115 Schemes

Returning back to reality Reen who was feeling highly emotional tightly held the puzzle pendant on her necklace to calm herself down. Finally noticing her presence, her aunt May, her oldest uncle's wife called her.

"Reen! You're finally here, what are you doing their? Come in! Come in!" She intimately went to her and escorted her to one of the empty sits.

Lilith who was talking to the other aunts stiffened then stared at Reen. Reen had already calmed down enough to hide her initial expression. Lilith who was now staring at her did not see anything out of the ordinary, she exhaled in relief

"So the rumor that she regained her memory was not true." She thought to herself

Finally sitting down as Reen smiled lovingly at her aunt May then coincidently made eye contact with Lilith. A murderous gaze flitted through her eyes but as fast as it came it was gone as fast too.

Seeing this, Lilith shook her head, blink her eyes a couple of times for good measure. When she was sure everything was the same and nothing was there, she concluded her mind was just playing tricks on her. She scolded her overactive imagination.

"Truly a case of the thief having a burning hat [1] with such obvious reactions." Lilith's ever changing features did not go unnoticed by Reen who was observing her keenly. Reen could not help but mockingly thought

"Hello aunty it's been a while since we last saw each other." She initiated the conversation as they where coincidently looking at each other it would be rude to ignore the woman.

"Yes, it truly is. You've really grown into a beautiful woman."

She praised in a sweet voice, it was obviously a customary comment wherein the other party should complement the other back but Reen ignored her underlying gestures.

"Thank you very much! I got my looks from my beautiful mother you see."

She sincerely said, her aunt and uncles who were talking to each other while also secretly listening to their conversation stiffened, Lilith who noticed this sneered inwardly.

"Now's my chance!" She thought

Everyone knew that Reen still hasn't fully accepted Lilith as her new mom as well as bringing her dead mother whom her relatives actually didn't really like even if she was alive as they considered her a hick [2] made the atmosphere uncomfortable.

Reen pretending not to notice such reactions continued to praise Elena. Even though she is still pretending to not remember anything as Wisteria and Hue were good friends with Elena no one especially Lilith found it anything out of the ordinary the way she lovingly talks about Elena.

"Sh't! This idiotic brat, how dare she not only believe my sarcastic comment! Even bringing her b*tch of a mother in the conversation praising her again and again!"

She angrily thought despite the opportunity to reprimand the girl. Just as she was thinking this, Seth with Reen's other uncle Chris arrived to this scene after coming back from their brief walk out the yard.

Seeing this timing Lilith pretended to say in a hurtful voice which interrupted Reen's monologue.

"Oh Reen! I know you still haven't accepted me as your new mother especially since we were never close to begin with. We also weren't able to take you in two years ago as you know the company was going down and we didn't have the financial assets to provide you." She started saying pretending to be greatly hurt by Reen excessive praise.

Author's Notes:

┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

FYI: The emojis are not mine, got them from Google

[1] This means, "He has an uneasy conscience that betrays itself"

[2] A person who lives in the country, regarded as being unintelligent or provincial.