Then suddenly, the street became empty, everyone was gone except her. Frightened, she began calling for Daniel but her pleads went unanswered. Panic-stricken, she began to run, running in search of a safe location.
Her lungs hurt from the heavy breathing, she struggled to keep running then she heard a loud bang...
Gillian's body automatically jerked up, panting, at first too absorbed in her dream to notice the unfamiliar bedroom. When she finally glanced around, the picture by the bed immediately caught her attention.
It was a picture of Edison smiling smugly; next to it was a glass of water along with a bottle of aspirin.
Slowly, the previous day's memories began to surface.
She was finally married; married to a man she did not love.
The thought brought her neither sorrow nor despair, only a heavy heart.
It was a sentence. A life sentence.
A fact she must accept.
Looking down she realized that her red evening gown had been replaced by a set of blue flannel pajamas that she had never seen before.
Right at that moment, Edison strolled out of the adjoined bathroom fixing his tie. "I'm glad sleeping beauty has finally decided to wake up."
"Were you the one that changed my clothes?" Her tone was neither accusing nor worried; after all they were married. She wasn't naive enough to believe that he would keep his hands off of her.
But to her surprise, his only response was raising his left eyebrow slightly then favoring her with another obnoxious smirk before walking out the door without answering.
Instinctively she followed him into a small dining area that was just off of the living room, where a delicious aroma saturated the air.
There she saw the young woman she vaguely recalled being introduced as Edison's older sister, Karena, setting plates of breakfast on to the table.
"Morning sis," her husband said, placing a kiss on her new sister-in-law's cheek, in return she smiled affectionately, fixing the collar of his shirt just before he took a seat.
Gillian took the seat next to her husband, directly across from her sister-in-law.
"Mor..Morning"
"Morning."
"I..I hope you sl..slept well lastnight. You..You didn't have an..any clothes here so I..I just changed you in..into a set of m..my pajamas."
"You changed me?"
"Wh..When you passed out last..lastnight, I hel..helped Ed bring you..you back."
"I see. Thanks," she said then clarified, "for helping me changing. And thanks for the aspirin."
"As..aspirin?" her sister-in-law asked, obviously confused.
Questioningly, she turned to her husband but he seemed too immersed in the newspaper and breakfast to notice the on going conversation.
He was the one that prepared the water and aspirin?
"Get ready, the news conference is in an hour," his voice broke into her thoughts.
"What news conference?"
"The one that will announce my official involvement in Chung Enterprises' Board of Directors. Your parents and brother will be there as well."
*
Deep in thought, Charlene draped different combinations of clothing on to the plastic mannequin in front of her, but continuously sighed when the results were displeasing.
Nibbling the ends of her fingernails, she decided on another colorful blouse and a muted colored flowing skirt, frustratingly shook her head when the results were equally as disappointing as before.
Each time she tried concentrate, images of Nicholas's striking features would surface.
Why?
Why had he asked her to meet him?
Why had he looked so disappointed when she introduced her husband?
Why did it matter to him that she was married? After all, he was the one that left her waiting for days in the freezing cold.
He was the one didn't care about her.
What they had was only mutual attraction, infatuation; it was nothing compared to what she had with her husband.
Only Kenny deserved her love.
If that was so, why did her heart flutter when Nicholas looked at her?
Why did it hurt to see him with another woman?
Shaking her head again, she tried to push all thoughts of the man she could never understand out of her mind and concentrated on the mannequin before her.
An hour had passed when she a knock on her door, revealed her assistant, holding a bouquet of lilies.
Her favorite flower.
She glanced at the card and felt her heart miss a beat.
"I will be waiting at XXX park at 5, please come-Nicholas."
*
It was their first public appearance as husband and wife, cameras were flashing all around the room. Reporters seem more interested in their new marriage than his involvement in Chung Enterprises. Questions were being thrown from all different directions but his attention was solely on the beauty by his side while his eyes stayed focused ahead.
Leading her by hand, they reached the stage where all the important members were to be seated. Arriving before them, were his new in-laws, he nodded a greeting and sat down.
His wife had been quiet throughout the car ride. Edison could only imagine what was going on in her pretty head. She had been an unwilling participant in their marriage but she neither complained nor wallowed in self-pity.
She was a strong woman; he had always known that.
She had done everything she could to run away from him but now she was finally his.
Her each and every gesture intrigued him, the distant look that donned her porcelain face while she thought, the small smile on her lips while she slept, the flames the flashed in her eyes while she's angry.
When had he become so mesmerized by her?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the call of his name and applauds. Rising to meet the extended hand of his father-in-law, he knew it was time for him to make a speech. Though, not having prepared ahead of time, he was able to jot his thoughts together to make a short convincing speech expressing his gratitude for Chung Enterprises for allowing him to join but everyone knew the truth; it was the other way around, they needed him.
When the time came to questions, he took turns with his father-in-law and brother-in-law, answering accordingly, giving away nothing.
Just as the conference was coming to an end, one male reporter from the back that remained quiet throughout the conference suddenly spoke up.
"This question is for Mr. Tony Chung, is it true that 28 years ago, you sacrificed your first love to marry your current wife in order to save Chung Enterprises and now 28 years later, you sacrificed your only daughter for the same reason?"
Edison noticed his father-in-law and brother-in-law falter from the unexpected question; smoothly and unfazed, he stepped in. "I think you are mistaken. Chung Enterprises had at no time been in jeopardy, therefore had never been in need of saving."
"Isn't it true that the last few projects has been a complete failure for Chung Enterprises?"
"There is always a risk in business. Chung Enterprises is a solid company."
"If that was true, then why are you suddenly investing such a huge sum into Chung Enterprises?"
"Because I believe in the company."
That man knew too much.
*
The sun was beginning to set when they drove home together.
"Is something wrong, honey? You seem awfully quiet today," Kenny's voice penetrated her ears while her eyes stared blankly ahead as the car continued to move forward.
She was determined not to fall into the same trap again.
Nicholas was a part of her past that she did not want to resurface again.
The bouquet of lilies he had sent earlier was already in her trash bin.
"Just tired I guess," she lied. "How was the news conference?"
"Pretty bad. One of the reporters hit a few nerves," her husband went on but her mind was elsewhere.
Why did he have to step back into her life again?
She nodded absent-mindedly until a certain word her husband said caught her attention. "Huh?"
"I said, that's XXX Park over this side. The view is beautiful, we should go there sometime."
"Yeah," she replied, but her eyes were focused on the park that was slowly disappearing from view.
Was he still there waiting for her?
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