𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐊𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 - An Unfortunate Beginning

Veronica sweeped across the floor's of Count Olaf's house. She sighed as she got no better at it, it felt like it would take a century to clean these floors. Living with Count Olaf, or Father as Veronica would have to call him, was not easy Chore after chore and nothing to his expectation, and the many bruises being covered by her dress! Veronica was just glad that she haven't been thrown out on the streets yet...

Speaking of Count Olaf, he came rushing down the stairs, with the same old grim smirk. "Girl, I have some good news...for you at least..." He said with glee, Veronica felt a bit interested when he said 'for you at least'.

"What is it, Father?" The brunette groan, starting to sweep the floors again. Count Olaf scoffed at the girl when he saw her sweeping the floors, trying to ignore him and it caused him to kick the broom out of her hands. Veronica look at him with a blank stare. "Well, I have three orphans coming later today..." He said to her, putting his face closer to hers with a witty smirk. "So I want you to look presentable!" He said, staring at her outfit in disgust.

Veronica looked down at her dirty dress, confused, this was the only clothes she had. She had stretched them out while growing up here from a small age. "Father, how? I've been wearing the same thing for years now..." Veronica questioned, stomping my foot a little. Count Olaf glared at her complaint and the brunette began to sweat a little, knowing she had made a mistake. He threw his hand across her face, hitting her rosy cheek, and she fell on the floor.

"Your lucky that the orphans are coming or I would have done worse to you." Count Olaf muttered, as shivers went down the girl's spine and she touched my cheek slightly, wincing a little from the pain. Veronica looked up at Count Olaf for a few seconds before he walks off. Veronica took in a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her forehead and stood up, thinking of how lucky she was. But her hopes didn't last for too long and she then grabbed her broom and begin sweeping again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica had finished half of her work as Count Olaf had told her to stop, saying that the orphans needed to do some chores as well. All she could think of was the children he always mentioned, but she did remember seeing a newspaper about a fire, not a few days ago. Veronica couldn't even remember her past, it seemed fuzzy to her. She can barely remember a thing of when she was a little girl, it's like her memory had been erased.

Veronica stopped thinking when she heard Count Olaf's doorbell and it playing it's spooky tune. She dusted near the bottom of her dress and and made sure she looked presentable. Count Olaf seemed happy as he came rushing down the stairs, making bottles shudder and one break. He stopped at the door and started saying 'Hello' over and over again. Veronica watched and tap her foot on the floor, several times, waiting for him to open the front door.

"Hello, hello, hello children..." He said, opening the door. Veronica tried to get a good glimpse of the children as much as she could but she could only make out what looked like a man, two girls and a boy. "I am Count Olaf, a renowned actor and your new guardian...your welcome..."

Veronica heard the girl say "Thank you..." quite awkwardly. Olaf repeats the last two words he said before saying "Please come in and mind that you wipe your feet, I don't want any mud trickling in, and don't forget your enormous fortune!" The kids walk in, and she could see they were not only nervous but a bit scared. Veronica did feel bad for them, the brunette could tell that maybe Count Olaf was up to something.

The boy took notice of the brunette and she gave him a soft smile and a wave, while he gave her a smile back and pushed his glasses up. Veronica looked at the two girls beside him and smiled at them as well. "Mr.Poe didn't say Count Olaf had a daughter..." The girl said, walking towards her. "Oh, yeah, I'm Veronica Bella. It's nice to meet you three!" Veronica explained to the girl, waving to the little one in her arms after. She gurgled happily at her, and she felt warm inside from her cuteness.

"It's nice to meet you Veronica, I'm Violet Baudelaire and these are my siblings Klaus and Sunny." Violet said. Veronica smiled and shook hands with her and then walk over to Klaus and shook his hand. Veronica looked into his eyes for a moment, before Sunny babbled something which made Klaus blushed red.

"And I see you met Veronica, my dear daughter." Veronica fake gagged at the words 'my dear' before Count Olaf continued. "She'll show you around the house and in the meantime, I will be up in my secret tower room, which is forbidden to enter for any of you!" Veronica sighed deeply, as Olaf walked up the stairs.

He stops and throws a list at Klaus, and then walks back up. Klaus looks at it and then understands it's a list. "Well, we better get started with the tour, follow me Baudelaire's!" Veronica tried to say, cheerfully, to keep their hopes up but she could see their gloomy faces. They follow behind her and Veronica began the tour, starting from the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica led us upstairs, to our room. "And this is our room, and where we sleep..." She said before frowning as the Baudelaire's weren't happy with how it looked. "There's only one bed." Klaus sighed, looking at Veronica. She sighed and looked down. "I know, but Count Olaf said it was the best he could do, even I know that's a lie." Violet felt bad for her that she lived with a treacherous man like him. She thought of all the bad things that could've happened to her. "You get used to it after a while." Veronica said, trying her best to smile as it wobbled into a frown. The two elder Baudelaire siblings frowned, feeling sorrow for Veronica. At least Veronica could keep her hopes up a bit.

"I'm sorry, Baudelaire's, I can tell that your still upset..." Veronica sighed, sitting down on the single bed. The Baudelaire's sit down next to her,as Violet placed Sunny down next to Klaus. Violet rubbed her shoulder gently, comforting her. "It's okay, Veronica. We all share the same feeling of this place..." Klaus said, with a warm smile.

"Sorrow? Misery?" Veronica asked.

Klaus nods in response, as the brunette smiled sweetly. But the happy moment didn't last long as Count Olaf came barging in, with a mop and bucket. Veronica sighed, knowing this can't be good. "Show time!" He sneers. Veronica and the Baudelaire's stand up as she took Sunny in her soft arms, and we begin our chores.