A masked figure stared at the passing cars through a large glass floor to ceiling window. She wore all black and one could feel the murderous intent she had.
"They will go to the banquet," a man, seemingly a subordinate, reported.
"Good. Make sure everything goes as planned. That brat must pay!" The masked woman clenched her first and her aura became even more suffocating. The poor subordinate couldn't help but tremble.
"Okay madam."
The masked woman suddenly laughed. Not the normal happy laugh, but the scary evil laugh. She laughed like the psychopath she was. Every second hurt the subordinate's ear and heart. Why? Why did he entangle himself with such a person?
.....
Valeria hurriedly sat up breathing heavily. Her heart thumped rapidly and her fingers were trembling. Looking at the familiar room and seeing the man beside her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It was just a dream. No, a nightmare.
She took her phone to check the time and realized it was midnight. However, she couldn't go back to sleep so she got off bed and went outside her room and to her private study room.
She thought of her dream. To her it was actually stupid, a dream she always had almost every night. That's why she always tried to avoid sleep. It was a curse to her but somehow she always found herself asleep.
The time she had slept during the day after getting injured was one of the rare times she didn't have the nightmare, but she still woke up covered by sweat. She felt tired afterwards and even in her study at the moment, she was tired. This study room was where she normally came when she couldn't sleep.
It was where her mother used to work before she passed away. Even though she was never that close to her mother she still loved her. Her mother, Maya, was the only person who was real with her.
Valeria looked at the photo of her mother. Maya had warned her that all this would happen but she was too young, too innocent to believe it.
*Flashback*
"Mommy, why do you love staying here?" Valeria's childish voice rang. The child couldn't be over three years old but she could speak fluently and maturely.
"This is the only place your father will never come," Maya answered. She never hid her hatred for Leon even before the young Valeria. "Therefore, I can clear my mind here."
"Mommy, why do you hate daddy so much?" Valeria seemed sad but she never showed it. If she dared to cry her mother would send her away. How could she let that happen? She had just escaped her other relatives after a lot of struggle!
"Leon Telever? That human being is the whole reason I want to be a murderer!" Maya didn't hide the loathing. Her words were too dark for a child but Valeria was used to it. Maybe that's why she had never thought of loving her father.
"But you love me and brother, right mommy?" This was a question Valeria had been scared to ask. What if Maya said no?
"No," Maya said, breaking the child's heart. "In this cruel world, you must never love anyone, not even yourself!"
Valeria held back the tears that threatened to fall. "Why mommy?" Her voice was a bit hoarse despite her trying to hide her sadness.
"Listen child, when you grow up, they will target you," Maya changed the topic, "Harden your heart! Those are the ones who'll say they love you when they don't!"
Little Valeria didn't tell her mother that her heart was already hardened, or that she understood it even though she was young. However, no matter how smart she was, she didn't know who 'they' were. Who were those who her mother said would target her?
"Mommy, can I come here with Tyler next time?" Just as a child was supposed to, Valeria forgot her earlier gloom, or so she told herself.
"No, this room can only be entered by two people!"
"But he cries and says you love me and not him," Valeria said her voice a bit too serious for a child.
Maya glanced at her daughter for the first time. If Valeria hadn't averted her gaze, she would have seen how Maya's eyes flashed with sadness. Actually, even if the child did see it, she wouldn't believe it.
"You're brother will never come to see me, that's final," Maya said with a low voice. She reminded herself that she was protecting people but in doing so she hurt many. She even took part in making her daughter mature at such an age.
"You can go now."
Valeria pursed her lips, she didn't want to go yet. "Mommy, can I stay a bit longer?"
"Go!" Maya ordered with a horrifyingly dark gaze. Though the gaze didn't scare her, Valeria still left after leaving three meaningful words,
"I love you." Even though her voice was barely audible, Maya still heard it and it pricked her heart so much. At that moment she wanted to run and hug her tight but restrained herself.
*End of flashback*
Valeria broke out of her thoughts and looked around the study room. It was still the same after all those years and it was true, Leon never came to the room, nor did anyone really. Just Valeria.
Just as her mother had said, they really targeted her, and she realized they started since she was born. Her psychological condition was never her mother's fault, it was them.
She badly wanted to just kill them! However, if she did kill them then they would be let off easy. She had to reveal them and make them pay!