The Crystal Bracelet

Silver Beach

Fall in BeiHai China had summer humidity, the air was still warm, and the rains came often. It was hot out and the rain today had stopped which enticed Lilianna to go out for a walk. She liked that where she lived was near Silver Beach and she could walk on the beach at night. The way the warm wet sand felt beneath her feet always made her smile and feel at peace. Lilianna Yi by social standards is the picture-perfect daughter. She's never disrespectful and she honors her family above all else. Her father tends to be a doting loving man but stern as he never wanted her to become a spoiled little child. Lily, as her close friends call her, is the quintessential beauty with pure white skin and long beautiful jet-black hair that flows down to her mid back. Her tiny waist and slim legs are what every woman in the world longs to have. Lily is in her senior year of college and mere months away from graduating. She has studied hard with the goal to work in her father's company, the Yi Corporation, a well-known cosmetic company.  She specifically studied marketing and business so she could work there. The Yi's were comfortably rich, and though some argued powerful in the town of Beihai, they were humble in all they did. Lily has always been especially humble and kind in all she did. Some of the "mean girls" she attended school with picked on students of lesser status. That wasn't the way Lily handled things. She stood up for them as much as she could. She helped the freshmen students and anyone that was seen with her was not bullied since no one wanted to offend the Yi family. Lilianna's brothers had all attended university before her and were known to be tough. They fought so many times their father threatened to send them off to school abroad until they learned to handle things diplomatically. The reputation they garnered allowed for Lilianna to help other students, so she was grateful to follow in their shadow.

As she walked on the wet sand she heard a commotion ahead, she looked up just in time to see a man running right at her at a high rate of speed. She was stunned momentarily standing still in one spot without moving. The man almost bowled her over because he was looking over his shoulder instead of the direction he was heading. She squealed as he knocked into her, but for whatever universal reason, he was able to hold onto her and keep her from falling to the ground. He yelled the word "sorry" as he kept going as she stood there with her mouth open feeling a little stunned. She had no idea what the commotion was or why he was running since there didn't seem to be anyone chasing him. She shook her head, made sure she still had her shoes and her little cross body bag. Nothing seemed to be amiss, so she continued walking, a little unnerved, but she was fine in the end.

When Lilianna arrived at her little apartment, she brushed most of the sand off her legs and feet and set her sandals in the shoe bin by the door. She slipped on her house shoes and wandered to the bathroom to take a quick shower then prepare herself some dinner. She had a little schoolwork to do that evening, but nothing that would keep her up late. While she was towel drying her long dark hair wearing just her robe there was a knock at her door. She looked at the door for a moment before moving to answer it, but she couldn't fathom who would be visiting her. She was not accustomed to unannounced visitors.

She peered through the looking glass and saw no one was there. When she opened her door there was a small package addressed to "The Pretty Girl on the Beach." She looked up and down the hallway to see if whoever left the package was still around, but she saw no one. She carefully took the package to her table and opened it. Inside was a beautiful crystal bracelet and a notecard.

The card read: I'm sorry I ran into you, I pray you do not hold it against me. I look forward to seeing you again one day soon. – G

Lilianna was stunned by two things in this; how did this man who simply ran into her know where she lived, and why would he give her such a beautiful gift. She held the crystal bracelet and was mesmerized by the beautiful rainbows dancing around as the light infiltrated each individual bead. Such a beautiful bracelet must have cost a fortune. It definitely cost more than the allowance her father provided for sure. She thought nothing of it and put the bracelet on her dresser.

The next morning while walking to her first class a black Mercedes pulled up on the other side of the street with a handsome man sitting in the backseat watching her lithe figure sway as she walked. Gavin Sun knew he was going to pursue and marry this girl. He knew this the moment he saw her smiling as she looked down at her toes in the wet sand. Running into her was simply a rouse to be able to touch her and hold her for half a moment. He wanted to confirm to himself that when he touched her would it be as electric as he imagined. He didn't know her name, but he knew she was going to one day be his.

"Master Sun. Should we move from this parking spot?" His driver asked while watching him in the rearview mirror.

"No Gou. Not yet." Gavin stated flatly. He was preoccupied with the beauty he saw walking toward the university building.

Gavin saw the beautiful crystal bracelet on her wrist as she reached for the door. He smiled a knowing smile. "Beautiful girl, you wear my heart on your wrist." He said in a whisper. Lilianna was unaware she had accepted a man's heart by wearing his bracelet this day.