CHAPTER 1: TENDER SORROWS

Note!!! every character, date, event or personality used in this story are not real(fictional). This is a pure work of mine and the names or events are not related to anyone and if it seems so, i assure you it's definitely a coincidence.

"Lord i pray you give me wisdom that i may do better in school, I would do my best to become a successful woman and take my parents out of poverty, I will make them proud some day, Amen." Liyla prayed.

"Liyla!"

"Yes mum I'm coming..."

"Hurry up, me and your father are leaving now, I hope you are done preparing for school?."

"Yes mum give me a second."

Liyla as usual with a blissful smile on her face counted her note books and made sure her pen and other materials she need in school are intact, she zipped up her bag and dashed out of her room to the sitting room.

"Okay, everyone set?."

Liyla's father comes out of his room down the stairs, he is wearing a paddy hat and holding some farm tools.

"Yes Dad!, Dad please when would you take me to the Big Ben clock tower?, I really want to see what's inside the building."

Liyla curved her mouth in a funny way to make her father agree to her request.

"You know you don't have to do that to convince me, i will do anything for you my little princess, just be patient okay, but for now we have to go."

Mr Dennis caressed her cheeks and held her hand as they all marched out of the house.

They all walked to the bus station close to the house and Liyla got on the bus going to town while her parents takes a cab heading to the famous Dante Ranch where they work but before then Mr Dennis brings out a Locket and gives it to Liyla.

"Liyla this is a gift for you, since I could not give you anything for your birthday this year but i promise you next year i will gift you something big."

"Thank you so much Dad, it's beautiful, i love it."

Liyla smiled and jumped into her father's arm for a hug.

After the short beautiful moment the bus moved, Liyla kept waving at her parents and smiling untill she could see them no more.

Liyla is five years old and in grade four, she is kind of smaller than her age, she has dark brown eyes which complements her beautiful brown hair, she is very smart and intelligent.

In school she always make effort to come first in class and that one time she comes third she cried all day untill her parents comforted her and explained to her that "even if she comes last, failure is not the end, always strive to be first again and never give up." That's how she felt happy again and motivated to study harder.

Mr Dennis and Mrs Martha William, the parents of Liyla has been married for twenty seven years and didn't have children untill their late thirties when Liyla was born, She became the joy they never had, the missing piece of their life.

They promised each other to work hard and give Liyla the best of education, never to let her suffer or regret having them as her parents, that's the one thing they feared. Dennis and Martha both work in a ranch where they earn little to take care of Liyla and their needs.

DANTE'S RANCH

"This is wickedness!, why would People take out their hard feelings and enemity with the owner of this ranch upon this poor peasants?."

"My God how would their family members take this, who ever did this God will punish them."

"Perhaps this was orchestrated by other competitors of Mr Dante, it's not possible for this to happen base on the high security placed in this ranch." People were gathered at Dante's ranch

"This is really bad, i hope the authorities would find the masterminds of this as soon as possible."

Mr Dante is well known for his surplus production of food, crops and all agricultural products. He has been highly regarded as the best in the country while other Competitors tried everything possible to bring him down or do better but to no avail. He has been receiving threat messages over the years from different unknown parties to step down or they would take him down by force.

"Mr Dante, how often do you receive threat messages from unknown People?."

"Umm Sir i can't really recall how many i received but several messages, and recently this one came in."

Dante hands over a piece of paper sealed with red pin to the cops. The head of the investigation opens the seal and after going through it he slides the paper into a file and slowly got up.

"The List of those killed in your farm has been recorded and you have to compensate each and every one of the deceased family members while we take on the investigation and find the perpetrators.

Mr Dante opened the list and it says...

LIST OF WORKERS KILLED ON THE FARM

Mr Silvesta Greenwood

Mr Shawn Philip

Mr & Mrs Conte Morata

Mr & Mrs Dennis William(the parents of Liyla)

Mr JoJo Lot

and many more he couldn't continue.

He widened his eyes in shock not because of the money he has to spend but because of the number of innocent people killed under his care, tears trickling to fall out from his eyes but he holds back the tears and it was obvious in his red eyes, Mr Dante is a good man and he always make sure to pay his workers according to their wages.

"You all have one hour to finish this test." Mr Clement passed round the test to his pupils.

"Time starts now."

Liyla quickly opened her test smiling, the test would definitely be a lollipop because she can see questions she studied last night. Liyla was so focused and almost filled up her paper within twenty minutes but suddenly she stopped and couldn't write, a strange feeling she can't understand struck her like freezing cold, she has about two more questions to answer then her teacher noticed her not writing and asked her if she's okay but she said yes.

Liyla tried forcing herself to finish the test but as soon as the pencil touched the book it broke, when she got another one and tried again it was strange that she could not remember what to write again, she could not believe it as few minutes ago she wanted to write the answers before her pencil broke and now her mind is blank. Liyla kept shaking her pencil anxiously trying to remember the answers to the remaining questions before she knew it.....

"Alright time up!!!, submit your tests now."

Liyla has no choice but to submit without finishing the test.

"we would be having another test next week so make sure you study hard okay, see you all next week."

"Bye Mr Clement!!!." the whole student echoed except Liyla, she sat down lost in thought.

"This has never happened before, what's wrong with me."

Liyla got home looking pale, she raised her head only to see her aunt Linda at the entrance smiling at her, Liyla became curious at first to why her aunt came to visit because it has been very long she saw her but Liyla averted the thoughts and ran to Linda giving her a big hug.

"Aunty!!!, I've missed you soo much, why haven't you come to visit all this while?."

"Oh my dear, I'm sorry is just that Aunty has been very busy lately, look at you!, so big and beautiful now. Aunt Linda started crying when she hugged Liyla and caressed her hair. "I have missed you to soo much." She couldn't stop crying.

"Aunty is that why you are crying?, don't worry Mummy and Daddy always tell me to forgive, so I forgive you." Liyla looked so adorable not knowing what had happened.

Aunt Linda hearing the words of her niece felt heart broken, with her teary eyes she nodded

"Thank you my love, now let's go inside." as they both walked into the house Liyla was narrating what happened to her when writing a test in school and asked Linda if something is wrong with her but she just said it's normal.

"Go change your clothes and come down for lunch okay, I prepared your favorite Noodles."

"Yey!!! thanks aunt, you are the best." Liyla hurriedly went inside her room, changed into a yellow gown and came outside for a yummy lunch.

All this while she could see a strange man with nice suit and tie, fine short styled white hair, grey eyes and expensive jewelries. Aunt Linda noticed Liyla so she cleared her throat for attention.

"Umm Liyla this is Mr Dante, he is the man your parents work for, Mr Dante this is Liyla my Niece."

"Hello Liyla how are you doing, the last time i saw you, you were very little, now you have grown into a beautiful young lady, I hope we can be friends?." Dante kept looking at Liyla and thinking of ways to disclose the tragedy.

"Good day sir, nice to meet you, i know my parents are very hard working, right?." Liyla smiling the whole time, she already likes Mr Dante.

"Yeah you are very correct, they are one of the best staffs i have in the Ranch."

"Okay we can be friends Sir Mr Dante." They all laughed.

"When you are done eating, we are going to the park, if you would like that."

Liyla first looked at her aunt for approval, and she got the sign.

"Yes Sir Mr Dante, i would love that."

Dante smiled

"Stop calling me that, just call me Dante okay.

Liyla looked at her aunt again and when she got the sign she nodded.

They all went to the Central Park having fun, Liyla very happy, everything she wanted there Dante got for her along side many beautiful presents and now it's time...

Now seating in a round table eating pizza and chips, Dante hesitated for a while seeing how happy Liyla is and knowing that the news would hurt her feelings but now is the moment. Before he could say a word Liyla interrupted

"Thank you Mr Dante, how i wish my parents were here, Mummy loves pizza."

Those few words touched his heart and he didn't realize when a tear dropped from his eyes but he quickly wiped it off, it's now or never, that's what he came to do, tell her the painful truth.

"Liyla, there is something i want to tell you but you have to be strong to hear this, are you strong?."

Liyla could not understand but she happily replied "Yes i am!." and continued eating her piece of pizza

"Alright then, umm something happened...and..i want you to know that whatever you need i would always be here for you."

"Thank you Sir but why are you telling me this." Liyla could smell a mystery behind his words. Mr Dante trying to tell her again but Linda took the fall.

"Liyla, it's your parents, they are...they are gone."

Liyla stopped eating "gone!?, gone where!, without me?."

"They were killed while at the farm working, some men invaded the ranch and killed many of my workers at the farm...that...that's including your parents i...I'm soo sorry Liyla for your loss." Dante finally spoke firmly with regrets.

Liyla swallows hard the chunk of pizza in her mouth, she blinked several times trying to process what she just heard, tears rolling down her eyes, her heart palpitating against her chest, her hands shaking.

"No, that's a lie!, you all are lying, they promised never to leave me, you are lying to me, please aunt Linda please tell me is a lie, please they can't leave me now!!!." She looked at her aunt with teary eyes hoping to here her say it's a lie but she got disappointed

Liyla pushed the table and ran as fast as she could crying out to her parents as if they were close by, Mr Dante and Linda tried stopping her but she was too fast, they couldn't find her anywhere.