1 The Ending

Winds roared in Victoria Hill's ears as she stared off into the dim horizon.

The massive blue body of water surrounding her caused roaring winds to brush through her already disheveled inky hair.

A single clear tear drop formed in one of her soulless eyes and fell down her stone-like face.

She was numb, numb to the world. Having everything that gave her purpose... a reason to live... violently ripped away without mercy all at once, left a bloody gaping hole in her heart that could never be fixed.

Her frail body laid motionless on the deck of a luxurious yacht. Dressed in a long white wedding dress, one look at her could make someone captivated by the sight, unable to look away.

Her black hair curled around her body and her face, drained of blood, gave her an almost doll-like look. Most importantly the growing red bloom surrounding her body brought a deadly beauty to the scene.

Once one identified the red bloom, however, that feeling would be quickly replaced by horror.

Multiple gruesome stab wounds decorated the woman's frail body.

Each one in a area that wouldn't lead to immediate death. They were just enough to push her to the brink, but unable to go over.

It was clear that whoever committed this atrocity wanted her to suffer as much as possible.

But, hadn't she suffered enough?

Victoria's eyes drifted to a body laying face down in the water near her. Tears, she didn't want to accept, uncontrollably fell down her face in quick recession.

Unable to bear seeing the body anymore, Victoria closed her eyes.

The body was her mother.

The boat was her honeymoon.

The killer was her husband.

After her father disappeared mysteriously ten years ago, her mother was all that she had.

Her other family resembled cut throat thieves and she knew better than to get close to them. In fact, as a CEO of a million dollar company the majority of people she met were all sharks when it came to money.

Except for one. One she thought would never betray her.

A laugh escaped her body when his face came to her mind. He had appeared suddenly like a angel when her life was crashing down ten years ago after her father mysteriously disappeared.

At the time she was a 15 year old girl who didn't understand the world at all. Her father was the rock of the family and without him the family quickly crumbled.

Her mother had tried her best to pick up the broken pieces, but unfortunately the disappearance of Victoria's father left her mother broken as well.

All her mother did was cry all day while everything collapsed around them. Their distant family had started to close in on the business and everything else they owned. Even their lives.

One parent died and the other, for a time, became as good as dead. Getting to school, buying food, taking care of the house and her mother was thrown on the shoulders of a 15 year old girl.

Her father had raised her like a princess, hurting her by loving her too much. The pressure was nearly unbearable for her to hold... but then he came, Luke Edwards.

He encouraged her to not sell the company and keep fighting for her father's legacy despite everyone thinking she would fail. He stood by her side when not even her mother would. She loved him with her entire heart... why did it end like this.

"Dead already?" A smooth voice entered her ears.

Opening her eyes, Victoria looked up at the face of a demon. Her numb heart felt a pulse of pain inside seeing the handsome face in front of her. His brown eyes were light and happy as if all of the darkness currently happening wasn't there at all.

"Why?" Seeing his face so open and kind, Victoria couldn't help from asking the question plaguing her mind.

She faithfully loved him and helped him for so many years. What did she do to deserve to be tortured like this?

His face became shocked for a second before a wild laugh left his body. "I really picked an idiot didn't I? However, it's fine that I did, you did your job well enough."

In a caring way, Luke sat down on the deck next to her and stroked her face. His eyes filled with appreciation as he gazed down at her.

"You see from the very beginning you were nothing but a tool to me. Your family was weak and the Hill company was ripe for the taking. A 15 year old naive girl held 55% shares for a one million dollar company? How could I resist?"

No regret could be seen on his face as he recounted the story...only triumph.

Victoria started to feel sick.

All of the loving memories she once cherished burned a massive fire inside of her mind until nothing was left but grey ash.

The person in front of her wasn't worth loving. If only she knew this before it was to late.

"Even while you are dying... still so beautiful." Luke sighed to himself in regret. Using his thumb, he collected one of her tears and tasted it.

"I will really miss seeing your tears, my perfect little toy... If only you had handed ownership over for your business. But, no. You had to insist on keeping the company under you, even making your mother your inheritor." His speaking began to sound forced as he said this part. The anger going through him could be seen clearly in the fire burning in his eyes.

"You never could fucking trust me. I did everything you wanted Victoria! Everything! But still you treated me like a dog! You wouldn't even let me touch you for fucks sakes. You never cared about anything except for your lab. But for your creations, your ideas, everything, I endured for so long, only for you still kept them to yourself!"

Forcefully he grabbed her chin and forced Victoria to look at her mother.

"Is this what you wanted." His voice returned to its normal calm tone. "She is dead because of you."

Sorrowfully, her eyes closed before opening again filled with rage. Yes... the death of her mother was because of her. Because she didn't kill this bastard soon enough. She wanted to rip him apart and crush the cruel heart that crushed her own.

Her weak hands fought to reach up and grab his neck filled with the urge to choke the life out of him.

But, she was far too weak. The majority of Victoria's blood had spilled out of her body and the only thing keeping her alive at this time was pure unadulterated hate.

Unable to harm him physically, Victoria lashed out at him with words. "Either in hell or on this earth I will see you burn for this."

The venomous words wrapped around Luke's body making a shiver go up his spine.

Right after making the chilling declaration, Victoria rolled off the close edge of the unmoving boat and into the water.

Under water, she swam the best she could toward her mother and wrapped her arms around the body. The body was dead weight and was impossible for her to carry when she was nearly dead herself.

Yet, she was unwilling to let go. How could she let her mom sit and rot in the middle of the ocean all alone?

With fierce determination she tried to continue swimming, but it was a fool's mission. Hopelessly, she watched as the water's surface got farther and farther out of sight. The darkness closed in leaving her with only the feeling of her mom's cold body in her arms.

Luke glared at the water before taking out a hanker chief and wiping his hands of blood. He coldly looked at the crew member to the side. "Start the clean up and tell that person I'll have what they want soon enough."