Chapter 001

ELIANA ROSE

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“The world is cruel, Ellie. It doesn't always reward the innocent… I am very sorry for your loss,” Mrs. Margate said before kissing her on the forehead and walking away.

Eliana stood alone in the cemetery, staring at the gravestone of her recently deceased father. He was a good man. He helped everybody around him and never raised his voice at anyone. But here he was, buried six feet beneath the ground after being shot three times in the chest by some gangsters.

The court dismissed the case, letting the offenders go free simply because they had enough money to buy their way out of it.

She lifted her eyes toward the dark clouds gathering above her. “Lord… what should I do now?” she prayed. “Mom is disabled after she was caught in a car accident, and now Dad is gone. Who do we go to for help?” Tears fell down her face.

A honk immediately snapped her attention away.

“Ellie, it's about to rain,” Roxy called from the car.

She slowly wiped her tears and headed toward the car.

Roxy had already started the engine when Ellie looked back at the cemetery one last time. Her eyes caught two men standing a short distance from her father's grave. They were dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses, their attention fixed on the grave.

Before Ellie could take a closer look, the engine roared to life and the car took off.

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“I know it must be really hard to lose someone that important to you. We all loved your dad,” Roxy said, trying to encourage her as she drove along the empty highway.

Roxanne had been Eliana's childhood friend and the only friend she had ever truly known. They were as different as two people could be. Roxy lived a life Ellie could never imagine for herself, working as a hooker and seeing things Ellie was far too innocent to understand, while Ellie spent her days working as a cleaner and dreaming of one day opening her own orphanage. Somehow, despite being as different as oil and water, they had remained inseparable for years.

Ellie nodded slowly. “Thank you, Roxy.”

“No problem… and if you need anything, you can always tell me,” she assured her.

The car stopped at the gate of Ellie's house. She waved goodbye to Roxy before heading inside.

The sitting room was quiet when she entered. Ellie dropped her jacket on the couch before slowly settling down.

“Ellie… is that you?” her mother's voice came from behind.

Her heart sank, and fresh tears began gathering in her eyes.

“Yes, Mom. It's me.” She forced a smile onto her face.

Her mother placed both hands on the rims of her wheelchair and slowly pushed herself closer to Eliana.

Her expression changed when she noticed the redness around Eliana's eyes. “Oh, my baby, don't be sad, you should be happy for your dad. This is a big business deal, and he'll be back the moment he's done with the job.”

More tears ran down Ellie's cheeks.

“He told me he'd be gone for a very long time, and I'll miss him. You know I'm not used to him being away.” Ellie laughed through her tears.

She had succeeded in hiding her father's death from her mother. She knew the news could be too much for her to handle because of her heart condition. Her mother believed that her husband had gotten a major contract in another country and had to leave because of the urgency of the work. Ellie had told her that her father only said goodbye to her because he didn't want to wake her mother.

It was against her beliefs to lie, but what other choice did she have? She couldn't risk her mother's life just to hold on to her beliefs.

“I understand… You two were very close… a bit closer than even you and I were.” She smiled.

Ellie forced a laugh before suggesting that her mother get some rest.

After helping her mother onto her bed, she covered her with a blanket before quietly shutting the door.

Ellie walked to her younger brother's room. He was already asleep. Tom was twelve, and he had a swimming competition coming up in a few days. Dad had promised to be there, she thought to herself. Poor Tom.

Ellie slowly shut his door before going to her own room and lying on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, remembering all the father-daughter moments she had shared with him. Her eyes slowly grew heavy as exhaustion finally took over, forcing her into sleep.

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“She shouldn't know… she shouldn't know,” he gasped, lying helplessly on the ground.

“Dad, don't say that. The ambulance is on its way. Please, just hold on,” Ellie pleaded, her hands trembling as she knelt beside him. “You're going to be okay.”

A car suddenly screeched to a stop a short distance away, making her turn her head.

Two men stepped out and her heart dropped when she saw the guns in their hands.

“Dad…”

Before she could say anything else, one of the men pointed his gun at her dad and pulled the trigger. BANG! Her father's body jerked. Ellie screamed.

The man shot again and the second bullet struck his chest. It was the first time she had ever heard the sound of a gunshot.

The man who had fired the shots lowered his gun while the second man turned toward Ellie and raised his weapon.

“Wait,” the first man stopped him.

“She's not involved,” he added, glancing at Ellie. “Let's go.”

They quickly got back into the car and drove away.

“Dad?” He didn't move.

She crawled toward him, her trembling hands reaching for his chest. That was the first dead body Ellie had ever seen and it was her father's.

“Dad!” Her scream echoed through the empty street.

“Dad! Dad!”

Ellie's eyes suddenly snapped open, she stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily as the sound of her alarm filled the room.

It was morning and she was late for work.