CHAPTER ONE.

*BYE GRANDMA*

Stars covered the night sky as Olivia looks out the window of the glamorous car she was currently in, it was a pleasant sight to see. She just wished that her life could be as pleasant.

Her mind was swimming in various kind of emotions but mostly sadness and loneliness.

Even though she has Diana, her social worker right by her side, the driver in the front driving and a bodyguard in the passenger seat, she still felt like she was the only one in the car. All of this felt overwhelming, she’s not used to any of it.

All she just wanted to do was lay down and sleep, she was very tired but trying not to fall asleep or doze off even for a moment. The last thing she wanted was to fall asleep in a car with three strangers, she didn’t trust any of them. 

She was able to cope quite well when it was just Diana, and her on the flight but when they got to the airport and was picked up by  two strangers, her anxiety came rushing back, knowing there is no backing out now, not that she has anywhere else to run to anyways. 

Not that they make any attempt to make her feel at ease either except her social worker who had tried to assure her a bit and explain to her the nature of their journey, the period it would take, the city they are headed and who she was going there to stay with. But it never eased her worries, Diana was too professional and her speech lacked warmth which Olivia desperately needs.

She had thought the driver to be her father at first when she saw him with the Placard which spelled out  her name but after the introductions, she didn’t know if she felt relieved or disappointed.

She had thought that her dad or at least any of the family members would be there to receive her. After all, she learned from her social worker that she has some siblings.

But then again, they weren’t really her family. Related by blood? yes. They are more like half-siblings. Half-siblings she never even knew she has. 

Words can’t really describe how much she was missing her Grandmother right now, she still cannot believe that her grandmother died two days ago, Gone just like that.  Olivia was thinking of her throughout her flight to the new city.

They got to the house; more like a mansion. After entering through the big gate guarded by securities, the car parked in the large compound and they all got out of the car. Olivia has never been in that kind of environment before. It screams wealth, elegance , luxury and any other extravagant word you could think of.

She was too busy observing the environment that she neither saw the bodyguard taking out and placing  her bags beside her before he disappeared nor the  woman who came out of the house and was now approaching them.

Their voices brought her attention back in time to see the woman hand over an envelope to Diana who smiled gratefully and  handed her over to the woman whose expression looks as if she was being forced to receive her. 

“Thank you Diana, my husband said he already settled everything with the office so there won’t be need  for the normal regular checkups and all.” The woman spoke with a stoic face.

“Yes, Mrs Summers. Everything has been handled. I will take your leave now.” Diana replied.

Mrs summers? Then her dad’s wife? Olivia thought curiously.

The woman called Mrs Summers gave her a nod. Diana turned around, moved towards Olivia and handed her a card. 

“You can contact me if there is any issue with your stay here.” She said, gave her a brief smile, got back into the car and the driver drove away.

Olivia was starting to get familiar with Diana but like she had said, Diana's just too professional. Olivia hopes she never have to use the card because that will mean that some trouble had surfaced in the course of her living there which she hope never happens.

“Follow me.” Mrs Summers said as she walked gracefully into the house.

The mansion was huge and quiet even though there were people walking around and Olivia wondered  why they were wearing the same uniform.

What even surprised her more was the fact that there were men in black clothes in some corners of the  house and they were not walking or smiling, just rooted to a spot. 

The woman in front of her did not utter a single word and just walked ahead of her while Olivia followed with her two bags in her hands, not failing to notice how the girls in uniform were staring at her which makes her really uncomfortable. 

The woman climbed the stairs swaying her hips while Olivia just followed her up the stairs carefully.  They  passed a short hallway to reveal the rooms on that floor.

Then she stopped in front of a room, opened the door, before turning back leaving the way she came.  Olivia was confused and just watched the woman walk away till she disappeared out of her sight.

Olivia took it this was her room then, she entered the room and placed her bags on the floor beside the  Queen sized bed. 

The walls were painted blue and the room was okay as it showed that it was thoroughly cleaned and the  bed perfectly arranged. There was a large bed, two bedside tables, a pure white dresser with large mirror and a black cozy sofa in the room, that’s all there is to see and She was not complaining. 

She was however surprised to find the dresser stocked; perfume bottles, lotions, scented candles and some other products she doesn’t even know. What caught her attention though was the large picture on the  wall, right beside the dresser mirror. It was an enlarged version of her graduation picture. How it got there? She didn’t know.

She explored further and saw that there is a walk-in closet and a spacious bathroom. The walk-in-closet was stocked as well and she was confused so she didn’t even bother checking the fabrics there. She went to close the room door and came back to unpack fully making a little space in the closet to place her clothes, she does not really have much from where she came from but she loved every seconds she had spent there.