- The Life of a Rich Lady

Once Upon a time...

There lived a woman named Adelynn, she was the only biological child of one of the most impressive men. Remington White, known throughout the galaxy as the powerhouse of the technological industry. Without him, millions of advancements that brought humans to their current mobility would disappear into thin air, never being thought of.

He was renowned as a genius. Like most geniuses, his youth was full of isolation and contemplation. He was not a social child, at least not with kids around his age.

After his many years of achievement after achievement, Remington finally found a way to continue his legacy. A Madilyn Dala, whose natural beauty was outstanding and kind heart even moreso.

They were madly in love. From their love, Adelynn White was born. With her birth, Madilyn's life was taken.

Remington did not blame his child, it was a horrific truth that many woman died during the birthing process. Instead, he promised to sit the healthy baby on the highest of thrones.

Afterwards, Remington went on to adopted several promising students. They were of various ages, adopted as long as his perceptive eyes could see talent worthy of his attention.

Each child adopted the last name Gold, and the future would prove the majority worth his investment. Afterall, Remington wasn't the man he was for no reason.

While a mentor and a guardian for those surnamed Gold, only Adelynn ever had his fatherly devotion. She was the apple in his eye, growing into the spitting image of her mother. Adelynn knew of her father's love for her, just as she knew of her superior status in the galaxy.

She did not have the wish to change and empower the world, like Remington. Nor the wish for peace and prosperity to desolate planets, like Madilyn. Even less so to earn her keep in the family, like her brothers and sisters. No, Adelynn's goal was simple and complacent.

She wanted to live peacefully in endless luxury. Not working or worrying a day in her life. High on her father's throne, as if it were her own.

And so, that it how her life went on.

Adelynn was a woman born to one of the most prominent men in the galaxy, and she shamelessly basked in his glory.

———

Outside of Cheryl Gold's mansion, 200 Autominds marched in sync with festive music blaring across the lawn. The first 10 carried towers of boxes wrapped in Romanesque paper wrap with bright colored bows, each was of an obnoxiously large size. The latter 10 carried few packages, each stamped with 'fragile' and having a letter taped to it.

The Mansion was also of a Romanesque style, with small windows, rounded arches, and thick stone walls. It was a moderately sized Mansion, not overly large or giving ownership to too much land. A very close water fountain and horse stable were the only exterior touches.

The Autominds, Cheryl's robotic creations, were as simple as conscious A.I could be. Since they were basic: easy to program, quick to comprehend, perfect for heavy lifting, these mid-level Autominds could be found almost everywhere. Except for the homes of poor people or those who preferred old fashion workers, which wasn't few.

The mid-levels didn't have two legs with feet, instead rolling on a single leg with a rotating foot. It was simple, though not natural-looking.

That's the thought that crossed Cheryl Gold's mind as she watched the Autominds enter from her view on the second floor. A woman, not much younger, held her head down in a planning board, mumbling about this and that.

"Hm, why do I feel this is less than last year?" She glanced curiously at her friend and life assistant. She had no real concern about the number of gifts, but of course she wondered.

The assistant responded after a moment of thought. "Your brother, Ron, personally handled communication and preparation. It's likely he stunted the amount, I don't know why he would, though."

"Ahh." Cheryl didn't ask anymore, she understood what her brother was doing.

2 weeks ago, their father's true child, Adelynn, had a birthday. Although she was already a grown adult, he still bought her gifts and baked her a wishing cake. Most of the family was there, as it was one of the few events considered a "family gathering", though none of their birthdays were very special.

As expected, everyone who wanted some connection to their father went through his beloved daughter. Every year she was given thousands of gifts over the course of a few months, so she wasn't overwhelmed. However, gifts wholly depended on what was requested. If father had requested one gift per family, it would be a lot fewer.

This year, Ron Gold was in charge of the big gathering instead of their father. As expected, he shined the spotlight on more than just Adelynn. Cheryl could be thankful for him giving her a chance to brag about her Automind successes for once. Many of their siblings were given their chances as well.

She assumed the gift situation must be along that line; slowly pushing Adelynn out of boundless luxury so she would stop being so easygoing. With lesser gifts, perhaps she might leave to the mall this month.

Cheryl shrugged, she didn't care what the daughter surnamed White did. As long as she continued to waste her education on 3D games, she would be happy.

Meanwhile, Adelynn White was quite cozy in one of Cheryl's guests rooms. Her Manor and it's 3k acres were currently being renovated. She didn't like the structure of her Manor, it had to be changed. Though, Adelynn often came over to Cheryl's without reason.

Dressed in typical nighttime lingerie, despite it being well into the morning, she stepped out of the bathroom. From her sleepy expression and fuzzy black hair, she clearly just woke up. After a cute and quiet yawn, she walked over to the closet. The sisters were the same size.

Adelynn had many morning routines, as well as afternoon, evening, and night routines. After so many years, everything was a habit. She opened the closet door and came to the sight of outfits stacked up and up and up, far pass the room's ceiling. With eyes roaming she hovered her thin white fingers against several buttons by the door.

Seeing a section 3 levels up labelled "Confidence boosters" she pressed a button and the 3rd and 1st section traded rows. As she swiped pass and judged which things to wear and what jewelry she would make them with, Adelynn verbalized her plans.

"Take a shower and dress beautifully. Sister has such empowering clothing, I should find something of enough quality..."

"Clean the room, then I'll do my hair. Maybe brush and straighten? Or, I could braid it.. No, maybe another day. Neither sounds appealing, I'll call over a hairdresser instead."

"After hair, I have to check in with Lalla and Lafas, see if they've gotten themselves killed yet. Then, once it's.. hm, what time is it?"

The next moment a holographic clock appeared before her. She swiped her pinky and the regular clock with short and long hands switched into a box clock telling military time.

"Already almost 1? I can't believe myself!"

As a normally Early Bird kind of girl, this could only be blamed on those insomniac twins, forcing her to play games with them all night.

She stopped looking, grabbed a matching shirt and pants, some brown boots, and a hat, then quickly returned to the bathroom.

In the shower, Adelynn thought back to her birthday 2 weeks ago. One of her brothers, Ron, was in charge that time. Remington told her she was the judge of whether the celebration was organized well, and she had yet to give her opinion.

How to say it, the party was.. different.

It wasn't how their father did it, and she wasn't blind to why. For the most part, Adelynn wanted to tell their father she enjoyed the party, that it was great. However, when she thinks about the fact that it was her birthday, and Ron had not even gathered everyone to congratulate her together, she was dissatisfied.

Plus, how could she not know hardly any of the congratulations were sincere? Father always managed to get her siblings to pretend, but Ron definitely didn't try.

It was honestly sad, watching grown men and women sourly congratulate her, envy and disdain purposefully uncovered. Adelynn wasn't the type to openly brag, but she always did at her birthday parties. Considering she didn't do nearly as much as they did, that's probably why they held disdain.

She had left the party early, uninterested in her family's personal developments.

She sighed, should she be honest? She didn't want another party like this, but didn't want to be accused of whining either. As she stepped out of the shower and dried her hair, she decided to think about it later.

She needed to expedite her plans, to combine morning and afternoon.

2 hours later, on the dot of 15:15, Adelynn finished her brunch buffet. She stood from the table wiping the corner of her pink lips, while each clean or half eaten plate floated up and into the kitchen. In the kitchen, a group of Autominds would clean off the excess food, then let the dishes wash themselves.

The method was a poor copy of her father's self-cleaning house, Adelynn thought. Cheryl used her father's inventions as inspiration and always tried to copy them in her own way. Adelynn didn't say anything about it, but it always annoyed her.

She sat the napkin back on the table and left the large dining-room. The chefs made her brunch out of Cheryl's normal food schedule, so you could say she gave them extra work. Not that she would care either way, it is a chef's job to cook afterall.

Adelynn already completed her morning and afternoon tasks. She dressed in a black sheer shirt with a black crop top underneath, dark gray skinny jeans that accentuated her thin legs and thighs, brown ankle boots that help bring out her light brown eyes, and a sun hat for no particular reason.

Having her mother's looks, Adelynn undoubtedly had the beauty of famous models. Adding on seeming average clothes, but every piece brings out another, she could dazzle a god.

This beauty, Adelynn was most proud of. Even if it were in her genes, bad habits could water down her beauty or lack of a fashion eye could hide it. She did everything to make her mother's features stand out, well, everything but makeup. "A true beauty is always natural", is her daily quote.

"Cher? Are you busy today?" She asked as she stood outside Cheryl's home office. Two more Autominds guarded the door as she knocked.

Cheryl sighed at her desk. She ran her hand down her face, then gave in. "No, Adelynn, I'm not busy. Is there something you wanted to do today?" Gifts were a nighttime thing, so Cheryl wouldn't say they arrived and Adelynn wouldn't open them.

For the most part, this was the time of day Cheryl ran through paperwork. She wasn't finished, but her sister took first priority. If their father learned she dismissed her wants for her work, she would be lectured.

Adelynn walked in smiling and sat in a chair, one leg folded over the next. "It's not something I want, it's something I have to do. 'Pearls 3D' is having a competition in the central cathedral on Kedor in two days. Can you send me over by tomorrow morning?"

Adelynn didn't do a people pleasing face, nor a look like she couldn't live without going. That would be too dramatic, she assumed her sister would say yes without charades. It's a short trip, afterall.

However, Cheryl immediately shook her head. "If you're coming to me, Dad must've said no. I'm not going to be your loophole." She guessed correctly and didn't think before denying.

Indeed, Adelynn would mostly go to their father if she needed something. Her siblings were either 2nd or last resorts, if Lalla nor Lafas could help her.

Instead of letting Adelynn give an excuse, Cheryl stated another reason. "Kedor is a planet full of reckless people who play dangerous games. Pearl 3D may not be among those games, but that doesn't change this fact. Going there would be dangerous, and no one can watch you from 4 planets away. I'm sure there are other, local, competitions."

Compared to Earth, Kedor really is a lot more dangerous. Most entertainment on Earth included things kid-friendly or okay for people sensitive to certain topics and visuals, but not Kedor. It was a planet run on every violent game in creation, that's why this particular competition would be cool.

A VR game liked Pearl 3D needing the participants to came to a specific location? That spelled something fun.

Of course, when Adelynn told Remington this, he only thought about the fact it took place in one of Kedor's really dangerous cities. Now, Cheryl focuses on the danger of the planet as a whole.

No one in the family could understand Adelynn when it came to these games. They worked, worked, and worked. They worked so much, that was their way to have fun. Only she wanted actual fun, it was so depressing.

Adelynn looked at her sister's decided expression. She frowned and stood up, walking over. She placed a head on the desk and looked down at Cheryl.

"Sister, I know you want to stay on father's good side by following his lead, but haven't you already done enough of that? Everything you do is something he has or is doing. You even go as far as to give me the keys to your mansion, your car, and the rights to order your workers, human and Automind, just like father. Going that far to please both me and father, shouldn't you at least make sure I'm pleased at other times as well? Instead of living in the moment and watching me leave the scene.."

As Adelynn spoke, she leaned in closer to her sister, and her voice got quieter. Every spoken word was said sharper and sharper, until she dejectedly softened her voice in the last sentence. She paused, then followed up, "I haven't told father yet."

It was obviously a threat. Cheryl did a lot of nice things on the surface, but if Remington found out she abandoned Adelynn at her own party, she would face a verbal beating. Same goes for everyone else; they all pretended to give Adelynn the utmost care.

If Cheryl didn't do as Adelynn wanted, Adelynn would take her recent treatment to their father. No matter how many years of investments he put into those surnamed Gold, only Adelynn White would be his treasure. How could they mistreat her on her special day?

In turn, if Cheryl went against Remington's wishes and sent Adelynn to Kedor, only she would be in trouble. She would face his fire either way, wouldn't it be better to do it alone?

Adelynn wasn't the type of person to blackmail someone, evident by the many times she could've but didn't. However, she really wanted to participate in this competition. Remington cut off her control to her personal skycrafts, and he notified Lafas and Lalla's parents she wasn't allowed to join them. Her only choice was the sister she liked, Cheryl.

As expected, Cheryl wasn't willing to take their siblings down with her. She pushed Adelynn away from her desk and nodded before pulling a fingerprint copier from her desk. She copied her fingerprint then gave it to Adelynn, this was the only way she could activate one of her skycrafts.

"I'll send a driver tonight to help with your stuff.... and a few guards." She unwilling said. A verbal beating might turn physical if Adelynn actually got hurt, it was better to send plenty of guards. Adelynn accepted this and walked out wearing a satisfied smile.

———

Adelynn never liked leaving the comfort of a warm and flurry bed. She only did so because her father had taught her the imp of taking care of one's self, and her routines had turned into habits. However, when she finished these routines, there really was nothing else she cared to do.

So, she lay lazily on top of the bed in Cheryl's guestroom. Her hair draped across her face as she curled into herself.

There was so much she would have to do in a few hours, there's no way she would be able to sleep on the way to Zedor. She wanted to take a nap now, but that was quite difficult too. Her many bags of many, many, unnecessary things were already packed. She just had to wait till the driver came over...

As Adelynn thought about it, she rolled onto her back. Her hair fell off of her cheek, onto the bedsheet. Her eyes hung heavily, just before a wave of fatigue hit. She winced at the strange feeling in her chest.. It had been a long time since she felt so tired.

Before she could wonder why she was tired in the first place, Adelynn drifted off.

Of course, what she would realize soon enough, was that she died.