taxi lets her know it by saying they have finally come to the right place. After specifying if this is really the one, she asks him to wait for her here and then drive her where he took her from. The man agrees to wait and takes a newspaper from a glove box that he starts reading with interest, while the girl leaves the car and closes the door.
Raquelle looks around and looks at the house, in front of which she is now standing, better. It’s small, but definitely made with pleasure. A comfortable place for a family that wants to live in silence and quiet. And actually, all the houses in this large neighborhood are small but very good-looking. It’s clear that not very rich people are living here. And the silence that settled in the air might be broken only by the deafening sounds of transports, the bark of a dog that is living in one of the houses, and a chirping of crickets that does not hurt an ear.
After she hesitates for a few seconds, Raquelle sighs deeply, comes to the door confidently, and rings the doorbell two times, starting patiently to wait for someone to open it and tightly squeezing the belt of her purse hanging on her shoulder. And some time later, the door opens, and she sees a middle-height woman at the age of forty with long red hair gathered into a ponytail and hazel eyes. She has no makeup on her face, which already has the first signs of age changes, and also has a big belly that is hidden under a long tunic with a flower print.
“Hello,” the woman pronounces quietly with a clear British accent.
“Good afternoon,” Raquelle greets quietly and hesitantly, bending her arms at her elbows and tightly locking her fingers. “I’m sorry for bothering you at such a late time.”
“Who do you need?”
“Erm… I need a woman named Amelia Sanchez. One person gave me this address and said I could find her here.”
“I am Amelia Sanchez.” Amelia leans on the door with her hand. “But excuse me, who are you? And how can I help you with?”
“You know…” Raquelle starts speaking hesitantly. “My name is Raquelle Cameron… I’m… A niece of Alicia Thompson…”
“Alicia Thompson?”
“Yes. She said you knew her…”
“Right, I know her…” Amelia cracks a slight smile. “But I haven’t met her for ages. We are both so busy that we have no time just to drink coffee. She is working at the university, but I should give attention to my husband.”
“She said,” Raquelle nods.
“Excuse me, why do you need me?”
“You know… I… I need to talk to you… Talk about one situation…”
“One situation?”
“Yes… It’s very important to me and my relative.”
“That’s how…”
“Aunt Alicia said you could help me tell me enough information about someone she has problems with.”
“Ah, wait…” Amelia frowns slightly. “I misheard it… Are you a relative of Alicia?”
“Yeah…” Raquelle nods. “Alicia Thompson is my aunt.”
“Yes, yes, it seems like I got it…” Amelia frowns slightly and puts a finger on her lip, closely looking at Raquelle. “As far as I understand, are you the daughter of her younger sister, who died in a car accident many years ago?”
“Yes, that’s correct…” Raquelle confirms confidently. “Her name was Elizabeth Thomson… Well, Cameron after the wedding…”
“I barely knew her but heard much about her.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She was a good girl. Very sweet and kind.”
“Right…”
“So sorry that Elizabeth died so early and left her child alone. And I’m sorry about her husband.”
“Aunt has told me much about Mother,” Raquelle confesses thoughtfully, biting her lip slightly. “She wants me not to forget my close relatives.”
“That’s good,” Amelia says amicably with a slight smile.
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Amelia wakes up and understands she has not suggested Raquelle enter the house.
“Oh, why am I making you stand on the doorstep?” Amelia pronounces hesitantly, rounding her eyes. “Come into my house, don’t stand on the doorstep!”
“Would you listen to me?” Raquelle asks.
“Of course, I will do. You will tell me what brought you here, and I will answer all your questions.”
“Alright.”
“Come in, Ms., don’t be shy.”
Amelia quickly steps back from the doorstep and lets Raquelle come in by making a gesture.
“Thank you,” Raquelle thanks gently with a slight smile.
After hesitating a little, Raquelle slowly crosses the doorstep of Amelia’s house, goes further, and looks around while the owner closes the door.
The girl silently notices that the house that belongs to this woman and her husband is very beautiful inside and outside. It’s clear that the best designers, who knew their business or had very good taste, worked on the design of the house. Nice pastel shades that are a part of the design of the house calm down and relax, and they chose excellent furniture.
When Amelia closes the door after the unexpected guest, she comes to Raquelle, who looks around with interest, and points at a big soft sofa, on which a couple of little pillows are lying, with a slight smile.
“Sit down, please,” Amelia suggests amicably. “Relax.”
Amelia points at the sofa, and Raquelle hesitates a little and then sits down a little hesitantly, still looking around with interest.
“I’m sorry about the mess at my home,” Amelia says hesitantly and sits down next to Raquelle, who takes off her purse and puts it next to herself. “I didn’t think someone would visit me.”
“It’s alright, I do not care about it,” Raquelle replies with a shy smile. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s alright. But I must admit that I got a little confused. The only person I’m always waiting for is my husband. He comes back home very late because he works much and has a good post.”
“Alright.”
“He is now working especially hard because we are expecting a baby.”
“Really? Are you expecting a baby?”
“Yes, I am.” Amelia caresses her belly with a mysterious smile, just like pregnant girls often do it. “I’m really pregnant. As you can see, I’m going to have a baby very soon.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Raquelle smiles widely. “Congratulations! With all my heart!”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Oh, I’m sorry… You should probably have a rest, but I went to your home and bothered you.”
“No, no, don’t worry, Ms. It’s alright. Luckily, my pregnancy is doing well, and my doctor closely watches my condition.”
“Do you really feel good now?”
“Yes. No sickness, weakness, or anything like that. Maybe, I just began to eat a lot of bad food… And I have strange habits that are the reason why my husband looks at me strangely.”
“And how long are you pregnant? When do you go into labor?”
“I’ve been pregnant not for too long – only three months. I’m supposed to go into labor somewhere at the end of May or the beginning of June.”
“Do you feel something?”
“Not quite much. But many things have changed about my body. I feel a little different while a new life is being born in me. And my husband often puts his hands on my belly with the hope that he will feel my baby moving.”
“And who are you expecting?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’m going to have a planned visit to a doctor and an ultrasound, and doctors will tell me the gender of my baby.”
“Who do you want more?”
“It would be great if a girl was born.”
“That’s how!”
“My husband and I want a daughter.”
“What if you have a boy?”
“So, we’re going to have a sonny. Who we will love with all the heart.”
“Anyway, I congratulate you with all my heart.”
“Thanks a lot. My husband and I wanted to have a child and worked on it for a long time. Literally since the day we got married. But sadly, we could not do anything. Probably, the reason was about age. I'm no longer a young girl. I risked a lot by deciding to give birth after the age of forty. But luckily, everything is doing very well.”
“That’s how…”
“My husband and I got upset because we couldn’t make a baby. Wanted to wait for a while and go to a doctor if I didn’t get pregnant. Or think of a surrogate mother or I.V.F.”
“Alright.”
“But on one of the days, I suddenly felt not very good and went to the hospital to get examined. So, I was told I would finally have a baby.”
“Did you have any reasons to suspect you were pregnant?”
“No, nothing. Besides, something bad happened to our family, and we were put under strong stress. I thought the reason for my condition was stress, but I decided to make sure about it anyway. And after I was fully examined, a doctor got me happy with the news about my pregnancy.”
“I’m imagining how happy you were.”
“Oh! If you only knew how happy I was to hear it! I almost cried from happiness because I almost lost hope of giving birth to a baby. And how happy my husband was when I told him that piece of news!”
“Great!”
“Moreover, our relatives started to visit us much more after they found out we would have a baby soon.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Raquelle exclaims with a wide smile. “Congratulation on expecting a baby.”
“Thanks a lot.”
Amelia softly runs her hand over her big belly.
“When my husband found out about my pregnancy, he started to take care of me much more and doesn’t let me carry something heavy and do hard work,” Amelia confesses. “He does all of that.”
“It’s clear your husband is very happy to become a father,” Raquelle smiles shyly.
“Very happy. We are almost of the same age, and he already grew up to be ready to raise a baby.”
“It’s the most important thing. A baby is a great responsibility.”
“That’s right. But we’re ready for that.”
Raquelle says nothing and just smiles shyly. That’s why silence settles in the air for a few seconds.
“Alright, it seems like we got distracted a little,” Amelia notices thoughtfully.
“Yeah, you’re right…” Raquelle agrees.
“So, as you came here, I must accept you. And I will answer all the questions you have.”
“Thanks.”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Yeah, but first of all, I want to say you’ve got a very beautiful house. I really love it.”
“Thanks a lot,” Amelia smiles slightly. “My husband has got familiar designers, who helped us design every room and turn our home into the house of our dream.”
“Very beautiful.” Raquelle looks around again. “Those designers have got an amazing taste.”
Amelia says nothing and just nods with a shy smile. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, but then the woman starts to speak first.
“By the way, do you want to drink something?” Amelia suggests. “Tea? Coffee? Juice?”
“Oh, no, no, thanks, Raquelle refuses gently. “I just want to quickly ask you a few questions. And then I shall leave.”
“Alright, in this case, let’s not waste time. Tell me what brought you to me.” Amelia folds her hands in front of herself and starts looking at Raquelle closely. “I am listening to you closely.”
“Erm…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly, tightly locking her fingers. “Honestly, I don’t even know where to start from… I need to tell you so much… Besides… That story is quite tangled…”
“Start from the beginning,” Amelia suggests amicably. “It would be easier for me to understand you.”
“Alright…” Raquelle exhales sharply. “Then, first, I will ask you one little question. Tell me, please, do you know that my aunt hit a little girl with a car one day, and her friend recently told her to pay a big amount of money? A certain Eleanor Woodham.”
“Yes, I know,” Amelia nods. “Alicia hit that girl on the pedestrian crossing when she didn’t manage to stop in time at the red light. As far as I know, she stayed alive, but she spent several years coming back to a more or less good life. She still has some problems that the doctors can’t solve.”
“Did Eleanor learn about my aunt from her familiar policeman, who was told about her by the witnesses to that event?”
“Yes, the witnesses managed to memorize the number of Alicia’s car. And the police didn’t find her immediately because the family of the suffered girl refused to make charges. But Eleanor didn’t want to accept it. At least, she was determined to get back the money that her father lent to the family of her friend. They weren’t able to pay for therapy and recovery, and he offered his help. They felt embarrassed to accept, but they had no choice.”
“And what do you think?”
“About this situation?”
“Yes…”
“I will not deny Alicia’s fault. She was really guilty of the fact that she didn’t watch the road closely. And it was wrong to run away from the crime place.”
“Don’t you know how many chances that girl had to survive?”
“I kind of heard that there were bad forecasts. If she was lucky enough to survive, she would become disabled and spend her whole life lying on the bed. But either the big money helped, or the girl was lucky and stubborn. She didn’t become disabled, but she moved in a wheelchair for some time and learned to walk over again.”
“Doesn’t the family of the suffered girl really have claims for my aunt?”
“No, they decided not to ruin Alicia’s life because Ines, the girl, stayed alive. Though, I can’t say they treated her well. They were mad by the fact that your aunt ran away from the crime place, did not help the girl, and did not apologize to them.”
“So, didn’t my aunt offer them anything?”
“No, she acted like, excuse me, a coward by hiding and pretending that nothing happened. And if Ines hadn’t been Eleanor’s friend, she would’ve lived quietly and never thought about what happened.”
“I see.”
“No matter how well I treat Alicia, I have to confess that she did a bad thing. If her parents had found it out, they would’ve been ashamed of their daughter.”
“But I think they would’ve agreed with the family of the suffered girl and paid them some money, so my aunt didn’t suffer anyhow.”
“Who knows. Anyway, the boomerang has come back to Alicia.”
“Yeah, as far as I know, Eleanor somehow contacted Aunt and told her to pay a lot of money that she was not able to get,” Raquelle says thoughtfully.
“It’s true.” Amelia falls into silence for two seconds. “The amount of money included moral damage, several hard and long surgeries, and recovery.”
“Do you know how much she offered her?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “The case was kind of about one billion or somewhat.”
“Something like this. To be honest, I’ve never even held an amount of money like that. Even my husband doesn’t earn so much, even if we don’t complain about being lacked money.”
“What is that woman actually doing?”
“Eleanor Woodham is a member of the rich family that is well known here, in England.”
“Really?”
“Her family owns the network of cloth shops that is very popular in England.”
“That’s how…”
“The Woodhams were very famous in the 80s and 90s. But very many people still remember and respect them now.”
“So, is Eleanor well known here?”
“Exactly! She has very many good familiars and friends, who would do anything for her.”
“I see.”
“Gilbert, Eleanor’s father, ruled the network of the shops, but after his death, his daughter got the power and became the full owner of her father’s business.”
“As I understand, she is doing well.”
“Eleanor always knew that she would own the empire that her father made early or late. He had been teaching her everything she needed since she was a child. He was preparing her for that. And she did not mind it.”
“Does Eleanor want to get much more money than she gets from those shops?”
“Yeah, it’s clear it’s not enough for her, and she wants more… Knowing that Eleanor sold a few statuettes from her big collection and got great money for them.”
“Or is everything not as good as people think?”
“Who knows. Anyway, it’s none of my business.”
“My God…” Raquelle thinks for two seconds. “It’s amazing that the family of that girl didn’t demand the money, but her friend did it.”
“Yeah, it surprises me, too,” Amelia shrugs. “Eleanor was mad that the family of her friend forgave Alicia so easily and didn’t demand money from her or report her to the police. She thought it was super unfair and tried to change their mind many times.”
“It’s clear that she has a strong love for money,” Raquelle assumes. “No matter how much she has, it will never be enough.”
“Maybe.”
“Even in this case, she is not ready to forget about the debt. And if the family of the suffered girl couldn't pay for it, she decided to demand it from my aunt. Who isn’t also able to pay so much money.”
“Right…” Amelia crosses her arms over her chest. “But I say that her family is not so rich. Yes, the Woodhams have enough money, but they are not billionaires.”
“Maybe, they were some time ago?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Correct. Their business is not as good as it was twenty years ago. But the Woodhams refuse to confess it and still believe they are one of the most respected families in the country.”
“Wow…”
“They’ve always been proud of their wealth. Eleanor’s father and she – these people thought they were the lords of the world and were sure the world must have obeyed them.”
“My gosh…”
“But only the old generation remembers them. The youth don't know who the Woodhams are.”
“I see…”
“Besides, I can say something that has to do with Eleanor. I mean, about how she found a way to earn much more money than she should get.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Judging by the official data, Eleanor earns one amount of money per year, but it’s multiple times lower than the one that the woman earns for real.”
“And how did it happen?”
“She uses all the possible ways to save money on buying clothes, taxes, and salary for the staff members. Eleanor buys everything for a very cheap price from certain suppliers. And she does not care that they have a very bad quality. That the body cannot breathe in clothes made from synthetic fabrics, and they tear apart after wearing them two or three times.”
“So, does she sell cheap clothes for a high price and say the quality of the fabric is the best of the best?”
“Exactly! Eleanor swears silently that the clothes cost a lot and are sometimes made exclusively for her shops. It’s like, since the cost of the clothes and production are colossal, the price should be high, too.”
“That’s how?” Raquelle wonders, rounding her eyes.
“All the members staff, whom she hired, work hard at the shops all day, all night. The conditions are slavery. People work literally for days and nights. Nobody has time just to sit down. Drink water, eat something, and just go to a restroom. They are always under a very close view. If you are lazy, you will ask for trouble.”
“My gosh, it’s awful…”
“Many people cannot handle these hellish conditions and leave this job. And those, who stay, work like crazy for pennies. I even heard that there were a lot of migrants among the members. They came here illegally. And they come here to earn money from all the places in the world. Some of them don’t even speak English and know a couple of words. Eleanor uses the fact that they are ready for anything to stay here and earn money and uses them to the fullest.”
“Was everything the same when her father ruled it? Or did he show some sympathy for his members staff?”
“Nope, everything was different when her father was alive. The conditions were softer, even if Gilbert was known to the whole country as a cruel man, who was used to having everything happen in order. Yes, he was demanding, but he knew his limits. And nobody from the street could get a job. Though, there were people, who started to complain about the quality of the fabrics. It’s like, everything looked like they were expensive and good at first, but then something changed.”
“I see…”
“Anyway, Eleanor turned out to be much crueler than her father. But nobody finds the courage to talk about it openly. Nobody protests against the slavery conditions. Everyone looks into her eyes and does what she says.”
“But what about the clients? Do they buy those things?”
“Of course, they buy! And their clients do leave a lot of negative reviews about Eleanor Woodham’s clothes. Everyone complains about the quality of the fabrics, even if they admit that the style is pretty good. You can make sure about it by reading some reviews about her shops on the Internet. Nobody is shy of anyone there. Everyone tells the truth absolutely openly.”
“And of course, does Eleanor never react to them?”
“She does not react. She ignores all the negative reviews and keeps doing what she is doing. That woman will not lose too much if someone returns a couple of dresses to her. She will accept them, hang them on, and sell it for a lot of money. And someone will buy it for sure. They will pay attention to the bright, beautiful advertisement, which that woman pays a lot of money for.”
“It seems like that the woman is terribly afraid to lose all her money. And she’s ready for anything to get it.”
“That woman has been weaned to the luxury life and will not refuse it. She loves when people look into her eyes… When they call her a madam… She gets a lot of pleasure from it.”
“Oh, God…”
“I think there were even some cases when Eleanor refuses to pay a salary to her staff members, excusing it with a lack of money or paying much more money for the production.”
“Really?”
“She has not paid many people for several months of work, but she is pretending that it’s not the truth. At first, she gives everyone a lot of promises, but then she just starts to ignore these questions. I mean, her helpers tell everybody that they cannot help. They should kind of tolerate it, shut up, and just work.”
“I guess that woman doesn’t also pay enough to those, who are working at her house,” Raquelle assumes. “Bodyguards, servants, and other people…”
“Yeah, she doesn’t pay them as much as it may seem. But they are living in their own rooms and can eat anything she has at home. The conditions are much more comfortable.”
“Wow…”
“Eleanor is super greedy when the case is about the others. But she can spend a million pounds for herself. She can easily buy something for a lot of money and forget about it a few days later. Or actually throw it in a can. Many people have never had so much money, but she can spend it for two minutes.”
“Wow…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully, rounding her eyes.
“Yeah, I understand that Eleanor just decided to be on the safe side in case the business of the shop goes wrong. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. It may happen that you’re about to lose everything at once. But that’s wrong… That’s wrong to behave like this.”
“It’s hard to refuse to live a luxury life when you’ve lived very well all your life.”
“Right, she doesn’t know what it means to be poor. No refusals to get money, a personal driver, security, an opportunity to buy anything she just wants… She feels like the queen of this life.”
“As I understand, does she bribe the police for them not to get her caught for all these tricks?”
“Maybe. If the police decided to work on this case and get no money, that woman would get a great sentence. I barely know our laws, but I think Eleanor would stay in prison for about a few years. Moreover, some people found the courage to report her because she literally robbed them by refusing to pay them the money that they deserved.”
“Correct…”
“But I am truly sorry for those people, whom she has ever deceived. I am sorry that they worked for Eleanor for months and years and did not get what they deserved.”
“Agree… I hope there were at least some people, who bit that woman through and leave that job. Or someone, who managed to get the money out of her.”
“I can say nothing. But I can confidently call Eleanor a fraud and robber. She steals money from others and tries to offer people what costs less than two pounds for a lot of money.”
“And as far as I understand, Aunt Alicia knows nothing about it. At least, I didn’t hear any mentions about the fraud from her.”
“How could she know it? She hadn’t known that woman before Eleanor contacted her on the phone and told her to meet her at the small café.”
“Gosh, I just can’t believe it…” Raquelle frowns slightly and thinks about something for two seconds, biting her lip slightly. “How greedy Eleanor is… Greedy and egoistic.”
“She is…” Amelia nods. “She only cares about her own comfort.”
“I can’t believe that the woman could quietly keep being free after everything she has done.”
“Anyway, nobody cannot prove her fault. If someone decides to go to the police and report her, they will just promise them to catch a criminal and save this business for later in the best case. Forget about it on purpose! In the worst case, they will turn them around and tell them to go home to have a rest. Or Eleanor will find it out and turn your life to hell.”
“Don’t you know if Eleanor is the only one to be not honest? Or are all the family members of the Woodhams able to bribe?”
“Yes, all of them have their own demons. The Woodhams have got very powerful familiars that would shut anyone up that would dare to go against them. And as they are well known in the entire London, nobody finds the courage to go against them.” Amelia clears her throat quickly. “I mean, everyone’s afraid. The late Gilbert made people feel fear and made them afraid of him. That’s why everyone thinks that Eleanor is the same. People are afraid of her. People obey her. People respect her. Nobody wants to stand in her way.”
“Alright…”
“I can notice that Eleanor is actually quite a smart woman. She studied well at school and got a very good education at one of the universities in London. My former friend is not stupid at all and is not deprived of brains.”
“Is everyone afraid of her so much that nobody is going to work on the tricks that she is doing?”
“Sadly. As I’ve said, a few victims reported her to the police. But alas, the case didn’t move off the dead point, and the victims are just fed with promises of finding the criminal and bringing back everything she stole.”
“Eleanor told you that?”
“Yes, many years ago. When we were friends. And she was told by the familiar from the police.”
“The case is bad…”
“Moreover, Eleanor has never talked personally to those, whom she hires. She makes her helpers solve it. They have to solve any conflicts or shut those, who protest, up rudely. She does not participate in the production of clothes and just spends a whole day at her office like a queen, waiting for much more money to be transferred to her bank card.”
“So, does nobody know Eleanor Woodham personally?”
“Nobody. There were some people, who tried to talk to her, but her bodyguards prevented it immediately, kicked them out like dogs, and threatened to give them problems if they didn’t stop annoying their madam with stupid questions.”
“My gosh…”
“Yes, Eleanor knows everything about what she is working with. But that woman prefers making the others do everything for her. While her father controlled the process personally, and the staff members knew him very well and could always come to him to solve some problems, that woman hid from everyone. She does not also show up at the office every day. Eleanor spends a bigger part of time in different places. Traveling around the whole world and buying everything she stops her eyes on.
“Yeah… Her daddy somehow gave her an opportunity to live well, and she uses it and uses everything he worked on so hard.”
“Right. Eleanor literally pretends to be the president of the country, who everyone must bow to. She is terribly afraid that someone may wish to kill or attack her. That’s why she always goes everywhere with bodyguards. Two or five ones. She only hires tough guys, who can fight and look fearful.”
“Knowing how many people hate her silently for deciding them, I am not surprised.”
“Alas, my sweetie, too many unfair things actually happen in our life. All the criminals can’t be put in prison, and poor and rich people will never have the same wealth.”
“Did those, who reported her to the police, not care that she could’ve killed them?” Raquelle wonders, frowning slightly and trying to get the full line of the story.
“Probably, no, if they did it,” Amelia shrugs. “But there is a very little hope that she will be caught. Eleanor obeyed everyone to herself and feels like unpunished. Because she has the money. A lot of money. And a lot of powerful familiar people, who stand by her and are ready to do anything for her. No thinking about how crazy it is.”
“But there must be a way to stop her!” Raquelle throws her hands up. “She can’t stay free and keep deceiving other people! And especially threaten my aunt Alicia!”
“Yeah, but sadly, nobody wants to do this because of the fear of getting in touch with the Woodhams.”
“Is there only a father and a daughter in the Woodham family? Or someone else?”
“Eleanor has a mother. But after getting divorced from Gilbert, she rarely communicates with her. That woman has always been much closer to her father.”
“She’s still alive?”
“Of course, she is alive. But Gilbert and she didn’t have a very good relationship, and they got divorced with a scandal. At the moment, that woman does not get any money from the Woodhams. She is living on what she earns at work.”
“Doesn’t Eleanor help her?”
“She does, but she gives her very little. But as far as I know, Gilbert provided for her and gave her a lot of money every month. I don’t exclude that they reconciled at some moment. Nobody would’ve let a person live on their account and pay for anything they wanted.”
“I see…”
“As I have said, she is even greedier for money than her father was. If Eleanor uses all the possible and impossible ways to get money.”
“Has nobody ever tried to stop her?” Raquelle asks.
“Alas, nobody has done, nobody has tried,” Amelia throws her hands up. “Eleanor thinks that she is almighty and sure that everyone will always obey her.”
“My gosh…”
“So, don’t even think everything is so easy about this situation.”
“I already see that the situation is complicated.”
“Eleanor surrounds herself with many accomplices, who eat out of her hand and do anything she tells them to. She is not the only one to do all of that…”
“I wonder what makes them do it? If she pays them not so much money, what’s the point in dancing attendance upon her?”
“Eleanor just makes them fear her to death. She makes them remember that she is a daughter of the late Gilbert Woodham, who was loved and respected by the whole country.”
“Alright…”
“Anyway, that woman should get caught as well as her accomplices to make absolutely sure that she will not hurt you and your aunt.”
“Do you think they will take revenge?”
“For Eleanor, they can do anything and have no regret about it.”
“How many accomplices does she have?”
“Very many. Someone even worked with her father. By the way, many of them were bodyguards of his, but now they are guarding his daughter.”
“Interesting…” Raquelle frowns slightly, moving her eyes aside for a second. “Maybe, they were those, who went to her home and threatened her? What if it was those, who turned the whole apartment upside down?”
“Erm, excuse me, what?” Amelia frowns slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Erm… I mean… Some time ago, someone threatened Aunt Alicia.”
“What?” Amelia rounds her eyes. “Did someone threaten Alicia?”
“Yes, a few days ago, three men went to her home and started to threaten her…”
“My God…”
“They came to her to take all the money that she had by force. But they only managed to clean her wallet and did not find the secret place where she had some money for a rainy day. And they said that if Aunt Alicia did not agree to give what that woman wanted, she would have to regret it.”
“Wow…”
“I was not there on that day… I was walking in the city and found out everything after it happened. After I was back at Aunt’s home.”
“Did Alicia tell you?”
“Her neighbor knew everything but said nothing by the plea of my aunt. And today, my aunt has finally told me what happened. Why she suddenly got higher blood pressure.”
“It was surely Eleanor’s accomplices!” Amelia assumes confidently. “I’m sure and do not doubt that they did it!”
“Those people beat my aunt a little and left her apartment turned upside down.”
“How’s Alicia doing now?” Amelia shows anxiety.
“Thank God, she’s fine now. She’s still worried, but she said the bruises she got were almost gone.”
“That’s good!”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Raquelle glances aside for a second.
“Excuse me for my very bad question, Amelia,” Raquelle says shyly. “Why did you stop being a friend of Eleanor Woodham? Did she do something bad to you?”
“The most important reason is, her dirty tricks,” Amelia replies quietly. “I’ve never approved what she does. And I even declined her suggestion of working for her when I couldn’t find a job. My gut told me that I wouldn’t get away from it so easily.”
“Did you try to make her stop?”
“Of course, I did. I tried to change her mind and ask her to stop many times. But Eleanor didn’t listen to me and kept doing what she did, being sure she will always get off that just because she was a daughter of Gilbert Woodham, the all-famous man in London.”
“Excuse me, were you never a part of her business? At your wish or a wish of Eleanor!”
“Come on!” Amelia rounds her eyes. “Never! I’m not what she is!”
“How did you actually meet?”
“We have known each other since we were about eighteen. We studied together… I mean… Not quite together… We just went to the same university. Studied at different faculties.”
“Do you have the same age?”
“Nope, I am a little younger. She is now thirty-seven, and I’m thirty-five.”
“Did you really communicate?”
“Yes, we did. But it might probably seem strange to you because we are from different circles: Eleanor is rich and belongs to a powerful enough family, but I grew up in an ordinary one and am the daughter of working people.”
“But how did it happen?” Raquelle wonders. “I thought Eleanor would be a friend of those, who had the same status she had.”
“Being a young girl, she was a friend of everybody she knew. She had very many friends that Eleanor really adored. And she didn’t care about the families they had. She was even ready to get married to a guy from a poor family.”
“Did her father not mind?”
“I think he would have done much for his daughter. Gilbert loved her very much and was ready to move a mountain to make her happy.”
“Alright…”
“But he kept her on a short leash and could often be cruel and harsh. When Eleanor crossed the line, Gilbert quickly brought her back to the earth.”
“Was she kind of afraid of him?”
“I think so. Because after his death, Eleanor went nuts.”
“Nuts?”
“She became the opposite of her and broke contact with almost all of her friends. That woman became very aggressive and irritated, and she began to brag about her descent more and more. The fact that she belonged to a famous family. But Eleanor had never noticed it before.”
“Did she ruin the friendship with you, too?”
“No, after that, I communicated with her for a few years and supported her after Gilbert’s death. But I will not deny that we weren’t so close, and Eleanor often took it out on me and made me nothing. And we slowly became probably familiars than friends.”
“Did you decide to end this friendship?”
“No, I wasn’t the one to end our friendship, but she was.”
“And when?”
“Somewhere one year ago.”
“Wow…”
“That woman let me know she wanted to know nothing about me. She told me not to text her, not to call her, and to forget about her existence.”
“Were you upset?”
“Not very much, honestly.”
Amelia starts looking at her hands.
“And now I don’t actually understand how we could be friends for so many years,” Amelia confesses. “Because we’ve got too different characters. I would never do what that woman could easily do.”
“Sadly, she had a bad example. Eleanor looked at her father, looked, and listened to him… And she eventually became a full image of him.”
“Right, Gilbert always told her that she should’ve thought only about herself, first of all. That we were nothing in this world without the money. That you wouldn’t even be able to count on any benefit without good familiar people. You could only pray for being hired to work as a cleaning lady or a cashier.”
“As they say, money and power decide everything.”
“Anyway, I’m really glad our tracks got separated, and Eleanor showed a wish to break our friendship. I have got so much to do. I’m married to a wonderful man and getting ready to give birth to my baby. And Eleanor doesn’t think about it and is obsessed with different things. Money, revenge for something… She can’t live without hating someone.”
“Alright,” Raquelle pronounces quietly and thoughtfully.
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Raquelle looks at Amelia a little hesitantly.
“So, thank you so much for accepting me and telling me all of that,” Raquelle thanks shyly. “Although I found out not very much, something is better than nothing.”
“I was happy to help,” Amelia replies softly with a slight smile.
“I came here for my aunt. To find out more about Eleanor.”
“And I understand your wish to help your aunt. Because I want her to finally end it all. I want Eleanor to regret all of her actions.”
“She’s worried about it so much, but I can do nothing to help her. It gets me upset.”
“Alas, I can’t help her with it, either.”
“I know. Anyway, thanks for telling me about Eleanor and her family.”
“If I could, I would be happy to help Alicia.”
“Are you really a friend of hers?”
“Yes. Your aunt and I had been neighbors for a few years before I got married and moved to my husband’s house.”
“That’s how!”
“Sadly, we’ve spoken very rarely. We can talk on the phone for five or ten minutes, but no more. We haven’t met personally for ages.”
“I’m sure she will be happy to see you.”
“Sometimes I would like to meet her and invite her here to drink a cup of tea and talk to her.”
“I will tell her you would like to meet her.”
“I’ve always liked Alicia. She is a very kind person, who’s never wished anything bad to anyone. Who’s always been loyal to those she loves. Yes, that woman has committed a lot of sins, but who is perfect? All of us gets wrong when we’re young and stupid.”
“That’s right,” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “Aunt is very good. Smart… Wise… She replaced my mother… And I will not stop loving her even after all of her confessions.”
“Her sister was a very good girl, but I didn’t know her well.”
“I can barely remember her, too. But I always have a place for her and Dad.”
“Of course, Elizabeth and Alicia didn’t get on well lately and fought much. But my friend always loved her sister and often remembered her after that woman died.”
“Auntie still keeps calling the memories about Mother and sharing memories about her with me,” Raquelle confesses with sadness in her eyes. “And they didn’t get on well because my aunt and grandfather often meddled in a relationship of my parents, who didn’t like it much.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“They just tried to save Mom and Dad from divorce,” Raquelle adds. “But alas… Those people could do nothing, and their help and pieces of advice were rejected.”
“Yeah, I remember Alicia telling me about that somehow. I remember how upset she was…. Your aunt could not believe Elizabeth said so many bad things about her and literally attacked her with fists.”
“I know.”
***
May 8th, 1997.
“Don’t meddle in our business, Alicia!” Elizabeth demands quite rudely, putting her hands on her hips and addressing Alicia, who is trying to wake her sister and Jackson up, who is also participating in the talk. “Stop trying to make me feel sorry!”
“Please, Elizabeth, think at least about your daughter!” Alicia begs with pity in her eyes, putting her hands together. “Mr. Cameron and I do truly wish you happiness and want to help you save your family.”
“Take care of your life and stop meddling in mine!”
“I wanna help you! I want you to be happy with your husband.”
“I’m sick of you always trying to control everything.”
“What?”
“Enough, sister, enough! Leave me alone! Let me live without your fucking instructions! Stop, the fuck!”
“Darling, what are you talking about?” Alicia gets horrified, shaking her head. “You’ve really gotten obsessed with a demon!”
“Just don’t pretend it’s not the truth.”
“Jesus Christ, when did I try to control your life?”
“Always!” Elizabeth throws rudely. “I don’t remember a moment when I accepted a decision without someone’s approval. At first, my parents always meddled in my life, but now you started doing that and want to take everything in your hands.”
“Oh, shit, you’re not yourself, Elizabeth!” Jackson resents, knocking at his temple with a finger. “You really went insane if you’re saying some kind of shit!”
“You are the one to blame for me going insane!” Elizabeth shouts.
“Me?”
“Yes, you! Because of such a stinker like you, I suffer and feel unhappy!”
“Because of me?” Jackson points at himself with his finger. “You really went crazy and don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“No, Jackson, I do understand everything well.”
“I have never done anything to you! It’s your whimsy in your head that I’m sick of!”
“Ah, my whimsy…”
“After Raquelle’s birth, you really went nuts! First, you were a normal, shy, and decent girl, and then you began to have constant hysterics and start scandals, in which you make me guilty.”
“You know, before Raquelle’s birth, you were also different. More caring and careful!”
“Seriously?” Jackson simpers loudly.
“You actually do give a fuck about your child!”
“Me? Give a fuck about my child?”
“You do not pay attention to her! At all!”
“It’s a lie!”
“Yeah? Tell me, when did you walk with your daughter in a park? When did you take her somewhere to walk? When? Tell me!”
“I do always give her attention when I have free time.”
“Seriously?” Elizabeth simpers loudly. “It’s the fuck impossible to ask you just to drive Raquelle somewhere and give me a couple of hours of free time. And you even don’t wish to go to a store placed two miles away from us.”
“Yeah, don’t forget that I’m working all day long,” Jackson recalls confidently. “To earn money and provide for me, my child, and my wife, who has become just unbearable.”
“Exactly, UNBEARABLE!” Elizabeth starts getting hysterical. “What can you the fuck do if I see you one time per day, in the best case? I always take care of the child on my own and do homework! But I’m fucking sick of that! SICK!”
“It’s not the truth, you are not raising a baby alone,” Alicia protests. “While Jackson works, our parents and I help you. And Mr. Cameron watches Raquelle with pleasure.”
“Aha, take her away for a couple of hours, and then you give the daughter to me and say I’m a mother and must babysit with her,” Elizabeth throws rudely.
“Lie! We watch her for as long as we need. Take her for a walk and even buy something. The girl does have our attention.”
“Seriously?” Elizabeth simpers loudly. “You do always find excuses not to watch her. Father works, Mother visits her friends, Mr. Cameron has got some business, and you wander around nobody the fuck knows where.”
“Yeah, is it okay that my parents and I live in a different country? We can’t go to the USA every week as if your home is across the street!”
“You give fewer good things than the others, just like Jackson.”
“I do always watch my niece with pleasure when you ask me about that!”
“Yeah, when did you watch her the last time? I can’t remember!”
“I’m not the only one you can ask for help. Is Mr. Cameron worse? Does he take care of your daughter worse?”
“When I gave birth, you all took care of Raquelle too hard. We literally argued about who would watch her. But when she grew up, everybody was gone!”
“Did you really think a child is something like a kitty or a puppy that you would throw off if you got sick? No, my dear! If you gave birth to your daughter, be pleased to raise her and not to make other people take care of her.”
“What do you understand about it?” Elizabeth simpers contemptuously. “You’ve got no children! And not only children! You can’t even find a husband, and all men leave you, not finding the courage to propose to you to marry.”
“What?”
“I wonder why your latest former lover did not propose to you to marry? Did he get sick of you? Or did you get sick of being with a man, who was two times older than you? Who should have gotten grandchildren a long time ago but got a crush on the one to be like his daughter! Did you want to find someone to be younger?”
“You should not care if my former lover was young or old!”
“Or did you think up all of that? You did it to excuse your many-years disappearance?”
“I thought up nothing!”
“Confess that you lied when you told our parents about the rich old man! Confess that you never had anyone!”
“Don’t avoid the subject and start talking about my personal life, Elizabeth,” Alicia says harshly. “Now we are talking about your personal life.”
“Yeah, sure, talking about someone’s life is more interesting.”
“Don’t you think you should calm down, put your nerves in order, and stop torturing your husband with hysterics and scaring your little daughter?”
“So, dear Alicia, did you decide to meddle in my life because nobody proposed to you to marry?” Elizabeth hums contemptuously, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you envy me because I got married and gave birth to a child first, and you still have no boyfriend? Or do you envy that our parents loved me more than you?”
“Close your month, Elizabeth!” Jackson demands harshly. “Stop saying these things about your sister!”
“You’ve been angry that Father and Mother stayed to pay all the attention to me after I was born, and everybody forgot about you.”
“You’re saying some nonsense,” Alicia shakes her head.
“So, sis, did you think you would always be the only loved daughter of Daddy and Mommy? You got mad when I was born, and they started to give me all the love and care?”
“Our parents have always loved us two!” Alicia raises her voice a little. “Mother and Father wish happiness to both of us!”
“Ah, both of us…”
“And they are worried you are about to ruin your marriage and the well-being of your daughter.”
“When people care, they can leave all their business to be next to the one, who needs help.”
“Gosh, sister, how egoistic you’ve become!” Alicia gets horrified, closing her mouth with her hand. “What happened to you? You were always so kind, sweet, and obedient! And now you’ve turned into a bitchy lady, who got sick of life and is mad at the whole world.”
“Yes, I am mad! I am mad because nobody helps me! Everybody tells me to be good and obedient!”
“You said you would be the best mother for Raquelle. You literally wanted to give it to nobody.”
“I am doing my duty! I do take care of my daughter!”
“I used to think giving birth would make a woman much better. But in your case, everything’s otherwise – you’ve become a heartless beast that starts giving a damn about her own child.”
“Alicia is absolutely right!” Jackson agrees confidently. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someday you actually rejected Raquelle and wished to have fun with your friends all day long, forgetting about the fact that your child is rising.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if someday you rejected your daughter!” Elizabeth yells, gesticulating actively and not hiding her irritation. “You’re ready to sacrifice nothing for her! Raquelle sees her father only one time per day, barely remembers him, and doesn’t spend days off with him, which he’s got because he spends them with his pals.”
“What pals?”
“Yours!”
“You also say I cheat on you with other women!”
“So, are you cheating?”
“No!”
“I would not be surprised if you ran away from the child and me. If you went to a young, unmarried bitch without children every day.”
“Oh, fuck, how you annoyed me, hysterical lady…” Jackson moans tiredly, running his hands over his face. “Gosh… If I’d known you were not what you pretended to be and could bring any quiet man to a nervous breakdown, I wouldn’t have proposed to marry.”
“I don’t hold you at all!” Elizabeth throws rudely. “Take all your things and get out! My daughter and I will live somehow without the man, who does nothing good.”
“If you really went insane, I will not give you my daughter and do my best for her to live with me.”
“I will not give Raquelle to you! Children always stay with mothers!”
“We will see! I won’t let you ruin Raquelle’s life and turn her into such a crazy woman like you are.”
“Ah, I am a crazy woman?” Elizabeth points at herself with her fingers and widely open eyes.
“Not me!”
“Scoundrel! Stinker! You ruined my whole life! Why did I actually agree to get married to you? Why?”
“Nobody made you do it!”
“If I had known you would treat me like this, I would have never agreed to get through this madness!”
“You know, I also never thought you’d be a sick drama queen.”
“I AM NOT SICK!”
“Sorry, sister, but now you are really acting like a sick, hysterical girl,” Alicia says coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Jackson is right that you’re the one to blame for everything.”
“Are you defending him?”
“Although you’re my sister, in this case, I’m supporting him. Because your couple is close to divorcing just because of your constant hysterics.”
“Of course!” Elizabeth snuffs loudly. “I am the one to blame not only for being born but also for stealing our parents’ attention!”
“Stop, Elizabeth, enough!” Alicia quickly runs to Elizabeth, takes her by the shoulders, and shakes slightly, looking into her eyes. “Look what you brought everything to! Don’t you understand you’re ruining everything? You’re about to make your husband and take your daughter from you! Do you really want it? Don’t you care about your family? Do you want to ruin it and live like nobody the hell knows who?”
“I repeat, stop meddling in my life now!” Elizabeth demands rudely, raising her voice more and more. “I don’t need your pieces of advice!”
“Elizabeth!”
“I would live without the one to stay a childless old maid and will envy all the married girls.”
“I really doubt you would live without someone to be able to wash your brains just a little.”
“As guys leave you one by one, there is a reason for that. I can tell you why it’s happening! Because first, they get attracted to you thanks to your beauty and then realize you are not sweet and fluffy but a terribly annoying and unbearable girl that would make them sick of you. I’m sure that old man also made sure about it.”
“Do you mean yourself?” Alicia wonders. “It’s all about you: first, you seemed to be a shy and sweet girl for Jackson, and then you proved that you were rotten to the core and are getting closer to making him have a nervous breakdown.”
“I am sick of pretending to be good! Sick of being a good girl and pleasing everyone. I’ve been doing everything Mother and Father tell me for my whole life. Studied well, behaved well, never hung on men’s necks…”
“Elizabeth, please…”
“Don’t do it, Alicia, it’s worthless to talk to her now,” Jackson says quietly, barely touching Alicia's shoulder. “You should talk to her next time when she puts her nerves in order. You do see that Elizabeth is not herself and is saying some bullshit.”
“Oh, you said at least one smart thing!” Elizabeth throws rudely, rolling her eyes. “Get out of here, Alicia!”
“Do you actually understand what you’re talking about?”
“And it would be better if you never stood in my way and forgot that I existed.”
“Yeah, you know…” Alicia nods. “Probably, it would really be much better. I see no meaning in explaining something to you.”
“Get out of here then! Let me live as I WANT!”
“But I doubt someday you’d start regretting becoming such an egoistic bitch and pushing off all your close people.”
“What an idiot you are… If only you knew how much I hate you. How much I hate my family! I HATE, HEAR ME!”
“Right now, I also hate you. But I still love the shy and kind girl Lizzy you were somehow. I will hope she will be back someday. And I would start talking to the decent younger sister, who would not hurt a fly. Not the rogue birth, who is standing in front of me and definitely has some mental issues after giving birth.”
The furious Elizabeth irritably growls, quickly looks around, takes a glassy thing from a table, and throws it at Alicia as hard as possible, who barely has time to jump aside.
“GET OUT OF HERE, BITCH!” Elizabeth screams at the top of her lungs. “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU! GET OUT!”
“Elizabeth…” Alicia pronounces with horror in her widely open eyes. “Did you go crazy?”
“I SAID GET OUT!”
Elizabeth is about to throw something yet at the dumbfounded Alicia, but Jackson stops his wife at once, twisting her arms behind the back and starting to hold her tightly while she resists so hard, and her sister sharply gets white from horror and barely holds tears down.
“Calm down now, hysterical girl!” Jackson demands loudly, trying to fight with Elizabeth, who resists too hard. “CALM DOWN, I SAID!”
“Don’t touch me, idiot!” Elizabeth pronounces coldly. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO, OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!”
“If you don’t close your fucking mouth now, I will call an ambulance and tell them to bring you to a mental hospital. Maybe, they can bring you to life.”
“Gosh, I can’t believe we have to take it!” Alicia gets horrified, closing her mouth with both hands and barely shaking her head.
“I HATE YOU ALL, I HATE!” Elizabeth screams at the top of her lungs.
“Calm the fuck down, sick girl! Do you really want to end up in a mental hospital?”
“GET OUT OF HERE!” Elizabeth screams, trying to get out of Jackson’s grip. “I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU! NEVER!”
Two seconds later, Elizabeth barely gets out of Jackson’s grip, runs to Alicia and gives her a strong slap in the face, and pulls her by the hair until the man takes the wild girl away from her sister, who stops holding tears down.
“Jesus Christ, what happened to my sister?” Alicia wonders in a little shaking voice.
“GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I PULL YOUR HAIR OUT!” Elizabeth demands at the top of her lings and growls irritably, trying to get out of the strong grip of Jackson and strongly beating him on his arms. “AND TAKE THIS IDIOT WITH YOU!”
“CRAZY!” Jackson shouts. “I will surely put you in a mental hospital if you do not wake up!”
“WE WILL SEE IT!”
“You will say, ‘thank you’ to me for doing it! You would leave a hospital, being a normal person, and understand you were a brainless idiot.”
“I WILL SAY, ‘THANK YOU’ TO YOU IF YOU DISAPPEAR FROM MY LIFE ONCE AND FOREVER!”
“I WILL DO! AND TAKE MY DAUGHTER WITH ME!”
“My daughter will stay with ME!”
“Raquelle will not become the same psycho idiot as you are!”
“I will do my best for her to get attention!”
“I doubt you really need your daughter so badly!”
“YOU DO NOT NEED HER!”
“Stop, Elizabeth, for God’s sake!” Alicia begs with despair and sniffs quietly.
“LET ME GO, IDIOT!” Elizabeth starts trying to get out of Jackson’s grip much harder. “LET ME GO! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU! AND THIS IDIOT!”
A few seconds later, Elizabeth gets out of Jackson’s grip.
“LEAVE ME ALL ALONE!” Elizabeth screams at the top of her lungs. “I AM SICK OF ALL OF YOU! S-I-C-K! I HATE YOU, IDIOTS!”
Elizabeth turns and quickly runs to a different room, slamming the door after her and leaving the dumbfounded Alicia and Jackson alone. Silence settles in the air, during which the two look at each other with horror in their eyes, and the girl is quietly crying because her own sister behaved like this. So unfairly…
The man sees it very well and comes to his sister-in-law to try to calm her down, even if he is not quite after a long fight with his wife, who really went crazy and needs a good rest or some professional help.
“What did I do to her?” Alicia asks in a shaking voice while Jackson softly caresses her shoulders. “What, Jackson? Why is she doing that with me? Why is my sister blaming me for all the sins?”
“I don’t understand it, either…” Jackson sighs tiredly. “That woman really went insane and doesn’t know what she says.”
“Gosh… She was such a shy and quiet girl, but now she’s become a bitch. A shrew. Scumbag.”
“You know, Alicia, I’m afraid you’d really better stop communicating with her,” Jackson says quietly. “At least for a while.”
“But I can’t do it. She’s my sister.”
“I understand, but you see what’s happening to her. Elizabeth really went crazy, and I'm afraid she might get worse later.”
“You think?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened. She already gives stupid claims to everybody and says everybody forgot her after Raquelle grew up.”
“Could a person change so much after giving birth to a child? My sister was never like this! She was always very soft, quiet, and obedient! Sometimes getting a word out of her was impossible. But what happened to her now, a few years after Raquelle’s birth?”
“I guess giving birth is the reason for that. Because she hasn’t been like this before she gave birth to Raquelle.”
“But everything was fine for a few years!” Alicia notices, hugging herself with her arms. “Why do we see changes in Elizabeth now?”
“I don’t know, Alicia, I don’t know…”
“She didn’t have postpartum depression after Raquelle’s birth. She was very happy and never broke up with her baby.”
“Right…”
“Oh, Jackson, I’m confused…”
“Anyway, I don’t exclude that we might have to take her to a doctor and make her get therapy against her wishes if it’s all about her mental health.”
“Yeah, she would need a doctor’s help…”
“I think I’d have to talk to her parents to discuss this situation. Because it can’t happen like this anymore. I can’t take these hysterics and don’t want my daughter to hear and see all of our fights.”
“I understand.”
“Or I would give to give a damn about that woman and just fill for divorce.”
“But you don’t want to!”
“I don’t want, but I can’t live with such a hysterical girl that breaks my nerves literally much more than my boss.”
“In this case, I support you. What Elizabeth is doing is just terrible! I can’t pretend that it should happen.”
“I really want to be with her and help her get off all of her demons. But I am afraid to come to her, understand. Who knows what she will come up with the next moment.”
“Yeah… I hope she won’t go so crazy to take a knife and kill someone.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. We could expect anything from that woman while she’s in a condition like this.”
“You know, Jackson, I don’t want to scare you, but…”
“What?”
“I’m starting to be afraid of your daughter.”
“Oh, I'm worried about my daughter, as well…” Jackson sighs tiredly, running his hands over his face.
“Wouldn’t Elizabeth hurt her child? It’s so hard for Raquelle to see all of that, and my sister doesn’t watch her mouth with her pretense. Doesn’t know she scares her daughter.”
“If not for Raquelle, I would leave Elizabeth much earlier. But I’m holding on just for her. Because of my daughter, I’m trying to hold on. In the opposite case, I would do something terrible to your sister.”
“Oh, I also wanna strangle her with my own hands,” Alicia sighs heavily. “Yes, I still love Elizabeth with all my heart, but I can’t close my eyes to all of her disgusting acts, which might make her close people turn their back on her.”
“And if I get divorced from Elizabeth, I will surely take my daughter with me.”
“Take?”
“I can’t let her destroy Raquelle. That woman is crazy, and I don’t know what to expect from her. I can’t do this to my own child.”
“I get it,” Alicia nods. “Although it's bad to deprive a child of a mother, in this case, it would be better for my niece.”
“I know… But I’ve got no choice. I’ve gotta save Raquelle.”
Alicia says nothing and just nods, while Jackson looks aside for a second.
“Alicia…” Jackson pronounces a little hesitantly.
“Yeah?” Alicia looks at Jackson questioningly.
“Say, would you take Raquelle away with you if I asked you about that?”
“Of course, Jackson, no questions! If you need it, I can take her away for as long as you need. She would live with me and my parents in London.”
“The case is that I work much and can’t always stay with my daughter. I need to earn money and provide for her. Raquelle isn’t big enough to stay alone. Someone has to watch her. I can count only on my family’s help.”
“I get it. You can always count on me. And I think your father would have the pleasure to babysit with Raquelle and even take her with him while my sister is going crazy.”
“A little later, I’ll talk to Father about it, but I don’t want to get him so busy. He’s no longer young, even if he’s active enough.”
“Don't worry, Jackson, I’m ready to watch your daughter as long as you need,” Alicia smiles shyly. “And my parents are always ready to help. You know how they adore Raquelle.”
“I know,” Jackson smiles slightly. “And as I’ve said, I need to discuss what’s happening to Elizabeth’s parents. We should find a solution to this problem before your sister destroys my daughter.”
“Maybe, you take your child away and live somewhere apart from my sister? Who knows, maybe, she’ll have enough fun, put her nerves in order, and understand what she is doing.”
“I’ve been thinking about that… Living with that woman in the same place is just unbearable… I feel like I’m being choked, you get it…”
“I completely understand you.” Alicia softly caresses Jackson’s shoulder. “And I fully support you.”
“But on the contrary, I can’t kick her out of home,” Jackson notices thoughtfully. “Elizabeth knows nobody here. She has no place to live.”
“You could ask my father and mother to take her with them. May Elizabeth live with them.”
“I don’t know, I can’t say anything. Anyway, I will not leave it without my attention and will do something.”
“Feel free to ask our family for help. You do know we all love you like a close person. Besides, the parents of me and Elizabeth have always liked you, and I’m glad she got married to you, the one, who, in my opinion, deserves it more than anyone.”
“Thank you so much, Alicia,” Jackson smiles shyly. “You’ve always been very nice to me.”
“You and I aren’t strangers to each other.”
“Yeah… And if it happened, I need to hold on and find a way to solve this problem. Either wait for some time or run on different sides.”
“Hold on, brother, I’m with you.” Alicia caresses Jackson’s shoulder softly. “With God’s help, things will get better.”
“The important thing is that nothing happens to Raquelle,” Jackson says quietly.
“Anyway, try to solve everything, at least for the daughter. No matter what, she needs both of her parents.”
“I’m holding on only for Raquelle. If I didn’t have her, I’d prefer divorcing Elizabeth a long time ago and pretending I didn’t have her in my life.”
“I get it.”
“It would be hard because I madly love her. But I’m not ready to take what’s happening and her endless hysterics.”
“Hold on, Jackson, hold on…”
“I’m doing this, Alicia…”
Alicia looks at Jackson with pity in her eyes, while he inclines his head slightly and sighs heavily. And then the girl takes the man for an amicable hug, which he accepts with pleasure. He also tries to comfort the older sister of his wife, who looks depressed after she fought with her close people. But now, the two see no solution to this problem and think getting divorced is the only way to do away with everything.
***
“It’s all so bad…” Amelia shakes her head. “Very sad… So sorry that her sister and brother-in-law died. They were quite young… Elizabeth was almost thirty, and Jackson was a little older…”
“If not for that car accident, they would’ve been with me now.”
“I know…”
“Sometimes I talk to Mom and Dad when I just think of them or go to Kingston, at the cemetery… And I want to believe they hear me. They would help me…”
“I get it…” Amelia sighs heavily and glances aside. “I get it…”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Raquelle smiles slightly, keeping her hands folded in front of herself on her laps.
“By the way, you agreed to help me very easily,” Raquelle notices shyly. “Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t make you sure to tell me everything you knew about the woman, who threatened my aunt. I was worried that you would not accept me when I was coming here.”
“I just couldn’t refuse to help you…” Amelia says amicably. “When I heard you were Alicia’s niece.”
“It’s the only reason?”
“Well, also because I also want this story to be over as soon as possible. I want Alicia to live a quiet life and stop guessing when and how Eleanor would like to deal with her. I do know well that the woman could do anything to reach her goal.”
“Yeah… She definitely feels like she can do anything she wants.”
“Alas, now there is nobody to hold her down. No father, who was the only one to be able to do it. And her mother is not so cruel… And she does not have a very close relationship with Eleanor. My former friend has never been so attracted to her. She was more attracted to her father.”
“So, wouldn’t you have helped me if I weren’t Alicia’s niece?” Raquelle chuckles quietly.
“Of course, I would have,” Amelia replies with a slight smile. “But I must confess that I liked you after I saw you.”
“Really?”
“Really?”
Amelia smiles slightly, starting to look at Raquelle closely.
“You seem like a very kind and light person,” Amelia adds. “As well as your auntie.”
“Thanks…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Nice to hear it…”
“By the way, would you to know something about your destiny a little?” Amelia suggests amicably.
“My destiny?”
“Yes, do you want me to read your palm?”
“Read your palm?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Yes, a palm of your hand.”
“Erm… How would you read my palm?”
“Very easy! Just look at the lines there are on the palm of your hand and say something about you.”
“Lines? But what can you read on them?” Raquelle glances at her hand. “Just lines… I don’t know what you could read there…”
“Oh, my darling, it’s very possible,” Amelia says confidently. “Thanks to the thing called palmistry.”
“Palmistry?”
“Yes. Have you never heard about it?”
“Erm… No, honestly… And I don’t believe in magic, psychics, and wizards.”
“You don’t believe?”
“I agree with the opinion of my grandfather, who absolutely refuses to believe in the supernatural and thinks everything happens in the world by God’s will.”
“It’s not magic. It’s just reading. A very old one. Thanks to it, you can discover something about the character of a person, what he or she has experienced, and even what’s waiting for them in the future. I can look at the palm of any person and say if he or she would be happy or doomed to suffering.”
“The future?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, you can easily see the past of someone, find out the present, and foresee the future.”
“Wow…”
“If you know what every single line means, and how to connect some of them, you can get the right verdict.”
“Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“But it doesn’t mean you could easily count on a reading. Because it might not always be clear. And the future may change, depending on our acts.”
“And you…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “Could you really foresee something for me?”
“Of course,” Amelia nods.
“Is that… Your hobby? Or do you work with it as a professional?”
“No, no, it’s my hobby. I mean a family hobby. Everybody in my family adores studying everything about palmistry. My mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother. We were all able to read lines on a palm and hit the bullseye in ninety percent of the cases.”
“That’s how…”
“So, what?” Amelia smiles shyly. “Do I read you?”
“Erm…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “Alright. Read my palm…”
“Let’s see what you were destined to do first,” Amelia suggests confidently. “Tell me, are you right-handed or left-handed?”
“Erm, right-handed.”
“Then give me your left hand.”
Raquelle silently gives her left hand to Amelia, which that one starts looking at closely.
“Alright, let’s see…” Amelia pronounces thoughtfully. “Alright… So…”
Amelia looks closely at the lines on Raquelle’s palm for a few seconds, frowning slightly and thinking about something.
“Well, first, I see you’re supposed to have excellent health,” Amelia says quietly. “Supposed to be full of energy and strength… You’re ready to work very hard…”
“Correct…” Raquelle nods. “It’s the truth… I rarely get sick and am ready to work for hours if I have to.”
“So… I can also say that… You’ve got quite good brains… You’re smart, purposeful… You tend to have perfectionism. If you do something, you do it as good as possible.”
“You’re right…”
“So… You could easily learn something new… But your fantasy is not very rich. And I can't call you a romantic… You’re most likely a realist and see things soberly.”
Raquelle nods silently.
“Besides, you’re quite a headstrong person, who is used to doing everything as you want,” Amelia notices. “You are not dependent on someone’s opinion. I mean, you may be told how to live, but you go your own way and listen to nobody.”
“Wow…” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “It’s correct… I am…”
“So…”
Amelia closely examines the lines on Raquelle’s palm for a few seconds, trying to find every smallest and most invisible one and looking for other signs.
“I can say you were also destined to become famous,” Amelia says confidently.
“Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “Was I destined to become famous?”
“You were born to become rich and famous. Become famous thanks to hard work and a sense of purpose. Get up and keep moving on after every single fall and failure. By the way, you should’ve gotten success at an early age.”
“Yeah…” Raquelle nods. “That’s right… I started to work as a model when I was seventeen and earned good money for every single shoot.”
“Alright, let’s see what about your personal life…”
Amelia examines the lines much more closely and looks at Raquelle’s hand from all sides, while the girl gets a little tense and looks at the woman closely.
“I can surely say you were destined to have only one marriage,” Amelia says quietly.
“One marriage?” Raquelle wonders truly.
“Yes, at a young age.”
“It’s going to last… My whole life? Or not?”
“It’s hard to say it. But you will not go to the altar for the second time.”
“Wow…”
“Moreover, I see you were destined to have a few children.”
“A few children?”
“Yes.”
“You would…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Definitely make my family happy…”
“They want to marry you off and babysit with your children?” Amelia asks.
“More than anything! My aunt and grandfather have been telling me I should get married and make a child for many years.”
“And you’re sick of it?”
“Honestly, yes. They have kept me under pressure since I was eighteen and always minded my modeling career. They’re unhappy that I quit the university for that.”
“That’s how…”
“I hear it almost every day. And I am sick of explaining to my family that I don’t think of marrying and especially making children.”
“Don’t you want it now or at all?”
“Now. But my grandfather and aunt don’t believe me and say that any woman dreams of having a husband and children.”
“That’s how…”
“My family insists that I get married as if I’m no longer a girl. As if I’m about forty. But I’m only twenty-three. I am too young now. And I don’t think I’m ready to change my life like this.”
“I get it.”
“I’m sorry that my family doesn’t understand me. Sorry that they make me do what I’m not ready for. Their pressure is so strong that I literally want to have a fake wedding with someone with my familiars. It’s really insane…”
“Listen, let me look at your right hand,” Amelia says thoughtfully. “To see what’s happening in your life now. And find out if you’re going to have one marriage and a few children.”
Raquelle gives Amelia her right hand, and that one examines all the lines for a few seconds, which really differ from those she saw on the left hand of the girl.
“Alright, I clearly see you’ve taken very much bad in your life,” Amelia says confidently. “I see your years were hard. But you got through that because you’ve got a power of will.”
“And the support of my close people…” Raquelle adds thoughtfully. “My family helped me get through that time. When… I was bullied… And my friends gave me their support… They did their best for me not to lose my belief in you and stay strong.”
“Yeah, I see it… You got through it and made your life a little better. But I want to say it’s not the end of your problems.”
“Not the end?”
“Yes, my girl,” Amelia nods confidently. “You are going to get through many hard situations. And they are going to change you somehow.”
“I am already living not the easiest time…” Raquelle sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes. “One person insulted and humiliated me for the whole world for nothing.”
“I know,” Amelia pronounces softly. “I’ve read a few articles about it on the Internet.”
“I didn’t do anything I was changed for. It’s all a lie.”
“Yes, yes, I believe you. And I see you had to experience great stress, after which you still cannot come to yourself.”
“Erm… Right… I’m really depressed and don’t know what to do.”
“I’m very sorry you are getting insulted for no reason and charged for what you didn’t do. But I’m sure the situation would be solved early or late, and your offender would pay for his worse for you.”
“I would like to believe it…” Raquelle inclines her head with sadness in her eyes, starting to look at her hands. “But I’m not sure about it… I think I could do nothing to make people trust me again.”
“Now you could probably really do nothing,” Amelia says confidently. “And I think the best thing for you is to keep silence and not to try to prove you’re right too hard.”
“Do you think everything will get better?”
“Of course, it will get better. But not now. A good moment to show yourself will come, but a little later. Then you would let people know that you were slandered and get your kind name back.”
“I’m actually going to do nothing yet. Moreover, I left the USA to let everyone calm down a little and realize it was slander.”
“That’s good you decided to hide from the hurricane, not to run towards the one.”
“If only it didn’t get worse…”
“It will not do.”
“Say, is my life not really going to get better? Am I going to suffer for my whole life?”
“No, no, my sweetie, you will not.”
“I don’t believe it, honestly.”
“The lines on your hands say that you’re going to get through many hard things. But there will be breaks between them. I mean, you are going to live quietly for some time and relax a little.”
“And how long is it going to last?”
“Who knows,” Amelia shrugs. “Sadly, the palmistry can’t tell these things. It could just give you a certain picture. Show something a person is made of. Show everything about his or her life.”
“Alright…”
“Don’t worry, sweetie, everything is going to get better soon.”
Amelia, looking at Raquelle with sadness in her eyes, puts her hand on her hands folded in front of her.
“Remember that any lie would come to light early or late,” Amelia assures. “The anonymous wouldn’t lie to everyone and say bad things about you forever. Someday they would be revealed, and you would get the love of people and become their role model again.”
“I’m guessing who could do this,” Raquelle confesses. “There is someone I fought seriously with. Who claimed I would regret standing in his way much.”
“You think that’s him?”
“There’s nobody else.”
“You know, anything is possible. Sometimes we might expect a hit from anyone to surround us. Those, who smile at us cutely, don’t really always love us and wish us luck.”
“I’m absolutely sure about my close people.”
“I don’t want to say it’s someone from your close people. It might be someone you just talked to or worked somehow with. Anything might happen.”
“But I have a wonderful relationship with everybody.”
“It doesn’t mean everyone truly loves you so much. Because sometimes people can pretend to be your friends.”
“Yes, Amelia, I know. But there are no more suspects.”
“I don’t knot then… Anyway, I hope the anonymous will show up to the world someday and explain why they did that to you.”
“I wish they did…”
“But I’m sure that paying for the lie will happen soon. Someday people would stop believing the anonymous and start to despise him as well as many of them despise you now.”
“With God’s help, Amelia, with God’s help…”
“Don’t worry, Raquelle, everything’s going to get better.”
Amelia takes Raquelle’s hands, looking at her with a slight smile on her face.
“The lines on your hand say someday there will be a moment when your problems will be over, and you will live a quiet life and do your business,” Amelia adds. “Yes, of course, there will be some little things you can easily fix, but all the serious problems will be gone once and forever.”
“Are you sure?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“You’re going to take much more tests that might break you down and make you feel despair. But someday, fate will give you a generous award and give you what you will accept with great pleasure.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The lines on your hand say a man will come to your life someday.”
“A man?”
“Yes. He will become the meaning of your life to you, and you will realize your life had been not as bright as it was before he came into the one.”
“Really?”
“You are destined to be together. I would say God literally decided you should spend your life together.”
“So, will there really be only one marriage in my life?”
“Yes, I see you will get married one time. And only you and your future husband will do your best to save it for your whole life.”
“Me and my future husband?”
“Yes. If you give effort and do your best to make it stronger, you will live together long and happily. If you do not do, you will get divorced and go on a different way, never meeting again.”
“But you said I would get married only once in my life.”
“Right, but it might mean you could, get divorced and have no wish to get married again. You might have many men, but you might refuse to get married to someone, despite a strong love.”
“So…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “Am I going to marry soon?”
“You will,” Amelia smiles slightly. “And make your family happy.”
“But I’m not ready for the marriage.”
“It’s not supposed to happen at the nearest time. One or two years might be gone before you understand you’re ready for that and get a proposal from your beloved man.”
“I feel if I don’t get married in the next year or two, my family will start looking for a husband for me and arrange my wedding against my wish.”
“But… I want to get you a little upset…”
“Upset? Why?”
“The lines on your hand say your marriage would not be perfect.”
“No?”
“Your relationship with your man would not be smooth. You would not have a peaceful and quiet life. There will be passion between you. Even many years later after you start your relationship.”
“My gosh…”
“There will be many conflicts and misunderstandings between you that could easily get you separated. It will be very hard for you to be together… That’s why your relationship might get colder. You might lose your feelings for each other.”
“That’s how?”
“I don’t exclude that one of you might have an affair.”
“Have an affair?”
“Yes. Either you would meet another man, or your sweetheart would cheat on you with another girl.”
“My God…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully.
“That’s why you two will have to do everything you can not to split up one month later after the beginning of your relationship.”
“And how would I live with that man?”
“You should have patience and learn much. Only after getting experienced and wise, you will make your marriage strong and get a trustworthy person for every one of you. Besides, the lines say that you’re a little egoistic and think of yourself much more. And it might also ruin your relationship with your close people.”
“Would I get married to someone I’d have a hard relationship with?”
“If everything is alright, you will have no reason to be worried. However, even if you want to break up, you will hardly be happy with another man. Yes, you could get used to him, let him love you, take care of him, and even give birth to children from him. But your heart would never belong to him. You will love only one man. With who it’s going to be hard for you, but without who your life will seem senseless to you.”
“Excuse me, who is supposed to become my husband?”
“A well-provided man. Who could be easily able to provide for you and your future children. And yes, I can also say that your future husband is supposed to be a person with a hard character and full of passion. Confident, a little selfish… But that man is going to be kind, caring, and loyal deep inside. He is supposed to love bright emotions. He would not be one of those, who wished to live in peace and love. He would quickly get sick of living like this. That’s why your man might get another girl and leave you.”
“Alright…” Raquelle moves her eyes aside for a second. “Anyway, everything will depend on you and your future husband. If you don’t do your best, your marriage will be ruined quickly. And you two will regret deciding to be together.”
“I see…” Raquelle nods.
“And remember, if you get married, you will have to learn to be a good wife. Listen to your husband, support him, be his best friend… Never forget him. Don’t get stuck on him. Or he will get cold to you and find another woman.”
“What do you mean?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Because you are a girl, who is obsessed with her work. I see it on your lines. You’re ready to give your everything to a certain business and forget everything and everyone. Maybe, that’s why you don’t think of your own family. All your thoughts are about your work. About everyone’s admiration. Though, I think you crave people’s attention because of your childhood trauma. You were bullied in childhood and deprived of belief in your beauty and your talents. So, that’s why you’re trying to find at least someone, who would see you as a beautiful swan, not an ugly duck.”
“Actually, that’s true. Though, I'm still insure. I would say, I’m just playing the role of a confident, fateful girl. Actually I’m still a little, unprotected girl, whom only her grandfather admired.”
“Don’t be mad at me, but in this case, you’re acting like an egoist. Yes, I understand why it all started. But trust me, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. A bigger part of people don’t care about your achievements. Not so many people care about how many covers you’ve gotten or how many times you’ve walked on the runway. I would even say, you will start to irritate them if you are always at their sight.”
“I get it.”
“And if you really want to become confident, you should not wait for approval from other people. You should work on you by yourself. Let your past go, forgive your offenders, wish them luck and surround yourself by those, who mean a lot to you. Confidence doesn’t come to you at someone’s wish. It grows up inside you. You should grow it like a flower and make sure it doesn’t die at the beginning or middle of its growth.”
“There’s nothing bad about loving your job.”
“Right, nothing. But if you want your marriage to be happy, you should change yourself. You should get off this obsession with only your work and start to think of something else.”
“Or what?”
“Or your marriage will be over. Obsession with work would ruin your marriage for a few months. Your husband would not take your indifference forever and turn his back on you someday. Fill for divorce and fall in love with another girl, for whom the family is more important.”
“But I don’t have to quit my career for my family.”
“Of course, you don’t. But you should find a balance between your career and your family. If you do this, everything will be alright. If you prefer your career, you will not have a happy life with your husband and children. And when it’s time, you will start to regret ruining everything and not changing your mind.”
“Alright…”
“So, Raquelle… If you don’t want to lose the one you love, start to change yourself first. For your beloved person, you can sacrifice much.”
“Sacrifice?”
“Don’t change everything about you, but don’t be headstrong. No matter how strong men are, they need love, care, and attention. They love a woman until she gives it all. And when a woman stops doing this and treats him very coldly and even disrespects him, he starts to look around and think of breaking up more and more. He starts to miss what he had before.”
“Erm…” Raquelle stutters. “Alright… I got you…”
“Actually, I would tell you much more. But I will not do this.”
“Why?”
“It would be better if you guessed everything and fixed the mistakes you might make when living in a marriage. I have warned you and will hope you will listen to my advice that would help you get happy.”
Raquelle says nothing and just frowns slightly, not knowing if she should believe Amelia, who warned her about what would happen to her life if she did not do what the woman advised her to do.
“Anyway, thank you so much, Amelia,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile.
“You’re welcome,” Amelia replies amicably.
“You gave me a little hope that everything would be fine.”
“You know, maybe, you don’t believe me now and do doubt my words could be true. Maybe, you forget everything and not take everything I’ve just said too close. But I can say something…”
“What?”
“When you run into the man you are destined to be with, you will remember my words and understand I was absolutely right.”
“I don’t know…”
“I can’t say when that moment comes, but anyway, wait. Wait and don’t reject your happiness when it knocks at your window.”
“Alright. Thanks for your help again. Now I need to get any information and pieces of advice. As well as support.”
“And yeah, about Eleanor… I probably don’t know something now. Maybe, Eleanor has got a certain reason… Maybe, she has some claims for your aunt, which only she knows about. I can’t say anything clearly.”
“Do you think something is not right about this case?”
“I don’t know, my darling. But I’m begging you, be careful with that woman. I can’t foresee her next step, and I don’t know what she’s thinking about now. And as she already sent her people to Alicia’s home, you can expect anything from Eleanor.”
“Alright, I shall remember.”
Raquelle and Amelia say nothing for a few seconds, and then the brunette looks at the watch hanging on the wall in the living room.
“Alright, I think I need to go to my aunt’s home,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “Or she would be worried about me.”
“Yes, of course, I do not hold you anymore,” Amelia replies softly. “You can go home.”
“Thanks…”
Raquelle takes her purse from the sofa, places it above her shoulder, and gets up from the one. Amelia also gets up and wants to bring Raquelle to the door. And when the two come to that one, the brunette smiles shyly at the owner of the house.
“Thank you so much again for everything you told me,” Raquelle thanks amicably. “I don’t know if it helps me, but maybe, I’m lucky…”
“May God help you!” Amelia pronounces confidently. “He’ll always be with you and not leave you. Whatever you do.”
“Amen…”
When Raquelle wants to leave the house, Amelia suddenly calls her two seconds later:
“Raquelle!”
“Yes, Amelia!” Raquelle turns on Amelia. “What’s wrong?”
“Remember, although your parents died and are living somewhere in heaven, they’re proud of you anyway,” Amelia says with a slight smile. “They’re madly happy they have such an amazing daughter like you.”
“I know…”
“Don’t betray them. Those people do believe in you. And would do their best to protect you in case you are in danger.”
“I will not, I promise,” Raquelle replies confidently with a slight smile. “And I believe they would help me.”
“Elizabeth and Jackson will always be by your side. You can’t see them, but they can see you.”
Raquelle says nothing for two seconds and just smiles shyly and then turns to the hall door.
“Goodbye, Amelia,” Raquelle says goodbye amicably.
“Goodbye,” Amelia pronounces with the same smile. “Good luck to you.”
Amelia quickly unlocks the hall door and opens it, and Raquelle slowly goes outside, where the yellow car she came in is still waiting for her. While the red-haired woman watches her, the little sad girl comes to the taxi, sits in the backseat, and apologizes to the driver for making him wait for her for too long. A few seconds later, the car gives a start and leaves this neighborhood at once.
The acquaintance of Alicia watches the taxi leaving with a true smile on her face for some time until it hides somewhere, wishing to believe everything would be alright about the young girl, and she would listen to the pieces of advice she gave her with a wish to make her life a little better.
***
Raquelle is sitting in a taxi and being on the way home for some time, looking through the window and thinking about everything Amelia told her again and again. The girl memorizes the last words of the woman much better and cannot stop thinking about them.
“You know, maybe, you don’t believe me now and do doubt my words could be true. Maybe, you forget everything and not take everything I’ve just said too close. But I can say something… When you run into the man you are destined to be with, you will remember my words and understand I was absolutely right.”
“I wonder what Amelia meant when she started to talk about my personal life?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “Why is she so sure that my career might ruin my marriage? What’s wrong with it? Even if I want to get married, I can build my career and give attention to my family. Many people do it and never complain. Why does everyone tell me that?”
Raquelle sighs tiredly.
“Oh, okay, I shall think about it later,” Raquelle thinks. “Now I should focus on my situation with Eleanor Woodham and her threats to my aunt. It’s much more important… Although Amelia didn’t tell me any important information, I found out much about that woman, who is actually quite famous in this country.”
Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at the gorgeous views of the evening city, which is well-lighted with streetlamps and the backlight of posters, houses, and other objects.
“So, is Eleanor a fraud…” Raquelle thinks and frowns slightly. “She deceives her clients and doesn’t pay a salary to her members staff… Does something with taxes… Does her best to give as less as possible… Interesting…”
Raquelle glances at the driver of the taxi.
“Is the reason about greedy?” Raquelle wonders. “As Amelia said, that woman is well provided. Despite all of her tricks, the stores give her a lot of money nowadays. Is that woman really afraid of becoming a pauper, and is that why she decided to be on the safe side?”
Raquelle shakes her head.
“Besides, I’m interested whether those, who reported her to the police, are alright now,” Raquelle thinks. “She could threaten them as well as she’s threatening my aunt. Who knows… Maybe, that woman found those people and dealt with them somehow. Threatened for a long time and then decided to kill.”
Raquelle moves her eyes to the window.
“It seems like the famous surname and good familiars have to do with all of that,” Raquelle thinks. “Even if they suspected her, nobody would put that woman to prison. Because she is a famous persona in the city. They would be afraid to do it.”
Raquelle shakes her head, leaning back against the backseat of the car.
“God, the situation is getting harder,” Raquelle thinks. “If it’s so, Aunt might never get off Eleanor and live a quiet life. Either she gets all the money, or she kills Aunt. It means there is really no way to solve this problem.”
Raquelle sighs heavily, locking her fingers tightly.
“Ah, if only I knew what happened to those people, who weren’t afraid to tell the police about stolen stuff,” Raquelle thinks. “If I could find someone and talk about Eleanor or those, who had them wrapped around the finger when promising to give them what she should’ve given… But sadly, I will never find out what happened between that woman and all those people.”
Raquelle sighs silently.
“And I actually think there’s something else about this story,” Raquelle thinks. “I think I don’t know something important. I still have some questions about the connection between my aunt and Eleanor. Not everything fits… As if Aunt Alicia still has something to say… As if there’s one more reason why she’s suffering…”
Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Because it would be strange enough if Eleanor turned her life to hell just because of the money and the revenge for her disabled friend,” Raquelle thinks. “Who knows, maybe, she doesn’t need the money at all. What if that woman threatens my aunt for a different, more important reason. I’m sure that this is not everything I’m gonna discover. It’s all kinda weird…”
Raquelle tightly locks her fingers.
“Maybe, the story of the money is true, but there’s something else,” Raquelle thinks. “Maybe, there is something Aunt Alicia is afraid to talk about. Something I shouldn't know. Something other people shouldn't know. I thought Aunt was answering my questions not quite honestly and openly. And I’m not sure if I could persuade her to tell me everything so easily. This time, Aunt is gonna be silent until the very end.”
Raquelle throws a quick look at a window and watches the place the taxi is going by.
“My God, I don’t know what to think, what to do and who to ask for help…” Raquelle thinks. “I’m confused! It seems like the answer is getting closer, but it’s getting harder. And I’m probably gonna find out many interesting things before everything gets clear. Or I will know everything at the last moment… When it’s too late to do something.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“And now I don’t know how to help my Aunt,” Raquelle thinks. “I don’t know how to save her from the anger of that woman. As if she understands it, too. That’s why she doesn’t aim to do anything. Doesn’t wanna save herself somehow. There are many reasons. The famous surname, a threat not to get money… A threat to die because of Eleanor… But no matter how hard it is, we’ve gotta do something. Not wait for that woman to go much further.”
Reflecting on what’s happening, Raquelle does not notice how the taxi arrives at the building where Alicia is living some time later. The driver tells the girl they have come and asks her to pay for the trip. She wakes up quickly enough, takes a few banknotes from her purse, gives them to the man, and thanks him for the trip. After this, the brunette leaves the car and closes the backdoor.
While the taxi gives a start and goes nobody knows where, Raquelle quickly looks around and notices that it got much darker outside, but the streets are well-lighted with bright streetlamps. The girl comes closer to the building, the light at the windows of which light up a little part of the street, and raises her head up. She finds out that the light in Alicia’s apartment is switched off. It makes her think the woman already went to sleep and did not definitely wait until her the return of her niece, even if she promised to wait for her to discuss the talk with Amelia.
First, Raquelle thinks it’s not too late time, but when she looks at her watch, she is surprised when she finds out it’s a little more than eleven hours in the evening. This is the time when her aunt Alicia usually goes to sleep… And sometimes it happens even a little earlier…
“My gosh, it’s already eleven o’clock…” Raquelle thinks. “My aunt probably went to sleep. So, I can’t talk to her now. I will have to wait until the morning to tell her everything I found out from her.”
After standing on the free street for some time, Raquelle enters the building confidently, goes up to the floor she needs, and unlocks the apartment where Alicia is living with a key. The girl quietly comes in, closes the door, locks it with a key, turns the light on in the hall, takes off her shoes with heels and coat, and leaves her purse in her room.
When she quickly washes her hands with warm water and soap that smells so good and wipes them with a towel, Raquelle quietly comes to the room of Alicia, where the light is switched off no. The girl carefully opens the door and sees that the woman really went to her bed and even fell asleep.
“I’m right, she already went to sleep,” Raquelle thinks, biting her lip slightly. “She didn’t wait for my return and break her schedule. Oh… Okay, I will talk to her tomorrow morning. I don’t wanna bother her now…”
Raquelle carefully closes the door of Alicia’s room and goes to the hall.
“In this case, I’d also better go to sleep,” Raquelle thinks. “Or at least go to my room and stay there… But at first, I wanna eat something. The last time I ate happened in daylight. I wouldn't like to lie with nothing in my stomach…”
Raquelle turns around and goes to the kitchen to eat a little. She decides to eat nothing heavy and just swallow up something light not to feel hungry before sleep. After searching the refrigerator for some time, the girl finds what she needs and eats it with pleasure, still thinking about everything she found out from Amelia. And some time later, Raquelle does some things before she turns off the light in the kitchen and the hall and goes to her room. She puts on her clothes for sleep, lies in her bed, and turns off the night lamp placed on the table near it.
But she cannot fall asleep at once because Raquelle keeps thinking of the case of Alicia and Eleanor, which definitely has something else that she does not know about yet. That’s why the girl decides to work on her laptop a little, not being able to get rid of her wish to know what people keep saying about her on social networks. But to her sadness, Raquelle does not find any comments that would give her little hope that at least someone woke up and asked themselves why she disappeared so suddenly and has not been caught in public for several days.
***
The next morning, Alexis decided to have breakfast with Alicia and Raquelle because she had nothing to do at home without her mother, who went to do her business. Today the sun has been up above the city since the early morning, and it’s quite warm for the wintertime weather, and there will be no precipitation. Bright shoots of the sun get through the windows of the woman’s apartment and make the mood much better.
“By the way, Raquelle, did you talk to Amelia yesterday?” Alicia asks thoughtfully, sitting at the table.
“Yes, I did,” Raquelle nods, slowly mixing coffee in her cup with a spoon. “I went to the address that you gave me. And I met the red-haired pregnant woman.”
“Pregnant? Amelia is pregnant?”
“Yes, her husband and she are expecting a baby. As she says, she is now in the third month. Her belly is too small yet, but you can see it anyway.”
“My gosh, what brilliant news!” Alicia smiles widely. “I’m so happy for her! She wanted to become a mom so badly, but she couldn’t do it for a long time.”
“Yea, she learned about her pregnancy when she literally lost hope in getting pregnant.”
“Well, it’s not amazing, judging by her age because she is no longer a girl. It’s easy for young girls to get pregnant, but it’s harder for older women.”
“And thank God, her pregnancy is doing fine. That woman is full of energy and feels great.”
“Oh, I wish she gave birth to a healthy baby!”
“They don’t know the baby’s gender, but they will know during the scheduled ultrasound that she is going to have soon.”
“A little later, I shall call Amelia and congratulate her and Raphael on such a beautiful event.”
“Sure…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I’ve congratulated her with all my heart.”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which everybody drinks a little bit of coffee from their cups.
“So, what did you manage to find out?” Alexis asks, folding her hands on the table in front of herself.
“Yes, sweetie, is there something interesting?” Alicia joins the question. “I went to sleep when it was about eleven o’clock. I decided not to wait for you. I thought we would talk about everything in the morning.”
“I came back here somewhere at that time,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I got it. I heard you doing something in the hall.”
“I’m sorry for staying there longer and not warning you about coming back late.”
“It’s alright. But I’m gonna be honest, I was worried and thought something would happen to you.”
“No, Aunt, nothing happened. The taxi drove me there and here.”
“Alright, I got it.” Alicia drinks a little bit of coffee from her glass. “And how was it? Did you find out something?”
“Yes, something,” Raquelle replies quietly. “Although Amelia said not very much, I hope it will help us a little.”
“And what did Amelia tell you?”
“As Amelia said, the woman, who threatens you, has deceived very many people.”
“What?” Alicia frowns slightly.
“It’s true.”
“But how? How did she deceive people?”
“As your familiar said, a few people even reported her to the police. But she has not been caught yet. They are kind of afraid to stand in her way because her family is well known in the entire England and could shut everyone up if they went against them.”
“Oh, my God…” Alicia thinks for two seconds, drinking her drink from a little glass. “I didn’t know she was a fraud…”
“Amelia confirmed that she was Eleanor’s friend and knew about many of her tricks,” Raquelle confesses. “She said that woman was sweet and befriended many people. And after her father’s death, she got wild and broke the relationship with all her close people. Including Amelia.”
“I know it.”
“As I understand, she loved him and could barely take his death.”
“Maybe…” Alicia folds her hands on the table. “By the way, why did you say she deceived people? How did Eleanor do that?”
“She makes her staff members work in the slavery conditions, doesn’t pay a salary to them for months, does something with taxes, and pretends that cheap clothes are actually expensive,” Raquelle replies quietly, holding a cup of coffee.
“That’s how?”
“When people are resentful, she ignores them, and her helpers give them promises about paying everything. And Eleanor doesn’t care that the clients are complaining about the quality of the clothes at her stores.”
“They started to get the first claims in the end of the 90s when her father was ruling it. At first, the clothes were really high-quality and costed a lot, but then they got much worse. Though, the price still remained the same.”
“Yes. Amelia said, she bought them from certain suppliers.”
“Someone, who knows nothing about it, would hardly see the difference between the real fabric and the fake one. So, it seems like the Woodhams decided to use it. Though, they forgot that those, who bought clothes for such a high cost, were obviously able to wear truly good, high-quality clothes made from expensive fabrics.”
“Something like that.”
“But that woman is rich anyway!” Alicia exclaims. “Why would she deceive someone?”
“I don’t know. She probably wants to stay on the safe side in case something happens to her business.”
“You say a few people reported her to the police?”
“Yeah, but there’s a little chance to get her caught. The police are afraid to get in touch with a member of the Woodham family. And that woman has many good familiars and can agree with anyone, who wants to do something against her. Or she will just threaten them.”
“So, would Eleanor keep doing her dirty tricks and get no punishment for that?” Alexis wonders and takes a sip from her cup.
“Sadly… As I understand, the Woodhams could easily give a bribe to people to reach some of their goals.”
“So, is there no hope to get off her?”
“She would hardly be caught. If her family is so respected here…”
“As far as I know, the Woodhams are known literally in entire England. A network of cloth shops that is very popular was named after their surname.”
“And was a certain Gilbert Woodham the owner of it?”
“Right. He started this business in the 80s. He started from the beginning, but when it all got better, he decided to open shops in the entire country.”
“Amelia said they were on the peck of their fame, but now not very many people know them. Even if everyone still hears something about them.”
“It’s correct. And Eleanor is controlling the network of shops. After her father’s death, she took control of it.”
“She knew she would replace her father someday.”
“By the way, I heard that the Woodhams were planning to open their first shop somewhere in America. And they actually want to open their business abroad.”
“Really?”
“Yes, in England, these shops are popular, and now they are going to gain popularity in other countries where people know almost nothing about them.”
“Okay…” Raquelle slowly moves her eyes to a plate with food and starts scratching it with her fork. “So, that’s the story…”
“So, is this everything you found out?” Alicia wonders, being a little tense.
“Alas, yes,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “That’s everything that woman told me.”
“Nevertheless, it’s just something,” Alexis notices thoughtfully with a glass in her hands, looking at Alicia, who shakes her head. “We didn’t know that she was stealing money from people and used them so insolently.”
“Right, she uses people as slaves. Slaves without rights, who work hard on the production all day, all night without a break. Besides, there are migrants among the workers, who are living here without documents.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And she uses it insolently. As far as I understand, migrants never give claims and do everything they are told. Unlike those, who live here. They could come to her office and start a scandal. Even if her bodyguards could kick them out.”
“Yeah, I don’t understand why God hasn’t still punished that woman?” Alicia wonders. “Why is she living as if nothing happens? How long will Eleanor remain unpunished as if she is the lord of the world? What kind of injustice this is!”
“Amelia said that Eleanor officially earned much less than she actually did,” Raquelle confesses. “There is some money that she hides from the tax service.”
“I don’t exclude that it's the truth,” Alexis shrugs. “But I don’t understand why she needs it. Eleanor is rich! Is she so greedy for money and ready for anything to get much more?”
“Who knows, Lexi… But that woman is by far not innocent and good.”
“Yeah, as it turned out, I’m not the only one she wanted to deceive,” Alicia sighs heavily and thinks of something for two seconds.
“Did you know nothing about it?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“I only knew about the claims from the clients that they gave when Gilbert was alive. Though, somewhere on the Internet, I saw some negative reviews about clothes at Eleanor’s stores.”
“Wait, how long have you known that woman? Or did you meet her on the day she called you with a suggestion of meeting and told you to pay her the money?”
“Erm…”
Alicia bites her lip slightly, getting a little tense while her eyes are running from one side to another.
“No…” Alicia pronounces hesitantly, clenching a free hand into a fist. “No… I met that woman when she persuaded me to meet her and called the amount of money that I should’ve paid her.”
“And have you heard about the family?” Raquelle specifies.
“Ah, sweetie, actually, everyone in London knows the Woodham family. Gilbert Woodham, Eleanor’s father, who died many years ago, was especially respected… He was the owner of the network of shops ‘The Woodham Shop.’ But now, as Lexi said, his daughter Eleanor controls everything.”
Alicia swallows up nervously, while her widely open eyes are still running from one side to another.
“In the 80s and 90s, literally every single one knew him,” Alicia confesses. “And now… Now people talk about the Woodhams much less.”
“It’s clear only people from England know them because I’ve personally never heard their names when living in America,” Raquelle confesses.
“It’s true. That family is well known only here. However, their popularity is getting down because only the generation that was young and lived in those years would easily say who they are. And the youth living now do not know who the Woodhams are.”
“And as I understand, does nobody know that woman is actually not innocent?”
“Oh, no! Their family has always had the perfect reputation for everyone. They had a brilliant reputation! Only good words have been said about every single member of the one. And Gilbert was pronounced the light man, and Eleanor has the title of an innocent and fluffy one.”
“You think they’re acting?”
“I don’t know what about Gilbert… But Eleanor acts in public and wants to be good for everyone. If you say she uses her workers as slaves.”
“Okay…”
“And what do we do?” Alexis throws her hands up. “We shouldn’t let things happen as they want. That woman can’t be unpunished and using the trust of naive people. Someone must open the eyes of everyone by proving she is a snake.”
“I dunno,” Raquelle shakes her head. “But she must not stay unpunished. Eleanor must pay for the bad things she’s done! And we will do the possible and impossible for her to leave Aunt alone and stop threatening her.”
“Oh, Raquelle…” Alicia sighs tiredly, moving her eyes aside. “I don’t think it would be possible…”
“We will find a way to get off her.”
“Eleanor wouldn’t give up to the police so easily, even if she got caught. She would be trying to avoid punishment in any way. Or Eleanor and her family would really use their contacts and agree with someone nobody to dare to touch her with a finger. Remind that they are the Woodhams, whom nobody dares to hurt.”
“I know, but she shouldn’t stay unpunished,” Raquelle replies quietly.
“I’m afraid that we can do nothing.”
“There is always a way to solve a problem. We just don’t know how yet. We’re just trying to find it.”
“Alas, girl, but we can’t avoid the worst,” Alicia shakes her head. “The Woodhams will not let the police put Eleanor to prison and will whitewash her and bribe anyone. And we might eventually become those, who slander and insult that woman for nothing. They might do something much worse to us than what the anonymous did to you.”
“If there is justice in the world, Eleanor Woodham will pay for everything she has done, early or late.”
“Hardly. Eleanor knows that nobody will touch her with a finger and will keep doing her dirty tricks.”
“I know, but it shouldn’t be happening forever. Someone must break this endless circle!”
“You can do nothing, Raquelle. I told you that yesterday.”
“God, is she really ready to cut your throat for something?”
“Trust me, my sunshine, there are people, who are ready to tear you apart for any little thing. And Eleanor really loves money and uses any chance to get them. No matter how: honestly or not.”
“Yeah, but it shouldn’t happen… Shouldn’t!”
“Anyway, it should be over early or late,” Alexis says thoughtfully. “Of course, the situation is quite hard, but I’m sure a solution will be found soon.”
“I don’t know, I’m not quite sure because everything is too tangled,” Alicia sighs heavily.
“Gotta agree with you,” Raquelle agrees and takes a couple of sips of coffee. “I wanna do something but don’t know what.”
“I’m shocked by the fact that woman is ready to go too far because of her wish to get much more money,” Alexis says confidently.
“Yeah, she probably has a bath, in which she is lying while covering herself with banknotes like a blanket.”
“And it seems like she doesn’t care that she might get arrested.”
“Because she’s sure that she will not.”
“Yeah, her father got their family famous and did his best for everyone to respect and be afraid of him. The police do know what that woman has done, but they do nothing.”
“Besides, many things are still unclear yet.”
“What?”
“I have a feeling that I don’t know something very important that should put everything in the right places.”
“Something else?” Alicia rounds her eyes, looking at Raquelle surprisingly.
“Yeah… As if this is not everything I should know.”
“Why do you think so?”
“I don’t know, Auntie…” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “I just have a feeling that there are more reasons why Eleanor did all of that.”
“Yeah?” Alicia gets tenser and swallows up nervously, thinking about something.
“I can’t be sure we know everything about this story. There is probably something else that would make everything clear. Because…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “Because Eleanor would hardly be so mad just because of her wish to get money out of you. She… Might find someone else to get much more from them.”
“Did Amelia tell you that?” Alicia frowns slightly.
“She dropped a hint. There might be something else that she didn’t know.”
“Well, I dunno…” Alicia replies distantly. “I told you… Everything I know… Everything… That happened to me…”
“Anyway, not everything can be fitted. I’ve got a feeling that something is not told. A feeling that… There is an important secret…”
Alicia says nothing and moves her eyes aside, thinking about something. And while Raquelle and Alexis keep sitting at the table, the woman quietly gets up and starts washing the dishes after breakfast and putting everything in the right places.
After the last words of Raquelle, the woman gets a little tense, but she tries not to show that her niece’s suspects got her excited. However, the girl herself noticed it and asks herself much more questions. Raquelle starts to think that Alicia might hide something else and did not tell her everything about Eleanor Woodham. She told her just a part of it and probably missed the most important thing. Something that could put everything in the right places and give her answers to all the questions.
***
Some time later after having breakfast, Raquelle went to a one not very popular park to walk a little and reflect on the current situation. Sadly, knowing some facts, she understands there is not even a small chance to help Alicia get saved from Eleanor. That woman is sure she will not get caught thanks to her famous surname and the fame her family got thanks to her father. That’s why she quietly does bad things without fear of getting caught by someone.
“My gosh, so much is happening…” Raquelle thinks, quietly walking in the park and feeling a little cold, typical for the wintertime wind blowing her face. “The more I discover, the more I realize this story is much more tangled than I thought. The problems with my aunt are more serious than I thought.”
Raquelle crosses her arms over her chest.
“Something very serious happened,” Raquelle thinks. “I’m sure about it. But I don’t know what. Aunt could surely tell much more than she told me yesterday when she decided to confess what she had to do with Eleanor Woodham. The woman, the voice of who I heard on the tape recorder.”
Raquelle sighs silently, shaking her head.
“I’ve gotta help Aunt Alicia and solve this problem once and forever,” Raquelle thinks. “But I don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how to keep the promise I gave her. Because there’s nothing I can reflect on.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“What Amelia told me would hardly help me save my aunt,” Raquelle thinks. “Her friend just told me that the family of Eleanor was well known here, and she steals what she doesn’t belong to her from people..”
Raquelle glances at a company of people that goes by her, talking about something.
“Anyway, I'm sure my aunt definitely hides more secrets…” Raquelle thinks. “She definitely got nervous when I let her know something wasn’t right about that story. But I’m afraid I couldn’t get that secret out of her. That woman would definitely say nothing until someone tells me everything. Or until I overhear her talk with Eleanor or her people. But it would hardly happen…”
Raquelle sighs heavily and walks in the park for some time, still thinking much about the current situation. And at some moment, she suddenly sees a familiar girl somewhere far from here, looks at her better and realizes it’s Alexis, who is also walking in the park, enjoying the nature and the weather that is quite good for the wintertime and finishing to talk to someone on the phone. Although the girls met this morning, they did not talk much because the young blonde quickly told Alicia something and went to her home after breakfast.
Raquelle watches her for a few seconds, wondering whether she should come to her, but at some moment, Alexis sees the girl from afar and confidently comes to her with a slight smile on her face.
“Raquelle!” Alexis pronounces amicably. “You’re here, too!”
“Hey again, Lexi,” Raquelle waves her hand shyly with a slight smile.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Honestly, me too.”
“What are you doing here? Walking?”
“Yup, I’m walking. Enjoying the sunny weather…”
“Me too,” Alexis nods confidently with a shy smile. “Today’s weather is so good that staying home would be a crime. Moreover, the winter has almost come. It’s gonna be super cold soon. You won’t be able to walk enough.”
“Yeah, today’s weather is wonderful…” Raquelle agrees. “So, I couldn’t resist and stay home. I decided to walk a little…”
“Okay…”
“Erm… Are you probably hurrying somewhere? Am I bothering you?”
“Nope, nope, I’ve done everything,” Alexis shakes her head. “My mother left a note, in which she asked me to do something before she left.”
“Did you do?”
“Yup, I did everything. And because I have nothing to do, I decided to walk in the city a little.”
“Okay…”
“I dunno, maybe, I later go to a shop and buy something… Now everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Tree, lights, streamers, and something like that…”
“Yeah, I know…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “I adore this time. Since childhood.”
“Me too.”
“Christmas has always seemed wonderful to me. This holiday has a little bit of magic.”
“That’s right. It’s my favorite holiday.”
“Yeah…”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Raquelle glances aside and smiles shyly at Alexis, who slightly fixes her white knitted hat.
“Erm, maybe, we can walk together?” Raquelle suggests amicably. “Since we met here… We wouldn’t say goodbye a few seconds after meeting.”
“Of course, with great pleasure,” Alexis shrugs with a slight smile on her face. “Why not…”
“Let’s go then?”
“Go.”
Alexis and Raquelle start slowly walking in the park, looking at every side and watching what other people do, who are hurrying to do their business or just sitting on benches all alone and looking around. The girls walk silently for the first few seconds, but then the brunette, frowning slightly, decides to break this silence:
“Hey, Lexi, why didn’t you tell me what Aunt Alicia was hiding?”
“Do you mean her problems with Eleanor Woodham?” Alexis specifies.
“You did know what was happening to her. You knew why she was so strange when I just came here. But you decided to be silent about everything.”
“Yeah, right…”
“And you knew that on the day Aunt felt bad, the men went to her home, threatened her, and turned the apartment upside down.”
“Yeah, I knew they came there…” Alexis moves her eyes to her hands. “I’m sorry about saying nothing.”
“But why?” Raquelle wonders. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because Alicia asked me not to tell you what happened to her.”
“But you could tell me secretly!”
“Your aunt didn’t want to get you involved in her business.”
“I should’ve known all the truth.”
“She thought she would solve everything. I wanted to give you a chance to have a rest and come to yourself after what you endured because of the one, who spread the rumors about you.”
“I swear I would’ve told her nothing about you, explaining what happened.”
“I wanted to do it, but Alicia literally gave me a ban on saying and even hinting.”
“Oh, Lexi…”
“Please, Raquelle, don’t be mad…” Alexis says with sadness in her eyes. “I'm sorry about saying nothing about her problems and not telling you the truth.”
“And how long have you been aware of her problems? The fact that she and Eleanor have some misunderstanding?”
“Well, quite long. That woman just called Alicia with my pretense. They fought because of something, and your aunt was mad and told her to leave her alone. And as I heard everything, she realized there was no meaning in denying something. And… She told me who she was talking to, and what Eleanor Woodham needed from her.”
“Did you try to help her?”
“Of course, I did. But the situation was too hard. I could do nothing.”
“Oh…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “I don’t know what to do, either. Especially, now. Knowing that Eleanor is literally untouchable thanks to the famous surname.”
“Yeah, but I really want this situation to be solved,” Alexis says confidently. “I want Alicia to finally stop suffering and sleep quietly. She has suffered enough.”
“I got it…”
“I swear, Raquelle, I would be happy to help you and your aunt somehow.” Alexis quickly fixes her hair that is shown up out of her knitted hat. “But I don’t know how to do it.”
“It makes me upset,” Raquelle says quietly.
“I think it would be hard for Alicia to solve this problem. It’s gonna be hard to get off the woman, who would do anything to get what she wants.”
“Anyway, it’s clear Eleanor Woodham wouldn’t leave my aunt alone so easily.”
“Although I don’t know Eleanor personally, her photos in magazines and newspapers don’t make me trust her. And her late father wasn’t an angel.”
“That was Gilbert?”
“Yup. But I’ve never seen a bad comment about that man. Everyone loved and respected that man, who could shut people up with a gesture of his hand. With just one look.”
“Probably, everyone was really afraid of him.”
“Most likely. So, nobody finds the courage to stand in the way of the Woodhams and try to reveal some of their secrets.”
“Hey, don’t you know how long ago Gilbert died? And why?”
“Erm…” Alexis stutters. “I don’t know why he died. But I heard he passed away somewhere at the end of 90s.”
“He was old?”
“Nope… He was about fifty or a little bit more.”
“Wow…”
“I actually know not very much about Gilbert. But I often see Eleanor on the TV and in photos on the Internet or in magazines.”
“I see…”
“She attends a fashion show, acts in a commercial, and invites everyone to her shops or does something yet. In short, that madam doesn’t hide.”
“Alright…”
Silence settles in the air, during which Raquelle thinks about something, biting her lip slightly, and Alexis glances at some people walking in this park.
“You know, Lexi…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully. “I think Aunt Alicia didn’t tell me everything yesterday.”
“Not everything?” Alexis rounds her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I think there is something yet that she is gonna hide until the very end. Something she would never let me know.”
“Didn’t Alicia tell you everything about the situation with Eleanor and her wish to make her pay a lot of money?”
“Yes, I think she told me everything about it. But I can’t stop thinking that’s not all the secrets of her.”
“Well, I dunno…” Alexis shrugs. “But what do you think she could leave secret?”
“I can’t say anything… But I’m sure that’s the reason for the problem… I’m sure Eleanor chases Aunt not because of the money.”
“So, do you think the problem is not about it?”
“Aunt lies sometimes. Sometimes, she speaks like she’s known Eleanor for ages. And she met her not a few months ago when the woman called her, asked her about a meeting, and told her to pay the money.”
“Well… Honestly…” Alexis bites her lip slightly. “I thought she didn’t wonder when you told her that Eleanor was deceiving other people.”
“Yeah, it seemed to me, too,” Raquelle nods.
“So, did she know her before the story of the girl, whom your aunt hit with a car?”
“Maybe.”
“Anyway, she guesses that the woman will hardly leave her alone, even if she magically finds the amount that she needs.”
“Nevertheless, I want to insist that she agrees to accept my help. Of course, I can’t give her the full amount, but I can give her a part of it. And then we will probably persuade her friends and familiar people to help us and borrow her money.”
“You know, I also suggested giving her some money one day. But Alicia refused and banned me from even thinking about it. Though, if all her familiar people agreed to help her, she would quickly get the amount that she needs.”
“What do you think about it?” Raquelle moves her eyes to Alexis. “Could Aunt Alicia hide something yet? Could she know Eleanor much longer than she says?”
“I can’t say it rightly, but it may be possible,” Alexis replies thoughtfully.
“I also think my aunt met Eleanor much earlier.”
“Moreover, I noticed Alicia got kind of nervous and excited after you said there was something yet about the story you didn’t know.”
“Yes, yes, I noticed it, too!” Raquelle nods confidently.
“I guess Alicia didn’t definitely expect that claim from you.”
“Right… She probably thinks I will believe in the story of the chase because of the money and calm down. But my heart tells me that something is wrong. There’s something terrible…”
“Well, if she got so excited, maybe… Something really connects her with the Woodhams family… She definitely hurt someone…”
“I think so, either…” Raquelle nods.
“And if Alicia really did something to them, I’m not surprised that Eleanor is chasing her, and she even sends her people to her home to threaten her.”
“But what could she hide? What kind of business could she have with that family?”
“I don’t know, Raquelle. I can’t say anything. But I’m kinda sure that even if she hasn’t said something, your aunt would be keeping her greatest secrets about it until the very end.”
“I don’t doubt. So. I ain’t hope to find out something.”
“Don’t even try to do it this time.”
“I don’t exclude she has a conflict with Eleanor Woodham herself,” Raquelle assumes thoughtfully. “Aunt Alicia could probably stand in the way of that woman and do something bad?”
“Anything is possible…” Alexis nods.
“I don’t know… Of course, the situation of that girl can be understood. Eleanor is her close friend, and she was worried about her. She paid a lot of money for her recovery.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds. “But I personally think that there can’t be any kind of talk about debts. Eleanor and her father would’ve done a mean thing if she and he had thought about how to make the family of the victim bring back all the money, even at such a hard moment.”
“Nevertheless, it’s quite logical that Eleanor demands the money from Alicia,” Alexis notices. “She hit that Ines with a car and didn’t want to help her. She ran away from the crime scene. Before a lot of people.”
“Besides, Eleanor does know where Aunt is living… She sent her people to her home. That woman probably knows where she is working. She knows everything about her.”
“Right… If those people were at her home, everything is not so easy. And knowing Eleanor’s contacts, I am not surprised at all.”
“That’s why I’ve got reasons to think that something has had Eleanor and Aunt Alicia connected by a terrible secret for a long time.”
“Yeah…” Alexis bites her lip slightly and thinks for two seconds. “Do you think your aunt was the only one to get open threats from Eleanor? Or did she terrify even those, who she deceived, and who reported her to the police?”
“I dunno, Lexi…” Raquelle shakes her head. “But if I knew what happened to those, who’ve reported that girl to the police, I could get some guesses… But because I know nothing about it, I can’t assume anything.”
“Very sorry…” Alexis frowns slightly and puts a finger to her lip. “It would be interesting to know what happened to them…”
“Yeah, but how?” Raquelle throws her hands up.
“The help of the police would be good.”
“It won’t happen. I’ve got no familiar people in the police, who would help us find it out! Especially here, in London. Moreover, after hearing Eleanor Woodham’s name, we would be turned around and told to go home because they wouldn’t love to get in touch with her and her family.”
“I dunno, I dunno…” Alexis smiles mysteriously. “Maybe, it would happen…”
“What?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “What do you wanna say?”
“Yes, yes, you didn’t mishear. We’ve got a chance to find out something.”
“Do you have a familiar from the police? Or do your familiars have a familiar from the police?”
“Erm…” Alexis thinks a little and then moves her eyes to Raquelle with a slight smile. “Yes, I do… There is a person, who could help us.”
“Who’s that?” Raquelle specifies.
“In short, I’ve got a friend, whom I’ve befriended since childhood. Her name is Jacqueline. Her family is provided enough and has good contacts.”
“So, do they have familiars from the police?”
“Yup, her father knows a couple of trustworthy people from the police.”
“Wow!” Raquelle smiles slightly.
“I could explain the situation to that girl, and she would tell her father everything.”
“Wouldn’t he refuse to help us?”
“Trust me, for his daughter, he would find out everything. The parents of my friend never refuse her.”
“Hm…” Raquelle, frowning slightly, thinks about something for two seconds. “You know, Lexi… That’s a good idea. What if we really find out something new.”
“Yes, yes, that’s what I mean!”
“It would be so great!”
“Do you really want me to talk to my friend and explain everything to her?”
“Yes, Lexi, talk to her, please. I know it might not give us anything good. But what if we understand some things. At least, we’d find out what happened to those, who told the police about the theft.”
“Okay, I will do it!” Alexis promises with a slight smile. “After lunchtime, I wanna meet her at home. Because I need to take something from her.”
“Thanks a lot, Lexi. You’re just a gem!”
“But actually, if you aren’t busy, I can take you with me.”
“With me?”
“Yup. We’d go to the home of my friend together and explain everything.”
“Would it be okay if I went with you without warning?”
“It’s okay!”
“Okay then…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Then I’ll go to your friend’s home with you.”
“Wonderful! Then be ready by one hour in the afternoon. Because I’m going to visit her somewhere at that time.”
“I’m ready to go at any time.”
“We’ll have to go there for about a half-hour on a bus. And then we’ll walk on the feet a little.”
“Okay, I agree.”
“Excellent!”
“I think I’ve got some time to walk in the city and admire these places.”
“You like London so much?”
“I do adore walking on the streets of London. It’s my second home. The motherland of my mother.”
“Yeah, you said it.” Alexis falls into silence for two seconds. “If you want, I can walk with you. We can walk a little and then go to the home of my friend and talk to her about the current situation.”
“What about your business?” Raquelle specifies.
“Oh, I don’t have anything to do. And I don’t wanna stay home all alone. I’d better walk with a good person and talk a little.”
“Okay,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Then let’s walk here together.”
“And we could also get to know each other better. You and I barely talk.”
“With pleasure. And I’d listen to your recommendation for good shops.”
“M-m-m, I can recommend you a couple of good shops,” Alexis smiles mysteriously.
“We could also buy something if we liked it.”
“Yeah… Something related to Christmas.”
“Yes! Moreover, it’s time to start getting ready for the holidays.”
Raquelle and Alexis keep walking in the park and having pleasure in talking about some things that do not have to do with Alicia, Eleanor, or any personal problems. The girls spend quite a good time on the walk on the streets of London and manage to go to some shops where they examine a range of holiday things, which recently went on sale. Moreover, they notice that some streets of the city are beautifully decorated for this wonderful holiday that is waited by many people with great impatience.
***
After lunch, Raquelle and Alexis are going to the home of the blonde’s friend with the hope that they will find out something new about Eleanor Woodham and those she deceived and forced to report her and charge her for the theft and fraud. Raquelle was sure about her wish to talk to Jacqueline Underwood, but at some moment, she got a feeling that she was going to do the wrong thing. She should not have agreed to accept Alicia’s neighbor’s suggestion and go there together.
“Listen, Lexi, are you sure that it would help us somehow?” Raquelle asks hesitantly after she and Alexis leave the bus, on which they were for a little more than a half-hour.
“Yes, I'm sure about it,” Alexis replies quite confidently and goes somewhere straight. “At least, we would just try to find out something.”
“I think it wouldn’t give us anything good…” Raquelle sighs quietly. “Who are we to make someone tell us such things as those?”
“Don’t worry, Raquelle. Jacqueline is my friend. And her family has always treated me well and would do anything I’d ask them about.”
“Maybe, we won’t do it?”
“Won't do?”
“Let’s ask that girl and her father about nothing.”
“But why did you decide to change your mind?” Alexis wonders. “You were absolutely sure about what you wanted to do it!”
“I just suddenly got a bad presentiment.”
“Why?”
“Dunno… I can’t explain… But I don’t like all of this.”
“Are you afraid just to ask my friend to talk to her father and find out everything about Eleanor Woodham’s victims?”
“No, I’m not… Just…”
“My gosh, Cameron, don’t worry!” Alexis fixes a rebel strand of her hair. “What’s wrong with it? Just tell Jacqueline what you were told by Amelia, Alicia’s friend. And that’s all! You need to do nothing more.”
“Do you think she will accept me well?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“Shouldn’t she?”
“What if she…”
“Don’t worry. Although Jacqueline has got her own weaknesses, she’s actually a good girl.”
“No, no… I don’t mean it… I just want to say that…”
“Gosh, Raquelle, calm down,” Alexis moans tiredly. “Nothing bad would happen if you just tried.”
“I’m not sure if this is the right decision.”
“We should try to do it in all possible ways. Early or late, we can surely get something! What if my friend’s father can find out something about those people, and Jacqueline tells me everything?”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“Listen, let’s not guess, and just go to visit that girl and ask her to talk to her father.”
“And then what?”
“And then we’ll think about what to do and how to help Alicia.”
“Site and wait?”
“First, we should find out more about that woman, who wants to literally kill your aunt.”
“Oh, God must not let it happen!” Raquelle slightly shakes.
“Anyway, we’re going to do it!”
“Oh, okay…” Raquelle exhales sharply with closed eyes. “Okay… Let’s do it… Trying doesn’t give you harm. If you think it’s right…”
“Wonderful then! Nothing bad will happen if we just try.”
“I dunno…”
“Alright, Raquelle, calm down and breathe deeply. We’re about to come to the house we need.”
Raquelle says nothing and just sighs heavily, thinking about something with sadness in her eyes. Alexis glances at the girl but says nothing and just keeps going to the house she needs. The girls spend the rest of the way silently, going through a wooded place where it’s very quiet and calm and there is nobody around. Only a few cars might go by them on the automobile road, going to reach the neighborhood where the girls are going or leaving it and wishing to do their business.
Some time later, Alexis and Raquelle finally come to the house where Jacqueline and her parents are living. The house that belongs to the family of the girl is just incredible: a large, gorgeous house many people can dream about. The design of it is made from white and gray colors. Unlike other houses in the neighborhood, the design of which is made in dark colors. A wonderful picturesque landscape and very many different green plantings, which a few people definitely take care of, let us know that a very rich family is living here that knows everything about good taste in designing a home or just hired the best designers.
“So, we’ve come!” Alexis says cheerfully with a slight smile and points at the house made of white and gray colors. “My friend and her family are living in that house.”
“That one?” Raquelle pronounces amazingly.
“Yup.”
“Wow!” Raquelle looks at the amazingly beautiful house. “Very beautiful house.”
“Somehow, Jacqueline said her parents found the best designers, so they work on a design for every single corner of this place,” Alexis confesses.
“That’s how?”
“There even was the one, who came here especially from abroad and brilliantly did their job for much money, the parents of my friend paid to them.”
“Wow…”
“Moreover, much of the furniture was ordered abroad. If you count the price of everything there is here, you could get just a crazy one.”
“It’s definitely worth it. Because it’s very beautiful. It’s probably one of the most beautiful houses I’ve ever seen.”
“C’mon, you aren’t poor. You’re supposed to have money for such a gorgeous house. You’re working as a model and probably getting much money for every single shooting.”
“Yeah, I have money, but in the USA, I’m living with my grandfather in a not very big but good apartment.”
“C’mon?”
“We previously lived in a small city but moved to New York for my career and rented an apartment for some time. And when I earned enough money, we bought our own one. Larger. Lighter.”
“Wow…”
“But we’ve been thinking of choosing another apartment and selling ours. We wanna move somewhere far from city life. I mean, my grandfather wants to find a quieter place and live as an ordinary man.”
“You apparently said he minded your career.”
“Yeah, and he always reminds me of that. He says he wanted me to have not the life I’m living now.”
“That’s how…”
“Besides, he often swears because I left the university for my modeling career. He loves reminding me of that. He had different plans for my future life. But I did choose my way by myself.”
“Yeah, I see you’re fighting for your right to do what you want so hard.”
“Yes, I am. But anyway, I’m grateful to Grandpa for not forcing me to quit my modeling career. He lets me decide how to live and what to do.”
“He probably understands you’re no longer a child and can decide what to do.”
“If only he and Aunt treated my reluctance to get married and give birth to children at the nearest time in the same way…” Raquelle sighs with a slight smile.
“Do they annoy you with this question?”
“Oh, they do! I always hear that it’s my time to get married and give birth to babies. And my family does wanna hear nothing about me not being ready for that.”
“My mother has also lately reminded me of getting married,” Alexis confesses shyly. “Reminded of a wish to raise grandchildren. She’s afraid I might be alone.”
“Their wish to marry me off has lately gotten me a little irritated.”
“How long have they been saying it?”
“Since I was eighteen.”
“Wow!”
“In their perfect dreams, I was supposed to get a high education, meet a boy at the same time, get married to him at the age of eighteen or nineteen, and give birth to a baby by the age of twenty-five. And then think only of the well-being of my family and be the best mother and wife for them.”
“Don’t you want a husband and children?”
“I want, but not now. However, Grandfather and Aunt don’t believe me when I say I don’t want it now. They’re sure any girl always wanna be married and educate a child. They say I’ll change my mind after falling in love. After I meet someone I’d love to see my husband and the father to my children.”
“Have you never been in love with anyone?”
“There was a man, who I really liked,” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “But sadly, our ways got separated. We will never meet again.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t fit each other and can’t be together.”
“That’s how?”
“Since the first meeting, we couldn’t get on well and fought every time we got a chance.”
“And did you get upset ‘cause you fell in love with the wrong man?”
“Not, not quite!” Raquelle smiles shyly. “That man is not the only one man in the world. There would be someone else. Besides, I see an absolutely different man next to me. Not the one he was.”
“It’s clear God decided so. Decided that you weren’t destined for him. You should’ve fallen in love with another man. Who you would love, and who would love you back.”
“Right,” Raquelle nods confidently. “Moreover, I wanna count on fate in the case of my personal life and find nobody on purpose.”
“I got it. But I know girls, who look for men on purpose.”
“I know. But it often happens that those, who really wanna fall in love, are not lucky, and someone like me, who aren’t gonna have a relationship at the nearest time, always has the attention of men.”
“Do you have so many admirers?”
“Very much! All this time, I’ve gotten about hundreds of proposals to marry from different men. But sadly… Nobody has gotten me interested and changed my mind about my wish not to get married and give birth to babies to make Grandpa and Auntie happy.”
“Okay…”
“Anyway, when someday God decides that it’s my time, He will bring me to someone I am destined to be with.”
“Of course, He will do,” Alexis smiles shyly. “You’re a young and very beautiful girl. You’ve got a great choice of men. You can choose anyone, who would be happy to become your boyfriend.”
“You know, Lexi…” Raquelle tightly locks her fingers. “Grandfather insists on my wedding so much that I sometimes wanna buy an apartment and live alone. I wanna live my life and stop hearing my time is going away, and I shouldn't reject all the men that propose to me to marry with no regret literally every day.”
“I completely understand you,” Alexis pronounces. “People get sick of everything when someone tells them the same thing every day.”
“It hurts that they wanna make me have their point of view, which they find right. And they don’t wanna sometimes hear everything might be otherwise.”
“I would probably also dream of living alone if Mother pressed on me and literally made me give her grandchildren.”
“I will definitely rent or buy my own apartment when I pick up something good. Otherwise, they will keep me under this pressure for two or three more years.”
“Hey, I must confess that I’m surprised that you’re living in a small apartment, not a large house with lots of servants and helpers. As all the celebrities do.”
“I like living in a small apartment much more,” Raquelle confesses. “I could keep housework under control. It’s not hard for me to cook something, wash my dishes, change my bedclothes or wash the floor. I can do all of that and have never been squeamish about doing that.”
“That’s how…”
“I think it’s the merit of my grandfather and aunt, who have always told me I should always be able to serve myself and not become soft-handed. Thanks to them, I could quietly live in a small apartment, clean it and stand in front of a cooker for hours to try to cook something delicious.”
“That’s good,” Alexis smiles slightly. “Not all the celebrities are so good. They usually surround themselves with many helpers and do almost nothing.”
“Right. But despite being famous, I prefer living like an ordinary person.”
“You’re doing this well.”
“I’m trying.”
Raquelle looks at the magnificently beautiful house, near which she is standing, with a slight smile.
“Okay, we’ve been standing here for too long,” Alexis says thoughtfully.
“Yeah, let’s go do our business quickly and then think about what to do,” Raquelle says quietly.
“Let’s go then!”
A few seconds later, Raquelle and Alexis come quite close to the house they need. The girls easily go by the guards standing in front of the gates and letting them go without problems because they know the young blonde very well and always let her go to the territory of the house of Jacqueline’s family without questions. Moreover, the tough guys even welcome her and ask how she is doing, and she tells them a couple of words.
Then the girls come to the hall door of the house, which seems much bigger when standing close. After coming to the double door, Alexis rings the doorbell two times. And a few seconds later, a middle-aged woman wearing a blue knee-length dress with an apron and having her light brown hair carefully gathered up opens the door. One of the servants in the Underwoods’ house, who smiles amicably at the unexpected guests.
“Good afternoon,” the woman greets gently. “How can I help you with?”
“Hello,” Alexis replies amicably and glances at Raquelle standing next to her. “This girl and I would like to meet Jacqueline and talk to her. Say, is she home now?”
“And why did you come to her?”
“Personal business. Could a friend named Lexi visit Jacqueline and spend some time with her?”
“Lexi?”
“God, did you forget me while being on a vacation?”
“Erm… Ah!” The woman laughs amicably, looking at Lexi better. “Ah, it’s you, Lexi! I am such an old woman! I almost went insane!”
“That’s better!” Alexis laughs shyly.
“Sorry, I didn’t recognize you immediately…”
“It’s alright,” Alexis replies amicably. “Don’t apologize.”
“I really started the first day of work after a long vacation… I weaned myself off everything and forgot much. Including you.”
“Then call memories. Because your bosses would not caress your head.”
“Oh, I shall try to do.”
Alexis says nothing for two seconds and just smiles slightly, while Raquelle shyly stands near her, folding her hands in front of herself and twirling the handle of her little purse a little nervously.
“So, is Jacqueline home now?” Alexis asks thoughtfully. “If she’s busy or out, I will come to her later.”
“Don’t worry, Jacqueline is now home,” the woman replies confidently. “Sitting in her room…”
“In her room?”
“Yes. She recently ate, closed the door, and is listening to the music…”
“I need to say just a couple of words to her. And take something.”
“Of course, sweetie, you can. Jacqueline is alone now.”
“Great!”
“Come in the home, please.”
The servant invites Alexis and Raquelle to come into the house, stepping back from the doorstep.
“Thanks!” Alexis thanks with a slight smile. “You’re very nice.”
Alexis asks Raquelle to follow her with a gesture, while the brunette looks at every single corner of the house with admiration in her eyes. The girls come into the house slowly and a little hesitantly and notice silently that everything seems to be more fabulous and gorgeous inside than outside.
“By the way, Lexi, do you want something?” the woman servant asks, slightly pulling down her apron after she closes the door and comes to Alexis. “I can give you something to drink or eat.”
“Oh, no, no, thanks,” Alexis refuses gently. “I came here only for five minutes…”
“C’mon, sweetie, let me give you something. You know we are happy to see you here.”
“I know, but somehow next time. Now I will just take something Jacqueline got from me and go to do my business.”
“Are you busy?”
“Sadly…”
“So, as you want… I shall not make you do.” The servant moves her eyes to Raquelle. “And you, Ms.? Do you want something?”
Meanwhile, Raquelle is far from here in her mind and does not hear what she is asked about.
“Ms.?” the servant frowns slightly. “Can you hear me?”
Seeing the girl thinking about something, Alexis slightly pushes Raquelle on the hip. Because of a sudden push, the brunette shakes slightly and moves her little scared eyes on the young blonde.
“Erm, excuse me, what?” Raquelle asks hesitantly and moves her eyes to the servant.
“Are you alright?” the servant asks.
“Yes, yes, I am. I… Just… Thought about something. Sorry…”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. So… What do you want to ask?”
“Do you want something to drink or eat?” the servant asks again. “Tea? Coffee? Juice? I can give you just water if you want.”
“Erm, no, no, thanks, I need nothing…” Raquelle refuses gently.
“You can’t stay here longer, either?”
“Yes… Lexi and I came here only for a couple of minutes… To talk to her friend.”
“Alright,” the servant pronounces quietly. “But if you need something, let me know. I will do everything.”
“Thanks,” Alexis thanks softly.
“Since you want to talk to Jacqueline, go to her. As I’ve said, she is in her room.”
“Thanks a lot.” Alexis moves her eyes to Raquelle. “Come to Jacqueline!”
Raquelle nods and follows Alexis, who comes to the wide stairs. The servant watches them and then exhales sharply, leaves the living room, and goes to do her business, saying something under her nose and slightly fixing her hair.
The girls get up to the second floor on the slightly bent stairs made from marble. Raquelle does not hide her admiration for this large, gorgeous house, its incredible repairs, and expensive furniture. Since she has never lived in big houses, it seems to her much better than the apartment, in which she is living with her grandfather Frederick, who has to spend his time alone while she is here. However, even despite truly admiring it, the girl is not going to get such a big house where anyone could literally get lost.
After getting up quite quickly, Raquelle and Alexis go down the long, wide hall made of white colors and well-lighted with big windows slightly covered with transparent curtains until the end. The girls come to the closed door, behind which they can hear quiet, energetic music.
“I hope she’ll hear us…” Alexis expresses hope.
Luckily, the song that is currently playing ends. Alexis uses the moment and knocks at the door loudly enough. Then she and Raquelle can hear a loud, feminine answer:
“Yes, yes, come in!”
Jacqueline makes the sound mute and turns on the door when Raquelle and Alexis come into the room a little hesitantly. The girls see the blonde proudly sitting on her wide and spacious bed, wearing a soft pink pajama and having her hair pinned up with a black hairpin.
“Lexi?!” Jacqueline pronounces surprisingly and quickly gets up from the bed. “Wow, what a sudden visit!”
“Hey, Jacqueline,” Alexis greets amicably.
“Hi!”
Jacqueline and Alexis come to each other and share an amicable hug, but they step away quickly enough.
“Sorry for bothering you,” Alexis apologizes. “And sorry for not warning you about my visit.”
“C’mon, it’s okay,” Jacqueline waves her hand. “I’m just lying on the bed and listening to music while my parents are left.”
“They’re working?”
“Yup, went somewhere to do their business.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, I thought about organizing a little party here… Inviting all the familiar girls and the boys… We would all have fun, dance, eat something delicious…”
“Sounds very good. You haven’t had any parties here for ages.”
“I know when I can do this.”
“When?”
“My parents are supposed to leave for two days for their business soon. So… It would be a cool chance to have a party here and invite all our familiars.”
“If you do it, let me know. I’d be happy to come to have fun.”
“Don’t worry, Milton, I shall never forget you. And wait for you at any party of mine.”
Alexis smiles shyly and says nothing for two seconds, taking off her winter hat and putting it in her purse, and stroking her hair down since they got a little disheveled.
“Hey, have you come here to me for nothing?” Jacqueline asks. “Or do you wanna talk about something?”
“I could say so…” Alexis replies thoughtfully. “I came here to take my jeans I borrowed from you some time ago.”
“Erm… The jeans you borrowed from me?”
“Yup. With flower patterns on the back pockets.”
“Erm…”
Jacqueline thinks about something for two seconds, definitely trying to call the memories about the jeans. And then the girl rounds her eyes and claps herself on her forehead.
“Ah, damn, I totally forgot about them!” Jacqueline swears.
“Oh, I also thought about them when sorting my clothes out and not finding my jeans,” Alexis confesses.
“Listen, friend, don’t be mad. I know I should’ve given them to you one week ago. But sadly, I absolutely forgot about them after wearing them only two times.”
“It’s okay…” Alexis waves her hand with a shy smile. “Don’t worry.”
“Okay then…”
“So, can I take them away? I’m wanna go somewhere and put on these jeans. I really love them.”
“Erm… Yeah, you can, they’re placed on my chair.” Jacqueline points at the chair placed near her bed a little lazily. “If you need it, I can find a packet for you.”
“It would be great,” Alexis says amicably.
Jacqueline says nothing and just nods with a slight smile on her face. And then she stops her eyes on Raquelle, whom she does not recognize yet, while the brunette looks at every single corner of the spacious, light room with interest.
“Hey, Lexi, who is this girl?” Jacqueline asks. “Who did you bring here? Is this your friend?”
“I could say so…” Alexis replies thoughtfully and bites her lip slightly, pointing at Raquelle. “Erm… This is Raquelle. Raquelle Cameron.”
Alexis points at Jacqueline.
“Raquelle, let me introduce Jacqueline Underwood to you,” Alexis introduces with a little shy smile. “My school friend.”
“What?” Jacqueline frowns slightly. “Raquelle? Cameron?”
Jacqueline looks at Raquelle better, recognizes her for less than two seconds, and starts looking at her with mistrust, calling the memories about the rumors, which, as she thinks, revealed the girl, who allegedly lied to everyone for many years.
“So, is this the model, who everyone has lately said bad things about?” Jacqueline guesses. “The one, who pretended to be a star and insulted everybody, who she worked and is working with?”
“Erm…” Raquelle stutters. “Actually… Yes… The one…”
“What?” Jacqueline sharply moves her eyes to Alexis, who shrugs. “What the hell is this?”
“Jacqueline!” Alexis exclaims.
Meanwhile, Raquelle starts to think about changing her name and even her appearance, so nobody can recognize her and remind her of the fact that she was slandered for nothing some time ago. Or it would be much better to move somewhere far from here and spend the rest of her life there.
Raquelle was quietly walking on the streets, and nobody recognized her as the ashamed model, whom journalists keep discussing in newspapers and magazines, for a few days. But now her luck is over. Jacqueline does not hide that she is resentful of the fact that this girl is at her home, in her room.
“I don’t understand…” Jacqueline pronounces quietly. “Lexi!”
Jacqueline takes Alexis under an arm and takes her aside.
“What’s this girl doing here?” Jacqueline resents quietly. “What’s she doing in my house? Why did you the fuck lead her here? Did you go insane?”
“Jacqueline, please, keep yourself under control,” Alexis says quietly. “I know you don’t like it, but…”
“Seriously, Milton, what the fuck! How could that gal dare to cross the doorstep of this house?”
“We’ve come here for a reason.”
“Just don’t say you’re gonna try to whitewash this gal with her pretense.”
“No, I won’t do.”
“What were you thinking of when trying to take her here? You do know well I hate her!”
“Jacqueline, please…”
“Why did you the fuck bring Cameron here?” Jacqueline resents, being unhappy that Alexis came to her home with Raquelle.
“Raquelle and I need help.”
“Seriously? Are you asking me to help this selfish princess?”
“Jacqueline, please!”
Meanwhile, Raquelle swallows up nervously, feeling the hatred Jacqueline is spreading.
“You can do anything you want, but please, listen,” Alexis begs with pity in her eyes.
“I will not whitewash this girl, don’t even beg me!” Jacqueline says confidently.
“The case is not about it. The case is that Raquelle and I… Think… Your father could help us with something…”
“My father?” Jacqueline frowns slightly and crosses her arms over her chest. “And how could my father help you? What does he have to do with the model, who got herself ashamed of the whole world and let everyone know she was not an angel?”
“Erm…” Alexis bites her lip slightly and slowly moves her eyes to Raquelle, who feels terribly uncomfortable. “Raquelle, could you explain the situation?”
“Erm, me?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“You better know what happened. Tell Jacqueline everything Amelia told you.”
“Well…”
Raquelle smiles amicably, deciding to pretend that she is not upset because of Jacqueline’s behavior and try not to pay attention to her rude words and too bad look. Which Alexis gave her somehow when she disliked the girl, as well.
“Okay, I shall tell you everything,” Raquelle says confidently enough. “The case is about my aunt Alicia.”
“Alicia?” Jacqueline frowns slightly. “Lexi’s neighbor?”
“Yes… The case is that she got into great trouble.”
“And how could I help you?”
“Sadly, nothing. But there is a thing I would like to know.”
“What?”
“The case is…”
Raquelle starts telling everything that happened to her in London, starting with Alicia behaving strangely and getting threats and finishing with what she found out from Amelia yesterday. Despite a reluctance to do something for this girl, Jacqueline listens to her closely, looking at her like she is an enemy with her arms crossed over her chest and not even thinking of being softer to her.
“So…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly. “Here’s the story.”
“So, do you want my father to try to find out something about the woman named Eleanor Woodham?” Jacqueline frowns slightly.
“I want to try to find out something about those, who reported her to the police and charged her for stealing expensive things.”
“Do you think it would give you something?”
“Not sure if it will give me something… But it would be great to know at least something…”
Jacqueline says nothing and sighs tiredly, moving her eyes aside.
“What can you say about it?” Alexis asks Jacqueline. “Could your father help us somehow?”
“I don’t know, honestly…” Jacqueline frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds, still keeping her arms crossed over her chest. “But I must admit that I’m a little shocked. I never thought Alicia would have such serious problems.”
“We think my aunt did something to Eleanor Woodham, and that one is taking revenge on her,” Raquelle says confidently. “I don’t know how, but It seems like the case is very serious.”
“That’s how…”
“Who knows… Maybe… Aunt actually lied to me when she came up with the story of the girl and Eleanor’s attempts to get the money out of her. I can’t exclude that the problem is something different. Something more serious that we could only guess about at the moment.”
“I can say nothing.” Jacqueline purses her lips, moving her eyes aside. “But somehow I heard a talk from my father… He was talking to someone about a very similar case.”
“Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“Yes. As far as I remember, a woman, who was doing something the income of her business and did not pay a salary to her workers for months, was in the middle of that one. Her helpers gave a lot of promises to them or shut them up rudely.”
“That’s Eleanor!” Alexis exclaims. “Your father one hundred percent meant Eleanor Woodham!”
“Yeah, but he didn’t call any names. Father didn’t say it was surely Eleanor Woodham.”
“Don’t doubt that it was her. We know that the woman has never talked to her workers personally. And even if someone tried to reach for her, her bodyguards kicked them out immediately.”
“I don’t know… Maybe, that’s true…”
“Do you know something else about it?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Nothing more…” Jacqueline shrugs. “I heard nothing special… But I didn’t try to find out more. I was just walking by Father’s office and hearing some dialogues from their talk.”
“So, it does make sense to talk to your father about the victims of Ms. Woodham,” Alexis says confidently.
“Maybe… If he talked about that case with someone, the police know about that woman. Or at least, they know someone has done so many things that they could definitely get a long sentence.”
“Could your father help us and say something about those cases?” Raquelle asks quietly.
Jacqueline thinks for some time, still gloomily looking at Raquelle, but then she decides to try to help. Even if she does it only for Alexis, whom she does not want to make feel upset. But whom she is a little mad at because her friend brought here the girl that she despises.
“Alright, Ms. Cameron, I shall try to help you,” Jacqueline agrees without emotions in her eyes. “I mean, I shall tell Father you want to know more about these cases.”
“And when will you tell him?” Alexis specifies.
“Unfortunately, my father is not home. Mother and he will be here in the late evening… Then I will tell him everything I heard from you and try to find out something from him. When he says something, I shall let you know.”
“Thank you so much, Jacqueline,” Raquelle thanks amicably. “Now I need to know any information about that case. And I will be grateful to you and your father if you help me.”
“I promise nothing, but I’ll try to find out something.”
“Good, thanks.”
“Erm, Lexi…” Jacqueline turns on Alexis. “If I know something, I will call you at once.”
“Okay, thanks, Jacqueline,” Alexis thanks with a slight smile.
Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, after which Raquelle, who feels terribly uncomfortable, looks at the watch she is wearing on her left hand and decides to find an excuse to leave as soon as possible and stop being so nervous because of Jacqueline looking at her in a bad way.
“Erm, alright…” Raquelle says thoughtfully, barely holding down her wish to cry from hurt and disappointment. “If we’ve agreed about everything… I… Will better… Leave.”
“Are you leaving?” Alexis rounds her eyes.
“Yes. I need to do very many things… I shall go somewhere.”
“But you and I wanted to go somewhere together.”
“I think you’d like to spend some time with your friend.”
“I said I came here only for two minutes.”
“I know. But I just called the memories about something I should’ve done… One important thing.”
“Erm…” Alexis bites her lip slightly. “Okay… Go then, but I will stay with Jacqueline for some time. Talk to her about something.”
“Okay, deal,” Raquelle nods confidently. “But you can call me if you need me.”
“Okay.”
Raquelle says nothing and moves her eyes to Jacqueline, at whom she tries to smile as truly as possible, pretending that she notices nothing and does not feel the anger the young girl is looking at her with.
“It was a pleasure for me to meet you, Jacqueline,” Raquelle adds.
“Yeah, Ms. Cameron…” Jacqueline pronounces coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. “It was nice for me to meet you, as well.”
“Let me know if you find out something about the case of Eleanor Woodham from your father.”
“Sure…”
“Goodbye. All the best.”
Raquelle turns around slowly and leaves Jacqueline’s room quite quickly, tightly squeezing the handle of her purse. Some time later, the girl leaves the house of the Underwood family and decides to walk in the city and reflect on the current situation, using the fact that the weather outside is amazing.
After Raquelle leaves the room, Jacqueline stops being shy at all and smirks evilly.
“Yeah, Lexi…” Jacqueline shakes her head. “As it turned out, that girl is a good actress. A little bit before I believed that two-faced gal.”
“Jacqueline, just don’t start it again…” Alexis says quietly.
“My gosh… She’s pretending to be an innocent lamb and an unhappy girl, who has allegedly been hurt and humiliated for nothing by everyone.”
“Jacqueline!”
“Does she hope people will forget her tricks and start calling her a great model again? Ha! Never! Now Cameron will stay on all the possible black lists forever!”
“You could be gentler with her pretense.”
“Ha, why I shoulda been!” Jacqueline simpers and crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m actually at my own home!”
“And what?”
“And I am resentful that you took that gal to my home.”
“She needed help, and I agreed to help.”
“As if you didn't know that I would not agree.”
“Jacqueline…”
“I’m not going to please that madam and pretend everything is fine. And I am going to say nothing to Father.”
“What?”
“Come on! I do not want to help a fucking gal that is pretending to be an angel so hard.”
“You didn’t see that your words hurt her so much. Yes, you spoke in a whisper, but Raquelle heard everything.”
“And you, idiot, believe her!”
“Right! Because she is not lying!”
“She’s a liar, Lexi!” Jacqueline says confidently. “Don’t you get it?”
“This is what you want to think!”
“She’s probably pretending to be an innocent lamb for everyone she knows. Making people think she is holy and did nothing bad. And such stupid people like you and her aunt believe her.”
“Jacqueline!”
“Cameron is really a witch. The witch that definitely charmed you and made you believe her.”
“Don’t be so mean, Underwood!” Alexis throws gloomily. “Raquelle is not pretending, she is telling the truth.”
“I wonder, what did she tell you that you literally became her best friend?”
“We are not friends. But she’s a very good girl.”
“Of course, good!”
“You don’t know Raquelle! You don’t know anything about what she’s had to get through all her life. You don’t know how much she suffered after the anonymous told many bad things about her and turned such stupid idiots like you against her.”
“The anonymous told everyone the truth!”
“The anonymous just wanted to get famous thanks to her! They wanted everyone to talk about them and hate that girl! And they got what they wanted – people hate the poor Raquelle for nothing and think she is obsessed with star-struck. And that liar is enjoying the fame and getting pleasure from the fact that everyone paid attention to them.”
“That’s good everyone hates her!” Jacqueline throws rudely and fixes her hair with her head proudly raised. “She’s guilty of everything. If she behaved well, nothing would happen.”
“Please, stop saying such terrible things about her. Don’t say what you don’t know.”
“My God, Lexi, how can you treat her with kid gloves after everything she’s done?” Jacqueline wonders. “Cameron isn’t worth it!”
“I wanna help her!”
“Why? Let that hysterical girl solve her false problems. And you forget about her and live your life! Why do you the fuck need that false idiot? Stop defending her!”
“I shall be defending her,” Alexis says quietly. “And trying to make you sure that she is not as bad as someone wanted to tell people, still being afraid of showing themselves.”
“Don’t try, it won’t work.” Jacqueline says nothing for two seconds and starts sharply waving her hands. “And actually… Why did you the fuck come into my house with her? Why?”
“I already said why,” Alexis says confidently.
“Milton, did you go insane? To bring that crazy girl to my home? My fucking home! My room!”
“Raquelle is not crazy!”
“Oh, yeah, not crazy! What about her hysterics that she had on the set?”
“It’s a lie!”
“What about the rumors about harming the famous model?”
“What model?”
“Everyone knows that the supermodel, Camilla Pettigrew, had to retire a few years ago due to the consequences of the serious traumas that she got after falling from the stairs.”
“And what? What does Raquelle have to do with it?”
“She does. Sweetie! There is a rumor that Cameron was the one, who did it. They say, the girl pushed her off the stairs on purpose before the eyes of many witnesses.”
“Yeah? And where’s proof? Who can confirm that Raquelle really pushed Camilla off the stars?”
“People have lately talked a lot about that event. And I think the anonymous mentioned it. They said they had some very interesting information that everyone would be interested in.”
“Yeah, here’s another insolent lie that the anonymous cannot confirm.”
“Who knows…” Jacqueline smiles slyly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that girl really got rid of her opponent. Everyone knows that Raquelle and Camilla were enemies and fought every time they met. One insulted, or another humiliated.”
“I don’t know and don’t want to know! I will not believe in that shit.”
“Wrong! The anonymous, who started the scandal with Cameron, mentioned it for a reason. So, there is an assumption that she has to do with it. And she really pushed her off the stairs.”
“It doesn’t mean anything!”
“We will see it! Though, I’m one hundred percent sure that the girl is hiding the secrets of her dark past so hard. She doesn’t want everyone to know it. Because she understands that she will be in trouble.”
“Stop saying some nonsense!”
“My God, if I’d known Cameron would come here, I would’ve personally grabbed her by the collar and kicked her out.”
“Jacqueline!”
“But I swear, next time, that girl will not surely come here. Because I will tell the security not to allow her to go if she comes here alone or with someone else.”
“You don’t decide it.”
“I am serious, Lexi! Raquelle Cameron will not dare to step on my territory. Never! Not for anything!”
“Your parents decide who to let in. Not you.”
“What?” Jacqueline rounds her eyes.
“I think they would be much smarter and show no disrespect for a visitor. Even if they disliked Raquelle, your father and mother would not behave like this.”
“I am living here!” Jacqueline says confidently. “And I have a right to have my opinion! I have a right to decide something.”
“You do, right!”
“Wonderful! Next time, that insolent gal will not come here. She would not go further than the gate because the security will not let her on my territory.”
“Don’t you wanna place yourself instead of that poor girl?” Alexis wonders, crossing her arms over her chest. “Don’t you wanna think how you would feel like if everyone insulted and humiliated you for nothing, believing the lie said by someone?”
“Don’t try to pity me, Alexis,” Jacqueline says confidently. “You can do nothing.”
“Jacqueline…”
“That dyed otter was always sure that she would get everything easily. She would not have to care about her future because her sugar daddies would do anything for her.”
Jacqueline simpers loudly and evilly.
“Wow…” Jacqueline adds. “A gray mouse that was probably loved by fewer people suddenly got famous thanks to the great money of her protectors.”
“Raquelle has gotten everything on her own!” Alexis protests. “She is not under the protection of sugar daddies.”
“Sure, I did believe it.”
“Jacqueline…”
“I already said she would get that fame only thanks to a bed. If she had no money, she had to sell her body.”
“Watch your mouth!”
“It’s clear she knew where to find rich and powerful men. So, she was madly lucky, and Cameron got famous for less than one year.”
“Do you think you can’t reach something by yourself?”
“Of course, it’s impossible?”
“Jacqueline!”
“She probably has some childhood traumas, which are the reason why that slut always wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn’t worse or even was much better than others. For that, Raquelle was ready for anything. Even get naked in front of a powerful man, being a seventeen-year-old girl.”
“You confused her with someone.”
“Ah, confused!”
“That girl does not sleep with all the men and got that success thanks to her work. Raquelle is a headstrong persona with a sense of purpose. She reaches anything she wants, despite barriers.”
“Stop defending her, Lexi. You know well that’s not the truth.”
“Yeah? Try to get at least a part of what she’s gotten after long and hard work on your own, without someone’s help or money. You can do nothing.”
“Ha, why?” Jacqueline wonders loudly.
“Because you’re used to making others do everything for you. Paying for the studies at the university, agreeing about not getting you kicked, finding a job at a firm thanks to contacts…”
“It’s not a secret that models never get anything on their own. They’re just fucking sluts, who sleep with rich, powerful men for money and fame. And your darling Raquelle is one of them.”
“Shut up now!”
“Maybe, her sugar daddies would’ve kept promoting that talentless girl. But sadly, she got nuts from her fame that she forgot who she owed and got star-struck, which destroyed the career of that worthless mop.”
“Jacqueline!” Alexis resents.
“She is a liar! Insolent liar! Cameron overplayed an innocent girl. And she insolently lies to everyone, saying she has never kissed or dated men. It’s her image. An image someone created for her to be a role model for girls.”
“Raquelle has really never had a serious relationship.”
“Oh, Lexi, shut up!”
“Alicia always complains that Raquelle refuses to go on dates and pay attention to those men, who surround her.”
“Alicia doesn’t probably know how her niece got that fame.”
“Jacqueline!”
“Sorry that nobody knew that girls took an example from the one that didn’t deserve it, and boys got a crush on the one that wasn’t worth it.”
“Shut up!”
“I doubt a good man would need a prostitute, who has been in so many beds for money and fame. She did it for the career she cared about so badly. Even much more than her family. But she ruined it with her disgusting behavior.”
Then Alexis decides to stop being shy and tell Jacqueline everything she thinks of her.
“Shut the fuck up!” Alexis says loudly. “Stop! Enough! I’m sick of listening to you insulting the person for nothing and believing a liar, who wanted to get famous thanks to Raquelle’s name but forgot they would not be good for everyone thanks to slandering someone.”
“God, Lexi, you’re really crazy,” Jacqueline shakes her head.
“No, Jacqueline, you are crazy!”
“Why are you the fuck defending that madam so badly? She is nobody to you to care about her so much!”
“Why are you the fuck behaving so disgustingly? What do you the fuck say these things about something you don’t know at all?”
“Or are you afraid of Alicia’s anger and ready to whitewash that whore?”
“Alicia did open my eyes to the fact that people are wrapped around someone’s finger.”
“Wow… You are afraid!”
Jacqueline smirks evilly, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You are afraid Alicia would complain to Valeria about you,” Jacqueline adds. “You don’t want your mother to start a scandal. I do know well that you’ve always been afraid of her and don’t want her to know about your bad tricks.”
“Why are you behaving like this?” Alexis wonders. “What did Raquelle do to you to make you hate her and really call her a slut? What kind of articles have you read on the Internet, huh?”
“Because she is a slut! The slut that got insolent and forgot who she must have thanked for everything she got.”
“Do you envy her?”
“Me? Envy?” Jacqueline smirks evilly. “Are you an idiot? Why would I envy that gal?”
“You envy her because she’s gotten so much by her age,” Alexis says confidently. “And your success could be counted on your fingers.”
“What?”
“What have you done to make everyone admire you? What? Nothing but the fact that you lie on the bed all day, eat dishes cooked by the best chefs, waste the money of your parents, and don’t absolutely aim to start to earn money or learn something new?”
“Actually, Father sometimes asks his familiars if they have an easy job for me.”
“Exactly! Father asks! Why don’t you do it? Would open the Internet and check advertisements! Find something! Call, go to a job interview… As all the people do!”
“Better say it to yourself, sweetie,” Jacqueline says with her head proudly raised. “Or do you hope you will be living on the account of your mother forever? Do you hope you will be a nanny for a stranger woman until the end of your life?”
“I am not a nanny for Alicia! I just help her do homework because she is living alone.”
“No, it would be okay if Alicia paid you for taking care of her like a sick one. But you go to her for nothing. To play time!”
“What?”
“You are ready to cook, clean, go to shops, and water flowers in her apartment all day long not to go to work. You don’t have to go too far. Her apartment is located against yours!”
“Don’t worry about me, honey. Unlike you, I think of it, and I am looking for good variants. I am going to graduate from the university next year, and I will think about how to start to earn money.”
“Ha, you go to the university super rarely!”
“It’s amazing that you’re actually about to finish your studies. With such terrible results of the exams.”
“I am not a candidate to the best student, and I get what I deserve.”
“I imagine how much your mommy upset that her daughter will not get a red diploma.”
“You were actually kicked outta the university because you didn’t pass any exams and didn’t go to any lectures.”
“Don’t meddle in my life, Lexi!” Jacqueline throws rudely. “I shall decide when and where to go to study or work! You better go to take care of Alicia and that prostitute that sleeps with men for money and fame.”
“Stop saying such terrible things about her!” Alexis exclaims loudly.
“I say what I want!”
“You haven’t gotten through half of what she’s done! You don’t know how hard her life was. It has been literally since she was born!”
“I don’t care about it!”
“You do care about nothing but you!” Alexis puts her hand on her waist and starts gesticulating with another one. “You are used to the fact that everyone would give you and do anything for you. Used to the fact that everyone would do everything for you. Because you are living where they cook and clean after you.”
“That’s how!”
“You do not even think of cleaning. You think you should not do this. Because you think you are a princess surrounded with those, who dance attendance upon you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your father has always solved your problems at school. He’s helped you when you’re really guilty of something. And you got away with that! Money and contacts decided everything! And you are used to that and felt you’d be unpunished forever. You are loved so much that nobody even thinks about kicking you on your ass.”
“Don’t get jealous, Milton,” Jacqueline throws rudely. “I’m not guilty of you being born into an ordinary family. That, by the way, has got no Father.”
“What?”
“At least, I’ve got him, while you have only a mother. Your daddy probably found someone, who was younger and more beautiful, and decided to leave your family.”
“Shut up, Underwood!” Alexis gets enraged. “Shut up! Don’t say to say it!”
“So, did It hurt you?” Jacqueline smirks evilly. “Don’t you like that you’ve never had a full family? Don’t you like that your mommy is not rich, and your daddy has never thought about you since he got out?”
“How nasty and mean you are…” Alexis shakes her head, deciding not to hold herself down and to tell everything she has had in her mind for a long time. “You are just a spoiled and capricious girl, who thinks only of herself. Who got used to the fact that everyone agreed with her, and she could get anything at once.”
“You didn’t care about it before.”
“Now I do! And I’m starting to understand why my mother has never liked you and always minded me speaking to you.”
“As if you did not understand before!”
“I did! But I always closed my eyes to your tricks! Your disgusting character. Your egoism. I paid no attention to that. But you have always used me for your benefit.”
“I have used you?”
“Yes, my sweetie, you’ve done.”
“I can’t believe I heard it from you. My friend, who I’ve befriended since childhood.”
“Because I am sick of all of this. Sick of everything about you.” Alexis sharply fixes a strand of her hair. “I am sick of doing everything for you and getting nothing back.”
“My God…” Jacqueline slightly opens her mouth, being shocked by what she just heard from her friend. “Lexi… Come on…”
“And I will no longer be silent. I will no longer endure the consuming way you treat me.”
“Lexi…” Jacqueline shakes her head.
“Don’t you like, do you?” Alexis smirks evilly with her head proudly raised. “Don’t you like hearing the truth about you? Probably, nobody told you these things before. And it became a shock for you.”
“You… You…”
“Listen! Maybe, you’d realize something.”
“How do you care to talk to me like this? Did you go crazy?” Jacqueline knocks at a temple with a finger. “Who gave you a right to talk to me like this at my own home? Who the fuck are you?”
“I am just sick of everything you are doing,” Alexis says confidently. “I am sick of being good for you. Sick of the fact that you always use me. I am sick of doing everything for you while you do nothing for me.”
“I have always done everything you ask me about!”
“What? Every time I came to you to get help or support, you gave a fuck about me. Found any excuses. Said you had no time to give me attention.”
“When did it happen?”
“It has always happened! I have never gotten the support I wanted from you. And I had to ask my mother to give it to me.”
“Gosh, what did that girl do to you?” Jacqueline wonders loudly.
“Just don’t blame Raquelle for everything.”
“Why don’t I do? Because of her, you started saying some bullshit. You’ve always been a shy and quiet girl! But now you have opened your mouth! You went on the wrong side!”
“It was good for you. It was good for you to befriend a quiet, silent girl that would say no word.”
“Are you ready to ruin our friendship because of a fucking prostitute, who thought only of herself?”
“You don’t know what real friendship is, Jacqueline. I’ve been trying to be your friend. And you’ve never done anything to me. Never helped me, never protected me, never aimed to do that. You’ve done nothing! You’ve just used what I’ve been giving you!”
“Milton, do you understand what you are talking about? Think before you say something!”
“I do. I do understand everything. And I’m starting to regret conceding you my best friend for so many years.”
“You’re crazy, Alexis. Just crazy.”
“God…” Alexis shakes her head. “How could I actually befriend you all this time? Why did I act like a girl, who fell in love and wanted to notice nothing about the fact that you got a benefit from our friendship? Benefit from having a friend, who could cover you or help you out in any situation.”
“It’s not true!” Jacqueline protests. “I’ve always been a good friend to you. And I’ve done anything you’ve asked me about.”
“Come on?”
“I’ve done much for you! You, thankless bitch, just forgot that.”
“I’d bet who’s a thankless bitch here. Thankless and terribly egoistic bitch.”
“Lexi…”
“But now that’s all! I am sick! I am no longer going to be your armor, behind which you can hide, being terribly afraid to show yourself and confess you are guilty.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Jacqueline rounds her eyes. “Why? We’ve been the best friends!”
“I understand you don’t want to ruin your friendship with a stupid, naive idiot that would do anything for you.”
“Did your mommy turn you against me? Did she wash your brains for so long that you gave up, after all?”
“Anyway, she was absolutely right. You’ve really never been a good friend of mine and always used me.”
“It’s a lie!”
“Enough, Jacqueline! I am sick of you! I am sick of taking the girl, who thinks only of herself.”
“Lexi!”
“I'm starting to understand that there are more wonderful people, who can be friends. Those, who know what friendship and mutual support are.”
“Ha, do you mean your beloved Raquelle?”
“She would be much better than you!”
“When did you pronounce her your friend?”
“I repeat, Raquelle and I are not friends. But I can see well that she’s very good and probably can love and befriend.”
“So, since when have you been defending that girl?” Jacqueline wonders loudly, putting her hands on her lips. “Why are you the fuck trying to prove that she is not guilty of what she did?”
“She is guilty of nothing!”
“You somehow said you were terribly disappointed in her and hated that idiot for what she did! What’s happening now? Why did you the fuck change like this?”
“Yes, I really hated her,” Alexis says confidently. “And I believed the lie the anonymous told everyone. And the first meeting of Raquelle and me wasn’t nice ‘cause I said many bad things to her.”
“And what happened later?”
“Later, I closely watched her and started to understand she wasn’t so terrible. Alicia was absolutely right and not covering her niece at all.”
“I did say you were afraid of that woman and lick Raquelle’s ass like that.”
“Stop saying bullshit!”
“Open your eyes, Milton! Stop believing that false bitch.”
“She is not false!”
“Nobody’s guilty of what happened. Nobody is the one to blame for Raquelle treating the people, who loved and worked with her for a long time, so badly. Star-struck got obsessed with that princess, and she started thinking everybody owed her. She thought people must’ve taken any of her caprices.”
“Shut up, Jacqueline!”
“Cameron should’ve thought thousands of times before doing those things. She should’ve known the media would find out everything and destroy her to hell. So, people would know what she did.”
“SHE DID NOT DO THAT!” Alexis screams at probably the whole house. “DID NOT DO! SHE WAS FRAMED! HEAR ME, WRONG!”
“Don’t scream at me, hysterical lady!” Jacqueline demands loudly.
“I WILL BE SCREAMING! YOU, STUPID GIRL, TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND THAT GIRL WAS PUT IN THE W-R-O-N-G!”
“I said stop SCREAMING at me!” Jacqueline starts screaming loudly, actively waving her hands. “SHUT UP! I will not let you scream at me in my own house!”
“You do not understand it differently! Because you have no brains!”
“How do you dare to talk to me like this?” Jacqueline resents. “I demand respect for me! You have no right to come here and blame me for all the sins I did not c-o-m-m-i-t!”
“What kind of respect do you talk about? Who are you to respect you?”
“I am Jacqueline Theresa Lynn Underwood! The daughter of Mirabel and Jacob Underwood!”
“And what? It doesn’t let me know anything!”
“My parents are literally as famous people in England as Eleanor Woodham, who you talked about!”
“And who are YOU? Who are you?”
“I am their daughter!”
“No, Underwood, you are a stupid idiot that thinks only of herself and lives on her parents’ account! Who is probably dreaming of a young billionaire that would be happy to provide for you and let you waste his money.”
“And I can find him much sooner than you!”
“Come on!”
“Nobody would pay attention to the gray mouse that cannot dress up and look attractive.”
“What?” Alexis resents.
“Your mommy learned you to dress up like this, and you keep doing this.”
“Should I dress up like a fucking whore? Should I get rid of my underwear and buy miniskirts and tops with a deep décolleté?”
“No billionaire will pay attention to you because you will not get him attracted. You dress up badly, you have no makeup… Your hairstyle is shitty… And you look ugly!”
“What are you talking about?” Alexis simpers loudly.
“I know you don’t like to listen to it. But I’m telling the truth.”
“You never said anything like this before! You said I was very beautiful.”
“I lied!” Jacqueline says with her head proudly raised. “Insolently lied. But I’ve actually never thought you were even just sympathetic.”
“You’ve finally revealed your real side. You’ve finally shown what you’ve got inside. Let me know what your friends mean to you. I mean those that think so.”
“As if you are better! You are ready to exchange me for that sick, hysterical gal, Cameron!”
“Raquelle is NOT A SICK, HYSTERICAL GIRL!”
“ENOUGH, LEXI!” Jacqueline screams irritably. “Do not dare to scream at me at my home!”
“What an idiot you are, Underwood…” Alexis shakes her head. “Just an idiot… A brainless idiot that thinks only of her own comfort.”
“And you are a bore! The bore that has never done anything good.”
“My mother was right. She was right about the fact that I shouldn't have befriended you. Because you are really not the best friend of mine.”
“I’m also regretting being a friend of yours all this time.”
“Your poor parents… My God… How sorry I am for them… Because they’ve got such a spoiled and selfish daughter.”
“Close your mouth up, Milton.”
“If only they kicked your ass and kicked you out of my home. So, you learn to survive and earn money. And learn how to appreciate some things just a little.”
“Alright, I am sick of this shit!” Jacqueline throws rudely and sharply points at the closed door of the room. “Go away from here now! And never come back here!”
“What?”
“You heard it! Get out of here!”
“Seriously? Are you kicking me out?”
“I am kicking! Forever! From now on, we are no longer friends!”
“Even so…”
“I do not wish to see and hear you,” Jacqueline says coldly and starts actively gesticulating, breathing heavily enough and feeling how much every single muscle of her body is tense. “Keep defending your Raquelle and making everyone sure she is clean and innocent.”
“Alright, I shall leave,” Alexis says with her head proudly raised. “I will go to speak to much better people, who do understand much more than you.”
“Get out of here. And do not dare to go to my home. I shall warn the security that they are not allowed to let you in.”
“Wonderful! I will never come back here!”
“Alright, Milton! You are on a black list of those, who are not allowed to visit this place.”
“I’m not upset at all.”
“Leave now!” Jacqueline shouts, looking at Alexis with contempt in her eyes. “Or I will tell the security to kick you out by force!”
“Ha! With great pleasure. But remember something…” Alexis comes closer to Jacqueline. “I do not doubt you will regret your words someday. And I will not stop believing it. You will understand everything I told you, maybe, not right now, but someday. But your brain will start working correctly, and you will finally wake up and stop being the same as all those naive people, who believe everything they hear.”
“Close your mouth and GET OUT OF HERE!” Jacqueline demands rudely.
“I hope someday you will understand me and recognize all your mistakes. But I doubt I would like to be a friend of yours again because I’m fucking sick of you. I was too kind and patient, but now I understand it was a mistake. I was the only one to think you were my friend. You’ve never considered me the one. And you dare to insult and humiliate me.”
“OH, SHIT, WILL YOU GET OUT OF HERE?” Jacqueline gets mad. “GET OUT BEFORE I THROW SOMETHING AT YOU OR PULL YOUR HAIR OUT!”
“Goodbye, Jacqueline,” Alexis pronounces quietly, without emotions in her eyes. “Solve your problems on your own. And look for another idiot to cover you and all your business and become the one to be good for you.”
Alexis turns around sharply and leaves Jacqueline’s room in a quick step, slamming the door loudly. And some time later, she leaves the house of the Underwoods, being upset, disappointed, and excited after the fight with her former friend.
Jacqueline is standing in the same place as a column and blinks her eyes amazingly, being discouraged by what just happened, breathing heavily enough and tightly clenching her hands into fists. Alexis’s behavior became a great shock to her. Because that girl never showed that aggression and was always quite a quiet, shy and decent girl. She always silently took everything and did what she should have done. And she never made her claims and did not judge her for her character or her actions.
Anyway, it all hurt Jacqueline enough. The girl does not hide her anger and offense at her former friend, whom she does not want to see at home. Nobody told her these things before. Nobody dared to tell her about her weaknesses or reproach her for something. Alexis became the first one to find the courage to claim what made the blonde’s hair stand. But she categorically refuses to deny it and thinks it’s a lie.
However, Jacqueline is not going to cry her eyes out because of the fight with Alexis and quickly decides to forget it. It’s possible to say she is even glad she ruined the friendship with the one that cannot be compared with her, the daughter of the provided people. So, the blonde comes to her dressing table, sits at the table, and looks at her reflection in the mirror for some time. The girl fixes her hair gathered on the top of her head with her head proudly raised and smiles shyly.
After this, Jacqueline gets up from the table, comes to the music system, turns on the music, and makes the volume as loud as possible. While energetic rock music starts playing in the room, the girl quickly locks the door and starts to have fun all alone, forgetting everything that happened a few minutes ago and smiling like nothing happened. As if she never cared about her friendship with Alexis, who left this place with a scandal, swearing that she will never cross the doorstep of this house again.
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