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A Painful Past: Done Deed

In the evening of the next day, Sharon and her friend, Lily were returning to Sharon's home with Lily's mother, Mrs Karen who was trying hard not to give away the surprise so she kept a straight face. Sharon and Lily were smiling, already aware of the birthday surprise that was waiting at home. But those smiles soon became frowns of utter terror and disbelief.

From a distance, they could see flames burning brightly from what seemed to be Sharon's house. They all ran towards the house and were rooted to the spot because the blazing heat of the fire prevented them from getting closer.

Sharon cried and screamed for her parents.

"Mom, Dad, where are you?"

She heard a group of people who were trying to put out the flames with buckets of water say that her parents were still inside. The fire kept burning despite everyone's effort to put it out and it became just too much. The structure of the house got compromised and the building collapsed. Sharon's parents ended up dying in the inferno and her birthday became a day of great loss.

The funeral was a small gathering of the Thompsons' closest friends. They didn't have any family in Jacksonville seeing as their family didn't originate from there. The land was a gift, given to their ancestors hundreds of years ago after they had travelled from New Orleans to Oregon for work. Since they didn't reside there, the land's ownership had been passed down until Mr William moved his family to Jacksonville when he had some financial trouble and needed to lead a more humble lifestyle. He had cut ties with his family and they didn't even know he had moved to Oregon with his wife and daughter.

So, Sharon didn't have any family around but Mrs Karen was willing to take her in and raise her alongside her own children except her husband wasn't so willing. He wasn't willing to and neither could he afford to take care of someone else's child, seeing as he wasn't close to the Thompsons as his wife was. The only other options for her were either the orphanage or the streets.

Sharon was eventually put in an orphanage. She hadn't spoken a single word since her parent's death and usually cried at night. After a few days, Mr Addicus James Worthington suddenly arrived at the orphanage, wanting to adopt Sharon and raise her as his ward. The sisters at the orphanage were happy about this, knowing that he was a wealthy man. They saw it as God's way of helping little Sharon to have a good life despite all she had lost.

On the day when the adoption papers were to be signed, Mr Worthington requested to speak with her before signing, wanting to make sure she would like to go with him. He went over to her room and sat beside her.

"Hey there, Sharon. Do you remember me?" He asked.

She looked at him and nodded.

"They said you haven't spoken since It happened! Is that true?" He asked but she didn't answer.

"I heard about what happened to your parents and I'm so sorry. I didn't really know them but they seemed like good people. They did not deserve what happened to them, the same way you don't deserve what's happening to you.

"You're such a talented girl and you have a bright future. I remember seeing your painting that day and I know that with time, you could be a master painter and all the wealthiest men in the world would want to put your work on their walls. Do you want to come live with me in my home in Denver? You'll have a big room, dolls, a pet, anything you want, just as long as you're happy," Addicus said to her with a smile.

Sharon looked soulfully at him and embraced him, crying in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay, little one. It's all going to be okay!"

The papers were signed and Sharon was taken by Mr Worthington's driver to the store to buy her clothes and everything she would need and took her to the hotel suite to prepare everything so they could go back to Colorado as his business in Jacksonville was almost done.

The next night after taking Sharon from the orphanage, Mr Worthington was driven to a site with people working on the land. He went there to check on the progress. There were miners all over the place and they were digging deep, looking for something. The site was the same piece of land that belonged to Sharon's father, Mr William. It seemed that Addicus had managed to acquire the land before his death and was already working on it.

On this particular night, Mr Worthington stood watching the miners with a pensive look on his face. Jacobos Winston was already at the site and he walked over to Mr Worthington.

"The workers have been digging for days and they are getting closer. It's only a matter of time now," Jacobos informed his client.

Just then, there was some commotion among the miners. One of them came running up the slope towards Mr Worthington with a rock in his hand. He walked up to him and handed him the rock. It was gold; pure unrefined gold.

"They've found it," Jacobos said.

"Indeed, they have!" Addicus said with a smile on his face.

"I always knew that there was still some left. The only question was where. The fools in this wretched town mined it all away. The creek ran out and no one had found more gold in decades but now, I have and it's all mine," his smile got wider as he spoke.

"I can't believe that for generations the Thompsons didn't even know about the true worth of their land," Jacobos mentioned.

"You mean, my land?" Addicus corrected him.

"Of course, sir. Your land. What about the girl, Sir?" Jacobos asked.

"The girl's not going to be a problem. I'll take care of her as if she were my own. I'll give her everything she needs and wants. I'll win her trust, confidence, love and affection," he replied.

He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time.

"It's late! I must return to the hotel. Tomorrow, I'll leave for Denver to get things moving along here. Now that we know for certain that the gold is here, we must begin the extraction process and then commence production. I will become the wealthiest man alive and every rich person in America will patronise me; from furniture to accessories and jewellery. I'll sell it all and they will buy," Addicus said boastfully.

The next day, Sharon and her new guardian were off to Colorado. At the train station, Lily and her mother were there to see her off.

"I'll miss you Sharon, every day. And don't worry, I'll make sure to send you lots of letters," Lily said.

Sharon remained silent, still haven't yet said a word but she did hug Lily when the little girl reached out to hug her.

"You take care of yourself and I wish you all the best," Mrs Karen said to her and hugged her as well.

Sharon got on the train with Mr Worthington and his entourage. She sat in and stared out the window as the train started moving, leaving the only home she had ever known for what she hoped would be a better future

**PRESENTLY

**BACK IN THE COTTAGE

"That was how I lost my parents and went to live with Addicus in Denver. I was so hopeful that my life could turn out better and for a couple of years, it was better. It was the best I could ask for," Sharon said to Peter.

"What happened next?" Peter asked, very much intrigued.

"So much happened Peter. So much!"


**{Author's Note: If you stuck around till the end of the prologue, then it must mean you're giving the story a fair go and I appreciate it. Keep going to experience the rest of this amazing story...The best is yet to come!}

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