"Here is your plane ticket, Ma'am Scarlett," a young woman in her twenties said as she handed me my booking and passport. As I fiddled with my sunglasses, I arched an eyebrow and took it. Afterward, I made my way to my own plane.
"How come you didn't ask us? You have no right to treat Ma'am Scarlett that way!"
"I believed..."
"It's a no-rules game, you know."
"It is my first time..."
"Did you notice that Madam Scarlett wasn't holding her bag? If so, you should know by now."
"Certainly I-I..."
"I see. Then why would you hand up her passport and plane ticket? As an employee here, you should have provided it to us!"
"I-I apologize; I-I had no intention of—"
"No, starting immediately, you're fired."
"Excuse me, ma'am. Not that, p-please. Please..."
I heaved a sigh.
I took a moment to drop my sunglasses when I overheard Anne arguing with an employee.
"Stop, let her go, Anne; that's enough. Just like she mentioned, she's new here."
"But she disrespected you," Anne said, which made me laugh.
"However, won't you reconsider next time?" The small woman's face flushed and her forehead furrowed as I clutched her chin; it was as if she were pleading with me to spare her life.
"Do you see?" While Anne shook her head and clutched her forehead, I playfully remarked, "She acted upon my orders," and chuckled.
"Okay, since you came into contact with an unclean individual, it is imperative that we wash your hands now... "
"No need, Anna. I'll be touching a lot of dirty things and puppets later on, won't I?" After wiping it off with my bare hands, I sat back on the plane and savored a drink of the exquisite, pricey wine that Anne had bought.
"Now that we're discussing the event, are you seriously ready?"
"Surely Anne would. It has been what? It has been five long years since that occurred, nevertheless. Won't you agree that my beloved fiancé would give up now?"
"Sir Raven spent a considerable amount of time researching your family tree, ma'am Scarlett..."
"I should have thanked him, I suppose, because I would never have known I was so famous if he hadn't done it..."
"My dear Madam Scarlett, you were destined to be..."
I heaved a sigh.
I stopped using those terms because I knew Anne considered me the most important person in her position; every time I told her to just call me by my name, she would respectfully refuse.
I drew my eyes closer to the see-through wine and accepted the invitation that had come from Raven.
He signed off on the letter with his respect.
"The moment has come, my beloved fiancé..."
At the moment.
February 20, 2023, at the Grand Shirabuki Hotel
Now that it's warmer, I can relax with my legs crossed and my back arched. As I tinkered with the invitation, I retrieved my champagne flute.
I swirled it around, sniffed it, and then took a short drink.
While adjusting the towel I had used for my shower earlier, Anne observed, "It appears that Madam Scarlett is happy today."
My eyebrows sprang up, I slid my sunglasses to the side, and I grinned at her.
"Seeing his face would make my heart race... "
"Are you referring to Sir Raven?" Anne asked in jest, but I was solely interested in following the conversation's trajectory.
Furthermore, the fact that Lucas was my ex-boyfriend remained a secret. Raven ensured that our secret remained hidden from everyone.
"I suppose he's running a little behind schedule to make it to my suite, isn't he, Anne?" Anne did little more than sigh in response to my high-pitched question.
"It looks like Sir Raven is back at his office, catching up on work before he can finally come here," Anne said, clearly knowing Raven's character.
I only got to know him once, after that night, when Lucas took everything from me.
During the nearly five years that we've known one another, I've witnessed Raven's workaholism, loyalty, and dedication firsthand. He will also stop at nothing to establish his position.
On the other hand, there was an immutable truth that remained in his heart.
Even if I were to ask him how he felt about her, his feelings would remain unchanged.
The impression he gives is that he can take pain, but he can't take being alone.
He has profound feelings for her.
Until my doorbell rang, I had no idea that my eyes were fixated on the alcohol in the glass before me.
I uttered the word "Anne," and she bowed subtly in response.
"Sir Raven, good evening," Anne eventually said, and I could tell that Raven was already on his way to visit me. He was attempting to loosen up his right hand on his tie while he continued to unbutton his long sleeve.
According to him, Scarlett would never fail to shock him. He gestured towards his forehead to make his point. His shoulders trembled, he perspired heavily, and his hair became unruly.
He obviously went to great lengths to meet me.
Seeing me.
My frozen heart began to beat unexpectedly. It was a no-go for me. Feeling this way wasn't appropriate; I understood that. Not when I'm merely a pawn in his game.
"Please, Scarlett, send me a message as soon as you arrive!" What I appreciate most about this young man is that I could hear his voice getting increasingly agitated.
When we first met five years ago in that lift, he possessed an unrivalled air of icy dominance and unwavering self-assurance. He's serene and solitary, like the moon.
That's how I perceived him.
But things have changed now.
I saw a new side of him when he invited me into his inner group and let down his guard.
The way he always treated me continues to amuse me to this day. The moment I sensed a wave of familiarity, his alluring lime tree aroma enchanted me.
"What? Was everything I did incorrect?"
Leaning in closer, our faces barely an inch apart, I could see him narrow his eyes. His gasp was visible as I followed the line of sight from his eyes to his lips.
But he stepped back and shook his head until he released the newspaper he was holding for me to view.
"I wouldn't have to scold you for this, Scarlett, if Reynold hadn't been able to give me this and inform me of your arrival news even at the airport 30 minutes before 5 this evening."
I heaved a sigh.
Another one of these.
The way I carry myself, speak, act, and, in the end, grab the attention of the media would surely provide him with an unending litany.
"The paparazzi were out in full force once again after I assisted a toddler who had fallen..."
"Is that authentic, Anne?" Raven cast a wary glance at my assistant. Veins on either side of his forehead were visible to me.
I let out another sigh.
"Raven, could you excuse Anne from answering those questions? Also, as your fiancé, don't you think I'm really honest with you?"
I watched as he clenched his jaw for a second before he drew a big breath, set the newspaper down on the couch, and exhaled as he locked eyes with me.
"Scarlett, there are times when you're impossible."
Giggles ensued. My hands went around his neck as I measured the space between us. Suddenly, I could feel his shoulder tensing up, and then he pushed me away while placing his hands on my shoulders. I scowled.
"Scarlett, just let me know in advance," he urged, and I agreed.
"Isn't it going to be your goal to get ready for tonight? Imagine the possibility of reuniting with your cherished childhood companion..."
"Hey, Scarlett, hear me out: the reason why the past happened is because—"
"You are aware that b*tch has a mental disorder, aren't you?"
"Scarlett, I'm warning you; you should never call her that," he said, gesturing towards me for the first time. The unfading veins on either side of his forehead and his white, full teeth told me I should pay attention to him no matter what.
Once again, I sensed an unpleasant sensation in my heart. It was as if I had heard a mental glass break; something had snapped out of my head.
I pretend to be smiling as I jab his chest softly.
"Is your soon-to-be bride a good name for her?" I made fun of him, but all he did was shrug and take a few more steps away.
"Will you kindly pay attention to what I say?"
"Tell me, what's the point?"
Seated with my legs crossed, I returned to my earlier seat. I raised an eyebrow at him as I plundered my champagne flute. I could feel Anne's chill as I delicately swirled my glass, and she was visibly terrified.
"Anne, I'm going to dismiss you for the day. Leave us alone..."
One thing I appreciate about Anne is that she just says "Y-Yes, Madam Scarlett" whenever I ask her to do anything. Raven narrowed his eyes as I glanced at him, but all I could do was smirk and sneer.
"Oh, come on. Are you just telling me what to do, Raven?" In my attempt to get him to sit down, I whispered my question, but all he did was push himself to one side.
He shook his head and tried to encapsulate the moment, saying, "You're just impossible to read at all, Scarlett." I couldn't help but laugh at him.
"I suppose I'm simply trying to help you out here—maybe out of sympathy for you, and certainly not because I wanted to get even with Lucas. Plus, you're the one who uncovered my biological family, so all I can say is thank you."
"That is always an option..." Raven crossed his knees and shook his head once again.
"Oh, and before we end their relationship, what are your plans?"
"The question is irrelevant, isn't it?" He tossed me a little package. All I did when I opened it was broaden my eyes.
"Just make sure to wear that tonight..." he replies while standing. At last, he threw his necktie on the floor and stepped into the shower.
"Thankfully, Sir Maximillian is perfectly capable of bestowing all his possessions upon his granddaughter."
"Are you interested in becoming Zyron?"
"I implore you, Scarlett—he is in no way related to you biologically..."
"However, I am fortunate to have an older brother."
"The reason is that he was taken from an orphanage and adopted by Sir Maximillian. Keep your expectations low. Nothing is ever truly transparent until it's blood, Scarlett."
I then became aware of the sound of the shower's water falling.
Compared to this same night five years ago, this one is just gorgeous, as I saw through my glass.
It seemed as if I had come to life at last.
***
"And now we have the evening's featured star of the event: the illustrious Scarlett Velmont, granddaughter of the great renowned tycoon Sir Maximillian, and her fiancée, Sir Raven Delacroix, CEO of the Weikhan Conglomerate and also the grandson of the famous Sir Frederick!"
I held tightly to Raven's arm. We immediately made our way to the floor, where the scene unfolded before our eyes like a bolt of lightning: cameras snapping away, individuals I barely knew cheering enthusiastically, their expressions betraying their joy at what they must have seen.
It's because the Velmont family proved the DNA I have to them that I am their long-lost granddaughter, despite my claims to the contrary: that I was an orphan, that I was abducted in infancy, and that I have no idea who my biological parents were.
Considering how much better off I am now—almost as if I were a deity in their eyes—I fear they would simply disregard me.
It's absolutely repulsive.
However, I was able to locate my two targets after a few small conversations and random greets.
Despite the passage of time, I am immediately overcome with a want to be with him. His grin and golden glow, which could enchant millions, never faded...
Along with him came this man's dear childhood friend, who looked nothing like me but had beautiful raven hair and chocolate brown eyes. Now I'm holding Raven in my arms.
"Shall we?" Raven did not say much more than a nod when I questioned him.
Walking up to the couple, I grinned.
"I thought it was you, Raven. Oh, hello, Lady Scarlett!" She spoke in a soft, appropriate voice, and I could feel Raven's smile as he gave her his first, the kind of smile I had never seen from him before—not even when he was trying to console me for my shattered heart.
"Lady Sophia, and to your partner, Sir Lucas, I say my greetings."
But I certainly didn't expect this young man to expand his eyes and then crack a smile my way.
Even though I longed for that grin again, it is now nothing more than a distant memory that I have long since buried. Similar to how the idea of never being able to forgive this man made me think I couldn't love again, the ability to love again proved me incorrect.
"I-I'm sorry I was taken aback; you just remind me of someone. It is my sincere desire to extend a cordial greeting to you, Lady Scarlett..." I grinned as he kissed the back of my hand.
As I glanced across at Sophia, I noticed that she had a frown on her face. I comforted her and held on closely to Raven's arm.
"Once again, Lady Sophia and Sir Lucas, when will your engagement be?"