"Don't forget I'm the one who brought Pandora to Eden Falls," he hisses. "I'm the reason you're together now."
"No," I say resolutely, getting up from my seat and signaling this is the end of our conversation as I button up my blazer. "I'm the reason we're together. Because she loves me, you fucking dick."
He gets up too, not bothering with a reply because he probably knows I'm right.
Pandora appears in the doorway then. She's wearing
a thin white dress that sweeps the floor, her expression wary as it meets her father's.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.
"Your father just dropped by with a nice surprise," I reply easily. "Minnie will be coming to live with us for a while."
"Minnie?" Her eyes light up. It's the first genuine excitement I've seen from her, and it pleases me Oakes has made the decision to allow Minnie to stay with us. "Oh, that's wonderful..."
"Make Kelley bring her here now," I tell Oakes, and he nods, surprised by Pandora's excited reaction. I knew Minnie and Pandora were close, but I never realized the maid's daughter was the only ally my toy has in this town. She needs her. Having Minnie at Booth Manor will be good for Pandora. "We don't want to wait any longer than necessary. I'll have Anders prepare a room for her."
"Fine," Oakes hisses. It's the best reaction I can hope to get out of the old man. He hates getting ordered around, just like I do. I was meant to give orders, not fucking follow them. "She'll be here soon."
Pandora and I walk her father out. She surprises me by helping Anders get Minnie's room ready, genuinely excited by seeing her old friend again. We even speak about hiring some more help soon to help the butler around the house.
I tell Pandora what her father has decided, and she seems relieved by the news. Even though I don't want to show it, I am, too. If it weren't for Emilian's decision, I'd be kicked out of the Manor and left penniless. And I can't risk that. Not now, when I still need to find Lily Anna and Reign.
Just like always, the thought of them makes my heart and head hurt. I force myself to stay busy with the preparations for Minnie's arrival. But it's all a poor excuse. I know all our thoughts are with the baby, not here, in Eden Falls. And even though I'm more determined than ever to find Lily Anna and our son, I also feel like we're looking for two needles in a haystack. She's just gone, without a fucking trace.
I'm getting frustrated, so I'm grateful for the distraction of the doorbell. Pandora practically races downstairs to greet Minnie.
The blonde girl looks different than I remember her. She was always quiet but happy despite everything going on in her life. But today, her shoulders are slumped. Minnie looks defeated, and it instantly deflates Pandora as well. Still, the two girls seem excited to be in each other's company.
Anders sets up a table for afternoon tea, and the three of us sit down together to talk.
I notice Minnie's developed a new habit when she sits down and the sleeves of her uniform ride up. Her arms are covered in scratches. I know Pandora's noticed it too, even though Minnie did her best to hide it.
"Are you okay?" my toy asks, the concern plain in her voice as she takes the maid's hand.
"I'm fine." Minnie waves her other hand dismissively as if it's nothing. "Just... tired. I'm happy to be here though, Miss Pandora."
"I'm happy you're here, too." My toy beams. "It's going to make things so much better. But are you sure you're okay?"
"I haven't seen you in months," Minnie whispers. "A lot has happened since you first left Eden Falls, Miss Pandora."
I think of Oakes then. He puts up a front of being a businessman, a father, a good man. But deep down he's nothing but a monster, and seeing Minnie so broken only serves to remind me of the fact. And yet I'm powerless to stop him. I've offered Belle, Minnie's mother, money to leave Eden Falls. Money for Minnie to work for me. But something keeps them there, at Oakes Estate, serving the man who's hurting them every day. I now realize staying with us will be a small reprimand for Minnie. But we all know she'll have to go back to the house of horrors soon enough... there's no escaping a man like Emilian Oakes.
I listen as the two girls catch up. Minnie seems calm but sad, but Pandora is visibly better because of her presence. I vow to make things easier for both of them. I'll do anything in my power to change things.
It's the first time I start to think about this fucked-up town and it's rituals that favor the rich.
If you have power in Eden Falls, you can have it all.
But if you don't, you're doomed to a life of being ordered around by those who have more than you.
And it's time that changed.
We show Minnie to her room later on, and she quietly retreats to it, leaving Pandora and me alone.
"I'm worried about her," Pandora says the moment the door closes. "She's hurting. How can we help her?"
"She'll be fine while she's here," I mutter. "But we need to get her out of that house for sure."