CHAPTER ONE
1559 Words
CHLOE
It all began with my mother's death, when my father created the beginning of a slow end —the sudden end of what should have been a wonderful beginning
My mother's death — an abrupt end— doesn't stop my father from taking a new wife. For five months, he claimed to live in celibacy out of respect for her death. Unbeknownst to me, he was already preparing to marry a widow.
But even now, I still don’t know how my father met her in the first place.
Her husband had also been a rich business tycoon, and after his death, his wife and my father decided to merge their companies since they operated in the same industry–or, so i thought. But it's still a mystery to me how my dad and this woman met.
It was a bright, quiet Saturday morning. I was in the kitchen preparing my coffee on the stainless steel surfaces, which my mother had kept spotless throughout her marriage , when a sudden, sharp blare of car horns cut through the quiet. My father rushed past the kitchen, and I finally understood what was happening– his new wife was here. He didn't even notice my presence, nor did I attempt to greet him. Moments later, I heard excited voices.
"Come on in," my father called out to his visitors.
Just then, a bright and vibrant woman entered, ushered in grandly by my father. Her skin was tanned and radiant, giving the impression of meticulous care. How on earth did my father find this young, beautiful woman to be his soon-to-be wife?
I was so captivated by her beauty that I didn't notice she was standing in front of me, calling my name. It would have been foolish of me not to envy her skin and beauty—I mean, this woman was a vision.
"Chloe," the voice echoed in my ear, pulling me back to reality.
"Yes. I'm so sorry for..." I began, but my sentence trailed off as I saw another pair of eyes looking at me. These extra eyes were entirely unexpected.
I never knew a touch of brown in someone's eyes could make them so attractive. The brown was so captivating that I wished I could trade my blue eyes for them. My gaze then travelled down his body.
Blimey, can this day get any better? First, a beautiful woman who could easily be mistaken for someone in her twenties, and now, the extra pair of unfamiliar eyes belongs to a guy who bears a striking resemblance to the woman beside him. His well-built physique and broad shoulders only enhanced his extraordinary brown eyes. His nose was prominent, the only feature that seemed slightly asymmetrical on his face. Yet, that prominent nose made him incredibly gorgeous, and his subtly curved, small lips seemed to beckon mine. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist if the opportunity arose.
So it began—the very beginning of what I assumed would be a disastrous end.
"Oh... this is my son, Edward. He's a bit younger than he looks; his muscles are probably from his workouts. You two should be roughly the same age," the woman who had called my name earlier said.
"Stop it, Mum," Edward murmured, without breaking his stare from me.
"He looks older than an eighteen-year-old guy," I muttered out because it is true. The guy standing before me is no eighteen. If anything, he should be 20 or 22 at the maximum. But who am I to tell his mother that?
"It's alright. Chloe, this will be your stepmother and your stepbrother. I hope you two get along," my father added.
"Oh, wow. Just wow," was all I could manage before my dad cut me off.
"Show Edward his room while you two get to know each other."
"I'm Catherine, by the way. You can call me Cathy or Kate or Mum—whichever you prefer," the new woman said. The thought of calling her 'Mum' irritated me.
"I think I'll stick with Kate," I said, sipping my coffee, which had already gone cold. My dad then took Catherine upstairs to her room. I guess they'll be sharing the same bed now, the same bed my mother was forbidden to have.
"f**k this," I muttered in annoyance, heading to the kitchen sink to pour the cold coffee away.
"Do you care to tell me why you were staring so intently at my eyes?" a hoarse, intimidating yet cool voice asked. His voice sounded like the kind that could easily charm any woman into his bed.
Chloe, why are you thinking that now? I chastised myself.
"I like them," I said boldly, refusing to be intimidated by his size and voice.
"I guess people should be content with what they have. Show me my room," he retorted rudely. His arms were crossed over each other, making his shoulder more squared and broad. Personally, rudeness was one thing I would never tolerate, and now is the perfect time to show him one of my personalities.
"Find it yourself," I snapped back, leaving the kitchen, without placing the coffee cup in it appropriate position, instead placing it on the kitchen counter.
I had just complimented his eyes; a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed, not that. Who on earth did he think he was?
I slammed my bedroom door shut as soon as I stepped inside. Shouldn't he at least ask nicely? Does he think I'm a maid or something? I slumped onto my bed and reached for my phone to call my best friend, Daisy.
"They're here," I said the moment she picked up.
"They? Shouldn't it just be 'she'?" Daisy asked in confusion, knowing we'd only expected my dad's wife.
"Exactly. I just found out she has a son," I said, keeping quiet suddenly while I was contemplating about telling her more about the son or not
"A son!" she exclaimed on the other end. A long, uncomfortable silence followed.
"Chloe? What about the son?" she eventually asked, sensing the unnatural silence.
"Hmm, no... nothing," I said, clearing my throat and trying to keep my composure.
"Come on, I've known you long enough."
"Daisy, I know I'm not supposed to say this, but he's bloody handsome! I mean, he's cool and handsome. His face is so perfected, as if he were some kind of little god, and his skin is so well-tanned. Oh, blimey! Have you seen his mother's skin? She could be mistaken for a lady in her twenties. But he's so rude," I blurted out in one breath, trying to avoid Daisy's likely reaction to my statement.
"Oh... okay?" Daisy said, clearly wanting more to my story.
"What?"
"You just said he's rude. Didn't he do something to deserve that? And I guess that's your main reason for calling me, right?" she probed.
Daisy and I had been best friends since we were kids. She was the second person I trusted most after my mum. She had been with me through the highs and lows, and she was certainly with me now, even after my mum's death. If you were looking for someone who could instantly tell what was going on with me, she was the one.
"He just couldn't talk with respect. I was complimenting the colour of his eyes, and he just lashed out at me. Is there something wrong with complimen—"
"Wait a minute. You were complimenting the colour of the eyes of the person you just met—your stepbrother?" A subtle laugh followed her question.
"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"
"No, not at all. Chloe, listen to me, don't lose your cool in front of him. You two are still strangers. Don't behave as if you're friends. Only a friend should compliment the colour of your eyes. A stranger complimenting might cause a misunderstanding," she said in a serious, calm tone.
"Alright. Bye," I said later, letting her words of advice sink in.
"Okay then. See you at school on Monday with your handsome stepbrother," she said, laughing between her words.
"He's not..." I couldn't finish my sentence before Daisy ended the call.
"He's not coming to our school," I said silently, talking to no one in particular.
"Humph," I sighed heavily, letting the air I exhaled blow my fringe.
My mind couldn't think of anything else as it went directly to Edward. The moment I reminisced about his face, I found myself smiling. I had never been this happy about a guy's face. Thinking about Edward made my heart pound hard and fast. I was not supposed to be happy about him, considering the fact that we just met and he was rude. But I couldn't help myself as my heart seized for a second when I thought about the fact that today might actually be the first and the last time we will speak to each other.
I guess what I called a slow end will be a sudden end of a new beginning.
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