Specks of dust blew on her face from the wind as Yolanda watched Debbie leave in the car. Beads of sweat formed on her face and she gritted her teeth. Even though she was seething with anger, Yolanda calmly dusted her dress and cleaned her sunglasses. 

To calm her rising anger, she took deep breaths to clear her mind of the rampant thoughts that ran through here head. Stress was the last thing Yolanda wanted. 

She got into her car- a black Audi Q5 and pressed on the accelerator. The fifteen minutes' ride would be a good stress buster and soon she'd be in the comfort of her home. Safe. Yolanda thought.

Yolanda parked her car in her private garage and walked to the mansion at Cobble Hill—one of the richest parts of Brooklyn. She ambled towards the door and checked her emails along the way. She badly wanted to get a job done and was ensuring the photos matched the targets' appearance.

She double, triple checked her images. 

"There should be no mistakes. One slip and everything is over," she thought. 

Taking the right, Yolanda turned the corner to her to stand in front of a building. The sign said, "YSL".

Before anyone jumped to assumptions, it didn't mean Yves Saint Laurent- the famous Paris fashion house, it meant Yolanda Sebastian Lyon. The mansion was named after her.  The logo of blood tipped swords stood proudly next to her name.

The Victorian exterior blended with the opulent interiors. Ivy and ferns grew through the winding stone path, which led directly to the colossal structure. The mansion loomed proudly behind shiny iron gates, flanked by rows of trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the breeze.

 A delicate marble fountain stood at its threshold, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence. 

An open porch at the front held up with most detailed pillars, painted in soft shades of ivory.

The mansion had four sides around a central quadrangle and over twenty rooms. It took a small army of servants to upkeep such a large abode and indeed most of the rooms were ever used. Each room was as big a three bedroom apartment and came equipped with an intercom system in case Yolanda should need to call for service.

The full-length windows covered with curtains—it was the perfect way to keep prying eyes and those snooping government officials off the track. No one would think such exotic quarters existed in such a lowly, rundown building.

Golden chandeliers lit up the cream interiors, and a fireplace added warmth in a defiance to the rough, cold look of the building. All stair rails were ornate mahogany, carved and polished so that it shined.

A thrill went through Yolanda as if she was looking at it for the first time. All she thought was, "Gosh, she loved this place. The feeling never grew old. She lived on the first floor and her Papa had his office on the second so that he could stay close to her."

The entrance was designed to inspire confidence and allay apprehension. With watercolours lining the walls and a square glass topped coffee table with magazines, the ergomatically designed chairs in yellow, blue and violet gave off a bright, relaxed feel.

A receptionist sat at some feet from the entrance, but she was chatting merrily away on her cellphone, oblivious to the world. Flashing a brief welcoming smile, she returned to her call.

Unamused by her apparent lack of attention, Yolanda hit the receptionist with a sharp knuckle rap to her head.

"Is Papa at his office? I'd like to see him now."

She blinked a few times and mumbled a muttered apology.  Fumbling with her laptop, she typed a few words. "You can go now, Ma'am. Sir is waiting for you. As usual, upon your arrival in the office, steaming black coffee will wait for you there."

She could use a little coffee at the moment.

"Sounds good to me." 

Going into the elevator, she pressed the button for the second floor when a burly, man bumps into her. 

"Who the hell are you thinking." Only to realise it's Red. 

Reddington Long as known as Red for short was her Papa's right hand and confidante.

"What brings you here, Lolo? Everything okay?"

"Yes, Red. Thought I'd pay my dad a visit. It's been a while."

"If I know you correctly, you don't come here unless it's urgent. Anything I can do to help, Lolo? You know you can trust me, right?"

"Umm... no. Well, yes. There's a girl and some people I want taken care of. With his contacts, I was hoping Papa could see to them. You know what I mean, Red."

"Yes, I do. There was a hit assigned today that I pulled off. Before I take any contract, I want to know if these people have done you any wrong. We are in the business of bumping folks off and we are open about what we do. We do our work with utter honesty and utmost sincerity. One can never be too sure. Convince me and I'm all yours." 

You remember Papa always says, "There are no innocents, just guilty people we don't know as yet. We are doing the world a favour by purging them of their sins. Always remember that."

Rolling his eyes with a swarmy smile across his face, "Hmm... I do. I'm innocent as fuck, Lolo. Now, tell me everything."

After Yolanda brings him up to the latest happenings, with Red nodding his head and at times asking a question, he's convinced of their guilt and the injustice meted out to her.

"As you are satisfied with me, when can you do this job for me?"

"Do you have any preference? Like day, time, etc?"

"No, I don't have any. I like it to be completed as soon as possible. I'll mail you the details of their daily schedules, so that'll help you in planning the other stuff."

"What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me, Lolo. I'll call you when the job is done."

"Make sure Papa knows about it too. Please. Don't want any legal issues to pop up from nowhere, Red."

"Yes, I'll ensure that he's aware of everything and has overed all bases, Don't worry. Now, off you go and enjoy your day!"

On the way to the first floor, Yolanda slowly munched on the bar of chocolate and mulled over today's events in her mind. "I feel so relaxed after that chat with Red. Eager to see my hit come to fruition. Now, Debbie will know what it means to mess with me!"

Yolanda reached home and rushed to her room. Locking the room, she flung herself on her bed. Certain that no one else was watching her, Yolanda cried. Contrasting emotions overwhelmed her. She was happy to get a chance to make Debbie suffer and make her pay for all that she had done. On the other hand, she would finally get her best friend Lizzie back after all these years. 

She knew that her Papa was an assassin and took money to bump off people. She was being groomed to take over the business after her Papa someday.

The people killed were strangers. But this was someone known. An acquaintance. Someone who had no inkling of their future. Their only mistake was that they meant the world to one — and only for that someone, she was prepared and determined to wipe them out. Sobs racked her body.

It was only on her Papa's insistence she went to the public school. He was of the opinion that a public school give a ground eye view of the life and the same can be applied to life after school. 

Sebastian Lyon wanted his daughter to have a normal childhood with friends and he knew Yolanda was spoiled without a mother.

Her staff treated and pampered Yolanda, but school was so different. She had only one friend- Lizzie who had forsaken her three years ago, after an altercation at school. 

Yolanda wanted Lizzie to apologise to her for no fault of hers. She liked being bowed down to by all. Made her feel more powerful

Her thirst for power grew. Yolanda became very possessive of Lizzie and her desire to control Lizzie's life grew. She become obssessed and had forbidden Lizzie from making new friends or chatting with other students in the classroom.

As a punishment, Yolanda would kick and push Lizzie to the floor, even injuring her at times. With her reputation at school, no one would come to help Lizzie. 

Until, one fine day, Debbie arrived. Debbie was new, and unaware of Yolanda and Lizzie's friendship. She helped Lizzie to her feet, spoke a few kinds words and gave her water. 

And everything changed. Lizzie left Yolanda for Debbie bringing an end to their eight-year-old friendship. 

Yolanda was offended, hurt—crushed and really infuriated. And she wanted her friend back.

But there was something about Lizzie and Debbie that always set Yolanda off. The way they talked and made fun of her lifestyle, her money. The way they stood up to her in front of the teachers. With their courage and I-care-a-damn attitude, they inspired others to call her out too. Their fearlessness was breaking her from inside, making her weak. Yolanda detested herself for being weak.

They came from middle-class backgrounds, wore normal clothes and stayed in low-lying neighbourhood. Even their books came from second-hand stores and yet they were happy together. It was as if nothing could break their bond—their friendship. 

Yolanda was envious of them—what they shared as friends. She wished she had those kinds of friends. The ones she had, were only with her for the money and the treats she gave in the school canteen every day. Not to mention the parties she hosted at her ten-storeyed building.

She was the owner of innumerable properties with access to all of them. She was beautiful and fashionable. Not to mention, the heir to her Papa's empire. 

He had seen to her future. All she lacked was love and acceptance. Real love and friendship. And if Yolanda didn't have it; she'd make sure her enemies didn't too. 

Debbie and Lizzie would pay for all that they had done to her. Just wait and watch, you guys. Yolanda promised herself.