SHARED CARDS

My knuckles felt weak, like they had just been shocked, as the rain dripped down my face. Just as I was about to step into the corridor, Dad spotted me. His face lit up with both joy and sadness at the same time, as though his mind wanted him to pause for a moment before deciding not to hesitate. He frantically ran towards me, but before he could get a grip on my hand, Chime, the maid in charge of the corridors, accidentally pushed me while making her way past. I gasped and fell before Dad could catch my hand. I slammed my head against the floor as lightning flashed and thunder struck sharply. Dad instantly fell to his knees, holding me steady, while I blinked repeatedly through my already blurry vision. I could see Chime falling to her knees as she bowed to apologize, but even as I struggled to make sense of what was happening around me, I heard the final gunshot ring out before my eyes closed. The room felt warm, like a good-luck charm that had somehow found its way to me, as the sunrise -like glow passed across my eyes. My body felt fragile as I shifted my head towards the alarm, but before I could catch a glimpse of the time, Dad walked in with a food tray. A smile appeared on the old man's lips. “Good morning, Dad. It's…” “I f*****g blew that maid's head off, my princess,” he said as he sat beside me. Our eyes met, but my mind remained blank, unable to form a single thought. His words hung in the air as I stared at him, still trying to understanding how he could speak about someone's death with such ease. “How was your night, princess?” Dad asked. My head responded with a nod before my mouth could find the words. Finally, I opened it. “Dad…” I paused as if I were reading the room, while Dad's eyes and ears waited for me to continue. “The gunshot… whose head?” I muttered. “Did you do anything to her?” Dad caught my meaning before I could finish. His expression remained firm, as though there were nothing about the previous night worth explaining. “My princess, never run away without a guard again. That maid was doomed to die by a bullet, so I just fulfilled her destiny.” He paused, nodding at me while fixing my nightdress strap. His touch was gentle, almost as though he hadn't just admitted to taking someone's life. “No one in Donald's empire dares to harm my princess, alright? So get dressed. We'd be expecting a very old friend of mine today.” My footsteps clicked against the floor as I came down the stairs. My eyes met Glady's, and there she stood in a flawless white gown that could easily be mistaken for a symbol of purity. Yet her heart was as dark as the devil's skin, a darkness that only top-tier researchers could hope to uncover. “Quite the composed lady, Emara!” she blurted, her eyes fidgeting as they settled on mine. In this great mansion of the Donalds, Glady had never valued or loved me, all because Dad never favoured her the way he favoured me. I was the daughter of Dad's first love, and that alone seemed to be enough to make me the centre of her resentment. Quietly, I strolled down the stairs. I'd always been sharp-tongued and calculating, even from a young age. Meanwhile, Glady stood waiting for me to fight back, probably expecting me to give her the reaction she wanted. But I did no such thing. Instead, I revealed a flawless smile, one carefully arranged to make my face impossible to read. “Sis…” I paused and smiled before allowing myself to fake a cough, as though I'd caught a cold from the rain the previous night. “Good morning, Stepmom.” I bowed my head while greeting Mrs. Sarah, Glady's mother, my stepmother and Dad's first wife. Then I turned my face back towards Glady, catching my breath as her lashes fluttered. “Dad has an important guest today…” I took another breath, letting my lashes brush against her cheek as I leaned closer. “Guess who,” I whispered into her ear, wearing an eerie smile. Glady immediately grabbed my hand, rattling off questions as she demanded to know what I meant. But little did she know that she had already fallen for my trick. The next moment, Dad and his men approached through the hallway from the ancestral hall. At the same time, the mansion's entrance doors flew open, revealing armed men dressed in black suits. Everything happened so quickly. Glady and I were already in motion. I grabbed her hand and pulled her along as I threw myself towards the floor. As I fell, I felt as though the sky itself was falling alongside me.