Chapter Two

Jasmine.

I didn't want to go back.

If I was strong enough, I would have gone on a hitch hike to England and hide away from the world.

The snide remarks, the indifference, the comparison between Amanda and I, and the choking loneliness I had felt when I was there.

Jane and Rachel kept texting me, asking what happened and why I left suddenly. They were the only true acquaintances I had made during my time in that city and here I was, leaving them behind without an explanation.

But how do I tell them my stepsister was behind the reason of my displacement?

I sighed softly at my loss.

The Castor Mansion wasn't really big on the outside, it had a humble appearance and often made people think my stepfather was a humble man. The inside, the one where no one from outside the family was allowed to see told a whole different story.

The gardener, a man I had grown up with was the first person to see me when I drove in.

"Back so soon?" He asked the moment I came down from the car as he helped me carry my bags out.

"Did you miss me so much you couldn't resist coming back?" He teased, swatting me playfully on the head.

"I was fired from my job," I said plainly, there was no need to lie to Gardener Jared, he could always read me like an open book.

"Why?"

"Amanda happened and a major mishap at work convinced the owner to finally let me go so here I am, ready to confront her," I told him, I was clearly exhausted at this moment and all the energy I had conserved for when I saw Amanda was depleting.

Gardener Jared sighed, he looked a bit disturbed but I knew he would try to sound upbeat because of me.

"I can't tell you what to do because I would be lying to myself, I'm mad for you and I know you don't deserve such things," He patted me on the back, his facial expressions telling me everything he couldn't say.

He wasn't a man of many words.

Gardener Jared was the one I cried to whenever Alexander or Amanda did something to me and my mom refused to look my way. I couldn't go to Charles because I hated him.

Fourteen years ago, he could read me like a book. He didn't have kids but he had a wife whom he loved dearly, she died five years later during childbirth.

Jared had continued to treat me like a daughter. He resembled my dad in some ways and made me miss him more whenever I remembered he wasn't the one.

"Are they inside?" I asked the dreaded question.

Jared looked at me then raised his head upwards but he didn't say anything. I followed the direction of his eyes and turned around to meet the eyes of Charles.

He didn't look happy.

"I wasn't expecting to see you today Jasmine, this is a pleasant surprise," Charles said yet his tone of voice suggested that me being here wasn't in any way pleasant.

He probably brought one of his mistresses over.

I forced out a fake smile to mirror his, "It shouldn't be a surprise because I'm sure you're well aware your daughter made me lose my job," I said indifferently.

Charles rolled his eyes, "That job wasn't beneficial to you or this family in any way dear, don't act like we just didn't do a huge favour for you," He snapped at me, rolled his eyes and walked away from the garden.

I pretended not to see a flash of red hair duck into the house.

"He brings that one home alot, your mother pretends not to notice them," Jared said.

I almost jumped out of my skin, I had forgotten he was here and got scared shitless.

"My mother loves to pretend a lot of things aren't happening, so far it doesn't spoil her image or the perfect family she has created with Charles, she doesn't care."

This time I didn't wait for Jared to reply, I dragged my suitcase, picked up my bags and walked towards the entrance of the house.

Amanda might not be home yet but Charles would know where she was.

I didn't know why I felt disappointment when I entered and saw that the house hadn't changed, everything and everyone was exactly the same while I went through some sort of internal crisis. It was annoying to say the least.

Charles was seated in his office, the flash of red hair I had seen minutes ago had been real because here she was, looking flustered yet perfectly dressed.

I guessed Charles knew I would be coming to his office. He didn't want me to actually see them, maybe just suspect but no concrete proof.

"May I ask you what you're doing here? I believe you have a living quarters upstairs far away from my office," He said, he reclined into his chair and placed a finger on his lips, his eyes were fixed on mine.

"Good day," I said to the lady who ignored me, "Where's Amanda?" I asked him plainly.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Amanda? The woman is twenty five, I don't control her movements or make it my business to know her whereabouts," He added a chuckle to make me feel stupid, no doubt about it.

"You and I know you have the location of your children on you and at all times so please, don't start with the games. I am so sorry for giving you a cockblock but I would love if you told me where she is," I tried to explain to him, I was quite adamant too but he was also stubborn.

"No," He spat at me, "You're irrational Jasmine, you'll cause drama and I don't need drama. Amanda would be back later so you can yell at her all you want in the four walls of this house," He said unrelenting.

At this point, the red haired was next to invisible because we only had eyes on each other.

I nodded, "Thanks for wasting my time Charles," And I walked out of the office and towards my room.

My family was filled with the most toxic of people.

******

She came back at the dead of the night. Giggling like a toddler and staggering enough times to make me confirm that she was drunk.

She probably wouldn't have something tangible to say to me. But mom was with her and I needed answers or I wouldn't be able to sleep.

I literally ran down the stairs.

"Jasmine, are you a child?" Mom snapped once she confirmed I was the one and not a burglar or something worse.

The eyeroll I gave her at this point was disrespectful but I had no desire to care "I am not but since you guys made it your personal mission to make my life miserable and run me out of a job, I guess I should say I am a child," I spat at my mom angrily.

Amanda giggled again, she looked absolutely wasted up close and smelled like vomit. She was disgusting.

"Your job is stupid," She said, giggling in-between like some sort of hyena, "We did you a favour and took you away from that dreadful life."

I turned to my mother who looked me dead in the eyes.

"Well she's right of course, I don't approve the method she used to get what she wanted but she's right about your job being stupid and not befitting your degree," Mom said calmly, even at the point of death she would always be calm.

I hated it. I hated her. I hated them.

"And now what? I'm here, what do you guys want with me?"

Mom rolled her eyes, she must have felt like my hysterics were beneath her at this moment. She turned to Amanda.

"Get up, let's get you in bed....."

"No," I shouted, loud enough to wake everyone that stayed within this four walls.

"I stayed awake because I needed someone to explain the reason why you guys did such a thing, I don't ask you guys for money, I don't ask you guys for anything and I come for your stupid vacation and the one thing I have going for me, you guys decided to ruin it," The words poured out of me at this point and I couldn't stop talking.

"After everything that happened before......"

"What happened before?" Mom interrupted me, she walked closer to me now, so close I could have counted her eyelashes.

I gulped.

"That's what I thought, nothing happened and all this is for you. We did everything because of you, for your future," She didn't give me the opportunity to say anything after that.

She held Amanda who was halfway asleep now but her eyes never left mine as she dragged her upstairs.

Somehow, my future seemed bleak and out of reach.