Gilded Vendettas • James M. Beaufort.

Chapter 7 • The Mirror.

For me, and might be the whole of rich kids. The heirs and heiresses who are going to be owner of their family's companies.

The competition is always happening in our life. And, speaking of competition.

There are only two choices— loser or winner

Aren't you somethin' to admire
Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror
And I can't help but notice
You reflect in this heart of mine
If you ever feel alone and
The glare makes me hard to find
Just know that I'm always
Parallel on the other side

◌⏳┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⿻*.·

This weekend proved to be one of the toughest days of my life. I had hoped that avoiding the Beauforts and school drama would make things easier. But hope is a fickle thing—it often leads to disappointment.

"How are you, Louis?" I asked when I spotted him in the morning, walking out of his room with a stack of books in his arms—Romeo and Juliet, The Once and Future King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled nervously. "Ah, great. Mia took care of me very well." There was a gleam in his eyes, something I couldn't quite decipher.

"Alright, just don't make any trouble. We count on you, brother," I said, trailing off before adding, 'Our family already has enough troubles.' I changed my expression to a wry smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"God, I forgot to called Jessica about my two cats" I said to him, he rolled his eyes.

"Stop calling that a cats, they are cheetahs. In fact— You aren't even the real owner, Jafar and Jasmine was pet at Zoo!"

I rolled my eyes, well. I just be the co-shareholders with the zoo because I loved them. But, he speaking the truth. I am not the owner when It's illegal to pet the cheetahs. But, I cared about them as much as I cared about human.

"What will you do today?"

Louis change topic, his eyes sparkled with playfulness. It seemed like my boy was coming back. I shrugged and glanced down to my phone.

"Attending the conference with Margot today, and..." I trailed off, noticing something amiss in my planner.

Louis seemed to pick up on my unease. "What?"

I frowned, feeling both annoyed and frustrated. "Nothing, just someone arranged a golf session for me without telling me first."

Louis raised his eyebrows "And who did it?"

"Grandpa, with Ellingtons." I said. "Hope that not Elaine Ellingtons— I hated her."

Louis chuckled, shaking his head. "You and Elaine never did get along, did you?"

I sighed, feeling a surge of frustration at the memory of Elaine's antics. "She's the epitome of fake kindness. Always putting on a show to please Daddy Ellington, but at school, she's a completely different person."

Louis nodded in agreement. "Some people are just masters at wearing masks. It's like they're living double lives."

I nodded, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Louis. It was comforting to know that he understood my frustrations.

"Well, at least you have Margot and the conference to look forward to today," Louis said, trying to lighten the mood.

I smiled gratefully at him. "Yeah, I guess that's something positive to focus on."