Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 35: Undeserved Happiness.

Chapter 35: Undeserved Happiness.

"Her name is Valentina McCallum. Lucky, isn’t she?"

Lucky? Yes, she was. She was lucky this people were smiling at her and fawning over her, and they were not doing the direct opposite.

Valentina had a wide, benevolent smile on her face as she waved at all the contestants, her eyes alternating from one person’s face to another. From the glint in her eyes, Avery could tell just how much she was enjoying this. From a young age, Valentina had always enjoyed attention. More than once or twice, she had joined their high school acting class and competed with Emma for a lead role but because she always gave up and stepped down before the audition each time, no one really thought she had acting talents.

But who knew she was bidding her time till she killed Emma and began enjoying the bed she didn’t lay; a spotlight she didn’t work for?

"I...Jodi, I have to leave," Avery whispered.

Shocked, Jodi whipped her head around to stare at her.

"Why? The number 18 is acting now and it will soon get to your turn. Don’t be in an hurry to leave," she said, to which Avery shook her head in reply.

"I won’t be needing the role anymore," she stated. Picking up her bag, she walked along the rows of chairs and excited fans to the back door leading out the hallway.

Before stepping out, she cast a quick glance at the person on stage, meeting her eyes briefly and seeing the shock in them.

"Good job, Tina. The higher you climb, the lower your fall shall be."

~

Stepping into the foyer, Avery pulled the bond off her hair, letting it cascade down her back in full length. Anger coursed through her veins as she removed her sling bag and threw it across the room, alerting the dogs of her presence.

As usual, they came rushing towards her but instead of cowering like she used to, she simply ignored them. She couldn’t care less if she was bitten by a dog at this point as she was sure she deserved more than that. Not only had she stayed alive when her whole family was murdered, but she was also seeing their murderers stealing their spotlight and everything her family had worked for. She had had the nerves to smile?! To enjoy reading that script when she was not supposed to deserve happiness until she was done destroying those people!

Avery laughed out loud, her voice laced with mockery and taunt. She had even planned to destroy them by her own means and with her own strength alone. Who the hell had she wanted to prove herself to?

She looked down, feeling one of the dogs breathing against her leg. The black one...what was its name again? Lake? Thorne? Either way, both of the dogs really felt like their big brother at this moment. Ferocious and cold; large and dominant; Archibald could crush those fuckers within a month. Why had she refused his help then? Righteousness? What would she gain from that?

She squatted down, until she was on the same level as the dog, "Hey, your big brother said I look like someone you and the other guy miss. If that’s true, can I use you two in place of that person?" she asked, an evil smirk sitting proudly on her lips.

"No, you can’t," came the reply.

Did...did a dog just speak?! Avery would have fainted from shock if the voice didn’t continue,

"Did someone cross you, Ava?"

She tilted her head sideways to see Archie standing in the middle of the living room, and her eyes shrouded in confusion. Even though she was not in her right mind when she came in earlier, she could swear that the living room had been empty. She also knew he didn’t come from the kitchen or the second floor as she would have heard him if he did. Then where...

"You are not deaf, Ava. I asked you a question."

She snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head slowly to answer him.

He approached her, taking slow steps until there was not much space between them.

"Then what were you talking to Thorne about? Your eyes surely looked murderous when you mentioned ’using’ he and Lake."

"Thorne?" Avery echoed, "Oh...the black one is Thorne. I was just—I was only venting to it," she lied.

"Didn’t look like that was the case." Archie’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. "You know I could get the truth myself if I wanted to, right?"

’That’s true,’ Avery replied inwardly. Why was she keeping it from him anyway, when she would need to request his help soon? She spoke out loud, "Valentina. I saw her today."

It was all she needed to say for Archie to realize what happened. His lips slowly curved into an evil smirk, same as the one on Avery’s lips a few seconds ago.

"So... you were displeased with what you saw?" he asked.

She scoffed, "Displeased?! I was angry! Wait...you knew about this? And you watched me blabber on stupidly about letting my revenge span a whole year at most?"

"And who told you that plan was stupid?"

"I don’t need anyone to tell me that before realizing. I’m sure Roberts is probably taking Arthur’s place somewhere as we speak, Uncle—fuck it! Jon and Kathy are probably honoring invitations as filial children of the gruesomely murdered head of the McCallum family, aren’t they?"

"That was surprisingly accurate," Archie replied. "You’d be more annoyed than you are presently if you really saw what they are doing."

Avery sucked in a puff of air, her hands tightening into fists as she requested, "I need to know. I need to see what they are doing."

"No, you don’t," Archie argued, the smirk falling from his lips. "You have to destroy them all one after the other, don’t you think? Putting them all in fear of who would be next and turning them against each other. Seeing them all will only make you indecisive and at the end, unproductive."

"Why...?" Avery whispered. "Why do you talk like this is something you have experienced before?"