AUTHOR’S POV
Ashley loved plateaus and mountains. She had told Sydney some years back when Sydney came to visit for Easter, that she’d love to live in a small house on a plateau when she got old.
Even though her dream couldn’t come true, Sydney made sure her mother’s funeral took place on a plateau.
The funeral ground was filled with people, people who just wanted to get the latest scope of the Morgan family so they could boost their social media handle.
Sydney felt sick to her stomach, hearing their fake sulking. If she had it her way, she would have buried her mother herself, gone to Ashley’s grave with her kids, and given her mother a less hypocritical farewell.
Sydney stood in front of a podium, dressed in black.
She stared at the paper on the podium blankly and cleared her throat before speaking grimly. ” I’m Sydney Morgan, Ash… the deceased um.. first daughter.”
She looked at her children sitting next to Theresa in the front pew.
“My mother was a remarkable wife… aunt and grandmother. She, um… She was my best friend, my first love.” Sydney bit her lips, holding her tears.
She dropped the paper and looked at the crowd with watery eyes.
” My mother was the best fighter in the world, she was peaceful, she was calm. She wanted to live, she so badly wanted to live. All her life, she’d been bullied and looked down upon like she’s nothing, yet she puts on that big bright smile on her face because of people like you.”
Sydney sniffed and released a breath trying to quell her emotions. ” She doesn’t deserve this; she doesn’t deserve to be born in a cruel world like this, where people pretend to like her just to gain popularity and money. I’m happy she’s somewhere better, with God and at peace. Finally, my mother can be happy.”
Theresa went to Sydney and hugged her as she burst into tears. The crowd went silent; some people bowed their heads in shame and furtively kept on videoing.
Hours passed by and Sydney was standing in front of her mother’s grave with Theresa by her side. Dark clouds had begun to gather, so people began to leave.
Sydney said in a wounded voice, ” Thank you for coming, Theresa, but you shouldn’t have.”
Theresa touched her shoulder. ” We are friends, it’s my obligation to show up.”
Sydney looked at her and smiled gratefully. ” Are you still moving to Toronto?”
Theresa sighed, ” Yes, I’ve been in Beverly Hills all my life it’s beginning to suffocate me. Vanessa was hesitant at first, but she agreed; Authur cried a lot; he said he didn’t want to leave your little girl, but he’d get over it. We’ll be leaving on Boxing Day.”
Sydney nodded and buried her cold hand in her coat pocket. She also felt like leaving Beverly Hills; she wanted to. She told Gabriel over the phone about it, and he told her she could stay in his home till New Year.
She considered his offer. If she’d gone missing from the world in two and a half months, everyone would forget she existed. They’d be too busy chasing after Gavin and Avery to care.
Sydney’s heart shattered thinking of how Avery and Gavin would be enjoying a romantic time alone. She was convinced he never loved her or her mother since he didn’t take the liberty to come for Ashley’s burial.
She felt like spitting on Gavin’s face.
Theresa spoke driving Sydney out of her thoughts. ” I don’t see the Lumberjack here.”
Sydney replied, ” He seems to hate funerals from the way he sounded over the phone. He lost his mother and wife.”
“Oh.” Theresa drawled sadly. ” He looks like a man without demons. But then again, the people with the brightest smile have a lot of shit going on.”
Theresa released a breath, ” Gavin didn’t come either. I had a little trust in that a**hole.”
Sydney quickly altered, ” It’s about to rain; Theresa, can you do me a favor and take Ethan and Emily with you?”
” Sure but what about you?”
” I’ll stay a little longer.”
Sydney stayed by Ashley’s grave till midnight. She sat next to Ashley’s obelisk, soaked in rainwater as she spoke and laughed at her mother’s grave.
Soon after, she began to cry, begging for her mother to come back. Eventually, she fell asleep next to the grave.
It was her phone ringing continuously that woke her up. She sat up and looked at the caller ID, then picked up the call.
” You didn’t return to California with your kids?” Gabriel asked rhetorically.
Sydney pushed the hair off her face. ” Have they landed already?”
” Yes, like fifteen minutes ago. Are you okay? You sound tired.”
” You know the answer, Gabriel. I’m not.” She looked at Ashley’s picture. ” You must have felt terrible losing your mother. I had no idea how you felt till now.”
” You’ll heal eventually.”
” You don’t sound like you’ve healed… Aren’t you meant to be asleep?”
” I got worried. It’s late; I know you are still by your mother’s grave, so find a hotel in Sydney. Blake’s jet would take a while before it reaches there.” Gabriel said sympathetically.
Sydney was tired of saying thank you to Gabriel. Their flight to Arizona had been canceled, and Gabriel had supposedly begged Blake to allow her to use his jet.
The rain seemed to be falling in the whole of America.
Gavin sat on his office chair, staring out of the window. His fist clenched angrily as Archer kept knocking on the door.
Gavin was too angry to answer.
Archer swallowed hard and opened the door slowly. He shoved his head through the open door and said, ” Should I come in boss?”
Gavin glared at him, ” No, continue knocking.” He said sarcastically.
Archer shuddered at his tone and got in, holding a mug of expresso coffee. He shakingly placed it on Gavin’s table.
Gavin watched him keenly, his shoulder falling slightly. As if for the first time, he could see the fear people had for him.
” Um… Mr. Reed. You’ve had twelve mugs of coffee today. You… You are risking… Um, health issues.”
” And why do you care?”
Even Gavin’s low voice made Archer flinch.
Archer shook his head quickly. ” I don’t care… I’m sorry, I’ll leave now.”
He turned to leave but Gavin called quickly, ” Wait.”
Gavin walked to Archer whose heart was leaping.
” Am… I uh. Do I scare you?” Gavin asked weirdly.
Archer stared at his feet and nodded. ” Ye… Yes. I’m sorry, sir, but you scare me. You scare everyone. Please don’t fire me.”
Gavin had seen the way his children and Sydney shuddered when he spoke. He’d seen the fear in them. Was that what made Sydney think he’d turn out like her father? Even as a teenager, she’d cower at his touch or try to do everything in her power to please him.
Gavin released a long painful breath. He needed to clear his head.
He said, ” Book me a flight to Turkey. I’d be leaving tomorrow.”
Archer’s eyes widened. ” Turkey? Oh, the country. I’m sorry but um… It would take about two weeks to get all your documents ready.”
Gavin regretted not taking his father’s advice to buy a private plane.
His phone rang before he could reply. He read the caller’s ID and his body turned cold immediately.
Alejandro.
He looked at Archer dismissively, ” Fine, leave.”
When Archer left, Gavin adjusted his tie and answered the call.
” Mr. Alejandro.” Gavin acknowledged.
He could tell Alejandro was in a stripper’s club due to the background noise.
” Your wife- Sorry, ex-wife is getting on my nerves, boy. Haven’t I warned you to put her in her cage?”
” Mr. -”
He cut him off. ” That’s why I told you: never let a woman be independent; she’d try to be the boss and do however she pleases. Yet, you disobeyed me.”
Gavin shut his eyes. ” I had no choice.”
Alejandro was shouting now. ” Of course you f**king do! You were the one who came to me asking to be rich and successful. I gave you my terms and conditions, and you have all the f**king right to oblige.”
He calmed, ” I made you, and I can rip you apart, Gavin Reed. You wanted to make your family comfortable, I gave you a life of affluence. Dare go behind me, and I’ll pull you back to the ground I picked you up from.” He ended the call.
Gavin clutched the phone harder, his eyes squeezed shut.
What family? He had no family now. All he’d sacrificed for was gone.
.