Chapter 7: The Lockridge Estate
1207 Words
She came home. My metally ill sister came home, and my assassin came home. They were bribed. If I couldn’t come home, I would be killed by my debutante. Caroline would have known what to do. She always knew, I guess that explained so much. I couldn’t possibly call her now, she is spending her time with her normal family. Today was my realse date from the hospital, eight more days until I properly take over the fortune, plenty of time for me to be assassinated. Not to mention, after I turn sixteen the grand event at the academy will take place. You can face Honor, she is weaker than you by plenty. To be clumsy, just make sure to sleep away from windows, lock your doors, and use the secret passages to transfer rooms during the night. My mother doesn’t know what she started, I'm smarter than Honor on any day, and her illness could be used towards my advantage. Then this sudden thought flooded my head, I just had to kill Honor! None of my sisters would advance if Honor died leaving me to win. My cell phone started to ring:
“Hey Klari, how are you doing?”
“Better, I’m leaving the hospital today and coming home.”
“Change of plans Klari.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father and I agreed for you to live in the Lockridge estate until your debutante.”
“I’m not scared of Honor or my mother.”
“I’m here at the hospital, your stuff is in the trunk and you're coming to the estate with me.”
“Said who?”
“Vincent Lockridge.”
I saw him in the lobby. Seems that I had to transfer to his estate, no matter what I say, there would be no convincing. Sighing I walked up to him and went over to his car.
“I seriously didn’t know how much stuff you possessed before I had to put it into the trunk before your mother and sister came home.”
“There seriously was no need for this. I would also have been safe in the main villa.”
“You wouldn’t be, and besides, my mother wanted to meet you more sincerely.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you might know her from the DAR catastrophe.”
“I need my memory jogged…”
“My mothers name is Liza Henderson, she remarried a year ago, she dropped the Lockridge last name.”
I stood there, paralyzed in schock, fear and mostly schock. That viper was Vincent's mother?
“Don’t worry, my mother is the type of person who overreacts over every single thing that goes wrong in her life.”
“I can’t go to your family estate.”
“Well it seems you're not very lucky, because you somewhat have to…”
“Why am I Vincent?”
“Your mother thinks you are in a coma.”
That last comment shut me up. I got into the car and stared out the window. I seriously didn’t know which was worse, spending eight days with Liza Henderson or going back to the main estate with a chance of being assassinated. My options seemed to be limited, so It didn’t seem that I even had a choice. I wasn’t used to being told what to do, it was usually I who commanded others to do something. When I got inside the car, taking out the list I wrote Honor, harshly. This time, buckling my seatbelt I sat in the passenger's seat. We drove in complete silence for the remainder of the drive. We pulled up to a white Victorian manor, where the viper was standing and waiting for us. With her arms crossed, I felt her venom from miles away, slowly infecting my state of mind. After a moment of hesitation, I stepped out of the car to greet her. When I finally had the courage to greet her, she ignored me and only greeted Vincent. After stepping into the foye, I noticed a girl that looked my age with ginger hair, pale skin with freckles, and dark green eyes. She ran up to me and quickly introduced herself.
“Hello! My name is Daphne Winchester, secondary heiress to the Winchester Fortune, youngest of three sisters.”
Before I even got the chance to introduce myself, she already ran up the staircase. I turned around to see a bright red face that appeared to be Vincents. I jokinging asked, “Are you sick? You don’t look so well!”
Instead of answering, he rushed up the staircase just like the girl Daphne did a couple of seconds ago. Something was very off about the Lockridge household. Taking a minute to look around my surroundings, I noticed that they seemed to like a minimalist decorating style. Walking down the hallway, I noticed portraits of famous figures like Kenneth Shellford, Harper Lyndon, Harry Upperton and Lillian Stemphan. After wandering around the manor, one of the maids escorted me into the guest bedroom. Two maids that looked around my age were fixing the sheets and gossiping, so I decided to go out into the garden until they finished.
….Meanwhile….
“Did you hear that Vincent came back home?”
“Yes I heard! Didn’t he bring the Milliton-Cortex girl?”
“Why, yes he did Sage, and do you know who also came last week?”
“ I don’t recall, anyone coming into the manor for awhile now.”
“ Where you here when the Winchester's girl came to the manor?”
“Ariala, are you sure? “
“ I’m more than sure that his mistress came back!”
“ That poor girl! I feel so devastated for her! “
“ As long as Vincent is here with Daphne, his fiance might be in for a rough time.”
“ Did you hear that Daphne is also going to attend dinner?”
“ The viper is going to destroy his future fiancee! She preferred Daphne over anybody else.”
“Did you know that the Million-Cortex girl and the viper have a history?”
“I heard of the DAR meeting! From the looks of it, I think he likes his new fiancee.”
“It’s a shame that his fiancee will be put in second place.”
“The viper has also sponsored the dress for Daphne's debutante!”
“Seriously?!
“She also requested custom.”
“The guts that Daphne has amuses me sometimes!”
“She only goes to the Academy because the Lockridge family sponsors her.”
“She has a higher rank than us because they paid the government to change her rank.”
“Yeah! It’s so unfair! She should be scrubbing floor boards, and marble floors with us. Instead, she goes to private schools, and dresses lavishly.”
“Have you also heard that the viper refused to greet his fiancee today?”
“Yes! I’ve heard and also Daphne wasn’t any better.”
“She hasn’t even introduced herself properly.”
“After years of her edicate lessons, she still hasn’t learned the right thing.”
- Writer
