The Prince's Indentured Bride

These days I just feel like watching the colorful sky, feel the cold wind kissing my fingers and let the time pass, lazily. El perfecto vida. When I first convinced myself, which was even the truth to much extent, I thought I was right. I can easily survive this–like a piece of chocolate tasty cake! Running a small-scale PR was so easy but I used to think that was the highest level of my hard work – to establish Fifeteen at such a young age – but why the hell didn’t someone tell me that making it public will be a headache I can never free myself from? Maybe I should have just done regular classes and do a salaried job. That must be less tension filled and a life with a scheduled timetable. Many people even to this date talk behind my back saying I don’t even hold an MBA in a business degree then how can I even run a company. Daddy dearest really saves my day! ‘Business is the art of making an idea dance to your tunes.’ That’s what Daddy dearest told me the first time I asked him about what is our family’s occupation. That sentence made me follow with a question so innocently, ‘Everybody has ideas, then can everyone become businessmen?’ ‘No. Only people who can stay in the water for more than 1 minute can do it.’ He had told me back then, when I was just ten and I worshiped it like a mantra, being the fan of my father, I am. ‘I will make sure to report you if Jules is doing it for one minute or not whenever we go for swimming classes.’ I had replied him for the fool I was to think I would have to do nothing with business at all because I dreamt my dreams of a tennis star, and worked hard on it. Of course, until Grandpa crushed it all like a true misogynist he was. Vincent Vance Ashtrick; a man of orthodox honor and labeled familial relationship. Then it felt like the galaxy was hijacked and all the heavy stars were falling on my face and I had no place to hide myself from saving the burns of that thunder. It indeed was a dark phase. My phone rang, bringing me out of my continuous staring of the Courage, Anxiety and Despair: Watching the Battle painting from my chair. I really was not into art and paint but unfortunately that was a gift of camerations for shifting to a new office from Gabriel, three years ago – the only time we probably saw each other in these five years. I better stand up before my legs start becoming numb ant party again. Oh, yes! My phone. It was Husna, my best friend, now a bit less crazy and more reserved than the girl she was in the past but surprisingly still a human, woman. “Hello Huss.” I said, my tone matching the dark thoughts from previously. I heard a deep sigh through the phone. “I thought you wouldn’t know but looks like you already know about it.” And yes, she was still in urgent need of classes to learn how messages are to be conveyed properly. “About my funeral planning’s?” I said through my frustration watching the pile of endless emails on my screen to be replied to. “What? Are you dying – no, wait? So, you didn’t know.” I couldn’t even understand why were we having this conversation. Not the first baby cry though. “I have a meeting in 10 minutes and a ton of mail to –.” I pulled my phone away from my ear and switched on the speaker when Husna suddenly shouted, “Mendel is coming back!” What? Gabriel is coming back to Nainital? Now? After these many years of settling in God-Knows-Where-Land? But that shouldn’t bother me or affect me at all. Not an iota of my business. “Why are you telling me this?” I heard the slap; she must’ve hit her forehead in frustration. “Because you were his first love and first love is always first love only!” Was I Gabriel’s first love? That thought sent an unnecessarily exciting shiver down my spine. Really? Then the reasonable part in me reminded of the speech of rejection he gave on national television. My second heartbreak! I can never forgive him for that thing but there went my father again – Hate always makes you a jerk or a sympathy seeker and I don’t want my daughter to live either of those lives – he had said and managed to put some sense into my floating head of black clouds. Daddy dearest is the only true man and love, always, on my side unless Julian–Jules for short–my twin brother, has started attending frat parties at this age. “Vhrea! Are you there? I know this will make things awkward with his return because you both didn’t part on the very best terms, so I thought it would be better you knew. You didn’t know about it, did you?” The only thing I could take from her ranting was the fascination of how fast did she manage to speak! “I am too busy to keep a follow-on other people Huss.” I gave a lame excuse to cover the fact that I did not keep any more information about them because I have moved on. I don’t wish to cut my future in order to glue my past and present lives together. Because, people with courage and passion looks for not in building a bridge across the sea but a lifeline for living inside the rock beds. “I know but still. And it’s all over the news. He is a national treasure after all.” Husna said, now calming down a little. Whatever. What? From when did Gabriel become a national treasure? The last time I checked people still didn’t know, not even in the boxing families that he was their Brown Sugar and Bullet; both, the boxing legend with a mask whom a lot of juniors and trainees’ worship as their idol. “Who are you talking about?” I asked quickly. “Vhrea, I understand you do not like to talk about the Mendel brothers but still you can’t be that ignorant because Mendel Sports Academy is still signed under Fifeteen, unless you have terminated it without my knowledge.” She took a breather. “Kriag. Kriag Mendel is back on soil!” Kriag Mendel. Oh, yes. Another Mendel, I thought, watching my name on the glass name holder placed on my desk – CEO, Vhrea Destiny Ashtrick – it read. Such a light thing it was, the name plate, simply placed on a table as a decoration to one’s designation yet it carries such a heavy responsibility of tarnation and future holding. “ - I know he will come to meet you so if you don’t want to meet him then just reject him politely. Okay?” Definitely not okay.