The beginning of it all...
There are two principles ruling Amelia Stone's relationship with her mother that she relied upon in order to have the word called 'sanity'.
Some sort of rule that seems easy to follow but at the same time isn't.
One: Amelia has no right to utter a word when a conversation is taking place between them.
Two: It is important not to give any remarks to the statement or discussion that her Mother has laid down unless she asked otherwise.
Simple right?
In Amelia case, those annoying rules are the hardest ones to break.
She is the youngest of seven children, meaning she is the one who stayed with her parents alone the most before finding her own path, she is the only one who saw the bad and chaotic of what a typical 35-year old marriage looks like.
In other words, it is a complete and utter failure.
And in more precise words, the worst.
And above everything else, family comes first- that's what she thought, when she bothered to think about her life, which she often has no time to do considering how busy her schedule at work is.
The principles with her Mother worked well for her especially during public occasions as she is portrayed as this perfect daughter they want her to be.
The principles also served her parents- especially her Mother well, since Melinda Stones liked having nothing to do with her youngest daughter. Which was why, Amelia thought with a frown, she'd been so surprised to see a dinner invitation from her Mother, something that only occur when there is trouble…
And the so-called invitation has been asked to be treated with the utmost emergency.
Her Mother was clear in her message.
Amelia was to report to the Stones Mansion immediately.
It is quite annoying- the letter, there was no sort of greeting and it was written as if she were inviting her to a dinner party of some sort but also in the letter, it was said she shouldn't waste no time which is a clear indicator for her to leave her business behind and run over to her Mother's call.
She can't count how many times she had to leave because of an 'emergency' which always turn out to be something she could handle from where she lives.
Which is why her mind is made up- Amelia is going to delay the trip for probably a day or two.
Amelia's life was not exactly like any twenty-four-year-old lady would wish for. And she had been under the assumption that, as long as she remain out of her mother's sight and do not embarrass her in public gathering, her life would be perfect.
She attended Harvard just to protect her family's face-that all the Stone's children attended a reputable university.
She never enjoyed a moment of her university life due to everyone scared of approaching her, her social life was a complete disaster.
As she glanced at the Stone's mansion, every fiber in her regretted leaving her humble and peaceful abode. She let out a long and heavy sigh that indicated how terrified she is about what is waiting for her.
The question on her mind is what on earth does her mother could possibly want. Her Mother had announced since she was a child that she wants nothing to do with her- the youngest daughter and child and only paid for all her education because it was required of her.
Which everyone realized she meant: It would look bad and humiliating to their friends and the media if Amelia wasn't sent to a proper school.
Amelia starts to fidget and tap her foot as she is ushered into the main living room, a habit she exhibits whenever she is extremely nervous as she waited for the butler to alert her mother as to her arrival.
She'd spent about four to five years here but still feel uncomfortable each time. To her, nothing in this house was home to her, nothing here reminds her of happiness and she knew from the very first day she got here.
Amelia had few memories of her father, who had remarried when she was about sixteen, but she could recall that he absolutely made her laugh and was always telling her wonderful stories- all that stopped when he got married to another and little by little, they started to get estranged and eventually just stopped talking.
"Miss Amelia".
Amelia looked up at the sound of the butler's voice, and as always, Francis spoke in flat sentences, speaking too quiet for her own liking.
"Your mother will see you now" Francis said. "She is in her private study."
Amelia nodded at the young butler and made her way down the hall towards her mother's private study, a place that was her least favorite place despite hating the entirety of the whole damn mansion.
It was where her mother yelled, beat and also delivered her lectures on how to behave properly, it was where she told her that she would never amount to anything in life, where her mother speculated that she killed herself because she would be doing the world a favor, that Amelia was nothing but a stain to the honor of the entire family.
No, Amelia thought as she knocked on the door, there were no happy memories here.
"Enter!"
Amelia pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her mother was seated behind her desk, glasses on her face, reading a document. She looked well, Amelia thought idly. Her mother always looked well and healthy. She could easily be mistaken for forty-odd years.
Amelia waited for eternity for her mother to look or glance at her, and when she didn't, she cleared her throat.
No response.
She coughed.
No response.
And after what felt like eternity but mere minutes...
"You will attend the VIP taking place in Spain and I believe you will represent me well". Her mother said without looking up.
"Yes ma'am" Amelia replied waiting for the main reason as to why she was summoned.
"You may leave" Her mother said still not looking up. The statement causing a frown on her face, she should have known. She never calls for something important.
Amelia heads towards the door preparing to leave when her mother said "Your arrival should have been two days ago but I know to expect anything better from a bastard".
Amelia said nothing.
Her mother stood and walked to a nearby table, where she opened up and pour herself a glass of brandy. "I imagine you knew all along, I knew you wanted an explanation but it wasn't in me to give you one." She said.
Amelia looked up at her, the anger already evident on her face but she still kept her cool. "What changed?." She simply asked.
Melinda smile before sipping her brandy. "He left me for that imbecile he calls a mate." She replied making Amelia frown in confusion.
A mate?.
Friend?
As far as she knows, her father married a wife not a friend.
"You will never be mine, you are a product of what a failed relationship is. Your mother..." She pause while giving me a grin making me clench my fist.
"....you will never know who she is and who you belong to." She reveal.
The words hurt deep than they should have.
Amelia has always have an idea that the reason might be because she isn't a biological child due to her not resembling anyjof her siblings but she never brought the matter up.
This hurts more than she could ever imagine.
Why did she decide it was time to tell her all this now?.
Is she insinuating that she should leave the Stone family?.
"I am done with you. Leave" Her mother-no, not her mother said with a beautiful grin on her face.
And she walked away...