PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER 1
1974 Words
PROLOGUE
Lauren's body was aching, particularly in the intimate part of her body. The warmth from the sun outside brushed against her cheek as the curtain swayed.
A melancholic sigh escaped her lips as she was inundated by intense pain. The night before had witnessed her engaging in a restrained indulgence of drinks. Her gaze drifted to the bedside table, where the clock revealed the hour to be ten in the morning.
Surveying the room, she realized she was in her boyfriend Finn's room. A foreboding creak echoed through the room, foreshadowing the arrival of one person, causing her to turn in that direction.
"It's good that you're awake," Finn said coldly.
A sudden bewilderment gripped her as she tried to make sense of his actions. Weren't they deeply intimate multiple times just the previous night? His eyes had unmistakably radiated affection. The pain and the crimson imprints on her skin stood as undeniable proof. She retained vivid memories of every moment, etched in her heart as a testament to her profound love for Finn.
Even though she was taken aback by the change that had occurred the previous night, he kissed her passionately for the first time. Yet, at this moment, as her gaze intersected with the young man's frigid stare, she couldn't comprehend what had gone awry. His once-ardent affection for her had dissipated into thin air. She gently pulled the pristine white blanket to shield her bared chest and cautiously advanced toward him.
"F-Finn?" she stammered.
"I don't want to see you again, Lauren! I've turned down the marriage!"
What's happening? His revelation left her in shock. She sat up in bed, and her eyes widened.
'After what happened last night, you want to break up with me?' she longed to ask, but the words became lodged in her throat. "F-Finn, is there a problem?"
"You're selling yourself to me, aren't you? Here!" He angrily tossed his entire wallet towards her. It landed before her, but she didn't reach for it. Instead, she looked perplexed, meeting his gaze.
Finn was deadly serious; his eyes were cold, and she detected anger in them for the first time. He slammed his fist against the door, startling her, and tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at him.
"What about our wedding? Aren't we still getting married?" she inquired. Their parents had agreed on it the previous year, and their wedding was scheduled for after they both graduated from college. At the moment, she was nineteen, and Finn was twenty. The wedding was supposed to take place in two years.
His clenched fist clearly revealed his anger toward her. "You're quite the manipulator, Lauren! You're really good at messing with people's minds! Did you think I didn't know? Take my entire wallet and go!"
"N-no! F-Finn—"
He interrupted her. "You should go, Lauren! I don't want to hear anything from you. Get out!" he yelled. Approaching her, he removed the bills tucked inside his wallet and angrily threw them at her. "Here! You want money, don't you? You succeeded in selling yourself to me!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Lauren slapped the man with all her strength.
"Jerk!" she shouted at him as tears streamed down her face.
His eyes grew even darker, and his anger was on the brink of exploding. "Get out!"
She reached for the white blanket to drape over her body and slowly picked up her clothes from the floor, recalling how the man had undressed her the previous night. Tears streamed down her face, and it felt as if she was trapped in a nightmare.
The Finn she had known was always gentle, even though they didn't discuss their relationship much. He had always treated her respectfully, which was enough for her. They were inseparable, both enjoying spending quiet hours together in the library. But now, in the aftermath of what had transpired between them, he was pushing her away.
Was he only interested in her body?
Perhaps Finn had simply used her the previous night because he loved Kori, the most beautiful girl she had ever met. It appeared that he desired and would choose her above anyone else.
Gazing at the bed with eyes welled up in tears, she found it still adorned with the red crimson imprints of her affection.
After she finished dressing, she couldn't muster the strength to bid farewell or look back at it. She silently said goodbye to Finn, the man she had loved for several years.
***
Years later...
Tugging her suitcase behind her, Lauren strolled across the gleaming tiles of the airport hallway. It had been six years since she departed this country, but she hadn't anticipated returning with such a heavy heart. Her dad had passed away due to colon cancer two weeks ago, an ailment he had been complaining about for months.
The sound of her suitcase wheels rolling against the floor, accompanied by the click of her black Christian Louboutin heels, resonated like music in her ears.
She delved into her pocket to dial her childhood friend and best friend, Brett. He answered promptly.
"Hello!" he greeted from the other end.
"Brett, I'm here! I'm at airport terminal 1 now."
"Just come out; I've been waiting with your brother for a while. We've been circling around several times because the officer has reprimanded us. Parking at the arrival gate is not allowed."
"Okay, I'm almost there," Lauren replied before ending the call upon seeing the large exit door of the building.
Her friend grinned from ear to ear, leaning against his brand-new car, as she walked through the massive door.
Brett stood tall at six feet and four inches tall, with slightly longer hair that reached his neck. He adorned a single glistening diamond earring in one ear. He donned a dry-fit shirt that highlighted his well-defined muscular frame.
As a basketball star, he had many admirers discreetly taking pictures of him while they awaited her arrival.
"Lauren!"
"Sister!" her close friend and younger brother, Kael, both exclaimed in unison. He's twenty-two, while Brett is not much older at twenty-five.
Brett tenderly enfolded her in his sturdy embrace, his powerful arms encircling her. Tears welled in her eyes as she experienced the solace of his hug. Their friendship had spanned since she was seven; they had been neighbors in Green Meadows and had even attended first grade together. Since then, her relationship with Brett has remained strong. She then turned to embrace her brother, Kael.
"I missed you!" Her tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.
"What's up with that, Sis? You left in tears, and now you're crying again upon your return?" Kael teased.
"Shut up! Am I supposed to be happy that Dad passed away?"
Kael simply scowled and clenched his fist. She understood why; he had a strained relationship with their father until his passing.
"Sister Lauren, you know that Dad and I never really got along."
"It's still not right for you to be indifferent," she scolded him.
"It's better if we go. A traffic enforcer has been watching us for a while," Brett suggested.
He assisted her in stowing her luggage in the compartment. Once they were in her friend's car, she inquired about her brother.
"How are you? Are you sure you're graduating now?"
She had financially supported her brother's education for several years using the money she earned in New York, especially after Kael left their home. Their father had wanted her brother to marry a woman in her thirties. In frustration, her brother left. He worked at night as a waiter at a business owned by his classmate to support his studies. However, Kael's tuition fees were quite substantial, so she helped him out.
Her brother was pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He had been juggling his studies with night work until that time.
"What about Mom?"
"She's managing without Dad," he said with a hint of sadness.
She sighed and leaned against her brother's shoulder, his arm gently encircling her. She didn't hold herself responsible for departing with tears and coming back to this country with tears once more. Various moments in her life had introduced similar bitterness, the only contrast being her ability to move forward from the past. She bowed her head, resolute in her desire not to dwell on it again.
"Ready?" Brett inquired.
Lauren responded with a faint smile to her friend and then turned her attention to the window. She had been away from this country for six years and noticed some changes. Traffic had worsened, there were more buildings, and there were more vehicles.
She also thought about her parents, expecting that her mother was about to present her with a problem.
***
The Law of Attraction. She never wished for trouble to find her, but it seemed that when you're overly suspicious of something, it tends to materialize.
She found herself in the library of her late father's Green Meadows residence, where she had grown up, gazing out the window while clutching a water bottle. Her return from New York had been greeted with an immediate deluge of problems.
"Lauren, this is what transpired while you were away. Your father invested his last cent in a manufacturing company in the United States, but, unfortunately, it went bankrupt. Regrettably, your father had borrowed from multiple individuals, so they're now demanding repayment," explained the attorney and her father's close friend, Uncle Arnold.
He sat solemnly in a chair. Lauren's mother was seated across from him, with Kael beside her.
"How did he end up in debt? What about the brewery he sold?" she inquired, perplexed. Could he have exhausted the proceeds so quickly?
Two years after her departure, her father had sold their business. At that time, she had just completed her marketing degree in America and hadn't needed financial support since then.
"That's the money your father used for the American company. Your father had to borrow from various business partners because his earnings from that company were tied up. We require funds for household expenses and to cover your father's medical bills," her mother replied before tearing up.
Kael embraced her. At that moment, a water bottle didn't seem sufficient to soothe her.
"How much money do we need?"
"T-thirty million."
She dropped the bottled water to the floor. "Thirty million?" she exclaimed with widened eyes.
Cancer is a severe illness, and she believed that her parents would require a substantial sum over the next few years. Her current dilemma was how to obtain such a large amount. Her savings from working in America were meager, not even close to ten percent.
With her hand on her forehead, she paced around the room. "Uncle Arnold, how much could we sell this house for?"
"We are not selling this house!" her mother vehemently objected.
Even before she could outline her plan, her mother already knew that she was contemplating selling the house. Their home was located in Green Meadows, and she knew the land's value was high, not to mention their 700-square-meter house.
"But, 'Ma, we can no longer afford to maintain this house. We can't afford to pay the staff, cover the high electricity bills, and water expenses."
"You might as well just kill me, Lauren!" her mother retorted, crying, as she left the room.
"'Ma!" Kael followed her while Lauren sat on the sofa, massaging her forehead in confusion. Her family, especially her mother, took immense pride in their home. Selling it would blow her mother's pride, but what other choice did she have?
Uncle Arnold stood up from his chair. "Lauren, as much as I wish to help your family, you know that the income of a lawyer like me is not that substantial."
She simply nodded before bidding him farewell.
- Writer
