Michelle scoffed, emotional blackmail was a skill Lucy learned growing up and always used it against her. By framing words a certain way, Lucy could make her feel like the most horrible person in the world.
"Why would I be a burden?" Michelle asked.
Her question visibly surprised Lucy.
"Um, well, you're instead of with your family. So, that… must bother him greatly."
"That was weak. Isn't grandpa family though? To be honest, I don't want to live with a family that thinks having e accused of theft is a great idea for a prank."
"I already apologized. Is that why you're acting out big sis? Because I decided to play a prank? I can apologize some more." She dropped to her knees and started crying, "Please just come home. Stop making our parents sick with worry over you. We promise to treat you better." When she got no response, she cried even louder.
Logan and Leo rushed to her and aided her up. Then they turned to Lucy fury on their faces.
"Are you happy now? Bullying your own sister. She says she's sorry." Leo said.
"Yeah get over yourself already." Logan said.
Michelle looked on at them, Lucy acting like a damsel in distress, the twins her knights, guess that would make her the wicked witch. Michelle chuckled darkly at the thought.
"So seeing your sister in tears is funny to you?" Logan asked shocked at the sight of her chuckling.
"Yes. Immensely." Michelle responded shocking them yet again. "You guys should start a comedy show, you're all very hilarious."
"Big sis, are you still mad?" Lucy asked whimpering pathetically.
"I'm not though. I just want you guys to leave already."
"Mom and Dad want you back though."
"Well, the last time they tried, I told them no and grandpa told them no as well."
"Grandpa is just being nice to you because he pities you." Lucy shot back.
"We both know that's not true. Why are you always bringing up grandpa?" Michelle asked, "He is a grown man and if he ever says he doesn't want me around, then I'll leave."
"But he does pity you because he knows he is the only one that could ever stand to be around you. We don't want you in our family; I don't want you in my family!" Lucy screamed.
"Then why are you here trying so hard to bring me back?" Michelle asked.
Lucy was stunned, the only reason she came here was because she thought she would be able to get Michelle to come back so she could be pushed around some more. No one in the family liked her, so why were they so adamant that she returned.
Defeated she turned to her brothers, "Let's just go."
"Lucy?" Leo asked confused.
"Let's go!" she yelled, "She doesn't want to come back, and it's not like we can drag her along with us. Let's just tell mom and dad that we tried." Then she turned to Michelle, "Grandpa Hart will soon tire of your existence, I'm sure you'll come crawling back to us after." Then the trio turned to leave.
"Doubt it. You guys drive safe now okay!" She called after them cheerfully.
Once they left Maria joined Michelle who was still in the living room.
"I was this close to coming out and giving them a piece of my mind." She said shaking her fist violently.
"Maria, you heard all that?"
"Never have I ever come across such vile children, and believe me I have come across a lot of them. The worst of all was Lucy, so different from how she was when she was little, her parents coddling has set her on a terrible part."
"Oh, it wasn't that bad."
"What kind of person says such evil things to their sibling? The whole lot of them are just wrong."
"I've faced much worse at their hands Maria." Michelle responded seriously the double meaning to her words missed.
"I'm just happy you left them before they turned you into one of them."
"That would never happen. They don't and never will see me as a member of their family. The whole thing is just a huge mystery to me. Why do they seem to take so much joy in my sorrows, why does it sometime feel as though I'm in the wrong family?" Michelle asked aloud.
She noticed Maria look away sharply, a look of guilt flashed across her face but she quickly hid it.
Interesting Maria thought, it would seem Maria had an inkling if not the whole story of her circumstances, but she knew she could not start asking any questions yet. It was too soon and it would reach her grandfather who would want to know how she discovered the truth. She would wait. This conversation was one she'd prefer to have with him.
"Come now," Maria said quickly changing the subject, "I have donuts baking in the oven in the kitchen. Let's go taste test the glazes."
"Oh yes let's. I can never say no to tasting your cooking Maria. Never."
Laughing, the two women spent the afternoon in the kitchen baking and generally enjoying each other's company.
Exhausted and full of baked goods, Michelle laid on her bed, checking on the Hart family before she fell asleep. The children were explaining to their parents how the meeting went and there were some exaggerations.
"She made Lucy kneel, mum, to apologize to her, and then she laughed like it was the most hilarious thing she'd ever seen." Logan said.
"Oh my poor baby." Abigail said gasping dramatically and pulling Lucy into her embrace, then she turned to Lionel, "I told you we shouldn't have sent the children. Now look how she treated our daughter."
"Please woman, it's not that serious. As long a she didn't lay a hand on Lucy, everything will be resolved." He replied waving her off.
"But daddy," Lucy began still in her mother's arms, "Why is it important that Michelle comes back? I mean, I don't like her, my brothers don't like her, and I'm almost certain that neither you nor mom likes her. It's better for us that she's gone isn't it?"
Lionel stared at his daughter as though she was the most foolish person in the world, the he sighed, "I'll explain it to you when you're older but for now start coming up with ways we can bring her back to this household."
Lucy nodded weakly.
Well that was uneventful. Michelle thought as she turned off the screen, she thought.
She was hoping that Lionel would reveal his reason on why it was so important that she remained under his 'care.' She soon doze off while contemplating the possible reasons why.
In an unknown office sat a man, he was receiving a phone call the voice on the other end of the line was muffled, then he roared with laughter.
"You don't say? I didn't realize that little girl had so much fight in her. You let me know if anything else happens." Then he hung up the call.
"Is everything ok sir?" His guard asked standing by his side.
"I was just informed that our little bird had a visit from her siblings. This Michelle Hart is becoming more and more interesting."
"Sir, weren't we watching her only to see if she would make a move against those other ones left in the company."
"Yes, and I let the informant know that he was to pass on anything and everything he sees her do. This time she made a fool of her siblings."
"Is it wise sir? To be getting attached to a threat to what you've built?"
"Threat? She uncovered two of our plants and now she's a threat? You give her too much credit. I'm only intrigued by her family situation and she has become a new form of entertainment for me. You know how easily bored I become lately." He responded to his guard who nodded his head apologetically.
"I see. Sorry I misspoke sir."
"It's alright, I know it's because you worry about me."
There was a knock at the door, then turning to his boss for confirmation the guard called out, "Enter."
A tall man in a suit and a low cut hair entered, he stopped in front of the table and bowed down to the man seated behind it.
"You asked to see me sir?" He said his voice wary yet calm.
"Yes, yes. I did. I wanted to thank you for a job well done on handling Penn and Freddy." He proceeded to clap his hands ending it in a slow clap, "Making it look like they hanged themselves was clichéd though, but either way you got the job done so very good of you for that."
"Of course sir."
"Now the other part of the deal we made, have you decided on how you want it done?"
"Sir?" He asked startled, "You were serious about that?"
"I didn't realize I gave the impression of a jokester. Do you think I should start telling jokes as a new mode of money-making?"
"No sir. I didn't mean that at all, it's just the options you gave me were just-."
"Just what?" The man asked arching his brow, and then he turned to his guard, "Remind me what those options were again?"
"You gave him the following options: He has his tongue cut off and his hands broken so he won't be able to write or say anything about us to anyone, but only a single member of his family will be spared. Second, he continues to work with us, he loses no body parts but his family remains with us under our protection. The third option is that he dies and his family is released."
"Thank you for that recap." Turning back to the other man who was now visibly vibrating with fear, "I think those options are very fair if you ask me, so which do you pick?"
The man remained silent, sweat beads started to form on his forehead and drip down his face.
"I don't have all day; my guard went through the trouble of recapping it for you. So make a decision quick."
He gulped and with a shaky voice said, "K-kill me, but please release my family, please!" He pleaded desperately.
"Are you sure?" The man nodded furiously. "Alright, you chose this. Bring his family in."
Dragged in forcefully were a woman with two teenaged children, she held them protectively, there were no visible harm on any of them and they tried running towards the man but were held back.
"Now don't forget you made this choice." Then he nodded to the man that brought them in, he forced them to kneel and he reached into his suit and brought out his gun.
"No!" The man yelled falling to his knees, "Please no! You said you were going to release them!"
"I didn't specify from what though, now did I?"
The first gunshot went off; it was one of the children. The woman screamed, wailing and trying to reach the body that fell to the ground.
"No please, no, let me change my option please! Don't hurt them anymore!" He stood up wanting to run to meet them but two more men appeared and held him back. He violently against their grasp as the second shot went off. A moment later, the third shot went off.
The room grew silent, the smell gunpowder and the metallic smell of blood filling the air. The man slumped down defeated, then bang, a fourth shot was fired and he fell to the ground, the last thing he saw the bodies of his wife and children.
"Clean this up." The men dragged the bodies away leaving a bloody trail in their wake. Then a cleaner came in and mopped off all the blood.
"I would have gone with the second option." The man said.