Aiden was here. And I had no idea what to do. I felt my friends say something to me. But their voices seemed so far away. My eyes were locked on Aiden. Through my shock and fear, I could barely register anything. Save for the smirk, which slowly spread across his face. He seemed to be enjoying this. He must have sensed my fear.
" Sarah what is wrong with you ?!" Stacy was shaking me by the shoulders now. " I -- I need to go to the bathroom. " I stammered. Then I ran to the restroom as fast as I could. I splashed water on my face, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. My liner started bleeding around my eyes and I probably looked like a raccoon but I didn't care.
I remembered that night from a year ago. To think how simple my life used to be! College had just started and I was relaxing after another hectic day. Mom was massaging my shoulders and I was doing what I did best: whining about my day like the pampered little brat I was.
" Shouldn't you be preparing for that presentation you have tomorrow, instead of getting a shoulder massage from poor mom?"
" Stop being such a buzz kill. Sasha can't you see I am trying to relax?"
" When I was in college, the thought of a presentation won't let me sleep the entire night ."
" You know I don't stress myself over trivial things."
" I don't think you ever stress over anything. You know it's good to take things seriously once in a while."
And with that remark Sasha went back to scanning her magazine for any fresh piece of gossip she could find.
" That's it. I am done with shipping celebrities together. The dating rumours turn out to be fake or they break up after a few months. Or worse they get married and you find yourself idolizing their love story. Only to find them divorcing a few years down the road." Sasha signed.
" Take my advice, Sasha. Only ship couples in K-dramas, less chances of getting your heart broken."
" If only some chaebol heir would come to sweep me off my feet. Hmm, check this guy out. He is the certified most eligible bachelor in town. Think I might have a chance with him?" Sasha passed her magazine to me.
It was the picture of a young man, leaning against a black Ferrari. He was dressed in a sharp black suit. His name was Aiden Victor. According to the article, he must have been only a year older than me. Yet he exuded an air of authority, that you would expect from a company CEO with years of experience. He was listed as Forbes's youngest CEO, who took over his father's company after he died when he was only nineteen years of age.
Victor Enterprises was a name that was known in every household. It was the biggest conglomerate in our country, serving in every sector from energy, weapons to consumer goods. Seeing this young boy doing so much made me feel like a loser. But then again I wasn't born heiress to a billion-dollar empire.
" He's handsome." Mom's tone told me she had already started imagining one of her daughters married to the guy.
" And what are you up to? And what's with all the giggling Sasha ?" Dad dropped in just then.
" Sarah has just found the one." Sasha winked at me.
" You were the one ogling his picture ." I shot back.
Dad just shook his head at our childish banter. As I looked at him, I couldn't help but feel \ pierce my heart like a knife. It was like he was growing weaker every day. Ever since a few years ago, his health had declined. He had given up nearly all of his hobbies. Work and rest were usually the only things he did, besides sometimes talking to me about politics. I showed him the article on Aiden Victor.
" The person interviewing him should have asked him how his grandfather managed to accumulate so much money. " Dad gave a short derisive laugh.
"They were always rich Dad. According to the article his great-grandfather literally built this place up from a small town to a metropolis." I said.
" His great-great grandfather got bankrupt and committed suicide because of the disgrace as far as I remember," Dad stated. " Question is how they managed to build their business up again ."
" I have a feeling you know Dad, so spill. " Sasha asked, looking just as curious as I was.
" When the head of the family committed suicide in the 1800s, his wife and children had to fend for themselves. His son started getting involved in illicit activities like smuggling and in a few years established a sort of mafia of his own. Townsfolk became suspicious of him. And to avoid their ridicule the man shifted here where no one knew him and population was scarce. "
My jaw had dropped by this point.
" How come I am only hearing this from you Dad?"
" Because as soon as they moved here, they started investing their illegally earned money into legal forms of business. Eventually, everyone started seeing them as just businessmen. "
I looked down at Aiden's picture. He had a slightly haughty air about him, the sort you usually found in politicians and powerful people. But he would better pass off as a prince in a fairytale, than a mafia leader.
At that time I didn't know what was to come. That I would come face to face with the real Aiden Victor. And he was anything but prince charming.
I came out of the bathroom, after trying to salvage whatever was left of my make-up. Luckily Aiden wasn't in my business ethics class and I was rid of him for the rest of the day. I can't believe how cowardly I had become. All day I binged on anything available in the cafeteria, from the greasy fries to the stale pizza. My automatic stress response was to stuff myself up until my stomach was about to burst. The second was to isolate myself and shy away from anyone who might want to talk to me. I am sure Stacy and Candice noticed. They were probably discussing how crazy I was behind my back. Perhaps it was my fault that we weren't as close as most friends are. There was only so much they could take.
I kept trying to reassure myself that I had nothing to be afraid of. I was clearly traumatized by the events of last year and I wasn't thinking straight. Aiden had no evidence against me or my family. He couldn't hurt me. The police had found nothing against us.
Aiden may not like me but he had no reason to try to hurt me right? But after what I had been through, I have started to believe that when it comes to me anything is possible. I couldn't rest easy, thinking that nothing would happen to me because of him.
The day thankfully came to an end. I was crossing the road to my bus when out of the corner of my eye I saw a car speeding towards me. I jumped back just as a black Lamborghini raced past me. Had I not jumped in time it would have run me down.
It did not slow down and within seconds it was nowhere in sight. But I had caught sight of the driver's face. There was the same arrogant smirk on it that I had seen this morning.
" Sarah you OK ?" Stacy, who was talking to a girl some distance away was running towards me.
" Thank God you moved away in time I thought that car would crush you. Who was that creep? "
" Aiden Victor " I replied.
" Why does that name sound so familiar? " Stacy frowned.
" Wait a second wasn't that the name of the guy, whose sister your brother had married? "
" Yup," I replied. "The guy who believes my brother murdered his sister."
Stacy's eyes widened in shock.
" By the way, he was the guy you were crushing on today, " I said watching as Stacy's eyes popped open even further.
" You mean him ?!" She squeaked.
I nodded. I was right to be scared to see him here. Aiden was up to something. I just didn't know what. But with his family's powerful connections, it wouldn't be too hard for him to get what he wanted.
On the way back, I could see the top of Victor Tower standing higher than the rest of the buildings in the city, like a Titan made of concrete and glass. The road we were traveling on was called Fredrik Alexander Street. It was named after one of the ancestors of the Victor Clan. The restaurant on the corner, built in the eighteen hundreds in classic Victorian-style architecture, was called Victor's Inn. The city harbor, bordering the blue water glistening in the sunlight, was called Victor's Landing.
Literally, every street, every building, and every inch of this city had some association with them. They were the people who had built this city out of nothing. On a nearby billboard, was Aiden's picture advertising a new hotel resort built by their company. I felt claustrophobic. It reminded me of Persephone caged in Hades' lair.
I decided not to return home immediately. There was something I had promised myself I would do. For the last several months, I hadn't been to my father's grave or the one constructed for Sean without his body. I knew it was because I wanted to stay in denial. I wanted to believe they were still out there somewhere. Seeing the tombstones would remind me that I was deluding myself and they were really gone.
Today, I decided that the best thing I could do for myself was to learn to accept things for what they were. Maybe going there might actually bring me peace instead of the crushing feeling of grief I feared.
Heartbeat racing, I entered the graveyard only to see a familiar figure crouching near a grave nearby. I knew it belonged to my sister-in-law Arianna, hence I knew who the guy in the black trench coat was.
Here he didn't look so formidable, even from a distance I feel I could sense his pain. From the way, his shoulders were hunched, to how he fixedly stared at the engravings on the grave. I actually pitied him in that instant. He wiped off a tear, placing a bouquet of lilies at the foot of the tombstone.
As he got up his posture changed. Back straight, head held high he was back to being who everyone knew him to be: a force to be reckoned with. He suddenly turned in my direction as if he could sense my stare. I quickly ducked behind a tree. He didn't see me apparently and walked away.
In that tiny moment, I felt I had learned about him what I may not have been able to in years. Aiden wasn't made of steel as much as he pretended to be. Inside was a guy struggling to keep himself from falling apart. I also suddenly realized why he was so spiteful towards me.
They say for some people revenge is a way of healing their wounds. Channeling all that agony and feeling of loss into vengeance is one way of dealing with it. And these people often become inhumanly ruthless to get what they want. I could only wonder what he might try to do to me and my family. How far was he willing to go to satisfy that rage and madness?
Hi guys . Thank you to all of you who took the time out to read this. This is the edited version of chapter 2. To those of you who don't know what kdramas or chaebols mean let me explain. Kdramas are short for Korean dramas and let me tell you a lot of them have dashing rich men. Chaebol is the Korean word for conglomerate so a chaebol heir is some one super rich like Aiden. Please give me your feedback. What did you think of Sarah? Of Aiden? If you got the chance to would you date Aiden in real life?