Chapter 29 Love At First Sight
The study was dim and the rumbling clouds outside roared as a thunderbolt flashed across the sky.
Edward placed his phone on the desk and poured himself a cup of coffee. He then sat down on the chair with his legs crossed as he lost himself into the melody of the rain.
He loved this kind of weather.
Mikaelson, Edward’s grandfather named him Edward with the hopes of him emulating some of the famous british kings in history.
Mikaelson hoped that Edward would one day be revered and respected everywhere. He believed that Edward was destined for great things.
Come to think of it, Edward had only ever genuinely fallen in love once. And it was love at first sight. Edward remembered it like it was the day before.
It was the day of Anna’s birthday banquet. He had just rushed back from abroad and he was exhausted. He still recalled how he lay in the car just to get some shut-eye before going to the party.
His car window was slightly rolled down and he could barely hear it; the sound of a young girl making a fuss. He got up and peered towards the source of that sound.
There she was, a young girl standing not far from the car. She was on the phone complaining to someone that her skirt was way too short.
Edward’s gaze froze. The young girl tried her very best to pull down the skirt to cover more of her thighs but she wasn’t aware that Edward was stalking her from a distance.
Edward on the other hand was incited even more. He was driven by his primal urges that he shouldn’t harbor towards such a young, innocent girl.
He got out of the car and proceeded to stride towards her.
What was her name? Was she available? Which family was she from? Edward had to know.
The young girl suddenly hung up the phone, got into a car and left before Edward could speak with her.
That night, Edward searched for her. He even asked Sean and Anna about that mystery girl but they had no clue about her.
There were a lot of people that night. Guests from every social class were invited. People near and far were present with hopes of landing themselves a rich partner.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
Maybe, that mystery girl was one of those people.
Edward was frustrated. For such a brief moment, that girl had left an unforgettable mark on him.
There were things in life that seemed more appealing when restricted, just like the apple in the garden of Eden.
Even if Edward did find her in the end, what would he do then? She looked so young. Was he supposed to kidnap her and lock her in his basement?
In the end, Edward gave up.
After that, he got engaged to Anna for the sake of the alliance between their two families.
At some point, Edward found out about the incestous relationship Anna had with her brother. He decided to leave the country for some peace and quiet whilst Anna settled the problem on her end.
Alas, when he came back, Anna had gone missing!
He tried searching for her for an entire month but it was for naught.
After that, Edward fatefully ran into that mystery girl again, albeit in a photo.
His niece, Penelope showed him a picture of all the girls in her class.
Edward’s eyes widened as his eyes fixed on a girl standing on the edge of the group in the photo.
“Who is this?” Edward asked Penelope.
It was only then Edward found out that her name was Nelissa and everyone called her Nelly. She had just come back from abroad and was still in highschool.
That forbidden desire that Edward had stashed away broke free once more.
He went to Penelope’s highschool one day and he finally met her. She was very petite and shy but she was holding the hands of another guy as they walked away. According to Penelope, that was her boyfriend, Zayden.
Edward was a very prideful man. He would never do anything that would hurt his image; hence, he began to bury those feelings deeper and deeper within him.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck down the tree outside the window and Edward was jolted back to his senses.
His phone was vibrating on the desk; it was Sean.
In a dark room somewhere, Sean was curled up in his bed with the blinds covering every window in the room. It was pouring cats and dogs at his place too.
“Did Anna call you?” Sean would call Edward and ask this question every single time there was a thunderstorm. And the answer was always no.
“You have no idea how scared she was of lightning,” Sean lay in the bed still shivering and uttered.
Edward stared out the window and said, “Both you and Anna would call me when there is a thunderstorm. Have you forgotten that we are still on bad terms?”
“I’m sorry, I have grown used to it.” Sean then placed a pillow against the headrest and lay down.
“I still regret not keeping an eye over that girl. Right before Anna disappeared, she spoke to that girl. Not long after, both of them ran away and went missing. I’m pretty sure that girl coerced Anna into running away with her.” Sean sighed.
After that, the two girls were never seen again.
“What are you going to do after you find her?” Edward asked.
Sean knew who he was referring too, after all they were best buds.
“That girl… she looks like Anna.” Sean crumpled his mind as he tried to recall that angelic face.
“Edward, we are not the same. Didn’t you fall in love with a girl too? But you suppress your feelings for her instead of pursuing her. If it were me, I would definitely try and have her all to myself.”
Edward then replied, “And you wonder why Anna ran away.”
Sean was silent for a while and answered, “I don’t want to force her into making decisions. She is a prideful, stubborn girl and my insistence would only make things worse. But I believe that she would come home one day, so I have to be out of the country when that happens.”
Sean then added sternly, “Edward, you have to promise me that you will watch over here when she goes back home.”
“By the way, Sophie mentioned that you have the hots for another girl recently, who is she?” Sean continued asking.
“The girl I was searching for.” Edward suddenly thought of Nelissa and swirled the coffee in his hands playfully.
“Congrats, you finally found her. What do you plan on doing with her?” Sean knew that Edward had his eyes on this girl for many years.
“I’ll have her tightly in my hands.” Edward smiled and took a sip of the coffee. He was excited and passionate. He had waited so long for this!
Edward had held back so many times but she had aroused him time and time again.
Edward decided that it was time to strike. He was going to take Nelissa! Nothing she did was going to stop him.
“Alright, do whatever you want. You have my support. As for the Baileys, don’t worry. I won’t be going back anytime soon. I am going to wait for Anna,” Sean and Edward were at odds ever since Anna’s disappearance.
But it was all just for show because these two men were cunning and sly.
At that time, Nelissa was taking a hot shower in the bathroom. The rain was still pouring and she couldn’t hear anything outside the bathroom.
She was worried that Edward would creep up on her and barge into the bathroom. After the shower, Nelissa wrapped a bathrobe around her body and trod out of the bathroom.
The dress she was wearing earlier was completely torn to shreds; she couldn’t possibly wear that anymore.
She sat down on the bed and realized there wasn’t a fresh change of clothes as usual. That meant that Edward didn’t come into the room like before.
Thank God! Hopefully everything with Edward blew over as soon as possible.
Nelissa recalled what she said. She was extremely clear and firm in what she meant; Edward should get the hint by now.
She was going to leave first thing the next day. But she couldn’t possibly leave naked…
Nelissa glanced at the clock. It was barely past seven o’clock. Was Eliza still here?
Come to think of it, she didn’t see Eliza on the way up the stairs earlier.
Nelissa decided to call Jolene. She could just tell her that she was stranded by the hurricane and couldn’t make it home.
In fact, she was trapped by the man-made disaster; that was Edward!
The hurricane warning went off in the twins’ school and they let everyone go home early. Jolene went and fetched them.
“Where are you? Do you need me to come pick you up?” Jolene asked with concern.
Nelissa almost freaked out. She couldn’t possibly let Jolene know that she was at Edward’s! She would definitely make a fuss about it.
“It’s fine. It’s pouring outside and it isn’t safe for you. I’ll spend the night at a friend’s place and go back when everything blows over.” Nelissa hurriedly stopped Jolene.
“Is your friend a guy or a girl?” Jolene suddenly flashed a thought. “Don’t tell me it’s Edward?”
“Of course not, it’s just a new friend I made.” Nelissa could lie without batting an eyelid now.
Jolene was sceptical but she hung up in the end. After that, Nelissa lay back in the huge comfy bed and buried herself in the sheets. It had been a long day and she was exhausted.
She closed her eyes as she drifted asleep with the hypnotic sound of rainfall.
Three hours later, Nelissa woke up groggily to the sound of her ringtone. She began scouring the bed for her phone but suddenly, she grabbed something warm!
It was a man’s hand.
Nelissa was startled and immediately woke up. She squinted her eyes to get a close look at her surroundings when she saw Edward sitting by her bed with her phone in his hand.
The phone was ringing and the caller ID was ‘My Love’. Edward quickly answered the call.
“Who is this?” Edward held the phone at his ear while he stared at Nelissa with his penetrating gaze.
Silence…
Suddenly, Noelle put down the phone and began screaming for Jolene, “Oh, big news! Mommy has a boyfriend!”
Edward was amused. He didn’t expect such a jolly and naive voice from the other end of the phone.
He passed the phone back to Nelissa and said, “Your daughter is very smart. She knows that you have a boyfriend.”