If there was one thing that Evelyn could wish for, it would be to rewind the past and fixed where she had gone wrong.
Too cliche?
Well, she was 'human' too.
She made mistakes and some of them dealt quite a heavy damage that she couldn't possibly mend. Even if there was a way, what had broke, no matter how you fixed it, it didn't erase the fact that it had once been broken. And it would never be the same anymore.
She broke it.....her family.
The family who adopted her out of the orphanage. The big family of six who was happy and filled with warmth. The family that hugged her and squeezed her hands when she failed her test in school. The family that told her, "Adopting you was the best decision we have ever made."
And yet, she destroyed it.
The place she called home, her safe heaven. It all crumbled into pieces, slipping between her fingers.
When her stepfather passed away, half the soul of her family died with him as well. He carried with him, all the love and broken tears of his family, and left them with nothing but a scar. A scar that manifested and eventually took away Evelyn grandparents.
Gone was the family of six. It was just Evelyn, her stepbrother, and her stepmother now.
But, the worst thing of all, was when they told her, "It's okay. It's not your fault. You can't help it, you're too young after all."
She felt like she had just heard the joke of the century right then. Why?
Wasn't it funny if she said she actually had the ability to prevent all of it from happening? To stop her stepfather from committing suicide because of a matter as simple as bankruptcy and huge debts?
Yes, it was fucking simple, it was as easy as breathing air for her!
What stopping her to do it then, if she thought it was so easy?
Well, it came down to one simple reason...
She was afraid of being called a freak, a monster. She was afraid of being different.
A little girl of age eight who was an 'orphan' by the way, out of nowhere, could fucking understand the art of hacking and programming? Learning algebra, calculus, statistics, and all parts of mathematics like drinking water, one look at the page was all it took for her to understand the content.
What's to stop her from learning business and finance as well?
It was like her brain was programmed to be able to accommodate all this information or better yet, it was like all the knowledge was already there, reviewing it was all it took to flip the switch on.
The first time she knew about it was when she visited the bookstore in her hometown with her stepbrother. While her big brother looked for reference book, she waited by his side patiently. But out of curiosity, she picked out a big book with a drawing of a computer below the title.
To this day, she wished she hadn't picked it up because perhaps, she could live in the dream for a little longer then. Surrounding herself with only playing, laughing with her family, eating ice cream and cake, and sleeping without worries. Having her head in the clouds all the time, instead of eating one regret to another regret.
As the cold water from the shower splashed onto her body, streaming down from her head to toe, over and over again, Evelyn gradually felt numb. The memories might have resurfaced, but her heart had long been frozen. No tears, no sadness, no anger. Her heart was beyond calm, like the sea...
....before the storm.
Tonight, one of the names in her long list would be scratched with one straight red line.
Bloody as it was.
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Hebe Restaurant
From afar, Evelyn could already spot both of her best friends, sitting at the table outside while drinking tea. With a smile blooming on her face like a young girl she was, Evelyn ran to their side.
"Biyu, Jia Xin," she called loudly as she waved her hand.
Song Biyu and Jia Xin turned to spot Evelyn in her white T-shirt with a quote written on it and a pair of mom jeans. The front of her white tee was half tucked into the jeans revealing her fashionable black belt. Her white converse with red lining and the iconic star symbol was somehow eye-catching from this distance.
The look was completed with her carrying a tote bag.
"Look at you, rocking your usual style when we have just told you yesterday that you need to dress up more!" Jia Xin jokingly scolded her.
Evelyn sticked her tongue out, making an 'Oopsie' face as if she had just been caught red-handed doing something bad. As Jia Xin called the waiter to bring their order, Evelyn took her seat between Jia Xin and Song Biyu.
"Ahh...stop scolding my lovely baby! She looks just fine like this." Biyu leaned over and looped Evelyn's arms with hers as she rested on her shoulder. "No one would know how beautiful she is. She won't be snatched away from me then."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. She turned to look at Jia Xin. "What's up with her? So clingy."
"Well..." Her voice trailed off as she looked somewhere else.
"Is it that bastard ex-boyfriend of yours?"
Biyu weakly nodded. From above her, Evelyn could see tears began to build up in her eyes. Evelyn let out a long sigh. "Honestly, what did you see in that piece of sh-"
"He's here in Paris, Eve," Jia Xin cut in.
"Eh?"
Jia Xin elegantly sipped her tea. Silence ceased their conversation. It took her a while before Evelyn broke the ice.
"You serious? How? Where?" Evelyn stirred her arm which Biyu had been holding on. "Where did you meet him?"
"Last night. At the club." Her voice was muffled as Biyu buried her face onto Evelyn's shoulder. Evelyn could feel her T-shirt becoming moist by the second. But no voice was heard from Biyu. She was holding back her tears.
Not knowing what to say anymore, Evelyn decided to just stroke her head gently, hoping that it could bring her friend some comfort. In return, Evelyn eyed Jia Xin as she mouthed her question slowly.
'What was he doing there?'
Jia Xin only mouthed one word and it clarified everything.
'Girls.'
Ugh. Evelyn face became ugly as soon as she heard that. 'Fuck boy', she mouthed. Jia Xin nodded in agreement, while grinning, revealing a row of white teeth.
When their order came, with slightly red eyes, Biyu chomped on her food. But, Evelyn and Jia Xin could clearly see that she had no appetite. She was not enjoying her food at all. It was basically her forcing food down her throat. However, Evelyn and Jia Xin chose to remain quiet and let her finish the food. Silence accompanied the rest of their lunch.
After that, they continued to sit down while sipping their tea. Evelyn sighed. This wasn't the trio that she knew. She cupped Biyu's cheeks with her small hands and turned Biyu head to face her. "You know what? This is depressing and it is so not you. This is not us."
Biyu's blinked in confusion. Pinching both of her cheeks, Evelyn chided, "You, Song Biyu, the heiress of Song fashion empire and STAR entertainment agency, why the hell do you have to cry over a stupid fuck boy? You've got billions in your pocket, a beautiful face, and a curvaceous body that would make men bend over their knees. If your ex have left you, don't cry and let him see how ruined you are, but instead show him what he's losing."
"Make him beg on his knees with regret and tears and snots all over his face, then ignore him. Turn around, flip your long dress, and walk away like a fucking queen!"
Jia Xin had her jaws on the floor and Song Biyu stared blankly at Evelyn with her mouth wide open. That was the longest and most caring speech Evelyn had ever said to them.
"Now." Evelyn inhaled sharply. "Tell me why did you drag us to Paris in the first place?"
"Eh...umm..." Song Biyu was suddenly speechless. Her mind seemed to have stopped working from the surprise Evelyn gave her through her epic speech.
"Cat got your tongue?" Evelyn smirked. She leaned closer and stared straight at Song Biyu jet-black eyes. "To get over your ex. Do you know what it implies?"
"Get a guy ten times better than her ex?" Jia Xin chimed in.
Evelyn turned to her. With a dead serious tone, she said, "Get a guy and get laid."
"Pfftt!" Jia Xin was drinking her tea and she spurted it out at Evelyn sentence. She rubbed her chest as she coughed vigorously.
Song Biyu on the other hand laughed 'till her tears came out. "Well, shit. We need a winner dress then," she said.
"Yep. So, get your ass up and let's do some shopping."
After paying the bill, the trio got up and headed towards Champs-Elysées. Starting from Luxor Obelisk to Arc de Triomphe, they walked in and out of every luxurious boutiques. From shoes, handbags, clothes, accessories, the trio splurged over the high-end stores. With her identity, Song Biyu dragged Jia Xin and Evelyn towards Alexander McQueen, Prada, Coco Chanel and many others at Rue Saint-Honoré and asked them to present the girls with the latest model of everything.
Evelyn and Jia Xin, as well as Song Biyu, they had all forgotten how many times they had gone in and out of the fitting room. Changing one dress to another dress. Slipped into one high heels and another 'till their feet felt sore. Still, they kept going. The smile on their faces were glowing more and more.
They laughed every now and then.
However, little did Evelyn knew, soon the shopping trip would turn into a game of hide and seek for her and Rue Saint-Honoré would be the battlefield where she ran and be chased by a 'certain' handsome beast.