[Linda's pov]
I dropped to the floor and curled myself into a ball. Wiping away my tears aggressively I turned open the to the first page of my dead father's diary with a made up mind.
16th Jan 2006,
"Love... like many others, I fell in love far too deeply; I don't believe in love at first sight, but I do believe in true love. Perhaps my storyline isn't as long, even though in a short period of time I had unimaginable and unexplainable experiences. I met her in high school; we didn't get along at first, but things gradually improved. When things were getting serious between us, she vanished without a trace... I searched for her all over the country like a madman but was ultimately disappointed.
I wished I could have her back in my life... And this time, after 9 years, it really happened, and I was happily broken... I ran into her again, but this time in a tragic way. I always express my feelings for her, but I didn't expect her to turn down my whole life this time... She backstabbed me..."
I do feel sympathetic on hearing my friends heart breaking stories of their non-existent love but this guy.....my so called father whom I never thought about before, had been broken so badly twice from within. And now reading a part of his personal life, his pain, I felt the raw betrayal from the words of his very own writing. After battling with myself for a few more seconds I shut the book close as I couldn't get myself to read it any further. The pent up emotions reached its peak and burst into ugly sobs of rage that raked my body the more I tried to control it. So I let it out.
I jerked back when I heard sudden pounding on my bedroom door.
"Linda, I need you to open the door. Quick!"
I quickly wiped my tears away and the urgency in the voice demanded me to dash towards the door and open it.
"Neoul?"
{simultaneously}
[Third person pov]
"What is her name again?" Asked the woman dressed in a long classic red dress.
If death itself had a nightmare her voice would be it's background score. There was a barely noticeable 'undertone' in every sentence she spoke that very much sounded like the 'hiss' sound evaporated when fresh and delicate rose petals are slowly being burnt in the essence of venom.
"Linda, boss." replied one of the fifteen Hitmen in the dimly lit room.
"You told me everyone died....." Her calm and cold voice sent chills down everyone's spine.
All their eyes were fixated on her long, pale, slender pointer finger tracing the rim of her wine glass. Their shallow breathing sounds were masked by the swirling noise of the red liquid in her glass as she twirled it in fixed circular motions.
...but HOW DID SHE SURVIVE?" She screamed suddenly and shot the hitman. The other men pretended their best to ignore the limp body of the poor guy on the floor as blood started to pool around his body.
The woman slowly looked down at the now broken wine glass at her heel. She elegantly bent down and picked up a sharp piece of glass and pressed the tip of her ring finger against its edge.
A bead of red blood squeezed its way out of her broken skin but before it could trickle down she enclosed her red stained lips around the tip of her finger, sucking it.
She slowly walked towards the dead hitman laying in the ground and turned his faced to the other side with the sole of her heel.
She cocked her head and clicked her tongue. Disappointment shadowing her shady personality.
"I need her. Now." She said turning to the other side, facing the grey stone wall. Her voice eerily calm again.
"Yes boss." The remaining fourteen hitmen rushed out he room without a glance back.
But neither the woman in shadows nor her hitmen noticed the person outside their secret hall eavesdropping on their conversation.
[Linda pov]
I pushed open the door and inquired a frenzied looking Neoul, "What's going on, Neoul?"
He opened his mouth to say something but was rudely interrupted by loud banging noises from downstairs.
"I don't have time to explain," he rushed as he held my hand and dragged me to the back doors.
[Third person pov]
The hitmen sent by the lady in red, were gathered around Linda's house. One guy tried opening the door but of course it was locked from the inside. He pulled his gun out and shot on the lock of the door and pried it open.
The whole lot entered the house to only find it empty.
Meanwhile in a car .....
"How did you know there were after Linda Neoul?" Allen inquiring his son, worry creasing his flushed face.
"I tipped him ," the man behind the wheels called out.
Allen, his wife and Linda all were curious about their mysterious saviour. As soon as the car finally exited the long tunnel, their car was basked in the yellow street lights.
"Ivan!!"
Looking into the rearview mirror, Allen couldn't help but exclaim as recognition hit him in the face like a slap.
Ivan glances back at Neoul and caught him staring at him with a poker face.
******Flashback******
In a phone call...,
"Neoul. Ivan here. Get Linda and the others to the location I've sent you immediately."
"Got it." With that Neoul hangs up and barges into his parents room.
"Ma... Pa... I don't have time to explain what's happening, but we must flee as soon as possible."
"Okay... then let's get moving," Allen said hesitantly sensing the urgency in his son's voice.
"Where is Linda?" inquired Sana.
Neoul ran up the flight of stairs to Linda's room and began knocking on the door. "Linda, open the door..." he yelled.
She opened the door quickly. "What happened, and why are you screaming?"
"I don't have time to explain anything right now, so hurry up and come with me..." He said as he grabbed her hand and led her to their front door but stopped abruptly when he heard the sound of several cars outside their house.
Allen was quick to act as he pulled his son and his niece back and rushed them into their storeroom with his wife on his heels.
"Why are we...?" Linda was stunned as she saw her uncle open the storeroom switch board like a door and revealed a digital lock pad. She watched in absolute shock as her uncle pushed a few buttons and the plain flat wall slid open like an automatic door. Linda couldn't believe that there was door she never knew in the house she spent her entire life in. The secret door led them straight to their backyard. Then everyone dashed out of the house and to the nearby location specified by Ivan.
"There's this car, come along," Neoul said.
Everyone jumped in the car and drove away...
Presently...,
[Linda pov]
Sitting in the car I was trying to process what was actually happening in my life. I was okay until I found the photograph of my dead father. I was okay until I discovered his very personal diary. I remember being so happy at my crush's birthday just a few hours ago and it is plainly overwhelming to think about how things took a drastic turn from there.
The car was smoothly parked in front of an abandoned building and the mysterious driver took us inside it. He could be a psychopath or a cold blooded serial killer for all I know but my uncle and aunt and even Neoul knew him. so I did not open my mouth and followed them inside I stead of running away into the other direction.
The dri- Ivan took us into what looked like an old office and I was overjoyed when he told that it used be a detective's office. Although I had no idea why I was brought here, I was still merely thrilled to take a tour around he office.
It's similar to the offices seen in movies and dramas I've seen online. As I was exploring the office I notice a photograph of my father and Briana on one of the moulty table.
The merry and joy quickly dissipitated and was replaced by rage .. "Whose office are we in?" I questioned Ivan.
"It's Briana's Office," Ivan replied.
(AJ: Wow! I didn't expect that)
"Actually, instead of staying here, I'll get caught in those bloody people's hands," I yelled angrily as I tried to flee but I was caught by my uncle even before I could make it to the door.
"Do you think Briana, your mother caused all this commotion?" He question me in a rather harsh tone but it wasn't his tone that bothered me. it was the piece of information he broke.
"What do you mean by that Uncle?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I know you would have read your father's diary, but did you finish it?" My aunt asked perplexed.
I was at a loss for words and simply stood there.
"So I'm assuming you didn't finish it, right?" This time it was my uncle.
"What is the point of reading that...? I know how much of a devil Briana was," I shouted stomping my foot like a five year old and began to walk away.
"Every coin has two faces... " I stopped in my tracks. it was Ivan.
I stood in silence for a few moments.
(AJ: Are you prepared for this? Let's get started.)
Year: 2004...,
[Allen pov]
We were all gathered near the vast aerodome, awaiting our boss's son's arrival. He would be here any moment.
After about a year's break, Jeff, son of Mr. Warner , our boss was the most down to the earth person I've ever met. Besides being my boss's son he was also my childhood best friend. Being one of the wealthiest person in the continent , owning billions of dollars he also belonged to the highly sociably influencial sector of the population. But it was his simplicity and generosity that keeps earning him good and loyal friendships throughout his career. Jeff loved and respected his father but he keeps resisting to become his father's business heir and take over the Warner's empire after Mr. Warner.
Whenever Mr. Warner sends me to persuade Jeff to give into his father's wishes, he keeps insisting on creating his own identity and not to be his father's reminiscence. Jeff had a passion for traveling and exploring and creating something out of that and he was set on mission to find want he really wanted. It's been a year now and only just a week ago he contacted me that he was finally back from his trip.
But since he left there has been a lot things going around in his which he was not aware of. All of us here were trying to contact him, track him down, but he was out of reach until he sent us an unofficial mail letting the search party know that he was away on his personal break.
And now after a much dramatic disappearance, Jeff is back and I am weighted down with the great responsibility of making him catch up with the crazy turn of events in the Warner's family.
I checked my phone again for the seventieth time but there was still no messages, except for the ones he sent me yesterday.
I adjusted my position on the leather chair in the waiting area of the airport and pulled out my laptop to check on Jeff's schedule for today. Mr. Warner appointed me as Jeff's personal secretary as soon as he was informed about his son's arrival.
(AJ: oh! Allen I get it now)
Just as I finished mailing the board of directors about the approval of an international project analysis that will soon be signed in the following month one of the bodyguards came running towards me.
"Mr. X, the ATC panel just briefed us about Mr. Warner's plane landing time. Looks like he'll be here in a couple of minutes."
"Notify the Limo driver and the guest house manager. I don't want any lagging." With that said I slid my phone in my blazer pocket and handed over my briefcase to the bodyguard.
I reached near the clearing along with the ten bodyguards I brought along with me. Jeff's safety is temporarily my only priority and there was no negotiating when it comes to the safety of the Warner Empire's only heir.
I watched the sky as the shiny navy blue plane push its way through the little patches of white fluffs scattered in the clear blue sky and smoothly run on the landing strip. I held a hand towards the bodyguards signaling them to wait until I give them the go sign and briskly walked towards the plane that has halted.
grand lobby of the hotel, awaiting our boss's arrival while some were already heading towards the conference hall. ere Plane enters a clear blue sky between the white foggy clouds and tries to land on the ground. hen the plane's wheels made contact with the ground, the speed gradually decreased until it came to a halt.
I stopped a few feet away from the bottom of the stairs and waited until the doors of the plane being opened by an airhoster.
And then, like a grand reveal in the 80's theaters, out stepped Jeff.
And it was safe to say he looked exactly how I'd imagined he would be.
His midnight black hair was gelled back and gave him the typical billionaire look but the lock of hair ton his forehead also added the player look. He was dressed in formal black tuxedo with a dark blue tie matching his stormy blue eyes. I was surprised to see Jeff wearing the charcoal black Dolce & Gabbana shoes I bought him for his birthday last year. Adjusting his Rolex, he descended the very last step of the staircase he beamed at me his eyes flashing in recognition.
"My man. Allen."
"I fucking hate you Jeff."
THE END
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER LOVLIES !!!