Chapter 1 - Whispers of the past
The pounding on the door shook the walls, each thud louder than the last, six year old Ina clutched her fathers sleeve, her small fingers trembling as the pressed herself against him. The man outside barked again, his voice rough and impatient.
“Come out Mr. Beauchamp, or we’ll break this door down….I'm sure you don’t want that!”
Another furious knock. Then, slower.”Okay I’m going to count to 10. if you don’t come out, I’m breaking in.”
Ina’s breath hitched. Her father knelt in front of her, his hands steady on her shoulders despite the fear in his eyes.
“one...two...three” Her father quickly lifted her and hid her in the wardrobe, burying her under a pile of clothes. The fabric smelled like old wool and cedar, scratchy against her cheeks.
“My dear Ina,” he whispered, voice tight. “Don’t come out unless I tell you to. Promise me.”
Tears spilling down her face. “Daddy, you're scaring me”
“I promise daddy” she swallowed hard With a deep sigh, he closed the wardrobe door, leaving her in darkness.
Outside the counting continued. “Eight...nine…”
Her father opened the door, his voice firm and clear as he stands in front of the man.
“I’m here, what do you want?”
Through a tiny gap in the wardrobe door, Ina watched. A towering figure loomed in the doorway, silhouetted against the hall lights.
“we need to talk, Mr. Beauchamp.”
Ina held her breath, her heart pounding in her ears.
A black car rolled up to stop, sleek and silent like a predator. The door opened, and out stepped an elderly man in a tailored suit, his polished shoes crunching on the cracked pavement. Behind him, a boy no older than 12 years old followed, his face pale, his hands clenched into fists.The old mans nose wrinkled as he approached Ina's father, who stood frozen in the doorway. “Pathetic” he sneered “this place reeks of poverty.”
A sharp nod to his men and in an instant rough hands seized Mr Beauchamp forcing him to his knees dust clung to his pants as he struggled.
“Roger” the old man called. “Bring the pistol.”
A glint of metal passed between them. Then slowly, the old man placed the pistol into the young boy trembling hands
“look at him son,” he murmured his voice thick with venom. “This is the man who killed your mother. My wife” the boys breath hitched his fingers tightened around the grip.
“If he had not crossed in front of her...if he had not shown up out of nowhere….if he had not forced her to swerve…” the old mans voice cracked. “She would still be alive today”
Mr Beauchamp voice was raw and dry “please son I didn’t mean to, it was a mistake”
pull the trigger Elias, the old man whispered
the boys tears fell now, hot and furious “Is that how she felt he whispered. When you took her from me”
a beat of silence
then...
Boom. Boom. Boom
Ina’s father lifeless body crumpled. Three shots. three echoes ringing in the air.
A whimper escaped her lips before she could swallow it
The old man did not hear. But the boy did.
His head snapped towards the closet. There, through the hole, he saw the amber eyes,
wide with terror, glistening with tears.
For a heartbeat, they just stared at each other. His face twisted not in rage, but in
something worse...pity.
Then
She woke up, sweat beads on her face
Still the same amber eyes, same nightmare. Fifteen years later and she still couldn’t
escape it. But now shes no longer the weak 6 years old that couldn’t do anything to
save her father, but a passionate, hard working, goal driven girl working hard to
become a lawyer to find those who oppressed her when she was weak and put them behind bars and to help the poor get justice. She hums her favorite classical music by Beethoven and dresses up wearing a brown
knitted sweater and a trouser with Doc martens shoe, suddenly a notification pops up
on her phone. ENTRANCE QUALIFICATION RESULT OF KINGSTON UNIVERSITY IS OUT,
she rushes out and calls a cab to her best friends house Madison or like she likes to
call her Maddie..she arrives at Maddie's home contemplating about the result
“girl just check it, you are the most brilliant person I have seen and you worked so
hard for this, considering the fact you basically struggled between working various
shifts to keep yourself
“And if you pass this were going to Dubai to celebrate and pop champagne and if you
fail were still celebrating, cause girl you deserve a celebration”
“thanks Maddie, what would I ever do without you”
Maddie then replies sarcastically “hmm, I don’t know...probably die in despair and
desolation.” Ina then puts her log in details, then her scores pop out. Ina Marie
Beauchamp : 98/100, congratulations miss...you will be messaged by the schools
admission board once your admission has been granted. Ina screams with joy, Maddie
we did it, I'm sew happy
“we’re going to Dubai to party”, the girls start chanting with excitement, later that
afternoon Ina leaves Maddie's house to visit her late dad.
The cemetery was quiet, the afternoon sun casting shadows over the rows of head
stones. Ina knelt before her fathers grave her fingers brushing over the name James
Fredrick Beauchamp, she drops some violets, her dad’s favorite.
Guess what daddy, I did it she whispered “I passed the entrance exam. I’m going to be
a Lawyer and I’m definitely going to make sure that the poor and innocent never face
any form of injustice.
A gust of wind carried her words away, but the weight in her chest lightened, as if a
weight had been lifted from her shoulders and stood up brushing dirt from her skirt
she hears one of the violets she dropped being crushed as she turned away, Ina’s
head snapped to see a tall broad chested man standing at her side, his well polished
leather planted carelessly on one of the violets she had grown for her dad.
Her breath hitched
“Move” she said
Dante turned his sharp features twisting in annoyance, “what”
“you crushed my flowers you idiot”
“you don’t get to break my fathers things and act like I'm inconveniencing you,
idiot,” tears stream her eyes as she shouts
“I didn’t see it,” he replies running his hands through his hair in anger
“Is that all you can say for yourself”
“Name your price, its just a stupid flower, how is $200,000,000...or how is..”
smack, before he could say anything else he felt a sharp sting on his cheeks
“Not everything is about money, money cant buy everything.” she brushes past him
leaving him dumbfounded, then he pulls her back by her hand and holds her chin
staring deeply into her “Next time, I wont let you walk away”. She removes his hand
and walks away.
Then mesmerized by her audacity and feeling the sting on his cheek.
he returns his focus on his late mother Rena Nikolai, “I'm late again I know you'll scold me, I miss
you, I miss you so much, I wish you were alive today”...but something is engraved in his mind, her amber eyes..."They're just like hers"
