Chapter 1

I was fifteen when he died. I couldn't see the body because the authorities wouldn't allow it. The police and doctors said the body was unrecognizable. Due to his death, I inherited the estate, the business, and, of course, the money.

I had been losing sleep over the loss of my father. My personal maid, Mrs. Roberts, was an elderly woman. She had been my maid for as long as I can remember, always there for me when my father wasn't. I asked her if she could tell me about the death of my father, hoping she would comply.

"Sorry dear, I can't be of use to you. I haven't the slightest idea," she said as she rubbed her head thinking, "Maybe you should ask David if he could help you with this mystery. He might have some useful information"

"Thank you, Mrs. Roberts, I am sorry I bothered you, I —"

"You weren't a bother at all, dear! I hope you can find the information you are looking for. Good luck!"

With that, I gave Mrs. Roberts a hug and set out to visit my friend David Savien. David was a childhood friend I met during school. We enjoyed each other's company. We didn't know that our fathers worked together until one day, David and I planned a meeting ourselves. We agreed that we would both ask our fathers if we could have a play date. When our fathers agreed, we met at the park near the school and brought each of our caretakers. Our fathers met, and we started planning more often. We grew older and lost touch, as childhood friends often do. However, I still regard him as a friend and must only hope he feels the same way.

David's mother died whilst giving birth to him, so he knew the feeling of having no mother figure. Like mine, his father mostly cared about business, but he would try very hard, whenever he could, to spend time and bond with David. He loved his father and was completely heartbroken when his father died. It was a week before my father died. Mr. Savien Sr. was giving a speech at a meeting that was set up by one of the members. According to John Willis, who was present when Savien died, he started "seizing" before falling to the floor dead. Willis insists that he was stressed, and the stress got the best of him.

David's family house was large and grand. They had a very large courtyard with two heavy stone fountains, and some statues and greenery surrounding each one. There was a sitting area in the yard, in a gazebo. The gazebo was Chinese in style and the path leading to it was almost Japanese. The two cultures blended into each other and created a single cohesive look for the gazebo. There was also a stone path leading to the gazebo. On each side of the path, the was a pond-like body of water. In the ponds, there were lily pads and koi fish. Around the gazebo, blocking the sun, were Japanese cherry blossom trees. Inside sat David, enjoying a cup of tea and cakes.

David looked much different than he did as a child. I almost didn't recognize him. He had long, black hair that he wore in a neat bun. His beard was low, but long enough to give him a distinguished look. His eyes were the most striking part about him. They were a bright, piercing hazel. They were so clear; you could almost see his thoughts through them. He wore a black tuxedo with gold cuff links. When he looked up, our eyes met, and I couldn't help but smile. I was happy to see my old friend again.

"Hello, David. I'm happy to see you again —," I said, struggling. I felt almost nervous and anxious to speak to him. I feared that my feeling of happiness would not be mutual.

"Jesse!" exclaims David, as he runs toward me and lifts me into a hug. We laughed for a while and he finally said, "I-I can't believe you're here. I was so sad when we lost touch, I thought you didn't want my friendship anymore. I didn't want to burden you with my clinginess, so I didn't bother to contact you." He looked embarrassed as he confessed to me, almost like he hoped he was wrong about his misleading ideas.

"I loved our past friendship, and I am so happy it stays. I never forgot about you; I was busy with other matters concerning the business. I hated that we lost touch."

"Well, we are back together now. I heard about your father's death, I'm sorry. My father died the week before. I was still grieving; I didn't think to come to comfort you in your time of need."

"I am just as guilty. I didn't comfort you in your time of need either. I knew of your strong relationship with your father and knew you were suffering. I guess I didn't think I could do much of anything to ease your pain.

Remembering the reason, I had come to visit David, I said, "I have an important matter I'd like to ask your advice on,"

"Now that you're here, I would like to ask the same. Hopefully, we could be of some use to each other."

He led me to sit next to him in the gazebo, and we began to discuss our matters.

I told David about my father's death, and how the authorities denied me information about his death. I also told him about the letter I received and asked if he thought I should accept or decline the invitation. To my surprise, he was in the same boat as me.

"I also received a letter from a man, John Willis. He claimed to be a friend of my father's. He also asked if I could meet with him to discuss business ventures, saying that my father would have wanted me to continue his business."

"I think he has something to do with our fathers' deaths. He claims to be friends with both of our fathers, and he wants to discuss business with both of us. I think he killed our fathers. No two men die at the same time as this. My only conundrum is why would he kill your father? I understand that my father owned all the other businesses, but your father worked for my father. Why would he kill Mr. Savien? It just doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, I'm as confused as you are. We got the letter at the same time; when are you set to meet Willis?"

"July 15th, the day after tomorrow. Well, we don't have much time to decide, do we?"

I was frightened. I didn't know what we should do. I could say that I have suspicions as much as I wanted to, who would hear me other than David? He was the only one I could trust. One day isn't enough time to settle my mind and think of the best solution.

"You look tired. I insist you stay for a while so that we can work together more easily. To be honest, we live quite a way from each other."

I agreed and requested Mrs. Roberts to send some clothing and other necessities. I would have my house cleaners and butlers stay in the home along with Mrs. Roberts so that they could keep an eye on it while I'm gone.

David and I decided it would be best to take our minds off the unsettling topic by catching up on lost history. We spent the rest of the evening talking and eating; having a good time. David showed me to the guest room where I'll be sleeping. It was a big room; simply decorated, but nice all the same.

We said goodnight, but I couldn't sleep. I was worried about what we were getting ourselves into. I started thinking about whether we should investigate or even accept the invitation. Realizing I was worrying too much, I calmed myself and went to sleep. David and I will figure out a way to handle this situation tomorrow.

The sun shined as morning came. The smell of breakfast food filled the air, making me very hungry. I washed, got dressed, and did my hair. I decided I would have a little adventure before I ate. As I walked out of my room, into the hall, down the stairs, and through another hall, I realized I didn't get a chance to appreciate the home. The hall was decorated with paintings and pictures of whom I will assume were the Savien family. There, at the end of the hall, a magnificent picture of David Savien Senior. The picture looked real, you had to know it was painted to see it was painted. The frame was gold, and red, and had a small stripe of black to bring the red and gold out. The corners of the frame were embellished with swoops and swirls of all kinds, that came together into one cohesive piece.

Next to the frame was a room with the door cracked open, as if accidentally. I knew it would be rude to go into a room without asking, especially in another person's house, but curiosity got the better of me. Besides, David wouldn't mind. I walked in not knowing what to expect; an office, a man cave, a secret room that David used to handle business, or another guest room. As I walked in, the sun blinded me. When my eyes adjusted, I walked further into the room. There was a large window that made up a wall of the room itself. On another wall were bookshelves, separated in the middle by a curio cabinet. The entire cabinet was made of glass excluding only the corners; which were made of black painted wood. The handles were metal, vertical, and plain. The contents were made up of crystals and some pieces that looked to be foreign. There was a sitting area, in front of a black fireplace. The chairs were a dark brown, the material looked to be suede. The coffee table in the center looked like a tree trunk. It was stained a dark, rich brown, and had a glass top. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise that sounded like a snoring rupture from the other side of the room. I was so busy exploring that I didn't realize there was someone else in there. Cautiously I walk over to the bed, being quiet and discreet to not wake the person sleeping. To my complete and utter embarrassment, it was David. I stood shocked trying to recollect thoughts that were escaping the vault in my brain; then it hit me, I needed to get out of here before he woke up. As I start to walk away, I feel my arm pull. I'm yanked onto the bed, on top of David. As I looked at him to see if he was awake, I noticed he was shirtless. He had broad shoulders and a structured chest. He looked like he worked out a little but not too much. His hair was out of the neat bun I had seen the day before.

I tried to carefully pull his arms off me, but I soon realized that he was awake. I wait, knowing he will notice and realize that I know he's playing. I smiled, thinking he was still a child on the inside.

"You give up?" he asks as he opens his hazel eyes. He looks down at me with a smile and a happy glow on his face.

"How long were you awake? You should have told me this was your room, I didn't know."

"I was just about to get up when you opened the door. I laid back down and pretended to sleep. You didn't notice right away. I saw you looking around the room, completely ignoring me, so I got your attention."

"You are such a child," I said as he released me. I walked over to the window for one last glance at the view. It was beautiful and soothing to look at first thing in the morning. I was startled when David grabbed me from behind and pulled me into a hug.

"I missed you so much; I felt lonely, especially when I lost my father. I'm happy you're back with me."

My heart fluttered for a moment as I listened to his words. I felt my face flare up into a blush and hoped my dark skin would hide it. I had felt the same when my father died. I felt I didn't have anyone to lean on, I was alone.

To escape before David noticed my now obvious fluster, I said, "I'll help with breakfast—,"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. But before you go, I would like to ask you something." I nodded, and he continued, "Do you remember our promise to each other when we were younger when we saw each other for the last time? Do you remember what I said?"

I knew what he was talking about, but I had never thought about it too deeply.

"You do remember, don't you?"

I smiled and walked towards the door, "I remember everything from our past." He smiled as I walked out the door. "Now get ready for breakfast."

He chuckled and replied, "Yes ma'am!"