Airalin

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I nodded at Vivian's silent remark. That woman was such an annoyance!

"There's no way I'm gonna go shopping with that bimbo," I whispered, "I think I'd rather be tortured by my old necklace for a while. At least the necklace didn't smell!" I sighed. "Anyhow, I ought to get dressed. I'm sure that bitch was right about one thing... I probably look like quite a mess."

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I scrunched up my nose when I smelled that overpowering scent. It was repugnant, but being rude to this woman would accomplish nothing. Maybe I could convince her to get her husband to lay off...

"I look a bit bad because I've been weak and a bit sick lately," I said, "I also just got out of bed. Nightmares and stuff." If I could make her feel sympathy for me, perhaps she would be more included to do as I said. It certainly couldn't hurt.

"I really shouldn't go shopping - it's quite taxing on my health, you see," I said, totally unwilling to spend my whole night with this dumb woman.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I blinked.

"Relax, Vivian," I said, "If it's after anyone, that would be me, not you. But I don't think it's going to come back. It seems like it's okay with bothering other people for now. As far as I'm concerned, that's absolutely fine. I don't care about them as long as they keep that necklace... and the monster that lives inside it... away from the pair of us."

I wasn't sure why Vivian was so much more terrified than I was. had it done something to her that she hadn't mentioned to me? It may have had some subconscious psychological influence on her. I really hoped that wasn't the case - I had no clue how to remove such an influence!

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

So the necklace was at large again.

I was a bit relieved. If it were wreaking havoc upon others, perhaps it would stay away from me. Covertly, I shared a small smile with Vivian as a way of expression my optimism about the situation. Better others than me.

Of course, the option to buy the necklace myself was still available to me. Since Vivian had her doubts about killing Frank, it might be my best chance of getting rid of him.

No. I couldn't fall for that again. Maybe Vivian's idea to bribe Frank before trying anything was for the best. Surely all he was after was money anyhow. Though I felt quite certain that, if I did pay him to go away, others would come hoping to profit by bothering me in a similar fashion...

I bit my lip. There had to be a good way to handle this! Perhaps I could manipulate Frank into a position where he appeared to be doing something harmful to me, I could trick one of the guards into killing him off for me...

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

Once I was alone with Vivian, I began whispering to her. "We need to kill uncle Frank," I said, "He seems just as bad as my father. He needs to die, and this time we don't have the necklace, so we need a plan - one that doesn't implicate either of us in his death. Are you... willing to help me with this endeavor, Vivian?" I asked, my eyes pleading. I was asking far too much, and I knew it. If things went poorly, Vivian could end up being arrested, or even killed. That wasn't something I wanted to risk... yet I had little choice. I had to either live under the rule of another abusive man, or kill him before he had the chance to hurt me.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I bit my lip. Without my necklace, I didn't feel nearly as confident about leaving on my own. "I could hire another security team for my hotel while maintaining my contract with the existing one," I said nervously. I certainly had the money. The question was whether a new team could be trusted. I would prefer to avoid becoming reliant on such a team... ugh! Perhaps selling the necklace had been a mistake...

I needed Amanda to go away so I could discuss strategy with Vivian. "I am tired," I said, "I'll think about this more tomorrow. For now, I need my sleep."

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

The decision to let Amanda use some of my money came easily. I had more cash at my disposal than I could ever use on my own. I was more than happy to part with some of it to dear uncle away from me.

"You can use all the money you need," I said, completely unconcerned. I needed to get rid of Amanda as quickly as possible; Frank needed to die, and soon. if I couldn't rely on my necklace, I would just have to kill him myself. But I couldn't tell Amanda about that.

"If Frank stays here much longer, I'm going to leave," I said flatly, "I'll stay in a fancy hotel or something, somewhere he can't get to me. I will not deal with such an intolerable oaf. I'm leaving in the morning."

My decided was made up. Either Frank had to go, one way or another, or I would!

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

This Frank guy was a total creep.

I shot Vivian a glance, concerned. Dear uncle was threatening me in a not-so-subtle fashion - that much was obvious. He needed to go, and the sooner the better.

But I had no necklace to rely on anymore.

I cursed under my breath. It figured this would happen as soon as I surrendered my protection! I had the sudden urge to put on my necklace again, use it to tear this petty man and the four obnoxious women who accompanied into little tiny shreds. Unfortunately, all I had was words.

"You know, Frankie, speaking of knives," I said, "You realty ought to be more cautious than this. Ever since I've arrived here, this house has had a nasty knack for killing its inhabitants. Why don't you stay in a hotel nearby? It would be much safer. You see, every single person who has died here so far has been a complete snob, and you're the snobbiest person I've met since I inherited this fortune, so..." I shrugged, shooting him a look of mock concern, "If you like, we can set up some tents for you outside. I don't think the dirt will mind you."

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

The rain for sure. I hate getting all wet, but I hate having my skin burned, too. Cloudy days are best.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I raised an eyebrow at Nathan's little slip up. Perhaps Auntie had been getting closer to Nathan than I had realized... after all, she did spend so much time in her room, it was hard to imagine she was doing it all alone! I shot Vivian a glance, wondering if she had noticed as well. Not that the whole affair really mattered. Provided the two of them behaved themselves, I didn't particularly care what they did.

I was far more concerned about our visitors.

"Any idea who this might be?" I whispered to Vivian, not bothering to go to the door - that was Auntie's job. Very few members of the family were welcome here, as far as I was concerned. If the wretches visiting today were anything less than charming, I would have to force Auntie to shoo them away after a couple of days.