Someone unknown

"Shush..." I attempt to calm myself down, only to realize it isn't working. I need food, I need a distraction of any sort. Wiping my tears, I frantically search for the bottle of fragrance mist in the compartments of my car. I spray it all over me, trying to get rid of the smell of sex that is lingering on me.

I feel disgusting! Before I start crying again, I speed up and drive out. I wonder how many more pictures he's storing in his stash. If he is going to use me like this, for his own benefit while blackmailing me, I better come up with a counteract. A vicious and vile one.

All thoughts are thrown out of the window. The smell of warm food greets me as I walk into the cafe I have been familiar with. But this time, everyone sitting at the table, working in the cafe, and even the children...they're all looking at me.

"Never seen a woman before?" I ask loudly, sighing and paying no heed to anyone's judgemental gaze. Well, it is my first public appearance as George Frostbite's only daughter. The one who has been 'hidden well' in our family of elites.

Giving my regular order, I glare at the cashier to not act indifferent towards me. I'm still a human, a regular customer at their cafe. I just pray that they don't mess up my already ruined mood further!

"There...you go." The cashier brings out my order after a while. Her behavior pisses me off, for she is treating me indifferently!

"You know what? Make it a takeaway for me. Thank you." I say in a neutral voice, not wanting to create a bad image for myself so soon. They assume that most celebrity kids and famous people act entitled. I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Grabbing my takeaway, I walk out of the quiet cafe swiftly. As if it wasn't awkward enough, on my way to my parked car, I bump into a stranger and spill my coffee all over her!

"Oh shi- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. I-" I panic and cuss myself out in my head!

"Hey, girl! Chill, it's fine!" A relaxed, Asian-accented voice of a girl replies to me. Curious, I lift my head and make eye contact with this beautiful, Asian girl with porcelain skin. I can't lie about how ethereal she looks, and her smile could kill many men in an instant.

"Haha, I finally found you!" Whoa! The Asian chick says that on the first meet?

"Um... I'm sorry, I don't recognize you." I say in all honesty, while trying to shove the bunch of tissues from my takeaway bag. The chick chuckles sweetly, a sound I haven't heard in such genuineness in a while. I've gotten so used to hearing fake laughs all the time.

"Of course, of course! But can we sit somewhere private? I have a lot to talk about. Ack! I'm so excited to finally meet you!" The girl says enthusiastically. It is somehow comfortable in her presence. And her excitement is contiguous!

"Um...I don't really wanna go back to the cafe and sit there. We can feast in my car; I've got a lot more than usual. Before that, can I at least know who you are?" I ask, finding it sceptical that a total stranger is willing to talk to me about something. I swear if she's some religious woman who wants to talk about deities and forces people to change religions.

"Oh, yes! How stupid of me, haha. Well, I am Gina Chen's daughter, Aria Chen." My eyes widen.

"Gina Chen...?" I ask her to confirm. Did I hear that right?

"Yes. Your stepmother's biological daughter. My stepdad isn't a good talker, right? Ah. That man." Aria says. Wait...I can't believe this!

When we siblings were younger, George Philip (my adoptive father) talked so adoringly about his first love, Gina Chen. She's Asian-American, an engineer like Dad himself. They fell in love because they come from rich, royal families themselves. George Philip loved Gina so much that he couldn't accept how inferior he was to her. Ironic, right? It feels like George Philip invented fragile masculinity.

Gina Chen was a beauty with brains, one that could make anyone fall in love with her in an instant. Dad cheated on her because she was getting too successful. It broke her. Naturally, she divorced him within a year of their marriage and married another man.

"People say it's weird that I've taken my mom's surname, but hey. She's Gina Chen." Aria speaks proudly about her mother...as she should!

"Also, I'm joining Jordan High next week! Isn't that amazing? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me, however." I tilt my head at her words.

"How did you find me though?" I ask her, wanting to know her motive.

"Oh, The Zelinsky's are my neighbors. We're good friends too! I happened to see you exit his house and recognise you. You're the famous Frostbite now. I would say, the most famous because media popularizes you." Aria says in a soft voice. That makes me a little gloomy because I didn't want to be discovered as a Frostbite in the first place.

"I see. Well. Come on in. I think we have a lot to talk about." With a smile, I let Aria follow me to my car. We share my food, which was thankfully more than I normally eat.

Aria keeps talking about her mother and how she never got married again. She isn't an heir to the Frostbites; her father is a random American that her mother had a one-night stand with.

She asks me what brought me to Cynric's house, which fumbles me. "I- uh...he's my senior at Jordan High and we're just friends. He wanted to hangout somewhere private. My brothers don't get along with Cynric very well. That's about it."

I can't believe I have to lie and defend the manipulator who blackmailed me. But hey, I've made a new genuine friend today. I'm starting to believe in female friendships again. Of course, I wouldn't forget about my girl. But...do I eventually?