Chapter 3: Gandhara’s Hidden Secret

“Welcome home, Young Miss.”

“Where’s mother?”

“She’s in the backyard, talking with her lawyer. What would you like to eat for dinner, Young Miss?”

“Just anything. I will excuse myself,” the maid nodded, and then, I march myself taking the path to the backyard. When I got there, I saw my mother sitting on an item of garden furniture while confronting a man in his twenty’s. Probably a young lawyer that my mother hired for her estate planning. My mother seems to forge ahead on everything.

“Hi, mom.”

I greeted, making her face turned in my direction. When I approached her, I immediately kiss her on the cheek. She was wearing a black long sleeve tucked into her belted white jeans. Totally for crisp shirting.

“Oh, sweetheart. What brings you here?”

“I missed you.”

“No, you not. What’s the problem?” I glared at the lawyer sitting in front of my mother. He stared at me as his lips were parted. I know that it’s beyond belief for him to see such gleaming white hair in person, “He’s Dominic Grey. My lawyer for the estate planning,” my mother introduced when I turned my gaze to her.

I was right. My great mother was proceeding on future cases and preparing for the estate planning of my mother’s inexhaustible wealth, “I guess I’ve arrived at a wrong time. Let’s just talk later,” I said and turned my body to start walking back to the house, but my mother holds me in her hand.

“No, sweetheart. We are already done,” my mother turned her eyes to the lawyer in front of us, “You can now leave. Thank you so much. I will just email you about the processing.”

“Well then, I will take my leave, Mrs. Alejandro. By the way, you have a very gorgeous daughter.”

“Doubtless! You have a good eye, Mr. Grey. Well, have a safe trip on your way home.”

“Yes. Thank you so much, Mrs. Alejandro.” 

Before the lawyer left, he gave me a sticky look that made my eyes roll secretly. 

“You are unsettled with Mr. Grey, sweetheart. Put one’s feet up! You are pretty as a picture to wrinkle your facial skin early.”

“Mom.”

I said to stop my mother from teasing me. She likes these things for no reason. 

“My apologies, sweetheart. Anyways, what brings you here?” I sigh and then take a seat beside my mother. 

“Nothing, mom. I just need a break from the town,” I said and then exhales while leaning my back to the chair. My mom reached for my hair and gently caressed it. 

“So, how’s your stay there? At your father’s beloved town?”

“It was great, mom, but the last day, I bump with one of them.”

“You mean, one of Galeo’s soldier disciples?” I nodded, “Did you talk or confronted them this time?”

“How could I, mom?” I muttered, looking at my mother. She was staring at me with fretting eyes, “As usual, I darted away from them.”

“I thought you went in Gale to forget what happened six years ago and to accept that your father is gone, but why do you keep avoiding things that remind you of him for almost five years?”

I was frozen when my mother struck me hard with her words. She was right. I set my foot on the town of Gale to forget my father. For me, living in the place my father cherishes was a way to forget what had happened.

Yes. I did forget about the incident six years ago. I met the gang, went along with their rackets, but I felt like it was only temporary, and later on, my memories will retrieve about what happened to my father and the circumstances that I still can’t face soldiers with black tag titles.

Black tag titles. It was troops of promising and fearless soldiers that my father leads on the way back when he was still alive. I don’t know much about them, but my father always mentioned them in the past. All I know is that they are wearing black tags. 

“If you want to forget about what happened, you need to accept it first, sweetheart. It’s kind of unyielding, yes, but if you continue to be swallowed up by the fear of accepting the past, you will not move forward. It’s been six years, sweetheart. Free yourself,” mother said as she roamed her hands that were on my hair down to my shoulder and pulled me closer to her for a side hug.

I no longer answered and left everything in silence. Maybe mother understood that I didn’t want to continue the conversation; she then remained silent as she continued to shrug my shoulders. 

I wasn’t planning to be eaten by the past forever. Maybe it’s just not time for me to forget and accept it. I know that the time will also come when I will take that my father is gone. 

—

It’s already late in the evening. I’ve finished eating and also bath myself. Now, I was currently in my room dialing the number of my secretary that my mother hired for me a few years ago. After I pressed the call button, I waited for the other line to pick it up. 

“Yes, Miss Alejandro? What are your concerns calling me in the late night?” the man on the next line meet me with a question.

“Send money to a bank named Dre Jewelries.”

“No other concerns than that?” said the man on the other line. It was Jay, my financial secretary.

“Yes.”

“This is an unpredictable phenomenon that I will only need to send a compensation fee for one bank. What happened to the wealthy thief who steals in five luxurious jewelry shops?” Jay sarcastically muttered.

“Do you want to stay as a secretary, or should I hire a new one?”

“Yes. I’m now sending it to Dre’s Jewelry shop.”

“Good then. Thank you so much, Jay,” I turned off the call without hearing my secretary’s following words.

“How long will you keep your identity from them, sweetheart?” I was alarmed by my mother’s sudden appearance, “My apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you, sweetheart.”

My mother walked in my direction. When she approached me, her facial expression was intense. I can’t read what’s happening inside her mind, but I can sense that she was still against the idea of me disguising as one of Gale’s thieves. 

Andrea Carpenteri was my mother’s name and the only daughter of the Legendary Aerospace Engineer in Rome. Who will not be untroubled when you are a known and wealthy person in the City while your only daughter concealed her identity and dovetails with a gang of thieves?

“They won’t found out about me, being your daughter, mom. Don’t get worked up.”

“I’m not worried about everything when it comes to your decisions, Gandhara. You are my daughter and have good convictions in things on your way. No troubles can petrify your stance because I know that you’ll find a way even with uncertainties.”

“Thank you for the blandishment, mom. But you already said it yourself. I lift myself out of inconvenience,” mom takes another step closer to mine. She then reached for both of my shoulders and gives me a beholding stare.

“I know,” mother moved her left hand and gently touched my cheeks, flashing an unsettling gaze on me, “But what if someone meets and recognizes you? It is not just the town of Gale. That’s the place where your late father grew up. You know people there love and respect your father. They also know that he had left a daughter. Your dad took you there. What will you do if someone recognizes you, wearing this alluring white hair?”

“Mom. You’re just exaggerating yourself. Yes. You are right. My father did bring me to his hometown, but,” I reached for her hand and gently squeeze them to cast out the unnecessary thoughts on my mother’s mind and to give her assurance that everything will be fine, “It was already a long time ago. When I was six. I grew up in Rome with you, right? They won’t recognize me. There’s also a lot of white-haired in the world.”

“Sweetheart,” my mother’s voice was disturbed. She’s not really into this idea of disguising myself. 

“But sw--” I smiled, cutting my mother’s words.

“I’m not planning to say this to them, mom. I don’t want them to keep their stance away from me. If I need to lie to keep them, I will do so without any hesitations. They made me forgot about the past, and stealing satisfies me.”

It took a long time for my mother to be silent, but her following words struck me ultimately.

“Will you be happy if they will know the truth and think that you betrayed them?” I did not answer. I felt my mother’s gentle squeeze on my other shoulder. 

She then gave me a smile. “I’m sorry if I went too far, sweetheart, but please, think twice. You said that you don’t want them to stay away from you. Telling the truth will prevent that occurrence. Well then,” mother brought her face to my forehead and planted soft kisses on them, “Good night. Sweet dreams, my sweetheart.”