Chapter 2Pretending Foolery in Wealth

The terrified screams of a sixteen-year-old girl are incredibly loud. My voice echoed through every corner of the massive estate, blending perfectly with the creepy music she had set up in the hallway.

I did not stop running until I reached the master suite. I threw my fists against Evelyn's heavy mahogany door, pounding relentlessly.

"Evelyn! Open the door! Please, I am terrified!"

The door remained firmly shut. Seeing this, I instantly dialed up my performance, sobbing so hard I sounded like I was choking on my own breath.

Doors began to click open upstairs and downstairs as the staff peeked out of their quarters. Martha stood at the end of the hall, clutching her robe. I heard another maid whisper to her, wondering why the madam was ignoring a terrified child.

Still, the room inside remained dead silent.

I pressed my face against the wood, my voice shaking in pathetic, broken gasps. "Mom... please. I am so scared. I cannot sleep alone in the dark."

The whispering in the hallway grew louder. Finally, the lock clicked.

Evelyn stood in the doorway wearing a luxurious silk nightgown. Her face was a mask of suppressed rage, dark circles forming under her eyes. She opened her mouth to scold me, but I did not give her the chance. I launched myself into her arms, shivering violently, and buried my wet, snotty face right into her expensive silk chest.

"Evelyn, I need to sleep with you tonight!"

With the entire household staff watching her every move, Evelyn was forced to contort her furious face into a mask of maternal concern. She awkwardly patted my back, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness while her jaw was completely locked. "Alright, sweetheart. You can sleep in my room tonight."

I crawled into her massive, comfortable bed and wrapped myself tightly in her Egyptian cotton duvet. I looked up at her with eyes full of absolute adoration and dependence, while internally, I was laughing my head off.

I made sure she suffered that night. I tossed and turned aggressively. I kicked the blankets off six different times. I sleep-talked nonsense four times. At three in the morning, I shot up in bed, screaming my father's name, and then threw myself into Evelyn's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Evelyn spent the entire night replacing the blankets, waking up to my screams, and soothing my fake panic attacks. She did not get a single minute of sleep.

If she wanted to maintain her image as the saintly, grieving stepmother, she had absolutely no choice but to swallow her rage and comfort the traumatized orphan.

The next night, I showed up at her bedroom door again, clutching my pillow. I stared up at her with giant, pitiful eyes. "Evelyn, I am still too scared."

She tried to turn me away, but I just stood there, shivering in the hallway. A maid happened to be walking by with a stack of fresh towels, glancing in our direction.

Gossip was a wealthy widow's worst nightmare. Evelyn ground her teeth together and opened the door.

From that day on, if a floorboard creaked in the attic, I was knocking on her door.

Evelyn's eye bags grew darker by the day. Her skin lost its expensive glow.

On the morning of the fifth day, I heard the sharp, violent crash of porcelain shattering against the wall inside her bedroom.

That afternoon, I was walking past her closed door and caught the sound of muffled arguing.

Rose's voice was sharp and impatient. "Mom, the girl is a complete idiot. Dad spoiled her so much her brain is entirely empty. Scaring her is useless. What if she actually loses her mind? How are we going to explain a crazy stepdaughter to the extended family? We are better off just keeping her happy until she turns eighteen. Then we can easily trick her into signing everything away."

There was a long silence before Evelyn let out an exhausted sigh. "You are right. Playing rough is too risky. We will keep her comfortable and complacent. It is only two more years anyway."

I stood perfectly still in the hallway, clutching my teddy bear. A slow, genuine smile spread across my face.

The very next morning, Evelyn was a changed woman. She climbed the stairs to the attic, took my hand, and spoke to me in a voice as soft as velvet. "Sweetie, this room is entirely too cold for you. Let's get you moved to the south-facing guest suite on the second floor. How does that sound?"

By the afternoon, I was unpacking in a beautiful, sunlit room. Fresh silk sheets, brand-new velvet curtains, and a massive bouquet of fresh lilies sitting on the vanity. It was a massive upgrade from the moldy attic.

Standing in front of the maids, Evelyn smiled warmly and announced her new policy. "Sandy is such a sweet, simple girl. From now on, she gets an allowance of twenty thousand dollars a month. She can buy whatever makes her happy."

The staff immediately began praising the madam's generosity. Rose leaned against the staircase railing, a look of absolute disgust on her face.

I squeezed my new designer stuffed animal and beamed at them with perfect, childish innocence. "Thank you so much, Evelyn! Thank you, Rose!"