–Caia–
I arrived at the marina and hopped out near the docks.
There were luxurious yachts and boats.
My eyes wandered.
I used to have a yacht of my own.
The first one was the one my dad gave me.
I was so happy.
It had my name on it.
I think I was six or seven years old at the time.
We had our party there and went from island to island.
I walked around the docks, looking at the yachts.
Where could they possibly be?
But then, a familiar yacht caught my eye.
It was the biggest one by the dock.
As I walked closer to the yacht, my eyes widened at how beautiful it was.
I almost didn’t recognize it, but it seemed that nothing had changed and that it had been well taken care of.
I was glad that whoever bought it had cherished it.
“Caia!” someone shouted as I turned around and looked up to find Uncle Alec.
“Dear, come up.
Your sisters are here.”
My heart fluttered as I realized that we were back on the yacht, the very yacht that my father had gifted me years ago.
Did they buy it?
A staff member approached me and gestured for me to follow him.
He even helped me up onto the yacht, and my sisters approached me and hugged me.
“Caia!” A woman with a beautiful voice called out.
She was wearing a floral maxi dress and approached me.
Her black hair shone beautifully with those soft curls.
“Auntie!” I pouted and nearly cried as I hugged her.
She hugged me tightly, and I thought I heard her sniffle.
“I’m sorry.
I’m just really emotional.”
I gently pulled away as I wiped my tears, too.
I looked at her with my brightest smile, pouting because I had missed her, too.
I looked around.
“Where’s your son?” I asked.
“Oh, Aamon?” Uncle scoffed.
“I sent that bastard back to Moscow to deal with something.”
“Why do you speak to your son like that?
Is he so spoiled?” I asked as Uncle Alec laughed, and even Aunt Vivi laughed along gracefully.
“Dear, that’s their love language,” she whispered.
“But don’t tell them that I told you.”
I nodded.
“Now, we are ready to take off in a few minutes.” He clapped his hands.
“The boat is so big!
There are big rooms, too!” Agatha said.
“It has your name on it,” she muttered as we headed toward the wide front of the yacht, where there was a pool.
We all settled down.
Tables were set with fruits and more food.
“I didn’t know that you bought the yacht, Uncle,” I said as I reached for the bottle of water.
I was so thirsty.
I chugged the water as Uncle sighed and sat down.
“Your dad didn’t want to accept the money at all.
But Aamon bought this yacht with his own pocket money.”
“Why did Kuya Aamon do that?” I asked.
(Kuya means ‘big brother.’) “I mean, he was probably still a minor when he decided to buy this, right?”
“So, this yacht is yours?” Agatha asked.
I remembered that she was still in Mom’s tummy back then.
I nodded at her.
“That’s why it has your name,” Lilith gasped.
“I’m going to buy it back… Is there a chance, Uncle?” I asked and looked at Auntie Vivi.
She giggled and shook her head.
“Don’t bother about it, Caia.
Just tell Aamon.
He’ll give it to you.”
“That’s unfair, then,” I muttered.
Uncle Alec laughed as he drank his whiskey.
Too early for whiskey.
“Well, he still thought that the marriage between the two of you was still valid, but with the circumstances…” Aunt Vivi trailed off, which I fully understood.
“I understand.” I smiled.
“The contract was already broken by Dad when we went bankrupt,” I muttered.
It was probably me who asked Kuya Aamon for a marriage.
He was older than me, I think by five years or so.
But then, he told me that I was still a baby girl and that he would think about marriage when I grew older.
Somehow, I forgot what his face looked like.
It was just a blur.
“Oh no.” Uncle Alec shook his head.
“Sweetheart, that boy is really, really stubborn.
He had the contract with him, and we don’t know where he placed it.”
My eyes widened.
I didn’t expect to have an arranged marriage in these circumstances.
“That’s~~” Lilith shook her head.
“He probably already had someone with him by now.”
“Oh, dear,” Auntie muttered.
“Yes, we were worried, but he hasn’t been with any woman.
There were those who wanted him, but he had ED.”
“ED?” Lilith and Agatha asked as I raised my hands.
I fully understood what ED meant.
Uncle laughed so hard, while Aunt Vivi smacked his arm, telling him to stop being so harsh on her son.
So, they were worried that there wouldn’t be an heir because their only son had erectile dysfunction?
Mr.
Fucking A: Baby, where are you?
Me: How can you still reply from the air?
Mr.
Fucking A: Tell me where you are now.
I swear, I could hear his dominating voice in my head.
It was almost like I knew exactly how he would sound, even through text messages.
Me: I’m off on a yacht trip with my aunt, uncle, and siblings.
Don’t worry, we are safe.
Mr.
Fucking A: You better send me your bikini outfits.
Me: No way!
Mr.
Fucking A: My reception isn’t really good, but baby.
I need those, okay?
I’ll think of you.
Me: I said, no!
But I did not receive anything else after that message.
I chatted along with my siblings, Aunt and Uncle as we ate our snacks near the dock of the yacht.
It was past lunchtime, but it was lunch for me.
We were laughing over something as Vivi and Alec told us all about our childhood with their son.
I remembered a few things.
I was always following him around.
I glanced back at my phone.
No messages.
Somehow, it made me feel empty.
“Are you okay, dear?” Uncle Alec asked as I nodded.
“Yes, I’m just checking on work,” I lied.
“Hmm.” He nodded.
Now, speaking of work, I knew that we could survive for years with a billion.
However, I needed a concrete plan on how to use it.
I needed investments.
I needed to finish college, too.
Maybe I should go with that first, then buy a franchise, a café, or a restaurant?
I needed to invest in those.
I thought I could ask Mr.
A about businesses.
Or I could ask Uncle Alec.
But I hesitated.
He would question where I got the money.
I didn’t want to tell them that I sold my virginity in an auction.
That would be awkward and embarrassing.
After our meal, Aunt Vivi showed us around, keeping everything as it was, including the rooms with name tags.
Since our parents were not with us anymore… I mean, Mom was still alive, but we had already kicked her out of our lives after she put a target on my head.
I found my room.
It was almost like before.
There were the toys that I had left in the corner.
The sheets were pink but different now.
Still too girly.
There was my porcelain doll and a big teddy bear.
I approached it and patted it.
“Do you like it?” Aunt Vivi asked.
“We kept it almost as it was.
Aamon insisted on it so that when you came back, it would be just like before.” She entered the room.
I didn’t realize that my eyes had become cloudy.
She hugged me, and I hugged her back.
“I’m sorry for what your mom did, darling.
But Aamon and your Uncle are handling it now.”
I nodded as I sniffled and hugged her tightly.
She was the closest thing to another mother, and I never understood why someone else would treat us more like their daughters than our real biological mother.
“Don’t worry, darling.
We’ll protect you.”
I nodded.
Aunt Vivi chuckled and wiped her tears.
Then, she reached for the closet.
“I also shopped for a few things for you and your siblings.” She sighed.
“Can I~~”
“Something wrong, Auntie?” I asked.
She looked anxious.
“Well, about the contract… the marriage contract…”
“Auntie, just disregard it if you like.”
“I don’t want to.” She muttered and shook her head.
“But we were in a crisis, and there’s this Empire…” She cleared her throat.
“I don’t want Aamon to be involved there, but our hands were tied and…”
I gently pulled her to the bed and held her hands.
“Does it mean that they are threatening you?” I creased my brows.
She nodded.
“After your father’s Empire collapsed, they took everything.” She cupped my face.
“I don’t want you and your sisters to get involved.
I need the three of you safe.”
I nodded as I bit my lip hard.
So, it was also messed up.
“Do you think that~~they were the reason why Dad lost everything?”
“Yes.
We don’t have concrete evidence, but Aamon is investigating it.”
I nodded.
“Hmm, but would it really cause more trouble?” I asked, wanting to keep everything safe, just like Dad did.
“Aamon wouldn’t stop right there.
He’s more like his grandfather.
That’s why he and his dad didn’t really get along when it came to decisions.”
“So, does that mean he worked in the Empire earlier?” I asked.
She chuckled and nodded.
“He started making decisions at the age of fifteen.
Dear, I just wished that I had a normal son, but this one isn’t.” She laughed and cupped my face.
“I want the three of you to live with me as my daughters.
I miss having you girls around me.”
I nodded.
“I can visit, but is it okay if my two siblings stay with you?”
Her eyes softened.
“I am so happy…” She nodded and hugged me, chuckling.
“Yes, of course, my dear.”
I hugged her back.
Now, my siblings were safe.
I could live without any worries.
“So, tell me.
Where do you work?
Where are you staying now?” she asked as I panicked a little, but I smiled to keep myself from panicking.
How do I answer that?
I couldn’t say that I was a stripper and had become an instant billionaire.