🦋 The Shadow of the Blurred Smile 💔 A Golden Cage
The morning sun, filtered through heavy, velvet curtains, painted stripes across Gabriella's opulent bedroom. It was a space that screamed old money—a grand, four-poster bed draped in silk, polished mahogany, and an air of untouchable luxury.
Gabriella suddenly yanked upright, her satin nightdress clinging to her. A cold prickle ran down her spine. The dream. It was back.
She closed her eyes, trying to catch the fading images. She was tiny, maybe two years old, sitting on a sun-dappled floor. Beside her was another girl, slightly taller, with two adorable, bouncy pigtails. They were laughing, playing with wooden blocks. It was pure joy. But every time, the same frustrating detail: the other girl's face was a featureless, soft blur.
"Why?" Gabriella muttered, swinging her long legs out of the bed.
The dream had been recurring for weeks. The last time, they weren't just playing; they were flying! But as little kids, arms outstretched, soaring like birds. What did that mean? Was it a memory? A repressed childhood friendship? She scratched her head, her deep-set, thoughtful eyes clouded with confusion.
BZZT! BZZT!
Her phone vibrated violently on the nightstand. She grabbed it.
Jake: Do you wanna come with me... out... babe?
Gabriella's breath hitched. Babe? Her eyes widened. The nerve! She knew what he was doing. Trying to reel her back in. He thought her heart was still soft clay in his hands. Never again.
But the word, 'babe,' triggered a dangerous flash.
The scene shifts: Gabriella's room, a few weeks ago. She'd tripped over a shoe and tumbled right on top of him. Her hands had landed on his strong chest, his arms pinning her in place. Their eyes—hers a startled jade, his a confident hazel—had locked.
A strange, hot spark ignited in her stomach. That terrifying, exhilarating feeling she refused to name. Then his voice, low and challenging, echoed in the quiet room:
"Do I make you feel butterflies?"
Gabriella snapped back to reality. Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Thump-thump-thump.
She grabbed her head and shook it fiercely. "No! I am not falling for you, Jake ! Get a grip, Gabriella!"
She threw on a cashmere robe and stormed out of the room.
☕ The Kitchen Confessional ☕
The kitchen was the warmest, most welcoming room in the huge house. Sunlight poured over the pristine white marble slabs. Gabriella hopped onto the cool counter, already reaching for her favorite coffee mug.
"What a surprise! You came to the kitchen this early," Roselette, her mother, chuckled, stirring a batter mix.
SMACK!
Roselette lightly slapped Gabriella's hand before she could grab the mug. "Don't. Did you brush your teeth?"
Gabriella grinned sheepishly. "No."
"Then no," Roselette declared, a playful smile on her face. Roselette wore a silk dressing gown, her movements graceful. Despite the playful exchange, Roselette's love for Gabriella was a deep, quiet ocean—usually calm, but capable of hiding strong currents.
"Mom," Gabriella started, more serious. "I had that dream again. The little girl with the pigtails. She was so cute, and we were playing. It keeps coming back."
Roselette listened, her stirring slowing down.
"Why is this dream coming continuously, Mom? Do I have any relationship with her? I was so little, maybe two years old." Gabriella scratched her head.
Roselette's smile disappeared. The light faded from her eyes, replaced by a deep, sudden melancholy. She turned fully toward Gabriella, her mouth opening, about to speak a truth Gabriella didn't know she needed to hear.
"What are you girls talking about?" Frederick, Gabriella's father, strode in, already dressed in a sharp business suit. He exuded power and authority, but always softened around his wife.
Roselette's face snapped back into a bright, welcoming mask. "Casual talk with mother and daughter, dear."
Frederick tapped Gabriella's hair. "Gabriella, you are coming with me to a party this evening."
"Where, Dad?"
"It's a party arranged by my business partner. Do you want to join?"
Gabriella hesitated. "Dad, but…"
"Of course, she will!" Roselette interrupted smoothly, sending a look to her daughter.
"Okay, fine," Gabriella conceded with a half-heart. She hated networking parties.
"Good girl. Pick some attire that must be stunning."
Frederick was already busy helping Roselette, chopping vegetables with surprising skill. "Not big, medium size," Roselette directed.
Frederick smiled, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Yes, my lord."
They looked like the perfect, loving couple. But a hollow feeling settled in Roselette's chest, a distant echo of the dream question. She felt unhappy, unsettled.
Gabriella left the kitchen. Her phone buzzed again.
Jake: Why aren't you replying? Are you playing hard to get?
"What! Me?" she scoffed.
She suddenly remembered: Jake was inviting her out because today was Raina's 20th birthday party.
She typed quickly, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. This was her revenge: teasing him, deflecting his advances, and reminding him of his duty to his best friend.
Gabriella: Hey. Why are you inviting me out today? Are you avoiding your bestie's birthday party? Did you guys fight? 😉
She didn't get a reply. Jake went offline immediately. Gabriella chuckled, a small victory notch carved into her pride.
😈 Jake's Cold Shoulder 😈
Jake was leaning back on his massive, custom-made couch in his mansion's lavish living room in Second Floor. The room was dominated by dark leather, brushed chrome, and a view that stretched over the entire city—a kingdom built on his father's empire.
He stared at Gabriella's last text. His lips curled into a slow, deliberate smirk.
Are you thinking I'm a fool? If you talk about me and Raina, I'd stop asking you out? Ha.
He started typing a sharp retort, but his mother's voice called from the hall.
"Jake! Come down here!"
He immediately went Down stairs...
He found his mother, Julie, arranging colossal floral centerpieces, directing a flurry of servants. Julie was elegant, but her eyes held a certain nervousness when her husband was near.
"Look, how is this decoration?" Julie asked, her tone seeking approval.
"Fantastic. Because you did it," Jake said, a genuine smile for her.
Julie pulled him to the couch. "Jake… What are you thinking about Elisabeth?" she asked, hesitating.
Jake's face instantly twisted into one of pure annoyance. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Just tell me."
"She is the most irritating, psycho person I have ever seen before!"
Julie's smile vanished, replaced by an awkward frown. Jake looked around, dread filling his eyes. "Is she coming again?" he rolled them dramatically.
"Yes! Here I am, Jake!" A voice trilled from the grand entrance.
Elisabeth, a whirlwind of designer clothes and overly-enthusiastic energy, rushed toward Jake and threw her arms around him in a possessive hug.
He pushed her away instantly.
"What are you doing?" Jake demanded, his face a straight, cold mask.
Elisabeth looked genuinely shocked. "Why did you push me away?"
"Because I don't like this. Behave yourself."
Suddenly, a new voice boomed from the grand staircase. "You have to behave yourself, Jake. Not her."
It was Robert, Jake's father. A man in his mid-forties, tailored and intimidating. The classic, dominant businessman.
Jake's blood pressure instantly rose. Elisabeth, on the other hand, smiled sweetly, greeting Julie and Robert. She immediately clamped onto Jake's arm, clinging to him. He hated it.
Robert came downstairs. "How was your journey from LA, Elisabeth?"
"A little tired, but it all disappeared when I saw Jake!"
Jake whispered under his breath: "Cringe."
"You have to rest," Julie said kindly, ordering a maid to show Elisabeth to her room.
As Elisabeth disappeared upstairs, Jake turned to his mother. "Mom. Why is she here?"
Robert cut across him in a dominating voice. "What is your problem?"
Jake ignored his father, his eyes locked on his mother. "Mom, why are you silent?"
Julie sighed, a look of profound defeat on her face. "Jake… Why are you hating her so much?"
"Because she keeps plastering me! She's obsessed!"
Robert stepped closer, his voice low and firm. "She would stay here forever. What would you do?"
Jake was shocked by the implication.
Julie quickly interjected in a calm tone. "Jake, you have to accept one person who loves you, not one… you love."
Jake was utterly confused. "What do you mean? Don't say that—"
Robert stood directly in front of his son, crushing his words. "Yes. You are going to marry her soon."
Jake's world seemed to tilt. "But I won't!" He stared down his father. Then, he turned to his mother, his voice filled with heartbroken certainty. "I can't marry a girl who is psycho and possessed towards me." He paused, his voice ringing with conviction. "If I marry a girl, it should be the girl I love. Not only me, but she also has to love me too. The love should be on both sides, Dad. Not one side."
He didn't wait for a reply. He walked away, slamming the front door behind him, leaving his life, and his future, suddenly uncertain.
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To be Continued....
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