CHAPTER 1

Adriana Woods sighed deeply and sank down on the couch,she was exhausted from another long day at work and the few hours she had spent with her one year old niece Amelia had also contributed to her tiredness.Her life had taken a huge u-turn three months ago when she had lost her entire family in a car crash because of a drunk driver.Her mother and step father along with her sister Elizabeth and her husband Mark had all died in the accident,that day they had gone into town to get some supplies and do last minute christmas shopping.

They had dropped little Amelia off at her flower shop for a few hours until they were gonna come back never in a million years had she thought it would be the last day she'd ever see her family.Now here she was all alone except for Amelia and her shop,she loves flowers and has her own small florist shop a few miles from home.The shop is the only thing that brings in money at the moment and for these past few weeks business has been a bit slow,she's paying rent for her shop and not to mention she also has to pay the mortgage every month then comes little Amelia's needs,it's been months since she has bought a pair of shoes or some decent under wear for herself.

She had no idea that running a business and looking after a one year old could be this hard, after all she was only twenty five and still single the last time she had a boyfriend was in college and they didn't even get to second base.She wonders how many twenty-five year olds out there are still virgins, probably none most of the girls she went to high school and college with are all married with kids staying in their beautiful homes.And here she was unmarried,a virgin, staying in the home she grew up in with her sister,mother and stepdad.All the guys she had come across so far were all scumbags they all wanted one thing and one thing only.....sex, and at this point she cannot bring different men into Amelia's life she was still young,besides the day she's gonna sleep with any man it will be her future husband,at this rate she doubts she'll ever get to meet him cause she never goes out all her time gets dedicated to Amelia and her store.

She can't complain at least she was still alive and well,she stood up and walked over to the window, she gazed out into the darkness she really has to fix the outside light on the porch if someone can come by at night she won't be able to see who it was.She never knew her father and her mother never did talk about him,she has always thought that Jack Elizabeth's father had been her dad because she had grew up with him,but when she had been in high school her mother had told her the truth.She had been devastated and had stayed mad at her mother for two months when she had questioned her mother about her real father she had clamped shut and said she didn't want to talk about him.

It wasn't until three weeks ago that she had learned who her real father had been, she had received a letter in her mailbox from a woman named Diana White she had asked Adriana if she can come down to Florida they needed to talk and urgently because there wasn't much time left. There hadn't been much information in the letter other than an address and a plane ticket with her name on it,it had shocked her that the woman knows her full name and date of birth.Adriana knew if she wanted more information she was gonna have to go to Florida and find out who this mysterious woman was,and she had.Diana White was her grandmother her father's mother and she's dying of cancer,the doctor's say she has only a month to live.

She had told Adriana the whole story about her parents, her mother had been a housekeeper for her grandparents and that's how her father had began making advances towards her mother, Adriana knows her mother had been a beautiful woman.Her dad had been married at the time so her mother and he had an affair for a few months,when her father had found out her mother was pregnant he had forced her mother to leave and not say anything because his wife couldn't have any children. She can still remember her conversation clearly with Diana.

"He used to sent money to your mother every month for you so she could take care of you.I didn't even know about you until after his death a year ago,he left me a letter along with a picture of you in the letter he explained everything. He wanted to be a father so badly and regrets not ever being a part of your life,but if the news about you had been made public the media would have made a mockery out of us,dragged our name through the mud and slander your mother."

"So he cared more about his reputation,his business and family name more then his own flesh and blood."Adriana had been hurt by that statement,how could he not want her,how could he send her mother away."He never wanted me."

"That's not true sweetie,he did want you.But look at it from our side,he was a married man,a wealthy man.Do you really believe that people would have actually thought that your mother was innocent,no they wouldn't have.

They would have called her names,say she was a home wrecker that she knew he was married and only wanted to ruin his marriage.That he had money and woman like her only want a rich husband because she's poor and had nothing.He didn't want your mother to go through that humiliation or you that's why he send her away."

"My mother wasn't that type of woman who would ruin other people's marriages."Adriana had defended her mother.

"We know that but the world we live in today is so cruel and harsh they wouldn't have believed that,and you know what I'm saying now is the truth."Deep down Adriana had known she was right,her father had been rich and although it might be common for rich men to cheat,everything always falls back on the mistress she was the one to be blamed for everything even though it was the man who made the first move.

"I always thought that my sister's father had been my dad but when I was in high school my mother told me the truth,and when I asked her who my dad was she would shut down and say she didn't want to talk about him.I guess she was too ashamed to admit she slept and got pregnant by a married man who was her boss's son." Adriana was still in shock about this whole ordeal,and had alot of questions.

On a certain level she can understand now why her mother had been so secretive about her father,the man had been a rich successful businessman with a beautiful wife leading a life filled with luxury and comfort,she probably didn't want to mess that up by telling Adriana who he was just in case she was gonna look for him."What was his name?"

"Daniel White,that was his name."

"Why did you reach out to me now."

"Because I'm dying Adriana and the doctor's only gave me a month to live,I wanted to meet my granddaughter before I die and I have to say you truly are beautiful my Daniel would be so proud of you."Her eyes had shone with pride and tears Adriana's own eyes had filled up with tears."Your dad loved you and although he hadn't played an active role in your life he did care about you alot,your mother would send him pictures about you every year."Diana had given her a black box that contained every picture of her from the moment she had been born,till she had graduated from college and at the back of each picture had been a date and name of the occasion.

Diana had also given her the letter her father had wrote to her explaining in there why he couldn't be a proper father to her, the box was safely packed away in her wardrobe. She was still processing this whole story and although it has been three weeks since she's seen Diana the shock hasn't completely subsided.Adriana was angry because they chose their reputation over her but she knows it wasn't Diana's fault.

Adriana knows it wasn't her fault because she hadn't known until a year ago and since then she's tried to find out about her if it hadn't been for the news footage that had been broadcast about the accident then Diana would never have found her and she would probably never have known her.She walked back over to the couch and sat down again,she should call her and hear how she's doing,she doesn't have much time left and she should spent this time getting to know her instead of being resentful towards her,Adriana doesn't care how much money she has at the end of the day Diana was her grandmother the only real family she has left and if she reached out to her it was only fair that she meets her halfway,after all her father had been her only child so that makes Adriana her only living relative.She picked up her phone from her coffee table and dialed Diana's personal home number on the fourth ring it was answered.

"Hello."A deep masculine male voice said,it send a shiver down her spine.

"E-evening."She replied in a shaky voice."Can I please speak to Diana."

"Who are you?"The man asked,from his tone Adriana could tell he was angry and frustrated.

"A friend."She said after a while.

"Señora White is unavailable at the moment can I take a message."

"No thank you."She said,and ended the call,she knows that was rude and the man will probably curse her to hell and back but she doesn't care.She couldn't just blurt out she was Diana's granddaughter she'll try again tomorrow morning,for now all she needs is her bed and she wasted no time in going.