Jade woke up in the morning to the sound of her alarm clock, at 7 a.m. Rubbing her eyes, she got down from the bed and walked to the washroom. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection– a pair of soulless green eyes stared back at her, puffy from all the crying. She was tired from all the events that had unfolded in a single day, turning her life upside down.
She took a deep breath and started freshening up. After that, she strode to her walk-in closet and took out a black dress from it, a plain black dress reaching to her calves. Then, She went to her dressing table and tied her hair back in a loose bun. She also applied some eye makeup to conceal the redness in her eyes, trying to look presentable.
There was a knock on the door, and a maid walked in,"Mam, everyone is waiting for you downstairs."
"I'll be there in a moment," replied Jade. With that, she left.
She looked at herself in the mirror and promised herself to be strong and not cry. She composed herself and stood at the top of the stairs, and what she saw looked just like a scene out of a mafia novel. 4 Men in black, stood on the two sides below the stairs. As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, they escorted her to the dining hall. They stopped in front of a huge golden door with figures of two tigers etched on it.
The tigers in the figure were looking towards the sky, roaring majestically. They pushed the doors open and closed them as soon as she entered the hall. 'I feel like I am a mafia boss from those typical mafia novels and am making a grand entrance. Ugh. I forgot I am a mafia boss!!'
She went to the huge dining table in the centre of the hall and everyone made way for her to sit at the head of the table, the seat that belonged to her father. After she sat down, she noticed that everyone sat down only after her and they started eating only after she took the first bite of her food. She realised it must be a tradition in her family that she had failed to notice until now.
After having breakfast with her extended family, most of whom she didn't even know, she stood up and everyone followed suit.
Now, it was time to go to the church for burial rituals. She got into the car and stared out of the window at nothing in particular. 'My father is going to be buried. I could feel my heart clench at that thoughtand before I knew it, we reached the church. Ok.. Ok.. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. I brought my emotions under control and got out of the car.'
All heads turned towards her, some glanced at her with hostility, some with curiosity and others with... With... Pity. She felt a bit of anger rising in her 'cause she hated people pitying her. 'They can shove that pity in their pockets and go home with it because I don't need it.'
She controlled her emotions and kept her expressions calm. She stayed there throughout the rituals but what made her furious was that her mother, Cassandra, came to her father's burial!!
She looked towards Jade, through her tears and pulled her into an embrace. An embrace that Jade craved as a kid, but now it only added fuel to fire and disgusted her.
Jade hated herself for the fact that she loved her and once craved her presence and love, but now her mere presence enflamed her. She didn't even bother hiding her anger and disgust for her. She pushed her away, making her fall into the mud. Cassandra looked at Jade as if she was hurt by the fact that she pushed her away. She stood up looking at Jade like a lost puppy that had been wronged.
Jade couldn't stand her presence for a single second so she left, sat in the car and asked her driver to take her to the mansion. She strode to the mansion and sat on the couch in the living room.
Soon after, Cassandra came with tears brimming in her oceanic blue eyes,"What happened Jade? Did I do something wrong? I know I left your father but trust me Jade I always loved you. I had to leave you because I was left with no choice. Your father used to abuse me physically and mentally, and I couldn't even take your custody because he used his money and power but trust me, Jade, I always loved you and prayed for your happiness, I swear on God. I know that you haven't forgiven me and most probably you never would but..but...Please!!...Please don't hate me." said Cassandra with trembling lips and body shaking with sobs.
'How dare she blame my father for everything when she was the one who betrayed him? How dare she blame my father for something he never did and that too without an ounce of guilt when he loved her more than anyone on this earth. How dare she blame him for misusing his power and money when she did not even apply for my custody in the court and just simply left me.
Had I not known better, I would have believed her words but unfortunately for her, I know her a bit too well. I can't believe her guts, she had the guts to come to my father's burial and now she is blaming him while standing in his mansion. She even had the guts to swear in the name of God!! Now, my hatred for her knows no bounds!' thought Jade.
"Please...please don't hate me." said my mother sobbing. From her side view, Jade could see all the people glancing pitifully at her mother and glaring daggers at her.
'Fine, she wants a show right then a show be it…' Jade picked her up from her position, wiped her tears, smiled and said, "I don't hate you, Mom."
She looked at me smiling through her tears and said, "Really??"
"Yes, I don't hate you; I despise you, your mere presence and stop this damned acting of yours because the truth is that, my father never abused you instead you were the one to abuse me. You left my father not because he abused you but because you loved someone else. You betrayed my father and you said that you wanted to keep me with you but he used his money and power. A joke because you never applied for my custody. You abused me, your flesh and blood! So, now you know what, drop that damned facade of a good mother and good wife. You were neither a good wife nor a good mother. Just leave!! Get the hell out of here!! "
Jade turned around and started to go towards the stairs when she heard a voice from behind. "You didn't deserve to take birth. You are nothing but a disgrace to the whole Collins family and I am sure that you will bring the whole Collins family into ruins. You deserved every bit of the treatment I gave you as a child. You are nothing but a disgrace!!"
With that, she left. Finally, she dropped that facade of a kind woman but the words she said worked like daggers on Jade's heart. She went into her room and locked it. Her already broken heart shattered into a million pieces all over again.
She felt as if the walls of the room were closing in on her, it suffocated her. She felt like she couldn't breathe and her heart clenched at the emotional pain she felt. So, she stood up and went outside. She asked the security guard to hand her the keys to her bike. He told her that he wanted to send security guards with her for her safety, so she asked him to send Sera, Aria and Jaxon with her. They had been not only her bodyguards but also her friends for as long as she could remember. She trusted them with her life.
She was riding the bike at the fastest speed she could. The wind hitting her face felt good. It gave her peace. She loved bikes because they brought her out of all the pain and helped her in keeping her mind empty. She loved this feeling of the wind hitting her face. A lone tear fell from her eyes. She started driving faster, the sound of the wind and the engine was music to her ears.
A few black cars came out of nowhere and stopped in front, blocking the road. Jade stopped her bike just inches away from crashing into the cars. Then came Sera, Aria and Jaxon on their bikes. They got down from their bikes and stood in front of her in a protective stance with their guns pointed towards the cars.
A few men got down from the cars and pointed their guns at them. One of them who looked like the leader of their group said, "Surrender yourself and hand over your boss to us."
Sera sneered, "She is your boss as well. I guess you should double-check the information before pointing your guns at us. You know that by doing this you are inviting the wrath of the Collins empire. I suggest you step back and bow down in front of your new boss while you still have the chance to."
Tristen, who was watching everything unfold like a spectator thought to himself, 'things are going to get interesting.'