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TWENTY HOURS INTO HEIST
THE FIRST DAY OF THE HEIST WAS OVER, AND IT WAS NOW THE NEXT MORNING. Verona gazed out one of the many windows that filled the bank, watching as the sun started rising. Bright sunlight illuminating the inside of the Royal Mint of Spain. Variations of orange and yellow filled the light blue sky. It was a quiet morning, the silence almost suffocating to the young girl. The calmness was eery to her, knowing it never lasted long. It usually meant something was about to happen. The calm before the storm. She took the moment to focus her breathing, counting from one-to-four every few moments, which was something that always helped calm her nerves. Right now she was supposed to be taking her sleeping break, but after being unable to doze off, she finally gave up.
Verona looked out at the city, seeing people and cars on the busy street. Everyone carrying on with their normal lives. Her life seemed to not have had any type of normalcy for the past five months, maybe even her whole life.
She remembered the moment when she met the Professor as she was leaving tennis practice, after a long day of non-stop training. He had given her an opportunity that would be hard to refuse. She remembered laughing in his face, assuming that he had been joking, which it turned out he wasn't. He persuaded her by spilling the truth about her parents, having all the evidence to back his claims, which made her look at them in a different light. Going home wasn't something she wanted to do anymore, not like it ever felt like a real home anyways.
That day changed something in her. Almost everything made sense and fit into the puzzle that was her life. Every piece joined together perfectly. It all clicked in her head for the first time ever, and she knew she had to get as far away from that as possible.
Verona wanted to feel in control, which was something she had never felt before. She craved it. Every second of her life had been controlled by her father-- the people she was allowed to converse with, the sports she played, the schools she went to, the food she ate, the clothes she wore, the strict week-long schedule she had to follow.
During her first week in the estate in Toledo, she sent them a letter, telling them that she was safe and they didn't need to worry about her. She made sure to explain how she didn't want them to come looking for her, and that she was better off without them. She threatened to expose them if they ever tried coming after her. The things her father loved more than her were respect, power, and money-- so the thought of being exposed to the public most likely terrified him.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" The sound of Florence's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to jump slightly. Her hand flew up to cover her heart, as she turned to look at with in exasperation. Florence let out a slight chuckle, looking at the girl in amusement.
