Alana

Staring at the huge gate in front of her, Alana sighed for the umpteenmt time. She has been standing in front of the gate with her luggage for the past ten minutes but she couldn't bring herself to ring the bell. The last time she had been here, she was only five years old, and though she couldn't recall the fond memories she had here but at least she remembered some good moments.

Taking a deep breath, Alana finally reached out and rang the bell. Within seconds, she spotted the butler, a middle-aged man making his way towards the gate. The man stopped on his tracks, a mixture of confusion and surprise on his face when he saw Alana, but he quickly resumed his movement and opened the gate.

"Young miss!" The man exclaimed.

"You've grown so much." He commented as he eyed her from head to toe.

Alana smiled at his expression. "Mr Brandon," she greeted.

The man quickly retrieved her luggages from and gestured for her to go in.

Her eyes scanned around compound as they walked. Things were still the same as she remembered. The elegant fountain which she used to play around as a child, still stood in the middle of the compound. A few of the trees had been replaced, but her favorite cherry tree still stood tall.

Entering the mansion, Alana noticed that most of the interior had undergone changes since her last visit. However, her favorite paintings still adorned the walls. An old faint memory resurfaced, bringing a smile on her face.

"We weren't expecting you until next week, young miss," Brandon said as he unlocked the door to the room she normally stay in whenever she came to visit.

"I wanted to settle in sooner than later. I would have called my aunt to inform her, but I just got a new phone few days ago and I don't have her contact yet," Alana explained and Mr Brandon nodded in understanding.

"Your aunt is at work now. I will inform her of your arrival immediately," Mr Brandon said as he sat her luggages by the side of the bed.

"If you need anything please don't hesitate to call on me." Mr Brandon said and Alana nodded before he left the room.

Alana scanned around the room. It was entirely different from what she remembered but it was still beautiful. She unpacked a few of her things before collapsing on the bed. She hadn't gotten a proper sleep for days now, she was glad at the opportunity to finally close her eye now that she was far away from her previous hell.

She pulled up the sleeves of her hoodie, revealing the bandages wrapped around both her wrists.

Glancing at the fresh plaster, the pain of the cuts surged through her, as if the incident had happened only yesterday, despite it being a week since then.

With a heavy sigh, she lowered the sleeves, concealing the evidence of her previous suffering and closed her eyes, seeking solace in the darkness behind her eyelids.

...

The knock on the door startled Alana awake from her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Are you awake, Young miss," Mr Brandon called from the door.

"I'm awake," she replied to the man at door, with a low voice.

"Your aunt requested that you join her for dinner," Mr Brandon said.

"I'll be down in a minute," she replied to Mr Brandon who nodded to himself before leaving.

Alana stretched and stood up, her brown eyes falling on the window. It was dark outside making her to wonder how long she had slept for. She ran her fingers through her coffee brown hair before changing into a different set of clothes and leaving the room.

"Oh my God!" Rosalind exclaimed when her eyes met Alana desending the stairs.

Alana smiled warmly at her aunt who was overwhelmed with excitement by the sight of her.

Rosalind couldn't control her joy as she squeezed her niece in a tight hug.

"I C-Can't breathe," Alana complained when her aunt tightened the hug too much.

"Oh sorry." Rosalind immediately pulled away. "You must be starving. Come now, I asked the cook to make your favorite," she said as she pulled her towards the dinning.

"Where is Ryan, aunt?" Alana questioned after looking around for her cousin.

"He's probably out partying with his friends. He never comes home on the weekends." Roselind replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Alana nodded. Things has not been easy for her aunt since her husband died two years ago. She had to manage the company all by herself even though it wasn't the kind of thing she loved doing.

Her aunt hadn't changed much. She was still beautiful and young, her porcelain skin still looked fresh like she was in her twenties. Alana used to wish her skin was like her aunt's when she was younger, because she used to hate her pale white skin.

"Have you called your mom since you arrived here?" Rosalind asked in the middle of their conversation.

Alana paused at the question for some seconds.

"No," She replied tightly.

"Okay." Rosalind did not push on the topic as she noticed Alana's stiffness.

"If you need anything dear please do not hesitate to tell me, I'll always be here for you okay?" Roselind said softly to which Alana nodded with a tight smile.

Her mood was already ruined by the mention of her mother. She subconcously placed her hand on her wrist, something which Rosalind noticed.

After eating, Alana immediaty returned to her room.

...

Alana only saw her aunt during breakfast and dinner, and most of the time, she was giving her pitiful looks, which she found uncomfortable. She understood that her aunt was only worried about her, but it still didn't ease the way she felt whenever her aunt gave her those looks like she was damaged or needed some kind of emotional support.

Monday finally arrived, and Alana eagerly prepared for her morning class. The butler dropped her off at school, and she couldn't help but feel fortunate that the university had accepted her transfer, despite it being in the middle of the semester.

After her last class, Alana decided to stop by a cafe to grab something for lunch. She placed her order and received it within a few minutes. As she grabbed her food, ready to head out, her phone buzzed with a notification.

Just as she was reaching for her phone, she accidentally bumped into someone, causing her to spill her drink on the stranger. Alana gasped when she saw the mess on the man's trousers.

"I'm so sorry," Alana immediately apologized, her voice filled with genuine remorse.

"Are you f*cking blind!" The man's cold voice thundered, causing her to flinch in response.

"I didn't mean to. It was an accident..." Alana's words got caught in her throat as she raised her head to look at the man's angry face.

To her surprise, the man before her was the most handsome she had ever laid eyes on. His captivating green eyes mesmerized her, framed by long and beautiful lashes. Some of his inky black hair fell gracefully to the side of his face, accentuating his features. His jawline was perfectly chiseled, and his lips had a soft pink tint.

"Quit drooling you dumb bitch,' The man snapped at her.

Alana instantly snapped out from whatever she was in. Did he just call her a dumb... She couldn't even think about the word.

'Who does he think he is?' Alana thought to herself

"You don't have to be so rude and arrogant. I already appologized and if you weren't blind and stupid this wouldn't have happened." She glared back at the arrogant man.

She saw how his jaw worked, showing the intensified anger within him. He moved closer and grabbed her jaw unexpectedly, causing her eyes to widen in surprise as her heart began to race.

"Alana?" Another male voice called out from behind the man.

Surprise flickered across Alana's face as her gaze darted towards the source of the voice. It was Ryan - her cousin. His own surprise mirrored hers, clearly not having anticipated running into her in a situation like this.

"Roman," Ryan called out, his voice calm but urgent as he closed the distance between them.

Placing a hand on Roman's shoulder, he continued, "Let her go, man. She's my cousin and look around, we're in a crowded cafe. Eye are on us."

Roman's grip on Alana's jaw loosened slightly as he processed Ryan's words. Confusion flickered across his face as he realized the connection between Alana and Ryan. He slowly released his hold on her jaw, his anger still evident in his eyes.

Alana took a step back, her hand instinctively moving to her jaw as she tried to regain her composure. She glanced between Ryan and Roman, her mind racing with a mix of emotions—fear, relief, and confusion.

Before she could process her thoughts, Ryan grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out from the cafe.

The atmosphere in the café remained tense as onlookers had their eyes pinned on Roman.

Roman finally glanced around the cafe, only to find every eye locked onto him.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, before swiftly exiting the cafe.

This was definitely going to affect his reputation in a bad way .