Chapter 23 A lead

I woke up, Jessy was by my side, she was opening the curtains and cleaning the room.

" Good morning, Jessy," I said and she flinched upon hearing my voice.

" Good morning, Lily." She replied shyly.

" Why are you up this early?" I asked.

" I wanted to choose your outfit for the day... "

Jessy wanted to become a fashion designer, that was her dream so I let her choose my clothes when she had time. She also showed me her designs and I was fascinated by her work, she is an orphan and she can't afford to go to college though. She works here and here is also where she lives.

" Okay, what do you have for me today?"

" How about this dress? You don't wear dresses at all, why?"

" They don't suit me, also I needed to be ready for any emergency that requires me to run away, a dress is so unconventional," I explained.

" I didn't know that is how you lived your life,"

" I didn't have it easy as well," I declared as I admired the dress she was carrying.

" What about now, do you think you can wear it?" she asked.

I got absorbed into my thoughts trying to answer her question, what about now? Am I safe here? I guess I am for now.

" I guess, I am."

" Be careful from master though, Lily. You are my friend so allow me to speak freely with you."

I nodded allowing her to continue what she was saying.

" He is cruel, he cares only about his business and money. It is weird that he would allow his son to marry a nameless girl such as you."

" Why do you think would he do it for then?"

" I don't know but his intentions should be questioned for sure, there was this girl that followed Shawn everywhere, her family was not poor but they weren't that wealthy either. They only had several small companies and their status was still lower than Shawn's, I heard Gerald ordering his secretary to take care of her privately."

" Wouldn't any family be lower than Shawn's in terms of status anyway? What happened to her, do you know?"

" No, this girl disappeared. I looked her name online and they said that her family managed to pass the financial crisis they were in and she traveled abroad to continue her studies in a foreign country."

" You think Gerald was the reason?"

" I don't have the luxury to think, Lily. I just have to advise you to never trust Gerald. Shawn might not be like his father but after all, it is the environment that shapes one's personality. He is destined to become like his father. His brother was so nice unlike him and before he died, he used to fight a lot with Gerald." She clarified.

Gerald was nothing but sweet to me, he might be cold but he did not harm me in any way. I missed something important though, he witnessed that rainy day years ago so why didn't he tell on me to the police and why was he even there that night. What business did he have to go to such a neighborhood?

Something he would gain from marrying his son to me? What could that be? I was convinced by Jessy's talk. It seems that what I read online regarding Gerald's background wasn't just rumors as I thought. What could he be hiding though?

I ended up wearing a sweat pant and a top telling Jessy that I will wear this dress another time, Shawn accompanied me after breakfast to the garage, he insisted that he drives me since I am officially his girlfriend at college.

He was so adamant so I gave up and followed him waiting for him to start the engine. My eyes fell on another car's plate that was parked as well, '1784 DX' ... this plate number? Could it be?

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" Hey mommy, why does dad hate you this much?" I asked my mom.

" Your dad is a bad man, all men are."

" Dad wants us out of home, what are we going to do?"

" Do not worry, he won't kick us out, he can't," she continued.

"Don't trust anyone, Lily. Do not depend on a man, if you will free yourself from such a place then do it yourself. Relying on a man would only add up to your problems." she added.

" Why?" I asked not understanding what she meant with that as a 7 years old kid.

" C'mon go to sleep, you have school tomorrow." Mom stated as she put me in my bed.

Mom worked as a waitress and all the money she gets, she used for my school fees and to buy us canned food every 2 days. I remember always going to school hungry as fuck, some of my friends' moms would give me sandwiches from time to time. No one wanted to befriend a beggar-like child and even the teachers didn't like to chat with me.

I was a loner throughout my school life and I remember waking up in the middle of the night, I went to search for mom but I couldn't find her anywhere. I waited for her outside, she soon got dropped off from some expensive car holding an envelope filled with money.

" Where were you, mommy?" I asked.

" Somewhere cold, somewhere heartbreaking. Sweetheart," she uttered.

Days passed and the envelopes stopped getting sent, mom couldn't find a job and she lost the will to fight anymore. The car would still pass from time to time, it would also stop at my school in the morning.

It was a very special car since it was so expensive, unlike the other cars that were parked in our neighborhood. The windows were foamed as well, and I even remember the car's plate number.

It was ' 1784 DX'.

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