"I just did not expect that he would appear earlier. He was not supposed to appear this early at least not until your younger brother is 22 years old and eligible for the inheritance that was left behind," added Linda.
Erica scrutinized Linda with her eyes red looking like she was about to cry but was not able to do so, she turned around and left the room after leaving behind a few words," I was stupid to think that dad had given in to me, to marry whom I wanted and not who they wanted me to, well at least he sacrificed me for my brother's interest, as long as I can be of use to my brother I have no regrets Linda, no regrets."
From how depreciatingly she said those words Linda knew she was deeply hurt but could not vent it on her or anyone else. This was because she had no one else to cry to all this time after her parents perished and she was separated from her brother.
Erica navigated her way down the stairs that led to a small door. The two female guards kept watch at the door, and when they saw Erica make her way there, they hurriedly opened the door for her. They closed it after she had entered.
The place looked like an ancient underground palace very different from the place above which looked just like a modern house. Stone staircases were leading downwards and, on the brick walls, there were fire torches which were used as a light to light up the path down the staircase. It was eerily silent but the deeper she descended into the underground place the louder and clearer the sound of water could be heard.
Erica walked for 30 minutes before she came to an open place. There was a fountain in the middle of the open space. The walls were decorated with fire torches but one handle was made of pure gold.
There were also statues of naked women all around made of white high-quality jade that shone and gave out a magical feeling. She made her way to the fountain, touched the water and within seconds it froze in place. She then broke the ice into two, then the fountain moved and an elevator rose to a height at which Erica could comfortably climb inside.
The interior of the elevator was luxurious. Anyone would know that the person who designed it was someone who was in love with luxury. In the elevator, there was a coach made of pure gold silk and it was also very spacious. The view was not something that Erica was in the mood to enjoy; she didn't even want to sit on the couch. She stayed standing until the elevator chimed to indicate that it had arrived at each stop.
Erica made her way out of the elevator. The view in front of her wasn't anything like anyone could have imagined. There were people on call, people training, people running, and a lot of people walking about. You would have thought it was another world.
Erika walked toward the destination she wanted to be while on the way people constantly greeted her and smiled at her and she couldn't help but notice the excitement in some people's eyes; she could tell she was their role model since some of them were just orphans that she had helped mould into remarkable people and she knew they looked up to her as their father and role model.
Knowing that she had all these people looking up to her and having her as their biggest support lessened some of her bitterness. Knowing there were people who looked up to her and who she had to be responsible for, people she had to cater for, made her feel important. It also made her feel the love she thought she would never have in her life after her parents' deaths.
She knew her father did what he did to protect her and her brother. He was not at fault but what he did wrong was not telling her what he had planned for her. That was his biggest mistake. She thought she was her father's daughter. He was supposed to believe in her, he was supposed to trust her, and he was supposed to tell her what was in store for her. This was so that she could have known earlier and not been surprised.
No matter how many times she convinced herself that her father did what he did for them, she still felt betrayed. This is especially after learning that even Linda her nanny, knew about it and had not even mentioned it. This was so that she could be prepared or know what was going to happen.
Initially, she thought she was in control, that she was writing her destiny. She also believed that she was in control of her fate and her future. Unfortunately, it was wishful thinking, and everything had been set up by her father from the beginning.
Erica made her way to her monitor room. She had already forwarded the message she got from the said fiancé to her team of hackers. She needed to find out where it had come from, as well as who owned the number. She was not curious, she just wanted to know.
As she was unable to back out of the deal given that it was a transaction she could not stop, she had no other option other than to accept it as a sister for her brother and in revenge for her parents' deaths. She was never meant to love. She had a lot of responsibilities beyond love. She also had a lot of things to do and love was not in her goals. She had no plans to stay single forever, but she had no plans to get married to a man either.
Men were the creatures she hated the most when it came to romantic connections because the man was what led to the demise of her family. But she trusted her father's decision. She had no choice she was never meant to have a love life.
Erica made her way into the surveillance room. One of the women stood up and handed her a document without any greetings or unnecessary words. They knew that when Dracone made an appearance in this secret place it meant business.
Erica took a deep breath as she opened the document.
Dracon's face, which she had never displayed any other emotion other than when she had seen her brother lying in the hospital bed, changed dramatically. Her breath became heavy and her eyes widened. She exclaimed, "It's him!".