I blinked, raising and lowering the blinds until I felt dazed by my own actions. Since the moment Benjamin was handed those so-called "herbs," I hadn't seen her—the woman responsible—and my patience had thinned to nothing. And now there she was, just outside the mansion, waiting and hoping, it seemed, to provoke me. The doors that I had been granted exclusive access to now shielded me from her gaze.
A sudden tension filled my chest. I swallowed, trying to summon the courage to face her, yet feeling like it might not be enough.
"Well, if it isn't Erica, the new 'owner' of the mansion," she sneered, her arms folded. "You must be pleased. You've managed to estrange everyone. Benjamin's family, Esther, all pushed aside in the mere months you've been here. Impressive." Her sarcasm cut like a knife.
"Excuse me? Me, destroying Benjamin's family?" I felt my blood simmer to a boil. "Look who's talking!"
