She had spent three months restoring it herself, polishing the silver filigree until her fingers bled, sourcing a replacement stone from a broken earring. It was perfect. It was a peace offering. It was a lie.
She stood in the foyer of the Vance Manor, the marble floor cold enough to penetrate the soles of her sensible, scuffed heels. The air smelled of lavender polish and old money-a scent that used to mean safety, but now just made her stomach twist into a hard, cold knot.
Laughter drifted from the drawing room. It was a light, airy sound. Her mother's laughter. Vivian Vance didn't laugh like that for Eleanor. That specific pitch, that adoration, was reserved for one person only.
Eleanor checked her watch. Five minutes early. Yet, standing there in the silence of the hallway, she felt chronically, unforgivably late.
She took a breath, held it until her lungs burned, and pushed the double oak doors open.
The laughter died instantly.
It wasn't a gradual fade. It was a guillotine chop.
Cassandra sat on the velvet chaise lounge, bathed in the warm glow of the fireplace. She looked like a porcelain doll, fragile and exquisite in a dress that cost more than Eleanor's entire yearly stipend. Upon seeing Eleanor, Cassandra flinched. It was a small, theatrical movement-a widening of the eyes, a slight recoil-as if Eleanor were a stray dog that had wandered in with muddy paws.
"Eleanor," Vivian said. The warmth evaporated from her voice, replaced by a tone that suggested she was speaking to a telemarketer. She was already rushing to Cassandra's side, smoothing hair that wasn't messy, soothing a wound that didn't exist. "You're here."
Robert Vance, the patriarch, lowered his newspaper. He frowned, the lines on his forehead deepening. The interruption of his peace was evidently a personal affront. "Wipe your feet," he grunted, though Eleanor hadn't stepped off the rug.
Eleanor walked forward. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird in a cage, but her face remained a mask of practiced indifference. She had learned long ago that showing emotion in this house was like bleeding in a shark tank.
"Happy Birthday, Cassandra," Eleanor said. Her voice was steady.
She extended the silver box.
Cassandra reached out. Her hand trembled. It was a masterpiece of performance art. The trembling suggested fear, suggested that Eleanor might bite her.
Cassandra's fingers brushed the box.
Then, she dropped it.
It wasn't a slip. Eleanor saw the fingers splay, saw the deliberate release. Gravity took over. The box hit the hardwood floor with a sickening thud. The sound echoed in the high-ceilinged room like a gunshot.
"Ow!" Cassandra cried out, clutching her wrist to her chest, curling into a ball of distress. "You threw it at me!"
Vivian gasped. She was on her feet in a second, her hand lashing out to smack Eleanor's arm away. "Clumsy! Or was that on purpose? You've always been jealous of her!"
The sting on Eleanor's arm was sharp, but the sting in her chest was dull, familiar, an old ache that never quite healed.
"She dropped it," Eleanor stated. No shouting. No pleading. Just a fact.
"Don't lie!" Cassandra sobbed, burying her face in Vivian's cashmere shoulder. "She looked at me with those eyes... she wanted to hurt me!"
Robert stood up now. His presence filled the room, a looming shadow of authority. "Eleanor. Apologize to your sister. Now."
Eleanor looked at her father. She looked at the man who had taught her to ride a bike, the man who had once carried her on his shoulders. That man was gone. Replaced by this stranger who believed the tears of a manipulator over the truth of his own blood.
"No," Eleanor said.
The word hung in the air. The atmospheric pressure in the room dropped.
Vivian's face turned a mottled shade of red. "What did you say?"
"I said no," Eleanor repeated. "I didn't drop it. I didn't throw it. She let it go. I will not apologize for gravity."
"You ungrateful wretch," Vivian hissed, stepping closer. "After all we've done for you. We let you live in the guest house. We give you a stipend. And you treat your sister-your superior in every way-with such malice?"
Eleanor scanned the room. She looked at the lavish furniture, the heavy drapes, the cold faces of her parents, the performative victimhood of the girl they had adopted five years ago.
A memory flashed. Eleanor at ten years old. A broken vase. Cassandra, new to the house, smiling behind her hand. Eleanor taking the blame, thinking it was noble to protect the new girl.
She realized then, with a clarity that felt like ice water in her veins, that she was waiting for a bus that would never come. She was waiting for them to love her again. She was buying vintage gifts and restoring them with her own hands, paying a toll for a bridge that had burned down years ago.
She didn't need their love. She didn't even want it. Not this version of it.
Something in her chest snapped. It was an audible sound in her mind, like a dry twig breaking under a heavy boot.
Eleanor knelt down.
"Look at her," Robert scoffed. "Finally showing some humility."
Eleanor picked up the silver box. She stood up, brushing a speck of dust from the wrapping.
"Give it to her," Vivian commanded. "And beg for forgiveness."
Eleanor opened the box. The emerald brooch glinted in the firelight. It was beautiful. Intricate. Valuable not in money, but in time.
She looked at the brooch. Then she looked at Cassandra, who was peeking out from between her fingers, checking to see if the show was over.
Eleanor turned toward the fireplace.
"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked, her voice losing its tremble.
Eleanor tossed the brooch into the fire.
It arced through the air, a glittering comet, and landed in the heart of the flames.
"No!" Cassandra gasped, jumping up, genuine shock breaking her act. "That's... that was pretty!"
Vivian screamed. "Are you insane?"
Eleanor watched the metal begin to blacken. She watched the gift be consumed by the heat. It felt good. It felt like breathing for the first time in years.
"Since you can't hold it," Eleanor said, her voice devoid of any warmth, "you don't deserve it."
She turned her back on them.
"Where are you going?" Robert roared. "Go to your room! You are forbidden to leave this house until you learn some respect!"
Eleanor paused. She looked at the door, then back at them. Leaving now would be messy. She had documents to retrieve, loose ends to tie.
"Fine," Eleanor said coldly. "I'll go to my room."
She walked out, leaving the chaos behind her.
Up in her bedroom-the smallest room in the manor, the one meant for a governess-Eleanor closed the door and locked it. She leaned against the wood, sliding down until she hit the floor. Her hands were shaking. Not from fear. From adrenaline.
She reached into a hidden compartment inside her closet, behind a loose floorboard. She pulled out a sleek, black burner phone.
She dialed a number she knew by heart.
"Status?" a distorted voice answered.
"It's time," Eleanor said. Her voice was different now. The tremble was gone. It was cold, sharp, authoritative. "Initiate Phase One. Prepare the assets."
"Copy that. We are standing by."
Eleanor hung up. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. The girl who just burned a bridge looked back. She didn't look sad.
She looked dangerous.
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