CHAPTER 1

"There are so many things to be thankful for, Aurie, such as this. Love, not everyone can afford such a lavish lifestyle," my father preached. I didn't say a word and just stared at him. To be honest, I didn't ask for this. Besides the attention I needed, I requested nothing else from them.

"It's been a while since I last saw her. Her promise to me, dad, was unwavering. We've been waiting for hours yet she still hasn't arrived!" I screamed.

"Aurie, please wait a few more minutes. Your mother has promised to show up. She just attended an important meeting." I rolled my eyes once again. Every time we were throwing a party, this was our scene. It was hard for me to believe that mommy would ever show up at times like this, despite her promises.

I sat back on my chair and took a deep breath. My father looked like he was about to throw up. I was sure he was embarrassed that my mother was taking so long again. I looked down and only focused on the food. Seeing him looked at me that way had made me feel sorry for myself. My mother was a lawyer, and my father was a police officer. They both put in a lot of time at work, but when it came to me, daddy was very different. In contrast to my mother, who prioritized her career over her family, he always made time for me.

We waited a few more minutes, but not even my mother's shadow appeared. I looked up when I heard daddy's deep sigh. He gave me a raw smile before mucking up my hair.

"All right, let's eat. Congratulations, my love," he said and pinched my cheek. We were served quietly by the servants who had stood by our side earlier. It was humiliating that they saw me in this situation again. It had always been this way; whenever we had an occasion to celebrate, my mother wouldn't show up.

I was accepted into the cheering club today. I'd been attempting to join for several years but was only recently accepted. I understood that an eight-year-old girl should not be upset that her mother hadn't shown up due to work. However, this was too much; why couldn't she make time for me? This was not a trivial occasion. It was infuriating because she always couldn't attend even birthdays or Christmas celebrations.

I ate quietly with Daddy. My resentful tears were about to fall. This was one of my proudest accomplishments so far. Almost every cheerleading team I joined refused to accept me due to my frail body. I was exhausted, but I was doing my best. My mother promised me that as soon as I was accepted, she would be here immediately. I guess, promises were really meant to be broken, huh?

When we were done eating, daddy escorted me to my room. I expected him to stay and speak with me, but he simply kissed me on the forehead and messed up my hair again.

"Aurie, I understand your resentment. I understand you're not in the mood to discuss this today, but if you need someone to talk to, just knock on my door and I'll listen." When I heard that, my eyes became wet once more. I nodded and hugged him tightly. He was, fortunately, with me. Otherwise, I might have run away due to an excess of resentment.

I turned away from him and went to bed. I didn't return my gaze until I heard the door shut. I spent the last few minutes staring at the wall. I truly didn't have any homework; I used it as an excuse to avoid being compelled to go shopping by my father.

I took a deep breath and reached for the book on the side table. This was neither a fairy tale nor a bedtime story. My mother never purchased those items for me. This book was entirely about mindset, interpersonal relationships, and how reality works. Mark Manson was the author; I knew nothing about him because, according to his book, I shouldn't give a fuck. I enjoyed books of this genre. I was intrigued by those fairytale stories, but I didn't have the time to read them. This was most likely mommy's gift, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Initially, daddy didn't want me to read this type of book because he believed I was too young, but when he saw how much I enjoyed it, he didn't prevent me from reading.

Was I spoiled? No. Absolutely not. He never tolerated all the wrong things that I did.

I spent the entire day poring over the book. I didn't feel sleepy throughout the day, so when night fell, I went to bed early.

#

I awoke early the following morning. I could hear the birds chirping outside my room. The sun shone brightly and the trees nearly danced in response to the strong wind. I desired to frown but was unable to do so due to the pleasant view outside. It was Saturday, and the weather was perfectly beautiful.

"Aurie? Breakfast is prepared, and your mom and dad are waiting for you at the table." I heard a voice outside my room. Was that nanny Sena?

Mom and dad? I assumed she was already here. Did she just arrive or was she already here last night? Psh, when there was truly no reason to celebrate, that was the time she'd go home.

"I'll come down in a second." I didn't wait for her response and immediately went to the bathroom. I only washed my face before going out.

The entire second floor hallway was silent as I walked. Perhaps the housemaids finished cleaning earlier, as I did not see a single one. .

I could hear mommy laughing from the kitchen, despite that I had just got to the first floor. I was sure she was talking to my dad. Only my dad had the ability to make her laugh so hard.

I entered the kitchen without looking at them. Mommy's laughter had ceased, and I was aware that they were now staring at me. I didn't look at her; I was still upset.

"Good morning," she softly greeted. I remained silent and sat quietly. She wasn't even sorry for not coming home yesterday.

I sat beside my dad, who had become quiet as well. He kissed my cheek and handed me a plate. Rather than the maid serving me, it was mommy who made the first move to feed me. I had the impression that daddy and her were communicating through their eyes, as daddy left my side voluntarily and mommy took over without saying anything.

"Congratulations, my love," she murmured as she kissed me. I remained silent and made no attempt to talk to her. I heard her sigh when I ignored her and simply began eating.

"I'm sorry for not coming home earlier yesterday; it was an urgent meeting, and I needed to be there." I became even more enraged as I heard her explanation. How many years had that been her constant reason for her absence from home? Was there nothing new to say? My ears were weary of hearing those words.

"Would you like to go shopping? Or do you prefer to eat outside? I did a reservation for three at your aunt's restaurant."

I closed my eyes firmly. I felt like my annoyance I'd been feeling since yesterday was gradually disappearing.

This was what I despised the most; I was easily tamed, easily swayed by things like this. I raised my eyes to mommy; her eyes were moist, as if she were about to cry. I was not sure if she was acting or not.

"Sure, what time?" I smiled as a response. Even though I always sulked, I still despised seeing mommy in this state. If she was a beast in court, she was just a puppy in my eyes.

"After lunch, perhaps? Let's go shopping and eat at your auntie's restaurant together. She informed me that they had introduce a new dish. So far, it has proven to be their best seller."

The level of excitement I was feeling had increased even further. Maybe because I would see my Auntie Nena again. She was the only living relative we had left in our family. My mother was an only child, and both of her parents were already dead, whereas my father was my Auntie Nena's only brother, their parents had also passed away.

This was our first date of the year, so I shouldn't miss out on this opportunity. After breakfast, I spent the rest of the time tidying up. I was already dressed even though we hadn't had lunch yet. I desperately wanted to leave the room, but I was afraid my father would tease me because my excitement was too obvious for him to ignore.

"Wow, I really do look good," I thought to myself. I looked in the mirror with wide eyes and marveled at my own completeness.

I was dressed in a long-sleeved purple dress. My legs were covered to the ankles by the length of the skirt. I accessorized it with a pair of black ankle boots. To be completely honest, this was my first time dressing by myself. Most of the time, it was the housemaids who would dress me up. They also had a lot of influence over what I wear.

I took a few moments to contemplate my completeness before styling my hair. It took a long time to style it because I had no prior knowledge of how to do such things.

Gosh, I should have called the maid.

The minutes ticked away until lunch was over. Mom was prepared, and I was simply the one who they had been waiting for. I was guessing daddy was the one who went first to get the car ready because he'd be the one driving for us.

"You look marvelous. Are you ready to go?" I clutched on her arm as I began to walk. My confirmation that I was correct came when we walked out of the house and saw daddy standing outside, ready to greet us. He was leaning against the car, his eyes fixed on us.

"Beautiful ladies," he mouthed. I immediately closed my eyes when I saw them kissed in front of me. Even after marriage, they retained the characteristics of teenagers.

I couldn't look them in the eyes because of what they did. I frantically kicked the pebble near my foot and kept an eye on it to see where it went.

I would have praised myself when I saw how far away it was, but my palm immediately landed on my mouth in response to the man who had been struck by the rock.

I saw him flinch for a split second before regaining his composure. My eyes narrowed as I locked them on the man. Oh, that would be one of our maid's sons. I recognized him but was unfamiliar with his given name. However, I overheard our maid addressed him as "Sev." I was not sure if that was his real name, as my mother once referred to him as "Pito."

Mommy was covering his tuition fees because his parents' income was insufficient to send him to his dream school. His mother had worked for our family for decades, which explained why my parents were friendly with her. Mommy's money spent on Pito or Sev or whatever his name was, was not in vain, as his grades, according to my mother, were better than mine.

When I saw him turned toward my direction, I immediately returned my gaze to my parents. Why was I so tensed?

I heard daddy laugh when he saw me frowning. I suddenly remember what they did before I kicked the rock. I could feel the flush of embarrassment on my cheek. Oh my goodness, why couldn't they do that in a private place? Infront of me, really? I offered to volunteer to get in the car first and simply waited for them to go in. I was alone in the backseat, while mommy sat in the front with daddy.

"Let's go," daddy said as the car started. I remained silent throughout the trip and simply stared out the window. I avoided speaking with my father because my mother was sleeping. I knew that she was exhausted from work, and I'd prefer not to disturb her. She should be resting right now, but she insisted on accompanying me shopping. A few moments later when we arrived at the mall. Dad was the one who woke mom up.

We stayed inside for a while after the car was parked to fix ourselves. Mom was retouching her makeup, while dad was spraying a perfume all over his body. Daddy was the first to exit the car and hold the door open for us. I could almost close my eyes from the heat of the sun's rays. This was an open parking space, which meant that the sun's heat would immediately contact our skin as we exited the car. Fortunately, there were numerous trees in the area, which helped to cool the air.

As we continued to walk, I clung to mommy's arm once again. Some people were staring at us because my mother was here.

She was a well-known lawyer, that's why.

I only felt happiness in the next few hours. I was able to do all of the tasks I set out to do because we were now complete. I could confirm that mommy had a good time shopping as well, and she even wanted to go shopping more, but we were all starving.

Mommy and I went straight to Auntie Nena's restaurant. Daddy loaded everything we purchased into the car first. Mom bought so many things, and I was afraid it might cause a traffic jam if we simply put it on the floor.

"Aliana!" Auntie Nena exclaimed as she greeted us. After she hugged my mother, she kissed me on the cheek. She had a striking resemblance to my father. When you put it all together, you could say that they were actually siblings.

"Oh my goodness, Aurie! You appear to be in great shape!" She looked at me from head to toe before turning her attention to my mom.

"Thank you," I said in hushed tones. I didn't raise my voice because I knew she wouldn't pay attention to me. She was too preoccupied with mommy, so I shouldn't bother her any longer. They were bestfriends, and whenever they were together, they were in their own little world.

Auntie Nena's restaurant was enormous, and there were a large number of people inside as well. There was a view of the sea from where we were standing outside the restaurant. Auntie Nena returned to the restaurant to take care of our order. Daddy hadn't returned yet because the parking space was too far from the restaurant; mommy and I were the only ones left here.

"Aurie, I'm just gonna use the restroom. Please don't go anywhere, okay? Wait for your dad to arrive; he's on his way." Mommy kissed me on the cheek and waved goodbye before she entered the restaurant. I took a few steps back and looked around. There were a large number of people at the seaside because the sun was about to set. They chose to spend their time here because the scenery was breathtaking.

A cold breeze hit my face and I closed my eyes, suffocating myself in the process.

"Where has she gone?!" I almost jumped in fear when I heard gunshots from afar.

I squinted my eyes in puzzlement. People were starting to run. By looking at them, it looked like bulls were chasing them.

My chest trembled as I noticed the group of men in black nearby. They were all armed. I rose to my feet because of my nervousness. As I approached the restaurant, I heard another gunshot. People shouted in response to the loud bang, as if the person firing was enraged that he hadn't done it only once. My eyes began to fill with tears. I was starting to feel scared.

"Mom? Dad?" I called, in tears. I was not sure where I would run because so many people collided with me. As with me, I was aware that they were also fearful.

"Ah!" I yelled when someone pushed me. They were all in a state of confusion, unsure what to do. I was not alone in my tears, as I saw numerous children separated from their parents.

"Aurie!" I immediately looked up when I heard mommy's voice. She was alongside daddy, and the two of them were running towards me. My mother's eyes were also teary, as if she was about to cry. I remained still, despite my nervousness. I immediately ran toward them. There were a lot of people pushing me, but I didn't stop running. I was on the verge of reaching my mother's hand when another gunshot echoed throughout the place.

My body shook because of the searing pain. My mother called out my name, and I could hear her voice trembling. I was about to call her name back when another gunshot rang out, simultaneously with the new pain I felt.

"AURORA!”