3 THE WINDOW

"We are here Lucas." Ally heard her cousin whispering to her son, who seemed anxious. 

A one-hour journey from the airport and they arrived at a tall black Laser-cut perforated gate which stood between two giant granite stone pillars. The gate opened automatically and men in black suits nodded as they entered.

Alyssa looked out in amazement at the long driveway aligned with Wutong trees on each side, standing like parasols. 

It was late August, so they looked more breathtaking with the sun peeking through them, allowing just enough shade and creating patterns on the pavers along the way. Just when she thought it was never-ending, she saw a White Castle-like mansion.

She received Lucas from Lexi, got out of the car, and admire the place. She was in awe at the luxury her father grew up in. They say money follows money, but he chooses to marry someone out of their social circle. At least he didn't let the money get to his head.

"Isn't it nice, Ally?" Lexi asked.

"Hmm"

"This house has been in our family for over a century. Our great-grandfather built it from scratch for his beloved," Lexi said, looking like a proud descendant.

"You call this a house? It's a freaking castle." Ally murmured. 

Lexi and Toby giggled because they found what she said funny. They were used to living in luxury, unlike Ally. She grew up in a three-bedroom house with her family. She even hadn't a car to herself and was a frequent commuter on the train. 

Not that she couldn't afford it, they were comfortable given her mother status, CEO of Unicorn Cyber Security. They lived a low-key life. 

They walked into the foyer and were ushered in by the servants, who were all dressed in grey pants suits. Two collected the luggage from Toby and took it to the room. An older-looking lady led them to the living room, and the others disappeared in another direction.

"Oh well, you guys are here. It must tire you being on the plane for hours, sweetie." A middle-aged woman who looked like she preserved her youth approached them and stopped in front of Ally and Lucas. She had bright eyes and a beautiful smile that reminded Ally of Lexi's.

"Ally, this is my mom, Pamela Wu," Lexi introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Aunty Pamela," Ally said. Remembering what her mother told her about greeting her elders with "Aunty or Uncle."

"Good child." Aunty Pamela warmly hugged her and pointed to the elder woman that led them in. "This is Eva, she will be Lucas's nanny since you will start working soon. She's been in our family for years."

"Thank you, Aunty Pamela," she said cautiously. This kind of warmth was overwhelming her.

"It's no big deal. You must be hungry. There are some light snacks on the table in the Dining room. You can go rest when you're finished eating and we will take care of Lucas."

Ally, Lexi, and Toby went into the dining room and sat down at the long Mahogany table. The maid brought glasses of juice for each of them and put the steamed buns and dumplings on their plate.

Lexi cleared her throat and said, "Eva is the best, she practically took care of me and my brother Alex."

"Hmm, she seems nice," Ally said with a smile and sipped on her juice.

Lexi was always a curious girl, and she kept asking Ally about her life in England.

"I've always wanted to go visit your home when we were there. Tell me, what was your life like over there? What did you do in your free time so we can accommodate you here? Grandpa said you studied at Cambridge, how was school there?" She asked with a brilliant smile.

Ally said soft-spoken, "Well... My life was quite boring there. I've never really had time to do anything fun. Cambridge was interesting. I've met a lot of people during my time there. What about you?"

"I studied Photography at our city university. So in my free time, I go out and take pictures." Lexi said. 

"Ok, so do you work with an agency or something?" Ally asked. 

"No. It's just a hobby. The portraits I do are somewhat different from what you would usually see. I wanted to bring objects and inner emotions to life through a photo," Lexi said and her eyes flickered with pride.

Her cousin's answer perplexed Ally. "It's unimaginable to think you can do that."

"It's actually quite possible. I'll show you someday."

Ally said, "Hm...Okay."

Ally looked unconvinced and Lexi wanted to persuade her, but Toby took over her hands in support. 

He looked at Lexi and then at Ally, and said with a smile, "They say the eyes are the window to the soul. The eyes provide a lot of information about a person's emotional state. When they are sad or worried, they furrow and the eyes look smaller and dim. When they are happy it brightens and looks bigger, likewise when people fake a smile out of politeness, they forget about the crinkle at the corner of their eyes. Some people wear their emotions on their sleeve, while others are like you Ally, hiding them deep within."

Ally looked down and pursed her lips. 'What the hell! Is he psychic?'

"Whenever you're ready to talk, just know that Lexi and I are good listeners," Toby said. 

'Umm..nuh-uh,' she mused.

Toby answered his phone while they were talking. "Hmm, I'm at Oakland Hill Mansion.  You saw us but didn't even come over to say hello. Hmm. I'm having dinner here later, we will come after that. See you."

Hearing his conversation, Lexi curiously asked, "Who saw us?"

"Ethan. He arrived this afternoon and apparently saw us getting in the car." 

"Oh, Frozo is back," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"He was probably on the same flight with Ally according to the time he saw us," Toby said and scratched his head. 

"Exactly why don't he use the private plane?"

"His excuse is that he is promoting the airlines. Anyways, he wants us to gather at the spot and I heard Cade is around too," Toby said casually.

"Do you want to join us, Ally? You can meet our friends, it will be fun," Lexi said persuasively.

"Sorry I can't, maybe another time. I'm meeting my friend Madison tonight," Ally said with a regretful expression, but she was actually happy she had an excuse to avoid meeting their friends.

She excused herself, went back to the living room, and saw Lucas playing on the floor with Eva and Aunty Pamela. She stood there for a while and watched them having fun and a wide grin appeared on her face. He fitted right in with them. 

She couldn't believe Lucas was fifteen months already. It seemed like just yesterday she was in that hell hole giving birth to him. She shoved those unpleasant memories in the back of her mind. The nightmares had diminished, and she learned to control her emotions. 

She went to her room on the second floor and looked around at the furnishings. A Queen size bed with geometric shades of green bedding stood in the middle of the room, the walls were cream with black furniture and a scuncheon with assorted pillows. The bathroom and walk-in closet was to the right of the door. The room allowed the natural light to come in effortlessly.

Ally freshened up and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

************

On the other side of Phazing City on the balcony of a state-of-the-art Villa stood Ethan Li, the young CEO of Phoenix International Group of Company. 

Overlooking the city with black as night eyes while he threw alcohol down his throat, he looked like a model with outstanding features. Chiseled jaw, thick eyebrows, thin lips, and a straight nose. His jet black bangs fell and dripped water onto his forehead, results from his recent shower. 

"Your dad and I spoke to the Bai family about your engagement to their daughter," Esme Li said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Mom, you're interfering again," he said coldly.

"We are not getting any younger and we are looking forward to some grandbabies," she said mischievously.

Ethan ignored her. She could not tell what he was thinking. So she continued with her rant.

"You'll be Twenty-nine in less than three months and you don't even have a girlfriend. All my friends are already grandmothers and I'm always with a handbag in my hands instead of a baby."

"Busybody," he snorted.

"When are you going to stop your brooding for that girl? It has been three years." It exasperated Esme to see his behavior.

Ethan closed his eyes and exhaled. He was exhausted, and here his mom was nagging him about trivial matters.

After giving her a meaningful look, he turned around and resumed looking at the view. "I'm tired. I'll rest before dinner," he uttered. 

"Okay, have a good sleep," she said cautiously and exited the bedroom. Esme knew she had angered him, but she couldn't help worrying about him sometimes.

Ethan lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling for a very long time. He sat up, took out a cigarette, and lit it up. The white smoke swirled around him and a bittersweet smile appeared on his face.

"Isabella!" he murmured.

He picked up his phone and dialed his friend Toby. 

"Old man, location? I saw you and Lexi got into the car at the airport. Was I? Let's meet at the club tonight. Hmm. Later." He sighed after hanging up, closed his eyes, and soon succumbed to sleep. 

**************

At the Oakland Hill Mansion, Ally woke up from her slumber when the place was dark. She was a bit flustered by the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. She yawned on her way to the bathroom where she freshened up and headed downstairs. She wore a long white spaghetti strap linen dress and her hair in a bun on top of her head.

She walked into the living room and saw a few unfamiliar faces and a particular one that looked like a version of her dad. She thought he must be my uncle, and she was correct. 

Damian stood up and greeted her "Ally you look so much like your dad. It's great to have you here with us."

"Thank you for accommodating us," she said absent-mindedly. It was like having a figure of your dad in front of you, but he's not yours. She swallowed that bitter pill and smiled at her uncle. 

They introduced her to her cousin Alexander, who was Lexi's twin, which was not a surprise considering their fathers were twins too. The genetics of the Chen's. 

"Lucas, look mummy. Have you been a good boy," Ally said in a weird voice to get his attention as she sat beside Aunty Pamela who had him bouncing on her lap.

"Mum," in a cute voice, he said.

His eyes lit up by the sound of her voice, and he stretched his hands to her. They continued their conversation. She talked while he babbled. There were only a few words he could say plainly, but his favorites were 'Mum, Nan, Pap, and Nosh.' The pap was his bottle and the nosh was the food.

Everyone was looking at them smiling and couldn't help join in and tease Lucas too. He was hyper and excited about this new environment. He's never been around so many people before and it intrigued him. 

It wasn't too long before a Silver haired man in his Seventies walked in with a spring in his steps wearing a Black Mao suit. Xavier Chen's aura was that of a king. Tall and the only wrinkles visible on his face was by his eyes and mouth. He was really youthful for his age.

Ally observed him secretly before he sat down, looking like a king on his throne. 

"You must be my granddaughter," he said with a silvery voice.

She stood up with Lucas and walked over to the old man, bowed her head slightly to show her respect. This action was out of instinct. 'I definitely watched too much Downton Abbey,' she mused.

Ally was unsure of how to address him since he had disowned her father. She hesitantly greeted the old man, "Nice to meet you, Sir."