A knock shook the door of Jewel’s office early the next morning.

“Come in,” she yelled, despite the relative silence of the room. The door creaked open and on the other side appeared Edith. She walked into the room wearing a tank top and cargo pants, and looked quite rugged with her hair pulled back into a ponytail and a large backpack on her shoulders. “Well, it looks like someone’s planning to go off on an adventure.”

“I came to apologize for my behavior last night,” began the teen, “I want to go to grandmother’s house for a week, to clear my head.” The look on her face was one of defeat, a disgraceful countenance for any future woman of power to have. Still, it thrilled Jewel to see her daughter finally regret something.

“That sounds fine. I’ll send Rose and Gilda with you too.” Edith’s brow furrowed for a moment at hearing this, but quickly returned to a more neutral state.

“Okay, they can come.”

“Did I really require your permission to send them?” Again, Edith furrowed her brow, this time holding it as she spoke.

“I guess not. Call them down and tell them to get ready, then.” Jewel turned to a small speaker on her desk and pushed a button on it. She spoke softly, summoning the two maids to prepare for the trip.

“I am also going to have them check your things to make certain there aren’t any stowaways.” She lifted an eyebrow and continued. “There is still no sign of the missing tiny; he could be anywhere.”

Edith took a step towards her mother, attempting to become physically imposing. “I can check my own things!” she cried. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

Rose shifted in her chair, determined to show her daughter what true physical dominance looked like. Despite having more than enough money to be an incredible sixteen meters tall, she usually chose to keep her money with relatives so she could stay at a manageable five. And her daughter had only pocket change in comparison, keeping her just shy of three meters. Even while sitting down, Jewel was not someone who could be overwhelmed physically. “You are sixteen years old and still emotionally vulnerable. I think most would still consider you a ‘kid.’”

Defeated again, Jewel’s daughter could only submit to her mother’s will. “It doesn’t matter, they won’t find anything anyway.”

“I’m sure they won’t.” Jewel prepared to return to her work, but noticed something peculiar as Edith turned to leave. “Is that an earring?” she asked.

The girl paused for a moment before turning back towards her mother. “Yes…” she said slowly, as if struggling to speak at all.

“Where did you get the thing?” Edith’s face flushed red on her cheeks. Jewel could practically feel the heat radiating from them.

“Jade gave it to me,” she whimpered, “before she left.”

“Ah, Jade,” Jewel remembered fondly, “she was always giving you presents of some sorts. May I see it?” The question required little response; Edith simply took off the earring and placed it in her mother’s hand while trembling.

Jewel lifted the tiny bulb up to her eyes. It was black and spherical, but that was all she could surmise from her perspective. She debated whether or not to crush the thing, but opted against it in the case that it actually was a gift from Jade. Rolling the piece in her hand a few more times, she lifted it up to her ear to see if she could hear anything unusual.

“May I have it back now?” the daughter blurted out. The color had since drained from her face and the sweat gathering on her trembling hands was visible even to a giant like Jewel. The mother moved the jewelry away from her ear and dropped it down to her daughter’s waiting hand. Edith moved the earring up to her lips, but quickly stopped as her mother watched on inquisitively.

Another knock interrupted the tension of the room as two women entered. One was wearing a French maid outfit that seemed to pronounce her bright red hair and humble her hidden, curvaceous body. The other was in a black turtleneck with black pants and had her deep brown hair in a ponytail, clearly returning from affairs outside the house. Both bowed respectfully to Edith and Jewel, despite being a bit taller than the youngest one of the two.

“Madame,” the one with bright red hair stated, “we’ve prepared a vehicle and are ready to leave whenever you wish.”

“Excellent, be sure to check her bag before leaving,” Jewel pointed to the bag and the two maids nodded. A smile crept onto her lips as Jewel bid her daughter farewell. “Stay safe, okay honey?”

“I will, mother,” Edith replied with false courtesy. She didn’t want the maid to think anything was wrong, and swiftly departed with them on her tail. As soon as the door shut, Jewel dropped her smile.

“Time to place a call,” she said aloud, picking up the phone on her desk.