Chapter 3: Ch-3 family drama
The city below me stretched endlessly, the glowing lights casting an ethereal glow that barely reached the darkness in my heart. The wind was sharp against my skin, a constant reminder that I wasn't the person I had been. I had been reborn, yes, but I was still scarred by everything I'd lost.
Josef's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Boss, your father called me an hour ago."
I turned slowly, my gaze settling on him. His usually calm and collected expression was fraught with unease. His words felt heavy, as if he knew the turmoil they would cause.
"What's the matter, Josef?" I asked, my voice betraying none of the chaos within.
Josef shifted on his feet, clearly unsure of how to approach the subject. "He... he wants to meet you. He says he's... sorry for everything. For everything that happened with the family. He wants to talk about the past."
I blinked, the words hanging in the air, surreal and almost laughable. My father. Apologizing? The man who had raised me in a gilded cage, manipulating me for his own purposes, showing no more affection than a distant stranger? It was absurd. I could feel my chest tighten as memories of him flooded back—his cold gaze, his absence when I needed him most, his silent approval of my suffering. All those years of growing up in that house, surrounded by wealth and power, but never feeling like I belonged, like I was loved.
I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp in the quiet night. "Apologize? For what? For abandoning me? For letting my sister destroy me? For never once lifting a finger to protect me?" My voice rose, but I quickly calmed myself, the rage only a fleeting shadow now. "Tell him I'm not interested, Josef. Whatever lies he has to tell, I've already heard them all."
Josef took a cautious step forward, his eyes searching mine, almost pleading. "But, Emily, what if... what if this is the chance you've been waiting for? What if he really does want to explain? To make amends?"
I looked at him, and in his eyes, I saw the hope he still held for me. It was the same hope I had once carried, the belief that people could change, that the past could be undone. But I had learned the hard way that there was no redemption for someone like him.
"Closure?" I repeated, my voice low, dangerous. "There is no closure, Josef. There is nothing but the truth, and the truth is that he's a coward. He never had the courage to face me before, and he doesn't now." I paused, letting the words sink in, then added with a quiet venom, "He's not looking for closure, Josef. He's looking for forgiveness. But he'll never get it from me. Not after everything."
Josef opened his mouth to say something, but I held up a hand, silencing him. The anger was bubbling up, but it wasn't for him. It was for the man who had fathered me. For the man who had let me rot, all in the name of his ambition.
"There is no forgiveness for people like him," I said, my voice cold, unfeeling. "You're right about one thing, though. The past isn't over. And it won't be, not until I make him pay for everything. For every moment he and my sister stole from me. For every betrayal. For every piece of my soul they shattered."
Josef looked down, clearly conflicted, but he didn't argue further. He knew better than to question me when my resolve was this firm.
I walked over to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the city below. It felt so far away, like a distant world I had no connection to anymore. But in that moment, I knew what I had to do. The people who had wronged me—the ones who had tormented me, used me, betrayed me—would pay. My rebirth wasn't just a chance for a new life. It was an opportunity for revenge.
"You'll tell him one thing," I said, turning back to Josef. My eyes were steely, unrelenting. "If he wants to meet me, he'll have to come to me on my terms. And the moment he steps foot in my world, he will answer for everything. I don't care what his reasons are. I don't care about his apologies. He will suffer for what he's done to me. And if he doesn't understand that, then he'll be a lesson to everyone who thinks they can get away with destroying someone like me."
Josef gave a quick nod, clearly understanding the gravity of my words. He had never seen me like this—calm, yet filled with a dangerous resolve. I wasn't the broken, innocent girl I once was. I was something far more dangerous now.
As he turned to leave, I stood there, my eyes fixed on the horizon. I couldn't help but wonder if my father knew what he was stepping into. But it didn't matter. He was about to learn that when you create a monster, you can never control it.
Weekly Power Status
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