Six Years Ago

Sia hobbled toward the Evangelista villa looking ghastly pale. Her skin were curtained with blotches of insect bite, her face littered with charcoal.

Her brunette hair extremely tousled and her clothes were in complete tatters.

She struggled to breathe as she gravitated toward the villa with the last shreds of strength she had inside her.

When she approached the gate, that was luckily flung open, Sia ambled inside, making a beeline straight to the threshold but suddenly a voice jolted her to stop.

“Ms. Sia!!” she heard the person call out. It’s a man and she’s familiar with the voice, hence she mustered the last strength she had and pulled to a stop.

Sia twirled around to the angle from whence the voice streamed and there stood the security man, Mike.

She didn’t feel the need to plaster a smile on her face like she always does, so she pursed her lips in a thin line, waiting to hear what Mike had to say.

Then, the man strode toward her and pulled to a stop right in front of her, sneering.

“Mr. Lucas ordered us not to let inside the villa again.” Came the man’s voice.

Hoping it was a mere joke as always, Sia let out a dry chuckle. Having no strength to proceed with the seeming conversation with Mike, she veered around and attempted to head into the villa.

To her utmost surprise, Mike tugged her wrist, harshly, that she was just one breath away from falling down but luckily, she steadied her pose.

Instantly, she swiveled around and lashed her weak eyes at Mike and eventually asked,

“What’s this Mr. Mike? Why did you push me?”

Her voice was slightly above a whisper. She could feel the water starting to form on the duct of her eyes.

“I told you calmly that Mr. Lucas strictly ordered not to let you in!!” roared Mike, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Meaning? Is this my first time shuffling inside the Evangelista's villa?” she managed to asked in between tears.

She just want to relay to Lucas what happened last night. How she came back home and saw their house in the slum submerged in a sea of fire.

How her mother got burnt yesterday by unknown people.

That’s just it. She wants to tell her man the problem she’s facing.

The dilemma.

The depression of losing her mother last night in such a gory way.

She’s the only one left in her family now.

Twelve years ago, she lost her younger brother Nicole in an accident. However, his body wasn’t seen as people believe he got burnt too when the car caught fire.

Lucas and Sia are from different worlds but love meshed them together. They have just dated for a year now. And Lucas treats her with so much respect and love.

So what’s wrong?

Why would he suddenly, out of the blue order the security guards not to let her inside his abode again?

That’s impossible!

They were together yesterday and when she arrived home she was greeted with the most shocking scene of her life.

Her mother being burnt by fire.

“it’s not your first time Ms. Sia but that was the order we got yesterday, from Mr. Lucas.” Answered Mike, keeping a straight face.

Huff, Sia shook her head. She turned and continued to take strides into the building but Mike held her firmly in place again.

This time, more harshly that Sia felt searing pains flash through her veins.

She winced. While she was struggling to free her wrist from Mike’s grip, another security man zoomed toward them.

“What’s wrong Mike?” the second security man asked Mike.

“She’s stubborn. She wants to creep inside the villa against Mr. Lucas’s orders.” Mike growled.

“What!!?” howled the second security man and immediately he clung Sia's other wrist to help Mike in dragging her outside the villa.

“What are you both doing?” Sia screamed in shock.

“Let me go!!”

“let me go!!”

“Let me go!!!”

She wailed, struggling to duck from their tight grip.

‘When are we seeing each other again?’ Sia asked.

‘Tomorrow, baby!’ Lucas responded her.

Their final words yesterday night crossed through her mind, vividly.

Lucas assured her they would meet today. He did and she’s here to see him, so what are these men saying?

How possible is it that her own Lucas would restrain her from venturing into his villa?

‘No, no this isn’t true. It can’t be true that he can possibly say such a thing.’ She pondered inwardly. Still struggling to free herself from their hold.

“I said let me go!!” she screamed again.

A sudden wave of energy surged through her as she continued to duck her hands from their vise grip.

“You go no where Ms. Sia. We are just following instructions.” The other man said, looking her dead in the eyes.

“This is nonsense!” she routed. “We met last night and he said I could come around today. So let me in and quit this childish act, for chrissake!!” she howled like a wolf.

Her eyes was beginning to blear.

How she wish these two men will understand her plight and let her inside so she could see him.

She immediately pinned her knees on the ground so they could stop dragging her.

“Listen! Don’t let us use force on you, understand?” came Mike’s voice.

“Why are you doing this?”

“It’s not our fault Ms. Sia. At all. This is an order we are trying to follow.” Responded the second man.

Meanwhile, as this was ongoing, another lady dressed in a white boat neckline dress that stopped on her mid thigh zoomed in front of them when she alighted from her car outside the villa.

Sia quickly stole a glance at the lady and could tell they’re same age. Twenty two years.

The girl has a blonde hair that cascades down her clavicle, an oval face, sharp pointed nose, very luscious pink lips and eyes and a beautiful creamy skin.

The lady is slightly taller than Sia or prolly because she’s on a five inches heels.

Well, Sia assumes since she smells and looks like someone from a wealthy family.

The lady curved the corner of her lip in disdain the moment she sighted what was transpiring.

She pulled to a stop, throwing glances at Mike, who bowed his head to greet her.

“Good morning ma’am Danika.” Both Mike and the other security guard greeted. Respect laced their words.

“And what do we call this?” came the so called Danika’s voice.

“Uh…uhh… nothing much, ma’am Danika. We just want to throw the trash away.” Mike snapped, smiling sheepishly at Danika who in return scowled.

However, Sia read meaning into his words.

He just called her trash!?

‘Trash? Me trash?’ She mumbled under her breath as her eyes began to smudge more.

“Be fast about that, wouldn’t like this to create a scene here.” Danika accentuated and began to take strides into the villa.

‘Who is she? She can’t be Lucas’s sister because…because they look so much different. Who could she be?’ Sia wondered.

She tilted her head back and studied Danika’s retreating figure and was in total awe when she spotted how the sun beamed on her creamy skin.

Her straight legs made Sia feel inferior inside but that’s not the case now.

She has more important things at hand which is to see Lucas so they could talk.

Maybe he could help her rake for the person that set her mother on fire.

“Mr. Mike? You…you just called me…a trash?” she drawled, pointing at herself.

Sighs**

Mike sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. “ain’t you one?”

“But…” she tried to speak but something struck her mind.

She indeed look like a trash. She glanced at her body and noticed for the first time how her clothes are in tatters, her skin covered with charcoal.

In fact, she looked like a white girl in a dark skin at the moment.

Not only does she look like a trash, she apparently lives in a slum!

“isn’t it obvious?” Mike’s words snapped her out of her reverie. She looked up at him and she felt the scorching sun rays bash in her eyes immediately, making her look back down.

“You smell so bad. You look so bad. You dress so bad!” Mike roared and his colleague burst into laughter.

“Hahaha…that’s pretty harsh, Mike.” The man spat, pinching his nose as though what Mike spewed now is true.

Sia stinks.

Sia wrapped her hands on her face and was shedding tears. They are slurring her.

They are abusing her with words.

“I just wonder how Mr. Lucas manages to spend fucking time with you considering how you stink!” Mike laughed, covering his nose.

‘Oh mum! Where are you?’ She called out inwardly as waters drifted from her eyes.

“Seriously! You’re right Mike. I bet Mr. Lucas can’t dare plant a kiss on her forehead talk more of her parched, stinking lips.” Said Mike’s colleague.

They’re taunting her and she’s just there powerless. Frail and abashed of herself.

If she were that lady…Danika as she’s called, will they mock her like this? She asked herself.

If she were that Danika will they abuse her? Or restrain her from seeing Lucas? She asked again.

But it’s very obvious. It’s as clear as day that they won’t talk to her like this.

They would respect her just like they respected Danika.

While still dunk in her pool of thoughts, Mike and his colleague clamped her wrist again and pulled her up to push her outside the gate.

But Sia did what actually surprised her. She mustered strength from no where and bit Mike on his hand, making him wail.

“Ptui!”

She turned to his colleague and spittle on his face.

Then she turned to run inside the villa but bumped into something. More accurately speaking, someone.

Sniffling, she could affirm the familiarity of his strong, bergamot cologne.

Sia pulled back and saw him.

The man she came to see but was restrained.

A soft smile mixed with tears tugged her lips apart as she ogled into his face.

However, she noticed that something’s odd.

So odd.

Lucas didn’t return back her smile.

Heck!

He kept a straight face. His coffee brown eyes bored into hers and all she could see is anger!

Is he angry with her? She wondered.

“L-Lucas…”

“Don’t!” His baritone voice that once sent shivers of delight down her spine scared the little life she has left out of her system.

Sia hoisted her head to bore her eyes into his to understand what’s transpiring. “why?” she asked.

But she got the shocking response she never thought she would get from him.

“It’s over, Sia.” He worded. His face stoic.

“What!?”

“It was all a game!” Lucas spat.

Her breath instantly hitched.