It had taken some time and a lot of reading on the laws of the state, but Jessie finally figured it out. Her marriage was null because she was a minor at the time and the judge hadn't met with her parents and then her separately, like the laws of California required.

They'd all had a comfy cozy gathering, Esteban included, so no one had the chance to check if she was really okay with getting married. Which was a blessing, really, because at that moment, she would have agreed and forfeited her life. Ironic as it was, she could now lie her way out.

So she gave up on the divorce and filed for annulment instead. What followed was a lawyer-free hearing in front of a judge where Jessie put her own acting skills to work. Esteban was left speechless as she cried and acted so much dumber than she actually was. Shocked, he'd failed to play his part. He was twelve years older, of course he'd fooled her.

"You bitch," he mumbled the moment they left the judge's office, finally free of each other.

"This is just the beginning, you thieving asshole," she said between her teeth.

Because she'd barely started. Yes, an annulment automatically got rid of the settlement issue since it was now considered they were never married, so her inheritance was her own.

Except, it wasn't. Her uncle had hidden her parents' will up until she'd found and stolen it. Using the adoption papers, it was embarrassingly easy to solve that problem, too. It was only a matter of time until she could finish her revenge. There was one final piece that had to fall into place.

Esteban.

But Jessie was an agent now, and she'd been living with a genius for years, so hacking was nothing challenging, especially when it came to some records which were only protected by a dumb firewall. Verifying Esteban's company records and finding flaws only took up an afternoon.

Next, she broke into the records of the company which should have belonged to her and did a quick check. Yes, there were a few irregularities, but her uncle had fortunately kept the whole thing pretty clean. He wouldn't risk his only source of income. Company records showed that he was an employee there when her father was in charge.

After gathering all the data she needed, she just had to think how to use it to end this once and for all. Esteban was fairly easy, but getting the company back... Not so much. Maybe she could just reveal the will and sue them, but she wanted it to be more spectacular for some reason.

The thoughts swirled inside her head as she had formal dinner with her supposed parents and husband. She hadn't told her benevolent relatives about the annulment, and apparently neither had Esteban. He kept glaring at her across the table, but she could no longer be bothered with this. Ever since she'd found the documents that proved she'd been living a lie, time had picked up the pace and she was more than ready to leave everything behind.

"Why are you always so unpleasant?" her aunt asked from next to her, bringing a forkful of peas to her mouth.

Jessie gave her a sideways glance. They looked nothing alike, never had. Maria was a brunette with plump lips and pockmarked skin she hid under an impressive layer of foundation. Her eyes were almond-shaped and brown. How could Jessie had believed this woman was her mother when her supposed aunt Rachel had been light and curly-haired like her? She had studied the pictures she had of her parents carefully after learning the truth. She was a spitting image of her mother except for the hair color which was like a combination of her father's red hair and her mother's blonde locks.

But it was so obvious. And yet... After an entire week of scheming and focusing on other things, she suddenly felt like crying again. For her lost childhood, for the new and exciting life she'd left behind. For the friends that felt like brothers and sisters, for the man she loved with all her heart.

No. You have a job to do. You can roll over and weep later.

So she turned to her mother. "It runs in the family. And Esteban, how come you never took me on a honey moon?"

The sound of cutlery stopped abruptly as everyone turned to stare at her.

"Um, because you ran away?" Esteban squinted at her, sure she was up to something, but obviously unable to tell.

Jessie waved her hand to dismiss him. "Excuses, excuses. I've been back for weeks, we agreed we're no longer getting divorced, and you're still avoiding it."

The look on his face was priceless as he calculated the pros and cons of announcing their annulment. She knew he wouldn't. Not if he'd have to justify himself to mother dear for not thinking things through. Jessie was sure that Maria was basically running his life. He hadn't amounted to anything on his own after all.

"That's not a bad idea, Esteban," Daryl, the lying cheating uncle, said. "I think you could both use a vacation."

"I have a better idea," Jessie piped in. "Why don't we all go? Just a week. Anywhere you want, even back to Cancun. Or Hawaii."

Maria's face lit up, the horrible golddigger, and for once she looked at Jessie without malice. "I think this is a wonderful idea. Well done, Jessica. And I may say I'm glad you've finally realized where you belong."

She nodded, the plan already taking shape inside her mind. "Thank you, Mother. It turns out I did learn a few valuable things from you after all."

Maria didn't catch the snark, she just continued eating with renewed force, eager to start planning a luxurious vacation. Daryl and Esteban said nothing, but they both looked a little uneasy. And for good reason. Jessie had finally decided what to do.

♠️

Fooling people was so easy. So was turning back at the last moment and not getting on the plane to Hawaii with the rest of her so called family. Yes, there would be calls and confusion, but Jessie had better things to do in the two weeks they would be away.

Like finally come into her inheritance, take over her company, and kick her adoptive parents out of the loop. Her biggest disappointment was the inability to reverse the adoption. Not that it would have any effect since she was legally an adult, but it would have made her feel much better.

So between raging phone calls that she never bothered to answer and threatening e-mail that she just sent into the trash, Jessie got to work. Reading up on laws, visiting the company and learning everything available about and moving all her assets into another account no one but her would have access to.

It was amazing how much had been stolen from her and how much she needed to get back. Fortunately, Daryl wasn't a complete idiot and the company was fairing decently. She was about to change that and make it exceptional, like her father had intended it to be. Sure, she'd have to study an entirely different area, but she was willing to do it. She didn't think she'd ever felt more motivated in her life.

By the time her lovely family returned from their holiday, everything had changed. Their bags were packed and outside the house that now belonged to her, she was the CEO of her father's company and poor Esteban had no place to live because his house had been purchased from her money.

She'd gotten so involved with her work at the company and understanding how everything went, that she even forgot they were due to arrive, so Daryl appearing in his former office was a tiny surprise.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jessie raised her eyes from the report she was reading. "Hello, Daryl. How was your holiday?"

"Don't bullshit me, Jessica! What are you doing in my office?"

"Read the name on the door, uncle. It's my office."

He faltered, and not because she'd put potpourri on his desk, but because she'd called him out on who her really was. Not her father, but her uncle, the only blood relative she had left. The one who had betrayed her most.

"Did they tell you to do it?" Jessie leaned forward in her seat, presing her palms against the desk. "Did your brother ask you to adopt me and not just look after me? Did he and my mother explicitly tell you what to do once they were dead?"

"What have you done?" Daryl whispered instead.

She shrugged. "Merely set things right. Undid all the damage you've done to both me and the company."

He obviously believed her because the uncertainty morphed into delicious panic. "Jessica, you have to understand. We only did this to protect you."

"Is it my turn to ask you not to bullshit me? You've done everything in your power to hold on to my parents' money, their child be damned. Imagine that, I was so unhappy, I willingly jumped into the arms of a much older man. Maria's son."

Daryl had the decency to wince. "I didn't agree with that. But you insisted."

She banged her fist against the desk. "If you would've told me the truth, I wouldn't have insisted. I wouldn't have married him and I wouldn't have gotten raped." The anger inside her swirled into a dangerous tornado that threatened to wipe everything off the face of the planet. She finally had an outlet and the chance for payback and she would not waste any of them. "Now you get to face the consequences."

"You can't just--"

"I already did." She leaned back in her chair and propped her high heels on the desk. "The house is mine, the company is mine and Esteban is history just because Maria was so eager to see us married, she didn't do it right."

"The company is mine! I've been working day and night to--"

"Make sure it failed its true potential." Jessie gave him a malicious smile. "Trust me, I checked everything, Esteban's phony contracts included. It's over. Everything is mine now, like it was always meant to be."

"I know the runnings better than anyone!"

She had to give him that, but she didn't feel like being fair. Her teeth ground together as she fought to deliver the killer blow. "That can be learned. I don't need you. I did when I was a defenseless child, but you chose money over me. It's about time I did the same." And she pressed a button on her phone to call her assistant. "Grace, please send in security to escort Mr. Stefani out of the building." She'd strip that name from him as well if she could.

Daryl didn't go quietly, and the satisfaction Jessie felt while he was dragged away by two security agents soothed her soul.  And she had something infinitely more pleasant waiting.

Seeing Maria kicking and screaming as she was kicked out of her house by more security Jessie had hired.

"You ungrateful brat!" she kept screaming. "We raised you! We gave you everything!"

"No, no, dear mother," Jessie said from the threshold, shaking her head. "You took everything. Get your facts straight." For Daryl, she'd maybe had a tiny bit of remorse. For her... None. Not for her, not for Esteban and not for ruining their lives and forcing them to live in poverty.

Esteban would go bankrupt, Maria never worked and Daryl had just lost his company.

Maria kept screaming like a mad woman, throwing strings of curses in Spanish that washed over Jessie without leaving any trail. It was shocking how much she didn't care.

A pang of pain and panic drove her away from the scene and back inside the house. The sound of the closing door echoed in the emptiness. She was finally alone, her goal met. Surprisingly, it didn't feel like an end, but like a beginning. She had so much work to do with the company, so she chose to focus on that. Everything else was not important.

Not the whispering that followed her once she returned to the office, briefcase in hand, heels clicking on the polished floors, not the fear she sensed in the people around her. Who cared what they thought? Who cared that they all thought she was a heartless bitch? She knew better.

Except, when she reached the cold, empty house at night, she didn't. The echo of her footsteps made her feel like she'd entered a cavern. A cavern that much resembled the hole in her chest.

Who cares? She didn't need anyone. No feelings, no remorse. Who cared that she'd left her only family on the streets? Well, they did, but she didn't. No shame, no regrets, no--

"I hate this! I can't--"

Jimmy's face swam before her eyes, frowning, a muscle in his jaw working overtime.

"You're lucky," Jessie said. "I wish I could shoot with your ease, wish I could bury everything."

"No." He took her hands, the fire in his eyes overwhelming. "You don't want this. No one should. I hate it. Not being human."

"But you are human."

"Not all the time. Not as much as I used to be." He let go of her and looked away. "Three people. I killed three people. Left three others with broken bones."

"Jimmy, we need you--"

"No, you don't. I'm a monster."

He wasn't a monster. He'd never been one. Not compared to the people who thought themselves so high above him. She wanted to argue, but the words died in her throat when he pulled out his gun and pressed the barrel against his head.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked.

"I just want to know I still have control," he answered, his voice calm and collected. "That if it will be necessary, I can end it."

She'd never been more afraid in her life than in that moment. Because she could tell he was serious. She could tell that he'd definitely shoot himself if he thought he became too dangerous. And as much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. When he lost it, he was the most frightening being in the world.

"But if you lose yourself, you won't want to end it." The words were out before she could help them, but she'd always been practical.

He hummed, lowering the gun, holding it with an ease that showed how much their lives had changed. "You're right." He passed the gun to her.

"What are you doing?" She tried to give it back, but he held her hands, forcing them to tighten around the handle. The weapon had felt heavier in her hands.

"I want you to swear that, should I ever lose the last bit of humanity, you'll end it."

"Jimmy, no--"

"Swear it to me." His eyes bore into hers, so full of passion. "It won't be me anymore. And you can't let me hurt anyone."

"It won't happen," she said, tears running down her cheeks.

He smiled. "As long as I have you, I don't think it will either. You bring so much joy, so much feeling in my life. But you never know. So please, promise me you'll end it."

She nodded, unable to deny him anything, not even this.

"Humanity is the most important thing," he whispered. "People just don't understand because they don't know what it's like not to have it."

Jessie knew. She finally realized what it said about her to willingly block out all her feelings, throw her humanity out the window.

"What have I done?" she whispered into the emptiness.

No one answered. She shut her eyes and slid to the floor, tears pooling behind her eyelids. She wanted to go home, feel Jimmy's arms around her, make sure he was okay, that he hadn't lost himself, that she wasn't breaking her vow.

She wanted to call up Kay and Angie and go out. Laugh at Tom's jokes, talk medicine with Jerry, talk history with Sam. Kyle. She missed Kyle so much.

What am I going to do now? She'd done what she'd come to do. But she'd never expected to find so much, be here with such a legacy of her own.

I miss you so much, Mom and Dad.

She was messed up and needed to figure herself out. This wasn't easy to get over. Not by a long shot. And the best way to start was to fix everything that she had broken.

♠️♠️♠️

Yeah, it took me forever to get this out and it's short too. Meh. But I had to end it. So Jessie can have her own young CEO book now and suddenly has a serious job. 

Hoping to get back to more lively stuff next chapter.

Also, I'd planned to write a Jessie sequel for a while with more details about her past. Does that sound interesting to anyone? It's still in very early concept stages so I'm not saying it's going to totally be a thing.

So, any thoughts appreciated.