Chapter 2
There was a knock at my door.
"Autumn, are you asleep?" Sophie's voice was sickly sweet, almost cloying.
Here she came.
I didn't answer.
Then, I heard the doorknob turn, followed by a soft sigh.
"Autumn, I know you're upset. But Richard is doing this for your own good." Sophie's voice came through the door, clear and sharp.
For my own good? If he actually cared about what was good for me, he wouldn't have given that emerald pendant to an outsider.
She knew I wasn't asleep.
She was trying to get me to come out.
Sure enough, she kept talking. "Richard said now that you're going to college, you'll need more money. He already lined up a tutoring job for you. You'd be a Benovian teacher for Cole's youngest son.
"The pay is great, so you wouldn't have to worry about tuition."
My ears perked up.
Cole Warren's youngest son? Wasn't that the same boy Sophie had been tutoring all along?
So what was she doing? Trying to shut me out? Or did she want me to clean up her mess?
I yanked the door open.
Sophie jumped, nearly dropping the cake in her hands.
She quickly composed herself and gave me an innocent smile. "Autumn, you scared me to death. I saved this piece of cake for you. Want to try it?"
She held out the cake with a single candle stuck in it. The candle had already been blown out.
Pretty sure Richard bought this cake for her. Now she was offering it to me. Was she trying to tell me that even her leftovers were too good for me?
"No, thanks," I said coldly.
"Autumn, don't be like that. Richard really is doing this for your own good. The Cole kid is impossible to teach. If you went there by yourself, you'd end up in a bad position," Sophie said, pretending to care.
In a bad position? Was she hinting that I was not as good as she was?
"I'm not taking that tutoring job," I said flatly.
A tiny flash of triumph flickered in Sophie's eyes.
"Autumn, don't be so stubborn. Richard means well. He said you have a difficult personality, so he wanted me to put in a good word for you with Cole. That way, you wouldn't drive the kid away," she said.
So this was how she talked to Richard about me behind my back.
Anger flared inside me.
"Sophie, what are you trying to say?" My voice was ice cold.
Her smile disappeared, and her eyes turned sharp. "Autumn, do you think Richard treats you badly? Have you ever considered that maybe you don't deserve the good things he does for you?"
She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, but every word was loaded with malice. "You think getting into a good college makes you special?
"You think Richard supports me to spite you? He supports me because I need it more than you ever could and because I'm more worthy than you."
Finally, she was showing her true colors.
I looked at her twisted, hateful face and laughed.
"Whether I deserve anything isn't for you or him to decide," I said, pointing toward the door.
Sophie froze.
"And tell me, are you really more worthy than I am?" My voice was calm, but sarcasm dripped from every word.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sophie's expression shifted.
"Nothing. I'm saying that some people's so-called hard work and good behavior are nothing but an act." I raised an eyebrow.
Sophie went rigid.
She knew exactly what I meant.
Cole's youngest son was a complete disaster. His grades were terrible, and he had a temper that would scare off any normal tutor.
The only reason Sophie had managed to keep that tutoring job for so long was not that she was good at teaching. It was because she knew how to flatter Cole's wife.
I'd seen through her act a long time ago.
"You! Stop talking nonsense." Sophie was clearly rattled.
Just then, Richard walked over.
"What's going on? Why are you two making so much noise this late?" His face was stern.
Sophie's face immediately crumbled into a wounded expression, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Richard, I wanted to bring Autumn a piece of cake, but she... she said I..."
She let the sentence hang, choking on her words.
Richard turned to me immediately, his eyes burning with disappointment and anger.
"Autumn, look at yourself. Sophie has been so caring toward you, and you still bully her. You are getting worse and worse," he snapped.
I saw this coming a mile away.
I caught the smug look in Sophie's eyes and the disappointment written all over Richard's face.
I felt nothing but emptiness.
"Dad, I didn't bully her," I said calmly.
"Don't lie to me. I heard you two arguing with my own ears," he shouted.
"Oh? So you only heard us arguing, but didn't catch what she said to me?" I shot back.
Richard had nothing to say.
He never cared what Sophie actually said, because in his mind, she was always the innocent victim.
"That's enough. Go to your room. Starting tomorrow, you're going to reflect on your behavior!" Richard jabbed a finger right at my face.
I didn't argue.
I gave Richard a long, hard look. Then I gave Sophie one, too.
They were meant to be a family.
One loved playing the saint, and the other loved playing the victim.
I turned and walked back to my room.
Right before I closed the door, I heard Richard say to Sophie, "Don't cry, Sophie. I know you've been wronged."
Wronged? If anyone had been wronged here, it was me. But it was fine. Soon enough, they would find out what being wronged really felt like.
I switched on the desk lamp and spread out a blank sheet of paper.
It was time to speed up my plan.