Chapter 1

I was having an amazing time in Paris, and I was determined to let it last. I graduated from the university three months ago, and this was my well-deserved break from spending four years studying business administration instead of Art.

Dad has tried to get me to come back home multiple times in the last year, but I refused. I slaved my way through university and graduated Valedictorian, so I was going to be selfish with this vacation.

But on the other hand, could I call it a vacation if I had spent my last three months in Paris in the comfort of my hotel room?

I went sightseeing and did a lot of shopping in the first few weeks I came here, but I got bored quickly, and I didn’t have any friends to bring with me.

I didn’t do friendships. There was a lot of dramatics and baggage involved that I would rather not deal with, and I had yet to meet someone who genuinely liked me and wasn’t after me because of what they could get from my father.

Today, however, was going to be a different day from the last few since I planned to attend an exhibition that was held not too far from the hotel I was staying at.

For someone who had been here for a little over three months, I didn’t know shit about this place. All I did was spend time on my balcony people-watching while sipping my coffee, and I’m sure the people who could see me would think I was obnoxious.

I took one final look at the scenery in front of me before heading back inside the room and jumping on the soft bed that bounced with my action, making me chuckle.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my phone light go off, and I picked it up to see I had a missed call from Duke, our butler.

“Not today, Duke”, I muttered to the phone, “I’m not going to listen to you try to convince me that I should come home again. I’ll come home when I am ready”

I dropped the phone on the bed and decided to get ready since I had just an hour left before the exhibition started.

It was a small exhibition, so I decided to wear a simple yellow dress. I had a small debate on whether I should go with my phone before I decided to leave it behind since no one called me except Duke and my dad.

The exhibition venue was supposed to be close by, but when I arrived, it had already started, and the sun had gone down.

As soon as I stepped foot in the gallery, I was blown off my feet by the amazing art pieces. They were magnificent, and I was hit with instant regret that I didn’t take my phone to capture them.

I was so engrossed in the pieces that I walked into someone’s back who had been talking to another man.

“I’m sorry”, I apologised, flustered, before rushing away from the scene.

“Mr Hayland, are you okay?”

Atticus Hayland? What was such a powerful man doing at a small exhibition like this?

I shook the thought off my head when I saw a piece that took my breath away.

Before me was a woman who was smiling so wide even though her lips had been sewn shut. I couldn’t imagine how painful that must be, but there she was, staring at me with eyes glittering with excitement as tears streamed down her cheeks.

A beautiful contrast that had my heart racing and clenching painfully.

My fingers ached with the desire to draw something so mesmerising one day.

It was late before I decided to go back to the hotel. I was the last person to leave the venue because I couldn’t bear to part with the pieces before me. They were so stunning I wanted them engraved into my brain.

I took a cab on the way back, and I was thankful I took my purse because I had decided to walk to the venue, which was why I arrived late.

It felt like my phone was glaring at me when I entered the hotel room, so I went to pick it up but frowned when I saw it was dead.

“That’s why you look so grumpy”, I scoffed, then plugged it in while I went to the bathroom to shower after I ordered room service because I was starving.

After my shower, the room service arrived, and I went to remove my phone from charging so I could call Duke back. He would be worried, and I had promised to at least call him once a day.

When my phone came on, I was stunned to see I had over fifty missed calls from both Duke and the house number.

“What the fuck” I whispered. Even though Duke loved to call me when he got worried after I didn’t call or reply, he had never given me so many missed calls.

Panic gripped me as I began to go into a frenzy. This has never happened before, and my mind began to wander as I tried to think of what could have happened while I dialled Duke’s number.

“Miss Hazel?” Duke’s relieved voice reached me as he answered the call on the first ring.

“Duke?” I asked with a shaky voice, “What’s happening? I saw so many missed calls from you and the house”

My voice was as fast as the racing of my heart. I felt fear grip me as my body started to believe that something was wrong.

“Young miss, where have you been?” Duke snapped, his relief disappearing and turning into anger “You haven’t answered any of your calls for the past hours. I was so close to contacting the police over there to arrange a search party”

Damn, he was angry. Duke was one to hardly snap or yell at someone, even when he was irritated.

“I’m sorry, Duke” I quickly apologised. “I went to an art exhibition close to my hotel, and I left my phone behind. I didn’t think I would be gone for this long,” I explained.

I felt guilty for causing so much panic for them, especially Dad. I could imagine he was very worried, and right now, I hoped Duke would continue to talk to me and not hand the phone to my father.

“Why would you go out without your phone? We have taught you better, young miss.” He scolded, “What if there was an emergency or something happened to you? You know better than to be this careless, Miss Hazel”

“I didn’t think correctly,” I told him “Please, don’t be angry with me. It won’t happen next time,” I pleaded because I hated it when Duke was angry with me.

“Don’t let it happen again” He snapped one more time, and I nodded my head solemnly, and when I remembered he couldn’t see me, I mumbled a quiet yes.

“So why did you call? Did something happen? Where is Dad?” I asked to prevent him from scolding me more because I couldn’t take any more.

And I doubted that the reason that they called me so many times was because they couldn’t reach me. Something must have happened back at home.

“You need to come home on the next plane,” Duke demanded, and I rolled my eyes. We’ve had this talk a billion times already.

“Duke”, I whined and took a seat “I have told you a thousand times that I am not ready to come home. When I want to come home, I will so tell Dad that there is no need to always get you to call me and try to force me to come home”

I explained as calmly as I could so I wouldn’t raise my voice because I was tired of them calling me over the same thing over and over again.

“You don’t have a choice this time, you have to come home”, he said again, this time with a firm tone that left no room for argument.

I would have argued, but there was something in his tone that stopped me. Something that made me believe something was wrong.

“Tell me what’s wrong”, I demanded, all irritation I felt fading and turning to fear “Where is Dad?”

Usually, when Duke called me, Dad would be in the background complaining about my lack of obedience, but today was different. I hadn’t heard a word of complaint in the background.

And Dad had also not called me. There had been calls from Duke and the house number, but nothing from him, which was weird.

“Your father… He…” Duke stuttered as though the words were too heavy for him to say.

“What happened to Dad? Duke, talk to me,” I screamed into the phone as my panic level rose and I began to sweat even under the cool AC

“He is…” He paused again, and I could no longer sit still. I stood up and began to pace the room.

“Duke, you are making me scared. Tell me,” I practically screamed again. My knees were getting weak from the amount of fear that I was feeling.

“Your father is on his deathbed, young mistress” he finally spoke, and my knees gave out.