With so many thoughts lingering in my mind, I found myself at home. I noticed Judy's worried look and Dr. Felix's tense expression, as if a hundred questions were running through his mind.
I greeted them briefly and searched for tangible excuses to just stay away, at least long enough to take a bath and sleep. I needed to recharge before facing my former apartment.
As I was about to undress, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I said, surprised to see Judy. I hadn't expected her, especially after all these years of my cold shoulders. Why was she here? I reminded myself she was my stepbrother's wife, and tried to calm my nerves.
With a sigh, I said, "I'm sorry if I made you worry, but I want you to be prepared for times like this. I have other responsibilities besides being a jewelry designer."
She shook her head. "I'm not worried about where you've been. I'm worried about you. You know I study psychology, right? The burden you carry is heavy, Cathy. I know and can see that you don't trust people easily, and I respect that, but I've never had a friend before. I consider you my friend… my best friend, even if you don't feel the same. I just want you to know someone is rooting for you, hoping you can live a day free of that burden. I want to share it with you, if you'll allow me."
I froze, dumbfounded. Is she crazy? If she's a psychologist, shouldn't she know I can't let anyone get close because of my revenge? And yet… no one else, aside from Melissa, has ever made me feel this way. I don't want to lose someone all in the name of close bond, I'm destined to be alone.
While I was still sorting through my conflicting emotions, she hugged me briefly and gave me a peck on my cheek. That gentle gesture snapped me out of my thoughts. She laughed, that singsong laugh I knew so well, and left the room. Sweet as it was, I reminded myself I wouldn't consider her a full friend, only enough to slightly change my attitude toward her.
After a quick bath and four hours of sleep, I prepared myself to face my fear: to finally see what my mother had prepared for me.
After taking my bath and sleeping for four hours, I prepared myself to face my fear: to see what my mother had prepared for me.
Arriving at my former house—the place where my mother and I shared so many memories, and where Elorah, my once loyal friend, had also shared moments—I saw my assistant. He had been taking care of the palace and had set up one of the vacant rooms for me, and another for Brenda, the one tasked to lure Mark in.
"Boss, you're finally ready to come stay here. This place is really good," he said.
I rolled my eyes and dismissed him, ignoring his enthusiasm. I entered the particular room that had been locked the way I left it, the one I had specifically ordered my assistant not to touch. Inside, the pot of dried lavender flowers and the rusted key lay where they had always been. Elorah had never come to the house; I thought she might have cared, but she hadn't once treated me as a friend. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, but it seemed she wouldn't make things easy. She was going to taste triple of what I had endured.
I entered the dusty room, glancing at my mother's picture smiling back at me, a beautiful smile I wished I could see just one more time. I moved to her room and opened her drawer where she kept her jewelry. I was surprised. My mother's collection was worth billions. How rich was she to own jewelry rare enough to be displayed in a museum? I carefully packed her pieces into the backpack I had brought with me, then turned her bed to the other side.
I noticed a silver box with a lock. I laughed at myself and at my mother. How could I open this without the key? The keyhole was unlike any I had seen before, but it looked familiar. Then it hit me: the necklace my mother had given me as a gift was the key. My mother really knew how to protect her secrets. I blamed myself too, thinking if I had stayed calm and read what was in the envelope earlier, I might not have endured hell in M Country. Yet, that journey had taught me how to deal with people and set up a company capable of giving me the wealth and power I needed.
Opening the box, what I saw caught me off guard and dumbfounded.
My mother had an ATM card and also a studio at SK City here in S Country, and also inside the silver box was a USB drive and a letter. The letter explained that the studio in SK City had been under the control of an assistant who was supposed to hand it over to me immediately after my mother died. But she never contacted me before I left.
Does that mean she wanted the studio for herself?
To make matters worse, she even had some of my mother's sketch pads. What was once a small studio had grown into a very big company, now on the same level as Mo Company. At least the original copies of the deed, agreements, and other evidence proving ownership of the company were inside the box, which I retrieved.
I tried to calm the anger boiling inside me and gave her the benefit of doubt. Perhaps she did not know about my mother's death. Maybe she simply continued taking care of the company all these years.
I just hoped my thoughts were true and that she would pass the test of the benefit of doubt I was giving her.
Then I saw a key and a small note pad. The only words written were:
"Go to R&A Company in SK City. In the CEO office there is a special gift prepared for you.
Rina
Your mother."
I gathered everything and called my assistant to arrange the room. But everything must remain exactly where it was. Nothing should be moved to another place all in the name of aesthetics.
I would have arranged it myself, but I had too much work to do.
When I got to Dr Felix apartment, I received a message from the guy saying we should meet at the same spot in two days.
I realized something strange. I did not even know his name. Yet I had already given him two nicknames.
My Badluck.
And Mr Handsome Bumper.
I checked the information given to me for my next mission.
Only to discover that the person I was supposed to kill was my biological father.
Wow.
What an interesting mission I got.