Page 87 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

“Well, Aunt Cordelia says we should stop our dear cousin from spreading mad lies about ghosts and whatever her sick mind makes her see. I’m simply doing what I was told.” She folded her hands on the table and looked Elijah dead in the eyes, who swallowed his chewy steak.

“If you haven’t noticed, Aunt Cordelia is a total and complete bitch.”

Bethany gasped, “Elijah!”

Fredrick chuckled with his mouth full, “you said the forbidden B word.”

My eldest cousin leaned back and ruffled our younger one through his hair, “only adults are allowed to say it, so don’t you dare speak the forbidden word, or Dorothee will let a dragon eat you.”

“Very funny, Elijah, what would your mother say if she heard her son insulting the family?” Bethany asked, clenching her jaw so tightly it looked like it hurt.

He shrugged, “Family? Luckily, I’m not blood-related to that beast of a woman, and to your question, my mother despises her just as much as the rest of the family. Everyone knows Uncle Aaron only married her for the glory that comes with the name De Loughrey.” He turned to me. “No offence, Dory. You’re the best thing that came from this marriage.”

I replied with a tight smile, “None taken.”

Bethany shook her head, disbelieving. “You can’t be serious. It’s sickening how protective you are over such a mad girl.”

I let my fork fall onto my plate. “Why do you always have to put me down in order to make yourself feel better than me?”

Very aware that my devilish cousin would use tonight as a perfect opportunity to make a shitshow out of me, I accepted the fact. All her words tonight were aimed at me, and I was getting tired of her stomping all over me.

“Because I am better than you! And I’m disgusted that everyone is babying you tonight.”

“If you’re so much better than me, then why didn’t you get accepted at an elite school to follow our family’s business, Bethany? Not even money could buy your daft arse into one.”

She opened her mouth in shock and squeezed her eyebrows together in anger. Alright, maybe it was an arsehole move to bring her failing education into this, but what am I supposed to do? Let her kick me until I’m lying bleeding on the ground?

No, I was done with that. I was going to be her mirror, whether she liked it or not.

Bethany pushed herself off the table and threw her napkin on her plate in anger. “I have better things to do than listen to your nonsense, you are nothing but a mental bitch.”

She stormed off, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I saw tears forming in her eyes.

I knew it was wrong to feel some kind of satisfaction that she felt for once how I used to feel almost every time she came over to visit, but I did.

“I don’t think you’re mental, Dory,” Emma nudged my arm, and I smiled at my twelve-year-old cousin. “Thank you, Emma.”

The children started laughing and talking again, the boys joking about how red Bethany had looked when she stormed out of the room. I continued to eat, even though my appetite had retired after my cousin had opened her mouth.

When I felt a vibration against my leg, I grabbed my phone from the lower pocket of my dress and looked at it under the table.

Archer

I talked to my mother, we both think it’s best for me to return to school a little earlier, since Christmas is always so stressful for me. I’ll see you on the twenty-seventh, fallen star.

My heart started to beat a little faster in excitement. I knew that Maisie and Nathaniel were in Italy until the fifth of January, Naomi was visiting her grandparents in Japan and Jesse was forced to spend the holidays with his siblings at their father’s home in Spain.

All of my friends were travelling, and while I enjoyed being anywhere but here, knowing that I’d be completely alone at the academy for ten days sounded a little scary to me.

Dorothee

What a sudden turn of events…

Archer

Yeah, shocking, isn’t it? Such a coincidence.

Dorothee

---