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 Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 10:57 am
Melody smiled as she accepted the food from the delivery driver, tipping them with a twenty-dollar bill before waving and closing the door. Liam should be here shortly, she sniffed the food bag carefully. It smelled spicy and very different than her normal food choice. She would give it a try though when they got here. Today was the day of the coming storm and she was so excited she couldn’t sit still. No matter what the results of the test were, she would get to rain hellfire down on those shitheads who dared drag her family name into this and hopefully one day, Liam’s family name. That was wishful thinking on her part but really depended on her brother not messing things up.
She was envious of him in that way, he had come out the other side of all the crap he had gone through and was still able to love and be loved. She had never truly had those feelings and as her body count stacked up, she wondered if she would ever be able to let someone in that close. Maybe she would just accept it and root for her brother’s happiness at this point. At first, she hated him for how everything had ended up but now as she worked with Liam to keep Aloy out of the loop, she was starting to feel protective of him. It was similar to the way she felt about Liam, the more she learned about him, the more she wanted him to be happy too. It was really weird but not as unsettling as when she first realized she was helping them bother for something other than her own benefit. It was something she rarely allowed herself to focus on but it did come up from time to time.
Sitting down at the table, she pulled out her laptop and phone. The airtag had led her to one of the main goals, the family name that owned the property that the car repeatedly returned to. Liam said he had recorded the conversation and had some info about names as well that she could use to corroborate her own info. The recording itself would be useful blackmail on its own as well. Everything was up and ready as she waited for Liam to arrive.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:09 am
Liam had gotten off at the bus stop and, hands in his pockets, has walked the rest of the way to the house. It wasn’t that long of a walk, not for him anyway, but he’d taken note of a few people staring at him as he walked. The area was full of well of homes and even more well off occupants so he wasn’t surprised that some would look at him, some clearly didn’t think much of him, he didn’t find himself caring really. He was comfortable in himself at this point. He used to hide that he was an orphan but he didn’t hide it as much now.
Approaching the front door he let himself in, sniffing at the air as he stepped inside. “Food arrived, I see. I didn’t know if you’d be hungry so I thought I’d order something.” And not knowing what she’d like he’d tried for some mild and some spicy Thai food for them both. He had his laptop tucked under his arm as he toed off his shoes before heading into the sitting room to join Melody.
“Sorry if I’m a bit late, the buses and such.” Offering his laptop to her he went to get himself a drink. “I don’t have a password on there, you can log in and pull up the sound file from the main screen. Did you want a drink?” He asked, already rummaging about for a drink for himself.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:10 am
Waving towards him as he approached, she smiled. “Yes it arrived, it smells very interesting. I’ll try a bit here shortly. I know it is a bit of a trek out here for you since you have to take the bus and then walk from the station.” She placed his laptop next to hers and unlocked it, getting ready to pull up the sound file. “Oh if it isn’t too much trouble I’ll have one of the Perrier that are in the fridge, they’re the green glass bottles.”
The recording was pretty clear, with only a bit of background noise from the jostling of the vehicle as it drove. God bless iPhones and their active noise canceling on recordings. She got to the part with his mother’s name and paused, going back over to her laptop and working through the possible names. One by one the dominos fell, knocking out each of the rumors and leaving just one remaining. “Charteris. Cassandra Charteris is her name.” They were well off yes, but they had always had a tumultuous social status among others of similar financial backing.
“You did very well Liam and it seems like you got some other info you wanted as well. I am sorry though that your real father isn’t reachable yet. Maybe one day we can figure that out if you want, I doubt he really had a choice or much knowledge of what happened depending on when it was found out.” She was trying to be a bit comforting to him as she worked, building up the mud she was about to sling toward the Charteris family. “What did the results say? Or were you waiting until we could both look at them?” Turning to face him as he walked back this way, she had that curious look of hers on her face again.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:12 am
“No trouble.” Grabbing the drink she asked for, and pouring his own choice into a glass, he came back into the living room and offered her the tiny green bottle. “I figured Thai food might be good. I gave it a try once, not that long ago, and it wasn’t bad.” Something new every so often wasn’t a bad thing, and he’d heard the place was good. Thee reviews said as much as well.
“I’ve been too nervous to look at them, I got the email ping this morning while I was having breakfast.” And instead he’d hurried to class, the nervous knot starting in his stomach and lasting till now. “At least I know my mothers name, I was glad to find out. I would have been happier if I’d been younger though.” It was something he’d spent his childhood wishing for. He may not share her last name but he knew who she was now. He could even look her up, he was certain of it. “My father, we can try and find at some point. But we have what we need for this mission.” Because it really felt like a mission to him.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:13 am
Melody nodded thanks at him and opened the bottle before turning back around. That family was big on importing and exporting goods though the actual type of goods was kept under wraps. She would have to look more into that in the future, it would be a nice extra twist of the knife to damage their business ventures as well. “It has been a bit and nothing has come through from your stepfather so maybe things turned out in the best way for you. Let’s take a look though.”
Switching back over to Liam’s computer, she made her way to the email he had set up for this. Sure enough, there was one from the doctor’s office. She could see how nervous he was still over everything. At this point, the results didn’t matter as much given the clear recording and info she had wrangled together. It would hopefully put him at ease one way or another.
She slid over as she opened the email so he could view it as well. It took her less than half a second to see the word regrettably in the body of the paragraph. So he wasn’t a match for marrow, that was good. The bottom part showed a gene match-up between him and his mother, showing how half of it matched but the other half matched another person. That was probably his father’s genes, she thought at least. It made a bit of sense based on what she had read up on. “So I guess you don’t have to go back for anything else on that front. But it does show how you have an exact match for half of your mother’s genes which does prove you’re related.” In her head, she heard the last pounding of a nail in that family’s plan for Liam and it made her smile.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:13 am
“Good.” That single word felt like such a weight off him, and it was, he wasn’t going to be bothered by them again. They wouldn’t harass him or spy on him, and risk finding out things they shouldn’t. He was safe, his secret was safe, and so was Aloysius and his sister. They were all safe from them. “That’s good.” He couldn’t help but say it again as he slumped in his seat and smiled. The knotting feeling easing in his stomach.
“What are you going to do now? Or rather how are you going to use this information against them?” He asked now, finally wondering just how Melody was going to release and use this information against them. He knew Melody was going to make them bleed, not in the literal sense, for what they’d done and he was sure he’d enjoy the show. They’d had him so worried and stressed they had earned this.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:14 am
This was when her smile turned from sweet to absolutely horrifying like the floodgates of hell were about to open. “Oh well, we know where they live. I was going to make my way over at some point and drop off a well-documented letter to one of their butlers or maids. Even if they do not know me, I am very certain most families remember my mother’s methods. Just to set them into a little panic is all. Maybe if they test the waters again, I’ll look into what things they are really having shipped across customs without declaration. Who’s to say a whistleblower won’t turn their attention to the misappropriation of funds they had to have used to bring an illegal worker in without having that fallout in the first place?” The possibilities were endless, and in finding out their name she could take a direction that didn’t even directly involve Liam’s relation and that whole coverup.
“In the end, they built the foundation of that family like a house of cards. Any foul wind could send the whole thing crashing down and you would be the least of their worries.” Musing the image of another house falling inward on itself, she laughed a little. It was a cold laugh, one that really didn’t match the sweet and innocent appearance she had on her face. In the past, she had seen many families fall to scandal and legal action. It was why she took such pride in her own family. Everything had always been by the books and had always been public facing. There were no cloaks and daggers until the whole mess with her father. But that time had passed and she could shine light on what happened to her brother, making him the poster child for how one can grow from a mountain of s**t. But she didn’t need to, he had kept to himself and that wasn’t as much a crime.
“But anyway, now that you know all this with the family and your father. What will you do with the information? I would like to say I see you as family with Aloysius and me if that is any consolation.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:17 am
Reaching for the bag of food he took the time to think things over, though he really didn’t need the time, he was just figuring how to word things a bit better. “They dumped me when I was a child, I didn’t have a name or a birthdate given, they were all I wanted growing up. When I finally get my wish it’s been how long and they don’t want me - they want something from me. They didn’t care to listen to me and only wanted what they wanted…without a care for me.” It had hurt in the start, a lot, but over time the hurt had lessened. It wasn’t hurt now but upset and even anger at them.
“I’m not good at what you are, I wouldn’t know anything about this these social circles you and they move in…I’m clueless.” That was putting it gently, because he really was clueless, he was certain he’d wind up having to learn however. If he was to continue dating Aloysius he knew Melody would see to it that he understood things, especially for the sake of the family name. He was ok with this, because it meant he had family and people who cared. He belonged somewhere aside from the dark mirror court, which had till recently been the only family he’d had aside from the orphanage.
“I say take the information, everything we have and whatever you can get, and make them pay. I want them to learn what it’s like to hurt…because they don’t have a clue. Do what you want and tear them down. As for myself…I want to find my birth father when I can.” He wanted to at least let the man know he existed, that he had a son, maybe he’d find some more family in time. Maybe not. Either way it was worth letting the man know, whoever he was. He shouldn’t be left in the dark.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:18 am
They really were terrible people, there could have been a better way to deal with it in the past but they showed that that was not in their cards. It was one thing to look down on people from their social standings, it was another to throw away someone without a name or any semblance of identity. It happened differently most times, but either way, she didn’t approve of that type of coverup. “They are selfish and undeserving people Liam. I have seen and learned a lot from my mother, she had to fight to survive in high society given she was from a lower class when she married my father. She fights to this day still even if she has moved on from the family name and runs her own business. It is ok if you are clueless, in this case, it probably is better not to know what lengths people go to protect themselves.” She patted Liam’s head for a moment before looking over the food options.
“I can help you look after I take out this trash. Also, if you ever had any questions about some of the social stuff I can explain at least a bit of it. Aloysius really never cared for social gatherings but I guess when you’re juggling as much as he is it makes sense. His position as a teacher really does help his image though and seems to be a good thing for his mood too. But I will get this dealt with so they don’t bother the two of you and he will be none the wiser just as we had planned.” With that done she picked one of the less spicy dishes. It was still noodle based so it was at least something sort of close to what she usually ate.
“It’s pretty good, I’ve never had Thai food before.” It was very different in flavor but it was indeed tasty. Definitely, not something Aloy would like given his aversion to any amount of spice. The main preparation was done, the rest would come in time.
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