Red Princess

60. Once in a Lifetime

21st May 20XX

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have entered this record in my diary. After all, this thing only exists for the most crucial events of my life. As I turn back the pages, I realise how narcissistic I have been all this time, how selfish, and perhaps I'll unapologetically continue to be. However, if anything, or rather if anyone is capable of monopolising my thoughts, it would only be this person, this once in a lifetime woman that I met, who made me fall in love with her within three seconds...
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I slammed the car door shut as I stepped out into the rain and kicked the rear-side wheel with the tip of my boot. It had been a bad day all along. The Crosses had started taking action on all spies, the Fords were silent and underground, and the Red Phoenix and his now-wife were still on the run. So much for all the careful planning I did to drive a wedge between the two families.

I let the tiny water droplets drip down my face onto the ground, mimicking the role of the tears I had held back all this time. I couldn't give up- not after I had come this far. My parents gave up their lives to protect me from them. They placed all their hopes on me, and I could not fail them.

I was born with an extraordinary power, one that would aid me to become a great leader. At least, that was what our elders of the council told me. The king of the old, our ancestor, was the first person to possess that, and I the second, and everyone already viewed me as his reincarnation.

"Sir, this might take a little while to fix. Why don't you take some rest inside?" My chauffeur requested me while trying to fix the engine. Another text popped up on my phone screen, and the contents made me want to smash the screen to pieces.

"Lancelot Ford stepped down as head of the family. Landon Ford to be appointed as the next head. Ceasefire called between the two families."

-THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THAT MAN!

I pinched the bridge between my nose to try to ward off the impending headache. The sound of the raindrops falling on the road and the clang of my driver's tools engulfed the silence around me. I wasn't in the best of my moods, but those sounds were oddly comforting. I could feel my nerves calming. I needed to start from scratch again to bring them down.

"I'll need to get a mechanic, sir. I'll be right back."

The retreating sound of his footsteps on the water-laid road was the last thing I heard before the street went silent again, except for the harmonic thrumming of the rainfall.

A soft whimpering woke me up from my trance. An abandoned puppy was trying to seek shelter while stuck in a box at the corner of the street but failing miserably. Sympathy flickered within me for the tiniest of seconds before apathy replaced it. Being weak and helpless was a sin, not fate, and the best way to help was to let people fight their battles.

My eyes darted to the side when I noticed the figure of a woman approaching it. She scratched its chin before placing her umbrella over the box. The raindrops started drenching her clothes, making the fabric stick to her flawless creamy skin. Her smooth wavy blonde hair turned pointed at the ends as water started dripping down them. She pulled a small loaf of bread out of her grocery bag and broke it into smaller crumbs before placing it near the puppy. The scenery amused me, and I scoffed, looking the other way.

"You have got some problem with me?" She muttered without taking her eyes away from the animal.

Pretentious. Acting as if she cares only to feel good about herself.

"If you are so worried about the pup, why don't you adopt it? Why even bother to show it any hope only to crush it later?"

"I am not the one standing on the sides and preaching," she replied without a speck of contempt in the words. It was as if she wasn't offended in the least by my words.