Chapter 5: A Visit To The Sullivan Mansion
Immediately Violet saw the date, she knew she had to act fast.
No matter what angle she thought about it from, she wouldn’t get the jade if she didn’t return home.
Contrary to what everyone thought, Violet was not an orphan.
She was the first daughter of the Sullivan family.
When Violet was ten years old, her mother died and her father brought his mistress into the house. It turned out he had been cheating on her mother with another woman and had a child.
From then on, Violet’s life turned into a living hell. She was made to work alongside the maid, beaten for the tiniest mistake and deprived of food. Once, her food was poisoned, and she would have lost her life if not for the intervention of other maids who had quickly called an ambulance to take her away.
Violet’s father, Harry Sullivan, turned a blind eye to the suffering of his daughter. He favoured Stephanie, his child from the mistress, over her.
When Violet was 18 and was old enough to live alone legally, she took all her savings and fled without ever looking back. The Sullivans never searched for her; to them, she was as good as dead.
Violet currently held deep resentment and hatred for her family. However, she was ready to set those feelings aside if it meant surviving the upcoming apocalypse.
Her father has always attended the private auction. Violet was sure he had an invitation to attend. She would return home and get her hands on that invitation.
That night, Violet barely slept. She tossed and turned on her bed.
The next morning, immediately Violet woke up, the first thing she did was check if her system was still there.
"System." she thought.
When she saw the panel appear, she smiled, satisfied and assured that last night hadn’t been a dream.
Afterwards, she took her bath and wore the best dress she had. She wore a simple blue dress, one of the few nice things she owned.
She grabbed her purse and walked out of the house.
She used her last money to take a cab to the Sullivan mansion.
The sky shone brightly, its rays slapping against her skin. The Sullivan mansion stood tall behind its high walls, its white pillars gleaming under the sun.
Violet stared at the big black gate in front of her and a knot formed in her stomach. She swallowed; the image of her leaving dangled in front of her eyes.
Violet didn’t dwell on it. "There was no use mourning her past. From now on, I will focus on my future." she told herself, taking a bold step forward.
A small intercom was mounted beside the gate, a button under a square screen. She pressed it, and somewhere inside the compound, a bell rang, informing the gatekeeper of her arrival.
A few seconds later, the screen turned on, displaying a familiar face.
"Good afternoon, how may I help you—Violet?" The gatekeeper James’s eyes widened as recognition settled in them.
Violet nodded, her lips pulled up slightly. The screen went blank and a moment later, the wicket gate opened.
James stepped out of the gate, his steps quick, and he crossed the space between him and Violet. He pushed her against his chest and held her tight.
"Oh my dear, I can’t believe I get to see you," he choked on his words. Slowly, he pulled away from her, his eyes misty. "How have you been?" he asked.
Violet noticed his once black hair now had grey scattered all over them, and his cheeks looked weak.
"I’ve been fine." she answered. James held her at an arm’s length away, studying her as he would his own daughter.
"How have you been, Pa James, age seemed to be catching up with you."
James let out a laugh which turned into a fit of coughing. He pulled her cheeks playfully, "You are still as cheeky as you’ve always been."
Then, his eyes turned serious. He threw a look behind his back, then back to her face. "What brings you back here?" he asked, his voice turning into a whisper.
If the question was from someone else, Violet would have thought they asked because they didn’t want her back, but it was different with her James.
She knew he always had the best intentions at heart towards her.
He has worked for the Sullivan family for over 30 years. After her mother’s death, he was one of the few persons in the mansion who looked after her.
"I came for a short visit." said Violet. "Is Mr. Sullivan at home?"
James nodded, "Yes, he is." His eyes crinkled at the side, "But tell me, dear, are you sure all is well with you?"
"Everything is fine. Is he alone?" she inquired.
"Yes," James said and led her inside through the wicket gate. "Miss Stephanie and Madam went on a short trip. Master should be in his study."
Inside, the compound was neat and quiet, with flowers lining the long driveway. A few gardeners worked silently, too busy to notice her passing by.
If Harry was the only one around, then it automatically made her job easier. Violet came to a stop in front of the main door.
She lifted her hand and pressed the button beside the door, and a bell chimed faintly from within.
After a while the door opened, and a young girl wearing a maid’s uniform popped her head out.
Violet didn’t recognise her.
"Good afternoon," the maid greeted. "Who are you? We aren’t expecting any guests today." she said.
Violet understood immediately that the young maid had no idea who she was. "I’m a daughter of the house." she said.
The maid arched her brow; it took a moment before the identity of the woman in front of her registered.
She quickly moved to the side. "I’m sorry." she apologised.
Violet stepped in. "Take me to my father’s study." she instructed.
The young maid led Violet to Harry’s office.
Now standing in front of the brown mahogany door, Violet knocked, a few seconds passed before she was invited in.
She inhaled deeply before she opened the door.
Harry was seated behind his table. There was a laptop in front of him. On the table were files, some were opened while others were neatly arranged in a pile.
Harry had his full attention on the laptop. Without lifting his head, he said, "Drop the coffee and leave."
When he didn’t hear any receding footsteps, he lifted his head. Immediately his eyes locked with Violet, he was stunned.
He looked just like she remembered. White hair on his head and chin, though his cheeks looked a bit fuller.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned, a frown replacing his initial surprise.
Violet pulled out the chair in front of him. "Nice to see you too, dad." she said, taking a seat.
Harry removed his glasses and settled them on the table. "You don’t look surprised to see me." she noted.
"What did you expect, that I welcome you with open hands when you ran away from home?" he kissed his teeth, "It seems James is truly getting affected by old age. Maybe it’s time to lay him off." he muttered to himself.
Violet wasn’t here to fix old business between them.
She came for the invitation and would focus on that.
"That makes us two." A part of her had hoped he would be happy to see her, that just like James he would ask about her wellbeing.
But she was wrong; her father had not changed. He was like he had always been, there was no ounce of care for her.
Harry studied the daughter in front of him. The docile girl that had left five years ago was nowhere to be seen.
"I came to ask for something." Violet said, going straight to the point. They could save catching up for later. She was confident that this was not the last time they would see each other.
"I have nothing for you." Harry said. He wore his glasses and gestured to the door with his chin. "The minute you left, there was no more place for you in this house."
Violet bit her lower lip; she hated that she felt a bit sad at his words.
She didn’t move from where she was seated. She stared at her father, remembering the step to use the mind push.
But before she used it, she had to be sure he had the invitation.
"Domino private auction is tonight. Do you need company? I don’t mind being a filial daughter for once." she said.
Harry sighed. "Is there a reason why I should go with you?" he asked.
"As an apology for neglect?"
"You are the one that left." His words lacked warmth.
Violet’s jaw ticked as she watched Harry. There was no hint of care in his eyes.
He couldn’t stand the sight of her. Her disappearance had tainted the family name.
While Harry analyzed the reason why he didn’t like her, Violet, on the other hand, got the confirmation she needed that he had the invitation.
Violet lowered her eyes briefly before raising them again.
A familiar chime echoed inside her head, then a translucent blue panel unfolded before her eyes.
Second Target Detected.
Immediately Violet saw the words, her eyes brightened. She might as well make him hand over the invitation.