𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄 ♚ 𝙩. 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮

xli - 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

Unusual noise, not like the occasional playful clattering of her nephew.

Verity fled to the landing outside her office door, pacing a few steps down, her black heels shining against the staircase - matching her chosen black pencil dress with a signature red belt.

"Where is she , ey?" Came a strong northern voice Verity didn't want to believe belonged to the person she thought it did.

"She's not in clinic at the moment!" Verity heard her sister rebuke, her voice clearly shook up.

She peeked down at the scene in the hallway, seeing the figures of three men. She descended to the mid level of the stairs, where she got a good look at them.

There, in the centre - was a vile scummy stain of her past.

Eli fucking Valentine.

Verity felt her heart hammering with animosity in her chest.

"What are you doing here, Eli?" Verity snapped, seeing the way these men's presence had upset her sister somewhat. She imagined the slimy rat hadn't been the most pleasant.

Eli's head turned to the direction of Verity's voice, as he slipped his sunglasses further down his nose - wearing a beige suit jacket and trousers, a white shirt half unbuttoned underneath.

"You came back." He remarked, his voice cold. "I wasn't bargaining on you bloody coming back." He snarled through gritted teeth as he paced to the bottom of the stairs.

Verity blinked at him owlishly for a moment, trying to understand just what the problem was.

"I wasn't planning on being back either, but here I am." She gestured at him sassily, "what's that got to do with you, eh, Valentine?" She hissed, "I'm not in with the singing game anymore, that's the past. Let me live my life and you can live yours." She delivered the sentence defiantly, her confident intonation only further enraging the club owner.

"You said you wouldn't be back in London!" He shouted, "and I told you about Scarlett's fucking secret!" He hissed harshly, shaking visibly as he pointed out at the psychologist.

"Let this be known, with you around - the secret might get out. You need to clear off back to where you fucking were for the past however long, and get lost. I can't afford having my plans ruined."

He was threatening her?

"Mr Valentine, why do you think for a second I would waste my time spilling secrets? I have a business and my own life."

"'Cause I don't fucking trust you. You've always played too smart for my liking, Miss Grant." He batted back hotly, taking some steps back.

"I suggest you take my warning," he snarled, directing a vicious stare at Nina, who was hugging Harry tightly. "- before someone gets hurt."

Eli and his entourage of brainless halfwits fled the hall, disappearing onto the street - leaving Verity with thrumming ear drums and an anxious heart beat palpitating in her ears.

"What the hell, Verity?" Nina burst out, in pure shock. "Who was that man? Why is he threatening us? What secret is he going on about!?" She squawked, the questions all too much for Verity's mind which was already fumbling over what she could do.

As much as she didn't like reopening the chapters of her life which caused her so much pain; it appeared the past was creeping with deathly fingertips in her new existence. She couldn't afford the ghosts haunting her or her family, not now she had found peace.

She needed to resolve this, like hell she was leaving London.

"There's someone I need to talk to," Verity sighed deeply, looking sadly at her sister. "Don't worry about Mr Valentine, I'll deal with him."

Nina exasperated, throwing her hands down at her sides.

"Is that supposed to make me feel safe, V?" She cried, watching as her sister pulled on her black pea coat, determination written all over her face.

"Close the office for this afternoon, cancel my two patients and just keep this damn door locked." Verity instructed clearly, "I'll be back soon, hopefully with a resolution to this crap."

She shrugged her coat on securely and headed out into the early afternoon light - the blue skies clouded somewhat, the air not abundantly cold but freshly indicative of the impending spring.

At least it was nice weather to walk; and Verity had a house call to make.

-

These streets felt like corners of a daydream, hazed and unclear in her mind - long forgotten, the maps of the paving slabs no longer engrained in her brain as they once were.

The overcast skies masked the blaring white light of the sun, as Verity approached a set of white-stone town houses, her heels clicking noisily off the pavement.

She smiled politely, passing a young couple arm in arm - her nicety of a grin all but fading as her eyes fixated on the front door she needed.

One she had desperately hoped never to set eyes on again, each ascension up the small stone porch steps invoking a further sense of anxiety in her gut.

She stood just centimetres away from the door, hand raised to knock but she faltered slightly.

The last time she had been here, she had been wounded badly. Her second most painful betrayal, besides the one Tommy had inflicted on her. The knife had firmly been planted in her back.

But... she needed to be rid of Eli. For good. His threats were still ringing clear in her ears, as Verity let her knuckles drum softly on the wood of the door, breath hitched in her throat.

She waited some moments, a distorted figure moving behind the frosted glass panels in the door. There was various clanks and clunks of security chains and locks sliding undone, and at last - the front door opened.

Verity bore a very wry smile indeed at the one stood before her.

"Hi, Scarlett."

-

A/N: I imagine Scarlett's having a 'oh fck oh shit' moment lmaooo

Sorry I'm so on my peaky bullshit at the moment, my mind feels a little wired lately and the only productive way for me to funnel that is through my writing.