10. EPIPHANY

ACT TWO SCENE FOUR

EPIPHANY

third person

PERSPECTIVE

LUCA VALDEZ SAT IN front of the large vanity mirror, the lights were on: contrasting against his tenebrosity. He soullessly gazes at his striking appearance with a frown embedded on his personable face: wondering why he had to attend the mid summer ball. Why couldn't his parents not host the money driven party?

He ties his tie with ease, his mother never helped him with that, after all, it's a money driven world so what's the need for love in this household? Luca frowns deeply as he wears his Versace blazer, it was so expensive yet it made him feel so empty.

He switches the light off the vanity mirror so it would reflect his mood. His beguiling reflection was something he couldn't stand, this appearance made him seem attractive to every person in society to this day. His parents used him, they used his face to make several business deals, even when he was a child and to this day they still do it.

Luca chuckles. "Why do I even bother?" he whispers, placing his Excalibur Quatuor watch on. The watch is estimated to be a million dollars and it is Luca's most prized possession due to it being the only watch he has ever owned in his life. His late grandfather had given it to him in France five years ago, and to this day the watch keeps increasing in worth.

And to Luca this watch is priceless. His late grandfather was the only family member who truly ever adored him. It's amusing how all the people he loves leave him, to Luca that's the reason why he doesn't become close to people. He despised the idea of being left.

Luca's phone begins to vibrate, pulling him out of his dazed state. It was his father, a man in his late fifties who constantly called Luca just to curse at him and point out all his mistakes. That's the sole reason Luca places his phone on do not disturb, so he doesn't have to hear his father yell at him for idiotic things.

Luca places the phone near his ear.

"Where are you? You're three hours late!"

Luca turns his phone off.

He leans on his bed, looking at the plain wall with a deep frown embedded on his face. His mind is filled with thoughts about Asher and that girl who claims her name is Sahar. It baffled him; that name, that name is the exact name of his golden love.

She even looks like her. Luca couldn't be making this up, but there's something holding him back from making the conclusion that the girl is the one he loves. She's rich, the girl he loves is poor.

"Mr Valdez, your driver is waiting for you." the maid says, her head bowed down so that Luca can't see her face. He doesn't want to see the faces of the maids in his house, not after what his mother did to the other maid. Never will he repeat this mistake ever again.

Luca doesn't respond. The maids in his house were used to this, if he doesn't respond that means he listened to them. The maid leaves without a word, leaving Luca to drown in isolation.

Like usual.

Just him. And him only. And nobody else.

LUCA VALDEZ WALKS INTO the venue with a frown embedded on his face. The moment he stepped in, all eyes were on him and his prepossessing looks that causes every onlooker to watch him with desire. Luca shakes his head, he was disappointed, the only people who attended here were rich. So rich that they could fill up mansions with dollar bills.

"The main star of the show arrived late." the sound of Asher's smug voice causes Luca to stop walking. He smoothly turns to face the gaze of the platinum haired devil who watched him with amusement in his eyes.

"There's no reason for me to be here." Luca responds coldly.

"Don't you enjoy it? The spotlight, it must be nice being the richest out of everyone in this room." Asher's voice was laced with jealousy, even Luca could see the jealousy on Asher's impeccable face.

"It's amazing, I can buy anything and that includes all your companies Asher: don't upset me." Luca states, his words were harsh and straight to the point, when in reality Luca hated the idea of being rich. He despised it to the point that he would remove his existence.

Asher looks at Luca with a stunned expression, diligently nodding his head to Luca's aloof words. Perhaps it was a little far fetched for Asher to irritate Luca but it's okay since sooner or later Luca will regret his words.

Asher has big plans.

"Touché." Asher murmurs, picking up two glasses of champagne. Handing one over to Luca and keeping one for himself. Luca stares at the champagne glass before taking it, drinking the contents almost instantaneously.

He wipes the corner of his lips. "When will this end?" Luca whispers, watching his parents with a frown engraved on his pretty face. Asher shrugs his shoulders, he couldn't understand how Luca hated the idea of being rich. He didn't deserve to be the richest boy in Devon Academy as he didn't take his position seriously.

Luca is the sole heir to the Valdez multinational company yet he behaved like he would drop it all if someone requested him to. Asher despised that, he wanted everything Luca didn't, he wanted to take it all but he couldn't. He couldn't take what he can't ever have.

Asher fakes a smile. "The party ends at midnight, we're going to be here for a while."

Luca looks at the grand clock. The time read 9pm.

"Give me another glass." Luca demands.

Asher watches him with an arcane gaze before obeying his order. He grabs another glass of champagne, handing it to Luca. Sometimes, sometimes Asher was a good friend to Luca. Well that's when Asher isn't greedy and sadly Asher is greedy all the time.

If it weren't for greed. Asher would've been the best friend Luca desired until time ends. But life isn't a fantasy, things don't go the way they're meant to go. They go wrong, people like Asher make things go terribly wrong.

Luca drinks the champagne rapidly. "Another, give me another." he murmurs, drowning himself with drinks might drown out all his misery.

Asher passes his another glass with a smirk. "Drink a lot, time will go quicker Luca." he murmurs, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Slowly the table was becoming filled with empty glasses of wine.

"Do you think I'll ever find her?" Luca whispers, staring at the half empty glass of champagne. "Is she even alive?" he states, wondering if the girl he loves is still out there. Is she searching for him like he is searching for her?

"You won't find her here, she's not rich, fate won't ever bring the both of you together because you're filthy rich and she's poor." Asher states confidently, watching the beautiful brunette with a bright gaze.

"What if she's rich now?"

"Nonsense, she can't get rich so fast, just leave her: you'll never find her." Asher states smugly, drinking the champagne calmly. His prominent gaze was directed at Sahar, she seemed so clueless about Luca. She probably doesn't remember the rich boy who fell deeply in love with her.

"I can't leave her, I won't stop searching for her, there's nobody like her!" Luca exclaims, his words attract the attention of others who were at the party. They look at the rich heir with a confused expression, they begin to murmur alongside each other.

Asher notices this and smiles. "There's a lot of poor people, she can easily be replaced."

"She's not like them, sure she was poor but her heart was gold, she's so priceless." Luca responds quietly, grabbing the bottle of champagne. He gives Asher one last look before walking towards the balcony gingerly.

He leans on the railing, the bottle of wine in his grip as his hair moved along to the winds melody: completely unaware that there was someone outside with him, someone he loves so deeply.

sahar glacé

PERSPECTIVE

THE SOUND OF THE balcony door opening pulls me out of my daydream. From the corner of my eye I see a wealthy boy in designer clothes staggering in with a bottle of champagne with his caramel coloured hair covering his face. From his body movement I could tell he was drunk and sad; but what idiot drinks till he's drunk in the midsummer ball?

Doesn't he care about his reputation?

I watch as the boy ignores me. He was in his own world.

"Does she remember me?" the boy murmurs, his voice leads me to the identity of the boy. It was definitely Luca, the aloof billionaire bad boys club leader. I roll my eyes, suddenly feeling the urge to leave the room.

"She can't forget me, we both love each other." his words cause me to stop in my tracks. Love, the billionaire bad boy's club member knows of the word love? The aloof guy who is known to be selfish knows of the word love.

He takes a long sip of the champagne. "Well I love her, I never knew what she felt." he whispers, looking at the ground mindlessly: it was a far fall. We were very high from the ground, it would be risky for Luca to be standing in this balcony all by himself.

So I stay.

"Why do I care so much?"

"I don't even know if she loves me the way I love her." he states quietly, a tear sliding down his beguiling face. My heart slightly churns at the sight of his melancholic state.

I pull out a pack of tissues from my purse. I stare at it for a moment: hopelessly wondering why I felt pity for the billionaire bad boys club member when he does people wrongly every day.

I slam the pack of tissues on the railing, turning around immediately. But before I could leave immediately, a hand gently grabs my wrist, preventing me from leaving the balcony in peace.

"Sahar." my name falls out of Luca's mouth easily, so easily that it triggered a memory from three years ago.

"Sahar! Please don't go, I love you!" the young boy screams, tears falling out of his eyes. My mother pulls me by arm, dragging me out of the rather large house.

"Mother, who is that boy?" I question, watching the boy with a frown. "And why does he love me?" I mumble, my words cause my mother to look at me with a sad smile.

"You're still recovering Sahar, it's better if you forget this boy and pretend he doesn't exist: his family is filled with bad guys and they're capable of hurting us." my mother says, holding two large suitcases.

"Bad guys?"

"They are bad guys, they kicked us out, we have to find a new house Sahar and help new people."

"We always help people, but people never help us mother; why does this happen to us?" I question, grabbing her arm. "Why are we doing this? Why can't we live a normal life?"

"Because life isn't fair and I'm doing this so I could make sure you'll never live this life ever again." my mother says, holding my hand. "I'll make sure you'll never be a servant, I'll make sure you enter Devon Academy and become successful: you'll never face what I have to face."

"Really! Don't worry mother, I'll make sure you and me live the best life possible: I promise you!" I exclaim, grabbing her arm: walking across the dark road with a wide smile.

But that happiness was short lived.

An expensive car was driving towards us at an immense speed. My mother did what any mother would do.

Thinking about her child first.

She pushed me out of the way.

I fell on the ground harshly. By the time I looked up, my mother was on the ground, laying in her blood lifelessly. It was the last time I ever spoke to her, the last time I ever cried with her and the last time I ever heard her voice.

I snap out of the flashback, only to look at Luca's lifeless eyes. He had the tissue packet in his hand, he pulls a tissue out and hands it to me. "You need it more." he says, causing me to look at the tissue with a frown. He reminded me a lot of that boy.

I grab the tissue, wiping my tears. "You should use it too." I mutter incoherently, turning around to leave. Crying in front of someone I'm meant to dislike wasn't the plan, crying is a weakness of mine. I despised the idea of being weak.

Being weak was what lead my mother to her death.

Being weak lead me to living with my rich aunt. She's my mother now, my guardian. But she doesn't treat me like a daughter. Till this day I believe she thinks I'm the reason why her sister died.

"Don't go," Luca's words cause me to pause. "You look just like her, tell me Sahar; are you pretending that you don't know me?" Suddenly my whole world stops. Things begin to make sense, the pieces to the puzzle I've been trying to fit together have suddenly forced themselves to fit.

Luca is the boy. The one who said he loved me. His family are the bad guys, my mother warned me about his family and told me to forget Luca. My mother died because of his family, he's the enemy. His family is the reason why my mother died. If they didn't kick her out, if only they let her stay for one more day then she would've been with me till this day.

I wouldn't be drowning in my own misery till this day. I wouldn't be blaming myself all these years, I wouldn't be feeling self conscious because of my aunt. I wouldn't be so lonely if it weren't for his family.

I look Luca in the eyes. Hatred. I felt anger, so much hate towards the individual in front of me. But I couldn't tell him that, not just yet. Everything makes sense now. My aunt hates the Valdez family for a reason, they're the sole reason why my mother died.

She wanted me to get Luca's attention for a reason.

So she can burn the Valdez family.

"I remember you Luca, I know you very well." my words cause Luca to drop the packet of tissues in shock. His lips quiver at my sudden confession, I could tell his misery disappeared in an instant.

But little did he know, his real misery begins now.

do you think luca deserves sahar's hate? do you think luca's life is good? any ships? and do you dislike asher?

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