Her Royal Charming

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

A few hours later and with a full bladder I knocked on my Aunt's door.

"Surprise." I say as soon as she opened the door.

"Are you ok? What happened this time?" Concern was etched onto her face. I weaved past her and entered the house, shrugging my coat off like this was a normal occurrence.

"What makes you ask that?"

"The last time you made a surprise visit you were having a meltdown." She closed the door and peered down at me with crossed arms.

"That wasn't a meltdown. I learned what a meltdown was today." I replied casually from my spot sprawled out on the couch.

"I left the house, and hopefully I can live with you now." I sat up straight and finally met her gaze.

Aunt Ava sat across from me on the worn out grey loveseat. "What happened and don't leave anything out." She leaned forward in her seat intently meaning she meant business.

"It's a long story." I warned.

"We have time." She insisted just as much.

"Well here goes..." I begin to relay the details of the last few months, sparing no details.

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"Don't go Aunt Ava." I pleaded with her. My arm handing off of her jacket like a small child.

"I don't want you to go."

"Please stay." My words seem to fall on deaf ears.

"I have to do this Adira, don't make things more difficult than it needs to be." She was zipping her coat now and facing away from me.

"My mother used to tell me things like that." I remark quietly. She would always tell me to stop creating more problems for her.

Aunt Ava sighed and finally turned to face me. "Adira, she was a vile woman and Kenny is a piece of shit. I'm heading over there to give him a piece of my mind."

"You're going to curse him out."

"So what, he's a piece of shit." He deserved a lot more than a simple telling off. "Then I'm going to find your mother and do the same thing for being a bigger piece of shit than he is!"

"As much as the vindictive part of me wants to see you scream at them, neither of them are worth it. Who knows where my mother is, and Kenny will always be the ass he is now. Talking to him will be like talking to a brick wall, nothing is going to get through and you're going to keep screaming until you're blue in the face."

"It's not worth it to make a big deal out of this." I add on.

Ava shrugged her coat off and puts it back in its place by the door. I let out a sigh of relief and follow her back to the living room. She silently sits on the couch and pats the spot next to her.

"As much as I want to scream at them, I know you're right." She looked dejected playing with her hands. "But don't ever downplay what happened and say its no big deal." Suddenly she perked up and I knew this was only the beginning.

"You've gone through so much on your own. They've done so much to hurt you and you stood against it all like the brave girl I know you are. I just wish you didn't have to go through all of this alone."

I saw her wipe her eyes quickly so I couldn't see her crying, but I wasn't a child anymore. "I'm sorry for not being there enough for you. I'm sorry for never noticing anything was wrong. Believe me if I could go back in time I would do everything in my power to do things right this time around."

"I wish I could have done something sooner. Instead I failed you and your father for not protecting you." The tears poured out of her like a waterfall. I've never seen my Aunt cry, it was devastating to watch.

"You're here with me now when it matters the most, that's what counts." I reassure her, clasping her hands in mine.

"It's not enough Adira." Before I could console her any further she rubs her eyes and sniffled sitting straighter.

"I want to gain custody of you, even if it's too late in your life. I feel guilty for not doing it sooner."

"You shouldn't feel guilty though. I tried my best to hide how things really were and never talked with anyone about it. The main point is that we can't change the past as much as we want to." I learned that the hard way.

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I realized about an hour into unpacking me belongings that my step-sisters still had my phone. Great so now I had no way of contacting Edmon or Derric to meet up and straighten things out. I don't have their numbers memorized because I've never seen the point before now.

Karma is really a bitch.

I let my mind wander as I continued to unpack. The silence gave me a chance to think about what was to come. I realized then I had no way of dealing with Harper, Emma and Sohpia.

I knew I had to get out from under their thumb and I was racking my brain to fathom a solution. They really had me backed up into a corner. I couldn't text Edmon to talk because he was more than annoyed with me, and I had no phone.

So telling anyone else was out of the question.

This didn't leave me with a lot of options. I already left the house, and I doubted it would bother them that much. They would probably throw a party in celebration, and promptly realize they would have to clean it up.

From moving out they are going to lose their maid, cook, tutor, and a huge chunk of their monthly income. They're going to freak out over this.

Of course that's not the reason I left, just an added bonus.

Still, there was no way for me to escape this blackmail. I'm not going to let them continue to blackmail me knowing there is a solution. I just need to uncover it.

I need something on them, some juicy gossip to hold over their head and turn the situation around on them. However, I've never really paid much attention to their babbling about their lives so that's out.

Back to the drawing board.

I can try to reason with them. I had to laugh at that thought, as if they could comprehend logic. On a similar note, a negotiation might be the right option. Of course I would still need a bargaining chip. Once I get that I can have them stay out of my way and I'll stay out of theirs.

Knowing them they wouldn't even agree to that and I'll be back to square one.

I could go to the authorities and make a police report. Blackmail is illegal, but what would I say to the cops. "My step-sisters are blackmailing me because I've been hanging out with a guy they like." No one would take me seriously.

Why is blackmail so complicated? If only there was a solution so simple it was staring me in the face.

"Adira, dinner's ready!" Aunt Ava shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" I say gasping and dropping the pair of pants I was folding. A lightbulb went off.in my head.

I have the perfect thing.