A LEGACY BUILT ON LIES

Chapter 5 : The gift

The following morning, Aurelia Ravenscroft arrived at university with a strange feeling she couldn't quite shake.

She had slept, but not particularly well. Every time she remembered the previous night's news report, she pictured her parents' frightened expressions when she returned home.

Her father had barely spoken after the incident, and her mother had checked on her twice before going to bed.

It was sweet, in a way.

But it was also unusual.

Aurelia wasn't a child anymore. She was twenty, a university student, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Still, she couldn't deny that the thought of someone watching her had unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.

"Aurelia!"

She turned just as Muna hurried towards her, carrying a handbag that looked as though it contained enough books to supply an entire department.

"Good morning to you too," Aurelia greeted.

Muna stopped in front of her and examined her face.

"You're looking suspiciously normal."

Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to look?"

"Traumatised. Sleep-deprived. Perhaps a little dramatic. You know, considering you told me yesterday that a girl was found dead near your estate and someone might have been following you."

"Good morning, Muna."

"Don't good-morning me. Start talking."

Aurelia laughed despite herself.

"Nothing happened after I got home. My parents were just worried."

"And the police?"

"I don't know. My father contacted the estate's security team, but nobody has told me anything."

Muna's expression grew serious.

"Aurelia, I'm glad you're okay, but I need you to take this seriously. You said you felt like someone was watching you. Then you came home to find your parents panicking over a girl who had been found dead nearby."

"I know."

"Do you? Because you have a habit of noticing something strange and then convincing yourself it doesn't matter."

Aurelia gave her a look. "I do not."

"You once told me a lecturer was acting strangely, and three days later, he announced that he had lost our examination scripts."

"That was different."

"You noticed his hands were shaking."

"He was holding a cup of coffee. It was obvious."

"And you noticed he kept checking the clock."

"Because he was waiting for someone."

Muna stared at her.

"Exactly my point! You notice things most people don't even think about."

Aurelia smiled faintly. "Perhaps that's why I want to become a prosecutor."

Muna immediately brightened.

"Ah, yes. The future courtroom terror."

"That's a ridiculous title."

"It's an accurate one. You want to stand in court, present evidence, question witnesses, and make sure guilty people are held accountable. You practically interrogate me when I borrow your things."

"Because you never return them."

"Details."

Aurelia shook her head, laughing.

Her ambition had started long before university. She had always been fascinated by criminal cases, particularly the way a single overlooked detail could change an entire investigation.

She liked understanding how people thought, why they made certain decisions, and how lies could be uncovered through evidence.

She didn't believe every accused person was guilty, nor did she think a confident explanation automatically made someone innocent. Facts mattered. Evidence mattered. And sometimes, the smallest inconsistency mattered most of all.

She wanted to become a prosecutor who could recognise the difference between a convincing story and the truth.

Unfortunately, the real world was not always as straightforward as the cases she studied.

"Promise me something," Muna said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?"

"If anything else happens, tell me. Don't keep quiet because you don't want to worry anyone."

Aurelia looked at her friend.

"I promise."

"And please, for the love of everything good, don't go wandering around alone at night."

"You're beginning to sound like my mother."

"Your mother and I are clearly the only sensible people in your life."

They laughed and headed towards their lecture hall.

For the next several hours, university life carried on as usual. Lectures, assignments, and Muna's endless commentary on practically everything occupied their attention.

Yet Aurelia occasionally found her thoughts drifting back to the previous night.

She wondered who the unidentified girl had been.

She wondered whether the police had discovered anything.

And she wondered why the memory of feeling watched had refused to leave her alone.

By the time her final lecture ended, she had almost convinced herself that she was overthinking the situation.

Almost.

---

The afternoon sun was still bright when Aurelia arrived at the Ravenscroft estate.

Her driver had dropped her off at the main entrance because she wanted to walk the remaining distance to the mansion. It was a familiar route, and the security personnel stationed around the estate knew her well.

She was checking a message from Muna when a man approached her.

"Excuse me, Miss Ravenscroft?"

Aurelia looked up.

The man appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. He wore a dark jacket over a pale shirt and carried a small white package in his hands.

He was not particularly tall, nor was there anything immediately threatening about his appearance.

But something about him made Aurelia pause.

Perhaps it was the way he approached her without hesitation, as though he had been waiting for her arrival.

Or perhaps it was the smile he offered.

It reached his mouth but did not seem to touch his eyes.

"Yes?" Aurelia replied cautiously.

The man glanced towards the security post before looking back at her.

"I have something for you."

He held out the package.

Aurelia didn't take it immediately.

"From whom?"

"A man who knows your father."

"That doesn't answer my question."

His smile widened slightly.

"Your father asked me to pass something along to you."

Aurelia studied him.

Her father had many business associates, clients, and acquaintances. It wasn't unusual for people to send things to the Ravenscroft family.

Still, the man had approached her directly instead of handing the package to security or contacting the mansion beforehand.

That was the first thing she found strange.

The second was his expression.

He seemed friendly enough, but there was something calculated about his smile, as though he had practised it in front of a mirror.

The third was the way he stood.

His shoulders remained stiff, and his weight shifted slightly every few seconds. When he took a step closer, his left foot moved before the rest of his body followed, creating a small, uneven rhythm.

It wasn't necessarily unusual.

But Aurelia noticed it.

She noticed everything.

"What is it?" she asked, nodding towards the package.

"A gift."

"From my father?"

"Something like that."

Aurelia's eyes narrowed slightly.

Something like that?

Before she could ask another question, the man gently placed the package into her hands.

Inside the transparent wrapping was a small white teddy bear.

It was soft-looking, with round black eyes, a little stitched nose, and a pale ribbon around its neck.

Aurelia stared at it.

"A teddy bear?"

The man nodded.

"Your father wanted you to have it."

"Why didn't he tell me himself?"

"He has a lot on his mind. He asked me to deliver it and please tell ur dad that today is Damian anniversary "

"who is Damian "Aurelia asked him with curiosity

oh...I see you don't know well.... about that ask your dad about it.

The words were delivered casually, almost carelessly, but the man's expression changed as he spoke. His smile disappeared for a fraction of a second before returning.

Aurelia caught it.

She also noticed that he had looked directly at her when he said your father, but his eyes shifted towards the mansion when he mentioned it

It was a small movement.

A meaningless one, perhaps.

But it left her uneasy.

"That's it ?" she asked.

"Exactly."

"And you're certain my father sent you?"

The man chuckled.

"You have your father's intelligence, Miss Ravenscroft."

Aurelia didn't smile.

She hadn't asked for a compliment.

She had asked a question.

The man seemed to realise that she wasn't going to make the conversation easy for him. He straightened his jacket and took a step backwards.

"Have a pleasant afternoon."

Then he turned and walked away.

Aurelia watched him leave.

His gait was unusual. His left foot moved slightly outward with each step, and he kept his hands close to his sides instead of allowing them to swing naturally. Halfway down the path, he glanced over his shoulder.

Their eyes met.

He smiled again.

Then he continued walking.

Aurelia remained where she was, holding the teddy bear.

"Miss Aurelia?"

One of the security guards approached her.

"Is everything all right?"

She looked at him.

"Who was that man?"

The guard turned towards the direction in which the stranger had disappeared.

"Which man, ma'am?"

"The man who just left."

The guard looked confused.

"I didn't see anyone approach you, ma'am. I was checking the vehicle entrance."

Aurelia slowly turned back towards the path.

The man was gone.

"Never mind," she said. "I'll ask my father."

She walked towards the mansion, but the encounter stayed with her.

The teddy bear was soft and innocent-looking.

The message was neither.

---

Eleanor was in the sitting room when Aurelia entered.

"You're home early," she remarked.

"My last lecture ended earlier than expected."

Eleanor smiled. "How was university?"

"Fine. Muna spent half the day complaining about an assignment she hasn't even started."

"That sounds like Muna."

Aurelia placed her bag on the sofa.

"Mum, did Dad ask someone to bring me a gift?"

Eleanor looked up.

"A gift?"

Aurelia held up the teddy bear.

"This."

Eleanor's expression changed slightly.

"Where did you get that?"

"A man gave it to me at the estate entrance. He said Dad sent him."

Eleanor put down the book she had been reading.

"What man?"

"I don't know his name. He said he knew Dad and had a message for him."

"What message?"

Aurelia hesitated.

"He told me to tell Dad that today is Damian anniversary ".

For a moment, the room seemed unusually quiet.

Eleanor stared at the teddy bear.

Something about it disturbed her, though she couldn't immediately explain why.

It was an ordinary toy. There were thousands like it in shops across the country.

And yet, looking at its white fur and little black eyes, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

A memory stirred at the edge of her mind.

A television report.

A murdered lawyer.

An item recovered from a crime scene.

Eleanor's fingers tightened around the armrest.

No.

It couldn't be.

She forced herself to look away from the teddy bear and towards her daughter.

"Did you ask the man who he was?"

"Yes. He said he knew Dad, but he didn't give me his name. I asked if Dad had sent him, and he said something like that."

"Something like that?" Eleanor repeated.

"Those were his exact words."

Eleanor stood.

"Where is the bear now?"

Aurelia looked down at the toy in her hands.

"Here."

"Don't leave it lying around, darling. I'll speak to your father when he gets home."

Aurelia studied her mother.

"Mum, why do you look worried?"

"I'm not worried."

"You're a terrible liar."

Eleanor blinked.

Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "You just told me not to leave a teddy bear lying around. It's a toy ".

"Perhaps I'm tired."

"Mum."

"Really, Aurelia. It's nothing."

But Aurelia wasn't convinced.

She had noticed the way her mother's expression had changed the moment she saw the bear. It had been brief, but it was unmistakable.

Her mother recognised something about it.

Or feared something about it.

Before Aurelia could question her further, Eleanor gently took the teddy bear from her hands.

"Go upstairs and get comfortable. I'll make sure this reaches your father."

Aurelia hesitated, then nodded.

"All right."

She picked up her bag and headed upstairs.

Halfway up, she glanced back.

Eleanor was still standing in the sitting room, staring at the white teddy bear.

Aurelia continued upstairs, her thoughts growing heavier with every step.

"umm... Mom can I keep the Teddy I like it and it's cute "

"okay" her mom said looking at the Teddy