Chasing Smoke

Chapter 1: Miserable Life

I stare at a ceiling of my room for hours. Unable to move my body even for inches. I guess my body and soul are in shocks too. My brain is in shock. I can't believe what just happened this noon at Dad's office. How angry he was, how high his voice was. Not in 28 years of my life I've ever seen Dad in such a condition.

Ughhh. Is this karma? Because I've done something terrible in my previous life? And I for one doesn't believe in reincarnation, but this is beyond anything I can comprehend. Gosh. Marry someone out of love just to please parents still sounds like TV series plot not real-life situation for me.

I drown my head beneath the pillows. The thought of being married to stranger messes up my mind. But, this is definitely not a groundbreaking news. I know someday I have to do this but I always thought I'd get a free-pass for all this family drama bullshit.

I reach my phone and scroll my contact list. I don't know who I should call. My brothers? Nah. My step-mom? Nah. My friend? You're kidding yourself. I move to the gallery and scrolling through my old photos. I just realize that I don't have many photos, only random street shot and old family photo.

I get up from my bed and walk toward the door. There are five souls living in this house, but none of them are home at this hour, well except me. I spend most of my days, weeks, months at home. Getting older by doing nothing.

What about work? Don't I have a job? You may ask.

Pffft, please. I can be jobless until I die and will never run out of money. Besides, Dad never expects my presence at the office no matter how much I beg for a job. Being a shareholder and his pretty stay-at-home daughter are good enough. I can try applying to another company, but the thought of working with and for stranger send me goosebumps.

Rose is busy cleaning the kitchen. She's the only staff I can remember, the rest are let's say I don't know their name. I might remember their name back then, but so much had changed. My mind isn't my mind anymore.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Jenna." Rose greets me with her humble voice.

"Afternoon, Rose."

I pull the stool and climb in. My brothers always laugh whenever they see me climb on the stool. It's not my fault that our ancestors bought high stool like this. I look around the kitchen and enjoying the expensive white marble countertops in front of me combined with the black cabinets. I've never been in other people's house but I've seen my house featured in magazines. They said it's beautiful, magnificent, a real beau, you know all exaggerated words of pretty.

This house is really beautiful. My family has lived in this house for seven or eight generations, I can't quite remember. Grey family of Boston is the tale that always been told in our Thanksgiving. It's a story about how our great-great-great-I don't know how many great-grandfather Joel and his twin brother John started our family first business. Then soon it's expanding and getting bigger and bigger until now.

I'm about to retrace my family history when my phone is suddenly buzzing. I smile a little when I see the caller ID. He always knows.

"What do you want?" I say in a lazy tone.

"I heard about your fight with Dad. Is everything okay?"

"Ice cream is okay. Arranged marriage? Not okay in million years."

"Do you want to meet? I can pick you up. I just finished the paperwork at office."

"It's okay. I'll meet you at your home." Get out from this house is the most brilliant idea for now.

"Okay. I'm gonna tell Sarah that you'd come."

"Send my love to her. Bye."

I hop off from the stool and walk to my bedroom. I check the clock, still 5 pm-ish. There's enough time to take a shower and get out from here before the other living souls in this house come home. I turn the faucet and let the cold water from the shower nozzle rinse all my anger, disappointment, and confusion. I can't meet my brother and his wife in this state. My negative aura will be no good for their unborn child.

For a daughter of the billionaire businessman, I do really have a miserable life.