Keira's fever spiked again that night, causing June to urge the Masters of the house to call for the family doctor. She was burning to the touch, her fever was so high that the doctor feared she would go into shock.
She wasn't sure what had happened, her mind fuzzy and confused, only noticing the quick needle prick of the ivy and then blackness.
+
The breaking news of a marriage shook the entire industry. Words such as, "Queen of the Screen" and "Prestige Castillo's Only Heir," dominated the headlines and news stations.
Rania Lee joined the entertainment industry at the age of six. Her role as Young Mary in the Wuxia featured film "Blossoming Blades" won her a supporting actress trophy, marking her as the only child actress and quickest person to win.
She was a prodigy, boosting every film into a box office hit with just the mention of her name. She was known for Midas's Touch, selling out every item associated with her instantly. She netted the title "Queen of the Screen" after her success at age 14 in the film "Between Wants and Needs."
William Castillo was one of the prominent figures in the business side of showbiz. He was home-schooled by the best teachers and began his work as the heir at age 15. His creative mind made the once, Giganta Entertainment, into a Corporation, running multiple other companies related to showbiz.
At the age of 20, William created a new business, branching into the rising tech industry and forming Galaxa Tech.
The combination of Rania and William was unexpected, yet made sense in hindsight to the general public. Why wouldn't the top celebrity and top businessman marry each other? That's just common sense.
William at the age of 20, and Rania at the age of 18, announced their marriage to the world. Whether the two married out of love or simply a business relationship, would never be known.
Their first son, Lucas Castillo, was born within a year of their marriage. Three years later, Dylan Castillo, their second son greeted the world. Matthew was born a year after Dylan, making him the third and final son.
"Again, that old bastard just had to brag about how lovely his daughter was!" William sat on the sofa beside his wife, complaining about his long-time friend and business partner. "Darling, don't you think a girl would add a bit of color to our family?"
"As promised, I gave birth to three children." She glared at the man who leaned lazily against her shoulder. "Do you know how long it took for me to shed my postpartum body? I'm not throwing away all that hard work. I have an action film that will begin shooting soon."
"I'm not asking you to carry the child and birth it." Her ears perked up at that sentence. She pushed the man off her and stared directly into his eyes.
"Did you cheat? Did you get a girl pregnant?" His lips curved at her now frowning eyebrows.
"That's quite the accusation. I would never cheat on you." She trusted her husband enough to know that he wasn't lying.
This stupid man is too dull for such a thing.
"Well?"
"I learned of a new conclusion to the study of surrogacy. Technology has advanced a lot."
Rania wasn't sure of how she felt about surrogacy. It was a topic that wasn't discussed much as it was still considered to be in its research phase.
"I don't think the public will take well to a child born from surrogacy."
"Our family is capable of keeping such secrets hidden. How about you sleep on this and let me know later."
And sleep on it she did. The first discussion happened when Matthew was three. It wasn't until he turned five that Rania agreed to do it. After careful selection, Rania chose June Miller, an assistant trainer to her manager, as the surrogate mother.
They gave June her own room, everything she needed and wanted, and had the family doctor live in the house as she carried the baby girl.
The first couple of months went by easily, helping ease the anxiety of both parents. This was their first and only daughter, a child they had been subconsciously preparing for since their marriage.
William had always wanted a daughter, yet luck would have it that all his promised three children were boys.
He laughed and smiled more, actively shopping and decorating the room that was to be Keira's. But perhaps he had been too happy, a serious situation had arrived four months into Keira's pregnancy.
Rania had become pregnant after a night of drunken passion with William. One child had now become two.
William had double the workload after his father announced his resignation as CEO of Giganta Corporation, stepping down to become chairman, and appointing him as the new CEO. He juggled Giganta and Galaxa tirelessly, unable to be there for his pregnant wife and the two children.
Rania was stressed. This was her worst pregnancy out of the four, having constant morning sickness and bloating. She had no patience for Keira as she struggled through her body aches and slight depression.
When Selene was born, Rania had become preoccupied with her. Keira was left to the care of her surrogate mother, who then took on the role of Nanny.
The sight before her was too real to be a dream, yet too fake to be reality.
She watched as her parent's attention was mostly given to the child that was five months younger than her. They seemed to have so much love for Selene.
Why would they love her? A child created in a lab…
Years passed, and Keira was now watching her own death for the second time.
Is this divine punishment from the gods?
+
"Hmm." A soft groan escaped a pair of dry lips. Her eyes fluttered against the sunlight that leaked through the curtains.
Keira waved her hand around, searching for her phone, only stopping at the sudden tug of her arm. Her eyes opened, staring intently at the small tube protruding from the
Her eyes shifted, returning to her first objective of searching for her phone. It was neatly placed atop the table next to her bed.
She had been sleeping in her room for the past two days, unaware of anything that happened around her. The thick curtains that were usually drawn had now been partially opened, letting in the warmth of sunlight as the dusk danced about in her room.
Keira silently sat there, thinking about everything that had happened so far. It wasn't until the need to use the bathroom urged her to get out of bed. Her hands searched for some gauze and band-aids from the medical cabinet under her bed as soon as she sat up.
With great familiarity, she removed the IV and bandaged it. Every step as she shuffled forward, made her realize how sore and weak she was.
Wheelchairs need supervision while crutches don't.
Why did I think he prepared a wheelchair for me because he was worried?
Her face became bright red as she undressed. Between her legs, where her underwear should have been, was something else.
Well…I needed to use the bathroom while in a coma for two days somehow…
I'll work hard and buy June her own house as an apology…
It was shameful to the extreme. She couldn't bear thinking about this any further, fearing that she may die of embarrassment.
Truly…truly shameful!
She had expected a bodyguard or two to be waiting in front of her room, but not a single soul was in sight. The hallway was long, and its pearly white aesthetics pleased the eyes, yet for Keira, it screamed torment.
As she neared the stairs, Keira wondered if she should crawl the rest of the way, throwing dignity out of the picture entirely to save herself from the pain of accidentally using her bad ankle.
The hands that gripped the railings shook as she wobbled forward, attempting to lift herself off the ground and quickly step down the first step. Her arms didn't hold, giving out at the last moment, causing her to slip.
If it weren't for the pair of arms wrapped around her, she would have greeted the floor sooner than expected.
"That was quite an admirable attempt." Her body was hoisted into his arms. The man didn't delay further as he princess-carried her down the stairs.
Keira found the words of thanks stuck in her throat. This man was the only person she didn't dare speak to. His words were ambiguous, while malicious thoughts were hidden behind that sweet smile he plastered on his face.
Knowing who the person was made her unsure of what he meant earlier.
Did he praise me for trying to go down the stairs? Or is he saying that it was a good attempt at ending my life?
"When did you arrive?" She asked in an almost whisper-like tone, not daring to share eye contact with this person.
"After you left your room." Her choice of going right down the hallway instead of left would have brought her to a private study.
This whole time, and he never offered to help?
"You must be missing school." Seeing her questioning gaze, he let out a chuckle.
What is he talking about?
"Didn't you want to recreate how you got that injury?" His eyes crinkled, looking innocent as he asked that question with a gentle smile.
How did he find out about that incident?
"Are you talking about Keira nearly falling and being saved by Jace Bradley? I heard it from Angela! How scary!" As they made it to the final step, the person she had wanted to avoid meeting the most showed up.
"Have you finished eating, Selene?" Keira's loose grip on his shirt tightened. Although he still spoke softly, it was missing the usual fake gentleness.
"No, I could only stomach a few bites. I couldn't help but worry for my Keira, so I wanted to check if Sister had finally woken up so we could eat together." Her hands twirled the hem of her shirt, feeling wronged by the question. "I promise I won't get up from the table until I'm full next time. I just really wanted to see Keira…"
Her pout and teary eyes made people's hearts ache.
Their family had some specific rules for dining, and one of them was being seated until you're full. No amount of excuse was considered okay to leave before you finished your meal.
Keira couldn't help but think back to a few instances where she had been disciplined for such acts. It was always because Selene wanted her to fetch something, whether it was stomachache relief or a specific drink, Keira would stupidly adhere to her wants.
What an idiot…
There was a long silence before he continued walking. "We will talk about this later, come and eat."
"Yes, Brother…"
"I was sure you were busy with a meeting?" William's voice greeted their ears as they entered the dining room.
Keira kept her head and gaze down, only staring at her hands that crumpled the shirt, because of this, she failed to notice the gazes on her.
"Dylan, did you remove her IV?" Lucas asked after noticing the bandaged area.
"No, I don't have such a talent." He signaled June to bring some food after setting her down. "However, I do have something more interesting."
Dylan pulled out a folded sheet and placed it on the table. Keira nearly choked on spit at what was written on the paper.
"A successful actress?" All eyes were now on her. She felt they were mocking or condemning her for wanting to become such a thing.
"It seems I always arrive late to such news. What's this about a successful actress?" Rania had just returned from brunch with her circle of friends.
"Keira wants to be an actress, just like Mom!" Selene had always been sunny, her enthusiasm made her seem even brighter than usual. "Since Keira has a foot injury anyway, why not have Sister skip college and become an actress under our company?"
What is she trying to do? Keira no longer trusted Selene's words and actions, everything she said and did looked suspicious to her.
A stern "No" escaped the lips of Lucas and William at the same time, causing Selene to look hurt at the reprimanding gaze they sent her.
"I just thought it would be a good idea since it won't be too lonely when I want to act in films…" She sniffed and tried her best to hold back tears. "I'm sorry, I won't bring up wanting to act again…"
Why does MY wanting to act relate to YOU? Keira wanted to cry as well, but she didn't have the strength to fake anything at the moment. She could only stare at her hands with bewilderment, secretly feeling wronged.
They're going to ground me again…aren't they?
Her stomach churned and twisted, causing her to spill her guts out. The clear liquid leaked through the cracks in her hands that attempted to block it. She hadn't eaten anything in two days, and smelling the strong scent of food made her nauseous.
"Miss!" June fretted, nearly dropping the soup she was about to place in front of Keira.
The corner of her eyes reddened from the constant gagging that was happening. She couldn't control the teardrop that leaked out of the corner of her eyes, nor could she control the empty stomach that wanted to escape her throat.
"S—sorry…I'm sorry." She didn't know what to do, only apologizing for causing such a disgusting scene.
"I think the Miss needs a thorough check-up at the hospital!" June had run to the kitchen and back. Her hands were full of cloths, cleaning up the spill as she tried to help clean her.
"Get the car!"
The chaos around her didn't help her feel better. A warm palm gently patted her back as she hunched over, providing much-needed relief to her sensitive stomach.
She didn't see who it was, only knowing June was busy wiping her hands and face.