SIXTY - SEVEN

SIXTY - SEVEN
CELESTIA

Neither Lila nor me was ready to leave each other’s company, but Cesar walked into the room with his stoic face and furrowed brows, demanding Lila to be escorted back to the villa.
One look at his possessive face and I burst out laughing. Lila blushed but followed my suit, while the man had no idea obviously.
Once we were finally relieved of our secret laugh at Cesar’s expense, Lila touched my arm assuredly. “I will come back later. You should rest.”
I nodded reverently and passed a smile before she gracefully rose from the seat beside my bed.
Once alone, a routine nurse stalked in and administered some pills that had me fall back to sleep for another few hours until it was post-lunch. For the first time, I actually tasted something on my tongue—even though it just soup and gain the strength to flex my fingers.
A few minutes later, Raffaele came in and with a visitor I have never seen before. The woman was in her mid-forties and held a serene look in her watery eyes that suddenly gleamed when her gaze met mine.
“You look beautiful today,” Raffaele came closer, leaned and kissed the side of my face, transmitting everything else he wanted to say. I noted his change of clothes and damp hair and appreciated that he finally looked after himself in days after I was taken away.
“Celestia, I want you to meet someone.” He looked at the woman, beckoning her to come closer. “This is Eden Walker.”
Nervously, my gaze flitted between them to provide some more information than a mere name. But she charmed a warm smile and stepped closer. “Hello Celestia. How are you, dear?”
“I am…better. Have we met…”
Raffaele picked up on my nervousness. “This is probably not the best time or place, love, but Eden here has been waiting to see you for a long time.”
“I still don’t understand, Raffaele…”
He nodded and smoothed a hand over my head. “I know, it would be a little too overwhelming at first but listen very carefully. She is your aunt, your birth mother, Maya Walker’s only sister.”
The revelation had me stumped. I didn’t know what to feel about a blood relation after all these years, and especially after the whole incident, but all I could was stare at her.
But Raffaele continued. “Kyla was not your real mother.”
“I know that,” I stuttered when his brows furrowed. He probably did not know the things Kyla had revealed. “I mean, Kyla and I are not related. She made it pretty clear that day. But she did not tell me the name of my birth mother.”
At this point, Eden, the woman who was supposed to be my aunt, teared up. Dabbing away the droplets, she smoothed a hand over my arm. “I can only imagine Maya’s happiness if she could have seen you today. My sister died with the knowledge that she lost her child even before birth.”
What followed was the narration of the missing pieces of the story before I was born. When my father fell head over heels for my mother and did everything in his power to exile Kyla from their life. Only the tale turned tragic and ended up with my parents’ lives.
For the first time, things made sense.
I no longer felt like an award creature with weird relations and secret life.
I heaved a sigh, recalling the words. “According to Kyla, she blackmailed my father into marrying her. She called my parents all sorts of names before forcing my hand for a signature. And only when I refused, she bolted.”
Raffaele jumped in with a furious glance. “Signature? For what?”
“Apparently, my father did not name Kyla as his heir, which she only found out after his death—actually, murder. Kyla planned his death, executed, but she did not know that she was only listed as interim CEO until I turned twenty-one.”
Realization dawned over him as he exchanged a look between Eden and me. “That day was your birthday.”
“Yes,” I affirmed. “That day, I officially became the CEO of Donovan Inc. and acquired the power to transfer it to someone else. Kyla wanted me to transfer everything to her name.”
“And then her plan was to kill you as well,” Eden added with residual anger of her own at Kyla’s expense. How long did this woman go out to annihilate my family? And as long as she lived, there was a threat to my life and all our lives.
“Not exactly,” I replied. “Kyla had already sold me to a Russian for an ‘impressive’ price tag.”
I did not realize that my words would ricochet so furiously until Raffaele stiffened. His whole demeanor shifted to something feral, something animalistic, like a wounded wolf.
I tried my best to squeeze his fingers with a feeble strength, whispering, “It’s ok, it’s over now.”
But I knew the depth of his rage and disliked for Kyla long before she projected herself to be the absolute villain in the story, and there was no way he would calm down with a soft squeeze.
He stood straighter, offering a tight smile to both of us. “I think you two should talk. Excuse me.”
And before I could object, he simply prowled out of the room.
Eden and I talked for some time, dotted with stories of my birth mother. It took us a lot to open up, unsure of what to speak at the hour of most defining tragedies of our lives. There were more sad memories than happy ones.
But sometimes you have to enjoy whatever ray of sunshine that shines on your path. Appreciating the little trinkets of happiness is what mattered.
And in my life, I have been blessed with many. The biggest one was the man I lost my heart and soul to.
And even Eden noticed that too. “I might have been here only for a few days, but I could clearly say how devoted he is to you.”
“He is,” I agreed because there was no doubt in my mind that I was.


It is always good to have the feedback of my readers! Please don't forget to drop me a comment loves. :)