Jareth's face darkened at Tamsin's words. As much as he would love to, he couldn't have stopped Elara from doing it.
Jareth swivelled round to glance at Elara standing off to his side. A look of derision crossed his face on seeing that she hadn't even bothered to change from the faded white T-shirt she'd been wearing earlier.
'You look ready for bed, Elara. I hope you're not too exhausted.'
Elara was conscious that Jareth was deliberately pushing her to leave.
Without hesitating she walked up the stairs.
An evil smile spread on Elara's beautiful doll face and she turned to her family. Her bright eyes glittered with disgust and hatred.
"Jareth, why don't we get the girl to transfer the fortune to you?" Maris smirked after Elara had disappeared upstairs.
Maris treated Elara with so much contempt that she refused to address her by name.
With a helpless expression, Jareth groaned and shook his head.
"Elara's forfeit of the inheritance meant that the entirety of the Kincaid fortune would be donated to the organization, something Dad had stipulated specifically in his will. And besides, Desmond had agreed to marry her in order to unite the two."
households. And they couldn't afford to straddle the Duncans. Also, Harlan had made provisions for that in his will. In Jareth's view, Elara could have the Kincaid money for now, and he would only step in as soon as possible to take it from her if he still wanted the fortune.
All of the Kincaid were stunned by the two pieces of news.
Tamsin's shocked eyes grew rounder. In horror, she looked at her father. "You're joking, Dad, aren't you? Desmond would never agree to marry the damned."
Though it changed nothing Jareth knew that his youngest daughter had always loved Desmond but now he was certain. "There's nothing I can do about it, Tamsin!"
At her father's words, Tamsin fell onto the sofa in a daze. It was as if her mind had been wiped blank.
She couldn't believe how different everything was after only one day.
The fortune Tamsin had so easily come by was gone. The guy she'd been staring at forever was now engaged to someone else.
All because of Elara!
Tamsin's eyes were filled with anger and poison and she made fists.
I hate you, Elara!
Elara moved into the Kincaid proper. In the bottom of the Kincaid residence Elara had a chamber.
The mansion Kincaid contained dozens upon dozen of chambers. And yet Elara dwelled in a room in the basement warren that was uninviting even to those who served above her.
Hehe!
This showed her just how the Kincaid handled.
Elara's doll-like face was devoid of emotion as she looked around the empty room.
Wasn't that what they called it? Location? It didn't matter where Elara was. She preferred staying in the basement. It was quieter there.
... save her from daily nuisance of other Kincaid members.
If it were not for her looks no one would have said Elara was a daughter of Kincaid family.
Maris, Jareth's wife, had been the most beautiful woman in Casier in her youth.
No one would have claimed to be the prettiest woman in Casier if they even thought that she was only the second-most beautiful.
Everyone said that Tamsin, the Kincaid family's youngest daughter, not only possessed Maris' good look but she also was the one who most looked like her out of all of them. She had always been definitely much love by everyone within the Kincaid.
But today when they saw Elara... she looked more alike to what Maris had actually been right to the face than any of them. Elara looked even more beautiful than what Maris had probably been.
Ring, ring.
The vintage phone Elara had set on her desk rang. Tamsin had actually called Elara a bumpkin for using such an ancient model phone when she'd seen Elara's.
Elara didn't care. An old phone?
What would Tamsin think if she found out this was one of the only ten or so satellite phones on the planet?
Elara found out she got a text when she checked her phone.
Eight ways suppliers can game any system (and how to prevent it) Part 1
From: Voss Tiernan
Tiernan: [I got my eye on you boss. Should I do something about this?]
Elara: [No, let him.]
Tiernan: [Okay, Sir. Have fun! ]
Once Elara had read Tiernan's replies she deleted the chat history. She'd had to get used to never leaving a trace, to keeping everything clean.
Elara had once fostered—a human term— with a boy named Tiernan. She was three years old than he was.
The child was a brilliant computer programmer, but he couldn't do anything else.
Tiernan had been one of the ten best hackers in the world for at least his age when there had still been a world and competing only required him to be able to outmaneuver a couple billion other experts with his feeble brain.
He wasn't old. Someday, he'd probably beat her at this game–after a few more decades of training.
Elara was tired. Hell, she wouldn't have minded taking some leave after the long trip to attend her grandfather's funeral.
She pulled out the picture of Harlan that she had always had with her and gazed at it.
Her granddad was a real nasty guy. Harlan had even denied Elara a last visit to him so he could try to make her take the Kincaid money.
Had Elara known this was her grandfather's final request she would never, EVER have agreed to it; but then again, nobody could make Elara do anything she didn't want to do...NOBODY!"
Elara took Harlan's picture down, hearing someone come to her door. She quickly tried to brush away the tear that had leaked in to the corner of her eye. It vanished from her beautiful face in seconds.
Tamsin ushered the maids into Elara's room with a shove of the door that would have broken the servant girls elbow if her father hadn't repeatedly warned her to leave it for now.
With a crash and splintering of wood, the door was burst open and struck violently against the wall.
Tamsin walked into the room and immediately frowned. Her eyes flared with disgust.
Tamsin made sure to speak loudly and use hyperbole in her statement. Do people live here? Why does it smell so bad? It's gross!
Elara crossed her arms, sat up a little and looked down at Tamsin. Somehow the look in her eyes felt cold.
"Do you think I'm a dog?"
Tamsin gave a little triumphant laugh. She looked down at Elara in disgust.
If you know that you are a dog, then there's no hope for me with you. Why don't you try barking? Maybe if you can sound like one, I'll see.
Tamsin was teasing her, but she wasn't mad; her calm, expressionless face didn't change.
Her lips did twitch back into a little grin.
Tamsin, whether you'd admit it or not I'm your sister. "If I'm a dog then what does that make you?" Tamsin was shocked to see Elara's lip start to wobble as she carried on speaking and even more enraged.'
Are you a younger sibling of a dog? or it's poop?'- Tamsin's face contorted with rage.