*Ring, ring, ring.*
A clear and sharp ringtone echoed in the empty car. After a few more rings, all goes quiet.
Parked in on the edge of the road, the new sedan shines like a lump of silver in the sunset. Stretched out on the outside of the passenger’s door, a young man of mid-twenties, lazily leaned against the tinted window, his gaze affixed on the horizon beyond.
The setting sun casted off an ethereal warmth, bathing the land and its denizens in heartfelt and peaceful sense of comfort. Reflecting the last rays of the day, the ocean’s surfaces sparkles in dazzling and brilliant light, creating a memorable and picturesque scene, tucking at one’s heartstrings.
Despite the scenic display before him, however, the expression on the young man’s face remains remarkably expressionless. In fact, upon closer inspections, a slight frown could be seen setting in, increasing by the minute.
Heise sighed.
He really never thought he would come here. Actually, he never really thought much about it at all.
Upon receiving a call that day, Heise had decisively determined not to engage in this matter. He threw the phone in a corner on his desk, buries himself in paperwork, and decides to forget ever receiving the call. And yet…
Heise let out another sigh.
…Yet, like a worm constantly burrowing in the back of his head, scratching and pawing at that most intimate and secret area at the back of his mind, it was always there, nagging on and on and never failing to remind him. In the end, Heise could only gave in, and dialed back that number.
Not willing to sighs a third time, Heise closed his eyes, and stood up. When he next opens his eyes, the hazy glaze was gone from his gaze, and a thin cold smile spread out from the corner of his lips. He walked back into his car and ignited the engine.
Heise picked up his phone in the passenger’s seat, and, after a moment of eyeing the missed calls, threw it into his pocket, “Whatever.”
[Let’s just get this over with.]
The silver sedan, revved up to life and full of power, cut across the tranquil scenes and sped off into the sunset.
Nearly two hours later, the sedan stopped in front of a rusty iron gate.
Behind the gate, a small villa stood alone atop a hill, its back facing the sea. Among the dimly lit skies and the cool ocean breezes, the villa’s white walls and dark windows emits an aura of seclusion, cold and unwelcoming.
Stepping out of the car, Heise glanced at the small villa. He stood silent for a minute before pushing the gates open and proceeds to walk up to the front door.
As there was no doorbell, Heise slams his fists against the door. Loud banging sounds echoed in the night. After a few moments, a clicking noise could be heard, and the front door opens.
A middle-aged man, with long silver hair and loosely hanging pajamas appears from the door. His eyes, dull and colorless with a certain gloom and weariness, swept up the young man. His face, graceful and somewhat delicate, etched a complicated look. Paled pink lips slightly raised open, as if in anticipation of words that never came.
“………”
“………”
For a long time, there was only silent.
“Hello, Vali,” Heise was the first to find his voice, “I’m here, like you wanted.”
“En,” the middle-aged man, Vali, lets out a vague affirming sound, and, before any more words could be said, turned around and walked back into the house. “Hurry, it’s cold.”
Heise: ……
With much reluctance, Heise stepped into the house and closed the front door.
True to being one of the most expensive seaside properties on this side of the hemisphere, the villa, though small and unassuming on the outside, had an exceptional interior in both decor and architect. Brand new infrastructures and state-of-the-art designs, couples with simple and tasteful high-quality furnishing, let the villa exudes an exquisite and refined atmosphere, not unlike those of the lavish noble’s abodes from days past.
“Heh.” After finishing the house tour, Heise let out a light snickered. He had certainly expected Vali to have live a nice life, but he sure didn’t expect this. [Wasn’t this just too much?] Deep inside, another cut was carved onto his wounds.
“My, what a nice house you’ve got.” Flashing on a standard business smile, Heise turned to Vali, “You know, if you ever wanted to put it on the market, I know a great guy.”
“En.” Again, Vali just gave a confirming nod.
“He’s got good speed and a fantastic rate, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. Also, while we at G.B. Financial do not officially ha—”
“Hungry?” Vali let out a single word. Without waiting for a reply, the silver-hair man turns around and head straight into the kitchen without giving Heise another look.
Heise: …
[Really, this is just too much!]
When Heise arrived in the kitchen, he found Vali sitting at the dining table with a wide assortment of food in front of him. Seeing an extra set of plate and silverware already set out just for him, Heise was about to sit down when he found something strange. In contrast with the enticing fragrance and vibrant colors, all of the dishes seemed to be kept, not on plates, but rather in plastic containers of various sizes.
[Is that…Tupperware?]
While Heise was still rooted in confusion beside the table, Vali had started eating.
Glistening silver hair parting to one side, reveals a snowy white face delicately chewing food. Slender fingers, long and thin, gently grips a plastic fork, carefully and skillfully scooping up tiny morsels of food.
For a moment, Heise was stunned speechless. He couldn’t possibly believe his eyes. For a man like Vali, whose caliber and assets listed him at the top of the upper echelons, not only was his house big, but Heise wouldn’t be surprise even if there were a many servants attending to him such as cooking and eating. In fact, when Heise was first invited to dinner, he’d half expecting an army of servant carrying trays of gourmet dishes in a full course fashion, a lavish display of wealth and power, not unlike that of a certain TV show.
[That’s how it’s supposed to be, isn’t it…?]
And yet, reality is often not as expected.
Vali Stomford, one of the most powerful and wealthy man of this century, was dressed in shabby sleeping clothes while nibbling on pre-heated food out of some Tupperware with a plastic fork. It was getting harder and harder to tell whether this was a great lord or some college student.
[I was right, I really shouldn’t have come here. Now I feel that headache coming…]
“Aren’t you hungry?” In between bites, Vali raises his head only to be met with a frozen Heise still standing with an expression of ‘not quite right.’
“This is all good food. You shouldn’t be picky.” With that, Vali lifted one of the finished containers and starts slurping the leftover juices.
[That isn’t the point! Ahhhh!]
Letting out a soft sigh, Heise curbed his internal screaming, sat down, and begins to eat.
Not three bites in did his expression begins to ease a little, “This is actually quite delicious. Which famous chef did you hired? Or, don’t tell me, did you make it yourself?” Although he was making polite conversation, Heise did genuinely appreciate the quality of the food.
“No, I didn’t,” the silver haired man put down the plastic container and a rare sliver of excitement could be heard in his voice, “And I didn’t hire a chef either. Alvy made it, he’s rather good at things like this you know.”
“Alvy?”
“He’s…a friend. He likes taking care of people. You’ll probably meet him…maybe…”
Hearing the quiet voice trailing off, Heise subconsciously raises his head and, for a split second, met Vali’s eyes. Two clear orbs shone with liveliness only for a moment before becoming overcast again. Vali looked down, and without further remarks, begin stuffing more food into his mouth.
Originally, Heise had wanted to ask more about who this ‘Alvy’ character was. Someone who could cooks so well must be very interesting. However, due to the sudden awkward atmosphere, he could only move on to something else.
“Say, the vase I saw in the living is very high-quality looking. Is it perhaps an antique?”
“En,” this time, however, Vali no longer looks up.
From then on, no what Heise asks, Vali would only give vague affirming answers with no specific explanations, presenting a clear lack of interest in continuing the conversation. Sensing Vali’s intentions, Heise could only looked down, and also silently stuff his face.
Thus, the rest of the dinner was filled with silence.
Something that they were both very used to…
After the less-than-stellar dinner, Vali directed his guest to a spare bedroom he’d prepared earlier, and then promptly went to bed.
Standing alone in the corridor with a pillow in his arms, Heise was immensely displeased. Putting the shoddy hospitality aside, Heise was most dissatisfied with Vali’s attitude, or rather, the lack thereof. The minute he knocks on the front door, Heise had expected Vali to show some sort of remorse or, at the very least, being extra attentive, the moment he sees him. Yet, not only did Vali not show any signs of emotions at all, but he was even treating Heise like air most of the time!
[Intolerable!]
Heise pinched the corners of his eyes, rubbed them until red marks appears, and then storms into his designated room, slamming the door shuts.
The room that was given to Heise was actually quite nice. Separated into two different partitions, an inner chamber for sleeping, and an outer chamber for living activities, complete with a walk-in closet, small kitchenette, and separate bathroom. The so-called “spare room” was no means lesser than a small apartment. Outfitted with lavish decors and antique furniture, top off by a grand canopy bed, Heise’s room was far beyond anything ordinary.
Surrounded by kingly comfort, Heise let out a sneering smile. The gaze in his eyes darkens, and, for a moment, a raging turbulent could be seen. Gnashing his teeth, he threw the pillow in his arms straight at a nearby wall causing an expensive-looking clock to fell down, breaking on the spot.
*Crash*
The sounds of the clock smashing to pieces seemed to snap Heise out of his trance. He coldly glance at the debris, turns around, and went into the bathroom to wash up. Afterwards, without picking up his pillow, Heise simply jumped into the bed, and stares up at the white ceiling.
The simple white ceiling, hazily illuminated by dim wall lights, couples with the cool sensation following a warm bath quickly lures Heise into sleep. Unable to fight off the grogginess any longer, Heise took one last look at the ceiling and softly muttered a few words before falling asleep, “…that reminds me of something …oh, yeah…”
…the orphanage had the same ceiling, just like it…
