The Light in your Eyes

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Five years ago.

Nineteen years old Jade was on her way home after taking a rare stroll around their area when she got waylaid by some tough looking guys. That day she regretted leaving the comfort of her room to take a stupid stroll. The guys bundled her up and threw into a van, she wasn't even given the chance to scream. Her eyes were blindfolded and the van was driven to God knows where. They got to the destination and the tough guys roughly dragged her down from the van.

"Do you guys have no compassion for the fairer s*x, you guys should be gentle you know." She had said to those people then. Having gotten used to getting kidn*pped, she wasn't very afraid being a rich man's daughter really has its own perks until three days later. These people showed her that they really have no compassion for the fairer s*x. They didn't feed her for three days straight and none of them came in to even hold the normal kidnappers conversation with her. The place was quiet like a graveyard, she hadn't heard a single noise for the past three days as if she was the only one there. But she kept quiet.

This lasted until the fourth day when their supposed leader barged in with what looked like a cell phone in hand. At that time she was already on the verge of dying and could hardly see clearly. There was someone whose voice sounded familiar on the other side of the phone.

"Your daughter is going to starve to death if you don't give him the file." He said coldly. "We will send her cold corpse back to you." The man really sounded like he had no regard for a human and was really going to starve her to death if the other side did not comply with their demands.

"I don't care about the girl in your custody, go ahead and kill her if you want but I won't give the file to your person." The other side replied, "You have made a mistake, that girl with you is not our child so anything you do to her is none of our business." He concluded and hung up the call. There was hardly any hesitation in the way he hung up the call. There probably wasn't much difference between the man and these kidnappers.

Although she was already losing consciousness and was very tired, Jade heard the conversation and tears ran down her face. She hadn't cried since she was kidn*pped but right then she just felt like letting go of the tears she's been trying to hold back. They didn't keep the fact that she wasn't their daughter a secret from her, but then subconsciously she did not believe them until now.

Probably because the reply the kidnappers got wasn't to their satisfaction, she was given a light beating and then released a few hours later. They dropped her three streets away from the mansion and made to walk back home battered and hungry. Throughout her ordeal, the tough guys never said a word to her.

"They are even more professional than those from the past." She had thought to herself. Through sheer will power she made it home in one piece. Well maybe her intestines weren't in one piece due to hunger and her eyes stung due to a long time of sleeplessness. Upon getting to the large gate that protected those inside from the outside world, Jade fainted. Whatever happened after that she wasn't aware. But after eavesdropping on some maid’s gossip sometimes after that day, she discovered that the other family members did nothing to rescue her.

Whether calling the police or running a helter -skelter for her sake, they even thought those guys wouldn't let her live so they were actually relaxed and just waiting to receive her dead body. They all pretended that ordeal never happened and went on with their lives including herself. Where others pretend nothing happened, she just had to lick her wounds and follow up with the act.

Flashback Ends

Now back to the current time, perhaps due to the solemnity in the room Scarlett felt a chill down her spine, "living in this house wouldn't be as easy as I thought." She thought to herself, getting kidn*pped! Perhaps being a pauper is better at least she wouldn't have to always fear being carried into a car while walking on the road.

"What has happened has happened, no need to dwell in the past. You should leave with your parents and start a new life with them." Someone said blankly without remorse. Jade knew the speaker after all; they have lived together for more than twenty years and she had called her big sis for as long although the other had always been indifferent towards her. She had never been really close to this big sister because she wasn't as excellent and ambitious as the other, they have never really had much to discuss with each other.

"Baby let's go, you don't have to say more to them if you don't want to." Mrs Shawn said she realised the tough acting girl might have lived a hard life and felt angry with herself for engaging in a banter with her without understanding the poor girl.

"We might not have the best to give you but the little we have is enough for the seven of us in the family." She walked to stand before Jade at the doorstep and hugged her tears brimming in her eyes. Jade didn't know what to do, this kind of emotion display is not something she was used to but she liked it.

"Mom don't you want me anymore," a choked voice interrupted the emotional moment, it was Scarlett . "Please don't leave me here, I don't want to stay here." She didn't like the cold atmosphere in this place

"Back then when you heard that your real parents were wealthy and influential people, you were so happy that the word mom hasn't been said by you for the past few weeks. You didn't care that we would be saddened by the sudden knowledge that you are not our daughter. I don't dare call you my daughter after all I am but a poor teacher." Mrs Shawn said coldly, still hugging Jade like a mother hen.

"Let's just leave." Jade said with helplessness. "And the company, you guys don't have to pay a dime for it, after all it was never really transferred to me officially. You knew I would eventually sell it back to you and that kind of hypocrisy is something I don't dare accept from your family.” There was nothing more to say so both families went their separate ways hoping that from then on nothing will ever bring them to meet again. Well that will have to be up to Fate. Things are back to where they are supposed to be and everyone can begin anew as for Jade maybe the pink bubbles and roses will be found in the new place she's going. Or maybe not, who knows.

The path chosen at the beginning might not lead to the destination, so a change of lane isn't always as bad and scary as people think. For all of them, their destination is somewhere they have always hoped for.