CHAPTER TWO 2

28 MISSED CALLS FROM 10 CONTACTS-------9AM

‘Hey! She has no time for makeup Linda! Get her bag pack. She is late already!’ Maureen, the chef yelled at a maid who was helping Laura get dressed up. After finding out that Laura was sick last night, she immediately called the personal doctor to come over and check up on her. The doctor prescribed some drugs and Maureen made the sick latter have it early in the morning at 8AM. Rehearsals at school already started an hour ago but Laura was going to be late due to her condition

Successfully, Maureen got her decked up and the chauffeur made sure to drop her off at school once it was 9:30. All eyes were on her the moment she dragged her feets into the practice hall. The dance teacher, Miss Faith was disappointed, seeing how late she was

‘Why are you late?’ she questioned her toughly with a straight face. But Laura didn’t know how to answer that, so she apologized.

‘I am sorry ma’

‘It’s a question. Why are you late?’ the teacher retorted.

‘I have no reason. I apologized. It won’t happen again.’ She calmly explained. The stress on her soft face was noticeable and she also looked dull. The teacher sighed and moved forward, standing in front of Laura who was way taller than her.

‘Are you fine? You don’t look strong. Why are your eyes red?’

The questions came like a hit but Laura heaved…realizing how quiet the dance hall was. They were staring at her silently, especially Jace and her friends who had no idea she was sick. ‘I am fine ma, nothing is wrong with me’

Laura quietly answered, making her way to meet her dance partner, Diamant. He looked at her closely, smiling cutely. He was tall but an inch taller than Jace, possessing calm grey oceanic eyes and has a calmer but possessive aura around him. Unlike Jace, he has a better sense of humor and tends to understand people but at the same time, he has anger issues when triggered to the core. He once had a fight with jace in junior class over a girl. Both of them ended up in the hospital though Jace got seriously injured by his opponent. It was hard for the two friends to reconcile after this incidence but after realizing how foolish they seemed, a reconciliation happened between them.

‘Are you actually fine?’ He asked the moment his hands made contact with her waist. She shivered knowing that her body temperature was high and she felt weak but she sighed, ignoring his calm attitude.

‘Don’t act like you care. You and that scumbag are the same she fired back. Diamant nodded and the waltz piano begun to play slowly. They moved swiftly dancing and twirling the female partners according to the music and the teachers instruction. Every move Laura made only made her weaker. She wanted to protest and ask him to pause but she failed to let the words come out of her mouth. Though deep down in Diamant’s mind, he knew how weak she moved in his arms so he stopped just as she buried her face on his chest, breathing hard. She had no reason to cry but she started to sob getting more comfortable in his arms.

This attracted everyone in the hall and the dance had to stop, all heads turned to them as Diamant gently carried her in his arms to the school clinic. There, he carefully laid her on the ward bed before stepping aside to allow Michelle and Monica to checkup on her. It didn’t take a minute before the doctor stepped into the ward, her voice firm as she ordered them to step outside. Only diamant was asked to stay, so the doctor could take his statement about what happened during the dance practice.

Diamant hesitated for a moment, his eyes still glued to Laura who was being attended to by the doctor. They ran a few test on her and quickly put her on drip before calling the city ambulance to take her away for better treatment. In the meantime, Diamant gave the nurse his account; his eyes fixed on Laura. She looked fragile-far more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. A heavy feeling sank into him, but he quickly brushed it aside to avoid more of what he felt for her at this moment.

By the schools decision, dance practice was suspended until further notice. Regular lessons could continue for other classes, but for the final grade students, the first week was optional-they could take the week off, or come to school daily and practice on their own without any guidance from the dance teacher or staff. Once Laura can participate, then main practice will begin. Because of this, some final students left early, while some lingered behind, waiting for news and planning on witnessing the city ambulance take Laura to the hospital. Jace and Alex stayed close since Diamant was still with Laura in the school clinic until the ambulance arrived.

Michelle and Monica escorted their friend to the hospital while those who lingered behind left immediately.

Jace broke his silence, his tone was sharp, almost dismissive but he still asked anyways.

‘So she just lost it?’ he scoffed, walking toward the school garage with Diamant and Alex beside him.

‘Yeah, Bro. She was so weak-I felt it, so I had to stop dancing’ Diamant answered.

‘That was nice…kind of cute’ Alex teased, rubbing his palms together with a sly grin. Jace scoffed at his friends in a careless, nonchalant way before heading straight to the garage. He slid into a sleek, black tinted Mercedes that spoke wealth as the chauffeur sped off. His friends didn’t bother about the attitude as they were used to it. Both parted ways after handshakes as usual.

As the city blurred past quietly, barely any car honking on the highways, Jace’s mind wandered to home, school, work and then that particular girl. Laura. He could never understand why she thought about her all of the time. He didn’t hate her, but neither did he feel any remorse or softness toward her so why did she always linger in his thoughts no matter how much he tried to forget??? The thought made him sigh, lost in his mind games and confusion, while his eyes lingered on the cool streets of Canada.

Before long, the metal gates of his villa came to view. Inside the car, he quietly slipped off his shoes, waiting for the vehicle to halt in the garage. He didn’t bother with the formalities-he stepped out before the chauffeur could open the door. Though he was the second child of the Salvatore family, Jace lived alone in this vast estate in his own villa, separated from the noise of his family life. His family was far from perfect- it was hell. Though they have a family mansion in México but they all lived separately. His mother, Prisca Salvatore ruled their family including Edward Salvatore, his father. To the outside world, he was respected, feared, and acknowledged as the richest man in the world but inside, his presence was distant and some actions of his were controlled. Prisca Salvatore was the domineering, ungrateful, cold and relentless one who often brought tension to the home. This attitude only made her children despise and stay away from her. At the same time, no one in the family could understand why she overruled Edward in some situations. Not like he was scared to make a move against her but he also dared not to. This unstable relationship of theirs made home hell, distant, depressing and happiness always lacked in their midst. At ten, Jace and the youngest child, Llorente were moved out of México to Canada were they attended the same school but lived in separate villas, same estate. The eldest child, Lorenzo Salvatore, a 26 year old and CEO of fifteen companies under the brief supervision of both Edward and Prisca resides in Italy. The second child, Caroline Salvatore, a 23 year old and CEO of twelve companies also under the brief supervision of Edward and Prisca based in Australia. Only his grandparents lived in México inside the family mansion.

His villa was vast, standing at the center like a monument of wealth. It shone white, with wide glass windows and balconies that looked over the quiet gardens. A fountain stood at the front, the water splashing in dead silences.

He walked into the sitting room, ignoring the maids greeting as he proceeded into his large room upstairs. The room possessed a combination of black, white and ash. It had a king-sized bed with white sheets, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and heavy white curtains covering the tall glass windows. Behind the windows was a small balcony that opened to the quiet estates with a clear view of the stretching acres of land, drive way, towering palm trees and the fountain that spilled water in a steady rhyme. The room looked rich with its shiny chandelier and clean marble floors. A walk in wardrobe stood at the right side of the room, three paintings hung on the wall and a neat desk sat at the far corner of the spacious room, as if it had never been touched. A soft couch was placed at the left side and every item in there screamed luxury.

Stepping inside, he threw his coat on the couch and stepped into the balcony for some fresh air. Everything was perfect but he still needed that missing warmth in his life. He badly needed it. Sometimes he wished things were different…a lot more different but sadly, nothing ever changed in his life. His soft emotions turned cold years ago, he lacked presence in his life and having no one to tell his feelings to, he turned it into frustration which he afflicted on Laura all the time. His friend’s family were no different too but at least they are happy and peaceful. His eyes got wet only thinking about his life; At nineteen, all he could do was smoke on very rare occasions, go to clubs in order to relive himself and maybe go on rounds with hungry whores. Though he did all of this, he still avoided it in other not to become addicted to a rugged life. Llorente helped him whenever she could, other times he silently put himself and he was damn tired……