A Friendly Face
The sun was shining brightly as Odessa stepped out of the house after having a goodnight sleep. The party the day before had drained her. When she woke up as usual her parents were not around, after having breakfast she decided to go out
She had decided to take a walk in the park enjoying the scenery and the birds chirping. As she strolled along the path she noticed a familiar figure sitting on a bench. It was Jaxon, a classmate of hers back in high school
Odessa smiled as she walked over to him
"Hey Jaxon, fancy seeing you here" she said
Jaxon looked up, he couldn't quite pinpoint the face but later recognized her
"Hey Ondine how are you doing" Jaxon said with a smile on his face, Odessa was shaken but she didn't allow it show, she couldn't blame him because back in high school he was among the popular kids same as her sister there was even a point in time Jaxon and Ondine dated, and they didn't really talk much in class in fact they didn't talk at all ad back then she and her sister were identical, it was hard for people to differentiate them
Odessa let out a small smile and said
"I'm Odessa not Ondine, remember I and Ondine are twins"
"I'm so sorry, didn't really low you back then and you know its hard to differentiate you both" Jaxon said
"That's not a problem, by the way what do you do for a living" Odessa asked as she sat down beside him
"I'm the CEO of luminari technologies, you see after the death of my father I took over" Jaxon said with a hint of sadness on his face
"I'm so sorry for your loss" Odessa told him
"It's ok, it's all in the past now, what about you" Jaxon asked
"I still attend school," Odessa said
"Which school is that" Jaxon asked her
"Ravenwood university" Odessa said with a smile
"Wow, that's good, my cousin also attends there but she is a fresher" Jaxon said
They talked for a while exchanging stories and laughter, Odessa was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Jaxon since they never spoke in high school
As they talked Odessa realized that Jaxon was not really a bad person, he had a great sense of humor and was passionate about his work
After a while Odessa glanced at her watch and realized she had been chatting with Jaxon for over an hour
"Wow, I'm so sorry, I've taken much of your time" she exclaimed
"No need to apologize Odessa, it was great chatting up with you, maybe we can see some other time" Jaxon said standing up
"That's a great idea" Odessa said also standing up
"I've got a meeting in the next 30mins, so I'll take my leave now" Jaxon said. They both exchanged phone numbers and parted ways. Odessa went home with a smile on her face feeling really cheerful
Odessa trudged toward the front door extremely exhausted, she had planned to head to her room but her parents hushed conversation in the living room caught her attention. Curiousity getting the better of her Odessa slowed her pace. But as she approached the living room she couldn't help but overhear her parents discussion
"You wouldn't believe what happened at the party last night" Ray said
"I saw Zaynix, what's going on" Klara asked
"He found out about I and the mayor's plan to renege our contract" Ray said
"What!" Klara exclaimed
"Keep your voice down, someone might hear" Ray said looking around and at that moment Odessa hid herself
"Can you imagine, I even offered to marry Odessa off to him but that bastard refused, I almost lost my life yesterday" Ray said in relief. Odessa stood frozen to the spot then she suddenly shouted
"You what!"
"What are you doing here" Ray asked visibly angry and standing up
"That doesn't justify what you just said, who are you to make decisions for me just tell me who the fuck are you" Odessa asked heartbroken
"Odessa, try to understand...." Klara said standing up but was cut off by Odessa
"Understand what, understand the fact that my own father was trying to sell me off, I know that you hate me but that doesn't give you the right to make decisions for me" Odessa said angrily
"Odessa, now you are just being selfish, don't forget the fact that I am the one who brought you into this world and that gives me every right to make decisions for you" Ray said
"I'm being selfish, you are willing to sacrifice my happiness for your own gain, to save yourselves and you call me selfish" Odessa said tearfully.
"You know what damn you to hell, damn you both" Odessa said in anger. And then the unthinkable happened Klara slapped her, the sound echoing in the room
Odessa eyes welled up with tears as she stumbled backwards, her heart heavy with hurt and anger. She turned and ran to her room slamming the door shut behind her. She collapsed on her bed, her mind racing with thoughts of hurt and betrayal. She knew she had to get out of here, she was not sure she would be able to survive another day here, quickly she booked a ticket back to California
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zaynix sat behind his mahogany desk, his eyes fixed on the photograph in his hand. The picture was worn and faded but the faces in it was unmistakable. His gaze lingered on the picture, a mix of emotions swirling in his chest
The door to his office burst open and Zaynix head snapped up his eyes narrowing, he slid the photograph into his desk drawer a hint of annoyance flickering across his face
His best friend Julian strode into the room a hint of mischievousness on his face
"Hey Zayn"
Zaynix leaned back in his chair his expression softened
"I'll kill you one day" Zaynix said
"You love me too much to do that" Julian said
"We'll see about that" Zaynix said with a smirk
"That's not the reason I'm here" Julian said
"Then what brings you here" Zaynix asked
Julian sauntered over to him taking a seat opposite him, his eyes sparkling with amusement
"I heard something interesting, something that made me think of you"
Zaynix raised an eyebrow
"Oh, what's that"
Julian leaned against the desk, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper
"I watched the underworld news, it seems there's a rumors going around that you are responsible for the downfall of Morano mafia gang"
Zaynix face remained impassive but a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes
"They forgot who they were dealing with, I just had to remind them"
Julian's eyes widened with curiosity
"What did you do Zaynix"
Zaynix smile was enigmatic
"Ask Marcus, he'll tell you everything"
Julian face lit up with determination
"I'll ask him alright, and I won't stop asking until I get the truth"
Zaynix chuckled, a low menacing sound
"Be my guest"
Julian nodde, got up and turned to leave
"I'll be back" he said and left
As the door closed behind Julian, Zaynix stood up and walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall. He examined his reflection, his eyes scanning his face with a critical gaze.
For a moment, he just stood there, lost in thought. Then, with a subtle smile, he turned and walked back to his desk, his eyes gleaming with a sinister intensity.