1 c h a p t e r O N E | | Gabrijela Kavynier

Gabrijela Kavynier a name that was always heard. But a face that was a mystery to all. Everyone heard of her. But no one actually saw her. Rumor has it that her beauty was unimaginable, just simply out of this world. Even though she had dark brown eyes, dark brown hair. She was neither tall nor short. Neither plump nor slim. Average she may seem, but there is just something about her that was indescribably beautiful.

On the top floor of the tallest building in the city, was the office of Gabrijela Kavynier. She was dressed in a simple black pencil dress. Draped on her shoulders was a gray checkered blazer. On her feet were a pair of simple gray pointed stiletto heels.

She was looking out her office window that seemed to overlook the whole city; she was on top of the world. Her right arm propped up against her left as she swirled her glass of smooth velvet red liquid. She admired the sun across the horizon as the orange hues hit the other buildings. The sky painted a pretty pinkish purple. Peaceful. She felt peaceful. But she knew it would be short-lived.

On cue, a long beep cut through the peaceful silent air before the clear bright voice of her assistant, Irene, rang through the telephone on the desk.

"Sorry to disturb you Ms Kavynier, but Homme is requesting for you urgently."

A sigh escaped her lips as she brought the cool glass against her throbbing temple. Without replying to her assistant, she threw her head back and finished her drink. She placed the empty glass on her desk and strode towards her hidden private lift. It took her down to the underground car park where she knew her driver was waiting for her.

On her way down she had managed to change out of her office clothes and into something more casual. As she was the only one who ever used that elevator, she had built a closet into the elevator. She wore a white and blue striped shirt under her denim jumpsuit and had swapped out her heels for more comfortable white sneakers.

"Good evening Ms Kavynier." The private driver greeted her as he opened the backdoor to the black luxury car.

She gave him a slight nod before gracefully entering the car.

The entire car ride was silent. Too silent. The diver felt like he should have been used to the silence by now, but he never did. He did not know what to say or if he should play some music to ease the tension in the car. Alas, he kept his eyes firm on the road, hands on the wheel.

Gabrijela thought that she could avoid it. She thought it would ease the ache in her heart if she was not present to witness the scene that was about to unfold. She has been through the process so many times and yet each time the pain was present.

"We're here Miss." The driver spoke out before exiting the car to open the door for her. She gave a nod of thanks after she exited the car.

Her eyes looked up at the tall white mansion that was being lit up by the outdoor lights. She took in a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come as the cries of a little girl could be heard in the distance. She winced at the sound of her cries but steeled her heart before striding towards the doors.

Walking into the chaos of the home, her heart slightly broke at the sight in front of her before she once again steeled her heart.

"Mama. I want my mama!" A girl of age 5 was wailing her head off, not noticing the new presence who had appeared.

"Abigale." As soon as the words left Gabrijela's lips, the young child turned to the door and immediately flew into the arms of the newcomer. Her doe eyes wide and teary looked up at Gabrijela with panic and fear as her bottom lips trembled.

"Mama, pwease don't let Abby get takeaway. Abby be good, pwomise." Her red face and puffy eyes made Gabrijela's heart clench. But this had to be done.

With a sigh, Gabrijela bent down to carry the crying child.

"Abby, I know you want to stay here. But Lily and Marcus are good people, and they will be the best mummy and daddy you will ever have." Gabrijela tried to explain to the crying child as she walked towards the disappointed couple who were standing by the stairs. Marcus had his arms wrapped around Lily to comfort the upset woman in his arms.

Before each family were to adopt any child from the Homme, Gabrijela had requested for her hired private investigator to do a thorough background check on the family to dig up as much history as they could. After going through each report herself, she would then approve of the adoption should they meet her requirements. These children may have been abandoned by their birth parents but Gabrijela was determined to ensure that they get the love, support and happiness they deserved.

Lily and Marcus had been trying for a child for over a decade, however, the goddess Emelinde had other plans for them. After years of not being able to conceive, they decided to opt for adoption. They applied to the best adoption agency in the city for an adoption request and after months of waiting, their request had finally been approved. A few weeks back, they had come to visit Homme to look for the child whom they will love. When they first laid their eyes on the cheerful, bubbly girl who greeted them at the door, they knew she was the one they were going to start a family with. She was cheerful and friendly, showing them around the mansion. It took about a week to finalize all the paperwork and have their request approved.

Another factor Gabrijela took into consideration was the fact that the couple had a family lineage similar to Abigale's that will surely come of use in the future as Abigale grew older.

As the child was too young to remember her birth parents, growing up, she always thought that her real mother was Gabrijela and thought that the other children living in the Homme were her siblings.

"No! I want stay with Mama fworever!" Abigale huffed stubbornly. "Does Mama not want Abby anymwore?" Her face had dropped at the possible realization and her lips started to tremble again.

Looking down at the broken look on the girl's face, Gabrijela tried to explain to the young girl. "Abby, I love you. You know that. But Lily and Marcus can give you everything you need and want. They are going to be your real mummy and daddy. They can play princess with you all day. They can bring you to the theme park whenever you want. They will always be by your side. It's not something I can do Abby. You can always come back to visit and play with the other children as well."

The young girl looked up at Gabrijela, intelligence that was not of a young child, sparked in her eyes. The child seemed to have understood that this was the best choice for her.

Seeing that the child had finally calmed down, she walked to the couple with the child in her arms. She placed the child on the ground and took her hand giving it one last reassuring squeeze before placing her small hands into Marcus' outreached hand.

Seeing as the child had accepted Marcus' hands, Marcus let out a shaky laugh. The laugh caused Lily to look up from Marcus' chest. Her eyes immediately brightened at the sight. As if they couldn't be happier, the words that came out of Abigale's lips made the couple's face brighten even more. The once down atmosphere had been changed to a brighter one.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Abigale tested as the words rolled out of her tongue. Liking the feel of the words rolling out of her mouth, Abigale squealed as she repeated the words over and over again. Lily and Marcus chuckled lightly. Not at all annoyed that the young child had repeated the chant almost 10 times already.

"You ready to go princess?" Marcus asked, his eyes sparkled with love and adoration for the new family member.

Abigale gave a quick nod to Marcus before she looked up at Gabrijela with a small smile. She gave one last hug to Gabrijela before pulling Lily along and out of the mansion. Marcus chuckled lightly as he watched his love being dragged away by his now official child, with one thought in mind. The goddess Ermensinde had blessed him with this amazing family.

"Thank you Ms Gabri." Marcus turned to give Gabrijela one last nod before following behind his family.

Even though there was a tug in her heart, Gabrijela was happy for Abigale. A soft smile played at her lips as she looked towards the now closed door.