Chapter 1
I bowed to the maid in the hallway, who gave me a polite smile and bowed in response. "You're here, young miss?" She said, taking my bag from my hand. "Oh yes, Shanti, I had quite a blast at school today. It was the last day of school, anyway." She smiled, "Master is upstairs in his study. I suggest you head there; he wanted to talk to you about something."
I nodded at her and walked up the stairs to the brown mahogany doors that led to my father's study. I knocked once before stepping in. My father looked up and smiled. "Is my princess back from school? It must have been fun, considering you're finished with high school." I smiled and gave him a small hug. "Yeah, Pa, I'm back. Everyone was so sad at the end, we're gonna miss each other."
He chuckled and patted my head affectionately. "Well, you remember when you asked me to make arrangements to go to Seoul University in South Korea a few weeks back? I've got good news for you." He said with a smile plastered on his face. I was caught off guard by the sudden mention, but gave him a smile in return. "You've got good news? Well, spill it, Dad."
He chuckled and took out a picture from his desk drawer. It showcased a group of students in graduation attire, with the date '11 March 1995' followed by a list of names. I saw his name, Arthur Emris, in the middle, next to Kim Young Azusa. My eyes darted up and fixated on the Asian man standing next to my father. "What does this have to do with my college application?" I chuckled, quite confused.
"That's my graduation picture from when I was in college, getting my Finance degree from Harvard." My dad explained, "The man next to me is my old friend, Kim Young. He's in Seoul right now. I talked to him a few days ago when you mentioned getting accepted to Seoul University. He almost immediately agreed to give you a place in his house, since he noticed my worried tone. I had looked it up, but there were no Dorms available, and rental rooms are dangerous in a foreign country, so he readily agreed. He said that he didn't have a daughter, and the house was far too big for a family of three."
I sat there, listening to his explanation in shock. Sure, he was trying to help me, but he hadn't considered how awkward it would be for me. I had never once met these people before in my life, and now I was going to share a home with them for the foreseeable future. My father continued, not seeming to notice my uneasy state, "He said that this semester will start from April, so he thought if you arrived a month early, he'll be able to make sure you adjusted there, and maybe he'll even show you around."
I sighed, looking at my father's hopeful face. I couldn't bear to crush his expectations. Maybe I was being too petty. These people had agreed to warmly accept me, a total stranger, in their home, and I was the one making excuses. It would be better for my future anyway if I planned to become a cosmetic surgeon later on in life. I looked up and nodded. My father's face softened. "I've arranged for you to leave next week, so I hope that's enough time to say goodbye to your friends and India?"
I excused myself from his study after a little chat about daily life. My father was a kind man, and I loved that about him. However, the downside was that he was too innocent and sometimes naive as well. I wanted to say no and suggest we find something else, but it would hurt him. After all, he went through all this trouble to get me a place to stay at my dream university.
I opened my room and closed the door behind me, taking in the lavender interior. The posters that covered my walls and the mural that my parents and I made with me, when mom was alive. I sighed, sitting down on my bed. I sighed and then shook myself. I should cheer up and not look so depressed; it’s been almost 10 years since she passed away. I thought to myself.
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1 Week Later, 12:45 AM, Seoul
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I stood at the airport carrying my luggage. I was confused as to where to go, looking totally out of place between the Asian people surrounding me. I looked around, checking my phone, when I saw someone standing with a placard in his hand. It said my name-Ayesha Emris. I looked up at the guy, and Oh God..I was so glad I did.
He was the finest man I had laid my eyes on, with his messy, straight black hair and those black eyes, deep as ink, ready to drown me in them- wait, was he staring at me? I quickly broke out of my trance and walked towards him. He straightened to his full height and looked down at me.
"Ayesha Emris" I said, "that's me." He looked at me for a little bit more, observing my attire and appearance, then nodded. "Kallias" He said, his voice velvety "Kallias Azusa." My eyes widened in realization "Mr. Azusa's son?" I asked. He chuckled, the sound filled with mockery "You know my dad's name?" That annoyed me for some reason "Well, Mr. Azusa, I like to know the person's place I'll be staying at for the foreseeable future." I said in the most polite voice I had.
He looked caught off guard, almost as if he hadn't been expecting me to retaliate. "Noted" he said in the cold voice of his, getting on my nerves again. 'Take a deep breath', I remined myself. 'His parents are your hosts, you can't kill him'. He started walking to a black SUV parked a little distance away, and I followed him. 'Rude jerk' I thought. He opened the door for me. "Leave the luggage" He said. I got inside, not expecting such treatment from him due to his personality. he sat beside me and looked ahead.
A man in a black suit was behind the wheel. Kallias nodded and the car took off silently. I looked out the open window, my open curly hair tossing due to the air. the night air brushed past, the sound of gravel under the car wheels adding to the relaxed atmosphere. We took a turn to an almost isolated alleyway. It was big enough for two cars to pass at the same time but mysteriously empty. I shrugged. It wasn't my business, maybe it was common here.
The alleyway led up to a path up a hill, away from the sparkling city. The mansion came into sight as we progressed. The whole place gave me an eerie vibe, making my skin crawl. I had always been the kind of person who would trust my intuition strongly, and it told me something was wrong, almost twisted about this place. The car rolled onto the driveway, and my eyes widened at the luxury in front of me.
The mansion loomed on the edge of the hillside, a fortress of glass and stone that seemed too elegant to belong to anyone ordinary. Its walls were a blend of smooth concrete and dark granite, polished to a shine that caught the faintest hints of moonlight, while angular balconies jutted out like watchtowers. From afar, the house could have passed as a luxury estate for an old-money family; up close, it felt more like a place where secrets were traded at a price.
A wrought-iron gate guarded the entrance, its ornate patterns beautiful yet sharp-edged, the kind of artistry that whispered of both wealth and warning. The long drive curved beneath a canopy of black pine trees, their shadows twisting across the cobblestone path. A sleek black car, untouched by dust, was parked near the front steps, its presence too deliberate, like a sentinel.
The exterior lights were placed with precision—too dim to brighten, too bright to hide—casting the façade in a calculated glow. Windows stretched floor to ceiling, but most were draped in heavy curtains, leaving the impression that whatever happened inside was never meant for outside eyes.
From the garden, trimmed to perfection, the faintest sound of running water drifted from a stone fountain carved into the likeness of dragons. Yet even its beauty held a chill, as though time itself hesitated at the gates.
It was a house built for prestige, but its silence suggested something darker: that its true legacy was not in elegance, but in the kind of stories no one spoke aloud. Kallias got out of the car, acting as if I didn't even exist. I just shrugged my shoulders and got out myself. butler greeted us out front. He smiled politely "Welcome Miss Emris, the Master and Madam are waiting for you inside." Kallias had gone inside before us, so I depended on the butler for instructions.
Inside, the house breathed sophistication. Marble floors stretched wide, veined like cracked ice, while chandeliers dripped crystals in cold elegance. The scent of aged wood lingered, polished but hiding the musk of old secrets. Every hallway seemed a fraction too long, every door too heavy, as if meant to keep conversations unheard.
The mansion did not feel abandoned; it felt watched, as though its very walls remembered deals struck in whispers, betrayals hidden in velvet rooms, and footsteps that no one admitted hearing at night. It was the kind of place where money built beauty, but crime left fingerprints in the dust.
The butler opened a huge door at the end of the hallway, asking me to proceed further without him. Inside was a huge drawing room, sculpted by the best money could buy. Seated inside were my hosts, sitting on the couch. Mr. Azusa immediately got up and smiled and me, and his wife's eyes softened. I smiled back, feeling kind of awkward.
I bowed down. "It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Azusa, Mrs. Azusa." Mr. Azusa smiled and gave me a pat on my shoulder "Oh no need to be so formal with me young Emris." He chuckled "You can just call us uncle and aunt." The woman beside him smiled and pulled me in a hug "Oh Ayesha, you've grown so much since the last time we saw you. Was it 7 years ago? Maybe 9?" She smiled.
Mr. Azusa carried his age like an armor- broad-shouldered, with a tailored suit that fit him too perfectly to be anything but custom. His hair was dark, streaked lightly with silver at the temples, the kind of detail that made him look more formidable than old. A gold watch gleamed at his wrist, not as an accessory but as a quiet reminder of the weight he carried. His eyes were sharp, unreadable, the kind of gaze that made even silence feel like a command.
Beside him, the Mrs. Azusa was elegance sharpened to a blade. She wore black silk like it was second skin, her movements precise, deliberate, every step echoing control. Her beauty had not faded with age; it had refined—high cheekbones, a confident mouth painted in deep red, and eyes that knew how to smile without ever softening. She wasn’t an accessory to his presence; she was his equal, the kind of woman whose quiet glance could silence a room.
Together, they looked less like husband and wife and more like a dynasty—two rulers whose empire wasn’t built in boardrooms but in the shadows, where whispers carried more weight than guns. "Thank you so much for having me here." I said. Mrs. Azusa smiled, her eyes filled with warmth. "The pleasure is ours, you're like a daughter to us. When Kim found out that you were coming here, he looked as happy he was the day Kallias smiled for the first time."
I chuckled awkwardly. 'smiled for the first time? what is that guy, a robot?' I thought. "I couldn't be more grateful Mr. Azusa-" "Uncle" Mr. Azusa interrupted me "And think of this as your own house hon, though I hope it meets the standards Arthur has set." He chuckled, the sound filled with glee. I smiled at that and nodded "definitely does uncle".
Mrs. Azusa nodded and said "Now, it's already late in the night. we've arranged a room for you and your luggage has already been taken there. Oh and you must've met Killian, I assume?" I nodded "Yes, I've met him. He was polite" I said, hesitating before the 'polite' part.
Mr. Azusa sighed "Please don't mind that boy's behavior, he's just been too reserved since the start. I hope you understand." I nodded. "Well, the butler will lead you to your room. Good night dear." I smiled and nodded "Good night uncle, aunt."
