“Miriam. I was aware you were deluded, but this is honestly beyond what I imagi-“

The elderly woman’s voice became a level louder as Aurora was interrupted, making her eyebrows narrow almost imperceptibly in annoyance.

“To speak back to your elders, you unruly girl. When I return to the Branford Estate I will have no more of your cheek.”

Aurora felt her rage building as she waited for the woman to stop shouting, her words angering her on so many levels. The old woman's audacity to think she would be allowed on the Branford Estate after how she had acted today alone was baffling, and that was only considering today.

With a fist tightened on her lap to help her control her anger, Aurora spoke up again in a cold tone, somehow managing to keep her emotions out of her voice.

“So you are resorting to shouting and insulting to try and get your way now? It is most unbecoming for-“

Aurora was interrupted once again by Miriam’s increasingly unhinged shouting.

“You insolent girl, I will have you learn to properly follow your elder's words. You will sign this right this instant.”

Miriam threw a document that was held under her arm onto the top of her desk, crossing her arms with a menacing look as she tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for Aurora to listen to her commands.

Aurora was generally quite tolerant of people when they behaved with basic decency, even if their words were stupid or deluded. But when people looked down on her like this, she would easily snap. For all her good qualities, she had some flaws, and her fiery anger towards those who had wronged her was arguably the biggest.

And right at that moment, her anger was managing to influence the control of her mana. She could easily admit her irritation and temper over the last few days had been getting gradually shorter and she concluded it was thanks to her levels of stress.

The first hint that Miriam received that she had crossed the line was when a sharp crack could be heard from the glass of water that was sitting on Aurora’s desk.

Aurora slowly inhaled through her nose while Miriam gave the glass a cursory glance, ignoring the clear crack down the side. The woman didn’t seem to care about the glass as she returned her hawkish gaze to Aurora who slowly let out her breath from her lips while trying to calm herself.

With her growing anger temporarily under a tenuous control, Aurora spoke in a low tone, her usually melodic and beautiful voice gave way to an undertone of malice that made itself known.

“The next time you interrupt me will be the last.”

Aurora took a pause, hoping that the woman’s better judgement would prevent her from further aggravating her temper, but it was clear that Miriam was too caught up in her own illusion of entitlement.

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“You impudent and uncouth little brat. Sign. The. Document.”

Aurora tried, she really did, and yet it was not enough. She felt her control over her mana loosen as it lashed out around her and shattered the previously cracked glass, sending its shards over the desk and floor. Her desk was not spared this time, its durable surface now sporting cracks that spread across its entirety from the pressure she was emitting.

The noise of the glass shattering and the desk cracking had silenced everyone in the room as the lights flickered slightly, sending the room into a broken period of flickering shade.

Aurora only noticed her mana was washing over Miriam to the point her throat had constricted and she couldn't breathe when the shards of glass hit the floor and snapped her attention back to what she was doing. With great effort she managed to calm herself as she refocused on Miriam, watching as the woman tried to grasp what was slowly choking her to no success and causing her to become more fearful.

Aurora slowly let the pressure ease a little to allow her grandmother to breathe properly again while keeping her mana present to remind the woman that the threat was still there.

With the pressure of her mana wrapped around the person who had angered her to the point she had momentarily lost control, she found it hard to restrain herself. The feeling was akin to trying to carefully grip a fragile object with a hand while strength fuelled by rage coursed through her fingers. She could so easily exert her strength and crush that which was angering her sat within her grip, but she managed to barely hold herself back.

Without breaking eye contact with her grandmother Aurora called out to Sasha who was still standing in the doorway.

“Sasha, close the door and curtains.”

Miriam started to shiver from fear as Sasha looked between Aurora and her grandmother for a moment before silently but quickly following the instructions given with awkward speed, clearly not wanting to be involved.

The room fell into an eery silence only broken by her secretary as she moved around in her clicking high heels. Harold remained standing silently to her side, somewhat understanding of what was going on, yet remaining faithfully silent as his position required until he was called upon. His face did look a little paler than usual, but it was a passing concern for Aurora at that moment.

As soon as Sasha had finished isolating the view of what was happening in the office from outside Aurora let out a slow and deliberate breath as she stood up, maintaining her cold expression. Her steps were slow and rhythmic as her heels clicked upon every step she took around her desk towards where her grandmother stood shivering.

Aurora stood in front of the shivering Miriam, taking a brief moment to inspect the elderly woman’s face with a sharp stare.

Her face was wrinkled and stretched by age, with her bone structure on display as her skin sagged over its ridges. She could see the excessive makeup that had been applied to her face to cover up blemishes and inconsistencies that would mar whatever amount of beauty she had left.

Even while fearful, her general demeanour remained aloof and haughty, with her nose slightly raised with a perceived superiority. If nothing else, Aurora could at least respect that her grandmother retained some of her attitude despite her situation, no matter how ignorantly misplaced it was.

Miriam was about to open her mouth the moment a sneer started to appear on her face, but Aurora stopped her immediately by loosening the hold she had on her mana that was heavily influenced by her heavy rage.

The pressure Aurora put on her grandmother heavily increased which caused her breath to catch in her throat and make her choke while she narrowed her eyes menacingly. Any attempt that her grandmother was about to make to speak was instantly stopped as Miriam’s eyes widened with horror upon the striking realisation that Aurora was the cause of the unnatural restriction around her.

“So you now realise. Good. My patience is generally quite tolerant, you know? That is until you cross one of my bottom lines. Throwing a tantrum like an entitled five year old? Ordering me around like you have some right? Insulting not only my own attire, but many of my female staff? And of all things, disrespecting my dear brother not even a week after his passing?”

Aurora let out a quiet sigh as her gaze hardened, looking down slightly to stare deep into her grandmother’s eyes.

“Honestly, my opinion of you was awful at the start, but now? It is taking everything I have not to just… end you. It would be so easy you know? And with a little more effort, I could make everyone think you just walked to the top of the building and jumped.”

What little colour in Miriam’s face disappeared as Aurora paused for a moment, and then spoke.

“It’s quite interesting, just how much I want to say to you. I could talk about just so much, from your entitled attitude, your jealousy over my appearance or what I have now that you never could, about the incredible levels of hypocrisy that makes up your life, or how your desire for prestige and popularity has twisted you into the vile abomination now in front of me.”

Aurora gave her grandmother a slow once over, letting her disgust show on her face before leaning closer to her face so their eyes were on the same level, allowing Miriam’s admittedly nice but old-fashioned perfume to catch in her nose.

“But no. Instead of taking the effort to verbally crush every aspect of your frankly hollow and pathetic life, I will leave you with these few parting words so that when calamity comes and you lay dying and bleeding out on the pavement, you will recall what I had said, and you will realise just how meaningless your life was, and that the life choices you made lead you down a path where the only person in the world who could truly have helped you survive, absolutely despises your entire existence.”