Kaya's POV starts again
The sheer pressure of my bladder woke me up.
I tried to open my eyes several times, but all my attempts were futile. All I could do was groan in headache and agony. God knows how long I had slept.
I decided to wake up from my sleep; I had a lot of nightmares.
Nightmares of Rhys crying helplessly beside me, nightmares of a kid pulling my leg inside a stony cave where all the edged stones were breaking off my skin, making me bleed, making little Kaya bleed.
I wanted to wake up from those long, lost nightmares. But I didn't; I couldn't. I yelled for help, screamed in pain as I saw fire trying to engulf me. Not a single sound came from my throat.
But my mighty bladder woke me up.
When I reached the luxurious bathroom of my suite, my eyes fell on the mirror, thus on me.
The top part of my body was exposed, and I was half naked. And all of my body was aching, especially the side I woke up from.
Shit.
I tried to recall what happened last time when I was awake.
All I remember was having tequila shots with both Nina and Julia.
Shit.
I was drunk as fuck again.
Thank God Rhys fucking Volkner didn't accompany me to the bar. It has been a long, long time— at least 14 years since I was taken advantage of. But I knew for a fact that nobody touched my body; otherwise, I would have noticed it. I know what exactly feels like to be taken advantages of.
I closed my eyes in front of the mirror; Little Kaya was nowhere to be seen. My world was still burning all around me. She was lost somewhere.
But in my own mind, I saw something else. I saw my own reflection somewhere in the distance.
The reflection of 30-year-old Kay, alluring, wearing the same dress as mine; but she was more seductive, all glammed up.
I knew it was me. I had no idea I was that pretty.
My own self smiled at me; her gaze was confident and selfish.
"You should let her go," she said to me, but her voice was Maria Volkner's voice.
I jumped out of my own trance after hearing her talk.
Shit.
I think I am going crazy.
I decided to brush off my uneasiness and take a long, hot bath to get rid of my headache and sleepiness.
After drying my hair and wearing a beautiful white summer dress, I came back to my bed to see a mail notification on my new phone; my supervisor, Professor Dr. Scott, had mailed me asking about my whereabouts. I was supposed to be on leave for 10 days; the date on the display confirmed that I had been in Paris for more than 3 weeks, 11 days extra than my vacation.
I thought Maria had managed my workplace about my extra leave to attend Volkner's party.
Scott's mail made me worried about my workplace. I need to head back to London as soon as possible.
______________________________________
When I entered the grand dining hall on the fourth level of the chateau, nearly everyone was gathered around the table. I had hoped to find Julia among them, only to recall that she wasn't part of their extended family. After responding to Scott's email, I had been searching for Maria in her suite, and the butlers informed me that everyone was at the dining table, enjoying a farewell dinner following the birthday party. It was the same dining area where I first encountered Ralf.
Thank God I had a chance to dine at the same dining table twice after stepping my foot into their opulent palace! What a joke!
Trying to slip into an empty chair beside Nina without drawing too much attention, I was caught by Ralf, who greeted me with enthusiasm.
"Kaya! Do you have any idea how long you've been asleep?"
All eyes turned towards me, but my gaze was fixated on finding Rhys. I had nightmares about him, visions of him crying like a child, haunting my thoughts.
I shook my head in response to Ralf's question. Rya playfully teased me, saying,
"I wish I could sleep like this."
Laughter erupted around the table, and I explained, "Well, some days I had to work 24-hour shifts in emergency wards, so I have the hobby of sleeping for the next 24 hours because my legs hurt a lot."
Rya smiled kindly at my response. I smiled back at her in return.
"It's very hard to train as a surgeon," Royce remarked. I noticed Jas, who was seated to his right, struggling to cut a large piece of lamb shank on his plate. Emilie, on Royce's other side, was engrossed in writing something on her pad and didn't notice my presence. Their innocent faces filled my heart with a sense of love.
In that moment, I realized that I wished I had a younger brother like Jas, or a sister like Emilie. I knew I had to head back to my own monotonous life, and I was going to miss brainstorming with Jas and Emilie, or sneaking sweets to Ralf's suite, or talking with Maria at random hours of the day. I will miss Royce's sweet but erratic personality that's hidden behind the mask of the richest businessman on earth.
I wish Rhys knew how lucky he was to be a part of this family.
A chair was moved beside me; I noticed through my peripheral vision that Rhys came and sat beside me.
"Why is your plate empty?" He asked me. I turned back to see his face. His face had stubbles, and his hair was messy; he also had noticeable dark circles around his eyes. My last memory of his encounter with Eduardo flashed before my eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked him, letting my intrusive thoughts win. Rhys noticed the worry in my face.
"What?" He was smart enough to ditch my query. I realized it was pointless to ask when I knew very well that he had no intention of answering me. Emilie finally noticed me seated with Rhys.
"Kay, we need you, we have a lot of things to plan," she commanded me with such authority that it made me chuckle.
"Why?" Rhys asked on behalf of me, while serving me food from trays in front of him.
I mocked him with a fake smile, "So kind of you. What would I do without you. Serving me foods like a nice boyfriend."
Rhys didn't respond to me.
"Uncle Royce approved our proposal," Emilie declared with pride. I pretended to be so happy and shocked, as if I had no idea of this massive news.
"Congrats!" I wished them. Then I noticed Maria was staring at me as if she were waiting for me to declare the truth that I already know all these, and I have to take on the role of babysitting the two cousins, running a multi-million dollar robotic firm.
"Bu, I can't stay any longer," I vented out my frustration.
"Why?" Maria asked me. I told her about the email, but she was shocked to hear that.
"But I already told the CEO of the NHS that you are here; she was supposed to deal with it," Maria explained in front of everyone.
"I have to go; I need to start studying for my MRCS exam," I said. Jas and Emilie became visibly upset and frustrated when I declared my plans.
"Maybe Kay wasn't impressed enough with our parties, that's why she is in hurry to run away," Ralf jokingly said. Emil started to giggle and replied,
"Maybe Kay thought all these rich people would have underground sex parties, not boring dinners where old people would get drunk, sing, and..." But before Emil could finish, Nas shut him up.
"Kay, do you want me to arrange such parties?" Ralf joked with a very meaningful wink. Rya's husband almost spilled his wine after hearing this and started to laugh hysterically. But, Royce became irritated, calling out to his father.
"Dad! Kids are here."
"Oh, come on! It was just a joke," Ralf attempted to ease the situation, but Maria seized the moment.
"Old habits don't die, do they, Father?" She teased him, with a wink from herself.
Laughter filled the room, and Ralf basked in attention. So, Rhys got his suave from his granddad.
Good. It made me more uncomfortable.
Trying to shrug off the awkwardness, I focused on the meal in front of me, but an unsettling realization hit me.
I had lost my appetite, a strange occurrence for someone who had always loved food.
As the dinner conversation flowed, Rhys made no effort to engage with me or offer an explanation for his disheveled appearance. Nina remained surprisingly quiet.
"I'm finished with my dinner," I declared, washing down the last morsel with water. A creeping migraine and nausea accompanied the end of the meal.
"Kay, come to my office in 30 minutes. You too, Rhys. We need to talk," Maria commanded, interrupting her chat with Rya. I sighed unintentionally.
A throbbing pain started at my temples, signaling the onset of a headache.
_________________________________________________
"So, what's your plan once you return to London?"
Maria inquired, her gaze shifting between the three of us seated in her office. She sat behind her desk, Royce perpendicular to her, and Rhys and I side by side. The question felt oddly intrusive, given the circumstances.
"I will go back to work and stuff..." I tried to explain, but Royce and Maria exchanged glances, and Rhys appeared genuinely devastated for some reason. I became perplexed.
"What happened?" I asked them. Maria sighed, signaling for Royce to speak.
"We haven't figured out who tried to harm you," he declared, making me cringe.
"Aren't you the most powerful man on earth? You have friends everywhere. Why don't you talk to them?" I teased him. Rhys mimicked his stepmother's sigh.
"Things are quite sensitive," Maria said, and a wave of irritation hit me. The nonchalant behavior was wearing on my nerves.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked. The three of them exchanged glances again, and Maria finally spoke.
"It would be better for you to move in with Rhys, in one of our London residences. Or, if you have any property you like, you can tell us. We will buy it for you."
I let out a laugh. The absurdity of their suggestion overwhelmed me.
"This is for your betterment," Royce said, attempting to justify their proposal. My laughter intensified, making them uncomfortable.
"I hate your son. I can't stay with him, he gets my nerves." I explained it to Royce.
"You'll live on the 3rd floor. I will stay on the 2nd floor, of our Surrey property. Nobody will know," Rhys calmly told me, halting my laughter. I tried to read their expressions, but I couldn't understand.
"Kay, I know this is going to be tough for you. But if anything happens to you, trust me, we won't find peace again," Royce declared, and Maria held his hand.
"Why?" I asked them.
"Whatever is happening around us, we should be responsible for the ricochet effect, not you, not anyone other than the three of us. Not a single thing happens in our businesses without our direction or permission. You are just an innocent bystander in all these messes, and we don't want anything to harm you," Maria explained.
Her words made me rethink my opinions about them.
"I have a lease until September. I was supposed to look for a new apartment when I returned to London."
"Good," Maria smiled and nodded. "Now you don't have to. You can move into your new place and stay there as long as you need."
I sighed at her insistence.
"I will stay at my old place until September," I insisted.
"Fine, then it's a deal," Maria said with a warm smile. I smiled back at her.
"I will drop you off in London at your place. You'll have 24/7 security and a chauffeur when I'm not in your place," Rhys said, and I cringed at his last line.
"Where will you live? I only have one bedroom," I sneered at him.
"I can sleep on the couch," Rhys calmly answered, dropping a bombshell. The son of the richest couple on earth would rather sleep on my couch than give up dealing with me.
Good riddance.
"You can go now. Both of you. I need to talk to Maria and Marco in private," Royce demanded, breaking the awkwardness between Rhys and me. Rhys still looked tired and sad.
I bid them goodnight and stood up to leave the office. Rhys followed me to the corridor, and then he proceeded to walk to the stairs while I headed to the elevator. I called out to him.
"Rhys?" My voice was surprisingly calm, making him turn back to me.
"What happened to you?" I asked him, the concern in my voice louder than my tone. He sighed.
"Kay, don't worry about me. I am fine," he smiled at me, a forced one. It made me worry a bit more.
"You don't seem fine to me," I insisted, and this made him smile genuinely.
"This is the first time you called me by my name, Rhys," he calmly said, leaving me perplexed. "But you look sick, Kay," Rhys added.
"I have a migraine," I admitted. Rhys sighed while looking down. He looked very tired.
"Take rest, call housekeepers if you need any medicine. We can go back to London tomorrow," he suggested. I nodded to him, and without proceeding with any further conversation, he walked down the stairs.
I stood there silently, watching his retreating figure, while the grandfather clock chimed ten, its sound echoing through the palace.
_______________________________________________________
I walked into my suite to find Emilie, Emil, and Jas eagerly awaiting the juicy details of my conversation with the Volkners. Despite their excitement, my explanation seemed to fall short, leaving the kids somewhat disappointed. The room was charged with their high-energy banter, so I decided to join them, reclining on the bed.
Emilie perched herself beside me, sharing random family anecdotes, spilling all the gossip that I had missed while I tried to recover from my hangover. Rita and her kids appeared on the premises and started bitching about me, causing a ruckus among themselves. However, I couldn't pay them any attention as Rhys's disheveled silhouette kept haunting my mind, and my head throbbed with pain.
Emilie and Emil suddenly started bickering for no apparent reason, possibly triggered by Ralf's decision to buy an F1 team and put Emil in one of the driver's seats. Emilie retaliated, leading to a playful argument between the siblings.
Before I could intervene, all the food contents from dinner started to sprout out of my stomach. I heard Nina enter my suite and was horrified to see me barf, barely managing to avoid making a mess on the floor. Nina rushed over and held my head, helping me through the ordeal.
After emptying my stomach, the lights in the room began to dim slowly. In the distance, I could hear Nina's frantic calls for help, the only sound in the fading darkness.