Chapter 2
"Run. Ophelia, run!"
My eyes snapped open, a jolt of adrenaline coursing through me. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my heart pounding in my chest.
I winced, a sharp pain shooting through my body. I glanced around, taking in the sterile white room, the smell of antiseptic stinging my nostrils.
My eyes landed on the IV drip, the clear liquid dripping steadily into my vein. The memories flooded back, a tidal wave of horror crashing over me. Tears streamed down my face, hot and uncontrolled.
"You just woke up, and you're already crying." I whipped my head towards the doorway, my heart pounding. "Take a rest, you need it," he said, his voice deep and reassuring.
Judging by his strong, masculine tone, he couldn't be older than twenty-five.
His body was a work of art, sculpted and powerful, every muscle defined. He looked like he'd spent his life in the gym, his physique a testament to his dedication.
My eyes locked onto his face, and a chilling realization washed over me. I knew him, and I knew exactly what he'd done.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice barely a breath as he moved closer.
He stood before me, his gaze intense, making my skin crawl with a strange mixture of fear and something else, something I couldn't quite define.
Besides knowing him as my savior, he was also the business rival of my parents, who were now gone.
"Your parents' murderers are in custody. We can't put him behind bars right now, since you're still in the hospital, and you're the only witness," he said, his voice a low rumble.
My eyes darted away, tears stinging my eyes.
The events were still fresh in my mind, raw and painful. I couldn't imagine forgetting and starting a new life without my parents. The thought was unbearable, a gaping hole in my heart.
"I wish you'd just let me die that day," I whispered, the words a desperate plea escaping my lips.
"Why would you want to die?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. His question ignited a firestorm of anger within me.
I glared at him, my eyes burning with resentment. "And why did you save the daughter of your business rival?" I spat, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You should have just let me die.”
"I can't," he said calmly, his voice steady. He offered me a smile, then turned and walked towards the door. "Maybe your parents were my rivals, but you're not. You're too innocent in my eyes to be held responsible for your parents' sins," he said over his shoulder before leaving the room.
My mind went blank. My parents' sins? My parents were good people, and it sounded like he was saying they deserved what happened to them?
Suddenly, the image of my parents flooded my mind, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I didn't know why it happened to them, why the person they showed kindness to would end their lives, but I refused to stay in the dark. I needed to know everything, every detail, about what happened that day.
…
After three days of being confined, I was finally discharged. I spent the entire day focusing on getting better, trying to heal both physically and emotionally.
The hearing was postponed, and then canceled altogether. The remaining suspect took his own life while in custody.
"Should we take you to your home?" The man in front of me asked, his voice soft. I looked at him, my hands empty, having left the hospital with nothing but the clothes on my back.
"I don't know where to go. I can't go home. I'll just hear everyone's screams. I may be healed physically, but the trauma is too much to bear," I said, my voice a low whisper.
I didn't know why I was so casual with this man, the rival of my deceased parents. It felt strange, almost surreal.
"Come stay with me," he said, his voice firm.
I don't know why I nodded. I didn't have anywhere else to go. My parents had prepared for my future, so I had enough money, but I didn't know what to do with it.
Besides, I had no family other than my parents. Both of them are orphans. They had built their business from the ground up, their success a testament to their hard work and talent.
He opened the car door for me, and I didn't hesitate to get in.
We both sat in the passenger seat, a heavy silence settling between us.
"Are you going to stay with me?" he asked, breaking up the silence.
"Even if I didn't want to, I have nowhere else to go," I replied, my voice barely a whisper.
"Are you prepared to make my business enemies your own?" he asked, his voice serious, his eyes searching mine.
I stared back at him, my gaze empty.
"Of course. Just don't get too comfortable thinking I won't stab you in the back. After all, you are my parent's rival."
He laughed, a low, rumbling sound. "You keep my interest in you," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Silence consumed me.
The future felt like a vast, empty space. Hope had dwindled, leaving me adrift.
Then, this man appeared, a beacon in the darkness.
He didn't just save me from the situation; he rescued me from the despair I didn't even realize I was drowning in.
My gaze returned to him. I’d always seen this man in my parents' business suits, a symbol of their world. Never in a million years did I imagine I'd be sitting beside him, our bodies practically touching.
My parents had always warned me against befriending their enemies, especially Dimitri Cox, the name synonymous with my family's biggest rival in the industry.
Yes, my parents was part of the most prominent businesses, but the Cox empire reigned supreme.
I remember his words, spoken with a chilling certainty right in front of my parents before, replayed in my mind. "I'll bring the Rodrigo empire down."
The threat was a tangible thing, a dark cloud hanging over and now, here I was, sitting so close to the man who uttered those words.
"You look terrified. Is my face that scary?" he murmured, snapping me back to reality.
I shook my head quickly, turning my gaze to the window.
"I'm sorry if I stared too much," I mumbled.
He fell silent for a moment.
"Your parents don't deserve what happened to them," he said, his voice laced with a quiet conviction. "But many rivals wanted them out of the picture," he continued, his words carrying a weight of understanding.
"Were you one of them?" I asked, finally meeting his gaze.
A flicker of sadness crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a smile.
"It's true that I'm considered as a rival to your parents, but I never saw them in that way. Besides, I offered protection for them, but they refused my help."
His words sparked my curiosity, causing my eyebrow to rise.
"Help? Why would you help them?" I asked, my voice laced with skepticism.
He stared at me, a smile playing on his lips.
"You wouldn't understand now, but once you're old enough, you'll understand everything I'm doing. For now, study everything about my world, the world your parents lived in. And when you're ready, I'll tell you everything I know, everything about why your parents died."
His words felt overwhelming. Maybe it was because I was too young to grasp the complexities of his world.
"Why are you so kind to me?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion.
He looked at me with a gentle gaze, his presence suddenly a little too close for comfort.
He reached out and patted my head.
"You might see me as your enemy," he said, his voice a low rumble, "but that doesn't apply to me." he added and offered an unsettling twist of his lips.
I wanted to ask more, but my mind felt overloaded.
The events of the past few days, the chilling words he'd spoken, the weight of my parents' loss – it all felt like a storm brewing within me, a storm I wasn't sure I could weather.