SAVANNA (VERONICA)
I woke up with shattering sounds.
Half-asleep, I groaned and dragged the pillow over my head, pressing it tightly over my ears.
But, it did nothing.
The walls of this house were pathetic.
The place was so poorly built that it felt like even a line of ants marching downstairs could probably be heard from the bedroom.
Another loud crash echoed up the staircase, this time, with a voice—
“What the fucking hell!?!
You liars!”
Elena…
My eyes snapped open.
“You seriously expect me to believe this crap!?” she screeched.
“Where the hell did you get those phones?”
A wave of irritation hit my nerves.
Sleep was sacred to me.
People who knew me well never interrupted my rest unless it was absolutely urgent.
Even presidents had to respect that rule, but this cockroach clearly didn’t understand boundaries.
I kicked the quilt away and walked downstairs.
Ethan stood near the staircase, looking messy and helpless…
“You idiots waste money on stupid stuff like this but you can’t even pay the damn bills?!” she yelled.
“Dad’s out there drowning in debt and you’re buying luxury phones?!”
Her voice rose even louder.
“Elena, please lower your voice…” Mom’s weak tone came for the first time.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” She snapped immediately.
That bitch!
My irritation boiled into anger.
And then she made the mistake to step closer to Mom threateningly.
“If Dad finds out about this,” she hissed, “he’s gonna beat both of you senseless.
You think I won’t tell him?”
That was it, enough.
I marched straight across the room.
And before she realized I was there, my hand shot forward and grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked, Hard.
Her body almost flew away, slamming onto the floor, squeaking a sound of her.
The impact echoed through the hall.
For a moment the entire house fell silent.
Elena lay sprawled on the ground, stunned.
Mom and Ethan gasped, yet my mood was as cold as ice.
“What the fuck?!” she screamed, scrambling to sit up.
“H-how dare you, you bitch…!”
But I was faster.
My hand grabbed her throat, strangling her.
I shoved her back down against the floor, pinning her there.
Her eyes widened as my grip tightened just enough to make breathing difficult.
Pathetic.
“Say another word,” The coldness in my voice was enough to freeze the room.
Elena clawed weakly at my wrist, her face turning red as she struggled to breathe.
“V-Veron-nica—” she choked.
Her panic only made me calmer.
It had been a long time since someone had irritated me this much, and even longer that my hand became useful.
“Veronica!
Stop!” Mom rushed forward, trying to pull me.
“V-Vero…
let h-her g-go.” Ethan trembled.
For a moment, I considered ignoring them.
But eventually I released my grip.
Too bad.
My hand couldn’t quench its thirst.
Elena collapsed onto the floor coughing violently, sucking in air loudly.
Her eyes bulged with disbelief as she stared at me.
She clearly hadn’t expected this version of Veronica.
I rose slowly and looked down at her with absolute indifference.
“If you want to live, learn to keep quiet, or else…”
My gaze sharpened.
The threat was quiet.
But it was real enough that Elena immediately went silent.
Without another word, I turned and walked back upstairs to enjoy my sweet dreams…
________
Since it was the weekend, after breakfast, I dragged Mom and Ethan out of the house despite their protests.
First, I took them to the mall.
Mom looked completely overwhelmed the moment we stepped inside the massive building filled with luxurious brands and decors.
“Veronica…
w-we shouldn’t be here,” she whispered nervously.
But I simply led them into one of the luxury clothing stores.
The sales assistants immediately greeted us with polite smiles.
Mom looked like she wanted to disappear.
Ethan stared at the price tags like they might explode.
But I ignored their hesitation and began selecting clothes…
“Veronica, this is too much,” Mom protested softly.
“Really?” My brows arched in amusement.
“With these few?
I have just started!”
“Ss-started!?” Ethan’s eyes were bulging almost.
“It’s ov-ver h-hundred!”
I placed another stack of clothes onto the counter.
“Stop worrying so much and just try them on.”
Mom looked like she wanted to argue, but eventually she sighed and nodded.
__________
After shopping, they both looked exhausted.
Mom clearly assumed we were finally heading home.
But instead I smiled slightly and led them toward the cab station.
“Wait…
we’re going home right?” Ethan asked cautiously.
“You’ll see.”
Twenty minutes later we stood in front of one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.
Ethan stared up at the building in disbelief.
“S-seriously?” he whispered.
Mom, on the other hand, looked completely lost.
As we followed the hostess to our table, Ethan leaned closer to me and whispered nervously.
“D-did…
Did you r-rob a b-bank?”
I couldn’t help chuckling softly.
“No.”
He still watched me suspiciously.
“The money is legal,” I added calmly.
“Veronica…
Tell me honestly, where did you get this money?” Mom finally spoke up once we sat down.
“I may not be a good mother, but I still taught my children some morality…”
Sigh— “Fine…
I helped a wealthy person by luck the other day,” I said.
“He decided to repay the favour, so…”
It wasn’t the full truth, but enough.
Because each time I spent or brought money home, she’d worry herself to death, it seemed.
Although I didn’t really understand why this was a concern, I tried to be patient with the most loved ones with Veronica, as a way to repay her.
Mom, however, still looked uneasy.
“You shouldn’t take money for helping people,” she said worriedly.
“That’s not right.”
“I only take money when the other person benefits from it,” I explained, trying to be patient.
“And I don’t like owing people favours.”
This was the first time in life I was answering someone, otherwise, Savanna had never bothered about the question-answer round.
Not even the top most authority.
Then, with a brief pause, I added gently…
“You should trust your daughter more.”
She looked at me for a few seconds and then eventually relaxed with a small smile…
Once the waiter arrived to take our order, I ordered food in fluent French as it was a French restaurant.
I ordered all the delicious foods I could think of.
Because, through Veronica’s memory, they weren’t quite familiar with these foods but I assumed they’d love it.
Besides, I’d also learn what type they actually liked.
Mom and Ethan watched me in stunned silence.
When the waiter left, Ethan leaned forward slowly.
“H-have you…
eat-ten here b-before?” he asked carefully, blinking as confusion rolled in their faces..
“H-how d-do you even k-nnow that l-lan-guage?!”