Dead

Friday evening, a calm, blood-red sunset was in view of the Cameron Mansion. Silence swept over the large, ten-story home, not even the wind dared to blow, yet none could hear the pitiful, dreadful pleas of a young girl as she took her last breaths.

"W-why a-ugh!" Blood splattered onto the floor before Allila could finish her sentence.

"Simple. I hate you." The man venomously spat out. Allila looked at her so-called father whom she craved to be loved by, stare down at her in utter disgust. He couldn't care less whether she was dying or dead, suddenly her heart felt a pang, not in pain nor sadness but in anger and regret.

"Y-you will n-never be ch-chairman-ugh!" One finally kick to her stomach, where the knife wound was and Allila felt her breath slip away.

Oh, how she wished she hadn't been a fool and blindly followed what everyone told her to do, blindly accepted the abuse while nobody helped her and blindly, naively, stupidly thought it would get her loved. In the end, it only got her killed.

'BASTARD'

"HUH!!" Allila jumped out of bed in a panic, her heart thumping and mind racing.

Where was she? What was she doing here? Where was her father? What happened to her? Why isn't she dead? And why the hell was there so much hair on her face?!

Questions raced through her head like a bullet train as she couldn't get her thoughts in place, Allila flung the black duvet off her body and checked her stomach, lightly touching the area hoping there wasn't any pain. But lord did she suddenly wish there was, now she couldn't get her mind to sit still.

It couldn't have been a dream, no it wasn't a dream! I know it wasn't! What's today?! She searched for her phone under her pillow and in the drawer beside her but couldn't find it, that's when she noticed something.

The colour of the walls were blue, the drawer beside her bed was black, the lamp had a fairy stand, the rug was gray and the dresser in her room was a brown, oak wood double door, broke down, old waste can that she had only very few to little clothes in there.

"N-no..." Her voice felt like it was being swallowed by realization. "Th-this ca-can't b-be happening."

None of it felt like a dream, and she was sure it wasn't a dream...what kind of sick joke are they playing now? She thought, thinking her family were making her suffer once more.

She rushed out of bed, in her long ankle length, white night dress, flinging the door open almost pulling it off its hinges as she rushed up the hall and barged into the bathroom.

Placing both hands on the sink Allila edged her body closer to the mirror, trying to process her image. Sleek, black hair, bagns that covered her eyes, pale white skin and pink, plump lips. No longer did she look like the 25 year old woman she was, instead she looked like a washed up 14 year old on the verge of going to rehab after serious cocaine addictions. She even checked her thigh from the scar she got while skiing when she was 19...it wasn't there.

Allila was sure she wasn't 14, but to be honest she wasn't sure how old she was in the general. She always looked like a kid even when she turned 25, the only difference was her she got a bit taller.

"No...NO!!!" She scram in rage. If she really came back to life some time in the past, she didn't want to relive the suffering and torture she had gone through...if any of that was even real!!!

"M-Miss Allila! Are you okay?" A maid rushed in, she had her hair in a tight bun and looked decades older than Allila. Her eyes bore pure concern, it was surprising since not many of the household servants cared for Allila, they actually ignored her almost every time. But that's not what caught Allila off guard, what really got to her was the fact that this was her nanny...who died 5 years ago.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" She scram out in horror. "IT'S A GHOST!!!!!!!" The old woman seemed to be greatly affected by this and began screaming along with her, thinking there was some sort of creature in the bathroom and held her hands over her head.

"AHHH!! OH GOOD LORD!! AHHH! AH! MIS-MISS-OH LORD!" Her nanny rushed to her side when she noticed her laying flat faced on the ground. "Wake up miss Allila, oh no dear!"

"You're saying she woke up and began screaming?" Allila's stepmother; Clara asked unsure.

The old maid nodded her head vigorously, while clasping both her palms together in worry and anxiety at what the Mistress of the mansion planned to do to Allila for causing such a commotion that early in the morning. It had in fact woken all ten floors, her screaming was so loud it reached the basement- in a whispering manner of course.

"Alright, when she wakes tell her we have an appointment with the Chairman. And if she hasn't after an hour, just deal with her." Clara ordered in an uncaring manner, as if it didn't matter what or how they dealt with Allila. She walked out of Allila's room with a sway to her hips, like she'd done something she was proud of.

The old maid rushed to Allila's side and gently cupped her face. "Oh sweet child, please be more careful." Her quiet, concerned whispers reached Allila's ears and her eyes sprung open looking through the cracks of hair. They scanned the ceiling before shooting to her right where the old woman stood, bent back, at her ear. The look in Allila's eyes were enough to tell even a blind man that fear was coursing through her veins.

"Nanny Mu-Mure...If this is about my b-bad c-cady habit! I-I I'm sorry, p-please d-don't h-haunt me." Allila begged, pushing her body into bed. Wishing it would just swallow her whole.

The old woman seemed surprised by her plea and slowly stood back straight. "Miss Allila, I don't know what you mean by haunting but I am very much not dead. And about your candy habits, I don't mind."

Oh, God! what's happening?! Haaaa...the darkness took over Allila once more as she fell into an unconscious slumber.

"It's good to see you all made it in time." The chairman said, his voice dominant and powerful. Though old and pale, his wrinkled skin and souless eyes bore evidence to the tough life he led to get to this point.

"Hehehe, yes pa, we all were wondering why you so suddenly called upon us." Allila's aunt, her bastard of a father's younger sister who had no place here but is somehow here.

She was not much to look at with a bob cut, brown eyes and black hair, smooth white skin and a scrawny figure. But don't be fooled by her frail and soft appearance, she's a snake who craves money behind all that.

The chairman sat on his desk, leaning into a large red chair, in the center of the two black aligned couches that faced each other.

On the left sat Allila's father; Robert, beside him was Clara her stepmother, beside her was Candice her sister a year older, and at the very end her brother Darwin the same age as her. Both Candice and Clayton looked like their mother, with chest just hair and brown orbs.

On the right sat Clara's older brother, Caden he had darker skin compared to Clara and dark hair, more like the chairman. Beside him was his son; Carter who had similar features to Candice, except darker skin, and beside Carter was Allila's aunt, Daniella and... Allila who was not seated there yet.

"Robert." The chairman called to his son-in-law, his eyes asking the question for him.

"Pa I'm not sure where Allila is. I sent a servant to retrieve her a few minutes before the meeting started but she still hasn't shown face." Robert spoke in a quivery manner. His words breathless and eyes fearful.

The chairman picked up his pen and tapped his desk with it a few times, as if he were deciding something.

"Robert it's your duty as her father to raise her right. You see my children, none of them are as impudent as Allila, and their children as well." The chairman commented in a snarky manner, Caden and Clara smirked in pride as the shot mocking glares at Robert. He felt the pressure evident on his shoulders but it was overridden by embarrassment and hatred for Allila.

"Yes, I'll go look for her now." Robert spoke through gritted teeth as he stood up with clenched fists.

'BANG!' The chairman's study room door flung open.

"Sorry I'm late." Allila announced, breathlessly as she hurried to her seat beside Daniella. Everyone in the study room including the chairman looked at her in a baffled manner.

"A-Allila...where have you been?" Her father asked, confused by her sudden entrance. And what more her confident posture.

"I apologize, I haven't felt well since this morning. But luckily mother had come and checked on me, informing the attendant about the appointment. It took me quite a while to get dressed but I made it here a few minutes late, I'm sorry for the wait." No one could believe that the dense, quiet, shy, pushover Allila was talking as confidently as she was.

"I-its fine, make sure this doesn't happen again Allila." The chairman quickly dismissed Allila's apology while clearing his throat. He too was quite confused about her sudden change in behavior. It was only yesterday the girl had been quivering in fear while her older sister scram profanities at her. "Ahem, the meeting I called for today was to address the recent situation with the Adven family. As you all know they've been the leading fashion industry for over three decades, but today they've set up a competition amongst the other industries. We of course are nowhere close to being a merchandising company, but being one of the best lawyer firms with over fifty schools in our names and more than a hundred world renowned lawyers, the Adven family might just be interested in us." The chairman took a slight pause before clasping both his palms together and leaning his elbows against the desk. "Money isn't a problem to them, they could buy three whole countries the size of Africa and it would be like giving a penny to a homeless man. But what they really need is insurance and safety. What better more than one of the best lawyering legacies in the world; The Camerons. And the competition they've set, which will be publicly announced in a week is for the hand in marriage to their only son, the heir to the Adven empire, Zackery Adevn."

The room was in utter silence, the faces of pure astonishment and disbelief, everyone looked at Candice like this would be their big break. And it would, truth be told. Having even the slightest connection to the Adven's, a driver for example would set you up for life. But they weren't mere drivers, they were in-laws. DIRECT IN LAWS. They would not only be set for life, maybe in even in the next thirty lives they live.

"Ho,ho,ho,ho, Candice, Candice you have to get him-pa!p-pa Candice is more than suitable for a marriage partner-don't you agree-don't you all agree?!" Robert enthusiastically asked as he looked around the room at the people who shared the exact same thoughts...Greedy, sly little thoughts.

Candice on the other hand couldn't be happier, she was on cloud nine. This would be her next big step in life, not only was born into a high, respected family, but now she would marry into an envied, rich, prestigious one. Forever she would be remembered as the bond linker between two of the most world renowned families, her name would probably go down in history as the first woman to catch the eye of the cold, ruthless, handsome, devil Zachary Adven. The generations to come will know her name, even after several hundred years, they would know where their luck in life was born, made, sealed and-

"But pa how do you know about this?" Caden, the eldest son asked.

The chairman simply chuckled and gave a smug look at everyone. "Because the Advens reached out to me first."

There was more than astonishment and disbelief in eyes of every soul in that room. It was otherworldly at this point. Never before in the past three decades had the Adevns been the one to push first, the always rowed the boat not push it into sea.

"Are they really that desperate for my hand marriage?!" Candice asked, astounded and excited all at once.

"Well they'll be here at dinner to meet you in person to decide whether or not you'd qualify for their son." The chairman replied. "So you'd better act right." Candice suddenly became serious and nodded her in determination.

All the while Allila sat there with a dreadful expression. She remembered this day like the back of her hand, because not only was this the day the Adven family would formally meet the Camerons...it would be the day Allila meets her first love.

Zachery.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you to whoever read!!!!! (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠)

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