1940…
It was April 12, 1940. It was the celebration of the 20th birthday of Monica Blake, the only daughter of the Blake family—a famous family of doctors in town. Everyone envied Monica, for she had everything: beauty, wealth, and intelligence.
The venue was held in one of the Blake family's famous hotels. The party took place in a 500,000-square-meter garden within the hotel. The decorations were extravagant, especially the food that was served. Only the closest family and friends were invited, and one of them was Xavier Knight.
Just like the Blake family, the Knight family was also famous and wealthy in town. They were well-known, and people expected that the only daughter of the Blake family and the only son of the Knight family would eventually marry each other. Rumors spread that if the marriage would be pursued, they would become the richest and most untouchable family in the country's history.
The host began gathering the guests and entertaining them. When the time was right, the host announced the entrance of Monica Blake.
As she made her entrance, all eyes were on her. She was wearing an extravagant emerald green ball gown, paired with expensive shoes, jewelry, and a crown. Everything about her was luxurious, perfectly fitting Monica Blake. She smiled as she walked down the grand staircase connected from the hotel down to the garden.
Down below stood Xavier Knight, waiting patiently for the woman he was required to escort. He was neither smiling nor frowning, only staring at the woman his family expected him to marry.
When Monica reached the garden, Xavier offered her his hand, and she accepted it wholeheartedly. The entrance dance then began. They moved to the center of the garden and started dancing as if they were the only two people in the world.
"Thank you, Xavier, for being my escort," Monica said softly, smiling.
"I only did what my parents wanted me to do," Xavier replied coldly, a hint of resentment in his voice.
Monica smiled sadly, knowing she had not yet won Xavier's heart. But she still believed that in time, he would learn to love her just as much as she loved him.
"Do you want to travel after my birthday? My parents have already allowed me to go abroad now that I'm 20. My treat," she offered while they continued dancing to the rhythm of the music, though her full attention was on Xavier.
"What for? From the very start, I never liked the idea of marrying you. Our parents never even asked if we wanted this or not," Xavier said flatly.
"I like you, Xavier," Monica murmured for the first time.
In this time, men were expected to confess first, and women were supposed to wait. But Monica's overflowing admiration and love gave her the courage to be honest.
Xavier was caught off guard, but he quickly returned to his cold, unreadable expression.
"But what about my feelings?" he asked.
Monica smiled bitterly and nodded. "I know you like someone else, and I understand that."
Mandy Moore—her best friend. Xavier had liked her since they were children. Unlike them, Mandy came from an average family, but that did not stop Monica from befriending her.
"If you understand, tell your parents that I will not marry you," Xavier said bluntly.
That made Monica's heart ache, but she remained composed and still smiled.
"I'll try," she said.
The music ended, and Xavier let go of her hands. After that moment, Monica did not see Xavier again at the party. After his confession, she felt sorrowful and wanted the celebration to end abruptly. However, her guests and her parents were happy to see her celebrating her birthday.
She did not want to disappoint her parents, who had always been good to her. After the presentation, they all proceeded to dinner. The guests began approaching the buffet, taking food for themselves, while waiters served the Blake and Knight families at the same table.
Xavier eventually returned, though she did not know where he had gone earlier.
As they silently ate, Xavier's father broke the silence.
"Mr. Blake, since your daughter has already reached the right age, why not let her marry my son, Xavier?"
She looked at her father, who was now wiping his mouth with a napkin. He chuckled and glanced at her.
"Don't pressure our children," her father answered calmly. "If they want to, they will. If not, then they won't."
"But it will make us more popular and richer for generations. Wouldn't you like that?" Mr. Knight asked.
"But what about their feelings? I cannot decide for my daughter. I want her to decide for herself," her father replied.
Monica wanted to say that she wanted to marry Xavier because he was her first love, but she knew Xavier would not like it. She knew that Xavier was in love with another woman. Though she had not seen it clearly, the way he smiled was different every time he saw her.
"My father is right, Mr. Knight. I am still young, and I want to explore the world. Marrying your son at this early stage means I would need to stop dreaming and reaching my goals," Monica reasoned out. As much as she wanted to shout that he was her dream, since he did not like her, she tried to stop herself and remained composed.
Mr. Knight laughed loudly. "Xavier wants to marry you. Right, son?" He looked at his son, who was silently eating his food. Xavier suddenly looked up, and their eyes met. Monica wanted to tell him through her eyes that it was okay for him to choose whoever he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
"Yes," he answered without interest.
As much as she wanted to believe him, she reminded herself that he was only doing it to please Mr. Knight.
Xavier's father smiled widely as if he had won the lottery. Monica looked at Xavier, who was now staring at his parents. Surely, deep inside, he already held a grudge against them. She shook her head. She was lucky that her parents were not like this. Although in their status, it was indeed helpful to merge families since it would make them bigger and wealthier. But she would not take the risk of ruining the friendship she had built with Xavier since childhood.
Before, when their parents had not yet spoken about marriage, they were close. They played all day and night until they got tired. She could not forget those memories, especially when she realized that she had started falling for him. But at this time, confession was not allowed for women, which was why she kept her feelings for years.
She could not help but think that Mandy was truly lucky to have Xavier fall for her. Who would not be? She was carefree and joyful. She had everything a man was looking for. Unlike Monica, who was boring and composed. She was used to it since people expected her never to make mistakes. She did not want to ruin her family's reputation that had been built for decades. Maybe that was what Xavier did not like about her. She could not do what Mandy could do.
"See? My son said yes! So why don't we start planning it tomorrow? Let's make the wedding grand and expensive. I want the wedding to be the talk of the town all over the country," Mr. Knight said without considering his son's feelings.
Monica looked at Xavier, who was silently bowing his head while holding his fork and playing with his food on the plate. He looked anxious and pressured. Monica looked at him, but he did not look back. Maybe he was avoiding her gaze.
The dinner ended quietly. Both families decided to have another formal meeting to discuss the wedding. Xavier left immediately.
But Monica followed him. She was curious where he would go. She followed him until the entrance of the hotel. There, she saw the two talking. She could not hear them, so she moved closer.
"Wedding? But I thought you loved me?" Mandy was about to cry. She bit her lower lip. Seeing them like this because of her made Monica feel awful. She liked Xavier, but she did not want two people who loved each other to be ruined because of her. She was not that selfish.
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this," Xavier said while letting go of Mandy's hands. He turned his back and walked away without looking at her.
"No! You can't do this to me, Xavier! Why don't you fight for us?" Mandy was already shouting. Xavier stopped walking but did not turn around.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, but Monica doubted if Mandy heard him.
Mandy was left standing there, crying. She was wearing a floral yellow dress that complemented her white skin, but in that moment, she looked heartbroken.
As her best friend, Monica went near her to console her.
"Mandy…" she called to get her attention.
Mandy looked at her, and when she saw her, she glared.
"Are you happy now?" Mandy said mockingly.
"What? Of course not, I am not happy to see you like this!" Monica said, and she meant it. She loved her best friend and did not want to betray her.
Mandy smirked. "You changed Xavier's mind! How could you? I was there trying to reach my goal, to marry him, but why did you interrupt?" she said.
"Mandy, I didn't. If only you could have heard what I said earlier, you wouldn't be saying this," Monica explained, trying to calm her best friend. She could understand the hatred in her voice because it was all Xavier's parents' decision.
"You're rich now, trying to get richer? And me? If I could marry Xavier, I would be on your level now," Mandy said angrily.
The words that came out of her mouth were painful to hear. What did she mean by being on Monica's level?
"What do you mean by that?" Monica asked again.
Mandy smirked again, this time with rage in her eyes as if she was about to curse her.
"I won't let you win this game, Monica."
"Mandy! What are you talking about? This is not a game! And I already told you, I am not taking Xavier away from you. I'm going to talk to my parents about this. You are my best friend, and I don't want to betray you."
"But you already did. Xavier already left me."
She was not able to respond to what she said. She did not know what came into Xavier's mind as to why he broke up with her. He told her before that he would not marry her, but what changed his mind?
"You'll pay for this. You ruined our friendship, and most especially, you ruined our relationship," Mandy said, then walked away, leaving Monica standing there confused and not knowing what to do.
Her senses returned when she felt droplets falling from the sky, and in just a second, the rain poured heavily. But instead of seeking shelter, she let it pour over her. Not because she liked the rain like she did when she was a child, but because she did not want people to see the tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
She was hurt by Mandy's words. She did not even want to hear her explanation. Her being this close-minded ended their friendship of 10 years.
She knew Mandy had been madly in love with Xavier since they were kids. So was she. But she let him go to make Mandy happy. Xavier had been aloof back then, but little by little, he opened his heart and accepted Mandy as his first girlfriend. Then Mandy told her that Xavier had admitted he had liked her since they were children.
She was happy for them, though she was hurt. But she could not force someone to like her just because of her feelings. She supported her best friend, even lending her ears whenever Mandy shared her sentiments about Xavier, whenever they fought or misunderstood each other. Every anniversary celebration, she was there to cheer them on and celebrate with them.
But Mandy never once asked if she was okay with it. She never asked if she was fine, knowing that she was also madly in love with Xavier. All throughout their friendship, Mandy only thought of her own happiness. She never thought of her.
She sighed while the rain continued pouring. She hoped her parents would not see her in this state because she did not want them to worry. They had always been so good to her. She could tell they had raised her well with good values and kindness. But right now, she did not know if she still had those qualities, since she had hurt the two people closest to her heart.
She sobbed as if there was no tomorrow. The sound of raindrops covered her cracking and trembling voice. If only she could explain properly. If only they would believe her. None of this would have happened.
She stopped sobbing when the rain suddenly stopped falling on her. Why was the rain so fast? She looked up at the sky, but to her surprise, it was an umbrella shielding her from the rain. She turned around and was shocked to see Xavier.
"Xavier…" she called his name, and tears fell from her eyes again. Why was Xavier doing this to her? Why did he come back just to shield her from the rain?
"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking concerned.
"I'm sorry," she said, then started sobbing again.
"For what?" Xavier asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"For letting you decide to break up with Mandy. I know you love her so much that you don't want to marry me. I understand you, and I support you. But Mandy didn't believe me. She said I forced you to marry me. I was planning to talk to my parents to stop the wedding. I know they will listen to me. I won't force you to marry me," she explained while panting. She wanted to say everything to him and make him understand that even though she was in love with him, she would not be selfish.
"Don't do that anymore," he said, which made her shocked.
"Why? I don't want to be the reason you and Mandy ended things badly. You know I like you, but I am not selfish," she said while still crying.
To her surprise, Xavier wiped her tears, making her cry even more.
"Stop crying, Monica."
Hearing Xavier call her name made her heart flutter. He seldom called her by her name. She thought he disliked it. He had never been like this before.
Monica did not hear what Xavier said. Her crying grew louder, and her sobs became stronger. She could not stop because of the overwhelming emotions she was feeling. She was confused by Xavier's sudden change in treatment.
"Xavier! Monica!" someone called their names. When they looked, it was Monica's parents and Xavier's parents. Monica immediately wiped her tears. She did not want her parents to know she had been crying. Today was her birthday. She should not be like this.
The servants immediately approached and helped them. Monica's personal servant looked very worried while holding an umbrella over her.
"What happened, milady?" Ivana Helmes asked.
"Don't tell Mom and Dad," she requested.
Ivana nodded, and they proceeded back to the entrance of the hotel, where Monica's parents and Xavier's parents were waiting.
"Why are you so wet?" Monica's mother asked, looking worried.
She smiled genuinely, trying to hide the pain she was feeling.
"I'm sorry, Mom," was all she could say, since she could not explain why she was drenched.
"Ma'am, let me take her to her suite to change. Please excuse us," Ivana said, saving her from the situation.
Her mother just nodded, but the worry on her face was still visible.
Ivana and Monica went to the presidential suite of the hotel. As Ivana closed the door, she immediately attended to Monica.
"What happened, milady? Did Xavier make you cry?" Ivana asked, clearly worried.
Monica shook her head. "He didn't make me cry," she answered.
"But Mandy did," she added.
I kept quiet for a while. Ivana had never liked Mandy since she started working for me. According to her, that woman was hiding her true self. She was a pretentious woman.
"I knew it. I never liked that woman. She always makes you cry just to emphasize that Xavier is hers. Can't she see the pain you are feeling? She's totally a narcissist," she said with anger in her voice.
Ivana let her go inside the bathroom to wash up. After she finished, she went out, and the new clothes prepared by Ivana were already placed on the bed. Ivana continued mumbling something.
"Why not try to fight for Xavier? You can't just let her bully you. You have more right than her, actually."
"Ivana, stop it. She was hurt, too, that's why she did it," Monica replied.
"You are so naive, milady. I hope someday you realize that you should fight for yourself. Don't let others ruin you."
Monica smiled bitterly. Ivana was right. Little did she know, Mandy had been subtly hurting her since they were children. But she held on to her because no one else wanted to be her friend except Mandy.
Monica changed her clothes. This time, she wore an elegant black gown typical of the 1940s—long, form-fitting, with delicate lace details and a satin finish that flowed gracefully down to the floor.
The party was not over yet. The guests were still celebrating. Ivana and Monica returned to the garden hall, and as Ivana said, the visitors were still present. To show gratitude, Monica personally approached her guests and thanked them. She even gave expensive perfumes from Paris as souvenirs.
As she was speaking with the guests, she noticed from her peripheral vision that Xavier had entered the garden hall. Her heart thumped. She did not know why, but what he was wearing—a well-tailored 1940s black suit with sharp shoulders, a crisp white shirt, and a neatly tied tie—made her fall even deeper for him.
To her surprise, Xavier walked toward her.
"Can I borrow her?" Xavier's deep, masculine voice was soothing to her ears. It made her heart beat faster.
The two women she had been speaking with giggled, happy to see Xavier "borrowing" Monica.
"Yes, you can always have your fiancée," one of them said.
Monica blushed and looked at Xavier. This time, he was smiling at her, a rare smile she had never witnessed before.
Xavier held her hand. It was the first time he had done so wholeheartedly, without anyone forcing him. They walked out of the garden hall together. Monica even saw her parents and Xavier's parents smiling and giggling as they watched them.
They went to the pavilion outside the hotel, away from the garden. It was a quiet place where people went to find peace and comfort.
"Xavier…" Monica called when they reached the pavilion. Xavier gently let go of her hand.
"Let's plan the wedding."
That statement made her heart feel like it would burst. Was she hearing it correctly? A while ago, he was against marrying her. But now? Why the sudden change of heart?
"You know that…"
He did not let her finish. "I made up my mind," he said.
"What about Mandy?"
He looked at her, now visibly annoyed.
"We're done."
"Just like that?" she asked.
"Didn't you want this? And now you're questioning me why I'm doing it?" he said sharply.
"I just don't want you to blame me in the future," she replied.
Xavier sighed.
"You'll know everything when we get married," he said.
Lucca's POV
I felt the heat coming from the ring. It was as if the metal was producing fire, not letting anyone touch it. As I touched the ring, a memory, one I didn't even know belonged to me, flashed in my mind. I was shocked when I touched it, and it made me fall to the floor, which caused Seraphina to wake up and look at me.
"Lucca?"
Then I passed out.