That night, I returned to my apartment after rushing to complete my work. I sent my boss an email apologizing for my sudden request to take leave for ‘urgent personal matters’. After packing some clothes along with a few things that I thought I would need into a small suitcase, I was ready to take the next flight back to where I was born and raised.
…
Standing in front of the tall gates in front of the estate where I grew up made me feel uneasy inside. I bet that not so many people felt the way that I felt when they returned to the place that was supposed to be their home. No one was there to greet me, but the gate was left unlocked showing that they were expecting me. Nothing much had changed at all about the estate and the large mansion was still in great condition and the large gardens well-tended to. The money from Anthony’s family along with his generosity was truly being put to good use here, I thought sarcastically as I pushed the gate and entered.
Soon I was standing in front of the front door while wondering if I should ring the doorbell. My eyes fell on the button located on the side of the door before a soft yet delirious laugh left my lips at the thought that I had to ring the doorbell to my own house. I lifted my hand and pressed down hard on the button after telling myself that this place was no longer my home and maybe it had never been. The only things I missed about this place were the memories that I shared with my sister as we grew up together here and nothing more.
“Oh…welcome Miss Dahlia. Your…umm…the lord and lady are waiting for you in the living room…” a middle-aged woman dressed in a maid uniform politely informed me.
I noticed her choice of words but decided not to make any comments. She opened the door and stood to the side to allow me in. I ignored her completely as I quickly made my way to the living room where my parents were waiting for me.
My family wasn’t the only highly influential family in the country. As our family began losing influence and power over the years and generations, another family rose up from a very humble background. The Vulkan family started off as a nameless merchant before growing into a large conglomerate that controlled a vast chunk of the domestic economy and market in addition to having many businesses and subsidiaries overseas. After starting off in trade, they rapidly expanded into energy and the manufacturing of electronics then into real estate and hospitality. In short, over the course of two to three generations, the family became the richest family in the country.
Since the time of my parents and before I was born, the country had been governed by our two families with the royal family acting as the balance of power in the middle. My family contributed to the overall ruling of the country by assisting the royal family while also playing a crucial part in the country’s politics both domestically and internationally. On the other hand, the Vulkan family dominated the business world which helps to drive the growth of the country’s economy.
Our two families quickly formed their own factions in both politics and business and became quiet rivals before evolving into public enemies of each other. Jealousy of what the other family had drove the head of the families to hate each other. Tension skyrocketed as both families competed for power. For many years the competition went on but there seemed to be a balance in power between the two families until one suddenly started to fall from grace.
“You’re here…” my father said passively when his cold grey eyes landed on me.
My mother turned to stare at me and the moment that I felt their eyes on me was the moment that I wished that I would just diffuse into thin air and disappear for good. Although they look like a normal and respectable couple that had been married for many years, the truth was anything but that. My lips curved up into a smirk as I made my way toward the sofa where the guests would typically take a seat while my mind recalled the moment that everything changed for us all.
Everything changed for our family one stormy night when my sister and I were around ten years old when we witnessed our parents arguing. It wasn’t their first time arguing but it was the first time that things turned violent between them, and we were there to witness it. As I grew up, I understood that at that point there was probably no way that they could hide from us that things had taken a turn for the worse for our family.
“This is all because of you! How dare you use so much money when you have never made a single cent in your life!” My father yelled so loudly at my mother that I could feel my eardrums ringing.
“Me? How can you possibly blame it on me? Your job is to work and make money to feed our family,” she quickly pointed out as she glared at my father.
“If only you managed the finances of this household well, this would have never happened. Instead, all you do is throw expensive parties and buy expensive things. All those new cars and collections of bags and jewelry. All those expensive trips abroad to watch fashion shows!” Father yelled back even louder than before.
“I do all of that for the face of our family. Can’t you see how bad it would look if I was missing from all those events or if I didn’t buy those things when the other families are there? All I did was do my job for the sake of our family!” My mother argued with her face red with rage.
“The only great thing about your spending is that now we have a bunch of overpriced junk to sell!” he screamed back at her again as if whoever was louder would win the argument.
--To be continued…
"Yes, I think that it's better for them to learn the truth this way. It's also best that they hear it from me and from us," he said, as if he could sense what I was thinking."I guess you're right," I agreed softly."This way, they will hear the truth. They can react and judge it however they want, but at least they will be seeing and hearing the truth instead of half-truths or outright lies about me or our family," Bradon explained further."Looks like you've thought this through already," I replied teasingly."Of course, I have. Come here with me for a bit," he said as he took my hand into his to guide me."But the children..." I protested immediately."They'll be fine. The nanny is there... and so is Zain," Bradon replied.I knew that Zain would protect our children with his life, and that Bradon trusted that man more than anything. I trusted him too, and I felt so glad that he was still with us."Okay..." I replied with a nod of my head.Bradon led me to a poker table where a grou
"Are you guys having fun?" I asked."Yes, of course!" Bella replied as Will nodded his head enthusiastically by her side.We spent some time walking around before running into one of our most esteemed guests of the night. Desmond arrived a little late-if you could say that a king could be late to an event. I already knew that Desmond was on the invitation list, or that he would invite himself either way, so I wasn't at all surprised to see him.The children ran toward him as if they couldn't wait to hug their friend. Despite being the king, Desmond had an extremely friendly relationship with our children. Sometimes, watching them together, I couldn't help but think that Desmond would make an amazing father.That was a role that seemed very far away for Desmond, a man who seemed to have developed commitment issues and had turned down multiple opportunities to date and get married. Settling down wasn't something on Desmond's mind, and I doubted that he would be willing to do so, even if
"I'm not sure if this is a terrible or a terrific idea..." I muttered under my breath."I think it's a fantastic idea, but why don't we let the kids judge for themselves?" Bradon replied before he winked playfully at me.A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, and I had to say that I wasn't sure if it was from nervousness or excitement. When Bradon suddenly told me that his new casino was finally ready to open, I congratulated him wholeheartedly. Balancing all the new roles that he had to take on was challenging enough, but Bradon never abandoned his original self.He was still the King of the Underground and as active as ever in expanding his empire in that regard. Even while running the country and helping Desmond, he still had plans for all of his businesses. This brand-new casino was just one of the business projects that he had been working on. Everything seemed joyous and great up until the moment that he proposed that we take our children to the casino's opening night.Are you
"I'm back. Were you on your best behavior today?" Bradon asked."Yes!" the two replied in unison."Welcome back," I said with a warm smile."You two are getting heavier every day," Bradon complained jokingly as he lifted the children into his arms and stood up in one smooth motion.Bella and Will squealed in delight as I watched on. Seeing them together brought a warm feeling to my chest. I have no way of describing just how precious the three of them are to me.On top of learning about what it was like to be husband and wife, Bradon and I learned what it was like to be parents. Most of all, we had built a family together."Come here. What are you just standing there for?" Bradon asked.I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist to hug him. It was hard for me to believe at first, when I gave birth to Bella, that we had built a family of our own. It felt strange and also too good to be true. It made me realize that I never truly had a family to call my own.I had parents and a
It felt like life was teaching me the true meaning of being husband and wife, and I felt so thankful that I had Bradon as my husband. Just as his presence gave me comfort, I wanted to be there for him every step of the way. I wanted to be his supporter, his advisor, his biggest fan, as well as his wife. In return, he became more than just my husband and also became a very trusted companion that I valued above all else.Bradon never forgot me in the whirlwind of events. Even on the longest days, he found ways to show me how much he cared and that he was always thinking about me. He didn't say it, but I could feel it in the smallest of things that he did for me. Slipping his hand into mine beneath the dinner table at formal dinners as he smiled at our political counterparts. Going out of his way to leave a note on my pillow when he had to leave before dawn.Our life truly had changed, and it took us some time to adjust, but it was nothing as scary as I had feared.Whether it was his pub
Although I didn't want to admit it at first, I knew that Desmond truly meant well for us. In his mind, and whatever plan that he had crafted out, he truly believed that it was best for us to launch our political career right at the very top.Truthfully, I wasn't sure how the dynamic of Bradon's new position was going to play out for our personal lives, but I wanted to keep an open mind and put in the effort to give it my best shot."I guess this is the best for you too so I can keep on helping you with your work," Bradon stated flatly.This time Desmond laughed out loud rather than chuckling softly. It was apparent that he wasn't at all offended."Yeah, definitely not wrong. I will benefit greatly from your continued assistance. However, I won't be the only one. You two will benefit from this, along with everybody living in the country. I told you before, the country needs change, and I can't do it all alone," Desmond said after collecting himself.Bradon and I both held our tongues a