ADLER'S BONDING
It is 09:16 PM. The demanding meeting is done, the battle lines drawn. Hugh sat behind the wheel of his car in the car park, lost in thought, staring straight at the concrete wall. He was about to start the engine and drive into the night when Adiel appeared, waving, standing directly in front of the headlights. Hugh quickly got the message, reaching over to open the passenger's side door.
Adiel slid in, instantly breaking the tension. "Dad, it's been a long time since you threw jokes at Madame Amelia."
Hugh exhaled, a weary smile touching his lips. "Your grandma is so dramatic, always, and that's her normal by the way. You know that."
Both shared a brief, genuine laugh. But Adiel's smile quickly faded, replaced by the seriousness of the night's events.
Adiel asks: "Dad uh... you love Mom, right?"
Hugh: "Of course, son." The answer was immediate, full of certainty.
Adiel: "I don't understand, if I'm not mistaken, Adler clan is more wealthier than Fortuna clan, right?!"
Hugh wanted to answer, "Yes." He wanted to confirm the fact that had always been their secret shield against Amelia's scorn. Yet, a strange lump in his throat stopped him. Instead of words, he pulled his wallet from his trouser's back pocket, opened one of the plastic sleeves, and showed Adiel their cute high school photo; a snapshot of himself and Aurie, young and bright.
Hugh:"Look, son. Your mom is the most beautiful."
Adiel:"Yeah, dad. You said that you were the most handsome in high school, way back right?!"
They shared another brief, nostalgic laugh, while the radio plays a music that Aurie & Amelia loves.
( Electric Light Orchestra's Midnight Blue : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ksUx7jqBQ )
Hugh composed himself, the memory too vivid to contain. "Your mom sees this before. the 'you and me against the world' thing. You know, Adiel... your mom jokes, if my mom will accept her." His eyes welled up with unshed tears.
Adiel: "What did you answer?"
Hugh managed a smirk, a flash of his old high school confidence. "My mom will accept you, Aurie... because we're wealthier than your family."
They both laughed again, a louder, healing sound. But this time, Hugh couldn't contain the emotion; he cried. Adiel immediately reached out, rubbing the back of his father in a silent gesture of comfort.
Adiel: "Dad, I see you really love mom. Before this happened, I see you and mom were so happy."
Hugh: "I don't see any reasons why Amelia is so rude to me."
Adiel: "Yup, me too, dad. Besides, even mom said that you are more wealthy than theirs."
Hugh composed himself fully, the sadness hardening into a quiet resolution. "Adiel... my son... it doesn't matter who's more wealthier or not, okay?! Our life, your mom and me, we live in love... not in money."
Adiel was struck by that powerful line. He smiled, relieved that his father remained a good person with a good heart even in this incredibly difficult time.
Hugh: "Always remember that, okay?"
Adiel: "Yes, dad."
Hugh: "Where do you want to eat?"
Adiel: "Your treat?"
Hugh: "No... you..."
Adiel: "Huh? Why?"
Hugh: "You need to practice it! If you court a woman, you need to treat her as a queen."
They were both engulfed in a loud laugh, but then Adiel stopped awkwardly. The words from the meeting room echoed in his head, twisting his relief into suspicion. He asked himself, "Wait, did Dad knows too? Does he have a copy of what my mom said in her will? That I need kids to have my mom's assets?! How does Dad knew? He left the meeting room first... and uh..."
Hugh noticed his son's face instantly shift, the joy replaced by suspicion. He asked: "What son? Are you seeing a ghost?"
Adiel: "Huh?! Uhm... I'm uh..." He struggled for a believable answer.
Hugh: "Yes, you'll treat me for dinner. What's the matter with that?"
Adiel: "Oh uh... uhm... okay... where?" He was desperate to change the subject.
Hugh: "Hahaha... I'm asking you where... C'mon, I'm driving! This is my car."
Adiel realized his father looked perfectly normal, while he was the one acting awkwardly. He answered immediately, focusing on the road. "Yeah dad, go east, I have a favorite dishes there in a best restaurant, ever!!!"
Hugh agreed and drove the car out of the car park.
WEALTHY HIGH SCHOOL JOCK
While driving, a powerful wave of nostalgia hit Hugh. He remembered the day he first laid his eyes on his comatose wife, Aurie.
He remembered it vividly: freshman year, seven in the morning, during the flag ceremony. It felt heavenly. Teen Hugh, the wealthy high school jock, made his first, bold move on Teen Aurie, the most beautiful girl on campus. It was the first day of freshman year.
Teen Hugh: "Hi!"
Teen Aurie: "Uhm?"
Teen Hugh:"Freshman?"
Teen Aurie:"Freshwoman, dear."
Teen Aurie and her three friends laughed, a symphony of teenage confidence. But Teen Hugh appreciated the humor and continued, undeterred. "Can we go later at~"
Teen Aurie: "Huh? Dear, you're so fast. And No. I have plans. My driver will wait for me."
Teen Aurie and her friends started walking out, but Teen Hugh was relentless, following them closely from behind. "You know, I have a driver too. The thing is, if you talk to your driver and assistants that we have a date, they will follow your instructions. Right?"
Teen Aurie eyerolled, turning back to fully assess Hugh's unserious dare to date her. "I'm sorry, I don't do that."
Teen Hugh: "Obviously, you're a good girl. You want me to talk to your driver that I'll be dating you?"
Teen Aurie's friends left, noticing the sudden blush rising on Aurie's cheeks.
Teen Aurie: "You know, today is our first day of school, right?"
Teen Hugh: "Right. Why, you trying to ace every assignments and be the most perfect student here?"
Teen Aurie laughed, unbelievably.
Teen Aurie: "You know, I think you have mistakenly... uhm... I mean, do you know me?"
Teen Hugh stepped closer to Teen Aurie, almost nose-to-nose. "Miss... I don't know you and it's weird to say that you look familiar."
Teen Aurie: "Huh?"
Teen Hugh: "I think, I saw you in my dreams lately."
Teen Aurie: "Very cheesy!"
Teen Hugh: "Oh yeah? That's why your friends left."
Teen Aurie checked behind her; her three friends were indeed gone.
Teen Hugh: "So uhm... later at 7? 7 in the evening?"
Teen Aurie smirks and walked away. When Teen Aurie was almost out of the campus lobby, Teen Hugh shouted playfully: "Hey Miss, It's Hugh... I'll know your name later, trust me!!!"
Some students smiled when they heard Teen Hugh, most of them frowned, but Teen Aurie walked straight to her locker room. She murmured to herself, "Hugh?! Nice name huh!" then she slightly giggled.
In the current time, while Hugh was driving, Adiel shouted: "Dad, it's green already!!!" Hugh snapped out of the memory and accelerated.
Adiel: "What was that, dad? Were you day dreaming?"
Hugh: "Nothing, son."
Hugh continued to smile, but blankly, looking out at the skyway on which they were now driving. His mind told him, "I miss you, my wife." Adiel noticed his dad's strange smile, but he didn't question it further. He just relaxed, settling into the passenger's seat.
THE MICHAEL
When Hugh and Adiel are eating dinner, the delicious food barely registering. Hugh was lost again, this time not in a sentimental high school memory, but in a memory of a conflict that had defined his young adult life.
In his teenage years, specifically after that brazen first week of school, he remembered arriving home, his head full of Teen Aurie's laugh and challenging smirk. His father was waiting.
Hugh's Father, Michael Adler: "How's first week of the freshman year?"
Teen Hugh completely ignored the question, walking straight toward the stairs. He was exhausted and wanted only the privacy of his room. Michael insisted, his voice sharp and commanding: "Sit here please." Michael was already settled on the living room's big elegant sofa, a clear sign that this was not a casual chat.
When Hugh reached the last step, his personal assistant, Ana, intervened with a practiced, diplomatic tone."Please, your highness. Your father wants to talk to you."
Teen Hugh, annoyed by the formality, shot back: "Oh, you want to?"
Ana: "He was waiting for you, obediently."
Michael walked over, now standing directly behind Hugh.
Michael: "Thanks Ana."
Ana swiftly left downstairs. Michael sat to the sofa, now near Teen Hugh's room & upstairs' hallway, and tapped the seat cushion, signaling a clear command: "Sit beside me, my son." Teen Hugh obeyed immediately. He knew his father only broke his schedule and adjusted his location like this when something was profoundly serious.
Teen Hugh: "What's that? And... when did Ana become so serious to me now? Huh?" His tone was defensive.
Michael: "Could you please be mature, while talking to me?"
Teen Hugh was tired, his words lost. He just wanted to escape the interrogation. "Dad, please. I'll change & can we talk~"
Michael delivered the blow, cutting him off: "I don't like Aurie for you."
Teen Hugh's widest eyes fixed on his father. He was filled with mix emotions. Was he supposed to laugh at the ridiculousness of the accusation, or be afraid of his father's sudden, accurate knowledge?
Teen Hugh: "Who's Aurie?"
Michael: "See? One week of stalking her and you still don't know her name. Her name is Aurie Fortuna Adler."
Teen Hugh: "Oh wow, thanks for the name... no... no dad, wait... how do you~"
Michael laughed loud, a cold, booming sound, rubbing his stomach with self-satisfaction. "Aurie and the Fortuna clan is like... uhm..." He briefly ran out of the perfect dismissive word, then found the only metric that mattered to him. He continued: "Boy, we're richer than them. That's it!"
Teen Hugh was still reeling, his eyes big with disbelief. He asked himself, "How come dad knows her name?"
Michael: "Close your mouth, son. Just uhm... leave her alone."
Teen Hugh: "Oh yeah? Look who's being 'mature' now? Telling me to leave a girl without~"
Michael's voice dropped to a dangerous roar, echoing off the marbled walls. "DON'T TALK TO HER!!!"
Teen Hugh automatically stood up, his emotions a swirling mix of being scared by the volume and happy that his father had unwittingly confirmed the full name of the girl he had been dreaming about.
Michael: "I have a girl for you. Okay? More wealthy, more beautiful. The perfect girl for you. Understood?"
Teen Hugh walked out, immediately going to the sanctuary of his room. He sat heavily on his big bed, closing his fists, his adrenaline spiking. He whispered to himself, "Why dad? How did you know her name?" Then, despite the fear, his cheeks flushed with a sudden warmth as Aurie's name echoed in his mind. The forbidden nature of the relationship had just made his pursuit of her an absolute certainty.
Hugh's silent acceptance of his corporate defeat was a mask, but a mask for what? A charming, tearful trip down memory lane showed Adiel the loving man his father once was, the high school boy who defied his own powerful father, Michael Adler, for the sake of Aurie. Is Hugh's love story a lie? You, readers, who is the Real Villain?
With the corporate war officially underway and her family closing in on her assets, Aurie's spectral form cannot afford nostalgia. She needs to communicate. Will she appear to Adiel during his most vulnerable moment of doubt, or will she target her enemy, Hugh, and use her chilling power to break his facade?