7. Ivy #2
Scar scoffs, waving a dismissive hand as if this is nonsense. “Yeah, there’s no way you’re picking Vaughn over the most powerful man in our world! Vaughn, that ass-kissing jerk, doesn’t even come close!”
I wasn’t expecting the strong dislike.
“Uh, I take it you don’t like Vaughn?”
“I don’t like his timid, complacent manner. He doesn’t have his own unique belief, let alone a backbone!” She rolls her eyes. “Vaughn just goes with whatever Grandfather wants and never questions him.”
Interesting…
“If you ask me, Vaughn has always been jealous of Emmett. Grandfather stepped away from the daily operations of the Outfit a few years ago, leaving the majority of the responsibilities to Emmett and some to Vaughn.”
“So they’re rivals?”
“With a deep enmity. Vaughn has caused some irreparable pain to my cousin, but Emmett has never retaliated. I wonder why?” she muses. “In any case, you’re now the one deciding, so we’re going to show him!”
I don’t have the heart to tell her about Emmett’s sardonic plan to make me choose Vaughn over him. She’ll just get pissed, I’m sure.
“If Emmett is already the pseudo-head of the Family, then why is there a selection process?” I ask, my mind racing.
“Because everyone is wary of him,” she says simply. “My cousin is more than a threat, not only to my uncles and father but to Grandfather himself.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t care.”
“What?”
“Emmett simply doesn’t care,” she repeats, looking proud of her rebel of a cousin.
“He doesn’t kiss anyone’s ass. He doesn’t bend over backward to obey or respect our uncles or my father.
Even Grandfather barely gets a nod of recognition from him.
But more than that, he’s a cold, indifferent, incredibly dangerous, and unpredictable person.
He would’ve been eliminated a long time ago and, trust me, many have tried but not only have they failed, but they’ve all been mercilessly wiped out in ways that don’t even trace back to him. But everyone knows it’s his work.”
This time, it’s like I’ve been dunked in an icy lake, my entire body chilling to the bone.
“Emmett’s power is silent and hidden. In the past decade, he has made it a point to build a loyal Outfit that only answers to him and this ticks off my father and uncles.
When Emmett moves, everyone has no choice but to obey…
so Grandfather, in his senile wisdom, has decided to clip Emmett’s power by doing this. ”
Yeah, but why did that old man pick me specifically?
Melissa is my twin sister, she could’ve done it, but he didn’t even glance at her at all that night.
“What about Vaughn then? He must be something if he’s contending the position against Emmett?”
“Hmm, Vaughn is skilled and intelligent, for sure, but not like Emmett. Vaughn’s in the running simply because he’s easier to control.”
So Emmett lacks support within his own family. Well, save for Scarlet, of course.
“What about your father and your uncles?” I ask. “Aren’t they the ones most suitable as the next heirs?”
At this, Scarlet laughs mirthlessly. The sound makes a chill run through my bones.
“Those fools? Yeah, no way they’ll sit in any position of prominent power. Ever since Auntie Daphne passed, Grandfather completely iced them out. My two cousins far exceed them in everything already, but Vaughn is their gateway for power.”
“That must cause a lot of friction,” I pry.
“That’s a given!” Scarlet waves a hand in the air like she’s directing an orchestra.
“Being the next head of a family like ours is not just about prestige, it’s also about power, shrewdness, cunning, outsmarting everyone in the room and the ability to make seemingly simple decisions that create potent, dynamic shifts in the world.
It’s a heady, obsessive kind of position that everyone wants, not just the core family members. ”
“Even to outsiders?”
“Absolutely! Remember that secret society we just talked about? Only two families have the ability to head it and right now, it’s down to us and the Phoenix Corps family.”
“The Beaumonts?”
Holy God! What’s the real deal behind my friends? Do I really know them?
“Look at you piecing things together!” Scar smirks. “The thing is, the Eastons and the Beaumonts don’t get along at all.”
“Like the Hatfields and the McCoys? Seriously?” I deadpan.
Scarlet laughs heartily at this, clearly tickled.
“Maybe it is like that, but on steroids. I’m not even sure, to be honest,” Scarlet muses with a delicate frown on her beautiful face.
“You see, Ivy, information is the most valuable currency in the world. Problem is, what you know might very well get you killed. For example, the two families are extremely good at smoke and mirrors. What you think you know is mostly likely a trap.”
“Wow,” I muse silently, my mind reeling with all this information.
“What I do know is that at some point, there was a chance to bridge that divide through my cousin, but, well, you already know the rest.”
“The failed marriage with the Beaumonts?” I ask and Scar nods silently but the atmosphere in the room changes drastically.
Something horrible must’ve happened, judging by the faint sorrow I notice on Scar’s face.
“We didn’t hear from him for three years after that,” she suddenly mutters.
Her face pales, draining of all color, and her eyes become dark, desolate and so far away, it’s as if she’s remembering something… sinister.
“Scarlet?” I whisper, concern flooding my system. “Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” she splutters. “It’s just… there’s a code our Family has and there are methods used when raising the next generation that would turn anyone’s blood cold. But that’s not the same for Emmett.”
“What do you mean?”
Scar sighs heavily. “Regardless of this trial thing happening, Emmett is the designated, rightful heir, which means he was raised in a vastly different way from the rest of us, including Vaughn.
“He couldn’t afford the luxury of having a normal childhood. By the time he was five years old, he had already passed stages that the rest of us learn when we’re twelve or thirteen.” Scarlet’s voice is low, tinged with a palpable sorrow and anger that makes my heart start to race.
“One day, Aunt Daphne disappeared. Uncle Syrus lost all say in raising their son because, well, Grandfather sort of forcefully took him. So all throughout these dramatic shifts and wars, he’s been alone.”
The sensation that clutches my heart when Scar says that is enough to make me almost keel over.
Emmett suffering wasn’t really something I’ve ever thought possible.
He’s always seemed to be composed, so calm and larger than life, that I just…
“I’m saying all this because I don’t exactly know what the deal about you is, but you might get caught up in the crosswinds,” Scarlet says kindly. “Don’t be easily fooled. Rely on what you already know. Facts and truth are not the same thing either, but don’t let people play you like a flute.”
Maybe it’s because I was already thinking of this, but when Scarlet says it, I feel the resolve coursing through my veins, warning me, preparing me, attempting to build an impenetrable fortress around me.
It’s just that… when it comes to Emmett, is there really an impenetrable wall he can’t shatter to pieces?
“Your cousins, can they be trusted?” I ask quietly.
“The thing about trust is that it’s never supposed to be complicated.
I just met you and yet I feel like I can trust you with my life,” Scar says with a mischievous smirk.
“I’ve known others for far longer. They’ve never outrightly done anything to me to warrant caution but I just don’t trust them. ”
I understand exactly what she means.
“I guess it’s a soul conviction kind of thing… but sometimes we’re wrong. You’ll never know unless you try.”
“To give you a little character hint… Vaughn isn’t exactly mean, it’s just that with him, everything depends on his feelings, but Emmett is like a millennium old mountain, standing strong through the slow passage of time, unwavering on his stance and indifferent to circumstances.
To him, promises are absolute. His word is more than his bond.
I guess that’s what makes him dangerous…
but I’d never want anyone else in my corner but him. ”
With that being said, is Emmett someone I can go up against?
And if so, what is the best way to mess him up?
“Well, new friend, your makeup is done. A natural look for a beauty…” She moves out the way so I can see the results in the mirror. “Anything you pick to wear will be fine. Oh, and use that face cover so the makeup doesn’t stain your clothes when you wear them.”
“Are you some sort of stylist?” I ask.
“Maybe in a past life.” She shrugs and picks up a pair of beige suede boots, shakes her head, and moves to the next pair of red leather boots. “I never had Barbie dolls, nor could I play dress-up or have tea parties like all the other little girls.”
A wave of familiarity washes over me as I look at her.
“Thank you, Scar,” I say sincerely, thanking her for everything. “I owe you.”
“Don’t say that… I’ll really cash in on it!”
As she laughs, my phone vibrates with incoming texts.
When I unlock it, my blood runs cold.
“Hey, are you all right?” I hear Scarlet ask with concern, but I can’t respond for a while, staring at the spam-like texts from Melissa.
A knock sounds on the door and Ty comes in after a beat.
“My apologies, Young Miss,” he starts. “There’s been a slight change of plans. If you need to go somewhere, I can take you.”
“A change of plans?” Scar asks.
“Yes, Miss Scarlet.”
Maybe it’s my imagination but the two exchange an indecipherable look without saying a word.
“Well, see you soon, bestie! I have to go.”
Me too. I have some trash to dispose of.