EDNA'S PAST (FIVE)

FLASHBACK

Knock knock knock

Edna yawned softly as she stretched her hands in the air. With disheveled hair she immediately climbed down the bed, trying to open her eyes wide which felt sticky. Last night she slept too late because she had to do so many college assignments. And after she finished doing all her assignments, she actually watched a drama that has recently been quite popular among her classmates.

Every day she is always intrigued by her friends who never stop talking about the main character who they think is handsome. But after she met her adoptive father, she felt that the main character was not handsome at all. Acelon Grishold is actually much more handsome with his sharp brown eyes and a suit that always makes him look sexier.

"Miss, Mr. Acelon is waiting for you at the dining table for breakfast together."

Edna rubbed her eyes once again and immediately turned her head to the clock which was still showing five o'clock in the morning. No wonder the sky outside the window still looks dark. It's really too early for breakfast. She had never eaten this early because breakfast was always seven o'clock.

"It's too early for breakfast." Edna said, looking reluctant. She then glanced at her own body, which was still wrapped in short hot pants and a t-shirt that looked wrinkled here and there because she used it to sleep. How could she have breakfast dressed like that? It took her at least thirty minutes to shower and change into clothes more suitable to be brought to the dinner table.

“But Mr. Acelon used to eat breakfast in the morning like this. In fifteen minutes Mr. Acelon should be leaving for the office, so you better get ready to have breakfast with Mr. Acelon now."

“But I need at least thirty minutes to get ready. Mr. Kim, is this what made me never meet Acelon all this time? He always has breakfast in the morning when I'm still asleep and he will come home late at night when I fall asleep?"

“That's right, miss. And now Mr. Acelon wants to have breakfast with you.... "

"Don't you want to have a real family, baby?"

Edna immediately gasped in surprise as she tilted her face to the side to glance at Acelon's figure who had just cut off Mr. Kim's words. Seeing Acelon who was ready and looked fresh made Edna frowned in confusion. She really couldn't stop thinking about Acelon's life pattern all this time. If the man always comes home late at night, then how many hours does he spend his time sleeping if he looks neat with a blue shirt that looks so charming in front of her eyes just this early?

"But I'm not ready yet."

Acelon glanced at Edna's body intensely from head to toe. With a look that looks flat, Acelon is actually admiring Edna's body which is starting to grow up. Edna turns out to be more charming than Edna used to who still look innocent. But even though Edna has grown up, that woman's gaze still shows an adorable innocent gaze. He suddenly thought of undermining the innocence. But that thought was immediately dispelled when Edna suddenly moved her right hand in front of him while looking at him strangely.

“Are you daydreaming?"

"Just thinking. Hurry up and get ready. I'm giving you ten minutes."

Hearing that, Edna immediately ran quickly into her room to get ready. She didn't want Acelon to wait too long at the dinner table, while the man was trying to fulfill her wish as a good family member.

Edna went into her bathroom and immediately took a shower as fast as she could. This morning she just rubbed her body a little and walked straight to the sink to brush her teeth. After that she immediately grabbed her bathrobe and walked to the wardrobe to pick up a dress that she had wanted to wear in front of Acelon for a long time. After that Edna immediately combed her hair randomly and let it hang beautifully behind her back.

"Geez!"

Edna shrieked excitedly when she saw that the clock on the wall had shown ten past five o'clock. She has run out of time to just polish up her face with light makeup.

Finally, without putting anything on her face, Edna immediately ran down to the dining table for breakfast with Acelon. While descending the stairs, Edna kept thinking, what words should she use to greet Acelon. She was too happy and excited this morning because Acelon finally wanted to think of her as part of his family.

"Sorry for making you wait so long, A-ciel."

It felt a little strange for her to call Acelon by that name. But she also had no other choice because Acelon didn't like being called a father.

"Sit down."

Without taking his eyes off his smartphone screen, Acelon asked Edna to sit down. And Edna immediately obeyed it without commenting much. When she sat on the chair beside Acelon, Edna was so nervous that she found it difficult to breathe. The breakfast activity that she had been dreaming of finally came true. Even though she had done it yesterday, this time it feels different because the man did it because she asked him yesterday.

"You have morning class, right?"

"Yes, half to eight."

"Then you go with me."

Edna immediately looked up and looked like she wanted to protest to Acelon. She could not possibly go with the man because it was too early to go to campus. Besides, the campus is still very quiet at half to six like this. She was afraid to be on campus alone.

"We go to the office first this morning. Aren't we family, Edna? It is only fitting that you know what my job has been."

Edna swallowed her saliva nervously while pretending she was stirring the soup in a bowl. The man's gaze was so terrifying that it made her heart flutter. But come to think of it, what Acelon said was true. She should have known Acelon's type of work and also where the man's office was located.

"Where do you work?"

“Good question, but we'll find out later. Now eat your breakfast, and after that get ready. I know, you will definitely need something to polish your face after this.”

Edna touched her cheek while staring at Acelon in amazement. That man, although they had never met so far, he always knew what was related to her. Even Acelon also knew the names of her lecturers that she had never mentioned to the man. Has Acelon been keeping an eye on her all this time?

"You seem to have memorized some of the things related to me."

“It's because your face is easy to read. You're too innocent for a woman your age."

Edna bit her lower lip in annoyance and immediately continued her eating activities again. Talking with Acelon was never as fun as talking to other people she had always met, because Acelon was a mysterious man whose thoughts were sometimes difficult to predict. Every word that comes out of his lips, will surely be answered with a flat tone and sometimes contains things that make her emotional when she hears it.

"I am done."

Edna left her breakfast which was still half of it and immediately walked off to her room. Suddenly she was full and didn't want to finish her breakfast anymore, so she chose to go back to her room and get ready. Maybe the mood could return to good after she stayed away from Acelon for a while.

-00-

Edna couldn't hide her amazed face when Acelon brought her into his very large and luxurious office. The tall building which is dominated by European-style architecture keeps Edna amazed as they walk down the office lobby which looks deserted.

“Your office is good. What business do you have to have an office this big?”

“Automotive. My company produces cars."

"What? Car! Then give me a car from your company."

Without hesitation, Edna asked that from Acelon while clinging to the man's sturdy arm. At first glance the two of them looked like lovers when viewed from a distance. Edna's attitude that looks a little spoiled towards Acelon makes people think nonsense about them. Even though Acelon is actually old enough to be Edna's lover, the handsome face full of charisma that belongs to this man is able to blur the lines of age that should be printed clearly on his face.

"I'll give it after you can drive it." Acelon's promise.

Edna immediately shouted happily while walking following Acelon into a special elevator that was only for Acelon. After that they together went up to the twentieth floor to see what Acelon's room looked like there. And Edna could not hide her amazement at all, when the elevator that took her was able to show a beautiful view of the city of Las Vegas when Acelon pressed a button to open the gray veil that previously covered the entire body of the elevator.

"This is beautiful, you have an amazing company."

"You can still see more amazing ones later."

When the elevator stopped and gave a loud clatter, Acelon immediately stepped outside while sticking his hands into his trousers pockets in an arrogant manner. The man then opened his office door wide and made Edna immediately amazed by the amazing interior design of Acelon's room.

“It's beautiful, it's beautiful! Why didn't you tell me all this in the first plAcelon?”

"Just waiting for the right time." Acelon answered genuinely. To be honest, he never planned to introduce Edna about how his life had been. But suddenly he has that crazy idea after knowing how beautiful Edna's face is. For the first time, he felt attracted to a woman. And unfortunately that woman is the child of his own best friend.

"So you often spend your time here?"

"I've considered this office like my own home since I was twenty-five years old."

"Twenty-five? How old are you now?" Edna asked curiously. All this time she had only been limited to guessing how old Acelon really was without ever knowing how old he was. But from the look that Acelon showed, he was probably around thirty-four years old.

“Age is just number, it doesn't really matter. Look at your reflection in the mirror, aren't we the same? Humans are actually only classified into four types, children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Right now we are both at the adult human stage, so aren't we the same?”

Edna observed her reflection in the mirror seriously while occasionally glancing at Acelon's reflection which was right behind her. What Acelon said to her was more or less true. She and Acelon looked no different now. They are both two adult and at first glance they both appear to be almost the same age.

“You're right, age is just a number. What else are you going to show me?"

“For today I'm just going to show you how my life is at the office. I promise, you will get a lot more after this.” Acelon whispered seductively in Edna's ear.

The woman reflexively turned her head back while staring at the reflection of Acelon's face with a scared expression. She had never been so close to a man. The presence of Acelon behind her who was whispering in her ear, made the hairs of her neck suddenly flare up due to the amused sensation that Acelon generated from his warm breath.

"Before we go, may I ask you something?"

"Where are your other family?"

For a moment Acelon was silent while turning his face away. The man seemed reluctant to discuss family matters that felt like nonsense to him. Since the first time he did not really like a bond called with family because he never knew what it was like to have a family.

“I don't have a family. We better go now, Mr. Herris will arrive soon to give morning lecture."

Without waiting for Edna's answer, Acelon immediately stepped out of his room while clenching his fists inside his trouser pockets.

-00-

A week has passed since Acelon started opening up to become a part of the Edna family. Now every morning they always spend time together for breakfast and several times they also spend time at night for dinner. And tonight there is one thing that is slightly different from the previous dinner, because this time Acelon is not just having dinner, but also wants to invite Edna to drink to celebrate his success in doing business.

"Are you sure I can drink this?"

Edna looked doubtful while staring at the red liquid that was in the tall clear glass in front of her. So far she has never consumed any type of alcohol. She prefers to drink various kinds of juices rather than drinking alcohol which can make her head spin.

But this time Acelon forced her to drink on the grounds that she would get used to drinking the red liquid. After all, her age is more than enough to consume a glass of alcohol, it's just that she is too scared to do it because this is her first experience drinking alcohol with a man.

“You're an adult, Edna, let's toast. Cheers!"

Acelon smashed the tip of his glass against the end of Edna's glass and immediately drank his own wine casually. The man glanced at Edna who looked doubtful while still drinking the red liquid with his distinctive aristocratic style.

Not long after, he saw Edna began to bring the tip of the glass into her mouth, and slowly the red liquid began to be upheld by Edna little by little.

Seeing Edna who was enjoying the red liquid for the first time, made Acelon feel irritated by the various expressions that Edna was showing. Even though tonight Edna has just drunk wine, he has not introduced Edna to various types of high-grade alcohol such as vodka, martini, tequilla, and various other types of alcohol which will certainly make Edna wince even more when drinking it.

"How? Isn't that delicious? "

"I seem to like grape juice more than this wine." Edna snorted softly as she put the clear glass away from her. But Acelon immediately held that tiny hand and brought back Edna's glass which was still half filled with wine.

"Finish it!" Acelon's orders were absolute. The man looked at Edna sharply and asked Edna to immediately finish her drink through his sharp eyes.

Snorting irritably, Edna then drank the red liquid quickly until she unconsciously let out a muffled squeal when the red liquid started to slowly burn her throat.

“I told you to finish it, not drink it in one gulp. You will burn like that."

Acelon said flatly while taking over Edna's wine glass which was empty. The man then walked to his drink rack and immediately took one of the alcoholic drink bottles which all of the liquid was clear white.

"What is that? Water?" Edna asked innocently. Acelon reflexively chuckled softly when he saw how innocent Edna was when she saw the bottle of alcoholic drink he was holding. He doesn't know, what Edna has done during these six years, but he has determined to himself if he will slowly introduce Edna to how his life has been.

“This is vodka, one of my favorite alcoholic drinks. You have to try it."

“But it looks like water. Are you sure it's not water?" Edna asked while observing Acelon's hand movement which was opening the vodka bottle cap.

A few seconds later, there was a sound of “flop” from the bottle cap which Acelon was opening and the man immediately poured a little of the contents into Edna's glass which he had prepared.

"Then you must taste it, is it mineral water or not."

Edna looked closely at her clear glass with doubtful hands that started to grab the glass. She sipped the surface of the clear liquid for a while, before finally she drank the liquid slowly while frowning deeply. She didn't seem to like one of Acelon's favorite clear colored drinks.

“Yiekss!! What's this, akhhh... this isn't good!” Edna exclaimed loudly while moving the clear glass away from her face. She really didn't like it and wouldn't want to drink that disgusting liquid anymore because it really tasted terrible in her mouth.

“Don't you want to know me? You should have started with small things like this because I really like drinking. It could be that I will always ask you to be my drinking partner. So you have to start practicing from now on."

“But this is not good! It's like a glass of poison!"

Edna pushed her clear glass towards Acelon and didn't want to drink the liquid anymore. But Acelon actually handed the clear glass into Edna's hand and with a little movement forced the man to invite Edna to toast together.

Ting

"You have to drink it Edna."

Edna resignedly drank the liquid until it was crushed while showing various expressions of disgust which felt like entertainment for Acelon. Seeing Edna drinking alcohol with such rigid style made Acelon unable to hide his amused face. Edna, who is innocent, he slowly breaks down with his unhealthy lifestyle.

"How do you feel now?"

"Dizzy. I think I'm getting drunk." Edna replied while massaging her head slowly. Suddenly Acelon stretched his hand towards Edna, and he began to caress Edna's cheek gently with a flat expression that managed to hypnotize Edna.

"You're not too drunk yet."

"Wh- what?"

"Let's drink one more time."

With a quick movement Acelon immediately stood up to his drink rack and took out one of the more bottles filled with a light brown liquid. With a frown in surprise, Edna watched Acelon's every move that looked lively in front of her while guessing the taste of the drink which was about to slide down her throat.

"Here, brandy."

Without inviting Edna to toast, Acelon immediately drank the brown liquid quickly and put his glass down with a smooth motion that made Edna stunned when she saw him. She then drank her drink quickly and immediately slammed the glass down on reflex when she felt the bad taste running down her throat again.

"This is really bad."

"You will get used to it. Now go to sleep, it's already night."

Acelon walked away leaving Edna just like that without caring about Edna's condition which looked dizzy on the table. The woman lazily lay down her head on the table and began to close her eyes to sleep.

Tonight she felt so dizzy. All that intoxicating liquid had taken over all of her consciousness and made her unable to get up to just walk to her room on the second floor.

“Erghh… My head is dizzy and heavy. Acelon... you have to take responsibility." Edna stirred before her consciousness was lost and replAcelond with a soft snoring sound that came from her mouth.

-00-

The next morning Edna still felt a little dizzy while on campus. Her face, which used to glow brightly, now looked pale and languid. Last night she literally slept in the kitchen in a position that made her back hurt when she woke up. Not a single servant woke her up to move. Even the main suspect who made her drunk just walked away without the slightest concern about her pathetic condition.

"Edna, good morning."

With a lazy movement Edna immediately turned her head sideways while giving a simple smile to the summoner who was immediately astonished.

"What's with your face? You look pale."

The man stretched his right hand towards Edna's forehead and began to feel Edna's body temperature which turned out to be normal.

"I'm fine, just a little drunk last night." Edna answered honestly. The woman really didn't notice how Zyan's expression turned shocked when she said that last night she had been drunk.

"Are you drinking? Who asked you to drink?"

"My adoptive father." Edna answered honestly again. She then walked unsteadily to her class, leaving Zyan alone who was still busy thinking behind her.

"Your adoptive father is the man who picked you up at that time?"

"Hmm, he's my adoptive father. Why?"

"Not. It's just that, he doesn't look too old."

Edna nodded her head in agreement with the statement Zyan had just made. The few weeks spent with Acelon made her slowly change the way she saw him. Now she no longer thinks of Acelon as an old man who is more suitable to be her father, but now she thinks of Acelon as a mature man who is really handsome. Never once did she see her male friends have such a thick sexy aura like Acelon. The most popular man on campus could not compete with Acelon's good looks, who was always covered by a mysterious mist that looked so charming in his eyes.

Unfortunately, she may not have feelings for her own adoptive father. So she decided to throw all those petty thoughts out of her head, and decided to focus on her course material which was choking her every day. After all, she also wanted to get out of Acelon's shadow immediately. After graduating, she wants to live independently and work in accordance with the field of study that he currently takes.

"Zyan I go to class first, see you later."

Zyan seemed unwilling when Edna just left him to enter the classroom. Though he thought they could go together because they were currently in the same class. Unfortunately Edna prefers to enter first and leave him alone with a look of disappointment that is clearly printed on his face.