Chapter 57
The moment Emma heard that the snake shared her name, she exploded. "Ivy, you're unbelievable! You actually named that snake after me? What's that supposed to mean?"
Ivy cradled the snake’s head in her hands and smiled slyly. "What’s wrong with my beloved pet sharing a name with my dear little sister? Makes for a memorable tribute, don't you think?" She held the snake out a little, as if to present it.
"Ahhh!" The Windsors recoiled in horror, stumbling backward as if the snake might leap at them.
Emma burst into tears again, her voice shaking with outrage. "How is that a tribute? You’re clearly calling me a viper! Dad, Mom, you have to stand up for me! I've always treated Ivy well, and this is how she repays me…"
"Crying again?" Ivy muttered, exasperated. "Keep it up and I’ll let Emma spend the night in your bed. The two of you can keep each other company."
Emma’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She clamped her mouth shut, terrified into silence.
Satisfied, Ivy smiled and carried the snake back to her room, returning it to its box.
Only then did the Windsors relax a little, their shoulders sagging with relief.
"Ivy, you need to get rid of that thing!" Adkins ordered sharply.
"Not happening. I bought her, and I’m responsible for her. I’m not like you people – you’d toss aside your own daughter and never look back." Ivy’s tone was icy, her gaze unyielding.
Micah tried a gentler tack. "Aren’t you scared to sleep with that around? It’s kind of… terrifying."
Ivy looked over her shoulder, her smile thin. "Scared? You want to know what scared feels like? Try spending years locked in a filthy pen out in the countryside, with mosquitoes thick as clouds and all sorts of bugs – centipedes, frogs, earthworms – crawling over you. Even snakes slithered in, twice. You think I was scared then?"
Rosetta’s face twitched, tears brimming in her eyes. "Ivy, sweetheart, I know you suffered. I know it wasn’t easy…"
"No, you don't." Ivy cut her off, her voice flat and lifeless. "If you really understood what I’ve been through these past three years, you wouldn’t treat me like this now."
Adkins scowled. "Enough talk. Let her move out, problem solved!"
"Adkins," Micah interjected quickly, eager to change the subject. "It’s late. Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Besides, I think Mrs. Windsor hurt her leg – shouldn’t we get it checked out?"
Rosetta stood awkwardly, her weight off her right leg, the pain obvious now that their attention had shifted from the snake. Only after Micah spoke up did the others notice her ankle, swollen and inflamed.
Alarmed, Adkins immediately told his son to get the car and drive Rosetta to the hospital.
With the house suddenly empty and quiet, Ivy finally let out a long breath and headed back to her room.
The black and white kingsnake lay coiled in its box, perfectly still. After staring at it for a while, even Ivy felt a chill run down her spine. She tossed a cloth over the box and turned away.
Her phone buzzed with messages from Katrina, checking in on her. Ivy replied simply – relieved to hear her best friend was safely back at school after the movies.
WhatsApp was blowing up too. She opened the app to see the group chat ablaze with talk about tomorrow’s stock market.
Several people tagged her. After scrolling through the backlog, she started answering their questions.
Bob: Mrs. Smith, you’re finally here! We’ve been making a killing on those small-cap momentum stocks. Think we should hold or cash out?
Mrs. Smith: Momentum trades like that? Definitely cash out.
Jay: Agreed. I’ll sell tomorrow.
Dr. Handsome: I think the market’s about to rebound. The volatility’s over.
Ivy smirked: The market isn’t interested in your opinion. What you think doesn’t matter.
Dr. Handsome: Value investing is the only real way to play the market. These little tricks of yours – just short-term gambling.