Having a bad day (1)

Alice's hand was shaking. She could barely drive, but she tried to force herself to get as far away as possible from Hades's driveway.

Her fingers brushed over her neck where he had grabbed her. She could still feel it—the ghost of his grip, the way his fingers had pressed into her skin. The darkness in his gaze. That smirk.

How was she going to survive this?

Worse, he was blackmailing her—subtly but undeniably. She had to think of what to give him if he showed up without the footage. And for if he showed up at all. Not only that, he wanted her to represent him legally.

Should she just run away?

A text came on her phone. As soon as Pricillia's name flashed on the screen, she hit the brakes, and the car came to a screeching halt.

She grabbed the phone immediately and opened the text.

'Go to a quiet place and call back immediately.'

Her chest tightened. A quiet place. That meant somewhere away from the Wildfire home. Somewhere, she couldn't be overheard. Thankfully, she was already outside. But still—just in case—she stepped out of the car, gripping her phone as if it were her lifeline.

She dialed.

The line connected almost instantly.

"Alice?"

Alice's breath caught in her throat. That voice. It wasn't Pricillia's.

"Paula?" she whispered, her heart stuttering.

"Alice—!"

A strangled sob came through the line, raw and unfiltered.

Alice's knees nearly buckled.

Her fingers dug into her phone, her pulse pounding in her ears. She was used to hearing Paula cry. But this time, it was different.

Alice pressed a hand to her mouth, willing herself not to break down, too.

They had been together since childhood. They had laughed, fought, dreamed, and survived—never once imagining a world where they weren't side by side. But now, suddenly, they had been ripped apart. They hadn't planned for this, but it was what Alice needed to do for their future.

"Paula, where are you? Are you okay?" Alice's voice trembled.

"I'm in the West," Paula choked out between sniffles. "It's… different here. Everything feels foreign. I feel foreign. How are you? Are you okay?"

Alice shut her eyes, swallowing the ache rising in her throat. She could imagine it—Paula, lost in a world she never belonged to, just as Alice felt now. They were both lost. Both alone. But she tried to assure herself that at least Paula would have it easier than her.

"I am fine. It's lovely here. Vivian... how is she?" She asked, trying hard to keep her voice firm.

"Vivian..." Paula sucked in a shaky breath. "She's safe. They moved her to a better hospital. A big one. She's getting the care she needs. I didn't see her. But I saw photos."

Alice let out a long, shuddering breath. A sob almost escaped her, but she held it in.

"That's good," she whispered. Now, she had to hang in there. At least Priscilla hadn't abandoned her. She had kept to her own end. She had to survive here no matter what.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just breathed into the silence as if trying to hold onto this fragile moment of connection before it slipped away again.

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

But it had to be.

Then, just as Alice was about to ask her where she was living, the phone rustled, and another voice cut in.

"Aurora." It was Priscilla.

Alice didn't answer. She almost cringed at being called that. At the other end, she could hear further rustle. Priscilla told someone to 'lead her out.' She guessed they were talking about Paula.

Eventually, Priscilla settled into the phone again.

"I heard you made a mess of your wedding dinner."

Alice stiffened. The warmth in her chest turned cold.

Her voice was sharp. Unimpressed. Like Alice had failed some invisible test. Or maybe it clearly was a visible one.

Alice exhaled slowly, gripping the phone tighter as reality came crashing back.

"I didn't make a mess," she said, her voice firm but not loud. "I just had to protect myself."

She only had to remind them that she was part of them and that she needed to be treated better. How was that a bad thing?

Priscilla was quiet for a moment, then sighed.

"It's okay to protect yourself, Aurora," she said, her tone controlled. "But never at the expense of putting me in jeopardy."

Aurora. Why did the woman keep referring to her that way?

Then, more softly, Priscilla added, "It would be nice if we all returned safely when the year was up."

Alice swallowed the lump in her throat.

"If," Priscilla echoed.

Alice let the frustration bubble over. "How am I supposed to survive if I don't know much about Aurora?" she demanded. "And how could you just leave me here to fend for myself? Being her twin doesn't mean we have some kind of telepathy. I need to know tangible information so I can prepare myself!"

Priscilla didn't answer immediately.

Alice's grip tightened on the phone. "Did you even know?" she pressed. "Did you know they put me in the legal team at the estate? Environmental team. And I even got a ranking. D!"

Silence.

Alice scoffed bitterly. She realized—she could only complain so much. Because at the end of the day, Priscilla had made sure to survive. And had given Alice no choice but to survive. Even though she had been thrown to the wolves.

"I am not giving you all you asked because I thought this would be easy. Do a good job."

Her anger sharpened.

"You lied to me," Alice accused, her voice shaking. "First, you made me believe I was going to marry Dawin. Then, after the switch, you still pushed for this marriage because you wanted to save your company."

Priscilla didn't deny it.

"And what's wrong with trying to save my company?" she shot back, her voice cool and sharp. "Why did I need to tell you everything?"