Valeria still couldn't believe how her life had taken such a complex turn. It wasn't long since she had joined the orphanage with her comrades, and now she was making one after another shocking discovery.
It was just another ordinary day at the public school that she and her two friends attended together. Like usual they were chilling near the abandoned store room during lunch period when some delinquents from the same class as them arrived and began hurling insults.
The three ignored them for the most part, answering back with a few quick, witty remarks occasionally, but when the other party lowered down to using violence, they still broke no sweat. Farid, who was much taller than tallest member of the gangly gang, easily got them to taste dust, making them run away.
But one boy turned back and said something unforgivable.
"Next time, we'll send you to meet your dead mom and dad in their graves. That'll teach you a lesson for messing with us."
This made Valeria lose her cool. He had stepped on a nerve he shouldn't have pressed, and he paid for it.
Her ruthless kicks and powerful punches made the already wounded boy lose his consciousness. Without her friends restraining her with great difficulty, Valeria might have even killed the boy that day.
Few moments later Valeria had felt a nauseating sensation shake her. Before she knew it, shivers wracked her system, and her nose started bleeding.
Valeria's entire body began shaking uncontrollably, and her limbs thrashed around on the ground when she fell.
There was an alarming rise in her body temperature and it shocked her friends to find the blue of her eyes draining and turning silver.
Farid picked the red-head up in his arms and dashed towards the infirmary with Astrid hot on his trail.
The next day, when Valeria awoke, she found herself inside a hospital room with her arms and legs in a tight restrain and an IV needle poking her hand.
The complete day the only ones she saw were doctors and nurses who came to check upon her and feed her some disgusting tasting medicines which she swallowed without complaints.
When they asked some questions, she lied about her medical history quiet smoothly, well versed with the action. When asked about what happened to her, she honestly described what she had felt, however what it was and why it happened, she did not know. She shared just as much.
The next day, the head of her orphanage- Clarisse visited her and inquired about her health. Valeria answered all her concerns with patience, though when she asked about her friends Clarisse just ignored, as if she never heard her.
Instead, she had said-
"I have some good news for you!" Valeria wondered why the woman sounded so enthusiastic. "I found your parents! Well- technically your father found you. But now you can reunite with your father and grandmother. You never told me you got kidnapped as an infant. Did you not know? "
"Of course," Clarisse chided herself the next second, "You must not have, you poor child."
Clarisse had various theories that her mind had worked upon, but she refrained from sharing them with the puzzled patient.
"Yesterday evening when I returned to the orphanage from the hospital, I received a call stating someone was coming to meet me. And then your father came and explained everything to me." Clarisse looked at the girl.
Valeria didn't say a word, still sporting a dazed look on her face. Something very new for Clarisse, who had known the girl for about a year.
"Anyway," Clarisse continued, "Tomorrow when you get discharged, some people will come to get you and take you home. Don't worry about Farid and Astrid, I'll handle them. You just care about yourself and your family." Saying that, Clarisse left the teen alone with her stumped thoughts.
When Valeria got discharged the next morning, she met a man claiming to be her father's aide, who helped her with the discharge process.
Soon Valeria found herself inside an expensive-looking, dark car, riding towards a future full of unknown possibilities.
The car came to a stop outside a tall pair of intimidating iron gates. It opened smoothly, allowing the car to ride inside.
The estate was massive. Beautifully decorated greenery rolled by as the car followed the dirt path that led to a vast mansion in the middle.
Before Valeria could move, a well-dressed butler opened for her the door and she got off with a small mumble of thanks. He had a kind smile on his face, and there was water in his eyes, it seemed.
There were five people waiting at the door. She noted a butler, two maids, and in front of them at the center was a tall middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in a grey suit, and beside him stood an older lady. Not a single strand of silver hair escaped her tight bun, a stylish pant suit inspired from the olden times with modern touches worn by her.
Seeing them, Valeria felt an inexplicable warm feeling bubble up inside her, which made her uncomfortable, and so she suppressed it.
Moisture glossed their eyes as they looked at the young girl who stepped out of the car. It was like they were looking at the face of the dear person who had left them too early. It was so similar and yet so different as well.
The observant mother and son pair noted the differences with a heavy heart. There was a rigid, icy mask of indifference on the young girl's face, whereas her mother always had a smile lit on hers. There was wariness in the blue eyes that were so similar to his. The man felt another wave of convoluted emotions hitting him.
They couldn't even run to the girl, take her into their arms and squeeze her into a loving hug, lest they scared her. It was already a big enough shock to find and be brought back to the family she had never known existed.
Valeria said nothing and just stood silently before the two looking over at her.
"Come inside, Valeria." Her grandmother, she deduced, spoke up.
She followed them through the long entrance hallway and into a capacious living room. The décor was much like the outside, an intricate mix of ancient and modern architecture. From the sparkling Forbo Marmoleum floors to the posh chandeliers every inch screamed elegance and sophistication. It all fit very well together with the traditional style.
Except for slight admiration in the girl's eyes for the unfamiliar place she had stepped into, nothing else changed in her cool countenance.
At the gestures from the elders she took a seat on a plushy single armchair, while they sat opposite her on a sleek, designer couch.
There was silence for a few moments before the elderly woman broke it.
"Dear, would you like something to drink or eat? You must have had no breakfast at the hospital." She asked kindly.
Valeria looked her in the eye and shook her head in rejection. The lady's face fell a little before she perked up again and inquired about her health and if her stay at the hospital was comfortable or not. Valeria continued to be mute and only answered with a polite nod.
"Valeria." The old lady's voice grew grave as she took a deep breath.
"Let me introduce ourselves. This is my son Julian, your father, and I am Helen, your grandmother. However unbelievable it might seem to you, it is the truth, child. "
Julian took over when his mother finished speaking.
"Yes. You are my beloved wife, Eloise, and my love's creation, Valeria. And I am so sorry that my incompetence let our enemies take you away from us. To keep you separated from your family, for so many years. But, you're finally here, and this time no-one will hurt you, we won't let anything happen to you."
Julian truly sounded regretful. Water filled his eyes, the tears left unshed, however.
"Darling, why don't you say something?" He encouraged Valeria to break her silence.
She carefully went over the words she just heard. The truth was hard to accept. She has always thought that her family was dead, or that they abandoned her.
Never did it cross her mind that maybe she was separated forcibly and then brought to that hell to suffer.
"I see. "Two words, that's all she could mutter. She didn't know what else to say. Normally she would seldom run out of words to say, but right now it was like her mind could not form the right ones and her tongue couldn't roll to let them out.
Julian had expected her unnerved state, yet her aloofness worried him. But, of course, he would not force her to hasten breaking out of her shell, nor would he just let her be. This daughter of his required patience and understanding. Unluckily, neither of the two were part of his strong suits. But, he was prepared to go to any lengths for his daughter.
Just then, a third person flew down the grand flight of stairs in a hurry.
"Oh, my!" a female voice called out. A woman dressed too extravagantly for being at home neared the sitting people with a smile too bright and just as fake.
Before Valeria could move, she got attacked with a tight hug by the woman. It was extremely uncomfortable; the woman's clothes pricked her and her potent dose of perfume suffocated her poor nose. Luckily, it was short-lasting.
"My dear niece! I am so pleased to meet you finally, Valeria."
Valeria felt blinded when the woman smiled widely, showing her sparkling teeth. But the contradictory, hostile gaze didn't miss the observant girl's sharp eyes. Nor did her grandmother's obvious irritation.
Julian cleared his throat and introduced the fresh addition to Valeria.
"Valeria, this is your mother's sister, Dahlia- your aunt."
"You're so beautiful, darling, just like sister was." Her compliments sounded especially phony, and the tone artificial and mocking.
Valeria wondered. Was it just her, or can the others hear it as well?
"Your clothes are so shabby, though, dear! And you're so thin. Were you not properly taken care of at the orphanage?"
Valeria almost snorted at the woman's poor attempt at subtly insulting her. Those shoddy insults were too laughable. But not a crack appeared on her stony face. She just continued staring like an audience at an incompetent clown's show.
"Dahlia! Watch what you're saying!?" Julian asked, aghast. Dahlia's behavior and her strange questions completely bewildered him, but his simple nature didn't understand the true reason behind the act.
Dahlia immediately acted innocent. "Huh? I am sorry, Julian, but I was just asking out of concern. It hurts my heart to see this condition of my dear niece. She is the flesh and blood of the great Beaufort family. Is this how she should live?" She talked as if gravely wronged.
Julian became silent. His chest squeezed with pain as well whenever he thought of how his daughter lived in poverty and insufficiency. As an orphan, how many times must have she wondered about her parents?
"Pipe down! Is it befitting of you as an elder to speak like this to a young girl? Wearing shiny stones and silky clothes does not uplift one's status, and nobility requires no announcement." Helen admonished the rotten woman with her biting tongue. Valeria looked at this grandmother of hers in a new light.
Dahlia took a seat far from the older woman and didn't utter another word.
Julian let out a sigh.
He looked deeply into Valeria's eyes.
"Look, Valeria. You are my daughter. You are a part of this family. I know this will need getting used to, but we have time. So, you can ask me anything. I am sure you must have a lot of questions. "His deep voice spoke softly. Such gentleness was something Valeria was not quite used to, but she didn't find it unappealing.
"How did you find me? How can you be sure I am the lost daughter you're searching for?" She voiced the question that quite concerned her.
"We reached out to all our sources of information and many more. I hired the best private investigators and had them try to match my DNA with that of all the girls in the city fifteen-sixteen years of age. All medical reports of the citizens of Coral City are stored in the official medical health department that presides over all hospitals and clinics and looks after the smooth functioning of everything in the medicinal science industry. And as the former mayor of this city, I have my connections."
He smiled gently, happiness sparkling in his cerulean orbs. "I am so happy we finally found you. We searched almost everywhere for the past year and failed repeatedly, but never lost hope."
Valeria rose an eyebrow. "Past year? What about the fifteen years before then?"
At that question, both the elderly stiffened. Dahlia broke her silence after hearing this.
" Searched are those who go missing. When no one even knew about your absence, who would they search for. My sister gave birth to a daughter, and a girl grew up here and lived in your place." She earnestly explained, evilly grinning in her subconscious.
Helen shot her a fierce glare, which sent a shiver down her spine, yet she managed to successfully ignore it.
Julian was more focused on reversing the damage done, and hurriedly proceeded to explain Roxana's existence to Valeria before she misunderstood.