An encounter

There was a commotion outside the international airport that tore Alice's eyes from the mother and daughter duo. If not for the shouting of a crowd of girls, she would think something bad is happening. Seeing that there are bodyguards in black suits and shaded sunglasses, on the front and back covering a person in the middle. Alice didn't care, after all, there are lots of high profile people in City Z.

"Alice Wu."

She walked past the growing crowd and was about to hail a taxi when somebody shouted her name. This made her to stop walking and she turned around to see who is it that called her. She never would've expected to cross paths with someone she wanted to avoid. She inwardly cursed herself for looking back instead of ignoring the person who called her.

Eric Chen is a businessman who has been working in his own billion dollar company aside from being a President to the Chen Investment Corporation. His mischievous smile and youthful appearance, even though he is already 23, has helped him in being one of the popular and powerful individual in Country X. He also gained a couple of fan girls because of having a slight passion in directing and has had a couple of good movies that are even showcased abroad. Even Alice see him in some premiere and red carpet events of those movies in the country she was staying in. He is also Alice's fiancé. To think that the first day she's back, she'll see this man and in the same airport? Huh. Alice hopes this is just a coincidence.

"Who is that?"

"Didn't you hear? The young master has called her Alice."

"Who's Alice?"

"You not from here or what? That Alice from the Wu family."

"You mean that Alice?"

"What do you guys mean?"

"Shh. Not all people know but that was the girl who was accused of pushing her stepmother causing

her to have miscarriage."

"That's awful! What kind of human does that?"

"Shh. I told you to shut up! We might get in trouble if anybody hears it!"

"Haha. Everyone should know about that, no? That kind of person doesn't deserve to live!"

"It's sad that she looks pretty. It's such a waste of a face for a murderer."

"But if she is from the Wu family, then that means the law cannot touch her. There's really no justice when it comes to rich families. Look at her flaunting her freedom!"

"I know. We commoners can get in jail for years, but look at that shameless woman. Even her suitcases looks expensive."

"But I wonder why our beloved Eric Chen even notice that woman."

"Well, she is from the Wu family after all.They have been in the Big-Law firms and has great lawyers to defend that Missus."

"Rich people can really escape law."

"Indeed."

Alice has heard most of the conversations that is now circulating among the crowd. Even though it was already five years ago, and the truth that it was only an accident, most of the people had assumed what they want to assume. They had labelled her murderer and even she cannot go to school after what had happened. Her stepmother stayed in the hospital for two months and Alice was never allowed to visit her. Her stepsister has also lashed out to her and would slap her in most occasions. She was not even allowed to eat with the family anymore. Her father has despised her as well, for he had lost an unborn son. She has experienced slaps from her own father when she tried to explain that she did not do it, and more slaps when she wanted to say sorry. There were a lot of times when she falls asleep with the taste of blood in her mouth.

Her stepsister made her life a living hell. She had no other choice but to accept these punishments as a result of her 'evil deeds' and can only cower on the sides or hide in her own room. This was the time when she first felt the need of self-harm and suicide.

Only her stepbrother would sometimes talk to her, only when their sister is not around. But he could not to anything when his own sister would hurt Alice, and would always scold and hit him for defending the latter. This was also the time when Nanny Rou was not in their mansion and was on a vacation in the province. The other maids would not help her because of her stepsister's threat, and in those two months she would just stay in her room and would get to eat in the midnight given by a maid when her sister and her father are both asleep.