35. A Destroyed Memory
**Ester**
“The zestria mines?” I repeated.
Christopher leaned back into his chair as if what he said was completely logical. A maid close by refilled his glass with more lemonade. “It’s a great idea. A friend of mine gave me the go-ahead to use them. I’ll convince him to sell me one of those minds soon enough.”
We were outside, shielded from the sun by the vines that wrapped around the white wooden arches above our heads.
My mother was here too. She’s as beautiful as ever with her hair pinned up. But as usual, she didn’t say anything.
“I guess it’s not a bad idea,” I told him. My legs were crossed as I drank some of my juice. “But you don’t usually take part in our clothing business. You barely keep up with the fashion industry.”
The smile slipped from his face. “Are you calling me uneducated? That I don’t know what I’m doing?”
No one said a word. I nervously chuckled. “You’re taking it too seriously. I just don’t want you to end up having any trouble, Dad. Amanda, can I have some more, please?”
“Of course, My Lady.”
She took my glass and poured what was needed. I didn’t need any more juice. This was my way of reminding Christopher that there was someone here who wasn’t under his control. She had the freedom to relay anything she heard back to her boss.
His eyes shifted from me, then to Amanda. He started laughing. “Oh. Sorry, you know how sensitive I get.”
I only smiled.
“Are you thinking of creating a luxury brand? The gems in the zestria mines aren’t cheap.”
“I wouldn’t call it a luxury brand.”
Christopher snapped his fingers and my mother placed a folder on the table. Some of its contents spill out, revealing designs of suits and dresses that would have taken a while to create. The designers I know create new designs every season, so he must have had this in mind since last year at least.
“I prefer to call it ‘affordable’,” he said with a smirk before leaning back. Christopher acted as if he made a solid point. “The kingdom of Lycanopy has already started using zestria gems to make accessories. Before long, they’ll be popular in Nightveil. Adding pieces of zestria gems to the clothes will let people think that these gems will be all the rage and try to be the first to get their hands on one of our pieces. We’ll earn a lot of money if we jump ahead of the trend.”
Although I wasn’t his biological daughter, I was still a blood member of the Hermonia family, so I do have a pretty good share in most of the businesses. So yes, I would receive some money if the clothes managed to gain public interest. But that wasn’t my main concern. I knew what he wanted me to do.
And that’s when he revealed why he really wanted me here. “Get Chester to sponsor the production. It shouldn’t be hard since you’re practically married to his son. If he is a man of honey, he should know how to treat his in-laws properly.”
There it is. I could feel the power of Amanda’s frown. This is the same thing he requested in the past.
I offered him a polite smile. “I don’t think King Chester would be interested.”
Christopher leaned forward and stared into my eyes, all the pleasantness in his tone ceased to exist.
“Well, make him interested.”
_______
I walked out of my bathroom with a sigh. Staying down there, with him, was too much.
One glance around my room was enough to cause me discomfort. My old brush was still on the dresser. The ceiling was painted pink, the real Ester’s favorite color. Strangely enough, it was one of my favorite colors too.
I spotted something on the wall and walked towards it. It was a picture frame. In it was a photo of me and my grandmother when I was young, years before I was taken away.
I reached out and touched her face. Streaks of grey hair had already started to form at that time. She still looked like a beautiful and strong woman to me.
It was taken in the forest where we lived. That’s it!
Why haven’t I thought of this before? I should go visit her. No one can stop me now. If I tell her about everything about me being reborn, I know that she’s the one person who would believe me.
With happy thoughts, I took the photo down and carried it with me as I left the room.
“Please, Sir! I’ll do anything!”
Down the hall Claire was on the floor, grabbing onto Christopher’s khaki pants. I stepped back until my back was against the wall, taking in the scene.
“I’ll do anything you want, but please don’t let me go back with that woman! She’s nothing like she was before. She’s a psycho!” Claire continued to plead.
Amanda ran towards me, out of breath. “I’m sorry, My Lady. She got away from me as soon as she was out of sight.”
I waved my hand, a sign that no longer mattered.
Christopher groaned in annoyance. “Get off the ground and stop acting like a spoiled child.” I dragged his leg away from her. “I gave you a job to do, and you’re going to do it!”
Claire had no choice but to beat her fist against the ground. Whether or not she broke through skin, I couldn’t tell from this distance.
She wasn’t about to be my biggest concern. Christopher marched in my direction and I instinctively braced my back against the wall again. I immediately regretted it.
He stopped right in front of me and grabbed my wrist. Amanada didn’t know whether to interfere or stand back. Her eyes shifted between me and Christopher, fear evident in her face.
My stepfather stared into my face before looking at the frame. It was in the hand that he grabbed.
“Tsk. The granddaughter of a hypocritical bitch.”
He shook my wrist until the picture slipped out of my grasp. My eyes widened. The word “no” was stuck in my throat. Everything moved in slow motion. It hit the floor on its side. The glass broke, smashed into a million pieces.
Thankfully, the photo was still intact. My mouth hung slightly open. I couldn’t move, every muscle in my body was frozen. He dropped my hand.
Before he left, Christopher had one last thing to say to me. “Just make sure you do what you’re supposed to.”