Dark Inheritance

Chapter 1

Alexandra

I just finished my evening shift at the café near the university. As every Friday evening, I am exhausted. I worked all day, it's 2am. I take out my phone and notice several missed calls from my father and my mother-in-law. I put my phone away. It's probably to tell me not to miss tomorrow's brunch, not today since it's already Saturday.

No one can imagine how much I hate my life. At the age of twenty-three, my life is a total failure. I just dropped out of college after my first year of medical school. My parents don't know yet and for the moment I don't plan to tell them. I'm up to my eyeballs in debt, which is why I'm working my ass off. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. I'm not worried about money right now because my father is a rich businessman who did everything he could, to get me to study business or law, but I didn't want to. As long as I'm not in trouble, he won't know that his beloved daughter is in the hole. I arrive at my house, in the bachelor that my stepmother forced me to accept that she pays for me. She has been in my life for over seven years, and it has been the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. She is the mother I never had. I never knew my mother; she died the day she gave birth to me. Growing up, I only had nannies and my father who was too busy with his work until Sarah arrived. She considers me her own daughter.

I set my alarm and go to bed, moving on with my life.

My alarm rings very early, I am very tired. It's almost 10 o'clock, I have to be quick before Sarah starts calling me. My body hurts like hell. My phone, next to me, rings but it's a number I don't know. I let it ring and head to my bathroom to take a hot shower. I put on a short summer dress since it's sunny outside and I put my hair in a messy bun. I apply a very light makeup. I love fashion and making myself look pretty. I put on my sandals, take my clutch and my phone and leave my apart. My dad's house is 30 minutes away from my campus. I start my car and head to the house of horror.

Like every week, I take the longest route in order to delay as much as possible my arrival where my adolescence was a pure ordeal. As soon as I finished high school, I left that house and if it were up to me, I would never set foot there again. Unfortunately, my parents don't know why I don't like to visit them more often even though I love them, and I would never tell them anyway. They wouldn't even believe me if I told them what really happened.

I arrive an hour later; Sarah is going to kill me. I don't even know why she hasn't started calling me yet. I get out of my car and head to the beautiful house in the heart of one of the most upscale neighborhoods on the west side. I look for my keys in my purse and head to the house, which is locked, which I find quite odd. As soon as I open the door, I see a lot of people dressed in black in the lobby staring at me.

What's going on here? Sometimes Sarah invites people over for brunch but not too many and why are they wearing black clothes with the heat outside. I ignore them and head to the kitchen, more people staring at me. I see my stepmother's best friend, Mary, who has red eyes. As soon as she sees me, she starts sobbing and walks towards me

- “Alexandra, my darling..." she sobs

I don't let her finish, I drop my bag and run upstairs

- "Dad, Sarah, where are you?", I shout as I check their room.

I check everywhere upstairs and find no one. My tears start to fall on their own. Many people stare at me, but I ignore them. Mary runs after me, but I ignore her too. I walk into the dining room and realize when I see their pictures

- “No, no, no," I shout as I fall to my knees.

I don't know where I am anymore, I can't breathe, I'm suffocating. Hands grab me, I don't know who’s until I hear his voice

- “Calm down, Lexy. Breathe," Lucas, my evil stepbrother, tells me.