Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Kenny

What was wrong with me? What was wrong with her?

Sleep eluded me, and for good reason. I still had no intention of getting close to her, not even a little. But it seems that she felt the same. That filled me with an unknown emotion that was hard to describe.

While sitting there with her, I expected to be annoyed with her presence alone. Yet each time she unwrapped a gift, each little comment she made wasn't enough to make me feel that way.

Her eyes brightened when she smelled something she liked and narrowed when confronted with something she didn't understand.

It might just be all in my head, but I saw what looked like disdain when she realized the truth about our wedding "gifts".

I took off my T-shirt and resigned to sleeping half-naked. Mother and Father got what they wanted, I'm married now. When will they get it that what people think of me is none of my concern? People should be looking up to me for my intelligence, not looking down on me because of some stupid rumours. Besides, they knew who I still had feelings for.

Although I tried to distract myself by thinking about my unwillingness to get married, all that came to mind was Copper walking up to me in her wedding dress. She seemed so nervous and out of place but an outsider wouldn't be able to notice with the way she held her head high.

I smirked to myself and closed my eyes. What a poser. Pretty though, but still a poser.

Copper

I walked to him. "What are you doing here, Sylvester? It's late."

My grandfather straightened his back. "I trust your first night with him was uneventful."

I shrugged. "As much as it could be. Is that why you came here? To check up on me?"

"That," he took something out of his pocket, "and this."

He handed me a card and an envelope. I lifted the card and from what I could make out, it was a black bank card.

"I doubt that you have received any noteworthy gifts."

"You're not wrong but..." I looked at him. "Is this card for me?"

Sylvester chuckled. "I didn't give it to anyone else, did I? Use that how you wish. I trust you."

"Wow. Um, thanks but..." I didn't know what to say.

"Not only that. Look inside the envelope."

I did and looked inside. Shaken, my fingers danced over the hundred-dollar notes. They were real.

"In there is $20,000," Sylvester stated. "Bring $2,000 with you every time you go into town. Bring either some of Greenland's people with you or some of mine. I believe I don't need to remind you to keep your presence on the down-low while in public. A lot of people won't recognise you but-"

Sylvester stopped nagging when I hugged him. I squeezed until there was nothing left of me.

"Thank you," I muttered. "I'm really trying to trust you wholeheartedly. I really am."

He didn't hesitate to hug me back. "I only want you to trust that I will always have you and the rest of your family's best interest at heart. And I always will."

I smiled and patted his back. Suddenly, I said, "I'm not saying this just because you gave me money, you know."

"I'm aware." He laughed. "I wouldn't blame you if you did either. I owe you this much."

A smile appeared on my lips. Maybe I was becoming more comfortable with him. And maybe that's not a bad thing.

________

I couldn't sleep, at all. The money and card Sylvester left me were in the top drawer of my nightstand. My insides felt strange and uncertain. What exactly am I supposed to do with so much money? Some people don't even get this much a year. My parents probably made...

An idea popped into my head.

My parents! They could use the money. Dad always wanted to redo the bathroom and Mom could replace that old couch and pots and even have money left over for food.

I changed into a shapeless dress and a sweater before taking some money out of the envelope. $10,000 in total.

Next, I took my phone and a small handbag to store them in. I checked the time. 1:10AM. Mom would usually get up to drink water at 2:00AM. I'm sure she'd be happy to see me no matter what time it is.

And surely no one would care if I left to go outside, right?

Slipping past the men standing guard was easy enough. They were more concerned about who was sneaking inside more than the lady who was sneaking out. Sylvester gave me the keys to a car that I could use at my leisure.

All it took was for me to have a stare-down with the guard watching the gate for him to open it. Just like that, I was cruising with a red Mercedes on the road home.

The city had never been so bright. I rolled down the window, feeling the breeze as it whipped through my hair. Freedom is such a precious thing. Just sleeping in a house with that man in the next room was stifling enough.

It took forty minutes to make it to my street. The closer I got to my house, I couldn't help but feel giddy. I was going to see them again after so long!

Would they think I changed? Would they make fun of me? There was only one way to find out.

As I drew closer to my house, a sense of uncertainty washed over me. What if it was a bad idea to surprise them like this?

Just to be sure, I slowed down and dialled my mom's number.

She didn't pick up, but I could see my place up ahead.

Excited, I parked right outside the front door and hurried to get out of the car. The nervousness was overruled by my happiness.

Knocked once. Twice. No answer. They were probably sleeping. Good thing I still had my key.

After unlocking the door, I flipped the switch and headed inside. My whole body froze. The bundle of keys dropped to the floor.

No TV. No old couch. I couldn't even make out any sign of the carpet.

"M-mom?" I shouted. "Daniel?"

No reply from either of them. I ran from the living room into their bedroom. The bed was not there and neither was any of their clothes.

I went to my bedroom. All my furniture and posters were gone. There wasn't even a speck of dust. It was like I never lived there at all.

My body staggered, forcing me to lean against the wall.

Had they all... left me?

_______

I returned home sometime after 3AM, but I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. My thoughts desperately tried to scramble together an answer. By the time dawn broke, I was already out of the house and on my way to the Harmony estate with the same clothes that I had worn the night before.

The men stationed at the door didn't try to get in my way. Either because they recognised me or they didn't want to receive the wraith of the madwoman stomping towards them.

"Copper." Sylvester walked out of his office in a robe. "What a pleasure to see you, child. Did something happen?"

Was he working so early in the morning? That didn't matter.

I got straight to the point. "What did you do to my parents? They would have never left without telling me."

He squinted his eyes as if trying to understand what I was saying, Then a sign of realization spread throughout his face.

"Oh! No, they left of their own free choice."

"Impossible! Did you have them removed and placed them where nobody could find them out of concern for your reputation? I know my parents. They would have at least called if they were planning to go somewhere. Did you use your money to make them go away?"

"Something like that." He shrugged like it was no big deal. "Your old house didn't seem very... suitable, for lack of a better word. So I had everything thrown out. Most of what was in there was old and rotten anyway."

My temper reached a boiling point. My hands clenched into fists. It felt like at any minute I would burst into flames.

"I should have never trusted you," I grumbled. "That 'unsuitable' house had kept me safe for over a decade. It might seem like a poor person's place of residence to you but that place had more heart than you do!"

Tears started to form as I stormed off. Sylvester was telling me to wait and talk to him, but I didn't feel like it. I felt betrayed, and angry. I could only hope that they were alright, wherever they were.

I was at the front door, prepared to leave when the guards there stopped me. I frowned. "I'm leaving. You need to let me through."

"Sorry, Mrs. Greenland," one of the guards said. "We are not permitted to let you pass until Mr. Harmony allows it."