The Replacement (Zelo B.A.P. FF)

하나 (one)

I tapped my finger idly onto the chestnut table.

"Have you decided which charity to invest in?"

I swiveled my head to face her, Janet, the closest thing to family I have in the world.
"No."

She pursed her lipstick'd lips together in annoyance.
"I told you to be thinking about it."

"You didn't ask me what I was thinking. You asked what I had decided."

She blew out a frustrated sigh and let herself fall back into the chair.
"Janet?" I looked back out the window.

"What?"

"You think one day I'll meet someone who can look beyond my financial situation?"

She was silent.
I turned to face her again. "Well?"

She avoided my gaze.
"Humans are selfish. I would be flabbergasted if such a selfless individual existed."

I rolled my eyes. "You could've just answered 'no'."

I bit my lip. "You're wrong, you know. My mom and my dad. Dad had money and fell for Mom."

"That's correct, but it doesn't prove your point. Your mother wasn't the millionaire, your dad was."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Blaire, your father hid the fact that he had money from your mother so that if she loved him, it would be for him. It was never about the money. If you play love games with a person whose motive is purely money, you're going to get hurt."

The mention of my parents brought stinging tears to my eyes.
"Like how you got hurt?" I spit out.

She sighed again and moved her curly dark hair from her face.
"I have work to do."

I wiped my eyes and stared out the window at the birds in the tree, so focused that I barely realized she had stood and walked away until her voice issued near the door.
"I need an answer about the charity by tomorrow morning, Blaire."

"Sure."

"I'm serious."

"Okay."

With a final look at me, she slid out the door and the clicking of her heels receeded.

I bit my lip and stood to retrieve my iPhone from the glass coffee table.
Speed-dial. I lifted it to my ear.

"Janet?"

"Blaire? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. I was just going to tell you that I needed some air."

"You know that it's dangerous for you to walk around publicly by yourself."

"It's cold outside. I'll cover half of my face with a scarf, tuck my under a hat and hood, stay low. Have my phone."

"I don't know, Blaire. It's risky."

I snorted. "If your money source wasn't endangered, you wouldn't give two shits."

"Actually, you are wrong. If I was only in it for the money, I wouldn't give two shits what happened to you. That would mean everything you own would belong to me," she replied, her voice short.

She was right.
I took a deep breath. "I'm going out," I stated, and hung up.

She would try to stop me. She was in her office, that gave me about eight minutes to throw on a scarf and a jacket.
I did so and stuffed my phone in my pocket, pulling on black rainboots over my jeans and walking out the door.