Chapter 1
“Mr. Lucian Velasco, billionaire and the CEO of the Velasco Group, died in a tragic car crash,” has been the headline of every news outlet for the past twelve hours.
I stare at the TV screen, leaning back against the leather sofa, swirling the red wine in my hand. The plan worked out well; now everyone believes that I’m dead. I take in the scene playing before me on the TV, people carrying “my coffin” to the funeral. The scene cuts to my family, and the screen fills with my step-mother crying crocodile tears in front of the camera. I grip the glass so hard that it shatters into pieces in my hand. Blood and wine mix together, dripping down my arm, but I barely feel the pain over the ringing in my ears as I stare at the face of the woman I despise.
A knock sounds at the door, and I rise from the sofa. I put on a mask and a hat to hide my identity as I stride towards the door. I close my hands around the handle and swing the door open, revealing Rico standing before me. He steps into the room, and I close the door behind him. “You made sure no one saw you come here?” I ask. “Yes, I was very careful.” He replies. “Everything’s ready?” I immediately need a place to stay that is far away from the city, somewhere I can stay hidden. Staying here puts me at risk of people finding out that I’m alive. And that would make the bastard who’s trying to kill me make another attempt to take my life.
My father was the heir to the succession after my grandfather. Unfortunately, my grandfather made a poor choice by believing he had the potential to run the company. He threw lavish parties, hung out with the wrong people who did nothing but rip him off. And eventually, the company went bankrupt. Then, I took over, fought for it, and spent sleepless nights turning it into a successful company from the brink of bankruptcy. I have made plenty of enemies along the way of making it a multi-billion dollar company. So, it’s no shock to me that there are people who’d love to see my downfall, and apparently, some want me dead.
My list of enemies and suspects is long, which makes finding the culprit harder. I suspected my step-mother at first, but after keeping an eye on her for months without her knowledge, I haven’t found anything suspicious. But I have a feeling that someone who knows me at a personal level is behind all of those attacks. My attention snaps back to Rico when his voice fills the place. “Actually, I did find a house in a small town that’s far away from the city, where the chance of people recognizing you is close to zero. I have spoken with the owner of the house, and he said he needs a little time to think about it.” I clench my fists as I say in a harsh tone, “I told you to make sure to arrange a place for me to stay as soon as possible. What do you mean he needs time to think? Offer him a large sum of money if you have to.” He nods nervously, “Yes, I’ll make sure.” I’m on edge for the past few months, making me snap at any incompetence. I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration and say, “Forget about it. I’ll handle it myself.”
—
I toss the key into the air and catch it before it can hit the ground. Finally, I sealed the deal, and they agreed to sell the house to me. Soon, I’ll be able to move in. I look around and take in the space before me. Rico was right, this place is perfect for staying hidden. The houses are surrounded by nature, which is a stark contrast to the city where I’ve spent my whole life. It’s refreshing in a way, I suppose. Thinking I should have a clear idea of the town I’ll be staying in, I wander around for a while. I notice people are throwing curious glances at me, probably because usually people don’t move in here. When someone does, they get curious about the person’s motive. Besides, I don’t fit in, or anywhere for that matter. I had stopped caring about that long ago, so it’s not a problem for me. I ignore them and continue my stroll. After a while, I reached the edge of the residential area. Before me stretches a vast expanse of green forest, spreading out in both directions. I step into it, hoping the quiet will clear my mind from everything that has happened over the past few months.
After a while, I decide that it’s time to head back, but right then a soothing voice reaches my ears, making me pause in my tracks. Before I realize it, my feet begin to move towards the voice, which leads me to a large oak tree. And I stop right before it and look straight up from where I believe the voice is coming from. To my surprise, I find a girl with long, wavy chestnut brown hair cascading down her waist, perched on a sturdy branch. A book is in her hand, and she’s reading it out loud in that sweet voice of hers, which brought me to her in the first place. The sun rays cast a warm glow on her features, highlighting the curve of her cheeks and jaw. She’s wearing a light green sundress, which complements the green leaves of the tree. I am captivated not just by her beauty but also by the way she’s reading that book as if she’s in that magical world she is reading about.
I lean against a tree with my arms crossed against my chest as I listen to the story. She’s such a wonderful storyteller that I get lost in the story with her. And her voice alone made all of my frustrations and anger disappear for the moment. I feel at peace for the first time in many years.
A few moments pass, and her story comes to an end. She closes her book, but she still hasn’t noticed me. I know I should leave, but, for some reason, my feet stay glued to the ground.
To not lurk there like a creep, I clear my throat to announce my presence. It startles her and she lets out a yelp. She looks down at me from up there.
“Ahhh, you scared me! I almost fell because of you,” she says, accusingly.
I just shrug and say, “My apologies for startling you.” I pause before continuing, “But, what are you doing up there? Do you have a death wish?”
Her tone is sarcastic as she says, “Thanks for your concern. But I don’t need it. I have been climbing trees since I was little.” She points at herself. “As you can see, I’m alive and well.” I watch her as she puts her book inside a bag and slings it over her shoulder. Her hands are gripping the rough bark as she makes her way down the large tree.
I have no business being there. I should just leave, but for some reason, I can’t help but taunt her. “Since you were little? Looks more like your first try.”
That gets me a reaction, and she looks over her shoulder right down at where I was standing. Before she can open her mouth to retort, she accidentally steps upon a withered branch, which cracks under her weight, causing her to lose balance and fall towards the ground. I push away from the tree I am leaning against and rush to her. Thankfully, I manage to catch her before she can fall on the ground. My arms wrap around her body as I pull her to my chest. The collision sends us both tumbling to the ground, and she lands on top of me. Her head rests on my chest, and my hands wrap around her body protectively. She lifts her head from my chest, and our eyes meet. I couldn’t make out the color of her eyes from afar. Now that she’s close, I can see her eyes are green, with specks of gold.
“Hazel,” I murmur. Her brows knit together in confusion, “What did you say?” She asks.
I clear my throat, “Planning to stay on top of me forever?” Her cheeks flush, and she pulls away and scurries off me. I suppress a groan when I try to sit back up. Fuck. My back is hurting like hell.
Are you okay?” Her voice is concerned. “Yes. Perfectly fine.” I play it cool. After sitting in silence for some time, we both rise to our feet. I scan her from head to toe one more time to make sure she’s not hurt.
“Thanks for catching me.” Her voice is soft; the sharp tone from earlier is gone.
“The pleasure is all mine,” I say. Then, add, “So much for being a climbing expert, huh.” My teasing tone riles her up.
“I wouldn’t have fallen if you hadn’t distracted me.” Her tone turns sharp again.
“Didn’t know I was that distracting.” She looks like she wants to punch me.
“Ugh, you’re impossible to deal with.” Without waiting for my reply, she brushes past me. And I turn to watch her leave.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “You didn’t tell me your name.”
She pauses in her tracks and whirs around to look at me. “I don’t give my name to strangers.”
“I’d like to say we’re more than that.”
“How so?” She asks.
“Well, we shared a moment earlier. That has to count for something, right?”
My reply makes her laugh a little. “No, that doesn’t. But, since you saved me, I’ll make an exception. I’ll give you a hint.” Getting a hint is better than nothing. I tilt my head to the side, slightly crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for her to continue, “My name has a connection to this forest.” With a playful smile, she turns around, and I watch her disappear into the trail ahead. I realize she’s messing with me. She had no intention of telling me her name. She gave me the vaguest hint anyone could give to another person. But her words keep replaying in my head like a song I can’t forget.
“I’ll figure it out,” I murmur to myself.
