2: MY VERA
1056 Words
VERA
“Oh, there you are.”
Margaret’s voice snapped me back. Her smile was already in place, bright and practiced, the kind she wore when people were watching.
I created a folder, dragged the images inside, and deleted the message thread. Then I smoothed my face into something soft.
By the time she reached me, I was smiling.
“There you are, my darling,” she looped an arm through mine. “I was just telling Rose and Mrs. Smith here how gifted you are.”
My gaze turned to the two women,
Mrs. smith is one of the most influential women in the elite circle. Margaret had spent years trying to impress her.
And my stolen money helped her do exactly that.
“Did you know Vera is a ballerina?” Margaret added proudly.
“I’ve seen her on TV a few times,” Mrs. Smith said. “I just wasn’t sure it was the same girl who’s about to become your daughter-in-law.”
The triumph on Margaret’s face deepened as she pulled me closer. “It’s my Vera.”
My Vera?
“Really?” Rose’s eyes fixed on me while I held my polite smile in place.
“You’ve probably seen her too. She dances like a fairy.”
Her eyes sparkled
As if last time she hadn’t spent years tearing mine apart.
From the day I married her son, she never missed a chance to mock my dancing.
It’s either the music. My form or the very idea of me in a tutu, as she liked to call it, was a waste of time and money.
I remembered her standing over me those eyes cold as ever.
Your feet look like horseshoes.
Stop embarrassing yourself, Vera. You’re not a child anymore.
All this jumping and twirling is useless. Maybe if you focused on house chores—
The voices blurred together until a sharp sting cut through my palms.
I looked down.
My nails had dug deep enough to draw blood.
I loosened my fists and kept smiling.
Margaret continued listing my achievements like trophies I slipped out of her grip.
“Excuse me,” I murmured, stepping away from the group.
“Be quick,” she called after me. “We need to go check on your dress.”
I didn’t answer. I just kept walking, one step after another, until I slipped into the first room I saw and locked the door behind me.
I leaned back against it, my lungs burning. Keeping my cool around Maggie had been the hardest part of all this. But I can’t let it slip now.
Not now. I can’t let my emotions ruin things.
A soft chime echoes through the room.
My eyes scanned the room.
Julian’s office.
The one he’d insisted on turning into his workspace when he moved in with me after our engagement.
Another chime came from his desk.
The computer screen was awake.
Julian had always been careless about locking or securing his devices, Another habit I used to find charming.
I stepped closer.
There was a string of messages between Julian and his mother, with the unkept desk and slightly open drawers he must’ve left in a hurry.
As my eyes glued to the screen, my stomach twisted with a violent turn.
Margaret: Did you get her to pay for it?
Julian: Not yet. I’m working on it.
Margaret: We’ve drained our savings on this wedding, I still have things to pay off. The sharks are getting impatient.
shark?
What sharks?
The Valmont’s insisted on throwing a grand affair. after I requested for an intimate wedding. From what I knew, they have a stable corporation worth millions! that has skyrocketed over the years.
Another message appeared.
Julian: I’ll take care of it.
Something about that made my stomach twist,
And was this why he brought up that whole story of the honey moon earlier?
If they were in debt, how does he plan on get the money now that I didn’t give in to his earlier tricks?
Knowing the scary Julian at the end of my life. I don’t think he would say that he if he could take care of it.
But how ?
My eyes landed on the date before the realization hits.
The charity funds!
My hands were steady as I picked up my phone and dialed the bank.
“I want all scheduled transactions cancelled immediately,” I said quietly into the phone.
“Yes, ma’am,” the banker replied. “Which account are we—”
“Vera.”
Margaret’s voice sliced through the air.
I ended the call.
Too fast, as I step away from the desk.
Margaret stood in the doorway of the office, her smile still in place as curious eyes landed on me.
“Are you making transactions?”
My pulse roared in my ears.
“What?”
“on the phone…”
“I was just fixing a mistake,” I replied, steadying my voice.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Click.
“Is that so?” she arches her brow with a small smile. “Mistakes happen.”
Her gaze drifted to the desk.
To the computer.
Then back to me.
“You know,” she continued calmly, “Julian always said you were very… careful with money.”
I said nothing.
She reached out and straightened the sleeve of my dress, a gesture so intimate it made my skin crawl.
“We should go,” she murmured. “Rose and Mrs smith are eager to see how beautiful your dress looks”
Her fingers lingered on my arm.
“But if you’re not done with your call,” she added pleasantly, “I can give you some space.”
I met her gaze.
“Oh no,” I said, stepping forward. “It’s done.”
For a brief moment, something flickered behind her eyes.
Calculation?.
“That’s good to hear,” she said softly.
Her smile widened.
“Because today would be a terrible day for complications.”
Her fingers tightened slightly on my arm.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind me she wasn’t as harmless as she looked.
And suddenly I understood something I hadn’t in my last life.
Margaret Valmont had always known exactly what she was doing from beginning.
- Writer
