FADED SCAR

CHAPTER 4

Evelyn's Point of View

The work is great. I shrug, because there's nothing much really going on in my life, apart from

work and home.

Teaching at USC is enlightening. I have intelligent students, I say, remembering Cara.

The Hospital, too. Jeremiah, how's work going? I say, diverting attention away from me, Mom

gives me a look, but says nothing.

He smiles and says firefighting is very dangerous, in an obvious way, so every day is like

waking up to walk through the fire, but the thought of saving lives daily, makes me happy."

I smile at his response, then watch as he whispers in Aria's ear, who giggles in response, I must

have imagined the tension, and New Jersey seems to work for them.

Babe, Mom says to Dad, and I roll my eyes and rub it in more, why not?

The Hospital, as Evelyn said, is great. I should retire though." Dad says, and I nod my head, no

No one says anything, because we are not surprised.

Well, working at Cavendish Fund, the bank is something,& quite; Mom says and I stiffen, but she is

oblivious to my reaction, and keeps going.

As an Accountant, I have to spend the entire day with people and all, but I have a very special

job I do at the Bank, which I will not go into --

Thank God.

because I will like to talk about the actual Cavendishes.

Oh God.

I feel Willow, Aria, and Belly's glance at me, but I don't look at either of them. You can call me a

bit of a masochist because I could tell Mom to talk about something else, or just politely leave.

the table, but instead, I am here, greedy for every piece of hi --

I see Genevieve and Amelia every day in the office. Amelia is so grown, I think she's twenty-five.

now . . . .

Twenty-six.

Then there's Charles, who works at the company - Cavendish and Sons, that is how successful

and influential they are. I think he's the first son.

Third.

We all know Ethan, the popular basketball player, I would say the finest of them all.

Football.

There's Miles, he was at the bank last week, so intelligent and respectful, but not like his

brother A --

EVELYN." Aria, Belly, and Willow yell, making me jolt out of -- whatever that was.

Girls. Dad frowns, and so does Mom, but I say nothing, still in semi-shock, at almost the mention of

His name -- Aiden.

Winter, Nicholas says softly, and I realize they are staring at me, they've been staring at me for

a while.

This was great Mother, but I have to prepare my seminar for next week and check on my

patients. Girls, thank you for reminding me. I say with a forced smile.

Wills, will you come with me, or get a cab when you are ready? I asked my best friend, knowing

that I don't need any conversation, just silence, solitude.

I'll take her home. Nicholas says, and I nod at him.

Thank you, Nick. Ian, chaperone them, so they don't kill each other, or something.

______

I fished out my key, then opened the door, resisting the urge to crash on the floor. Today started

Well, but it took an odd turn. Sometimes, I wonder if Mom is just oblivious, or chose to make me

suffer.

I loosen my hair, then pack it up in a messy bun, as messy as I feel. Then, I strip every piece of

clothing, like I could rid myself of all the million ways and places I am bound, restricted,

imprisoned.

Naked, I walked to my mini bookshelf and picked up Theodorina's Sin on the Skin. I have always been

Captivated by the concept of sin, and everything it encompasses, in this book, the Writer

explicitly discusses it through her characters, and so does Dante in his very existence.

I place down the book as another concept shuffles through my head. I can not remember the

book, or author, just the concept -- It spoke about two individuals who love each other very

much, and when they found religion, they realized that their love slowly encompassed them,

and they've made Idols of themselves, making them Pagans.

This reminded me of Aiden and I, the intensity of our love for each other, the way we were

utterly consumed by each other, in each other's presence.

Our love was a fire that never stopped burning. How stupid of me to think it would not burn me

too.

______

Aiden's Point of View

I turn a lingering glance at the television, where Fleabag is on, and ignore the familiar twist in

my heart, while trying to postpone my Gym time.

Instead, I switch off the TV. Fleabag is a series I have watched numerous times, and could

probably say the dialogue, word for word.

I put on Burna Boy's Big 7 as I grab my water bottle, and make sure my phone is fully charged.

I make sure the door is locked, the gate too, then I take off, running through the estate. All

Throughout my race, there's a ringing in my ear, which is ironic, because I am running to rid myself.

of the constant ringing, only for it to get prominent, overtaking my hearing, and getting replaced

by a line from the damned show - Fleabag.

-- I think you know how to love better than any of us, that"s why you find it all so painful. --

I ignore it, and keep running. Even when I get to the Gym, I don't stop to talk to anyone, I just

hop on the treadmill, and run for hours, like it was easy to outrun one's demons. If it was, I

would have been rid of her, but I am not, and it has been years.

After hours in the gym, I make a call to Christian, one look at my face, and he says nothing, just

open his car door, and drive to my Condo, where I go in, and try to pretend I did not having a

bad day, which has become a routine, and is always centered on her, not the way she was, but

the way she left.

To rephrase that correctly -- the way I made her leave.

______

Good day everyone, I am Charles Cavendish and these are the actions the marketing

The department of the company took this month and the results it generated. Charles says, and I

watch my younger brother speak to the board and watch our father give him a proud look.

This month, we started with Media Interviews, Press Releases, Social Media Engagement and

Speaking Campaigns. We were interviewed by Nicholas Carter and featured in The Washington

Post, as well as, Tatiana Cloudy, at Fox Business. There was a bit of coverage in CNBC Street.

Journal and Bloomberg. We made sure to be on every news show.

Now, the Press Release, he gestures.

Over the course of the month, the company released a number of press releases, and they

include - New Products, Company News, Industry Trends, Financial Trends, and New

Partnerships. The company also engaged in Social Media Campaigns. There"s an active presence

on f*******:, LinkedIn, and i********:, and we expanded to Pinterest, t****k, wherever anyone is,

they can not help but see Cavendish and Sons."

Conclusively, there were also speaking engagements we participated in. Mr. Greyson

Cavendish and Aiden both spoke at THw World Economic Forum and The Consumer Electronic

Show amongst others.

Thank you for that rundown Charles, Christian, you're up. Mr. Crown says, and he nods.

Cavendish and Sons made some financial engagements in the past month. We generated One

million dollars, which is a 10% increase from last month, and this is due to a combination of

factors like increased sales and cost-cutting measures. There was also new product launches,

expanded distribution channel, and marketing initiatives."

In terms of operating costs, the company has reduced its expenses by 5% through a number of

initiatives such as renegotiating supplier contacts, optimizing production processes, and

streanlining operations. The company also invested in new technologies and infrastructure.

including AI-powered tools for sales and marketing, cloud-based solutions for finance and

accounting, and a new CRM system.

In terms of infrastructure, the IT systems were upgraded. The company acquired two smaller

firms in the past months, which will allow it to expand its product offerings and market reach.

The acquisitions are part of the company's long-term strategy to become a market leader in the

world.

Thank you very much, Callaghan. Mrs. Clarkson smiles, then turns to me.

Aiden, the floor is yours.

I get up, take nothing, but make sure my pitch is being projected where they can all see it. I work

through my fear of failure and the major one of disappointing my father.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are facing a serious problem in the United States. Millions of people

lack the financial literacy skills they need to make sound decisions about money, and this lack of

financial literacy leads to millions of people living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay off

debts, and making poor investment choices."

Our proposed solution is -- Finwise, an app that provides users with the information and tools they

need to take control of their finances. The app"s key features include a budgeting tracker, a

savings goal calculator, and an investment portfolio analyzer. The budgeting tracker will allow

users to track their income and expenses, set spending limits, and get real-time insights into their

financial health.

The savings goal calculator will help users set a specific goal, like saving for a home or child"s

education, and track their progress towards the goal. The investment portfolio analyzer will

allow users to track their investments and get personalized recommendations to improve their

performance.

For the next thirty minutes, I further explain to them all the ways Finwise will be useful and take

Cavendish and Sons to a very high level. They ask questions, and I tackle them head-on.

Aiden, this idea, I like it. Christian says and I nod. Everyone voices their approval and go ahead,

except Dad.

Aiden, He says, and I hold my breath.

Make us proud. Meeting's .dismissed

Everything is falling into lines, and yet, I can"t help but feel like a part of me is missing, and that

is the void I will have to live with.