Twelve years ago...
In front of fifteen year old Rhysand was a man, kneeling and drenched in his own sweat even as the air conditioner blew strongly in the parlor, pleading for his mercy and dear life as Rhysand's hand cocked on the gun, ready to pull the trigger at him.
"Please, please," he chanted. "I can give you everything you ever dream of. Just please, spare my life and don't kill me. Don't kill us."
But Rhysand wasn't having any of it. His eyes were dead cold— devoid of any emotions— and dead set on the mission at hand. His mind was already made up that nothing could deter him in that moment. It was a job that had to be done.
Bang!
Rhysand's hand finally pulled the trigger after so much coaxing by the man. He then turned his direction towards the woman who was holding her scream in with her hands glued over her mouth, kneeling beside the dead man's body.
"No, please. No..."
Bang!
Another shot. A bullet straight to her head.
~~
"You're not dead are you, bud?" Connor said as he stood over Rhysand in his bedroom. He pulled the curtains apart and the morning rays penetrated through the window, falling on Rhysand's face.
His eyes fluttered open.
"Ah! I hate you, Connor." He mumbled but Connor wasn't no stranger to his sarcasm.
"Perhaps, you'd rather have Lia come back tomorrow, I guess."
Rhysand jolted out of bed by the news. "She's here already?" he queried, putting on the first thing he could lay his hands on from the closet.
"How do I look, Connor?"he asked his friend as he twirled. Rhysand caught a glimpse of himself from the large mirror plastered on the wall in his room. "Damn it, she's gonna think of me as some habit slob. I already wore this the other time she came. Infact, I think I need my bath now by the way."
He rummaged through his closet umpteen times before finding the perfect shirt and pant to put on.
Finally, he sauntered his way down to the living room downstairs, with his friend taking the lead.
"Where is she Connor?" Rhysand's brow furrowed, his eyes still searching all over for her even when she was nowhere to be found.
Connor burst into laughter, almost choking on it. "How could she ever be here when next week is just three days time."
Miffed, Rhysand playfully wrapped his arms around Connor's head, holding him in a gentle headlock.
"I'll kill you, Connor."
~~
Lia curled on the bed, her legs tucked under her as she gazed at the photo by her nightstand, lost in thought. It was from the first anniversary of her and Hector when they visited a ranch. That day, following a bucolic picnic, he proceeded to indulge in the exhilarating sport of horse racing. He was a core fan of equestrian sports and quite good at it to say the least. Most times, Lia would spend hours watching him participate, while her work queues, awaiting her attention. His happiness was always hers but never vice versa. He barely even knew what her favorite hobby was even though it was crystal clear.
He hardly ever remembers her birthday and all of the time, Lia would be the one initiating a text —a reminder of what day it was when she would always be the first to knock on his door with his favorite chocolate cake on his birthday morning.
It was always about him and seldom or most times never her.
She would always cook for him, help clean his apartment and even sleep with him even when it was the least she ever wanted in that moment.
It was all because she loved him.
As a matter of fact, she still does and would probably always will. It's been just three days and it already felt like a century to Lia. She had seen his WhatsApp status with the new girl. The fancy penthouse party, cruise and high life. He had moved on. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she picked up the frame from the nightstand, kissing gently on it.
"Believe me, he's not worth it. No man who is worth your love would have you all curled up or shamed like that. You might want to dispose that off," Clara, Derek's mother said as she came forth with a broom stick in her hand, settling by the edge of Lia's bed.
Lia let out a light chuckle before putting back the frame into one of her drawers by the stand. "Good morning, Madam Clara," she said silently with her lips only.
"Morning, beautiful. I suppose your night went well?"
Lia's head bobbed up and down.
A whining voice came in into Lia's room and she smiled at Derek's childishness.
"He wouldn't stop whining, Lia. He wants to go back to the big boss's property with you."
Lia scoffed, drifting deep into contemplation. What had Rhysand done to his brother to want to go back to him? Was it because Derek had grown fondly of her that they have become practically inseparable?
"You know that would be impossible, Derek. It's not like the coast where we used to fish and have fun. I'd be cooking for them too and I might bore you to death." She tried to convince her brother. "I'm sure you'd get more fun with Logan, Hunter and your other friends at the coast than in that villa."
Derek's whining ceased. He hugged his sister and perked her by the cheek. "So, you are not angry at me for what happened are you, Lia?"
"No, Derek. Never."
Lia and his mother watched as the fourteen year old raced out of her room. Clara's face fell back on Lia as she started to pack her hair tightly with a scrunchies. "So, what does he look like though?"She asked.
Lia hands retorted. "What?"
Clara's facial expression and teasing only made Lia roll her eyes. "If you are talking about the big boss, I have no idea who or what he looks like, Madam Clara."
"But how have you not met him when in fact you'll be going to work for him?" Clara asked.
Lia only shrugged to her question. "I don't know and I don't care to know. My job there is what I'm after. It's just unfortunate that I have to go work there now."
With the silence being their third company, Lia's face soon fell, taking a glance at her sheet on the floor. Her gaze, returning to Clara.
She didn't end up thrashing in bed again, did she? her eyes asked. She didn't have those nightmares again, did she?
Clara, understanding the situation offered Lia a comforting touch. "May be going back could help you cure your pain, Lia. I'm sure your family would be glad to have you back home. You can't keep going on like this. You need medical help and I'm afraid I can't afford that for you."
Lia sank into a deep, brief thought before speaking. "No," she retorted. "I don't need any help. The only thing I need right now is to see that bastard's face. And God, help me I lay my hands on that monster who had made me who I am today and had deprived me of my happiness by cutting my parents lives short."