STALE
991 Words
Later that night, long after the guests had left, Victoria stood alone in her apartment.
The city was silent beneath her windows.
She removed her earrings and placed them carefully on the dresser.
Then she looked into the mirror.
She stared at herself for a long time.
Slowly, she lifted a photograph from the surface beside the mirror.
Amara.
The photograph had been taken earlier that evening.
Amara stood beneath the chandelier, her head slightly turned, her expression calm.
Beautiful.
perfect.
Everything Victoria had spent her life watching from a distance.
She placed the photograph beside her face.
The resemblance was undeniable.
But it wasn't enough.
Victoria lowered the picture.
She had once believed that if she worked hard enough, she could build a life of her own.
She had tried.
She had gone to university.
She had applied for jobs.
She had built connections.
Nothing changed.
Whenever the Vale name entered a room, hers disappeared.
Amara didn't even have to ask for anything.
Doors opened for her before she reached them.
People remembered her birthday.
Companies wanted her approval.
Her parents trusted her.
One day, she would inherit everything.
Victoria wasn't a Vale. she came from Elena's side of the family. they also had connections and money . but not the wealth The Vale family has.
Her father had died ,when she was little leaving her and her mother alone.
Elena had decided to raise her like a daughter. but Victoria always suspected she was accepted into the family . just as a companion for Amara.
And SHE HATED IT , so much, it makes her Gag.
She knew , Amara would Inherit Everything. Rightfully, Everything was hers.
Victoria had watched it happen for twenty-two years.
Something inside her had slowly hardened.
She opened a drawer.
Inside was a collection of photographs.
Amara at ten.
Amara at fifteen.
Amara at eighteen.
Amara at twenty.
Amara leaving university.
Amara at family dinners.
Amara sleeping in the back seat of her car.
Amara laughing.
Amara walking.
Amara looking into a mirror.
Victoria had collected them for years.
Not because she loved her cousin.
Because she was studying her.
Her habits.
Her expressions.
Her mannerisms.
Her voice.
Her life.
Victoria picked up one photograph.
Amara was wearing a white dress, standing beside her parents at a family celebration.
Victoria traced the edge of the picture with her thumb.
“You were given everything,” she whispered.
Her reflection stared back at her.
“I was given nothing.”
She placed the photograph down.
Then she reached for her phone.
A message waited.
The consultation has been confirmed. Tomorrow, 10 a.m.
Victoria read it twice.
She typed a reply.
I want her face. As close as medically possible.
A response came almost immediately.
Are you certain?
Victoria looked into the mirror.
Her expression didn't change.
Yes.
She locked the phone.
For a long moment, she stood perfectly still.
Then she smiled.
It was the same smile Amara had worn earlier that evening.
Almost.
Not quite.
But soon, it would be.
Across the city, Amara stood in front of her bedroom mirror, removing the diamond earrings her mother had chosen for her.
The house had finally gone quiet.
She placed the earrings inside a velvet box and closed it.
Her reflection looked back at her.
She wondered what her life would look like if she had been born somewhere else.
If she had never been a Vale.
If no one knew her surname.
If no one expected anything from her.
The thought lasted only a moment.
Then she dismissed it.
She had never been the sort of person who complained about things she couldn't change.
Amara turned off the light.
Outside, rain began falling again.
She loves when it rains
Her mum told her, anytime when it rains ,Heaven was weeping.
She walked toward her bed.
Her phone vibrated on the nightstand.
A message from her father.
Tomorrow morning. My office. Eight o'clock. We need to discuss your future.
Amara stared at the message for a few seconds before locking her phone.
She wasn't looking forward to the meeting.
Her father had a habit of turning simple conversations into long lectures about responsibility, the family business, and the future he had already planned for her.
She placed the phone on her bedside table and walked into her bathroom.
After removing her makeup and changing into something more comfortable, she returned to her bedroom. The house was quiet now. Most of the lights downstairs had been turned off, and the rain outside had become heavier.
She checked the time.
11:47 p.m.
Her meeting with her father was at eight the next morning.
Amara sighed.
She already knew how it would go.
He would tell her that she had graduated and could no longer afford to waste time deciding what she wanted. He would remind her that she was his only daughter and that one day, Vale Holdings would belong to her.
She would listen.
She would disagree.
And, eventually, they would probably argue.
It was becoming a familiar routine.
Amara turned off the bedside lamp and got into bed.
For a moment, she thought about Victoria.
Her cousin's strange questions at the gala came back to her.
Do you ever think about what would happen if you weren't a Vale?
Amara still didn't understand why she had asked.
Maybe Victoria was unhappy with her own life.
Maybe she simply needed someone to talk to.
Amara decided she would ask her about it the next time they saw each other.
She turned onto her side and pulled the blanket over herself.
Within minutes, her thoughts began to fade.
Across the city, Victoria was still awake.
She sat quietly in her bedroom, staring at the message she had received earlier.
Your appointment is confirmed for 10 a.m. tomorrow.
She deleted the message.
Then she placed her phone on the table beside her bed and switched off the light.
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