The Dark Side (Beloved Series #1)

"Come back soon, okay?" Cyan said as she hugged her mom and dad one last time. Her parents were flying to California to take care of her Aunt Vanellope, who was bedridden with illness. Cyan was going to miss them a lot because they would be staying there for a long time. Aunt Vanellope, who was her mother's aunt on her maternal side, was seventy-three years old and had no family of her own. Cyan preferred to call the old woman 'aunt' instead of 'grandma'. None of their other relatives in California cared to help, so her mom and dad were the ones going to take care of her. Trisha smiled at her daughter warmly and gently touched her face. "Take care, sweetie. We will make sure to call you every day," she told Cyan, sadness evident in her eyes. "I'm a grown-up now, Mom. No need to worry," Cyan assured her mother with a warm smile of her own. "Goodbye, sweetheart. Don’t forget our instructions. And do not worry about the company; there are people to take care of it," Marco reminded her. Cyan rolled her eyes at this. Her parents still didn’t allow her to help with the company, saying she was still too young. Even though she was the one who would inherit everything, they told her she had to wait until her twenty-first birthday and finish her business course before she could help. "Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady," her father said in mock disapproval. "Fine, Dad," she answered while smiling. "Take care, and give Aunt Vanellope a hug from me." "Sure, sweetie." Cyan watched as their driver, Manong Pedro, put her parents' suitcases inside the trunk of the car. Marco helped Trisha into the car, holding her waist and arm. Cyan missed how her mother glared at her father with disdain. "I will miss you both," she said with a smile, waving her hand in farewell. "Goodbye." They both waved back as she continued to watch them get inside the car. Cyan sadly stood there in front of their tall gates while the car drove away until they were out of her sight. She sighed deeply. She felt very sorry for her Aunt Vanellope and wanted to visit her. But because she had to finish her studies, she couldn't go yet. It was already late and almost time for submission of requirements, and in just a few months, she would graduate from college. Cyan glanced up at the clear blue sky, which reminded her of the ocean. She slightly closed her eyes because of the intense sunlight, a sign of a beautiful but hot day. She didn't mind the heat on her skin as she was used to it. She heard the high gates close, pushed by their two security guards. It made a slight noise from the heavy metal it was made of. "Señorita?" Cyan turned to the caller and saw the housekeeper. "Genesis is ready," she said. She smiled at the kind face of the small, plump woman. "Okay. Thank you, Manang Mina." Manang Mina was one of their most trusted housemaids in the mansion. She was old, as she had taken care of Cyan's mother when she was a child. Her entire family worked for them at the mansion and the ranch. Cyan walked on their perfectly trimmed lawn towards the back of their mansion, where Genesis was waiting for her. The grass slightly tickled the sides of her feet, which were only covered by a pair of red slippers. Genesis was her horse, a white stallion much taller than her. Cyan saw her horse being fed by their caretaker, Mando. The horse let out a whine when it saw Cyan approaching, slowly tugging away from Manong Mando's hold, clearly wanting to stretch its long legs. Cyan chuckled in amusement. "I miss you, too," she said as she approached the horse and gently stroked its head. She smelled the fragrant shampoo Manong Mando used. Her favorite pet looked freshly bathed. They had other animals on their ranch, but Genesis was a gift from her father when she debuted. She smiled. She could almost taste the sweet scent of the strawberry-scented shampoo used on Genesis. Her horse smelled even better than she did. "I'm just going to the stream, Manong Mando," she informed the middle-aged caretaker. "Take care, señorita," Mando replied with a smile as he helped her mount Genesis. "I can do this," she told him and clutched the reins around Genesis's neck. She lightly caressed the horse's mane as it began to walk on the rough road going to their ranch. The land covered by their ranch in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, stretched for miles to the wild forest and the edge of a famous lake. Many people wanted to buy their land, but her father refused to sell it. Twice a week, during weekends, she rode around on Genesis, chatted with the workers, helped feed the pigs, cows, horses, and other animals, or picked fruits and vegetables. Minutes later, not far from her starting point, she heard someone calling her name. A little startled, she glanced back. She saw Manong Undoy a couple of meters away. He was one of their farmers, frantically waving his buri hat at her. She stared at him, trying to understand what he was yelling. "Señorita! Señorita!" called Manang Undoy. "Why?" she yelled back and nudged Genesis to walk back toward him. The horse gave out a low whine of protest but still moved to approach the man. "You need to go to the nearby town immediately. Your parents..." she heard him say, his face filled with worry. Her heart began to pound against her chest as she recognized the fear and panic in his voice. "Why? What happened?" she demanded, nudging her horse to walk faster. She reached the forty-year-old man, whose slightly wrinkled face was contorted with worry as she peered down at him. His hesitation was evident. "Your parents were rushed to the hospital," he finally said. "W-What?" she yelled in bewildered shock. Without thinking, she quickly galloped back to the mansion. There, she found the staff and other workers looking extremely worried. Her heart pounded with fear and anxiety. She jumped off her horse and ran to her car, almost stumbling. Not wasting time to change her clothes, which were just an orange blouse and white denim shorts, she started the car and drove to the hospital, her hands trembling. It would take her several hours to get there as the private hospital was far away. She was already crying as she drove her gray BMW 7 series on the empty road. Almost two and a half hours later, she reached the Heart of Jesus Hospital in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. She immediately parked and went to the nurse's station, asking about her mom and dad. The nurse told her they were still in the emergency room. She waited outside the door, her knees trembling. She couldn’t stop crying from fear and worry. She never imagined this would happen to them. And to think they had already said their goodbyes. She slowly slumped into the nearest chair and sobbed quietly. "Excuse me, Ma'am," a man called out. She looked up to see a young man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a collared red T-shirt and black pants. His features looked haggard and deeply shaken. She hadn’t noticed there was someone else there. "Are you related to Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore?" he asked, his voice trembling with nervousness. "I'm their daughter. Why? Do you know what happened?" she asked, her face tear-streaked. She then glanced at his arms, which were covered in dry blood, before her gaze went back to his face. She started to get suspicious about why this man looked so shaken. "I saw what happened. Your parents' car collided with an oncoming delivery truck. The car was speeding, and the road was curvy, so they didn't see the truck. The impact was strong, and the car's front was crushed. We rushed them here immediately after the accident," the man quickly explained, clearly rehearsed. She stared at him suspiciously, and he looked at her with a guilty expression. He suddenly looked down at the white-tiled floor, as soon as he noticed her glare. He swallowed before speaking again. "We were in the truck." That was all she needed to hear before she slapped him forcefully. She knew she shouldn't act like this. But knowing that this man was one of the reasons her parents' lives were in danger made her blood boil with anger. The guy took a step back. Cyan immediately turned to the doctor. "Doc?" was all she managed to say. The doctor pulled his face mask away. Her heart felt heavy when she saw the mournful look on his face. He looked at Cyan straight in the eyes, and she had to hold her breath to stop herself from crying more. She knew that look and it didn’t mean good news. "Are you related to the patients?" he asked calmly. "T-They are my parents," she answered nervously. He let out a deep, mournful sigh, worsening her state. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could to revive them, but they were gone before they arrived here." She stood rigid in shock, trying to process his words. Her mom and dad were dead.