1 The Beginning
Rose's POV
The airport seems busy as always. It's one of the places that amuses me. I can see so many varied emotions, the bubbly laugh of excited teenagers, mothers controlling their naughty children, some teary-eyed lovers, some happy ones, the getgoers too busy to notice anyone else. I scan the airport carefully, nothing seems out of place, but I know dad is not going to leave me alone. Among the innocent crowd there must be my culprit assigned as my bodyguard.
I do miss dad, but he is just too stubborn sometimes. Now anyone may as well wonder why a teenage girl like me would need a bodyguard, I'm not a celebrity nor am I someone famous but as much as I hate to admit I'm not ordinary either.I'm the daughter of one the richest man in Europe or should I say the richest man in Europe.
My father is a self-made man. He started out quite young. He invested in companies and took them towards their big break. He made his first leap when he was 23. That's when he hired mom as a Secretary. They both worked hard and made their company a big success, soon dad started buying small potential companies and turned them into enterprises. Going through this journey together they fell in love and got married. Mom never stopped working, their business kept on expanding and they gradually became one of the top entrepreneurs. My mom was a beautiful, smart, and talented woman. My mom unlike my dad had strict and conservative parents. She was very talented as a child but could never really do what she wanted. And then I was born. I guess they must have been really happy. Mom decided that she could see all her dreams fulfilled through me, and I was never restricted in my choice of art or hobbies. Being from humble origins they made sure that I had my feet on the ground. Sure they pampered me but they never went overboard. When other children were learning twinkle twinkle little stars I was learning different languages. My mom made sure that I had a routine of both rich and humble hobbies. She never forced me to do anything except for trying a new thing out. As a child I read books, took a number of classes, learned fencing, riding, dancing, swimming, and whatnot.
Slowly these became my hobbies. Both my mom and dad used to spend time with me, I remember the happy times when mere things like going to the park made my day.
When I least expected my world crumbled. Mom started to fall ill and was diagnosed with cancer. That year was the toughest year of my life. I was 14 then. Mom's health became worse by the day and dad took the year off and started working from home to spend more time with her. Mom the fighter that she was never let the disease hold her down but it was killing her, and then came the day when she took her last breath. After that all the years are hazy, dad started drowning himself in work in the hope of forgetting the sorrow, he tried helping me but I could see that he was broken. I needed him but he could not even handle himself. We talked less and less, as much as I would try I could not just get above the loss of mom, my so-called friends gave their condolences and my boyfriend Raymond tried too but with lack of sincerity. I was blinded by what I thought was love and I worshipped him. Until that day. I used to get nightmares, my mom calling me and I'm running towards her, I tried catching her but suddenly she seemed so sad and when I was just about to reach her she used to disappear. I was so upset that I did not bother to inform him that I was coming over, it was late but dad as always hadn't retired home, I called the butler to ready the car and I took off to his house. I rushed to his room only to find him naked with one of my friends. It was all too much for me, he tried coming after me but I ran and I cried myself to sleep.
The next day he talked to me but everything that he said, it almost felt like it was my fault. He blamed me for being upset for not letting him touch me and whatnot, and then he begged me, begged me to not tell dad about this so that the ties between my dad and his father's company remains just as they are. He did not beg for forgiveness, he did not ask me to come back. I guess he knew I wouldn't bother my dad with my problems and that's when I realized how stupid I was to believe in him and the rich world. There were no feelings of friendship and love here, everyone just chased after money and fame. They did not think before crushing someone under their heels just to rise above them. I wanted more in life, something that was more than just money, where I could grow to be the girl mom wanted me to be. And here I am away from home in California.
