Chapter Two
1979 Words
---
Sunlight streamed through the curtains, spilling across Adriana's room.
For a brief second, she smiled.
The soft mattress, the spacious room, the scent of fresh flowers...
It almost made her forget everything that had happened yesterday.
Then Max Williams' cold voice echoed in her mind.
"Don't touch what's mine."
She sighed and climbed out of bed.
"No way am I letting that man ruin my first day." She affirmed and went to take her bath. She's starting a new luxurious life and everything feels so different, her bathroom is so big, bigger than the small room she had lived for years.
She wanted a warm bath badly but she couldn't help herself. After many failed attempt of turning on the heater, she finally figured out a way."Finally!"she shouted.
Few minutes later, after she was done getting dressed, a maid came to inform her to come for breakfast at the family dining table.
She packed her hair up with an hair clip, took a glance at the seven feet tall mirror in front of her and stepped out of the room.
...
At the dining....
Breakfast was quieter than she expected.
Mrs. Williams had already left for an early charity meeting.
Alex had gone to the office while only Chris remained at the dining table, happily eating pancakes while humming a tune.
The moment he saw Adriana, he grinned.
"Morning, roomie!"
She laughed.
"I don't think that's the right word."
"Housemate?"
She shook her head.
"Better."
Chris pointed toward the empty chair beside him.
"Sit. Martha made enough breakfast to feed a village."
Martha chuckled from the kitchen.
"I heard that."
The warm atmosphere around the table eased Adriana's nerves .Maybe this house wasn't so frightening after all. Except for one person.
Her stare moved towards the empty chair at the head of the table.
Chris noticed her glance. "Oh, His Royal Coldness?"
She blinked."What?"
"My eldest brother." Chris whispered dramatically. "He wakes up every morning choosing violence."
Adriana couldn't help laughing.
Just then. Max walked in wearing a perfectly tailored charcoal suit.
He looked every bit the billionaire CEO.
Without acknowledging anyone, he grabbed a cup of black coffee. His eyes briefly landed on Adriana, cold and expressionless, then he walked out.
Chris sighed."See? Told you."
....
A few minutes later, Adriana left for college.
She had barely reached the pedestrian crossing outside the school gate when the roar of an engine echoed behind her.
A sleek black luxury car sped toward the gate.
Before she could react....
SPLASH!
Cold muddy water soaked her white shirt and skirt from head to toe.
She gasped.
"My goodness!"
Her books nearly slipped from her arms.
The car stopped a few metres ahead.
The driver's door opened.
Fuming, Adriana marched toward it.
"Can't you see people are walking?" she snapped angrily. "You should be more careful! You just ruined my whole day!"
The driver looked terrified.
"I'm so sorry, Miss. It was an accident...."
"It's okay."
A familiar deep voice interrupted.
Max stepped out from the back seat, adjusting the cuff of his expensive watch.
He looked at Adriana's soaked outfit.
Then at her angry face. Recognition flashed in his eyes. It's the new girl.
"You."
Her confidence vanished."M-Max..."
Realizing who she had yelled at, she lowered her gaze. "I'm... sorry. I didn't know......"
"I know you didn't."
His voice was calm. He walked toward her until only a step separated them. So close that she could feel his warm breath.
The driver silently moved aside.
Max's eyes fell on the bottle of water hanging from her backpack. Without asking, he took it, stepped back a bit, then he unscrewed the cap.
Adriana frowned. "What are you—"
Before she could finish, he poured the entire bottle over her head. Ice-cold water trickled down her face making her hair clung to her cheeks.
Students passing by stopped to stare, while some brought out their phone and took pictures. Nobody spoke.
Max tossed the empty bottle back into her hands.
"Now you're clean."
Her lips trembled.
"W-Why would you do that?"
He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You embarrassed my driver."
His gaze hardened.
"Get used to this."
He stepped back.
"As long as you're living in my house..."
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I'll make every single day unbearable."
Adriana stood frozen.
She really wanted to scream and wanted to argue. She wanted to throw the empty bottle at him and yell at him.
Instead...
She simply watched him climb back into the car while they drove off.
Tears stung her eyes.
Not because of the water.
Because she realized he truly meant every word. She had no choice but to return to the house.
The Williams Mansion......
Martha gasped the moment she saw her.
"My dear! What happened?"
Adriana forced a smile.
"I... slipped into some water."
She couldn't bring herself to tell the truth.
All she wanted was a hot shower and sleep.
---
It was raining.
The sound of it drummed relentlessly against the roof of the car, soft at first, then louder, swallowing every other sound.
"Daddy, are we there yet?"
Eight-year-old Adriana hugged the little brown teddy bear against her chest, her sleepy eyes fixed on the blurry lights dancing outside the rain-speckled window.
"Almost, princess," her father replied, smiling at her through the rearview mirror.
"Just a few more minutes."
"You promised we'd watch cartoons when we got home," she mumbled, fighting a yawn.
"And I always keep my promises," he chuckled.
Her mother turned around in the passenger seat, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind Adriana's ear.
"Someone's getting sleepy."
"I'm not..." Adriana protested, though her eyelids were already growing heavy.
The car filled with laughter.
Then...
A pair of blinding headlights pierced through the darkness.
A deafening horn shattered the peaceful silence.
"Watch out!"
Her mom's voice rang through the car.
The steering wheel jerked violently.
Tires screamed against the rain-soaked road.
"Daddy?"
Everything spun. The car flipped. Glass burst around her like tiny stars. Metal groaned beneath an unbearable force.
"Mommy!" Her teddy bear slipped from her fingers and disappeared into the darkness.
Then...there was silence, a terrifying silence.
Her ears rang. Smoke drifted through the shattered windows. The smell of gasoline stung her nose. She could not move.
"Daddy?"
No answer.
She tugged desperately at the seatbelt digging into her tiny body.
"Mom?"
Her mother's head rested against the dashboard.
She wasn't moving.
"Mommy..."
Her voice cracked.
"Daddy..."
Her father remained slumped over the steering wheel.
The rain continued to pour outside, washing over the broken windshield as though trying to erase what had just happened.
"Daddy..."
Tears blurred her vision.
"Please wake up..."
She stretched out her tiny hand.
Too far.
She couldn't reach them.
"Don't leave me..."
The words came out as broken sobs.
"Please... don't leave me..."
Somewhere beyond the wreckage, unfamiliar voices shouted.
"There's a little girl!"
"She's still breathing!"
"Quick! Get her out!"
Hands pulled at the twisted door.
Someone reached for her.
But Adriana wasn't looking at them.
Her eyes remained fixed on her parents.
Hoping for one of them... just one of them... to open their eyes.
"Mommy..."
Adriana bolted upright with a strangled gasp.
Her chest rose and fell violently as though she had been running for miles.
----
"Nooooooooooo!!!!!!" She clutched at her chest as she rose from her bed, her trembling fingers instinctively finding the silver locket resting against her skin.
The room was quiet. It was then she realized it was a nightmare. A tear escaped before she could stop it. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe.
"It was just a dream..." she whispered.
Yet she knew better.
It wasn't just a dream.
It was the last memory she had of the people who had loved her most. A painful memory though.
She stood up from her bed and opened the door to her room slightly.
A familiar voice floated through the hallway.
"When the world turns its back on you... I'll be the melody that stays..."
She listened carefully and soon realize someone was singing, the voice was smooth, gentle and filled with emotion. Curiously, she followed the sound to the music room.
Chris sat by a piano, eyes closed as his fingers danced across the keys.
He hadn't noticed her.
Adriana remained at the doorway, captivated.
When the song ended...
She clapped softly.
Chris jumped. "Oh!"
He laughed sheepishly. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry." She smiled. "I just... didn't know you could sing like that."
His ears turned red. "You really liked it?"
"Loved it."
His grin widened. "Really?"
She nodded. "You have an amazing voice."
Chris rubbed the back of his neck.
"No one's ever said it like that before."
"Then they're not listening properly."
For the first time that day...
Adriana smiled without forcing it.
Chris stood up excitedly and grabbed her hand. "Then from today, you'll be my first audience whenever I write a new song."
"It's a deal."
As they laughed together...
Neither of them noticed someone was standing silently outside the music room.
Max.
His expression darkened as he watched his younger brother smiling so freely with Adriana.
For reasons he refused to admit...
The sight irritated him more than it should have.
He angrily stormed into Chris's music room.
"You!, Meet me in my room!"
He stared at her with disgust as he turned to walk to his room....
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