A Rose Of Revenge

✴️ Chapter 28✴️: Digging into the past.

  Annabelle walked out of the cemetery with confidence, hoping she had convinced her cousin that they were going to be good partners if they actually worked together. Even though her cousin didn't look too convinced, she knew Nora was incredibly inquisitive and curious by nature, so she'd come knocking sooner or later.

She stopped in her steps and turned around to look at Nora who was still standing beside the woman's open grave, looking into the dug out grave, her transparent umbrella rolling round and round in an oscillatory motion.

  She remembered all those years when she envied Nora as a teenager. How could someone be so free in a world filled with worries, anxiety and vices? She wishes everyday that she could at least, live a day like Nora. But she couldn't and that caused envy to set in. She remembered how pained she was as a teenager when her grandmother compared her to Nora and told her she was useless and a mistake.

Now... It's as if they changed positions in life. The once so beautiful teenager, who's hair was like that of Barbie, brown, full and curly, her skin so flawless, she wasn't thin neither was she fat and her face was like that of a goddess was now a skeletonous figure, who's skin isn't so smooth, pimples on her face and short Bob hair. Yes, she's still beautiful but compared to before, one couldn't consider that as beautiful.

All in all, Annabelle was thankful for her life which she had once considered shitty. She's grateful that her shitty life was now blooming flowers for her and she sincerely hoped that her cousin could live a blessed life before going to the great beyond.

  "Annabella!" That voice cut through her thoughts, like a knife would cut through bread, her head snapping back to where she was going to see who had called her name so authoritatively.

It was her father. Duke Steven.

He had been waiting for her to come out of the cemetery patiently. He had seen her talk to a skeletonous figure, but not for once did he realize that the skeletonous figure was his niece, Eleanora. He didn't even care what that person or thing  was.

All he wanted was to see his daughter and ask her why she hasn't made a move yet. Now that his mother is dead, he'd need to arm himself. This is where his plan B should be put to work.

"Father" Annabelle called with reference to her father. She had always feared the old man and her fear surpassed her hatred for him.

"What about the mission I placed in your hands?" He asked the daughter who was more like a tool which he needed to get what he wanted.

She knew a day would come, when he'd ask this question. Guilt overcame her, but she needed to answer the old man.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out of it. After struggling for what to say, she decided to play dumb.

"Father has given me so many missions. Which one of them do you refer to?" She asked, trying her best to have an expressionless face.

"Don't play dumb with me". Her father warned, knowing his daughter far too well.

Annabelle gulped down hard. She had thought about the answer she wanted to give her father, now was the time to say it.

"About that, father... I won't be able to do that mission. Not because I don't want to but because I can't. The-" her father slapped her into silence , she fell into the rain, her umbrella taken by the wind while she struggled with her hearing.

"You've never been useful but I didn't blame you for it neither did I put too much pressure on you. Now...I don't care how you do it. But I give you the next twelve days to get me what I want or the consequences would be too much for you to bare. Do you understand that?!" He lashed out at her, didn't wait for a response before he stormed off.