chapter two
the scam of the silver swan
OPHELIA NEVER LIKED OPULENT FIGURES since she's been told to believe that every single man in london who lived in luxury wasn't a man to be trusted. despite all her customers being descendants of generational wealth, she's been completely wary of the rich and has ensured that most of the friendly connections she's made aren't with those who live in lavish lifestyles. and she's done extremely well in avoiding involvement with those from powerful families but like some things in life, her streak had come to an unexpected end. as soon as the rich outsider had been thrown out of the pub, ophelia was quick on her feet to introduce herself to him. perhaps, he'd be different from the rest, and he'd see and deem her as an equal, rather than some sort of provocative rat lurking the town with half of her breasts popping out.
"you seem new," ophelia smirks, quirking an eyebrow as she looks down at the blond boy struggling to pull himself up into a standing position.
he grunts as he finally picks himself up, groaning at the pain from his muscles whenever he moves, "was it that obvious?''
"no, not really." ophelia sarcastically chuckles, watching him frantically remove dust and dirt from his cobalt coat, and there was clear disdain on his facial expression.
"i don't need your help, by the way. i can handle myself perfectly on my own," he firmly states, "what you do is none of my business, and it's perfectly fine but i can assure you, no help is needed today."
"i'm not going to have sex with you, if that's where you're at," ophelia deeply sighs, crossing her arms over her chest, "frankly, i'd rather just lead you on and steal your money and then disappear, without you ever learning my name."
"is that what you do to your," the boy trails off, clearing his throat awkwardly before hesitantly saying, "customers."
"every single one, love."
"so you're a scammer?"
ophelia looks at him in utter disbelief, slightly taken aback by his choice of words but nonetheless, it was a fact. ophelia's never done anything sexual with the men she's lured into her little trap; all she ever does is grab their attention, lead them into a bedroom to steal their money, and run off into discreet hiding. she runs the hidden scam with her own mischievous tactics, and tammy, the rival prostitute, was the only one to ever catch on her schemes. it technically wasn't ophelia's fault that her mother prepared her for such a scandalous career, despite her burning urge to simply be a thief around town. regardless, ophelia's didn't enjoy the idea of planting kisses and groping the men she meets. instead, she uses her job to hide her only intention, which was to steal from the rich.
"well, you don't have to say it out loud."
his icy blue eyes eventually averts his gaze from his article of clothing and up to her deep, brown ones. his lips form into a small, friendly smile---the same smile he had displayed across his face when he made his presence known inside the pub, "you're a funny girl."
"ophelia," she corrects.
"what?"
"the funny girl's name is ophelia," she introduces herself curtly, and the sheer confidence radiating from her presence simply intimidates the latter, "and you are?"
"leo," he answers with a tint of shyness and fear. ophelia only rolls her eyes, and walks past him, intentionally brushing her bare shoulders against his to garner his attention.
"what brings you here?" ophelia asks, letting her feet lead her towards the path heading to the other pub she'd like to station herself in--the duck and quiver. though it was situated in a fairly dangerous part of london, the ambience wasn't far from the outskirts, where she belonged. she hears the clicks and clacks of the heels of her skinning boots against the cobblestone pavement, and she senses that the additional steps belonged to leo who followed closely behind her.
leo lightly laughs, "i came to find a girl, actually."
ophelia's eyes widen in genuine surprise, and her thoughts begin to wonder if the girl was opulent as well or if she were just like her--matted hair, born in the shadows of the greyish town, and on the other side of the wealth scale. whoever it was, ophelia automatically assumes it was someone he held dearly, someone he thinks about throughout the day and someone he thinks about before he falls into a deep slumber. frankly, ophelia wanted someone to do that for her; she wanted a love that would lead the man to insanity just to find her through the smokes and busy roads of london. clearly, the girl in control of leo's heart was special.
growing up, ophelia didn't believe much in fairytales; her mother had given her enough stories about the temporary men in her life to never take risks for a man who wouldn't think twice of leaving. she's been taught to keep her heart at a careful distance from another, and all she's ever learned from the older woman was that every risk she takes in love would lead to an eventual heartbreak: a loss that you'd feel tug at your heartstrings, and the accompanied dreadful pain that would explode throughout your body like a ticking bomb. despite the stories that's kept her cautious of who she cares for, ophelia craved for a deep soul connection at some point. she's dreamt of it often, but yet again, her dreams were merely dreams.
"how romantic," ophelia replies with a tinge of evident doubt, and briefly glances at the boy whose fair cheeks become stained with a faint cherry color. she turns away, fighting the urge to scoff at his daydreamy state. although the girl would love to be loved, there was hesitancy embedded in her heart; she's still so afraid of losing someone again, after her biological parents abandoned her into the arms of her mother who left the minute she turned seventeen, without another word, it was difficult to find someone to trust and pour love onto.
"you think so?" leo innocently questions, rushing towards her until they were a few feet apart from one another, ''the moment i saw her, i couldn't stop thinking about her."
"then stop following me and go the other way, that'd be where the more opulent locals live," ophelia urges, jabbing a thumb at her back to motion the more luxurious side of london.
he shakes his head, "no, no, no, i'm heading to the duck and quiver."
ophelia examines him one last time, narrowing her eyes as if it would make her see through him clearly, given that his words failed to register in her head, "so you came here, accepted help from a prostitute, paid way too many silvers for a cheap drink and you're looking for a girl nearby the duck and quiver?"
leo nods naively, and ophelia can tell his intentions were pure---possibly, way too pure to be tainted by the shadows and evil lurking the streets of london. just recalling what he has gone through, ophelia had concluded to herself that love will definitely turn someone insane. looking at him in utter disbelief, she shakes her head, "bloody hell, you are one peculiar boy."
unedited.