Stolen ✓

Prelude

- prelude -

❝you can always run—

but you can never escape.❞

- glimpse - 

It’s funny how

    the mass majority of people would like a piece of what she has in her life.

    They wanted it all.

    Every single thing that comes along with her name was wanted by almost every single one in the world—and she knew that. It always make her utterly baffled just how materialistic people are, to how they preserve the life of the wealthy as something that is easy and would bear envy from others.

    What they want from her is not the connection that she has with her family, or how their entire generation has always supported each other in one’s dream and to achieve the passion that they desire. Even the way that they had handled every breakdown does not count as something that people had envied in her life.

    People see what they wanted to see, as her uncle had told her.

    All the media people and the number of those who watch her life unfold in a screen only see her as one thing—a rich heiress.

    That is why, whenever someone was asked what they would like to have from their family—they all have the same answer, that same inane thing that drives her insane. What they all want is all their riches, the unnecessary fame and the expensive taste, all they crave is having everything that they could have ever want with just a single snap of a finger.

    Everybody had loved the idea of living in a house that looked like a palace that is filled with all the necessities that you needed, even those that you do not.

    Almost everybody in the world dreamed of having a life where you nothing to do but breathe and show people that you're living a good living while you're making money out of showing nothing but fame. They wanted to live a life where they were in the middle of envy.

    Not one of them know the real difficulties of being in the family that requires every bit of sacrifice for the company, the very emotional struggles that her mother would always go through and how her family would only base facts upon ourselves besides how the media tried to trampled all of what my family had worked through.

    Riches.

    Private Jets.

    Gucci.

    Billion Dollar Mansions. 

    They wanted all of those things so bad because they know deep within them that they could only have that on a dream, never in reality. Praising her in the internet by her lavish lifestyle, all of it just makes her utterly sad for the reality. 

    It's kind of funny how someone would kill just to have all of those things that she have in the palm of her hands, and yet she, who has no problem in purchasing them, who lived in the world where people can only have in a dream, is just running away from it.

    Run.

    By this time, everybody should be on high alert in the mansion. They will now fully know that she was nowhere in my room or the radius outside of her own room, which is already a red alert in the damn house. Despite what the media people present her online, she was never the bad girl who lavishly spend my parent's money.

    The duffel bag keeps on bouncing on my side, let her be aware of the small capacity that she had managed to throw inside. She haven't even planned anything. All she did was just rushed packing every necessity that she have seen in the span of five minutes. All these have are the things that she could have possibly need for the time being.

    What she have inside her bag are just some clothes and three bottles of water to suffice my thirst for a couple of days.

    Run.

    My mind has its own agenda. 

    I couldn't stop it. 

    All that's running inside her own brain is to run away from the world that she had lived in. It's not like she was given not a single choice, in any way shape or form. She, Princess Zephyr, was the one who put herself in this mess, and she should be the only one who's supposed to suffer the consequences. 

    Putting her family in danger is not one of the things that she had dreamed about. 

    They have been with her through everything, only putting her needs in their best ability. Everyone in her family is kind enough to support her in all the things she had wanted to achieve, even hiring people who are best in the field to guide her. She wouldn't repay anything of those help by putting their lives on risk. 

    Therefore, she have to run away.

    Just before she had fixed everything.

    She knows that she have to, but as the tears start to fall from her amber eyes, all she can do is halt in her own steps. Running away from everything means pushing everything behind. All those people who dearly loved her and those people who mean the world to her will just vanish before her very eyes.

    Her mother, who had been her rock for years, will be out of her reach and would not give her any sort of advice when she really need one. She'll be heartbroken knowing that her only daughter isn't on her arms. Never knowing what had happened to her, Princess just know that her mother will be devastated. 

    Her father, who loved her more than his empire, will be crushed to my disappearance. Despite his tough exterior, everyone knows that his vulnerable side has always been his daughter - and he lived in that fact. Her father couldn't bear into facts knowing that she could be near in any danger. 

    My aunts and uncles who treasures her as much as her parents, one who always taught her things and entertain her in their best ability. 

    All of them will be out of her reach, never knowing if she can see them again. 

    And that's just killing her from the inside.

    No, running away wouldn't suffice. 

    Somehow, she need to learn to fight back and stand for her own right. She carefully nodded her head, seeing the good thing in what the voice inside her head injected through her system. That's right. She can do this without running away. 

    She have to face my problems somehow.

    She is going back.

    She needs to go back.     

    With that thought in mind, she carefully turn her heel back to where she was running away from when she stilled. She was not great at detecting danger but she just saw a glimpse of someone. A person. She was taken aback as a complete panic play in her own mind. Looking around the dark surrounding, she had tried her best to adjust her eyes to the blinking lights. 

    It was all nothing but a small part of darkness for a fraction of seconds, but then on a cue, it faced the night. The very action which then highlighted his features — a person. 

    It's a man.

    He was looking at her with wonder, as if confused to a presence of a young girl at this time of night. The man seemed like someone who would offer help almost anyone but as she had met his piercing stare, she already know that he was fully aware as to who she was and what is my worth. 

    It was like his eyes shifted into something that she had sense danger in him. 

    Unlike other petty k********g and most friends that she have, her value is off the roofs. Princess Zephyr is the only heiress of the largest company in the world, she holds the title of a hundred billion worth of empire.

    Or more. 

    It was dark, and there were just nothing but faint light that surround both of them. 

    It was dark, yes. 

    But that doesn't stop her eyes to see that smirk that was now dancing along his face.

    “Ah, heiress,” 

    Her body could not help but shiver by his voice alone, having her to take a single step back. The man carefully shook his head, as if already alerting her that her instinct is the wrong choice in the scenario. The way that they were both put had her wondering if he has a gun with him, enough to put an end to everything that she had lived for. 

    “Are you not going to reply?" He asked, still in his voice that was cold, much colder than the air that was touching her skin. If she could not control the shaking of her own body, he would have seen how her body badly wants to drop down and weep from all of the things that were happening to her life.

     “You seem lost,” he muttered softly, a smile slipping into his face. 

    She carefully rolled my eyes, crossing her arms just right below her chest as if she wanted to appear like someone who is domineering, “Who are you and what do you want.”

    He laughed, but that was nowhere near any laugh that she have ever heard. It seems dark and somewhat unfeeling; it looks like the very existence of him was poison to her. But she was sure that she had never seen him before. Those who are after her are not like him - if it was up to them, she would already be in a van shipped somewhere he is. 

    “That sounded like a demand,” he replied with a tilt of his head. 

    “Because it is,” she replied back, matching the tone of his voice.

    Princess was raised to be an independent woman and someone who can handle her emotions well. One thing one should know when faced with someone who was malicious intents towards you... is never to show fear. They feed on your fear, striking you when you're on your verge of exhaustion or desperation. 

    He smirked, all the apparent signs of being dark vanished and it was changed into a sense of amusement, “You can call me Rah,” he nodded softly as if he was pleasing himself, “Yeah, call me that.”

    Weird, but okay.

    “And what is your purpose here, exactly?”

    He grins, and as her hands moved back into her side, that seemed to be his cue to move his hands crossed on his chest, making her visibly gulp at his stance. Everyone could see his muscle defined by his single action, already having her aware that she was out of luck. Rah noticed her inconvenience, seeing that his eyes twinkle with the hint of mischief. 

    He's a f*****g prick. 

    As he shook his head to answer the question in her brain, somewhat her body became highly aware of who he is.

    “I believe we both know what my purpose is,” his left hand traced his jaw, making him look intimidating every single second that passed, “I want to say that I'm your worst nightmare, but that seems mainstream enough.”

    Her body did not need another word from him before she dashed out of place, running away from another thing that came to catch her. He did nothing but laugh at her futile attempt, as if what she was doing is nothing but exhausting herself. There were no movements from him; he only stayed rooted in his place. It would seem like he knows that she was about to choose that route of escape. 

    There were no fast-paced footsteps that were following her, and that seemed to be just enough to let her be aware that he wasn't following her.

    Thank the heavens. 

    However, before she could even cheer to what she thought was happening, the bubble of that hope burst into pieces. 

    She had screamed, engulfing herself in a hug as he appeared right before her. His stance was just like before, as if he is not bothered by one bit. He had his arms crossed just below his chest as his smirk was still playing on his lips. Unlike before, she could see that his mischief was highlighted.

    He's f*****g enjoying this. 

    “Get lost, you psycho!” she managed to scream, moving away from him. 

    Rah only tilted his head in wonder before he shook his head, stepping closer towards to where she was. Every time that she would back away from him, he would cut the distance off by stepping closer to where she was. He was playing a game, and she was indulging him. 

    “Leave me alone, you creep!” 

    “Now, I am a creep?” He mumbled, frowning at her, “I thought we established that you'd call me Rah?”

    She had rolled my eyes, “We were nowhere near establishing things!”

    “I see then. That's way too bad,” he walks towards her in a stride and before she could even knew it, both of his arms are on her shoulders, halting her future sudden movements, “You're coming with me, Heiress.”

    Without even giving her a chance to talk, he kneeled before pushing her right in his shoulder, letting her have an opportunity to pummel his back. That action, however, did no effect on him. Her mouth parted as a scream almost escaped it, but then a single thought entered her rusty mind.

    If she did let him take her far from here, she do not need to run for the hills and make herself be exhausted. He can do all the traveling and letting me get lost and tangled into some foreign land. She do not need to hide; he would do that for her. He would hide her, knowing that he would take her far from here as possible. 

    A laugh almost escapes her lips.

    Yes, that's a good plan. She had always good at running away. After he's done getting her out of this place, she can always outrun him. Princess can try and live in another world and outrun him.

    She can outrun them all.