Ending

Chapter 30 - Guests, New and Uninvited.

"Thank you, Lilith. These cookies are simply divine," Pretoria purred, shoving another chocolate chip cookie into her mouth, crumbs cascading down her dress as she chewed carelessly.

As usual, she took her time making herself comfortable.

After her dramatic entrance—cornering Ben and Lilly outside the doctor's office and insisting they bring her to the house—she had them attending to her every whim. Her demands only seemed to grow, yet Lilly, usually so outspoken, hadn't voiced a single complaint.

It was unsettling.

She remained quiet, doing exactly as Pretoria asked, like a dog waiting for a pat on the head or a scrap of attention. The longer it went on, the more it made my skin crawl.

Pretoria turned her gaze to me, eyes gleaming with mischief. "So, my dear, sweet girl, imagine my surprise when James of all people came to tell me you wanted to see me." Her words dripped with amusement, a knowing look glinting in her eyes.

I had the eerie feeling she already knew exactly how that conversation went. Still, I treaded carefully.

Gripping the cup of milk in front of me, I placed it deliberately on the table before answering. "I'd seen you with him before, and... well, I wanted to meet you. I didn't know how to contact you, so I asked him."

I kept my explanation simple, deliberately avoiding mentioning Emmaline. Something told me it was important to keep her out of this. I didn't know much about Pretoria's strange ability to make the entire town quake at the mere mention of her name, but I did know that Emmaline didn't want her or James knowing we'd spoken.

Pretoria hummed in response, eyes drifting to the lace doilies in the center of the table as she digested my words. "I was quite surprised..." she murmured.

Her gaze snapped back to me, sharp and calculating. "It wasn't long ago that you were this little thing, all shy and terrified. You practically screamed when you first laid eyes on me."

Her voice, soft but cold, sent a shiver down my spine.

Pretoria's presence was overwhelming, like a shadow lingering in the corners of the room.

Suddenly, she straightened up, her face lighting up with a wide grin. "Let's go somewhere fun. You must be bored out of your mind sitting in this house all the time."

Emmaline's warning echoed in my head: "No matter what she says, don't go anywhere with her. Understand?"

I met Pretoria's eager gaze, the refusal already forming on my lips.

"She really can't go today."

Both Pretoria and I turned toward Lilly, who stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

Pretoria scoffed, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. "And why is that?"

Lilly wiped her brow before speaking, her voice steady but polite. "Our new foster child is on her way now. She'll be here in about an hour."

Pretoria's enthusiasm vanished, replaced by a barely concealed scowl. The shift in her expression was almost comical, but the tension between them was unmistakable. Lilly's calm reasoning had clearly thrown a wrench into whatever Pretoria had planned.

Pretoria let out a sharp, exasperated breath through her nose, and for a moment, she resembled an angry dragon more than a frustrated girl.

"That's terribly unfortunate." She tapped her fingers sharply against her leg. She stood, not really bothering to say a proper goodbye as she walked toward the front door.

She turned her body only halfway out with a stretched smile, "I'll have to grab you another day then." and she was gone, although her presence lingered.