**Justice for Lottie: A Tale That Began with Betrayal**
*”Why do you let him treat you like this, Lottie? You’re not his property! You’re strong—you can get out,” whispered Emily, curled up on the sofa.*
Lottie sighed heavily and replied quietly, *”He’s my father. And he has a signed document that says ‘unstable’ in black and white. That’s why I’m here. He’s not just a man with money—he’s a man with power. No matter how far I run, he’ll find me. There’s no breaking this circle…”*
*”Well, while you’re here, help me at least. I’ll pay you—fair and square,” Lottie said with a conspiratorial wink.*
*”I’d help you anyway,” Emily smiled. *”But I won’t say no. I’ll need the money when I’m free again. I don’t need magic to know what’s going on. But to confirm the dream—I’ll need a lock of your hair.”*
Swiftly, Emily pulled out a tiny blade and snipped a few strands. *”By morning, everything will be clear. We’ll find out what potion they slipped you, why you got green misery instead of protection.”*
The next day, Lottie couldn’t find Emily. She dodged her, hid in corners, vanished for treatments. *”Why are you avoiding me?” Lottie finally caught her in the garden. *”We had a deal!”*
*”You won’t believe me,” Emily muttered darkly. *”You’ll think I’m spinning tales for money.”*
*”Enough. Tell me what you saw.”*
Emily led Lottie to a secluded path and sat beside her. *”Listen closely. I dreamed—”*
Somewhere else, Oliver stretched lazily in bed. *”Wake up, sleepyhead! I’ve found our next mark.”*
*”Let me sleep…” he groaned.*
*”Sleep later. Look—this woman in the paper? Lottie. Co-owner of a firm, no family except… her future husband. If all goes well, that’ll be you.”*
*”Marry her?” Oliver’s throat went dry.*
*”Yes. But first, make her fall for you. Play the humble, hardworking man down on his luck. She’ll help you, invest in your ‘business.’”*
*”Then I vanish with the cash, and you step in?”*
*”Exactly, darling,” Hannah stroked his hair. *”Once she agrees to a ritual, thinking she’s helping you—I’ll slip her a curse. A demon will devour her mind. Then… an ‘accident.’ The inheritance is yours.”*
*”If it works…”*
*”It will. We’ve got magic. And each other.”*
When Emily finished, Lottie sat silent, lips pressed tight.
*”Well?” Emily pressed.*
*”I’ll act. First, we banish the demon. Then—reckoning.”*
*”Hurry. They won’t wait around.”*
*”I’m ready. Help me cast it out.”*
Emily cut another lock. *”Be prepared. When it leaves, Hannah will know. You won’t have much time.”*
That night, Lottie barely slept. Shivers, whispers, hands shaking her awake—but by dawn, it was gone. The world felt brighter. People seemed ordinary again.
*”Emily! It’s gone!”* she burst into her friend’s room—but Emily had been moved. Something happened overnight.
*”She’ll return when she’s better,”* the nurse promised.
Lottie tried calling Hannah and Oliver. Their phones were dead. They’d fled. Now, she needed to leave this place—and thank Emily.
*”You’re alive!”* Lottie cried when Emily returned.
*”Barely. Sent the demon back but nearly stayed with it,”* Emily rasped. *”Your turn. How are you?”*
*”They’re gone. Vanished. I’m recovering. The doctor says I’ll be discharged soon.”*
*”I’m staying. Dad extended my stay. But you’ll visit?”*
*”Of course. How do I reach you?”*
Emily grinned, pulling out her blade. She sliced a braid and handed it over. *”Tuck this under your pillow—I’ll hear you.”*
*”And revenge?”*
*”I won’t dirty my hands. Let justice decide.”*
*”Then trust me. I’ll ask those higher up to judge what they’ve earned.”*
**Six Months Later**
Lottie sat with a wineglass, flipping through a detective’s folder.
Hannah and Oliver had run. Lottie returned to an empty flat, drained accounts. Every penny she’d sunk into Oliver’s “business”—gone.
Hannah quit her job and disappeared. She and Oliver fled abroad—but their paradise crumbled. Money didn’t save them. They fought, split the loot, and parted ways.
Hannah crossed the wrong person. The detective’s report was grim: *”Presumed at the bottom of the sea.”*
*”Magic didn’t save you, Hannah,”* Lottie murmured.
Oliver? Back to scams. Lost everything. Ended up in debt—with nothing left but his organs.
*”At least he saved someone’s life…”* Lottie bowed her head. *”Fair’s fair.”*
As for Emily? She lived now in a remote forest where Lottie’s father once planned holiday homes. Lottie gifted her the land—a refuge. A home.
Plucking a braid from a small box, Lottie smiled. *”Well, old friend… Fancy a chat? I’ll visit soon. Our holiday will be magical.”*
**Lesson learned:** Justice isn’t always swift or sweet—but it comes. Sometimes, the scales balance quietly, and the wicked find their own undoing.
