14

AUDREY
The royal blue, sleek brand-new car shone brightly before my eyes the night I arrived at the apartment, and the valet made sure to let me know it was taken good care of at the parking lot.
I’d never accepted something as valuable as this. It was too much, and Chelsea was fine sharing her Chevrolet with me. I didn’t know if Stark just wanted to flaunt his money by giving me a car and asking me to pose for him in a painting in exchange for one million dollars or if that was just the way he was.
I walked to the bathroom for a quick shower.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, my phone suddenly rang. I hurriedly picked it up from my mirror table and checked the caller ID. It was from an unknown number.
I never answer an unsaved number, though.
I ignored the call and put my phone down.
I slipped into my pajamas, and then I sat in front of the mirror. I squeezed the bottle of my moisturizer and applied some to my face. Then my phone buzzed again. I heaved out a sharp breath as I picked up the call.
“Hello?”
“It’s me, Audrey. Can we talk?”
I knew that voice. What did he want this time? “Anton?”
“Yes, please, Audrey.” He let out a heavy sigh. “This will be quick. Just hear me out.”
“After all you’ve said to me, you think I wanted to talk to you? And didn’t you leave New York two months ago?”
“I came back. Listen to me. There are no days I don’t think of what happened to us… to our family…” There was a long pause on his end. “Samuel is dead. He was found dead, Audrey.”
“W-what?” I breathed. I caught my mouth immediately. Every hair on my body stood. Instantly, I imagined my brother’s droopy eyes and how he smiled faintly at me the last time I saw him. Samuel wasn’t like Anton, and he at least had some humanity in his bones, despite being a coward.
“He was found dead with multiple stabs on his body,” Anton continued. “And our house is almost gone. Dad has some debt he’s not telling us, and he put the house in collateral. We are done for, so please, if you could just go home and see Samuel or maybe appear in court and settle, we won’t lose the house. It’s all we have. I don’t want to blame you, but you should’ve listened to me, Audrey. You should have come home when I asked you!” His voice was filled with regret, pain, and accusation of my negligence.
“Enough!” In my head, I screamed, but no voice came out of my mouth. I didn’t realize I was already crying. “Don’t you dare blame me because you were not there for him, too? I know my mistakes but don’t put it all on me.”
“How could you be so heartless? I just told you that our brother died,” he shouted back. “It’s not the time for debate. You need to come home.”
I sniveled. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “Where is he? Where is Samuel, and when did it happen?”
“Three days ago. His funeral will be in four days, and I’m here, I’m home…”
“Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll be there before his last day. How’s Dad?”
“He never stops drinking, just like the ordinary days. He’s gone insane.” He heaved a heavy breath. “But I’m afraid he might collapse as well. He stopped eating anything. Will you be coming home now? We need your help. We don’t have any money, Audrey. I saved a little, but it’s almost gone. I have nothing to give.”
I gritted my teeth, sobbing. My chest felt like it’d been crushed. “Hey, did you find out who did this to him? Did you catch the culprit?”
“No. I don’t think we will ever catch him, but I want justice. Samuel, well, he was not strong, but he was better between the two of us. They said the culprit was a pro. I could never think of anyone who would hate Samuel unless it’s one of Dad’s… you know?”
“Possible. Oh, God!” I scratched my head. What was happening in our family? “Alright, I’m coming. I’ll just need to settle a few things in the office, and I’ll be there tomorrow.”
There was another batch of silence.
“Audrey, I always wanted to ask you about this.”
“What?”
“Your boss…”
I wanted to ask more about Anton, but when it came to talking about Stark and his idea, I always tended to get lost in the middle.
“Oh, yeah. What about him?”
“The world really is small and so twisted, isn’t it?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Liam Cross. He resembled your boss too much. It’s like I’ve seen a ghost. You may not know much about that farmer boy, but I know him from the inside out, and your boss is just exactly like him. Like a doppelganger. Or didn’t you realize that?”
“So you finally admitted that Liam and I… Never mind.” I rolled my eyes, then sighed. “Of course. So what about it?”
“It’s just odd. What if—”
I don’t want to listen to this anymore. “I’m hanging up, Anton.”
Gabriel Stark was just someone who looked like him. He’s rich, educated, and powerful, and I knew his family.
He sighed. “Okay. Call me.”
He hung up. With my quivering hands, I put the phone down and silently sobbed. My chest tightened in unfathomable pain. I wiped away my tears and tried to remember the last memories I had with Samuel.
He apologized to me before I left the house. It was eight years ago, but we exchanged messages and phone calls while still at the University.
He was lonely. Always had been. As the eldest, he carried all the responsibility our cruel father was supposed to provide for us. But he let his children suffer because of his vices.
I used to sleep in his bed when my mother died. He’d tuck me into bed and sing me a song. It was my fault. If only I had listened to Anton and come home…
I knocked on Chelsea’s door before succumbing to any more loneliness, but I cried even harder when I saw her concerned face. I just needed someone who would listen right now. She immediately wrapped her arms around me, and I told her my conversation with Anton and Samuel, and she just listened, letting me speak and cry my eyes out.
“Shh, I’m sure Samuel will understand,” she consoled.
“I should’ve gone to see him, Chelsea. I hadn’t seen his face since I left home, and it pains me that the next time I’ll see his face is when he’s not breathing anymore.”
Her arms around me tightened. “Do you want me to come with you? To Phoenix?”
I looked up at her beautiful porcelain face. “Is that okay? But Jameson will surely—”
“He will let me come with you.” She smiled. “I’m here for you, okay? You don’t have to be alone in this.”
I nodded, and I rested on her chest again. She continued to rub circles on my back. “I’m going to tell my boss tomorrow. Sending him an email or calling him is too informal.”
“Stark can be very authoritative, I know. But can I say something?”
“Sure…”
“I know that your brother just passed away, but I’m going, to be honest with you. I don’t like your family, Audrey. They seemed to be soulless. I don’t. I can leave you alone knowing that. I will tell Jameson that I’m coming with you.”
I pulled her into a tight embrace and cried on her shoulders. “Oh my God! I really didn’t want to go alone, Chelsea!” I sobbed.
“I know. I would probably feel the same if it were me.” She pulled away and wiped away my tears with her thumb. “I’m going to pack. I’m coming with you, okay?”
I nodded, then smiled, “Okay, thank you, Chelsea. You really are the best.”
“Good, and congratulations on becoming the CEO’s assistant. You just became one of the bosses now.”