Song Rec: Hard Out Here - RAYE
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E L S P E T H
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I glared at Heather, her familiar wretched smirk still plastered on her face. Over the years, she had cut her hair into a bob. She should have sliced her neck, too.
I stayed calm, applying the last serum to my face, spreading it evenly with my hands.
"Welcome home, sister," she chuckled, trying to get my attention. I continued with my routine, grateful that Reese was busy scribbling on my desk and hadn't noticed we had company.
I inwardly sighed when I saw Reese had gotten powder in her hair and on her face. And they said boys were harder to raise.
"Oh, is this my niece?" Heather squealed, stepping forward to grab Reese and automatically crossing the line.
"Take one more step, and you'll lose your leg. Get out."
Heather spun to face me, but Reese was still focused on creating her little world of chaos.
"Now, now. Is that any way to address your family's heiress?"
I clicked my tongue, glancing at the unfortunate soul I shared DNA with in the mirror. Yes, my family had declared Heather the new heiress of Loughton Corp a year after I left. They'd explained it to the public as the normal thing to do since Heather was older than me. She had gotten everything she wanted—she should leave me alone.
I was never interested in the position anyway. I had plans of my own.
"Can you just shut up and leave? If you don't want me to call the guards, after all, it's only proper for a dog to be kept in her cage rather than roaming around wagging her tail in places she has no business being."
"You don't have to be so bitter about it," Heather replied. "I came to greet my dear niece. Since she doesn't have a father, don't you think it's best to at least give her a fairly complete family?"
"At least she's better off than the girl her mother abandoned here years ago," Stella snapped, making her entrance.
Heather blazed with intensity as her attention shifted to the woman. She couldn't counter Stella. One, Stella had spoken the truth. Two, Stella was the only immune staff member in the household. She was more like family, and no one dared fire her because my grandmother had hired her. Not that anyone except Heather wanted her gone.
Just then, Reese ran to me, hugging my legs and looking up, silently asking to be picked up.
"Mummy, I'm hungry," she whined, resting her chin on my shoulder.
"Alright, baby, let's get you all cleaned up," I whispered, rising to leave when she noticed Heather.
"Who's she?"
"The cleaner, my love," I told her, mouthing a "thank you" to Stella as I left the room.
Heather brushed past Stella and grabbed my arm. "Admit it already. I won, and you lost. Coming back here was a waste of time. You're beneath me now," she growled.
What is she saying? This human needs meds.
I turned a frosty gaze on her, immediately yanking my arm free.
"Then why are you still so insecure, Heather?" I asked, taking my child away as her gaze softened, fear and disbelief flashing across her eyes.
"The cleaning lady is angry, Mummy. Is it because I spilled powder?" Reese asked, pronouncing "powder" as "puwer" in her babyish accent.
"No, she's ill," I replied sharply, opening the door to Reese's pink-themed bedroom.
"She should take her medicine, then," Reese advised. I laughed briefly at her innocence.
"Don't mind her," I said, dismissing the issue before removing Reese's nightwear and preparing a warm bath.
As Reese babbled and splashed in the water, my thoughts drifted. Heather was still determined to keep me down, her insecurity eating her alive. I might need to get a restraining order to keep her away from Reese. I didn't want that idiot near her.
Legal action was the first thing that came to mind, but that was too predictable and too easy. Taking them down would be easy; dragging them down would be more fulfilling. Slowly, like venom.
Life was already taking revenge on my behalf. I could see how miserable Heather looked—aged far beyond her years, weighed down by the stress of carrying others' issues. But I still planned to ruin her life the way she had tried to ruin mine. And I would take back the position that rightfully belonged to me.
I finished prepping Reese for dinner and brought her downstairs, where my parents were already seated—alongside the aspiring devil.
I greeted my parents, and Reese sat next to her grandmother, who didn't hesitate to feed her the variety of food she had asked for earlier.
"Heather, how did this semester go, my dear?" my mother asked, trying to start a conversation.
Heather's eyes brightened as she gave one of her lopsided grins. "Amazing, actually. Being in my final year has been quite hectic. It's hard to juggle academics and the pressure of being the only child who's graduated from university," she chuckled, glaring at me.
The wench didn't even know.
"Oh, dear, you shouldn't feel pressured at all," my mother countered, wiping Reese's mouth with a napkin.
"Why?" Heather let out a nervous laugh.
"Your sister just completed her law degree at Trinity College. She's now the head of our legal department," my father announced, a proud grin spreading across his face.
"What?" Heather stammered, glancing at me. This time, I was the one with the lopsided grin.
"Oh, Father, I wanted to be the one to break the good news to my dear sister," I giggled, squeezing his hand lightly.
"How's that even possible? You were pregnant!" Heather scoffed.
"I know, right? She studied hard while nursing her little one. You should really learn from your sister, especially now that she's graduated. She can help with the tips you'll need. Isn't that right, Elsie?" Father beamed.
"Yes, of course. I don't mind," I replied.
Heather stood up, pushing her chair back slightly. "Excuse me. I've got to use the loo," she muttered, slipping out quickly, her fists clenched.
If her insecurity hadn't eaten deep enough already, this would dig a hole into her miserable life. And this was just the beginning.