Ximena slowly opened her eyes. Her view was blurry and she felt dizzy. She shifted her gaze around her environment. Then she noticed a pair of deep blue eyes staring intensely at her. The owner of the eyes was clad in white. She saw another person clad in white.
'Seems like I'm dead', she thought. 'Am I awaiting judgment? Is this how it feels to be dead? Why is my whole body throbbing?'
She turned her gaze back to the blue eyes.
"Oh Lord! Am I going to be accepted into your kingdom or will I be thrown into hell? I know there's no forgiveness after death but could you please forgive me for lashing out..." Her voice trailed off when her vision became clear.
Her eyes dilated in shock and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as her gaze met the blue eyes in front of her. She took in his facial features carefully. He had chestnut brown hair with some curls sticking out from the front covering part of his left eye. His generic shaped eyes housed a pair of deep blue iris. His eyebrows were carved straight. She noticed a little scar just above his right eyebrow which gave him a badass look. His straight nose made him look cute just like a child. Her gaze shifted to his sexy peach colored medium heart shaped lips. These features were contained on a smooth face with a square jaw.
"Uh!" She gasped and sat up. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?" She tried hard to hide her embarrassment all to no avail.
"You're finally awake. Doctor can you check if she's alright?" The guy said, ignoring her questions.
"Doctor? Wait! Am I in the hospital? What happened to me?" She asked.
"Calm down, miss. Allow me to check you," the doctor said.
"Don't worry I'm fine. I wanna go home," she said.
'Gosh! My parents are gonna be so worried', she thought.
"Well, you're fine. You just need to get some rest," the doctor said.
"I can rest at home. Please discharge me. How did I even get here?" She held her head as she felt a sharp pain.
"Don't stress yourself, miss."
"I wanna go home!" She almost yelled.
"It's okay, doctor. I'll take her home," the guy said.
Ximena shot him a stony glare. He returned the glare with a cold look on his face. He studied her carefully, maintaining the cold expression on his face. Her long ginger red hair was messy due to the accident. Her eyebrows were perfectly arched. Her delicate almond shaped eyes which contained a pair of deep hazel irises, gave out a soft glow behind the stony glare. She had a small pointed nose. Her small heart shaped lips were curved in a frown. And just like her mom, she had a beauty mark but just above her lips. There was a cut on her lower lip.
"Don't look at me like that. You're not taking me home." She rolled her eyes and got up from the bed. She then realized that she couldn't walk properly.
"Ouch!" She yelped. "You haven't told me what happened to me yet," she said in frustration.
"You got into an accident. Do you not remember? Luckily, you do not suffer any major injury. You only sprained your ankle and sustained a few bruises," tge doctor explained.
"Ah! I remember now. Were you the one who hit me?" She asked the blue-eyed guy.
"Yeah. You're lucky I pressed the brake just in time otherwise..."
"Seriously?" Ximena scoffed. "You're trying to shift the blame on me, right? You should be arrested for over speeding." She rolled her eyes and began to limp away.
The guy exhaled deeply and went after her.
"Gosh! How am I supposed to get home now? I don't even know where I am and I don't have my phone with me," Ximena muttered when she got to the hospital gate.
"You know, you don't have to be so stubborn. I just offered to drop you at home. You should consider yourself lucky. I don't usually give people lifts," the blue-eyed guy said behind her.
"Ah! I have an idea," Ximena said ignoring him. Then she went back to the receptionist.
"Excuse me. Please, can I use your phone?" She asked.
"Sure," the receptionist beamed handing her the phone.
"Thank you."
Ximena quickly dialed Carlos' number. He picked it on the second ring. She told him her location and that he should hurry up.
"Here, I'm done," she said as she gave the phone back to the receptionist.
She walked out of the hospital and met the blue eyed guy standing beside his car. She looked away and stood by the roadside.
"I see. You're really stubborn... Cruel Beauty," he smirked.
"Cruel Beauty?" Ximena scoffed. "What do you mean by that?"
"You don't have to know, Cruel Beauty. That's a nickname I got for you," he winked and flashed her a charming smile, showing his dimpled cheeks.
"Hey! You blue eyes! How can you give me such a nickname?"
"Oh! You just gave me a nickname too. Blue eyes. I love it." He smiled again, this time revealing a part of his teeth.
Ximena rolled her eyes and kept her gaze on the road awaiting Carlos' arrival.
"Um, by the way, what were you blabbing about earlier? You were talking about forgiveness, I think", the blue eyed guy said.
At the mention of that, her cheeks heated up from embarrassment. The guy noticed it and chuckled slightly.
"Ah, I get it now. You thought you were dead so you were asking for forgiveness. Ah! That's funny! Did you think I was God?" He laughed making her more embarrassed.
'Why did this have to happen to me?' She thought.
Seeing that Ximena wasn't saying anything, he stopped laughing and looked at her. She looked really embarrassed. He sighed deeply and wore a cold expression.
"Why were you crying?" He asked.
"Uh?" Ximena met his gaze.
"You were crying before you were hit by my car. I noticed the tears in your eyes when I carried you inside my car."
Ximena kept quiet.
"Did you get a heartbreak?" He asked but she remained quiet. "Oh, so that's it. I'll take your silence as a yes. So... Your boyfriend broke up with you or perhaps, you caught him cheating. You got heartbroken and then ran away with tears in your eyes. Due to your broken heart, you didn't notice a car coming from afar at full speed and then... You landed in the hospital." He chuckled.
Ximena clenched her fists and teeth. She was angered by his words.
"Why aren't you saying anything? I'm right, aren't I? Gosh! Your boyfriend probably doesn't know you got into an accident. But, you shouldn't have plunged into the road like that. You could have died and..."
"Ça suffiti! Se taire!" Ximena exploded with rage. "What do you know about me? Huh? What made you make such assumptions, huh? You don't even know anything about me. How dare you say those things to me!"
"Wow, so you speak French. Amazing!" He smiled, ignoring her anger.
"Do you take everything as a joke?" Ximena scoffed irritably.
"No, of course not. I'm just..."
"Just leave me alone! You're getting on my nerves! Jerk!" She yelled.
Just then, a black car pulled over in front of her and wound down the window.
"Thank goodness," she muttered and walked with a slight limp to the passenger seat. "Let's go, Carlos," she said as she closed the door.
The blue eyed guy smiled as he watched the car drive off.
"What happened to you Miss Lavigne? You were limping. And what were you doing at the hospital? Did you get into an accident?"
"Carlos. You're asking me too many questions."
"I'm sorry, Miss."
"Anyway, I got into an accident. It wasn't serious. I only sprained my ankle," she replied.
"Your parents are worried about you."
"Really?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"They were really worried about you. They sent some guards to look for you."
"Hmm. So that's why you got here quickly," Ximena said.
"Well, I'd left before the guards were sent to look for you," Carlos said.
"Then how did you know?"
"Juan called me to ask if I'd found you. Then he told me about the search," Carlos explained.
"I see," Ximena said and tilted her head to the side, looking out the window.
She heaved a sad sigh and closed her eyes. Carlos looked at her for a while and returned his gaze to the road. Soon, they got to the mansion. Ximena stepped out of the car and walked into the house.
"Oh my! Mena!" Zuri called as she rushed down the staircase.
"What happened to you, Mia?" Nora asked when she noticed the dirt on her pants.
"I just got into a minor accident. You don't have to worry about me. It's nothing serious," Ximena said heading to her room.
"But still..."
"Let's not talk about this, dad," Ximena said cutting her dad off. "I need to rest."
"I'll help you to your room, Mena," Zuri offered.
Ximena nodded and Zuri took her to her room.
"How did this happen!" Zuri asked when she had put Ximena on the bed.
"I'm so tired, Zuri. Let's discuss this tomorrow. I want to sleep, OK?" Ximena said.
"Oh right," Zuri said. "Good night, Mena."
"Sleep tight."
Zuri began to walk away but she stopped when she got to the door.
"Oh! Dad said I'm going to resume school tomorrow," she said.
"That's nice."
"I'll leave you to sleep now."
********
"Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty!" Zuri yelled jolting Ximena out of the bed.
"Aarrghh! Zuri!" Ximena screamed.
Zuri chuckled. "Sorry for disturbing your sleep, Mena. I just wanted to let you know that I'm off to school already. I didn't want to leave without telling you. You know it's my first day," she winked.
Ximena smiled and walked up to her.
"You look great, sis. I'm sure you'll outshine everyone," she said, giving her a hug.
"Thanks. I don't wanna be late on my first day. Bye, Mena!" Zuri waved and turned to leave but she stopped and turned back to Ximena. "Ah, that's right. How's your leg?"
"It's better."
"Take care of yourself, Mena. Bye!" She said as she walked out of the room.
Ximena chuckled and went back to her bed.
"Let's go, Juan," Zuri said as she walked out of the house.
They both entered the car and the driver drove off. As soon as they got to the school, Zuri saw the name engraved on the gate, PHOENIX HIGH. A smile formed at the corner of her lips. The driver parked the car at the parking lot and waited for Zuri and Juan to get down before driving off.
"Now, how do I get to the principal's office?" She muttered as she walked, with Juan following silently behind her.
As she walked, the students passing by kept looking at her and whispering among themselves.
"Excuse me," she said to a guy wearing glasses.
The guy stopped and looked at her.
"Can you direct me to the principal's office, please?" She asked.
"It's the last office on in that block," the guy said and walked away before she could thank him.
Soon, she got to the principal's office. She was permitted to go in after knocking.
"Good morning," Zuri greeted as soon as she came in.
"Good morning, dear. I guess you are Zuri Lavigne."
"Yes, I am."
"Your dad has settled everything. I'm glad to have the daughter of a famous business man in my school. I hope you enjoy your stay here," the principal said.
"Thank you."
"Come back here during break time so you can get your school uniform. Okay?" The principal beamed.
"Thank you, Ms Jenkins," Zuri said after seeing her name on the name plate placed on the table, Eleanor Jenkins.
Just then, a man came in.
"You're right in time, Mr Webb. She's the one. Take her to her class," Ms Jenkins said. Then turning to Zuri, she said, "He's your class teacher, Mr Webb."
"Good morning, sir," Zuri greeted.
"Come with me, dear," Mr Webb said.
They both walked out of the office. Juan followed them.
"Did he come with you?" Mr Webb asked.
"Yes. He's Juan, my bodyguard," Zuri replied.
"Oh," Mr Webb said. 'Wow, she even has a bodyguard. I'd better not get on her bad side,' he thought.
The students kept stealing glances at Zuri and her bodyguard as they walked through the hallway.
"Who's she?" A girl asked her friend.
"A new student or perhaps a transfer student," her friend replied.
"That guy is hot!"
"Yes, just my type," another girl said.
"Shut up! He's older than you."
Mr Webb entered the class and the students greeted him.
"Good morning, everyone. We have a new student in our midst today. I'm happy to let you know that she's the daughter of the prestigious and famous business tycoon, Armando Lavigne," Mr Webb announced with a smile, causing a stir in the class. The students began to murmur and had this excited look on their faces.
"Come in," Mr Webb said and Zuri stepped into the class with Juan behind her. "Introduce yourself."
"Hi, guys. My name is Jasmine Zuri Lavigne. I hope you guys make my stay in this school memorable," she said with a charming smile.
"Wow."
"She's really beautiful."
"Her blue eyes are just like the sea."
"I love your hair!"
"But who's that guy beside you?"
"Yeah. He's cute."
"Oh! This is Juan. He's my bodyguard."
"Treat her well, okay? Let's see, where will you sit? That's right. Go sit beside Romeo." Mr Webb said. "And Juan, you can stay over there." He pointed to a seat at the corner of the class.
Zuri went to sit beside Romeo. As soon as Mr Webb left the class, the girls and some guys swarmed around her, each wanting to be her friend.
"She thinks she rules the world," Rose scoffed.
"I hate her already. Who does she think she is?" Emily rolled her eyes.
"And she's sitting beside Romeo," Cassandra said, clenching her fists.
********
"Miss Lavigne, your parents are waiting for you in the living room." Jessica came to Ximena's room for the fifth time that morning.
" I told you to tell them that I don't want to speak to them. Don't come back here," Ximena said, getting angry.
Jessica sighed and left. Ximena had refused to go downstairs. She didn't want to talk to her parents. She definitely wasn't ready to hear about her betrothal. The word alone made her mad.
"Aren't you gonna come out?" She heard her mother's voice at the door.
" I don't want to talk, mom. You and dad should just leave me alone please," Ximena said.
Just then, Nora and Armando came into her room.
"What do you want?" Ximena kept a straight face.
"Well, tomorrow is the introduction party," Nora said.
"I know, mom", Ximena snapped.
"I know how hard it is for you, dear."
Armando stroked her hair.
"You don't know. If you had an iota of idea about how I feel, you'd call off the betrothal. So stop saying you know," Ximena retorted.
Armando sighed. He didn't like seeing her sad or angry with him.
"Your mom and I have decided that you'll be in charge of the Lavigne Clothing and Fashion Empire. I know you've been asking for that for a while now. We've finally agreed so stop sulking and smile. Smile for me, Mena," Armando cooed.
"Seriously, Dad? You think that will make me feel better? I had no idea that you thought this low of me. If you want me to be happy, then stop interfering in my life. Stop making decisions for me. Listen to what I want for once," Ximena said.
"I can't stop the marriage from taking place. You're getting married to Hugo, okay?" Armando said.
"You're making it worse. Can you leave my room, please? I want to be alone," Ximena said, struggling not to break down.
"Don't forget that we really love and care about you," Nora said and pecked her forehead. "Let's go," she said to her husband.
As soon as they left, Ximena buried her face in her pillow and allowed the tears to flow freely. Out of all the decisions her parents made for her, this was the worst. She had always wondered why her parents had strongly kicked against her having any friends especially male friends. Now, she knew the reason. Thinking about it made her cry even more. It was as if her parents were the ones living her life. Her opinion didn't matter at all. It was at a time like this that she always wished she had a simple life, that she wasn't from a wealthy family. This time, she wished she wasn't born. No matter what she said or did, her parents didn't change their minds. Her heart was pained and bitter. She wondered if things would have turned out differently if her parents had a male child or if she was a man.
"I don't want to get married," she wept bitterly.
********
Ximena finally got up from bed. She pulled off her clothes and walked into the lush bathroom. She went into the shower cubicle and turned on the shower. The gentle touch of water on her skin made her moan in relish. She washed her hair with her strawberry scented shampoo and gently sponged her body. When she was done bathing, she picked a towel from the towel rack and dried her body. She opened the vanity unit and took out her hair dryer, plugged it in a socket and began drying her hair.
Then she stepped out of the bathroom to her dressing table and applied her body cream. She went into the dressing room and browsed through her closet. After spending sometime choosing what to wear, she wore a green jumpsuit with floral pattern and a small black leather belt. Going to the shoe rack, she picked a pair of silver heels. She settled for silver earrings and necklace. She picked a silver purse from her bag collection before going back to the room. She sat at her dressing table and began straightening her long hair which stopped at her waist. Then she applied little makeup and was set to go.
She took a look at her image in the full length mirror and smiled before going out of the room. Carlos was standing by her door- that was his duty post.
"Let's go out," Ximena said as soon as she came out.
"Huh?" Carlos looked shocked.
"Come on let's go. What are you thinking?" Ximena chuckled a little.
"Oh..." Carlos said awkwardly.
"I'm bored. I want us to go out together," Ximena said as she walked downstairs.
Carlos followed behind her. He was looking flustered. What on earth was he thinking? When they got outside, Carlos headed to the garage.
"No, we're not taking a car," Ximena said.
"What?"
"We'll be going on your motorbike," Ximena beamed. "What are you waiting for Carl? Come on," she said when he didn't make a move.
He was lost staring at her.
"But Miss Lavigne..."
"Ah, that reminds me. Don't call me Miss Lavigne for today. Call me by my name," she said.
"What? I can't possibly do that."
"What's so difficult in that? I don't want people to know that you serve me. If you can't call me Ximena, you can call me Mena, Mia or better still, Ciara, okay?"
"Miss..."
"Don't you get it? Why is it so difficult for you? Each time I ask you to call me by my name, you refuse. You won't refuse this time. Got it?"
"But..."
"Don't say anything. Come on, let's go," she said.
Carlos sighed and brought out the key for the bike. He got on it and Ximena got on behind him.
"Stay tight, I don't want you to fall," Carlos said.
"Of course. I won't fall," she said wrapping her hands around his waist.
Carlos felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His heart beat became faster than normal. He was a twenty-eight-year old man with black hair a pair of slender grey eyes, a pointed nose and pink lips. He was very handsome.
"Allez! Allons-y!" Ximena urged.
"Oh, oui." Carlos cleared his throat and revved up the engine.